Celebration 2019 - 2020 via Zoom

 Thursday, 11/12

Recognition and Cloverbucks Auction!

In this photo, you can see everyone's recognition, as well as the Cloverbucks they earned while earning that recognition!

Please comment and tell me how many $ of Cloverbucks you have right now.  I will add these Cloverbucks to your total, and let you know your total amount before the auction Thursday.

Check out the prizes you can bid on at the auction!  There are:

4 white 4-H cups

3 green 4-H cups

2 green 4-H aluminum water bottles

1 white 4-H aluminum water bottle

1 plastic 4-H water bottle

3 collapsible 4-H water pouches

4 random black Frisbee

1 green 4-H mini Frisbee

1 4-H flour scoop

2 yellow plastic speed squares

2 reusable 4-H  bags

1 folding 4-H flatware kit

1 4-H  LED flashlight

1 4-H pledge hand pen

2 4-H fridge whiteboard magnest

1 set 4-H clover magnets

4 clipboards

Each item will be auctioned separately (except the clover magnets.

Sorry, tomatoes not included!

You(th) Lead!

I would like EVERY High Hopes 4-H'er to prepare something to lead at a project meeting, once we get going again.  I'm calling it You(th) Lead!

Directions are available here.  Please let me know what project your You(th) Lead! will support, along with the topic you want to teach.  Keep your goals in mind.  If you still have a goal for a project you haven't met, you could teach about that!

Keep track of the time you spend working on this, it should go into the project record for that particular project.

If you choose to make a poster as the visual for your You(th) Lead!, please make it to "State Day" and "CVE" specifications.  From the 2019 CVE book, "Posters are to be 14” x 22” and not exceed ¼” in thickness. They must be able to be hung with staples. Please do not use foam core."

So, comment below!  Project and topic!

High Hopes 4-H 20-21

We decided to keep meetings 5:30 to 7:30 for now at least (since parents come to business meetings, if we're done early, everyone can just go home early.)  We'll keep the current 3 weeks on, a week off calendar.  Dues were set at $10.00, and the budget was set.  It was voted to do Thanksgiving helping.

 HH Google Calendar 

Don't forget the costume photos for virtual achievement night!  Everyone got an e-mail.  Check this one out, it's both poultry and food & nutrition, I suppose!!!  From Backyard Poultry.

Poultry Finale 2020!

Poultry Finale 2020

Our club poultry show is planned!  Bonnie Lord will judge F&S, costume will be scored by popular vote, we'll have a skillathon based on the learning we did this summer, a record book evaluation, and a presentation contest (either poster or PPT).  FH 4-H members, Adaline, Morgan, and Ryker will hopefully join us as well.

Everyone is automatically entered in all parts of the show, recognition will be given for each category, and overall ribbons will be given out for combined success.    We will fill out the registration form at our meeting 9/3.  We will also discuss all of the following at our 9/3 meeting, but please! check out these links ahead of time.

Check out the Fitting & Showmanship scorecard to see where you should put your best efforts.  You must have a 2020 VT 4-H Poultry Approval Form to participate in F&S.  To learn how to give your poultry a bath, check out this YouTube video!

The HH Record book evaluation form is linked here so you know what to expect, and how to improve your score by working ahead of time.

Evaluation Forms for Posters is on the UVM 4-H website, and we'll use the old UVM 4-H PowerPoint WebPage evaluation form for those.  With the revised UVM 4-H Achievement expectations, presentations submitted at the club show will count towards higher levels of recognition.

The page we will use to track all of the skillathon answers, and the category placings can be viewed ahead of time as well.

Bring all of your suggestions and questions about the show and these forms to the 9/3 meeting and we'll discuss them.

Livestock Meeting 9/24

Let's do this Livestock meeting 9/24 so everyone can attend.  I would like to do a physical walk through of different animals' fences, care & housing considerations, etc.   We'll still need to stay 6ft apart from each other, but I think we can do it.  

We will start the meeting at Chelsea's to see her new sheep and her set up, she's in St.A about 20 minutes from here.  That would mean each parent driving their own youth though...  Let's start at Chelsea's at 6:00 then came here to finish.  We'll get Chelsea's address separately.

Comments below!

First Aid!

Who has a first aid kit?

For your animal(s)?  For people?  Can you get to it quickly without having to ask anyone for help?  Can everyone who might need it (including animal sitters) find it easily and use it comfortably?

I am always on the lookout for first aid information.  I think the best way to handle any emergency calmly is to be prepared, and let's face it, where there are animals, there are injuries!

