Looking for Host Families for International Delegates

 Become a 4-H Host Family for an International Youth Delegate in 2023!

 Is your family interested in broadening horizons and learning about other cultures this summer?  if so, Please join us for a one-hour zoom session on December 8th, 2022 from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm for an informational session on the 4-H Inbound International Program. 

 NC 4-H offers you a rare and unique opportunity to invite a young person from another country into your home for about 4 weeks to share culture, gain communication skills, and build friendships. In 2023, you could host a delegate from Norway, Costa Rica, or Japan! This info session will cover all of the details regarding dates, requirements, the screening process, and expectations for host families. 

 NC families in 2022 said "It was great! We had such a great time and [our delegate] feels like part of our family," and "Do it! It helps connect your family to another—hope we can do it again."

Please share with your 4-H families the attached flyer.  

Just an FYI, the Registration link in Zoom to obtain the actual zoom link is below.

Register for this meeting:
https://go.ncsu.edu/international4-hprograms

After registering, attendees will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 
 

Questions should be directed to cadavis7@ncsu.edu

 

Thanks,

Shannon B. McCollum, Ed.D

Extension Associate, 4-H Youth Development Specialist

Thanksgiving Table Settings

 With the increased knowledge on etiquette and table settings we thought we would share this wonderfully informative update on Thanksgiving table settings with you.  No matter how you celebrate, we hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving!

	Open in app or online Etiquette Today: Thanksgiving Table Setting Use these easy guides from our new book Emily Post's Etiquette - The Centennial Edition to help you set your holiday table this year. NOV 24   SAVE ▷  LISTEN   We love table settings and there is something so special about the Thanksgiving day table - we look forward to setting it each year! Here are some table setting guides straight from Emily Post’s Etiquette - The Centennial edition to get you set right for this fabulous meal! We’ll start with the most formal and work our way down toward the simplest of settings. Remember to let practicality and your own style guide you as well. FORMAL SIX-COURSE MEAL Below is a list of all the common utensils, glassware, and other setting elements that are essential to table settings. This setting reflects a formal, six course meal. You won’t likely need the majority of these items unless you’ve planned a six or seven course meal for the holiday but it’s fun to show all the options when we’re talking about table settings. FORMAL FOUR-COURSE MEAL Here we’re pairing things down a bit. It’s still a formal setting but we’ve removed utensils for courses that won’t be served (like the fish course and likely an appetizer with either oysters or shrimp, as we no longer see the fish fork and knife nor the oyster fork.) We’ve also eliminated the champagne and sherry glasses, this is optional if you’re still going to serve these beverages keep the glasses, or bring them out when you plan to serves these specific drinks. INFORMAL THREE-COURSE MEAL Here’s a setting that might look familiar to many as it is often used at weddings and in fine dining. The three course meal: appetizer, main course and dessert is a classic and one many of us will be enjoying on Thanksgiving Day! Remember to make it reflect what you’ll need at the table, for example if you’re doing a champagne toast set the champagne glass. Or if you don’t have bread plates, don’t worry about it, guests can use the edge of their plate for their bread or roll. CASUAL SINGLE-COURSE MEAL May of us serve just the big Thanksgiving Day meal and some pie for dessert on this holiday, so while the table setting may seem simple, it can also be just right for this massive meal. While our illustration only shows utensils and glasses for a single course, you could easily add dessert utensils to the top of the setting (or bring them out with the dessert course) and of course if you’re serving wine or doing a champagne toast, you can easily add these glasses to the setting. In this particular version of a single course meal setting we have elected to show a placemat. Placemats are totally optional. If they help enhance the decor and define the space - then great! If you don’t have them, or aren’t interested in using them this time around, that’s fine too. Photo by Olivie Strauss on Unsplash However you set your Thanksgiving Day table, whether you’re gathered with your family, chosen family or friends, we hope that you have a wonderful day celebrating all there is to be grateful for in this world. (Pie being one of our favorites!) Keep an eye on your inbox for the Saturday Sip where we’ll be sending an Etiquette Tip, Emily Post’s recipe for what to do with leftover turkey and a quote to kick your weekend off right! Thank you for reading Emily Post Etiquette from The Emily Post Institute. This post is public so feel free to share it far and wide!

It's a Family Thing

   This article was written for the Robesonian by our own Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Extension Agent.  It can also be found on our website.

    An interesting trend has developed since the pandemic – we have noticed we are all super busy again and headed in a million directions, and parents are more involved in extracurricular activities. It seems at every 4-H meeting since we came back to primarily in-person sessions has had youth with parents as part of their experience. In the past, parent (not all, but most) dropped kids off and ran errands, coming back to pick them up so they could have their own experience. Now parents are involved in their experiences, which is wonderful; however, those experiences were meant for youth exploration and discover. What we saw happening was parents taking over projects, so youth grabbed the nearest electronic device and checked out while their parents did their projects. 

    Noticing that trend and realizing 4-H can be a great family experience, we have started 4-H Family SPIN Clubs. These experiences are meant for the entire family. In some cases, the family works together on a project and other times everyone has their own project, but it is time together where everyone is working, not on devices, and hopefully communicating and making memories while learning something new. Our 4-H Family Holiday Craft Club is an example of that. Six families registered for this club. Our thought was a gift from the heart that is handmade is truly a gift of time and talent that is appreciated. During our first meeting, we made ornaments three different ways. Some took to one type more than another, and what was great was each family member had a favorite type they made multiples of. Everyone was busy learning, creating, and sharing, which created fun memories. 

