Nevada Extension offers online education and resources during pandemic

RENO —Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, University of Nevada, Reno Extension faculty, staff and volunteers are bringing educational workshops, programs and resources into Nevadans’ homes.

“Children and parents alike need constructive, engaging activities to do at home,” said Ivory W. Lyles, director of Extension. “And, it’s a great time for people to learn things like gardening, food preservation and healthy cooking, to keep themselves active and focused on something positive, things that can enhance their family’s health and well-being long after we all get through this.”

Lyles said Extension is working with its many partners to also serve local businesses to help minimize the impacts from the virus to Nevada’s businesses and economy.

The following list includes some offerings this month. For a complete list, go to extension.unr.edu.

For businesses

• Business Development Program

COVID-19 resources for small businesses and rural development. Visit the Business Development Program page, extension.unr.edu/busdev, for a list of resources.

Webinars for improving businesses, including ways to increase web presence. The webinars are free, and some are available Spanish, as well as English.

Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development COVID-19 Economic Impact Survey. Nevada businesses are facing an unprecedented drop in revenue. To allow the state to respond quickly to Nevada’s businesses during this health crisis, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development has developed a survey to help obtain crucial information from businesses. The survey can be found on the Business Development Program website.

• Early Childhood Professional Development Program: Early childhood staff, directors, administrators and coaches are encouraged to register and attend the “The Growing Brain” series on Zoom. The free workshops, approved by The Nevada Registry to count toward required annual training hours, will be noon-1 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 21-30. To receive the Zoom link, email Program Officer Cathryn Peshlakai at peshlakaic@unr.edu. Visit the program website, https://extension.unr.edu/program.aspx?ID=114, for a complete list of classes.

For families, homeowners and homemakers

• Grow Your Own, Nevada!: This is an ideal time to get tips on how to grow your own food and start working on your home garden. Free workshops are being held 6-7:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 2-3:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays, April 7-May 1 on Zoom. The workshops will provide gardeners and those interested in growing healthy foods with a back-to-the-basics guide to producing bountiful harvests in Nevada. Visit the registration page, http://www.growyourownnevada.com/horticulture-programs/home-horticulture-programs/grow-your-own/, for a complete list of Grow Your Own, Nevada! classes.

• Home Food Preservation Program: Spending more time at home provides an excellent opportunity to can or preserve foods. For information on how to preserve foods and keep them safe during the process, email Home Food Preservation Program Leader Elizabeth Mapula at mapulae@unr.edu, or visit the Home Food Preservation Program’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HomeFoodPreservationLV.

• Chef Suzy's Cooking Demonstrations & Recipes: Nutrition Specialist Susan McClain is hosting cooking demonstrations for school-aged children 4 p.m., Mondays and Fridays. Each 30- to 45-minute demonstration presents three recipes that are easy, simple, healthy, affordable and accessible. Both the live streams and recorded demonstrations can be viewed on the Facebook page for Extension in Clark County, https://www.facebook.com/ClarkExtension/.

• Living With Fire: Now is a good time to prepare for wildfire at home and reduce the wildfire risk. The Living With Fire Program will be posting brief video tips on actions residents can take to protect their homes as part of a series, “15 Minutes for Wildfire Preparedness,” on Extension’s YouTube channel. The first tip, “Assess Your Home,” is live now at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HihpnCFEMvk&feature=youtu.be.

For youth and parents

• Partners in Parenting: Take this opportunity to engage with your children in classes offered free on Zoom where parents and their children have fun and learn together about topics interesting and beneficial for everyone. Classes cover a wide range of topics, including cooking, reading, math, social skills and STEM. To register for a free class and receive the Zoom link, email Program Officer Heidi Petermeier at heidip@unr.edu. Classes include:

Fun With Literacy – 10:30 a.m., April 8

First Steps to Writing – 10:30 a.m., April 10

Food Expiration Dates – 10 a.m., April 14

Not Just MATH – 10:30 a.m., April 15

Building a Rain Shelter (A STEM Class) – 1 p.m., April 16

Screen Time Smarts – 10:30 a.m., April 17

Making Mealtime Fun – 10 a.m., April 21

Is Handwriting Still Important? – 10:30 a.m., April 22

Understanding Social Skills – 10:30 a.m., April 29

• Youth for the Quality Care of Animals: From April 1-30, the Youth for the Quality Care of Animals Program is offering $9 coupons as part of a flash sale for online training and certification. The Youth for the Quality Care of Animals Program provides curriculum that teaches youth to humanely raise quality swine, beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, dairy goats, rabbits, and poultry. This curriculum is used in Nevada 4-H Youth Development Program’s livestock projects, as well as by FFA, The Grange and other youth agriculture programs. Many youth livestock shows throughout the nation require certification through the program to participate, including the Nevada Junior Livestock Show. Coupons must be purchased using the flash-sale order form and must be paid for by check following the steps in the form. Flash-sale order forms can be downloaded from 4-H Online at https://www.4honline.com/FileServices/Fetch/d8b7684b-6c70-ea11-b6eb-000c299596f1/View, or they may be obtained by emailing Lindsay Chichester, Extension educator and Nevada Youth for the Quality Care of Animals contact, at lchichester@unr.edu.

• Elko County 4-H Youth Development: Elko 4-H members were asked to help make face masks for the Elko County Emergency Operations Center and Carson City’s Carson-Tahoe Hospital. More details can be found on the Elko County 4-H Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Elko-County-NV-4-H-202499486465706/.

• Washoe County 4-H Youth Development: Updates on county and regional events, activity ideas for home and virtual clinics can be found on the Washoe County 4-H Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/WashoeCounty4H/.