It Takes A Little Planning

  Our 4-H County Council and Volunteer Leaders' Association officers met tonight to plan our next Countywide meeting.  As they went through the agenda the group decided we needed to have a little fun at our meeting.  So after we are done conducting business we will move pass go, and head straight for Game Night.
 

We can't tell you exactly what games will be available but it is bound to be a whole lot of fun and you won't want to miss our officers as they lead these games.  Our next County meeting will start at 6 pm at the Extension office on Monday, April 3.  For more information about this program please contact Wendy Maynor, 4-H Program Assistant at (910) 671-3276 or Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu.

Can You Hear Me Now?

  Yes, we can hear you and love what you had to say and demonstrate.  4-H County Activity Day gives our youth a chance to get up and speak or do a demonstration on anything they are passionate about.  This year our judges learned about everything from How to Make America Great through Literacy to Barrel Racing and How to become a Professional Video Gamer.
  Our day started outside with Outdoor Cooking.  This year we had three competitors all from the Inspirational Youth Leaders Club in Rex, North Carolina.  Takoma Hair, in the 11-13 age division tried his hand a beef cookery and offered our audience a nice steak.  While the two seniors, Jordan McKinnon and Jaylyn McNair, threw down on turkey and steak respectively.  The judges, Tommy Prevatte and Charles Russ both said they were impressed with each competitor's entries.  They were tender and their choices of rubs and sauces were particularly tasty.  All three have earned the opportunity to go forward to District Activity Day.
  While things were heating up outside, inside we had it going on.  In public speaking we had five competitors in different age groups.  In our 9-10 age division Jada McKinnon from the Inspirational Youth Leaders 4-H Club placed first with her speech on America while Adara Smith from the Spiritual Generations 4-H Club in Pembroke place Second with her speech on Softball.  We had one competitor in the 11-13 age division and that was Nadia Bennett who received first place for her speech on Neo Natal Nursing.  In the 14-18 age division Jamal Bennett edged out Jadon Mitchell for first place with his speech on Networking.  Nadia, Jamal, and Jadon are all members of the Spiritual Generations 4-H Club.
  In presentations we had two Cloverbuds (5-8 year olds) who delivered two different and really good presentations.  Christopher Walters gave us a math lesson, and Camri McKinnon showed us how to make an adorable healthy snack.  Both participants are from the Inspirational Youth Leaders 4-H Club and both received ribbons for their efforts.  Since Cloverbud is non competitive they were able to give presentations for the experience, and but the older youth on notice that when they are 9 they had better watch out.
In the 9-10 age division we had two competitors from the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club that gave two informative speeches.  Angel Purcell introduced us to the parts of a saddle and Megan McClay talked about how to care for a puppy.  Both received first place and have the opportunity to move on to District.
In the 11-13 age division we had two youth who gave excellent presentations.  Maggie Underwood with the Dirty Rascals Jr. Master Gardeners talked about How to Become a Professional Video Gamer, in the Careers and Entrepreneurial Category.  Aaron Johnson with the Inspirational Youth Leaders Club gave a dynamic presentation on Math.  Both placed first in their respective categories and will have the opportunity to continue on to District Competition.  
The Senior Division (14-19) year olds was a tough one this year.  We had nine competitors with some serious competition.  Megan Butler and Chasity McClay, both with the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club gave presentations in the horse category.  Megan talked about Barrel Racing while Chasity talked about Therapy Horses.  When it was all said and done Megan pulled away with the blue ribbon while Chasity got second.  Alicia Monroe, also with the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club, went head to head with James Floyd from the Inspirational Youth Leaders 4-H Club in the Health and Fitness category.  Alicia spoke about her favorite sport softball, while James spoke on Spina Bifida.   When it was all said and done it was a mere two points that separated the two with James receiving second place and Alicia going home with the blue ribbon.   In the other categories Christian Tice with the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club place first in the Foods and Nutrition for his No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies.  Briana Cryer was utterly as successful with her presentation on Dairy Cows.  Alex Evans with the Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports Club did an edibly delectable presentation on Cake Decorating.  All the Senior Division competitors are eligible for District.
  Speaking of District Activity Day, it will take place at Lenior Community College on Friday, June 16.  We do ask that all our eligible competitors make a practice appoint by the end of April with Ms Wendy, so we can make sure you are ready to bring home the gold at District.  For more information about this program please contact Wendy Maynor at Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu or (910) 671-3276.

