4H where do I start?

[OK Family]

I just found out about a 4H group in my area. I'm excited for my kids to join, but I'm clueless. I know there are some scheduled projects we will work on, but other than that I'm stumped. What do I need to be aware of, any beginners tips? I want my kids experience to be enjoyable but make the most out of it too.

[Ellie]

I just found out about a 4H group in my area. I'm excited for my kids to join, but I'm clueless. I know there are some scheduled projects we will work on, but other than that I'm stumped. What do I need to be aware of, any beginners tips? I want my kids experience to be enjoyable but make the most out of it too.

 

Have you already talked to the leader?

[kirstenhill]

From what I learned by reading these boards, there really is a lot of local variation so you'll definitely need to talk to someone involved in your group locally to find out how your group works. It seems like it many areas there are "project groups" that meet to work on a specific type of project outside of the large group business meetings, but our club had nothing like that. Our club this past year offered the monthly business meeting, some social events, and that was about it (besides a few county-wide events, which we unfortunately weren't able to participate in because they were quite a long drive for us, as it was actually not a club in our "home county").

 

We actually weren't even able to participate in the county fair when all was said and done, because the 4 hour window for dropping off projects and being judged conflicted with something we had committed to before we knew when the fair drop off day would be. I think the more experienced members probably knew it was always the first Saturday in August for fair judging, but as newbies, we had no idea and had made other plans that weren't easy to change. The kids were okay with it because they hadn't put a ton of time into their projects at the point when we found out. I guess the advice I would offer would be to find out about important dates like that well in advance if they can be known.

 

We've decided not to do 4-h this coming year because our club meetings and other events were really quite a drive for us, and there aren't really any general purpose 4-h clubs that work for our schedule any closer (there are a lot of specialized Urban 4-h groups in our immediate area/county that either are only open to certain demographic groups or only do very specific projects and not general meetings). But it seems like 4-h has the potential to be a great activity if the specifics of your local club work for you!

[OK Family]

I did finally get to speak with the club director. I know that there is a list of projects the club will be working on. I have the date for the Local Fair, but since it is a month away I assume it is for people that have been working on projects already.

 

I like the idea of visiting various 4H clubs. While I like the projects that are slated for our group, I think my boys would like a club that focused on the Stem projects. I think we can work on them on our own, but I'd rather have a club to hold my hand so to speak.

 

ETA: we live in two different states. Our primary residence we do have cattle. Our secondary is beachside, which is where we will be doing 4H. The large animal or any for that matter probably isn't doable. I'm now wondering if we can participate in a 4 H in both locations... Hmmm..

[Laurel-in-CA]

You can cross-club within the same county, very little problem. I am not at all sure it's feasible across state lines. Most clubs will serve their own members first and will be happy to open outside slots to others in their county/adjoining counties.

 

If you want to participate in the fair as 4H members, you'll need to get your registration paid ASAP. You can't attend anything as "officially 4H" until that's done. Oh, they'll still let you come to general meetings, but project meetings and competitions, not until you're registered. My advice is if the fair is this close, don't let that make you rush your decision. Find the club that's right for you & your kids...that's what will give you longevity. Some Fair entries are easy to create, esp. at elementary levels, and you can participate in fair as non-4Hers, just regular county residents, so you might take a look at doing that this year. It's only your 10yo that would get record book credit (if you choose to do record books, which I definitely recommend) for fair entries.

 

If you're in a STEM-related project, you will probably still end up doing some of your fair entry projects @ home. It is VERY nice to have a club to hold your hand and encourage you, though!! Some we've done included:

1. Small animal projects -- Cavies/guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs - these may include raising/training the animal, but also learning about anatomy, lifecycle, care/feeding, and diseases. Posters of animal anatomy are a favorite for younger kids' fair entries.
2. Wind power -- This was a fun one, and ds did an award-winning speech on different types of windmills (he was in high school), went all the way to a state gold.
3. Wildlife -- My dd has done this project for several years, each year focusing on a different thing: redwood environment, coastal native wildlife, trees & flowers. It's been a great way to get out in the community and learn about our local ecology.
4. Chemistry -- Well, sort of. The dad who ran this one was a senior chemist and he did one all-day Saturday meeting at his place of work, where they froze stuff in liquid nitrogen & smashed it, and other fun stuff. Everybody came home with a pair of eye protectors and a lot of fun memories.
5. Food Safety/Nutrition -- The lady who ran this had been a food safety inspector & had a degree in that field from university. She talked a lot about temperatures, food safety, reactions in various food processes (yeast, cheese-making, baking, why mayo spoils, etc.).

You can find STEM in a lot of projects or add it to them if you're wanting too. Good luck with 4H, it's been a good thing for us.