    During our second meeting, one of our 4-H families shared a favorite craft, making ornaments with perler beads. Our youth volunteer taught the youth, and adults learned from the parent. Although we were in one room, adults and youth sat at different tables. What was amazing to me was that the youth often got up to check on their parents progress while the adults were focused on their projects. Everyone had at least one, if not multiple projects to take home, and the youth inspired each other and enjoyed socializing while the adults were focused on their projects. Everyone just had fun. 

    We announced our last meeting would be this week and everyone was upset. This final meeting focuses on gifts made with food, so mixes they can put in a jar, jams, and even things folks won’t eat, like gingerbread play dough. Our overall goal with this club was to show them how to craft and talk about the cost of crafting (in case they get the bug and want to be entrepreneurial and start their own business), encouraging them to head out to the Very Local Holiday Festival at the Farmers Market on December 2 to see what it takes to sell what you make. 

    All along we have been talking about more family clubs, and our families love the idea. So next year, we are planning family cooking clubs, a seed club, bee club, animal science, and more. We will still continue just-youth activities and clubs as well, but adding families in just seems like the natural thing to do. So families out there, don’t forget 4-H can be your thing. Come check us out. 

    For more information, please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Youth Development agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, at 671-3276, by email at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu, or visit our website.

4-H Top 4 for the Week of November 21, 2022

 

Good morning everyone and Happy Thanksgiving week.  We have had a lot going on in our office (please check it out on the blog which you can find on the app under news or at https://robeson4-h.blogspot.com/) and know you are doing your best to keep up with deadlines and reminders....so please see below for the rest of the year.

-Tomorrow, November 21 is the deadline to register for 4-H Appreciation night.  The Whoville Fun Factory is our theme and we promise it will be a ton of fun.  It will take place at our office on Friday, December 9 starting at 6:30 pm.  Our plan is to have a food truck (if we have enough folks registered) and you will pick up your tickets inside when you register to order your meal.  Then we will have the awards ceremony on the big screen.  After the awards there will be games, tree decorating, a hot chocolate bar, snacks, a scavenger hunt, and soooooooo much more.  This will be a fun event for everyone involved with prizes, smiles, and just a little time to socialize and make memories.  So please come and show us your 4-H Spirit.  You can register online under programs, or by using this link:  https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=443609135867  For more information about this event please go to https://robeson4-h.blogspot.com/2022/10/4-h-appreciation-night-at-whoville-fun.html

-Young Leaders 4-H Club meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, November 22 is cancelled.

-To assist those completing Project Records we will be having a couple of virtual help sessions.  Ms. Wendy and I will be available via a zoom link to assist you with your questions.  Our two current dates will be December 14 at 4 pm and January 4 at 4 pm.  Since this will be an open working workshop we will email the link in the top 4 that is emailed.  We will not be publishing it for safety reasons.  So please check your email or contact Wendy Maynor at wrmaynor@ncsu.edu for the link.  Pre registration is not required for this event. Project and Cumulative record books are due January 30, 2023.

-NC Volunteer Leaders' Conference will be held February 2 & 3 in Durham.  The event will have informal workshops on Friday evening and workshops and awards on Saturday.  The event will end before 5 pm on Saturday.  There are several options for the event.  The first is full time which is Friday and Saturday.  The second is a Saturday only registration which includes the award luncheon.  Then there is an awards luncheon only option.  You may choose to come up on Friday or Saturday and spend one night.  We will make the hotel reservations, rooms are $120 per night.  As in past years we will be happy to pay the registration for the conference and you will be responsible for the cost of your room.  Those who register and do not attend will be responsible to pay back the conference registration fee to Robeson County 4-H.  Please use the Eventbrite link below to register and pay (if necessary).  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nc-4-h-volunteer-leaders-conference-robeson-county-tickets-472614632087

That is all for this week.  We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and please know how grateful we are for each one of you who are a part of our program.

Wendy and Shea Ann

JMG News

BIWEEKLY UPDATE | NOV 2022 Plant Parts Food Drive New JMG State Coordinator Conference Registration Thanksgiving Recipes PLANT PARTS CANNED FOOD DRIVE Participate and be a featured Plant Parts Food Drive group! A great way to learn more about the foods we eat, where they come from, and how we can help others!! Here's what to do:  Have your students collect canned goods for donation to a local food bank Categorize the cans by each part of the plant You may be surprised to learn that some of your canned foods and other non-perishables don't come from the plant part you may have thought!! CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO!  Join Us in Welcoming our Newest State Coordinator! Meet Tiffany Ward, our newest state coordinator in West Virginia! Prior to joining the WVSU extension service, she ran her agriculture business while being a full time mother. "She plans to bring her JMG position and knowledge of gardening and agriculture to WVSU by conducting multiple campus JMG gardening training sessions and delivering the corresponding curriculum to teachers and adults" (Bailey). You Can Access the Article Here Conference Countdown : Registration Opens SOON REGISTRATION OPENS: Thursday, December 1, 2022 CLOSES: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 2023 National JMG Leader Training Engaging & Hands-On VIRTUAL Training Conference February 21 – 22, 2023 The conference will be $65 for registration cost for a 1.5-day event. It will start at noon on the 21st and go all day on the 22nd of February. Visit our Website For More Information  Recipes to be Thankful For! As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, it can be stressful to try and find the perfect dish. Well, we're here to help. TAMU Agrilife has crafted the perfect list of delicious recipes that will make your guests run to grab seconds! Check out this link from Dinner Tonight for yet another thing to be thankful for. VISIT OUR WEBSITE Junior Master Gardener Program | juniormastergardener@gmail.com CONNECT WITH US: