Wacky Days of Summer

This article was written for the Robeson Living Magazine.  It can also be found published on the Robeson County Cooperative Extension Web Site.

Are your children’s idea of a summer vacation sitting on the couch playing video games?  When I was their age, I had similar plans of sleeping in and sitting on the couch watching TV (because there were no video games back in the day).  My parents, on the other hand, had other ideas with the goal, as they plainly stated over and over again, to keep me away from the TV.  I had tennis lessons; swimming lessons; outdoor chores, which involved pulling dandelions and other noxious weeds; washing cars; and if lucky, I got to ride my bicycle and do some babysitting when I wasn’t away at camp for five weeks.

Looking back, I am thrilled to have had the opportunities I had, even if I didn’t think much of them at the time.  I encourage parents to find new and exciting ways to expose the world to their children during the summer.  Think back to your childhood and things you enjoyed, or things your parents enjoyed.  Talk with your children and make summer an adventure.  Make a summer sand bucket list of things you and your children want to do.  Some of the top things to think about this year:

• Bake cookies together to make ice cream sandwiches.
• Plant a small vegetable garden with things they like – plant things that will get them excited or something you might get them to try because they grew it or think about themes like a salad, salsa, or snack garden.  It might be something less edible but just as educational like a butterfly garden.
• Be adventurous by letting your child use a compass and draw a circle on a map and choose someplace to visit in that circle.  Let them get online and see what there is out there and help plan a family trip.  It could be a day trip or overnight – depends on the map and circle.
• Let them set up a lemonade stand.
• Make ice cream.
• Have a cookout.
• Visit the local park and/or state park and, perhaps, go canoeing.
• Visit a museum or amusement park you have never been to.
• Use spray paint or sidewalk chalk to make a ginormous twister board on the lawn or hopscotch board in the driveway.
• Run through the sprinklers.
• Catch fireflies in a jar.
• Hula-hoop.
• Go on a family bike ride.

One of the things I always wanted to do was make giant bubbles with my own homemade mix.  This could keep you busy for moments or hours, but it is a good go-to on any day you want them to get outside.  To make your own bubbles, you can experiment with this recipe:

• 2/3 cup dishwashing soap
• 1 gallon of water
• 2½ tablespoons of glycerin (can be found in pharmacies or chemical supply houses)

Gently stir the ingredients and let it sit.  The longer it sits the better the bubbles are usually.  You can also add food coloring to make colorful bubbles.  They could even make bubble art by taping a piece of paper up to the side of the house or a tree and letting them blow different colored bubbles onto the paper.  How much fun would that be?

No matter what you do with your child this summer, it’s sure to make memories that will outlive any video game.  For more information, please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent with North Carolina  Cooperative  Extension, Robeson  County  Center, at  910-671-3276  or by  E-mail at shea_ann_dejarnette@ncsu.edu. North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.  In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation.

The Day of Caring Extended

Its been a tradition ever since the day of caring started that our Dirty Rascals head over to Hospice House and plant a little area each year.  The area which has allowed family and staff the opportunity to have a quiet colorful place to sit and enjoy is a favorite for our young gardeners.  This year the members wanted to add an element to the garden area that fits in with keeping healthy.  You might be asking yourself how in the world they might do that?  The answer is fairly simple, they wanted to add some edible plants to the landscape area.  With the permission of Southeast Hospice House they did just that.
This year added to the annuals (plants that are planted every year because they do not survive the winter months outside) that they planted were some hostas, blueberry bushes and cherry tomato plants.  The hostas and blueberry bushes will come back year after year and were planted among the petunias, impatience, and other colorful flowers.  The cherry tomatoes were actually planted in a ginormous concrete planter that is adjacent from the garden area.  The planter is at the end of a walkway near the back door of the facility.  In other words it is in the perfect place for someone to walk out for fresh air and get a quick snack before walking back in.
The members laid out the design and with a little help from parents and volunteers got everything planted.  After Hospice House employees treated everyone to ice cream which is always an added bonus to the event.

