Local 4H youth attend Heartland overnight camp
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
George Anderson Daily Dunklin Democrat
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| Members of the Dunklin County 4H Club, including, front row: Scott Jackson Smart, counselor, of Clarkton, Mo.; Sam McHaney, of Kennett; Britlyn Pikey, counselor, of Kennett; Tatum Lowry, of Kennett; Joe Mobley, of Kennett; Back row: Dalton Jackson Smart, of Clarkton; Cheyenne Long, of Kennett; Max Mobley, of Kennett; recently attended the Heartland 4H Camp at Bloomfield, Mo.Photo provided |
BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — Eight members of the Dunklin County 4H Club, along with 57 members from six counties, recently attended the 2009 Heartland 4H Overnight Camp.The eight members who attended the camp included Kennett residents Sam McHaney, Britlyn Pikey, Tatum Lowry, Joe Mobley, Max Mobley, and Cheyenne Long, as well as Clarkton, Mo., residents Scott Jackson Smart and Dalton Jackson Smart.
The camp, which took place at the SEMO Youth Camp at Lake Wappapello, ran from July 14 to July 16, according to 4H Youth Specialist Clara Green.
Green said 4H members from Bollinger, Butler, Dunklin, Mississippi, Ripley, and Stoddard Counties spent the three-day-event learning craftsmanship from various leaders.
“The 4-H members also learned about Native American Art works from Arrowhead Fred [and] a spokesman from Scott City taught them about various tools that Native Americans used and how they used them,” Green said. “Gary Tyler of SEMO University, continued the effort of discussing ideas and themes of Native American culture [and club] members danced to the tunes of Allen Shulse.”
Green said volunteer leaders, Phyllis Flanigan, Ronnie Martin, J.T. Brehmer, Jerry Hale, Angie Hale, Iris Elfrink, A.B. Hale, Kim Lowry, Martha Mobley, Dawn Smart, and EMT Artie Smart, provided expert assistance throughout the camp experience and deserve a special “Thank you.”
“[The club members] had a really good time at camp and it was a bonding experience for them,” said volunteer Kim Lowry of Kennett. “They got to meet kids from all over the different counties. The really cool thing about it is they don’t always have time to bond at rodeos, [but] at camp, it is a more relaxing experience.”
During the course of the camp, meals were provided the Butler County 4H Council, the Stoddard County Extension Council, Tyson Food, and Jeff and Lisa Brown of Dexter, Mo., according to Green.
Green also said the University of Missouri 4H staff, 4H members and leaders made several donations and spent time benefiting the 4H youth from the six counties attending camp.
Lesley Smith: The benefits of the 4H Club for kids
- Image by schocko via Flickr
The Camera recently ran an article highlighting all the wonderful opportunities we have in Boulder County to keep our youth’s minds actively engaged over the summer. I’d like to highlight another program – Boulder County 4-H. For most people 4-H conjures up the vision of kids showing off their livestock at the local County Fair. We’ve learned that 4-H is much more than that, plus it’s a great bargain! During the school year members choose projects to complete for the County Fair. There are an amazing choice of projects ranging from livestock to STEM-related activities (Science Technology Engineering Math) to creative arts, such as canning, photography, sewing and shooting sports (visit http://www.colorado4h.org/project_resources/index.shtml for a full list of projects). A project consists of a demonstration and an E-Record book that gets judged at the County Fair. Kids are engaged and their minds are turned-on while pursuing their projects. Using Model Rocketry as an example, a member builds a rocket with an adult’s help and completes the E-Record book that includes goals, how they did on each goal, expenses for project, community service completed during the year, title of demonstration (each member is required to do a presentation during the school year) and a story with pictures to show the project in action. On Judging Day, the member is interviewed by a project expert and an award ribbon is given. All first place awards are eligible to be judged for the State Fair. The cost for membership in a club and entry of a project in the Fair is about $25.00.
This year’s projects have been judged and will be on display in the Exhibit Building of the Boulder County Fair Grounds. Bring your children to the Fair July 31 – August 8 (entry is free and the schedule is at www.BoulderCountyFair.org) and veiw the projects. You’ll be impressed with what you see, and your child might like to join 4-H too.