So, when Murray McMurray sent me a sales e-mail with "the best first aid kit ever", I had to look.  Wow, was I surprised at the cost and how little was actually in it!  I love the customer service at Murray McMurray, and the quality of their poultry, as well as their book "Chickens in 5 Minutes a Day", but that was just...

This got me thinking about you all, and your first aid kits.  My kit in the barn is in the same place every time.  It is a travel kit, I have the things like ointment that I use frequently in larger sizes in the barn as well, but this kit has absolutely everything I think I could need for traveling with horses and kids, or for at home. Gauze is gauze, anti-bacterial ointment is the same too, so I don't have separate kits for humans and critters.

I do have a small "bumble-foot" kit for the chickens in a pencil box that I can take to the picnic table with a bird tucked under one arm.

Now, with sheep, I need to learn about what specialty items I'll need for sheep.

So, talk about your first aid situation.  Does anyone want to put together a kit?  What would you want, what do you need?  Would you like to purchase together so you can get what you need, in a smaller amount, but for a better price?  Some things expire, have you checked your supplies?  Ointment that expired last month is not a big deal, but expired a year ago -- that needs replacing!

Cloverbucks Auction!

Let's do it!  At the July 2 business meeting!

I got a bunch of great prizes, then the world imploded.

Over the next month, you could drop off your records for me to review, or we could meet virtually for you to show me your records.  I will award you Cloverbucks, you can show me the Cloverbucks you have already (we'll both keep track) then we can have the auction at the July meeting.

Sound good?

Get your records complete to date (still waiting for the final Food & Nutrition, another CS/Game Changers, and more poultry and sheep meetings, but Livestock did complete).  Complete records means all the project journal parts are filled in, you've got at least the start of the summary (for projects still waiting), and you've selected some life-skills from your wheel. 

There won't be as many out of club opportunities for you to put in, but at least everyone is in the same boat!  If your You(th) Lead is ready to go, you'll get Cloverbucks for that too.  If you've got a exhibit of some type you were  planning on sharing with the world (the 4-H world at least), take a photo or video and you'll get Cloverbucks for that as well.  Your model farm is the good start of an exhibit.  You could make a video of you telling what is part of your model farm and why!  If the cat squashed it..., well, I'm sure you can find some way of sharing what you worked on!

Connect with me and let me know what method for sharing your records works best!  Do not wait until July 1.  I won't be able to review them then!

Food & Nutrition with RESCHEDULED dates

Food & Nutrition started with snacks!  The idea is things you can make for yourself when you need something between meals.  We'll continue with snacks March 5 and 12 as well, but then March 19 will be the "Brownie Challenge".

Popcorn seasonings!

What our peanut butter balls would have looked like if we had had time to roll them and chill them.  That was YUMMY!  Paul and I ate the rest of the mix on Friday.

Livestock Projects

Livestock will start October 24 from 5:30 to 7:30.  

Other dates are in the Google Calendar and will be posted.

Topics might include:

• Definition of livestock, purpose, exploration of species in general.
• Housing, fencing, structure type discussions for different types of livestock.  Who can live and share meals with whom, who needs to be separate and for what reasons.
• Reproduction of different types of livestock.  Care of young, family names.
• Health and veterinary concerns.
• Other topics related to member goals!

Please let me know if you are joining us for livestock so I can have records ready.

State Day! CVE! ESE!

Last year, the Lawsons represented HH (as well as themselves) at Regional Day and State Day.  How about we go for a few more members?

Remember, exhibiting your project is one requirement for higher recognition.  It's also FUN!  It can also make you $.  It is also great practice for more challenging things later in the real world and college!

State Day is going to be an online event this year.  Check out this link for more information.  Basically, you upload videos (to a safe platform).

Some info you might find helpful:

The UVM VT 4-H presentations kind of info (applies to Regional Day, State Day, CVE, ESE) is where you will find the evaluation forms, written reflections, dress code, lyrics guidelines, etc.  Click on EVERYTHING -- it's not usually obvious what the info is.

There are some really cool new challenges too.  For these, you do the challenge ahead of time within the guidelines, then do a presentation/display about it.

Fun With Food Challenge - connects to our brownie challenge...

Maker/Tinker Challenge - active and just messy enough to be interesting!

CVE = Champlain Valley Exposition (The fair!)

ESE = Eastern States Exposition (a fair so big, our CVE could fit inside it 3? times!)

ESE Preview - Tied in to our Regional Day discussion, please watch this video about the Eastern States Exposition.  Some Regional Day exhibits can go to ESE and this is a 20 minute clip from one family/group's trip to ESE.

Parents' Post

Hello HH Parents!

Since the main blog pages are for the 4-H'ers to use, (with the exception of Cloverbuds, I don't think they are ready to be blogging!), you can use this post to communicate as you like.

Cloverbuds youth ages 5 to 7

CB’s can participate in many different learning areas from Aerospace to Zoology!  Parents of CB members take turns leading project meetings.  Anything the parent and member are interested in is a good thing to explore.  Be sure to run your project idea past the Organizational Leader for safety (UVM has some specific rules about what CB’s cannot do).

Format (times approximate) When meeting during business meetings:

20 minutes - Join the regular member business meeting for the pledges, secretary's report, treasurer's report, and then give their report on what they did in their previous meeting. 

60 to 75 minutes -  the CB's head off to their own project meeting. 

Have snack when it is convenient for the members and project, try to join the regular members for snack.

15 to 30 minutes – share what they learned, how it made them feel, and fill in their “record” by drawing pictures or writing in to the record, or by gluing photos in to the record.

DUES

We never actually voted on dues.  In order to get started with the projects, we'll need some funds.  Reminder, you have about $7.00 in the treasury.

Use the comments section to motion, second, discuss, then I will tell you when it is time to vote.  Remember, Motion and Second must come before discussion!

Computer Science - Game Changers and Code Your World

Game Changers is the 2019 4-H National Youth Science Day challenge and is a collection of three activities that teaches computer science (CS) skills through game play, puzzles and animation all centered around topics they care passionately about. Developed by Google, 4-H, and West Virginia University Extension Service, It includes a computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform and two unplugged activities that can be done all at once or individually:

• Pitch Your Passion is an online activity that teaches kids to use CS and animation to advocate for a cause or issue they care about using CS First and Scratch. Can be completed on tablets or computers.

• Program Your Playground is an unplugged activity where kids use CS skills like decomposition and conditional logic to design their own versions of tag and invent new sports and games.

• Hack Your Harvest is an unplugged activity where kids will use CS concepts like automation optimal efficiency to solve and create logic puzzles related to agriculture—or any topic kids can think of. 

We will combine Game Changers with the 2018 4-H NYSD  Code Your World.

Code Your World consists of one computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform, using MIT’s Scratch programming language, and three unplugged activities that bring coding to life through games and interaction. It's perfect for first-time and beginner coders and will teach important CS concepts problem-solving skills.

And, we'll take a look at traditional games to see how they also promote CS skills.

Please, let me know if you are going to join me for this project so I can have materials ready.

Poultry AND Sheep event!

Poultry Day has become poultry AND sheep day!

See the e-mail you just got for the registration page!  E-mail Rose to sign up BY January 31.

• WHO? 4-H Members interested in learning about poultry and sheep
• WHAT? 4-H Fantastic Flocks Activities and Potluck
• WHERE? UVM Extension 4-H Office, 140 Kennedy Drive, S. Burlington
• WHEN? Saturday February 8, 2020 from 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
• WHY? To have fun and learn about avians (birds) and ovines (sheep) and enjoy a meal.
• HOW? Sign up by e-mailing rosemarie.garritano@uvm.edu no later than January 31st with the 4-Her’s name and club name and attach a completed Emergency Contact Form (see next page). Limited to the first 20 members to sign up.
• HOW MUCH? $1.00 donation at the door suggested

Tentative Schedule of Activities

• 3 :30 -3:45 Whole Group Activity
• 3:45-4:45 Skillathon Station Rotation: Hands on learning about poultry and sheep topics
• 4:45-5:15 Food Contest and Potluck To do: 4-H members (not adults!) should make and bring a savory (not sweet) dish to share that features eggs OR features cheese made from sheep’s milk .
• 5:15-6 Quiz Bowl style review, Crowd Favorite Dish Award, and evaluations
• 6 p.m. Head home.

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Rose Garritano 4-H Educator at rosemarie.garritano@uvm.edu or (802) 651-8343 ext. 505 by January 18th so we may assist you.

Adopt-a-Family! and Holiday Helping Party

What a HUGE success!

2019 Was just as impressive as every other year, except we adopted twice as many kids!

Here is a photo of everything for one of the families.  I forgot to take pictures of the other piles, and already had them packaged.  This was the smallest pile...

Kathy at DCF was so very pleased again this year, and all of the other staff was impressed there was so much.

I think we all had fun at the holiday helping party, everyone seemed satisfied with the gift exchange, and the foods were yummy too!  Everyone worked on wrapping skills, and quite a few 4-H'ers learned to curl ribbon.

I hope your holidays are as happy as I know you made these families.

Adopt-a-Family budget vote

The voting last night for the Adopt-a-Family budget got very silly.  It was late and everyone was getting tired.

Please, someone, make a motion, feel free to explain why you motion that amount, and if we have a second, then there can be discussion.