Difficult Conversations

Difficult conversations happen.  You may want to avoid them and hope it works itself out, but in the end you have to have them, and there are ways to do it and not do it.  Harriett Edwards, from our state office came down to share tips, tools and ways to go ahead and have those conversations as part of our second 4-H 4 County Volunteer Training.  This training was hosted in Cumberland County and was attended by volunteers from Cumberland, Hoke, Moore, and Robeson Counties.  Volunteers had the opportunity to learn about different principles of fierce conversations, identifying helpful strategies when having these conversations, and practiced the skills.
  Volunteers walked away with new information, a check list of things to look for, and ideas of ways to start these difficult conversations.  Many of the volunteers had the opportunity to share how valuable this training was on the way back to their respective counties, and several have reported utilizing the new skills they were taught as a part of this training.  A big thank you to Dr. Harriett Edwards for traveling to and delivering our training tonight.
  Two more trainings are scheduled for this year; August 22 and September 19.  For more information about these trainings please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.

Letting Them Get Your Goat

April showers may bring flowers, but in the world of Robeson County 4-H we are growing animals instead.  Today marked the annual animal science workshop where our youth get their animals and learn how to raise them (not quite in that order).  We started with our rabbit training that included information on rabbits and how to care for them.  Unfortunately our rabbits will not appear until Monday, but our youth learned a lot and had the opportunity to make more plans for their new animals when they come home.
Up next were our poultry competitors.  This year our laying hens are domincs, and very pretty bird that should produce large eggs by next year.  Our youth learned about feed, how to make sure to work at making their coops predator proof, and what to look for in the birds they bring back to the fair.  Each person received 8 biddies to take home, and they will bring their best two back to show at the fair in October.  For those raising broilers they will get their chickens at the end of July, beginning of August.
Speaking of showing.  We had some adorable goats showing off for us.  We have two youth that will be raising and showing goats at the fair.  These two goats have a homes with more love than any goat could imagine.  Both of them however will need a lot of love, work, and patience before they are ready to lead into the show ring in October.  If you would like more information on this program please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.

Cheep, Cheep, Cheep....

It's that time of year again, time for 4-H to work with some incredibly creative and brave second and third grade teachers to implement embryology in the classroom.  This year almost 40 classrooms took part in our classroom adventure, and we added a new twist.  This year we set up a virtual incubator in our office and the results were outstanding.  Almost 1,000 more viewers tuned in from around the country to see our chicks hatching out of the eggs live on camera.  We couldn't have hatched a better project ourselves.  A big thank you to our teachers who implement the program, fill out evaluations and paperwork to make sure their students are recognized as taking part in this.  We also appreciate the level of learning that our students get from this as well.  If you would like to see the photos of our chickens feel free to click this link.  As we get updates we will let you know.  So fair everyone is doing well at their permanent chicken home.

All Around All Stars Blow it Up

You are never too old to learn something new.  Especially when it is as fun as making balloon animals.  The members and volunteers of the All Around All Stars 4-H Arts and Crafts club had a ball making all sorts of things from balloons during their May meeting.  Now I'm not going to say we didn't pop a few along the way but it was pretty awesome when some younger folks came through and got their own balloon creation.  As Alex Evans said, "It's awesome to make something and give it to people and see them smile."  The group also made a bunch to give to our 4-H member who has been in the hospital.  They figured live flowers might not work but balloon flowers are awesome.  They don't need much care and they are always blooming.
The club's next meeting will be June 2 and they plan to work on being crafty with electricity.  For more information about this or any 4-H club in Robeson County please contact Wendy Maynor at (910) 671-3276 or Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu.

Equine Update

For all our 4-H members interested in the latest in the world of horses, please find the latest link the the state 4-H Horse Newsletter.  Also a quick reminder about deadlines.

There are two deadlines that are upon us:

1. Artistic Expression online registration must be completed by May 1.

2. Creative Writing entry forms and writing submissions must be postmarked by May 2. 

Details about both of those deadline are in the newsletter.