Lesley Smith
Boulder
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4H Youth Club Horse for Sale
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4-H is more than livestock
Avni Patel, 11, of Hawthorn Woods (center) and Jamie Di Tommaso, 13, of Mundelein, both in the Busy Beavers 4H Club of Grayslake, show their 4H projects to Marilyn Hugh of Des Plaines at the Lake County Fair in Grayslake.
By BETH KRAMER ekramer@scn1.com
GRAYSLAKE — Members of the county’s 4-H clubs exhibited much more than livestock at this year’s Lake County Fair.
“People think when you say 4-H, you think only livestock. Now it’s taken an urban twist,” said Vickie Brown, 4-H youth educator.
» Click to enlarge image
Avni Patel, 11, of Hawthorn Woods (center) and Jamie Di Tommaso, 13, of Mundelein, both in the Busy Beavers 4H Club of Grayslake, show their 4H projects to Marilyn Hugh of Des Plaines at the Lake County Fair in Grayslake.
(Michael Schmidt/News-Sun)
Members aged eight to 18 entered about 300 exhibits in a variety of categories, including photography, sewing and textiles, computers and woodworking.
Last year, all 4-H exhibits were housed in one building. This year, they were on display in the Event Center with all the other displays and vendors.
“Due to limited space, we had to take photos of some of the exhibits,” Brown said.
The visual arts was one of the biggest areas 4H-ers exhibited, she said. That category encompassed painting, watercolor and pen and pencil drawings.
Brown said the exhibit garnered “a lot of interest” from attendees.
“We’ll probably have all 471 (Lake County 4-H members), plus parents coming to the fair this week to show off their projects,” Brown said.
Anvi Patel, 11, entered a dairy project inspired by family members, won a Reserve Champion ribbon. Her dairy research found that children up to age 2 should drink whole milk, and older children and adults should drink reduced-fat milk.
“My cousins drink whole milk. I wanted to persuade them into drinking 2 percent milk. Now they do,” the Hawthorn Woods resident said.
She also entered three other projects in computer science, photography and consumer savvy.
“(Exhibiting) is really fun. People come in and see what I did. It makes me feel like a role model,” Patel said.
She, along with Jamie DiTommaso, 13, belong to the Busy Beavers 4-H Club of Grayslake.
DiTommaso of Mundelein won best of show and grand champion for her entrepreneur exhibit, in which she showcased her business plan to create a tutoring business.
She also did projects in rocketry, woodworking and poultry.
“I love being an example for the younger kids,” DiTommaso said.
There are 28 4-H clubs in Lake County. Four-H teaches students leadership, time management, organization and career focusing skills, Brown said.
Many students wind up pursuing careers in their project areas, Brown said. DiTommaso said she wants to be an aerospace engineer and has displayed her rockets in previous fairs.
Anita Dowd of Wildwood said she was amazed by the 4-H exhibits and called them “marvelous.”
“It gives me the goose pimples to see the kids who put on the exhibits,” Dowd said.
Statewide 4-H Online Calendar
Statewide 4-H Online Calendar
4-H Science, Engineering and Technology Updates
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Copyright © August 2009 The Regents of the University of California.
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Top 10 Pieces of Advice for your first 4-H Camp Experience
1. “Don’t worry, your mom and dad will come back to get you!” -Cheryl Van Fleet Riedel
2. “Make friends using your 4-H experience to learn about each other.” -Michelle Goins Hart
3. “If you don’t think you’ll need it, pack it, it will come in handy…” -Tracey Kennedy Lester
4. “4-H camp is what YOU make it! If you think it will be boring it will be. But if you go in with a go-getter attitude you can make it what YOU want it to be.” -Andrea Rutan-Canaday
5. “Learn the words to the songs and sing your heart out. Ask a staff member or counselor to help you out if necessary.” -Mary Gail Dufresne Coffee
6. “Always be yourself and never be scared of who you are. You’ll find people who like you for you.” -Katie Kat Hammond
7. “Wake up early and take your shower while everyone else is asleep- that way you get to enjoy your shower while there is still hot water! Come with the attitude that you are going to have a lot of fun and meet new friends. Do try new activities that you never did before.” -Troy Arseneau
8. “Bring an address book so you can get names and addresses of friends you make at camp.” -An Alter
9. “Don’t be scared, 4-H is a place where everyone belongs and you never know who you will meet and who will become a lifelong friend. Most of all…have fun and participate.” -Kathleen Grim Lake
10. “Have fun!” -Angela Hackwell
To read more advice from 4-H members, alumns, volunteers and staff, visit: http://www.facebook.com/4-h?v=feed&story_fbid=107229371530
Local 4H Club explores GPS technology
Stuttgart, Ark. -
For more than a century, 4-H has engaged our country’s youth in the building blocks of economic success. This has meant a solid focus on agricultural science, electricity, mechanics, entrepreneurship, and natural sciences.
Today, 4-H opportunities also exist in subjects like rocketry, robotics, bio-fuels, renewable energy, and computer science. 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology programs reach more than 5 million youth with hands-on learning experiences to encourage young minds and to fill the pipeline of young leaders proficient in science.
These experiences are supported by more than a half million dedicated adult volunteers who are placing 4-H youth on a path towards successful careers. The Arkansas County 4-H Council sponsored a GPS (Global Positioning System) Workshop on Tuesday, July 14 at the Extension Office in DeWitt.
The workshop allowed exploration into the world of GPS and was taught by Tammie Olson, Pride of Gillett 4-H Club Leader. Leslie Jones, 4-H Teen Leader assisted with the workshop. Youth participating were: Ina Cox, Stacey Cox, Kayla West, Daniel Ruffin, Megan Sanak, and Ariel Smith. Others participating were: Vera Eagle, 4-H Leader and Alta Lockley, 4-H Program Assistant.
Support 4-H and help maintain America’s leadership in science, engineering, and technology innovation. Together, we can build the next generation of great thinkers. Arkansas County 4-H offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or disability. To learn how to become a 4-H member or volunteer leader in Arkansas County, contact the Cooperative Extension Service at (870)946-3231 or (870)673-2346.
Grooming goats for the Westport Fair
Local youngsters prepare for the showmanship competition
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Pictured here back in April at Lyons Brook Farm, (from left) Erinn Harrington, Kelly Amaral and Katelyn Harrington hold newborn kids.
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Richard W. Dionne Jr.
Haley Armstrong, 11, of the Westport Animal Tenders, shaves a goat named Hidden Treasure at Lyons Brook Farm on Wednesday. She is readying the goat for an event at the Westport Agricultural Fair.
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A favorite of the goats at Lyons Brook Farm, Kelly Amaral, 10, receives a kiss from one of her fans. She has been showing goats for the past three years with the Westport Animal Tenders.
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Pictured here back in April at Lyons Brook Farm, (from left) Erinn Harrington, Kelly Amaral and Katelyn Harrington hold newborn kids.
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Richard W. Dionne Jr.
Haley Armstrong, 11, of the Westport Animal Tenders, shaves a goat named Hidden Treasure at Lyons Brook Farm on Wednesday. She is readying the goat for an event at the Westport Agricultural Fair.
By Jill Rodrigues
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WESTPORT — Other girls her age might spend their time taking dance class or shopping, Haley Armstrong said last Thursday, not cleaning and trimming fur on goats.
But then they miss out on the love of caring for goats, watching the kids romp about on their spring-like legs, and observing goats give birth — “kind of gross, but like a miracle at the same time” — said 11-year-old Haley, of Tiverton.
Haley’s interest in raising farm animals, however, is homegrown. Lyons Brook Farm, on 76 Drift Road in Westport, where Haley and four other local children learn to care for show goats is owned by Haley’s grandmother, Sandi Porter-Farias. So Haley’s had a hand in farm work all her life.
Not so for Kelly Amaral, 10, of Westport, who has been showing goats for the past three years with the Westport Animal Tenders (both Kelly and Haley think the club’s name sounds too much like bite-size breaded chicken pieces). Her love of animals drew her to participating in the local 4H program. And then the fun of showing how well she can handle a goat in front of a judge is what’s kept her there.
Westport’s 4H club is at its lowest membership this year, with seven members, since Ms. Porter-Farias and her late husband started the program in 1998. She teaches how to show goats to five members, while another two members, Westport brothers who raise sheep, learn on their own and through university agricultural programs.
“Sometimes we get an influx with a whole bunch of kids,” said Ms. Porter, who took up raising goats after she retired from teaching Westport elementary students. “And then they all leave.”
