New Officers Elected for 2010-2011

It was a busy 4-H County Council and Volunteer Leaders' Association Meeting tonight. Not only did we take care of our usual business with county wide program updates, training schedules, etc. We held our elections for our County Council and Volunteer Leaders' Association officers. This is an annual election and the clubs and members at large vote members and volunteers into office that they believe will help shape and move our county 4-H program forward.

Of course first we had to thank our outgoing officers for 2010. Those represented last night included: Aljaquan Nixon, President; and Yasmine Washington Secretary-Treasurer of the County Council. Officers from the Volunteer Leaders included: Hazel Sumner, President; Missy McLean, Treasurer; and Larry Russ, Parliamentarian. After introducing the slate of officers for 2010-2011 we broke out into club huddles for each club to cast their vote.

When the votes were counted our incoming officers were announced and inducted into office. For the 4-H County Council the officers are: Kristen Sealey, Sergeant-at-Arms; Christopher Bullard, Reporter; Korina Pittman, Secretary-Treasurer; Christian McRae, President-elect; and Aljaquan Nixon has agreed to serve as President for a second term. Representing the adults our 4-H Volunteer Leaders' Association Officers are: Missy McLean, Parliamentarian; Libby Burney, Reporter; Katherine Bethea, Treasurer; Deborah McBryde, Secretary; Jane Hurst, President-elect; and Kenneth Bethea as President.

Congratulations to all the incoming officers. Their next meeting will be in October for Orientation and from there we will set the schedule for upcoming meetings.

Robeson County 4-H Is represented at North Carolina Association of County Commissioners

4-H prides itself on offering leadership building opportunities. This past weekend we had the opportunity to chose one Robeson County 4-H member to represent us at the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) meeting. Each county in the state had the opportunity to send on 4-H member to this elite opportunity. As part of their responsibilities the youth helped narrow down the top ten issues that are effecting youth in our state and possible ways to solve them. They also had the opportunity to meet with county commissioners and forge adult and youth partnerships that can make a difference right at home.

Korina Pittman of the Titans 4-H club was chosen as the Robeson County representative. She travelled to Greenville Friday afternoon to meet with the other delegates and get ready to meet with county commissioners from around the state. Attending the NCACC meeting on behalf of our Robeson County Commissioners were: Noah Woods, Raymond Cummings, Tommy Wellington, Hubert Sealey, Jerry Stephens and Assistant County Managers Rod Jenkins and Ricky Harris.

At this Summit, youth were determining the top ten issues which they felt affected them. These issues were presented by the4-H State Council Officers at the business meeting on Saturday. Sarah Kotizan with the state 4-H office shard the following list of top ten issues the youth selected:

1. Teen Pregnancy-Prevention, sex education, health issues, starts a chain reaction, tough decisions

2. Substance Abuse-Includes illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs, younger children trying tobacco

3. Drop-outs- The drop-out rate is at one-third in our state, dropout prevention programs

4. Violence Bullying, gangs, crime, physical harm, more education on safety issues, recognizing that your “unsafe” actions impact others such as friends and family

5. Recreation Community activities, intramural sports, youth centers, unstructured activities, paying for sports can be expensive, funding facilities, safe places, re-evaluate current park and recreation programs

6. Socio-economics Jobs for adults and teens, poverty and hunger, identity theft, family money management, small counties, loss of jobs, need jobs, low economic ratings, family income below average, grandparents with low incomes raising grandchildren, unemployment getting worse

7. Education Issues/School Funding Schools need money to provide more classes and extra curricular activities for youth, need to prepare for and find money to help pay for college, school improvement issues, youth want to feel their needs are recognized, more opportunities at school 8. Lack of youth voice in community Youth need to have their voice mentioned in political decisions, youth should take the initiative with governmental officials to have positions where they can express their opinions

9. Health Issues Obesity, healthy lifestyles education, healthy food in school cafeterias, chronic disease reduction

10. Lack of things to do Safe and effective activities for youth to participate in, partnership between youth development programs, safe places to be, constructive activities, positive activities

According to Korina this list will be discussed again at 4-H State Council Conference in November. For more information about 4-H State Council Conference please contact the 4-H office at (910) 671-3276. A big thank you goes out to our County representatives for making Korina feel so comfortable and to the NCACC for making this event possible.