Congratulations to One of Our Own

  A brief shout out to Aggie Rogers for being recognized as Lambda Eta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Community Pearl.  She was nominated by 4-H Alumni Krystle Melvin for this distinct honor.  Way to go Aggie.

Time to Warm Up....

  Teachers get your incubators plugged in and watered....because it's time to play 4-H Embryology!  This project happens twice a year in second and third grade classrooms around Robeson County.  This year 27 classrooms are signed up to hatch chicken eggs in their incubators for Round 1.  That means more than 600 youth will get the chance to turn the eggs three times a day until March 31.  The week of April 3 is when the magic for round one will happen.
  This does take a little more prep work then just throwing some eggs in the incubator.  Teachers attend a training to ensure success in their classrooms and review the curriculum.  They take their incubators back to their classrooms at least two days before the eggs arrive so that the incubators can get to the right tempreture (must be between 99-101 degrees) and have the right humidity to receive the eggs.
  This year we ordered or eggs and had to get them ready for pickup.  When you consider we had 30 dozen eggs, that takes a little time.  We ordered a variety of eggs so each classroom should have a variety of chickens that hatch.  When we get a little closer to hatching date we will put up a live feed for our incubators so everyone can watch.  Feel free to stay tuned for that announcement.  Are you egg-cited about this life cycles project yet?  We can hardly contain ourselves for the late breaking news.  Stay tuned!

Teamming Up for Fun and Education

  Time to let the world in on a little secret.  Do you know why 4-H has so many incredible adult volunteers?  Because they have just as much fun as our youth in the program, plus they get to celebrate the youth's successes with them.  What more could you ask for?
  Well tonight volunteers from Hoke, Robeson, Cumberland, and Moore Counties came together for our Master Volunteer training series.  This training opportunity happens 4 times a year and our volunteers enjoy each and every opportunity.  Tonight's topic was team building.  Hosted by the Hoke County 4-H team the lesson was co-lead by Cumberland County 4-H Agent Jessica Drake and Robeson County 4-H Agent Shea Ann DeJarnette.  After reviewing the components of team building and why we like doing it we jumped right in and had our volunteers shed some inhibitions and do some wild and wacky things.
  Our first activity had to do with picking and animal and then lining the group up by size based on your animal.  Of course, there was a catch, folks could not use human language only the language of their animal to do it.  So fish had to make sure they weren't drowned out by the bears, and flamingos had to determine how tall they really were.  It was an education in communication, and actual animal facts that had our volunteers laughing, dropping the formality of the occasion and settling in for some fun.
  Next came a small group activity of making a symbol that represented the group with four pipe cleaners.  Our members need to learn that our volunteers can be very creative because after 5 minutes they had some unique ideas, identifiable logos, and some darn good public speakers to share their vision.
Our group also got up and wrote their name with an invisible pencil.  It had them laughing and hopefully opening their minds to a world of possibilities that was yet to come.  We introduced them to the question ball, practiced our active listening skills, and enjoyed the Hershey's personality assessment which is a small reminder of how diverse our audiences are and how we can make efforts to include everyone.
  Several of the volunteers said they would be using these new tools for 4-H, work, and even church.  We can't wait to hear back on what they have done, and how it went.  If you are interested in attending one of these trainings please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu or (910) 671-3276.  The next training opportunity will take place May 15 in Robeson County the topic will be Make and Take.