These programs teach children about more than just the responsibility of caring for an animal, Ms. Porter-Farias said. They have to do community service. This past year the Westport Animal Tenders collected food for local pantries and participated in Relay For Life, a fund-raiser for cancer research. At the fair they’ve entered, children must give a visual presentation on any research topic of their choosing. And they have to keep records of their projects, community service, caring for the goats and awards they’ve won.
“It teaches you how to be a leader,” Haley said.
“I used to be really shy but that’s changed,” Kelly said. “I just started to talk more to people.”
Readying for the fair
Katelyn Harrington trimmed the fur of the goat, Just In Time, she planned to show at a Connecticut fair last weekend. Having joined the club in the last year, this was going to be the first time she entered a showing competition. Her sister, Erinn, 9, is also a newcomer to the club.
“I’m a little nervous, but I’m really excited about it,” said Katelyn, a 12-year-old Westport resident.
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All of the girls will compete in either showmanship — how well you handle a goat — and fitting — how well the goat is groomed — in five fairs over the next few months. They’ll be showing at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 17 in the dairy goat competition at the Westport Fair.
Trimming the goats’ fur with clippers makes the coat look nice, Haley said. “If it gets too thick, it doesn’t look too pretty and a lot of stuff gets stuck in it,” Haley said, especially because goats have a penchant for rolling in dirt.
As Haley and Kelly groomed a goat, Ms. Porter-Farias noted that they start trimming on the hind legs and work their way in the opposite direction of hair growth, and slowly, she emphasized.
“Are you following that hair line?” Ms. Porter-Farias asked Kelly.
Haley ticked off what she’s learned in trimming a goat’s coat: “Keep the clippers down. Don’t lift the clippers until you’re done with what you want to do. And you don’t rush.”
Members also have to wash the goats in the summer, feed them, and fill their stalls with wood shavings as bedding and some hay for nibbling. They do it all except clean out the stalls.
Handling a goat is the hard part since an adult goat can weigh two or three times what the girls weigh. Last Thursday, all four of the girls there said they’d been dragged around by a particularly ornery goat named Patches.
“This goat tries to trip me in the show ring,” said Kelly, as she led Rascal around by the collar. “I fell in Barnstable (county fair) but I got right back up.”
Judges frown upon walking behind a goat while showing it, Ms. Porter-Farias said. “It looks awkward.” And they can’t pass the leash from one hand to another to turn around with the goat.
“We teach the kids that they’re a sandwich,” Ms. Porter-Farias said. They’re on one side and the judge is on the other side and the goat is in the middle. You’ve gotta keep the jelly in the middle.”
None of the girls are in this club to win showmanship awards. Erinn, Haley and Kelly said they’d like to raise animals, like goats, horses and chickens, as pets and for sustenance when they get older.
Their shared interest in animals gives several of them another common dream to work with animals. Erinn said she’d like to be a veterinarian, or a basketball player. Katelyn said she and a friend of hers have talked about one day opening a veterinary business. Kelly said she wants to be a marine biologist.
“I want Sandi’s job,” said Haley, who imagined taking over her grandmother’s dairy goat farm. “I’d like to keep 4H going, too.”
Miss America credits 4-H with her passion for service
Miss America, Katie Stam is a 4-H Alumni.
Ask Katie Stam about her passion for community service, and she’ll tell you it all started with 4-H. Long before winning her title as Miss America, Katie Stam would spend hours in 4-H performing in creative dramatics, competing at the Jackson County fair, and visiting with 4-H friends and family. It was there that she learned the values of leadership, mentorship, and community service. And like most 4-H kids, she collected blue ribbons and trophies along the way to mark her accomplishments.
Now that she’s in the national spotlight, Katie is getting the message out that community service is important and rewarding. Katie’s platform, Promoting Community Service and Involvement, aims to get youth involved in their own neighborhoods. Her first goal? Partnering with President Obama to expand service learning in schools nationwide.
With community service as her national platform, Katie could potentially transform the way millions of young people think about community service and 4-H. “4-H is such an advocate for community service,” said Katie. “It encourages you to reach out to people in so many different ways.”
4h clubs
4H club
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, with the mission of “engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development.”[1] The name represents four personal development areas of focus for the organization: head, heart, hands, and health.