Dirty Rascals Plan on Growing for the Fair

The monthly meeting of the "Dirty Rascals" Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club was a quick planning session that has some great long term opportunities. Dillon McCartney served as President and called the meeting to order. The first point of business was to introduce and welcome three new members, freshly certifies as Junior Master Gardeners to the club. Rhanoda Drye, Tyson and Tryon Alford all came to their first meeting since their certification. Club members welcomed them and congratulated them for their accomplishment.

The group then sat down to plan their fair booth for the Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair. Although the group is not giving details about their fair booth they have offered a few clues. One clue is that it deals with youth. The second clue is that it has something to do with their club theme. The third clue is that it will be educational and fun for everyone. The final clue, or should I say challenge, is that they believe their booth may just grow right into first place.

In other business the club members decided to change their meeting date from the third Thursday of the month to the second Tuesday to better accommodate their club leaders work schedule. The next meeting will be called to work on details for the club booth. For more information about this 4-H club please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at (910) 671-3276 or Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.

No Bones about it...St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club Goes National

Talk about recognition! The leaders of the St. Paul's 4-H Pony club, Libby and Holly Burney just got some fabulous news which will launch their club across the nation. A recent E-mail from Jill Montgomery let the leaders know that their is no need to tighten the reigns on their club programming. The club project for last year's fair, reconstructing a real horse skeleton, is making the American Youth Horse Council (AYHC) newsletter this quarter. The newsletter will be hitting mailboxes and the Internet sometime in October. Below is the story, direct from Montgomery, that will appear in the AYHC newsletter.

"Youth horse leaders are nothing, if not resourceful. For Libby and Holly Burney, St Pauls 4-H Pony Club leaders in North Carolina, that description fits them… well... to the bone.

Early in 2009, a friend told the Burneys about a horse skeleton deep in the woods nearby. No one could tell how long it had been there, but from the way the bones were scattered, the horse’s remains had been awaiting discovery for a long time. Recognizing an anatomy lesson for their 4-H club members, the Burneys gathered all the pieces they could find and brought them home. Wouldn’t it be great, they thought, to have the kids reassemble the whole skeleton? And what if they could enter it as an exhibit in the 2009 Robeson (County) Agricultural Fair that fall? The group responded enthusiastically; in fact, not only parents, but grandparents joined in, too. The project—and the skeleton—began to take shape.

First, the bones were cleaned, separated, and identified. Parts were missing, and so was an important piece of information: how to keep the whole skeleton together to create a display. The Burneys turned to the internet, where they discovered Lee Post, author of “The Bone Building Books,” manuals that explain how to prepare and display animal skeletons (www.theboneman.com ). Mr. Post generously sent the manual for a moose skeleton, the closest animal to a horse that he had written about. On his advice, the group decided to create a “horse on a half-shell” and mount it on a plywood board.

After finding all the necessary materials at a local hardware store, the kids and adults rolled up their sleeves. By drawing a horse on the plywood, they figured out which bones to cut in half, and which were missing. To recreate the bones they needed, they first made molds from old bones, then made art plaster replicas which they carved for correctness. They painted all the bones off-white, then applied bolts, nuts, wire, bubble soap, epoxy glue, and clear silicone to stabilize the skeleton. Once that was safely attached to the board, efforts turned to the brain: The group took the unused half-skull and created a brain to fit inside the cavity. After all parts were labeled, the two-piece exhibit was finished.

The group worked from mid-February to late September, on Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. during the school year, and three days per week during the summer. They made the Robeson Agricultural Fair deadline; the exhibit was a standout and the judges awarded the club $125 for their efforts.

But the value of the project was never about the prize, as proud of that as everyone is. As the Burneys point out, the young members learned “how to be anthropologists, veterinarians, artists and sculptors”—as well as carpenters and painters. “In gaining these skills, they… learned by doing, hands-on.” Considering their teamwork, dedication, gained knowledge and creativity, it’s no wonder the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club received the Robeson County 4-H Club of the Year award."

