Back to Business!

 Welcome to the 2021 - 2022 High Hopes 4-H Club year!

The annual meeting of  the High Hopes 4-H Club will be on Thursday, October 14, 2021, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.  We need to elect officers, set the budget, review the HH Constitution, and choose our first project.  Lots to do!

We’re going to start all this here on the blog.  

You’ll see a separate post for officer nominations, and a separate post for project suggestions.  Please comment as appropriate.

Please review the Constitution ahead of the annual meeting.  It is here.   We may only change sections marked with green.  We should probably consider changing the sentences highlighted yellow to make it less specific so we can change meeting schedule at will, without having to change the constitution.  Maybe something like, "the annual meeting shall generally be in October, and the club shall meet for at least ??? business meetings per year."  You may comment on that page, or below.  We will need officially motioned and seconded change suggestions given at the annual meeting, which can then be voted on at the next meeting pursuant to Article IX.

Find Your Spark!

 Keep thinking!  How do we represent "Find Your Spark!" on a graffiti wall?  

Score Sheet:. 

 A.      Theme or Idea (30 points)

1.      Theme appears                                             

2.      Display enhances theme                                            

3.      4-H is promoted                                                

 B.      Design (30 points)

 1.  Appearance of overall display           

2.  Good use of color                               

3.  Good use of space                      

  C.      Signs or explanatory materials (40 points) 

1.      Correct spelling                                        

2.      Easy to read                                                       

3.      Approved 4-H emblem appears               

4.      4-H web site and/or contact person and number are included    

Your drawing

If you can't see the notes:

the swirls red & yellow

the person's shirt purple, pants grey, shoes green

the phone number 800-571-0668

Records

 

Great work on Records!

Before Thursday, 9/23, please finish your Member Record, and at least one Project Record.  Use the Project Summary questions to help inspire your stories.  You got an e-mail with the goals and dates from the year to help if you need it.

Any specific questions?  Need me to print anything (like maybe a super science SHORT record)?  Comment below!

Club Table Top

Main Idea - Enriching our livestock friends' lives. (We need a catchy title!)

Supporting points  Answer the following questions in a comment below.  These will become the supporting points on the table top.  If you have ideas for a visual on the display, tell us (does anyone have a photo of your friends using what you made?  Were there any photos in the handouts you want to use?).  If you have ideas for what goes on the table, bring it to the next meeting.

• Liam - What does it mean when we say, "enriching our livestock friends' lives"?  More for you to answer after everyone else has answered theirs!
• Chelsea - What are some situations in which our livestock friends would need their lives enriched?  What enrichments did you OR could you set up for your sheep?
• Harper - What do YOU do to keep your brain active, and/or your body engaged?  What kinds of situations are there when you can't do your everyday life things?
• Nick - What are some things we put together for our chick boredom busters?
• Oliver - Which things did your chicks seem to really enjoy?
• Nora - Why did we create these enrichments for the chicks specifically?  

Business Plans!

This was actually part of the poultry/sheep project, but I think it was worth getting its own blog to share!

    

page 1 (with the circle) is the Executive Summary  which is kind of like the Introduction – who are you; what is the business -- what is the timeline for your business; where will the business be, why you are starting this business.

page 2 (with the square-arrow) is more or less the Market analysis Customers -- not names, but the types of customers who will buy your service or product.  Competitors - who else is doing this in your area?  Trends - is there a need for this product?  Niche - what is special about the way you will offer this product/service compared to your competitors.  Then a bigger rectangle is for details.

The last page of this activity was blank, for the 4-H'ers to design a poster advertising their business.

We had lots of great ideas, fun business names, and some real thoughts for how to turn our love for things into money making possibilities.

Here are some links for inspiration:

Hank’s Homestead    Self Sufficient Kids    Imperfectly Happy   25 Pet Business Ideas

Unusual Pet Business Ideas     9 Low-Cost Business Ideas for Animal Lovers

 Comment below with the name of your business and what you are going to offer!

CVE - The Fair is back!

 

Here are the $ amounts you could earn by entering the CVE:

Per 4-H'er

• $32 to $48 - poultry show
• $4 - $8 - judging jamboree
• $22 - $84 - hall exhibits

Realistically 4-H'ers have earned between $30 and $75, but some have earned $150+!

For the Club

• $10 - $20 - Scrapbook
• $10 - $30 - Livestock Displays (sheep? & poultry)
• $5 - $15 - Table top

The highest amounts are for excellent quality work in all areas of exhibition.

What would we like to do a club table top about?  Everything HH does?  A particular project we all did?  (Woodworking and sheep/poultry)  Comment below and we'll decide at the July 1 meeting.

New this year, you may bring up to 5 poultry to show in the conformation class, and you may enter more than one poster, photo, and tabletop.  

What's next?

We've got a couple options coming up here.  We can start new projects immediately (with a major interruption for the holidays), or we can have some random fun and work on Adopt-a-Family as a group.

Please see the separate post about the next projects.   

I forgot to organize Thanksgiving A-a-F (one of the problems with not having a business meeting every month, some things aren't timely!), so I've got 7? turkey/ham coupons for the December holidays at least!  I've asked the agency for 3 families with 7 kids total, and a teen with no family support.  We can just donate the extra turkey/ham coupons, or we can give additional meals to the agency.  That will be up to you.  Regardless, the Holiday Helping Party is set for Saturday, December 18 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Assuming we are allowed to eat together by then...  If not, we'll end at 4:00 instead.  More information on all of that will be available at the December 2 business meeting!

