MomtoCandJ Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Dd wants to do 4h this coming fall. What would be the easiest animal project for her to do? She will be 5 in November. We are thinking small animal as we have a little over 2 acres that is mainly woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Chicken or rabbit? We incubated our chicks but we can't keep it so we send to our friend after 3 weeks. It is quite fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 In NH children under the age of (4-H age) 8 cannot show animals and do not compete at events or fairs. They can exhibit at the fair items they made, but not collect premiums, and they are not judged on the Danish system like regular over-8 members. There are a lot of other 4-H projects she could do instead of animals, but I agree that bunnies are a good choice for a first animal project or even just a pet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 There are a lot of other 4-H projects she could do instead of animals, This was our first year of Clover Kids. Dd6 took a stepping stone and a Coral Reef Diorama. She also had a poster from the Communications Contest a few months ago (highly recommended!) You can choose whatever you want for the poster. Dd6 chose Snow Leopards. The judges for both the Communications Contest and the Fair were very gentle with the Clover Kids. They really, really, really want the kids to come back and do this again next year. For her poster, dd6 went up front and was asked, "Do you want to say anything about your poster?" and "What was your favorite thing about Clover Kids this year?" Dd6 was nervous, but I reassured her that "I don't know," is an acceptable answer. For the stepping stone and diorama, the judge asked many questions of how she had made each item. All Clover Kids receive a green "participation ribbon" for each item (including the poster). Blue, red, white, or purple ribbons are not distributed at this age. Other Clover Kids took birdhouses, origami, necklaces, tied fleece blankets, lego creations, a fairy garden, a battle scene, etc. ------------------------------------------------------------ Whether Clover Kids can take animals to the fair or not may depend upon each county. Contact your local fair or Clover Kids Leaders for more information. ------------------------------------------------------- In reading OP original post, I see that your dd will be 5 in November. She may not make the cut-off for Clover Kids this year. (We didn't a year ago; dd was not 5 on September 15th. :sad: ) Check with your local 4H office before getting hopes up. If this is the case, use this next year's fair to scope out ideas for fair ideas and what your area offers for Clover Kids age. In our area, there is the Communications Contest, Photo Contest, and Tech Fair (two Clover Kid friends each submitted a movie). I'm crossing my fingers in hope of a Junior Lego League. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 My big girl has been involved in a "non-animal" 4H group for 2 years now as a Cloverbud. They do cooking projects, a craft and a game each meeting. They show their crafts and/or cooking projects at the fairs. You should google 4H for your area and contact the representative and ask for a non-animal group in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 If you really want to do an animal, cavies (guinea pigs) are the easiest small livestock to begin with, but you can do other projects. Here is a SMALL list of options from our state- Youth Sciences - electronics, woodworking, metalworking, small engine repair, auto repair, computer programming, astronomy, rocketry, physics, engineering, chemistry, and aeronautics. Earth Science and Ecology - archaeology, paleontology, biology, botany, geology (even rocks and mineral collections are accepted), ecology (often collections from specific habitats, mini-displays of re-created habitats, reports and projects on specific habitats), taxidermy, animal track prints, conservation projects, green print camping, self-directed education projects (ecology and earth science related with approval or mentoring from the superintendent of that division), and exotic animal show (we don't allow snakes - freaks out the public during fair week nor chinese water dragons because they stress out much more easily than other lizards), but we've had everything from pet hermit crabs with elaborate beach habitats created for them, to bearded dragons and iguanas (kids are judged on their knowledge of their animal, quality of the habitat provided for them, the detail in their care and keeping journal, and the health and well being of the animal.) Textiles - every kind of sewing you can think of Cooking - all kinds of cooking and baking options plus all of the A level, honors, and Best of show Winners can bring a fresh entry in the evening to the food auction. We've cultivated relationships with the local restauranters and grocery store owners who come out to bid in support of the kids. My son's peanut brittle - one dozen pieces - went for $60.00 and his homemade heath bar for $80.00. (He was a Best of Show winner that year in the candy and confections division.) Fine Arts - everything from short story writing and poetry to Watercolor paintings, sculpture, and lead pencil drawings. Photography Arts and Crafts Archery Plus in addition to all of that -we have numerous volunteer opportunities the kids can take part in, as well as government and leadership positions including Jr.Council, Jr. State Council, and occasionally sending students to speak to National Council. We also sponsor leadership days at the hill (state capitol) where the kids spend two days meeting with state legislators, meet the governor, witness legislation being drafted and debated, have lunch with their local representative, and make a proposal to the state. Some of the juniors and seniors have gone on to work as pages for their representatives and this has been very good for them when it was time to apply to college, due to those presitigious letters of recommendation. There are about 8 competitive rocketry teams from 4-H that are involved in Team America Rocketry Challenge. The club that dh and I lead is exclusively STEM. Our kick off project for this new school year is a Near Space Weather Balloon project. We are hoping to break at least 90,000 feet. One of our 4-H clubs has a charter from DTE to gather data for the best locations to put up wind farms. They've received state and national recognition for their efforts and MSU engineering students mentor a STEM club right there on campus that is a robotics team. They create some pretty amazing robots. I would assume that other states have similar programs on campus. In addition, we have a 4-H camp and learning center in the middle of the state that hosts everything from winter sports events such as beginning skiing (they provide the equipment) to hiking, to nature studies. 4-H council offers scholarships to help parents afford these overnight events. Have fun! It's a great organization. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I don't know of any states that allow 4-year-olds to be 4-H members (4-H age is how old the child is as of Jan. 1 of that year), and which animal projects Cloverbuds can show depends on the county. Ours can show cats, dogs, or other small pets in the Cloverbud showcase at the fair but aren't judged. Contact your Extension Office for more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I don't know of any states that allow 4-year-olds to be 4-H members (4-H age is how old the child is as of Jan. 1 of that year), and which animal projects Cloverbuds can show depends on the county. Ours can show cats, dogs, or other small pets in the Cloverbud showcase at the fair but aren't judged. Contact your Extension Office for more information. [/quot Yes age of the child makes a difference in level of participation. Cloverbuds can work on a lot beginner level projects but its very different in terms of programming than what the older kids are doing. Cloverbuds must be 5 years old by the start of school here to participare. For regular membership the student must be nine before Jan. 1st of the fair year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted July 28, 2013 Author Share Posted July 28, 2013 I will go to the local extension office to see if dd can join as a cloverbud or not. I know this year for camp you had to be 5 before January 1st 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 The rules vary by state, and by county. We have never done an animal project....and I don't plan to start now. Our 4H fair is one of the larger ones, and there are so many different choices including Lego projects! I hope you are able to do Cloverbuds this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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