Congratulations to the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club and its leaders! Just another example of how 4-H is putting Robeson County on the map and our youth on the road to success. Thank you Libby and Holly for sharing your story with us.

Up to our Elbows in the Next Big Event

As Summer ends 4-H members, parents, volunteers and staff turn their attention to the next big event on the horizon....the fair season. As animal shows kick into high gear it is time to get our youth ready to roll with their animals. Our youth received their animals in May as part of the animal science training. Now we have to check in on them and make sure all is well.

Friday afternoon we offered our annual health certificate clinic for 4-H youth who have goats, heifers, steers, or lambs. Health certificates are required for these animals to travel on the road and to get into many of the fairs and animal shows in the area. Bruce Akers, the state vet for our area, helps us with our clinic to make sure our 4-H members are ready to roll. He checks the animals temperatures, lung sounds, and a few other things before issuing an official certificate that says these animals are healthy and ready for fair season. This also offers Michelle Shooter, Extension Livestock Agent, the opportunity to work with the youth and give them some pointers of things they need to work on before the show at the fair.

So far our goats, heifers, and steers look really healthy. Our next stop for these animals? The Robeson Regional Agricultural Fair. Stay tuned in October as we give you the step by step details of what happens.

Teen Leaders Receive A Thank You

Being a teenager is tough. It is hard enough getting yourself through the world much less worrying about others. For three 4-H teens who took the time to not only think about others but act on their thoughts it has paid off. Korina Pittman, Christopher Bullard, and Tierra Troy all volunteered for various tasks this summer and were a great help to the 4-H staff. They did it all for no monetary reward, not a thought of anything at the end, they did it just to help.

Christopher and Tierra volunteered to help with the 4-H Summer Fun Day Camps. Each took on added responsibilities and gained leadership skills while being part of the camps. For the 4-H staff Christopher and Tierra were incredible assistants and even helped lead activities. It would have been difficult to have the incredible experience our youth had without them. Korina helped with a variety of projects behind the scenes. Both Korina and Christopher were instrumental in helping to put together our 4-H county scrapbook. With the leadership of 4-H volunteer Libby Burney we had a first place scrapbook this year.

So how do you say thank you to three teens who spent a great deal of time helping and learning, but mostly selflessly thinking of others? Mrs. Aggie and Miss Shea Ann had to think long and hard on it. In the end they decided that a day just for the three of them, that they did not have to think of anything and could just have fun was in order. They also wanted to make sure these incredible teens had the opportunity to do something that we would not normally do with our other youth, so they knew it was a day just for them. The plan started with a surprise telling them that we needed them at the office at 7:30 am for a special project. The five loaded up in a van and headed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Broadway at the Beach. Specifically they went to the Palace Theater to see Narnia, a musical play. After viewing the play they got a chance to meet the cast, shake their hands and have their photos taken with them.

Then we hit the fudge shop and tried a few of the confections and saw them making the sweet stuff. We each went home with a slice of our favorite flavor, to remind us how sweet the day was. After enjoying the play and the confection making, we headed to lunch. Since it was a day of adventure we thought we would try something different. We found a Chinese buffet and hibachi grill. Christopher may have been the most adventurous of us all trying octopus for the first time. However we all stretched our horizons, practiced our table manners and had a fantastic lunch together. As the adults were saying thank you to our teens, our teens said thank you to the adults for a wonderful day of surprises, experiences, and an unexpected reward which made volunteering that much sweeter. Each of them said they would not only do it again, but would encourage their friends, and not tell them sometimes you get unexpected rewards for your hard work.

Getting down to the Bottom Line

Day four of Mini-Society Day camp was a mad house. As our youth did their best to make their stores as profitable as possible and then spend as much money as they could they learned about how hard money management can be. After closing their stores they sat down and determined exactly how much money they had.

