Keene State College
Technology, Design, and Safety Center (TDS)
229 Main Street
Keene, NH 03431
United States
Join New Hampshire 4-H and college partner, Keene State College, for a fun day-long learning experience designed to engage youth with 4-H learning activities and career exploration related to collegiate programs.
For youth ages: 9 - 18
What to expect:
Youth ages 9-13 will choose a track full of fun interactive activities related to different 4-H topics and career exploration, such as robotics, care for animals, storytelling, space exploration, and outdoor adventures, as well as career exploration with collegiate programs around STEM, engineering, creative building, architecture, 3D printing, and innovations in safety.
- Blue Track: Robotics (Brushbots), Electric Circuits, Optics/Lasers, Arts/Theater
- Orange Track: Electric Circuits, Animal Science (Rabbits), Arts/Theater, Chemistry
- Green Track: Animal Science (Rabbits), Outdoor Adventures, Chemistry, Starlight Challenge
- Yellow Track: Outdoor Adventures, Maple Challenge, Starlight Challenge, Physics
- Purple Track: Maple Challenge, Story Telling with Miss NH, , Physics, Wildlife Detectives
- Red Track: Story Telling with Miss NH, Robotics (Brushbots), Wildlife Detectives, Catapult Design & Build
Youth Ages 14 -18 will join the youth ages 9-13 in the morning giving leadership support to fun, hands-on learning activities that explore amazing 4-H pathways of learning in STEM, outdoor adventures, animal science, and creative storytelling with younger Discovery Day youth. The afternoon will be spent getting an insider look at cool learning programs from our college partner in Catapult Design & Build and Optics/Lasers.
Cost: $25 (each registered youth; covers lunch and a cool event T-Shirt)
* Scholarships available upon request.
ADULT: $15 for Lunch (Check payable to UNH Extension)
What to Expect
Intro to Parents Workshop at 10:05am and 1:25pm, Lunch 11:45am, Open House 2:15pm, and Final Youth Showcase 2:45pm
*Additional event t-shirts will be available for purchase at $10 each
Registration is Required. Registration deadline: end of day Sunday, November 9, 2025
Description of some of the workshops:
Becoming a Skull Detective: Using science to better understand local mammals from their skulls
This workshop will invite participants to hone their scientific and identification skills by interacting with real skull specimens from NH mammals. From observations and comparisons of skull structures, and with the use of dichotomous keys and guides, this hands-on experience will deepen your understanding and appreciation of local mammals, including their feeding behaviors and overall ecology.
Kitchen Chemistry Meets Art
Participants will explore how kitchen chemistry can be used to change the color of common foods to create simple artwork and/or write hidden messages. The activity is designed for younger students in elementary or early middle-grades.
Light in Action: Exploring Ways Light Interacts with the World
Light interacts with our surroundings in fascinating ways. In this hands-on workshop, students will explore different ways light interacts with matter. They will guide laser beams through mirror mazes, investigate how light causes materials to fluoresce, and observe how lasers can engrave and transform surfaces, revealing the creative and scientific power of light.
Angry Hooties: Catapult Design & Build
Using 3D printed versions the KSC mascot, Hootie, participants will design, build, test and compete to see who can consistently and accurately hit various targets. Participants will be given an assortment of typical items to design and build a catapult. They will then be able to test and adjust their designs before a competition at the end of the workshop. Participants will be supported by KSC students in the Sustainable Product Design Program which emphasizes engineered product design.
This event is a partnership with Keene State College.
Accommodations, including language access services, available upon request before an event at https://unh.how/request.
The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Direct inquiries to unh.civilrights@unh.edu.