The organization serves over 6.5 million members in the United States, from ages five to nineteen in approximately 90,000 clubs.[2] Clubs and related organizations now exist in many other countries as well; the organization and administration varies from country to country.
The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, and life skills of youth through mostly experiential learning programs. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization as a result of its history, 4-H today focuses on citizenship, healthy living, and science, engineering and technology programs.
The 4-H motto is “To make the best better,” while its slogan is “Learn by doing” (sometimes written as “Learn to do by doing”).
History
The foundations of 4-H began around the start of the twentieth century, with the work of several people in different parts of the United States. The focal point of 4-H has been the idea of practical and “hands-on” learning, which came from the desire to make public school education more connected to rural life. Early programs tied both public and private resources together to benefit rural youth.
During this time, researchers at experiment stations of the land-grant universities and USDA saw that adults in the farming community did not readily accept new agricultural discoveries. But, educators found that youth would “experiment” with these new ideas and then share their experiences and successes with the adults. So rural youth programs became a way to introduce new agriculture technology to the adults.
A. B. Graham started one of the youth programs in Clark County, Ohio in 1902, which is considered the birth of the 4-H program in the United States. The first club was called “The Tomato Club,”or the “Corn Growing Club.” T.A. “Dad” Erickson of Douglas County, Minnesota started local agricultural after-school clubs and fairs also in 1902. Jessie Field Shambaugh developed the clover pin with an H on each leaf in 1910, and by 1912 they were called 4-H clubs.[3] The national 4-H organization was formed in 1914. When Congress created the Cooperative Extension Service of the USDA by passage of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, it included within the CES charter the work of various boys’ and girls’ clubs involved with agriculture, home economics and related subjects.[4] By 1924 these clubs became organized as “4-H” clubs and the clover emblem was adopted.[5]
The first 4-H camp was held in Randolph County, West Virginia. Originally, these camps were for what was referred to as “Corn Clubs”. Campers slept in corn fields, in tents, only to wake up and work almost the entirety of each day. Superintendent of schools, G. C. Adams began a 
photo credit: Ricardo Carmonaboys corn club in Newton County, Georgia, in 1904. However, the city of Jacksboro, Texas also stakes a claim to having the first forerunner to 4-H in 1910.
4-H membership hit an all-time high in 1974, as a result of its popular educational program about nutrition, Mulligan Stew, shown in schools and on television across the country.
Pledge
The 4-H pledge is:
“I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
my heart to greater loyalty,
my hands to larger service
and my health to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”
The original pledge was written by Otis Dick of Kansas in 1918. Some California 4-H clubs add either “As a true 4-H member” or “As a loyal 4-H member” at the beginning of the pledge. Minnesota and Maine 4-H add “for my family” to the last line of the pledge. Originally, the pledge ended in “and my country”, in 1973 “and my world” was added.
It is a common practice to involve hand motions to accompany these spoken words. While reciting the first line of the pledge, the speaker will point to their head with both of their hands. As the speaker recites the second line, they will place their right hand over their heart, much like during the Pledge of Alligence. For the third line, the speaker will present their hands, palm side up, before them. The speaker will usually place their hands behind their back for the final two lines.
Emblem
The official 4-H emblem is a green four-leaf clover with a white ‘H’ on each leaf standing for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. White and green are the 4-H colors. The white symbolizes purity and the green represents growth.
The idea of using the four-leaf clover as an emblem for the 4-H program is credited to Oscar Herman Benson (1875-1951). When Wright County school superintendent Benson dropped by to visit a one-room school house near Clarion, Iowa, the students outside for recess presented him with a good will gift of seven just-picked four-leaf clovers. This simple gesture inspired Benson to select the four-leaf clover for the 4-H emblem. He awarded three-leaf and four-leaf clover pennants and pins for students’ agricultural and domestic science exhibits at school fairs that Benson promoted.[6]
The 4-H Name and emblem have U.S. federal protection under federal code 18 U.S.C. 707.[7] This federal protection makes it a mark unto and of itself with protection that supersedes the limited authorities of both a trademark and a copyright. The Secretary of Agriculture is given responsibility and stewardship for the 4-H Name and Emblem, at the direct request of the U.S. Congress. These protections place the 4-H emblem in a unique category of protected emblems like the U.S. Presidential Seal, Red Cross, Smokey Bear and the Olympic rings.[8]
