University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s  Elko County 4-H Youth Development Program is adapting to the shelter-in-place order by offering online activities for their members to learn from home.

One activity was a virtual scavenger hunt for members of the Elko County 4-H Horse Program. The goal was for the students to continue learning and engaging with their horses as they would in a typical 4-H workshop. Members of the program took photos of subjects related to horses, including parts of a horse, such as the hock, and horse grooming tools, such as a body brush. Participants submitted the photos to a cloud storage service offered by the University and received gift certificates if they were able to take photos of all subjects on the list.

The Horse Committee is also holding an online workshop in which the members record videos of themselves safely catching, tying, grooming, saddling, bridling and mounting their horses. These clips will be used as a check-in so that the members can show they are still working on their horsemanship skills while at home. 

“The feedback has been really positive,” Liz Krenka, Elko County 4-H Program coordinator, said. “We wanted to host some activities that didn’t strain parents or kids, but that still let them go out and be productive while at home.” 

Elko County 4-H also held an online photography contest for all their 4-H members. The contest is usually held in-person but was transitioned online due to the shelter-in-place policy. The topic was “Quarantine,” and participants were asked to submit a photograph that represented what their lives looked like during this time. Participants submitted photos by email or to the University’s cloud service. Photos were due April 28, and members will receive feedback on their photos after they are judged. 

“While we are waiting for updates on how our programs are going to continue during the summer, we want to make sure we are still offering activities to help the kids through this time as well,” said Krenka.