Reminder, just because you vote to approve a certain amount doesn't mean we HAVE to spend a certain amount, it just means we can't spend more.  Last year I think the vote was for $45 or $50 and we spent $43 for example.

Here is the budgeting we set in October at the annual meeting -- what do you notice about income and expenses?  Below the budget is the current treasury.  Now you have all the financial information you need to make informed decisions.

Income

List all 4-H Club p events and project activities that the 4-H club supports and all fund-raising events, including community service, recreation, educational events, field trips, etc. Be sure to list all sources of income. Expand this table as needed.

EVENT or ACTIVITY	DATE	ESTIMATED INCOME	SOURCE FOR INCOME (Fund Raising,  Member Dues, Donations/Grant,  Investment Income, Income for Youth Development Services)	ACTUAL INCOME
Business Meetings	6 times per year	$150.00	Member Dues
Projects	3 projects	$200.00	Member Fees

EXPENSES

Include equipment, rental fees, participant fees, supplies, refreshments, postage, bank fees, insurance costs, etc.  Be sure to list all costs. Expand this table as needed.

EVENT or ACTIVITY	DATE	ESTIMATED COSTS	SOURCE FOR COST (Fund Raising, Dues, Educational Supplies, Participant Fee, Postage, etc.)	ACTUAL COST
Business Meetings	6 meetings	$ 100.00	Member Dues
Projects	3 projects	$175.00	Member Fees
Adopt-a-family	once	$50.00	Dues & Fees

Here is the current treasury

Date	Item Details	Income	Expenses	Balance
10/1/2019	Starting balance			$156.95
10/9/2019	toner		$150.00	$6.95
10/12/2019	National 4-H week display award	$30.00		$36.95
11/3/2019	Achievement Night costumes	$20.00		$56.95
11/3/2019	Achievement Night records	$50.00		$106.95

Records Meeting 9/10

 6:00p.m. until complete or 7:30

We'll be going through one project at a time, show up 10 to 5 minutes before your first project record group is scheduled to start for check in.  Your member records should really be basically complete (we went over them at the business meeting 8/20), except the 4-H Story, which hopefully you are working on now...

Please be prepared to turn your record(s) in to me (either physically or digitally) on or by our last livestock meeting, 9/24.  I will be more than happy to take completed records at this meeting though.

We will go over records one project at a time.  Everyone will share to help everyone get it all in!

6:00 - Poultry 

6:20 - Livestock (& Sheep) 

6:35 - Food & Nutrition

6:50 - Game Changers/Computer Science

7:00 - Member Record if needed

For all projects, please think ahead of what you did on your own time (not at meetings), that connect to your project.  I know that you have all done Poultry, Livestock/Sheep, F&N work at home.  It's O.K. if you don't have exact dates.  You can summarize what you did.  For example, you might say:  

June - 15 hours - feeding and caring for my chicken and practicing handling.  (Do that for each month appropriate.)  I learned that...

OR 

October 2019 to July 2020 - 20 hours setting up the sheep shed and fencing.  August and September 2020 - 20 hours - handling and caring for the sheep.  I learned that...

OR

10/1/2019 - 9/30/2020 - 50 hours planning my lunches, getting healthy after-school snacks, helping cook for the holidays, etc. I learned that... 

Reminder, you may do traditional 4-H records, or an interview with Rose.  You still need to have all the information from the records with the meeting dates and what we did, etc., so coming to the records meeting will still be important.

If you are planning an interview with Rose, please let me know.

Sharing Thanksgiving!

It ended up being 4 turkeys!

Between the turkeys my co-workers donated, the sides you all donated, and the extras we bought with the gift card that Green Mountain Electric Supply gave us, we brought 4 complete holiday meals to DCF.  Also, I managed to get 2 more Turkeys into my freezer to save for December holiday!  Look for the Adopt-a-Family/Holiday Helping information soon.

Pets

An exploration of traditional, and maybe not so traditional, pets.  

This was the top voted project in October!

Each meeting will cover a topic in general, say anatomy/parts, with each 4-H'er then focusing on that topic for their own particular type of pet.  Or, if a 4-H'er isn't sure what type of pet they want to focus on, they will learn about that topic for lots of animals.  For anatomy/parts, we'll do some crosswords with our pet parts names, make pet parts jig saw puzzles, etc.

The first meeting will also include research for something the 4-H'er wants to know about their pet type.  This will be a great start for a poster, table top, or speech!

Scheduled dates:  January 2 & 9, 2020; and February 13 & 20, 2020.

Please comment below to let me know if you are going to join us, and what pet type you want to focus on.  You may choose "general pets" to learn about all pets.  I have to produce a record for each 4-H'er individually, so please comment asap!