The last auction of the week went for quite awhile as youth picked the items they had been waiting for all week. Each youth had to determine what they wanted and how much they would pay for the item. Some of the youth said they learned to hide their money so no one would know how much they had and not be able to outbid them on items. Others said they learned to save their money becuase they could have bought some things they really wanted if they had versus spending it on stuff that was only useable for a few minutes.

By the end of the day each of the youth received a certificate, a folder of information and fun stuff and got to take home some of what they brought and all of what they bought. They said they had a great time and are looking forward to doing it again in the future.

Down to Business

Wednesday started with a balancing act. No joke our youth learned how to balance as part of our Mini-Society Day Camp. Balance a check-book that is. Our friends from the State Employees Credit Union came to visit us on Wednesday. As part of our lesson we learned about writing checks and balancing a check book. It is good information to have as we get ready to open our stores today.

After taking care of business and enjoying our lunch of grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries, it was time to get down to business. We mean that literally. The youth had a chance to open up their stores and buy, buy, buy and sell, sell, sell. Many of them learned about price comparison quickly. For example at one store you might be able to get two candy bars for $500. However at Mrs. Aggie's store one candy bar was a $1,000. As a matter of fact many of our youth learned that items at Mrs. Aggie's store might have been nice but they were rather high priced. They also learned the way around that. After closing their stores it was auction time. Mrs. Aggie auctioned items from her store to raise capitol. What was priced at $1000 might only sell at auction for $500. The other lesson youth learned about their money was to watch how they spent it. Sometimes they needed to make choices on what they wanted based on how much cash they had left.

It was a day of great fun and excitement as our youth put their money away in the town bank for the last day of Mini-Society. Please stay tuned to see what happens on day four.

Banking On Learning, How it All Works

We love a day that starts by loading into the vans. That means we are headed on a field trip somewhere. For day two of Mini-Society Day Camp that means a field trip about laws and money.

We started the day in the courtroom of District Judge Judith Daniels. As we listened to the court calendar being called the youth had a chance to see how a real courtroom (not the one on Law and Order) works. We then travelled through the back halls and down to the basement where we met the magistrate who told us about legal ages, and that youth can be locked up if they disobey the law. From there were were introduced to Lieutenant Kathy Torry with the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. She heads up the juvenile division. She told our youth that everyday they get phone calls about youth who are not listening to their parents and end up getting locked up. She warned the youth the best way to stay out of trouble is to listen to your parents and to be a part of organizations like 4-H.

From the Lt.'s office we headed back to the holding cells. In the basement of the Courthouse are cells to hold prisoners for their first appearance or other court dates. When they are transported from the jail this is where they stay until it is their turn in the courtroom. Our youth spoke with a young women who was in the holding cell. She encouraged them to listen to their parents and think before they do things. In her tearful pleas told them jail was never a place they wanted to be and they needed to make sure they made good decisions so they would never be there.

Our youth were then whisked upstairs to Superior Court. Judge Carter let the youth listen to a plea of a 16 year old who had broken into a home. As part of his probation, he has to pay for the damage he caused during the break in and has to stay in school, get good grades, and listen to his mother. If he does not do all of those things and stay out of trouble he could end up in jail. The sentence was a real eye opener for our youth. Judge Carter also took the time to talk with our day campers and tell them that the most important thing that they can do right now is get an education, because that is the building block for their entire life. Our youth listened intently and thanked the Judge for his time.

After all of that we were famished so we hit the dusty trail that lead to Pizza Inn. There we enjoyed a buffet lunch and talked about what we learned in the courthouse. After digesting our lunch we headed towards the money.

The State Employees Credit Union hosted us for a brief tour and introduction to banking credit union style. Instead of calling their organization a bank, it is called a credit union and the customers are members. We learned all sorts of things about the different positions they have at the credit union, how they count money, and that the very best job at the credit union is that of Fat Cat. As a matter of fact Fat Cat, the credit union mascot toured with us, hugged our youth and was even invited home with many of them. After leaving Ms. Janice and the other nice employees at the Credit Union we headed towards the office.

After returning back to the office the youth settled in to their routine. They received their "bucks" for the day and made plans to open their businesses on Wednesday. Stay tuned for more fun and information as we continue on with our wonderful project of learning.

