Hatrack River Forum: 4-H

This is topic 4-H in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/main/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=028066

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

I'm just wondering what hatrackers took part in 4-H, and what sort of projects or activities they did. I love knowing about 4-H in other states.

I am starting my tenth and final year. I have shown dogs(obedience and showmanship) and cats, also I have done arts and crafts, sewing, fashion review, scrapbooking, photography, forrestry, geology, pet pals, collections, foods, community service, and electric. I have been president of two clubs, and active in three. This was all in Bloomington Indiana.

Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :

I went to 4-H camp. [Smile]

Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :

I was never in 4-H, but my son will be starting his second year in the program soon. He absolutely loved it the first time he participated! I think it's an awesome program; I always look forward to seeing the projects at the fair.

space opera

Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :

I was in 4-H sewing, shooting sports, and poultry projects. [Smile]

I was also in FFA and was state vice president. Yay farm kids!

Posted by J T Stryker (Member # 6300) on :

I did swine... Pigs are fun... Too bad there smarter than me...

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

Thanks for the answers everyone.

Stryker, When in the heck did you do swine, I learn new things about you everyday (only want to know about a third of them).

Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :

I did cooking and sewing. Because it was there.

--Pop

Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :

Without 4-H, I never would have become Mommy Bugga Bugga! I took Grand Champion for entomology 3 or 4 years in a row. I also took photography and the fishing project.

My sister did the more traditionally girly stuff like sewing and cake decorating.

But it was me and my bugs that got the best prizes. [Big Grin]

Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :

I was a 10 year 4H'er, as you know.

I did tons of stuff, mainly photography (everything else was secondary).

Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :

I pledge my head to clearer thinking...

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

I did electric my first three years, first year got a blue, second year reserve in my class (trouble light) to a girl, third year grand champion, at the workshop the boys laughed that there were even girls there, the guys then told us that they would win, haha.

[Evil]

Fugu you were in 4-H? weird! really are you sure that photography was more important than creative writing, that did well too didn't it?

wow this is my five hundredth post in exactly six months

[ October 11, 2004, 12:20 AM: Message edited by: breyerchic04 ]

Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :

Sarah, you so knew I was in 4H [Razz]

Considering we went and saw my handsome mug [Wink]

on the ten year members wall when we were at the fair [Razz]

Posted by UofUlawguy (Member # 5492) on :

I started 4-H when I was eight. My grandmother has been super-involved on the local and state level for ages, and has received about a zillion lifetime awards by now. They keep inventing new ones to give her, I think. She was my leader. I did cooking (still make killer cookies and breads), woodworking, leatherworking, public speaking and art (painting). I entered the district 4-H talent contest nine or ten times, playing piano or cello) and won top prize in my age group four or five times. I have a whole drawer full of blue ribbons, and also a few reds. In my teenage years, I went to the state competitions and participated in Demonstrations and even the small engines competition. I also won third and later first place in the state talent competition.

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

for nell gwynn!

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

What is 4-H?

Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :

I'd like to get my kids into it, but they're not old enough yet. Here it starts at 9 years old, or 4th grade in a public or private school. So even though they are doing schoolwork mostly above the 5th grade level, they're just not old enough.

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

4-H is a youth program mostly in the US but other countries too, it started in 1902 with horticulture, and promises of free corn seeds to new members. Currently you can do hundreds of different projects from animals to crops, to crafts, to computers, and even public speaking. In IN it's from third grade to senior year in high school. A major focus is leadership. The motto is Learning through doing.

I pledge my head to bigger knowledge
my heart to greater caring
my hands to larger service
and my health to better living
for my club, my country, and
my world

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

Boon, make sure you start the oldest at the time first available, there are awards in most states for kids who do it the whole time available. Also look into mini programs, I don't know if OK has them or not, but they're not quite as involved and available for younger kids (after kindergarten). Contact your extension office or equivilant.

Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :

Did not know that! Thanks, I'll call them tomorrow!

Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :

Ooh, grazie! I'm lazy, so I'll just cut'n'paste my list of stuff from the other thread.

quote:
I was somewhat of a dabbler, but I was mainly in the arts-n-crafts area. Lets see...dog obedience, crocheting and cross-stitching (I forget what the project title was exactly, Textiles? Needlework?), sewing, horticulture judging, and theatre were the main ones, although theatre wasn't an option in IL except for my last 3 years. I also did floral arranging, some sort of baking, geology, vegetable gardening, Passport to the World, photography, I tried painting and drawing once, and I think I did the fashion review one year. Oh, and I showed my horse in a halter class once - Reserve Grand Champion, aka 2nd place out of two. She was technically a (very) large pony, so there wasn't much competition. I went to the state fair with various things, and I won the county award for club secretary twice. That was the highest leadership role I aspired to - I'd rather support the leader than be the leader. Never did 4H camp, but I did go to an internat'l youth leadership camp for a week on a 4H scholarship.

My state fair stuff was mainly for projects. I'm not sure if it works like this in other states, but in IL each project group at the county 4H fair chose the two (?) best ones to represent the county at the state fair. Visual Arts was broken up so that two from each of the sub-categories could go, and some of the other broader categories may have done that too, but for other stuff, like Photography for example, the state fair reps would've been chosen from all the different levels/classes within that category put together. Each kid could only take one project no matter how many of his/hers were chosen, since all the 4H-ers from the same county were judged at the state fair on the same day. Except that a few years I went twice - the state horticulture judging contest was on a different day than all the other stuff. [Wink]

Edit: I remember now - the crocheting and cross-stitching was in Textiles, under the umbrella of Visual Arts. And I think the theatre projects were technically called Performing Arts.

[ October 18, 2005, 11:33 PM: Message edited by: Nell Gwyn ]

Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :

Hmm...our motto and pledge were different. The motto was "To make the best better," and the pledge was:

I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
my heart to greater loyalty,
my hands to larger service,
and my health to better living
for my club,
my community,
my country,
and my world.

That's odd - does each state have different ones?

Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :

I was in 4-H for a total of 2 years. I loved the competition teams - I'm a certified State Champion in Horse Judging, Horse Quiz Bowl, Dairy Quiz Bowl, Poultry Judging, and Computers project area. My team also won the National Champion title in Poultry Judging in 2000.

I loved it!

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

no, the pledge is the same, I just messed it up trying to write it earlier. But the motto has changed, nationally.

Our state works that each project they send one from each division, which is broken up usually by grade of exhibitor (some are like 3rd, 4th, 5th, others are begginner 3-5, int4ermediate 6-8, and advanced 9+.) Visual arts are split by type instead of division. And we can take more than one project, we also don't usually go for judging, the extension agent just takes them all up, and a state fair staff member (16 to 21 year olds that get paid to live at the state fair for 3 weeks, working the building) from your area (a five county area) takes the projects to the induvidual judges.

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

One of my friends is on the winning national entemology judging team this year.

Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :

Yeah, that sounds fairly close to how the IL state fair projects work - I just don't remember all the little technicalities clearly. When I was in it, the 4H-er had to go to the state fair judging for a personal interview with the judge, but I wonder if that's changed now. I know a few years ago they changed the county 4H Fair dates from the last Sun-Tues in August to the last Sat-Mon because it worked out better with parents' work schedules.

I'm not sure I like the new motto. I mean, it makes sense in the context of what 4H is about specifically, but the old one seems more practical in an Outlook on Life sort of way - sort of like the Boy Scouts and "Be Prepared."

Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :

I think To Make the Best Better is now the Creed or something.

Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :

Oh, okay. A creed is good. At least they didn't ditch it entirely. That would have made me sad. (Did 4H even have a creed before? If so, I was unaware of it.)