Cass County 4-H Wonderwise Science Project

4-H members will have an opportunity to experience science the way scientists do in the Wonderwise Science project. 4-H members can choose to enroll in one of these levels of the project:

Level 1 – Exploring Wonderwise Science  (ages  8 – 12 years old)

4-H members will have the opportunity to do hands-on science activities that relates to a scientist’s work.  Members will be able to choose a different science area to study each year.

Level 2 – Wonderwise Science Career Exploration  (ages 13 – 19 years old)

4-H members will explore a scientist career through multidisciplinary science activities. Members will be able to choose a different scientist career to study each year.

There are nine educational curriculum programs that include a video, a CD-Rom and an activity book. Choose one area of study each year. Each Activity Book is available from our office at a cost of $4.00 or can be downloaded by following the links below.

Pollen Detective

Hunt for tiny grains of pollen in ancient bone beds. See how a rooftop lab operates that counts the number of pollen grains in the air. Research on pollen helps scientists understand the important roles plant particles plays in our lives, including the way it pesters us with allergies.

Parasite Sleuth

Visit fish markets in search of worms and other parasites harmful to marine animals and humans.  Watch the scientist as she takes her “catch” back to the lab and conducts experiments on the live worms inside the fish.  Work with parasites helps scientists understand how these “guests” survive inside another animal without being digested and expelled.

African Plant Explorer

Travel to Africa to study local plants that serve as food and medicine.  See a scientist take samples of remarkable plants back to her laboratory to study. Her work with plants and people helps scientists learn more about the way certain foods prevent or cure human diseases.

Rainforest Ecologist

Explore the world of poison frogs in the Amazon, trek deep into rainforests, live in lean-tos made from trees, and count and collect frogs and insects. An ecologist helps scientists learn more about the rainforest and the fascinating life it supports.

Urban Ecologist

Climb into hip boots and trudge through mud to investigate life in a pond. A scientist records her observations, collects plants and seeds, and conducts experiments in a greenhouse. A plant ecologist helps scientists learn what keeps wetlands healthy.

Space Geologist 

Search through Belize and neighboring Mexico for traces of a crater caused by an asteroid that hit Earth 65 million years ago. A space geologist compares craters that exist on other planets with ones that are known to exist on Earth. She helped determine the surface outline of the buried impact crater at Chicxulub, Mexico. Her discovery helped scientists prove that an asteroid caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Vet Detective 

Travel to Native American reservations to check on the health of bison and elk. The challenge is to stop the spread of animal diseases using the science behind traditional Native values. This scientist’s work in veterinary medicine takes her all over the world to help native people protect their wildlife and their land.

Sea Otter Biologist

Visit sea otters in Alaska and study how they survived the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Observe otters in the wild-- under water, on the water, and up in an airplane.  A wildlife biologist helps scientists learn more about the impact of environmental disasters on the nature.         

Genetics Counselor

Genetic counselors investigate diseases that children inherit from their parents and grandparents. Follow a genetic counselor as she treats a little boy who is receiving an experimental treatment for Pompe disease, a rare genetic disorder. Learn about diseases that run in families and how genetic counselors can help.