Playing with our Food

How often does an adult ask you to play with food? On Monday that was a requirement in Hoke County as our 4-H Agent, Shea Ann DeJarnette, worked with 4-H day campers to decorate all sorts of sweet confections as part of a cake decorating workshop.

The morning was spent doing the prep work. We baked cookies in the shape of Winnie the Pooh's head, we baked cookie lollipops and made candy. Before we took a break to eat some really needed lunch after making these sweet treats we had one more thing to bake. With the help of everyone we made butter cupcakes to serve as a canvas for our creativity.

We all tried to get over the really incredible smells and sat down to eat our homemade lunches we made. Thanks to Ms. Shirley, the life skills program assistant who helped today, she and Miss Shea Ann had a gourmet lunch. Ms. Shirley made a wrap with a ranch flavored spread, ham and cheese on a whole wheat tortilla. It was twice as good as it looks.

After cleaning up from our incredibly yummy lunch it was time to get to work. We started by decorating our candy. That was done by melting more candy and painting it on what we had molded. After being Picasso's with candy we moved on to bigger things, things like cupcakes.

The most important thing to do first was make the icing which is the base of all things sweet. We learned about using decorating bags and different tips to make different designs. Our first practice assignment was to pipe icing then use premade decorations to finish off the look. each of the youth were able to take two cupcakes home with them and then decorated two more. One they gave to Ms. Shirley as a thank you for all her help with the class and the other one was presented to the County Extension Director, Keith Walters. He quickly washed his hands and sampled their work giving them a thumbs up (since his mouth was full) for their efforts.

We were only about halfway through at that point. Miss Shea Ann brought a cake with her that she decorated (with design tips from the youth) and presented to the staff after class. As she decorated the cake she showed us what the different tips can do and made different bags with different tips. Then we used the bags and tips to help us decorate our cookies. We also had gel writers with different colors to help add to the creativity of our youth.

When we got done everyone had four cookies, two cupcakes and a bag of candy to take home. Each youth also had the chance to make their own decorating kit complete with icing bags, two decorating tips, coupler, and several sets of directions so they can practice at home.

We must say a special thank you to Cathy Brown, the 4-H Agent for inviting us to take part in this sweet event, and well as Ms. Shirley for all her help. To all the youth and parents who made it possible, we hope that this was as sweet for you as it was for us.

Creating Our Own Society

Have you ever thought about making your own town, with your own money, and your own laws? That is exactly what a dozen 4-H'ers got a chance to do as part of our Mini-Society Day Camp. On Monday the day campers spent the day organizing their new society. They chose a name for their town, designed a flag and designed the money. Along the way the town voted on which name, flag, and money to use. This year they used "how low can you go" bucks.
The youth also learned about the different jobs available in the town. For example there is a county council, similar to a board of commissioners or city council. The youth can serve as the banker, a teller, money cutter, money counter. There are a variety of positions they can serve in and receive a salary. However having a town job is not the only income they may have. The youth create their own businesses and sell items that they bring from home for society money. They also have the opportunity to take part in an auction for really cool stuff and spend their society money.
Stay tuned this week as we continue our fun. Tomorrow we are headed out to learn first hand about government and banking.

Say It Isn't So...

Friday means one thing...our last day for 4-H Cloverbud Day Camp and our last day of fun together. Needles to say it might be our last day of fun but we did not waste a minute getting to all of it. Of course we had our final coloring pages today and then we talked about all of our favorite things from the day before, then we jumped right in. Our teen leaders, Christopher and Tierra lead games before we had another special guest. Bella, a very furry but little puppy came for a visit. Bella is a cockapoo puppy that belongs to Mrs. Kerrie, the Horticulture Agent at the Extension office. We all got a chance to practice what we learned about animals by greeting Bella and petting her before heading for our morning snack.

After snack we broke up again. Mrs. Janice was not there today but Mrs. Christy stepped in and took really good care of us. We worked at baking the cookie dough that we made yesterday then we took a fun quiz about measuring cups and spoons and what kitchen tools we should use. If we weren't with Mrs. Christy have a cookie blast we were in the Auditorium with a very special Guest.

