Robeson County 4-H

  It would appear that our virtual Embryology Experiment went rather well this year.  Not only that our last two born, which happen to be our first two ducks every incubated, have become famous.  Besides their social media following, and virtual following, Morrison and Thurston Howell, III find themselves in the local paper.  Way to go guys!  Special thanks to Jamie Baxley who thought this was an entertaining story.

  The following article was written for the Robesonian and Robeson Journal for print this following weekend. As I write this, it is 40 degrees outside, but by the calendar, spring has started, so I have the Beach Boys playing to keep me in a summer mood. It may seem a little too early to talk about summer and all the fun we can have, but in all honesty, by the parent calendar, we may be a little late having this conversation. Of course, every program offers different summer opportunities for your child, and you want to find what fits their interests, your budget, and everyone’s schedules.   Here at 4-H, we offer an array of fun and (accidentally on purpose) educational programs in a small and nurturing environment.   Our day camps have no more than 20 youth (several less than that) and are reasonably priced, especially when you realize the cost includes lunch, two snacks, supplies, and all admission for any outside activities we do.   Compare the cost of one ...

  It is not unusual to say 4-H members are loud and proud.  Sometimes during various programs we might even say too loud and proud.   However during 4-H County Activity Day , there is no such thing as too loud and proud, as more than 40 youth registered to compete at this event and almost 30 qualified to move on to District competition.   You could cut the tension in the room with a knife as our judges came in to the battle ground.  In Public Speaking we ended up with 10 competitors.  Speeches ranged from The importance of Agriculture to Hair Styles, and even various sports.  Those moving on to District Competition will be in 9-10 year old age group, Jada McKinnon of the Inspirational Youth Leaders 4-H Club; in the 11-13 year old Division Marquita Baker and Lashod Baker of Voices in Praise 4-H Club; in the 14-18 year old division, Michicko Hill of the Inspirational Youth Leaders 4-H Club and Shantasia Baker of Voice in Praise 4-H Club.   Others...

  The Dirty Rascals really did it this time.  They got down and dirty all for some savory rewards later.   This month the club's meeting centered around building a raised bed garden.  That's right, they built in just under an hour with the help of club leaders a 4x10 raised bed garden.  As the volunteers started cutting lumber the members laid out newspaper as weed control under their bed.  The news paper will help kill the grass and weeds where the bed will sit, and will allow drainage for what is eventually planted in the garden.  Newspaper is also biodegradable, so they members are recycling while being considerate of the environment.   After the paper was laid down it was time to learn how to use power tools. That's right power tools.  The members took turns attaching the bracing for the garden with screws and then helped attached the boards together making the rectangular walls of their raised bed.  Then it was time for some seri...

  We are very happy to say second and third grade embryology are back in Robeson County classrooms.  About 20 classrooms currently have incubators and eggs, working hard to hatch chicks this year.   This is during round 1 we will have a second round that has 30 classrooms signed up also.   However there is something special about this year.  Not only are there incubators in classrooms, but we also have a live virtual feed.  If you would like to check in on the eggs you can click on this link (or paste it in your browser):   http://ustre.am/1uNJp .  You can see us turn the eggs at 8:30, 12 and 5 pm weekdays.  Our eggs will be hatching the week of March 20, and our ducks (yes this one and only incubator has ducks) will be hatching about 5 days later.  So tune in and catch some breaking news!

Today was the monthly meeting for the All Around All Stars 4-H Arts and Crafts Club.  This was not your typical meeting.  Instead of being just crafty this group got a chance to practice their presentations and work on the artwork for that.  Alex Evans, a senior competitor in the group, is working on a presentation on Dyslexia.  She practiced her presentation, received feedback from the group that included teen helper Megan Hurst who has 13 years experience in presentations and what it takes to have a gold medal.  By the end of the meeting the group felt a little more confident about the competition that is coming up on Saturday, March 12. For more information about this club please contact the 4-H office at (910) 671-3276 or Wendy_Maynor @ncsu.edu.

    Sometimes you are milling around on the internet, or possibly even Facebook and come across something that rings so true that you must share. Although this holds true for all our folks who work with not only horses, but also animals, I dare say it also holds true for all our 4-H Families, who are working hard to make great kids and great memories along the way.     Please note we are sharing this from Life Behind Ears blog written by Sinclaire Dobelbower an agriculture communications student at Texas Tech. If you would like to read this article directly from the source, Life Behind Ears, please click on the link and enjoy. An Open Letter to “Those People” At Horse Shows MARCH 2, 2016  /  LIFEBEHINDEARS PHOTO BY DEANNA BUSCHERT Dear “Those People” at Horse Shows, You know who you are. It isn’t hard to pick you out from the crowds. I see you in the warm up pen. I see you in the bleachers. I see you at the trailers. I even run into ...