Aiming To Give Back

  You've heard the saying in like a lion out like a lamb?  Well March is acting like a lion to our Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports club members who thought they were finally going to get back out on the range since repairs from the Hurricane Matthew are completed.  However with temperatures in the upper 30's this morning no one was excited about being outside shooting so it was a community service day and our club members had a good time despite having to be inside.
  The group took on a project for a group of folks very close to their heart, the military.  Operation Gratitude sends care packages to soldiers overseas, just getting through basic training, and more.  they have a great service they are offering and ask for a variety of items ranging from calling cards, to candy, and even hand made items like hats, scarfs, and quick release paracord bracelets.  Our group worked at making the quick release paracord bracelets which contain more than seven feet of paracord.  Instructions for making this item can be found on Youtube and it was easy enough that everyone was able to make the items.   If you are wondering if this group was motivated, well you could feel the hard work in the air.  When the club meeting was over the club members, parents, and volunteers had made 105 items which were shipped out the following Monday morning.  To learn more about Operation Gratitude you can click the link above to go to their web site or click this link to check out their blog.
  Every 4-H club is expected to do at least one community service project a year.  This club frequently does more community service projects than required, and the military is very close to their hearts.  For more information about this club please contact Wendy Maynor at (910) 671-3276 or Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu.  

Kicking up some Horse Sense

   For all of you who are waiting with baited breath...The March issue of the NC 4-H Horse Program Newsletter is now available!  Check it out by clicking on the link above. 

It might be Freezing Outside but Summer Fun is Here!

  It's official!  Our Summer Fun brochure is here.  If you would like to know more about the programs and get a downloadable brochure you can check out our website by clicking this link or read below.
  We can tell you this is jammed pack with a lot of great programs that allow kids to accidentally learn while they are having fun.  Want to keep their brains moving during the summer so they don't lose what they gained during the year?  This might be the program for you.  Check out our week long day and overnight camping opportunities and see if it fits into your schedule and your wallet.  Hope to see you and your child this summer.

4-H Summer Fun Day Camps

— Written By Denese Prevatte

Looking for a great summer opportunity for your child?  You’re in luck!  Robeson County 4-H Summer Fun Camping opportunities are available for youth between the ages of 5 and 19.  Registration is now open to the public and space is limited. Why not give your child the magical experience of 4-H camp? We offer a variety of opportunities for the first-time camper to the seasoned camper. Planning summer camp for the kids is an excellent way to plan some down time for you.

Membership in 4-H is not required.  The camps are listed below, but you can download the  Summer Fun Brochure.  This brochure describes the summer programs available through Robeson County 4-H.  You will find descriptions about the programs, the dates, and the costs.  There is a minimum number of children who must sign up for some programs as well as a maximum number on most programs.  We are able to provide these programs at a reasonable cost thanks to funding support from United Way of Robeson County.

Age        Date and Time                                                 Title                                              Cost

9-18     June 9, 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.              Etiquette Mini Day Camp    $25

9-13     June 26 – 30, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.     Junior Chef Academy          $75

9-13     July 5 – 7, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.           Millstone Day Camp            $115

9-13     July 10 – 14, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.       Arts and Crafts Day Camp   $75

9-13     August 7 – 11, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.    Biotech Day Camp               $75

5-8       August 14 – 18, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.  Cloverbud Day Camp           $40

To register, come by our office at 455 Caton Road, Lumberton, to complete the registration form, sign up for the programs you wish to participate in, and pay the fee (check or money order ONLY).  Registration will be handled on a first come, first served basis and will only be accepted upon receipt of fees.  Telephone, electronic, faxed, and mailed registration will not be accepted.  Registration will continue until the camps are filled.  Please contact the 4-H office at 910-671-3276 with any questions.  Individuals with disabilities and/or special needs interested in these programs should call so proper arrangements can be made.

Policies

• All fees are nonrefundable unless a camp is filled to capacity or cancelled. Necessary refunds will be made appropriately.
• Punctuality of all participants is expected, particularly on days where field trips are scheduled. The van will only wait 5 minutes past the scheduled departure time.  Punctuality of parents/adults/guardians picking up youth following programs is mandatory.  Youth must be picked up at the time the program ends.  If the 4-H staff members are required to care for your child more than 30 minutes beyond the indicated pick-up time, a fee of $15 per 30 minutes will be charged.
• Although many of our experiences seem like great family activities, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and siblings not registered for the program cannot travel or tour with us due to liability issues.

For more information, please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, Extension 4-H Agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, at 671-3276.

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.