Ms. Michelle of Richmond County came to visit with a special guest. Carolina is what we call in the animal world, a really big rabbit. To put it in perspective she weighs twice as much as Bella and is almost equal in weight to Manny our special guest from earlier in the week. Carolina did not do a lot of hopping and was really nice to us letting us all pet her. Ms. Michelle answered all of our questions and we had a super time with this ginormous bunny.

Then it was time for lunch. Mrs. Penny made her special pizza for us and it was really good. We also had some corn to go with it. It was so yummy!

After lunch there was more to do. Christopher volunteered to read to us. He read about a duck that ran for President (can you imagine?). After our story we played our favorite game, the quiet game which ended in a seven way tie. The winners got a chance to go first with the next project.

We worked on wood art projects that we colored and got to take home. We had lots of choices, turkey masks, pumpkin decorations, scarecrows or pilgrims that stand up, or a photo frame that looks like a cornucopia. There was lots to do to try to get it done before Mrs. Tameka came.

We played a really neat relay race game with Mrs. Tameka. We had plastic foods and had to determine which food group they belong to. The team with the most right won the game. After the game we each graduated from the Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) program. We received a certificate and other really cool stuff that we can use at home and remember the fun we have had together. After our graduation we went into the kitchen to make our final healthy snack. We made our very own trail mix with cereal, dried fruits, raisins, nuts, and anything else we wanted to put in it. It was pretty awesome.

After our final snack together it was time to say good bye. As our parents came we had big hugs for everyone and asked if we could do it again next year. We just want to give a quick thank you to all of our 4-H and Extension staff members, volunteers and of course the parents and youth who made this 4-H Cloverbud Day Camp a success. We would also like to thank United Way of Robeson County who helps support this and other 4-H programs allowing us to keep the cost low and affordable for this and our other educational programs.

To learn more about our 4-H program, please contact the 4-H staff at (910) 671-3276.

Making Noise, We Mean Music, the 4-H Way

It may seem like long days for our Cloverbuds from 8:30 a.m until 3 p.m. but after finishing a coloring page or two, they are raring to go, ready to do their part for a colorful day, and today was no different. It may be day four of Cloverbud day camp but with all the fun we are having we are starting to lose count. Of course we started our day with our traditional schedule of stating our favorite things from the day before and then settled into a great game of "Mother May I".

After our game and our snack we broke into our groups. One went with Mrs. Janice and worked on special cookies. "My Pyramid" cookies use something from each of the food groups. We got to practice our measuring skills, hand washing, and general cooking skills while we made these yummy cookies. After making the cookies the day campers got to play a My Pyramid game with Mrs. Janice teaching her all they have learned about what belongs in each food group.

If we weren't with Mrs. Janice we were with Mrs. Jane and Megan Hurst. Mrs. Jane is a 4-H volunteer with the Horsin' Around 4-H Horse Club and Megan is her daughter. Megan is a member of the Horsin' Around 4-H Horse Club and the "Dirty Rascals" Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club. Megan has volunteered to work with the cloverbuds for several years. This year Megan had two projects for our youth to work on. First they made thumb print beehives and bees. They were only allowed to use their thumbs to make these one of a kind paintings with two colors of paint. After washing up Megan had another fun project for our cloverbuds. They got a chance to practice their spelling their names by making foam nameplates. These cloverbuds got creative decorating these unique nameplates. Some of them even worked at making 3-D designs.

After all of this cooking and crafting it was time for our youth to take a break and eat. Thanks to our 4-H Volunteer Mr. Larry we had grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch with a side of baked french fries. After our stomachs were full it was time for more fun and noise than we had ever been allowed to make before.