If we choose to do some fun things in December instead of projects, I've got a snow party plugged in to the calendar already.  If there is good snow, we can meet at Hard'ack, if not much snow, we can meet here, play inside or outside as you like.

I've got another couple of ideas for fun stuff for December 9 & 16 as well if we choose not to start the next projects.

Comment below whether you want to start the next projects in December, or just have fun together!  You can just comment:  "Name - Fun" or "Name - Projects"

Bike

 Anyone want to do anything bike related?  Riding trails, mechanics, anything?  Post your comments/goals/interests below.

Poultry - Sheep - Beef - other animals

 We're focusing on Poultry and Sheep -- the animals our 4-H'ers have.

For animal projects, it's always good to have goals for these areas.  Obviously you can have more than one for each area!  Following the goal areas are topics we've covered or are planning to cover

• hands-on - we'll keep doing Fitting & Showmanship and Agility Training
• care/housing - we're going to talk predators :-(
• health - we talked about enrichments, and we'll cover health and 1st aid
• anatomy (body)  - We've done skeletons & bones
• nutrition - We've done body condition scoring
• equipment - we built "enrichments" for our friends, we'll be making nest-box curtains for poultry kids and  a sheep grooming apron OR sheep show sheet. for our shepherds
• general - we talked business plans!

Dates are currently set for:  

• May 6,13, & 20
• June 3 & 10
• July 1 & 22
• August 5, 19
• August 26 poultry baths (probably at home, but maybe here)
• August 29 CVE poultry show and 4-H Day!

Poultry 2021!

We are getting closer to regular poultry meetings!  

Be sure to post meaningful goals below.  

We are going to use the pages from the green poultry folders for learning, but you can go ahead and read through and learn things as you like. Just don't open the feed bags!

Sheep project!

Sheep, are you interested?  We can learn hands-on with Taya and if you have sheep of your own, you can bring one to meetings!

Post your goals below!

Beef!

If you would like to learn about cows, we've got some to learn with.  Post your goals below!

Gardening?

 Whether you want to do a gardening project, or not, how about a garden conversation? Answer the following questions in a comment below!

What are your favorite garden plants?  Either to eat or... what else?

What animals do you have?  What would they like you to grow for them?

What kinds of garden things are poisonous for your animals?

Super Science

 So, from what we talked about at the meeting last week, sounds like we should try a "Super Science" project.  Here are my thoughts.

We'll look at Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Biology -- maybe another one or two.

I'll put together kits for each of you with experiments in all the areas of science.  Some of the experiments you will work on between meetings, some we'll do during meetings.  All will be basically safe to do on your own, but I will ask you to be sure to have someone "on call" for some of the challenges.  

You may get "hands only" help -- someone to hold things -- you should do all the thinking on your own.

Some things we MIGHT do, we only have 5 or so meetings, so we might not do everything as a group.

Lava lamps    

Bottle rockets   

 Plant growth  

Cell modeling  

   Roller coaster     

Turbines 

As always, you do not have to do all the write ups that I will include with each activity, but, these activities will all be great topics for presentations (posters or table tops, or even demonstrations), and you will be doing this kind of work in high school, college, and some of you even in your jobs!  Tavi earned $20,000 in scholarships with one of her science projects and I've had other students win actual cash!!!

Dates:  March 4, 11, 18  and April 1 & 8, 2021

So, comment below if you want to do "Super Science"

Thank You!

Thanks so much to those who have donated to High Hopes 4-H Club and the Adopt-a-Family efforts this year!

EricT, CalebM, BrettH, RayF, Nate & Holly, JeanneI, GMES customers, Oliver & Zeb, ScottD, and the Langagne Family!

Food & Nutrition!

Liam in 2019 sautéing peas for Bee Bim Bop!

The suggestion that most people made for the next project is Food & Nutrition.  We'll start by way of Zoom, but don't worry, we'll do real hands-on cooking too!  We'll just all do it from our own kitchens!

List a few goals below (each), remember, this is Food & Nutrition, not just cooking.  Also, tell us what kinds of things you would like to make (separately from your goals).

Then, I'll get you a plan with shopping lists, so that everyone can get what is needed ahead of time.

I'll put together Food & Nutrition packets for you to pick up when you pick up your poultry packets (for those who are doing these two projects).

First Zoom will be January 7, check the calendar.

Holiday Helping - December

How amazing is this?!

Fantastic job everyone!

And, because I like to share my favorite things, here are some Christmas songs that are my favorites that you might never have heard before.  Traditional (like olde!), multi-cultural, silly, and talent! (be sure you've got good bass for this one!)  Do you have any favorite holiday songs?  Share below!

Woodworking

 The dates for Woodworking are currently: 

• October 29
• November 5
• November 19
• December 3

Now it's time to decide on a project to build over the next 6 weeks!  You can come up with your own idea or choose from here:  Below from top left to bottom right:

step stool -- serving tray -- shelf -- toy box -- garden/egg hod -- candy machine -- bee house -- planter -- balance board -- storage box -- tool box -- table -- clothespin rack

Please comment below with: what you would like to make, basic dimensions by Monday, November 2, please!  I have to come up with a materials list and get some materials to start with!!!

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!