Founded in the US in 1902, 4-H clubs for children and youth (aged 5 to 21) can be found in over 50 countries (Wikipedia entry). In the US, it is administered by the Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service and I didn’t realize 4-H clubs still existed until receiving a Sept. 24, 2015 email about their (US) annual 4-H National Youth Science Day on Oct. 7, 2015. Here’s more about the event and about a special guest, from the email,

With only 16% of high school seniors interested in a career in STEM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics], the nation faces a unique problem in the near future where there might be more STEM-related jobs than viable candidates to fill them. To help turn the tide and create a spark of interest in today’s youth, 4-H is hosting the eighth annual 4-H National Youth Science Day on Wednesday, October 7, 2015.

This year, NFL player-turned-NASA astronaut Leland Melvin and Emmy Award-winning TV host Mario Armstrong will join hundreds of thousands of 4-H’ers across the nation for the world’s largest, youth-led science experiment, Motion Commotion. This nationwide experiment empowers youth to explore the physics of motion and distracted driving through a simulated car crash and distracted driving demonstration.

At this point, it is a US program but nothing stops you from setting up your own Motion Commotion and trying to register it (you can find the appropriate links on the About 4H NYSD webpage) or you can be a renegade and use this video (roughly 8 mins.) as your guide and, if you like, let the organizers know informally afterwards *(ETA Oct. 2, 2015 at 1325 PST: You can notify organizers via Twitter at 4hnysd@4-h.org)*,

It does seem to be largely a cautionary tale about texting (and other distractions) while driving. I have a suggestion for changing the experiment (assuming the kids are a little older than 10, I don’t think they’re discussing quantum physics in grade five, not yet): keep the first half but emphasize that’s classical physics and  given an overview of the laws of quantum physics for the second half (Schrödinger’s cat is always a good story to use as an illustration). Finish up with a question about unifying the two theories. What would the kids propose as a way of unifying classical and quantum physics? I imagine finding out that adults don’t know but they (children) may find the answer would be exciting and who knows? Maybe even inspiring.

For anyone who wants the kit, you can go here to the 2015 National Youth Science Day kit webpage (Note: A link has been removed),

Due to the size of the kit, next day and second day air shipments of this product are subject to additional shipping fees. Please place rush orders for this item over the phone at 301-961-2934.

Designed for 8 youth ages 10 and up.

The 2015 National Youth Science Day Experiment, Motion Commotion, empowers youth to explore the physics of motion and distracted driving. Developed by Oregon State University Cooperative Extension, this exciting activity will combine a speeding car collision and a distracted driving demonstration in a simulated activity that investigates the physical and human factors of motion.

The two-part experiment will test young people’s knowledge of science, speed and safety by:

• Constructing a simulated runway to analyze the speed, momentum and kinetic energy of a car in motion, and will explore the science behind the car’s collisions
• Leading an experiment that uses the same physics principles to demonstrate the consequences of distracted driving

Kit Contains:

• 2 Rulers
• 2 Race Cars
• 4 ft Rubber Base
• 8 oz Assorted Colors Modeling Clay
• 4-H Clover & Motion Commotion Stickers
• 1 Facilitator Guide
• 5 Youth Guides Designed to be Shared by Youth

Register your NYSD event here! With registration you are able to download experiment guides and promotional toolkits, and your event will be added to our national map of 4-H NYSD events occurring around the nation on October 7, 2015. Join us!

Qty:
Price:$23.95

For Canadians there is a separate 4H organization, which runs its own programmes but there’s no National Youth Science Day, yet.

* This is the second time I’ve published this piece within minutes. There’s some sort of a glitch and I lost a significant portion of text which was replaced with a few useless links. I apologize for any confusion and I will try to fix the situation but that may take a while as time is it a premium and this process still works, mostly.