Ms. Margaret and Ms. Jessica stopped by for some serious fun. We started by being musical characters in a barnyard story. We were split up into four groups, the roster, hound dog, donkey, and cat. When we were cued it was our job to be as loud as we could (in our character voice) to add to the really cool story. After that we became full fledged musicians. We were able to decorate paper towel tubes with markers and stickers (so it represented our personality) and then the magic happened. With wax paper over one end, held in place with a clear hairband, we had our very own kazoos. Once we figured out that we have to hum, and not yell, into one end we were able to create our own band. This was really fun!

After working with Ms. Margaret and Ms. Jessica we were ready to have fun with Mrs. Tameka. We talked about different foods and colors then we got to play a really cool game involving a mat, sort of like twister, and dice. However unlike twister we did not move a hand or a foot to a dot instead we did different kinds of exercises which were a whole lot of fun. Then Mrs. Tameka made us the best ever treat, a yogurt parfait with fresh fruit. It was yummy. hard to believe that it is time to go home, after we packed this much fun into one day. Can't wait to see what our last day holds.

Stay tuned to the 4-H blog for updates as we finish up 4-H Cloverbud Day Camp for 2010.

Special Day means Special Guests

It is Wednesday and that means day three of 4-H Cloverbud Day Camp. We are reaching the halfway mark of this great experience and today will be full of surprises like all of our others. We started with a special coloring page which Ms. Messy Missy made for us. It had a frog and we made him very colorful, just like a Picasso. After coloring we talked about the day before, the good stories, frogs, and games.

After a rousing round of the silent game we had snack and headed to the kitchen with Mrs. Janice. Everyone put on their aprons and gloves and watched as Mrs. Janice showed them how she turns wheat from the field into flour. Then we learned to read a recipe and we practiced our measuring skills from the day before by making some not so peanut peanut butter cookies. We used soy butter instead of peanut butter and the cookies were scrumptious.

For the group with Miss Shea Ann we got to meet a very special visitor. Miss Shea Ann talked with us about the responsibility of having animals and learning about the right kind of animal for us if we are going to have one. We talked about the proper animal etiquette (how to greet an animal), and what we would need to do to be ready to meet our special guest. Then she brought in a very special visitor. His name is Manny and he is a French Bulldog. He is a very happy dog and made happy noises at us. He let us all pet him and was very very nice. For those campers who are generally scared of dogs they even petted him, and later in the day took the opportunity to introduce their parents to him and tell them all about him and his habits.

After cooking and enjoying Manny it was time for the most important part of the day...Mrs. Penny's grilled cheese sandwiches. It was a lot of fun as we ate lunch together and resumed our movie complete with all kinds of animals.

After lunch Mrs. Tanya joined us for story time. Manny who likes stories also joined us from the comfort of his kennel. She read some of the very best books about giraffes, frogs and gravity. Then we went outside to test the theory of gravity by making a specific type of art, bubble art. We stood in front of paper and blew colored bubbles that popped and made art. When we came back in it was time for an aerobic version of Simon Says that involved stepping on popping paper. It was noisy but fun.

Then Mrs. Tameka joined us for our EFNEP lesson. Today we learned about fruits and learned how to make a fruit kabob. It involves marshmallows, fresh fruit and a lot of smiles. Some of the kabobs were bigger than the chefs preparing them but that didn't matter for long, as they were gobbled right down.

This has been a fun and busy day. Stay tuned because if everything goes, as it has, we will be having even more fun tomorrow.

4-H Cloverbud Day Camp Measures Up

We started Tuesday of 4-H Cloverbud Day Camp with a colorful and bright outlook. After working on our camp themed coloring pages, we recapped the day before finding out that many of them enjoyed trying the new creations that they cooked up the day before. They were proud of the cups they made and designed, and really enjoy Mrs. Penny's cooking. They also said they like the games we play to get the wiggles out. So after talking about the upcoming day it was time for a serious game of red light green light.

After all that fun we sat down for a morning snack. Then we spilt up to cook and craft. Our crafters got to make pom pom characters that they took home and play games on the stage. While campers were with Mrs. Janice they learned how to measure, what the fractions on the side of the cups stand for, and made some spectacular Jello fresh fruit wigglers.

Of course with all that talk of food it was time to think lunch. Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and wigglers made by the first group that morning. After lunch we settled in to watch another historic movie about rabbits, roosters and pigs. That was just the beginning of our animal adventures today.

Ms. Messy Missy, a 4-H volunteer joined us for story time. She read us really cool frog books including one on Picasso the frog. He jumped into jelly beans and became multi-colored. How cool is that? After reading to us about different frogs, Ms. Missy introduced us to some. Honest she had two frogs with her. One was really friendly and liked being in her hand. The other one was a tree frog and it liked to jump everywhere, but Ms. Missy caught it and put it back in its carrier.

After story time it was time for us to work with Ms. Tameka. She is teaching us about the different colors in the food pyramid. Today we learned about grains. Rice is a grain, wheat is a grain and our snack for today is a really yummy grain. Professor Popcorn fixed his favorite snack, popcorn for us. We had our choice of sprinkle on seasonings and boy oh boy was it yummy.

Each day gets better and better. I can't wait to see what tomorrow has to bring.

The Cloverbuds have Arrived

Today marked the first day of our ever popular and exciting 4-H Cloverbud day camp. In 4-H speak cloverbuds are our 5-8 year old youth, who in our 4-H world get to do many of the activities that our older youth do such as public speaking and presentations but everything surrounding them is noncompetitive until they reach 9, then they become Juniors and start competing and moving up the ladder.

Cloverbud day camp was revised this year from 8:30 to 3 p.m. to offer them a shorter day a little more similar to the school day. Each morning we start waking up with coloring something really cool. Then we sit down and recap what we learned and liked about the day before. We talk about the day ahead and then play a game that everyone can have fun with. Today was a little different as we started our day with Mrs. Tameka, our 4-H Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) program assistant. She introduced us to Professor Popcorn and the food pyramid. We got the change to make our morning snack with her, an apple carousel. It was really neat and yummy. After our snack we broke into two groups. One group headed into the kitchen with Mrs. Janice, our Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, to cook up a storm. There we made a yummy orange creamsicle that is good for you (and will be a great frozen treat later in the day). The other group went with Miss Shea Ann to make our own personal cups. After an hour the two groups switched and were able to enjoy the best of both worlds.

After being crafty and cooking up sweet treats it was time for lunch. Almost every child's favorite, chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for lunch. We could hardly wait! We had a really big cookie for dessert as we watched a movie about tropical rain forests and the creatures that live in them.

At one Dillon, a 4-H member, volunteered to read a story to us. It was a Doctor Seuss Story about the planets and it was literally out of this world. After our story we played with really neat dice, also known as fitness dice. One had numbers the other different activities like arm circles and jumping jacks. We each rolled a die and everyone followed the directions when they landed. Then we sat down and divided into teams to play the funniest game ever, Laugh, Jr. Then we had a very special visitor. Sgt. Larry Russ (also one of our 4-H volunteers) brought a special treat for our youth. They each got to see, and hear, the Sheriff's Office motorcycle. After asking their share of questions they each got an official pencil.

Then we headed into the kitchen for a cool treat. That's right our orange creamsicles that we made earlier in the day with Miss Janice. Then it was time to head home to rest up for the next day. After all this fun, how can we top it? Guess we will have to stay tuned for tomorrow.

Dirty Dozen take a Breath

The Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports 4-H club Started their August monthly meeting by welcoming their newest club member, Lucas Collins. Lucas is the 11 year old son of Rolanda Collins. He attends Carroll Middle School and is in the 6th grade.

Before cutting their meeting a little short due to the heat and humidity Allen, Caleb, Dillon and Lucas learned the importance of breath control and its affects on proper sight alignment. They practiced their techniques from both the standing and kneeling positions.

Other club business included a preview of the club logo and discussion about the upcoming fair. It was decided by the 4 members present that the club would set up a booth this year. Also, Allen's mom, Mrs. Peggy, is putting together everything needed to work on our "Emerald" seal, which they will do at their next meeting.

The next club meeting will be held Saturday, September 4th, 2010 from 0900 - 1200 at the range. (weather permitting). All members will need to be in attendance.

This club report was submitted by club leader Larry Russ.