SPOTLIGHT ON 4-H
Nebraska Extension 4-H Volunteer Newsletter - February 2020
Published & Edited by: Nebraska Extension - Thurston County Jennifer E. Hansen, Stacey Keys, & Samantha Beutler
In the February Spotlight!
How to Pick Your 4-H Project...and Enroll Your Projects
Parli Pro in a 4-H Club Meeting
Sugar Shockers Activity Guide
How to Spark a Youth's Interest
2020 4-H State Fair Livestock ID Requirements
Introducing Photography to Youth
A Successful Quilts of Valor Ceremony
CASNR Clubs & Organizations
How to Pick Your 4-H Project...and Enroll Your Projects - By Tracy J. Behnken
With more than 150 projects, the task of picking the right project could definitely be daunting. On the positive side, the opportunities are endless. It might be best to segment the possibilities to help you not become overwhelmed when picking a project.
Check out the various projects located at “4-H Pick Your Project” (http://4hcurriculum.unl.edu), an online project selection guide used to explore over 150 Nebraska 4-H projects and resources, and their related educational programs and opportunities. A printable project listing is available at: https://4h.unl.edu/documents/NE4H-Project-Listing-2020.docx.
When considering projects, start with focusing on one or two curriculum area from the eight possible. Using the online guide, you can “Search” the specific project of interest or use the “Filter By” selections as listed below.
Filter By: Curriculum Area:
- Animal Science
- Communication and Expressive Arts
- Consumer and Family Sciences
- Leadership, Citizenship and Personal Development
- Environmental Education and Earth Sciences
- Healthy Lifestyles
- Plant Science
- Science, Engineering and Technology
- Clover Kids
Filter By: Knowledge Level:
- Beginner (A)
- Intermediate (B)
- Advanced (C)
Filter By: Geographic Level:
- County Eligible
- State Eligible
To assist you with the project selection on 4honline, refer to the KEYS listed below.
Select a project … (DROP DOWN SELECTION LIST)
CURRICULUM AREA: Project Area (LEVEL) – Project
KEY – CURRICULUM AREA
AS - Animal Science
C&EA - Communication and Expressive Arts
C&FS - Consumer and Family Sciences
Clover Kids – Projects for 5-7 year olds (Jan 1 current year)
EE&ES - Environmental Education and Earth Sciences
HL - Healthy Lifestyles
LC&PD – Leadership, Citizenship and Personal Development
PS - Plant Science
SET - Science, Engineering and Technology
Volunteer – Adult volunteer project area enrollment
KEY – PROJECT AREA
Each Curriculum Area includes between three to 10 project areas. From Beef to Veterinary Science in the Animal Science Curriculum Area and from Aerospace to Woodworking in the Science, Engineering and Technology Curriculum.
KEY – LEVEL
– Beginning
– Intermediate
– Advanced
– All Levels
KEY – PROJECT
Each Project Area has one or more specific projects. The project is either specific to a level, a subject matter or both.
Parliamentary Procedures in a 4-H Club Meeting - by Jami Ankrom
Sometimes 4-H meetings are very chaotic when making group decisions. Everyone might want to talk at once, try talking over others or try to sway others to their point of view. Knowledge of parliamentary procedure can make the meeting more orderly and give each youth the opportunity to have a voice. A 4-H club meeting may be one of the first places youth are exposed to parliamentary procedure. Skills learned while practicing parliamentary procedure are important skills for youth to know and understand as they continue through life.
Parliamentary procedure refers to rules that help maintain order and ensure fairness in business meetings. Most parliamentary procedure is based on Robert’s Rules of Order which describes procedures on how to conduct items of business.
As a club, you will begin the process of parliamentary procedure by following basic principles. All clubs should have an order of business at each club meeting. This is an agenda to help the meeting flow with consistency. For an example a 4-H club meeting could be structured as follows
- Call to Order
- Pledges to American flag and 4-H flag
- Roll Call
- Minutes of the last meeting
- Treasurer’s report
- Report of committees
- Old or unfinished business
- New business
- 4-H leader’s report
- Announcements
- Adjournment
By having an order of business, this gives officers and members a guideline to follow so only one topic/item is being communicated at once.
To have a successful business meeting officers and members need to also be familiar with the basic points of parliamentary procedure topics such as:
- Order of business meeting
- Making motions
- Proposing Amendments
- Tabling items
- Adjournment
- Election of officers
Parliamentary procedure should be fun experience for clubs. The best way to keep enhancing your skills is to practice, practice, practice! For more information about parliamentary procedure and finding fun activities to explain the process, you can find more information by visiting https://4h.unl.edu/resources/club-leaders#officer or contacting your local extension office. These resources will be the perfect addition to your clubs next 4-H meeting.
Sugar Shockers Activity Guide - By Donna Kircher
The purpose of this activity is to teach all ages about the amounts of sugar that can be found in common foods and drinks. A kit can be assembled with any food or drink item as long as you can determine grams of sugar in the item.
To assemble a kit you need to gather popular food and drink items, a box of sugar cubes, ziplock bags, and a permanent marker.
A Sample food list is below:
- Strawberry Pop Tarts
- Cherry Gelatin Desert
- Skittles
- Starburst
- Snickers
- Reese’s
- Coca-Cola
- Cheerios
- Froot Loops
- Oreos
- Vitamin Water
Once you have the food/drinks, check the nutrition facts section to determine the amount of sugar in grams in the particular food/drink that you are using. Once you know how many grams are either in the package, or a serving, do the math to see how many sugar cubes is equivalent to the amount. Most standard sugar cubes are 4 grams each. You can either round up to the nearest whole sugar cube or cut them down to equal what you need. Make sure to label the bags as you go to prevent confusion later. To make the game challenging, give each bag a number and note how many grams of sugar are in it. (Optional: hot glue the sugar cubes together to make them easier to see.) Make a key for the facilitator of the activity with the item, bag number and amount (in grams) of sugar.
This kit can be used in many ways. Each item and the corresponding bags can be set on a table simply for people to see, or…. It can be used as a game with many variations. One involves a large group of people and each person receives either a bag of sugar cubes or a food/drink item and talks to others involved trying to find who has the match for their item/bag. Of course, groups can come up with their own variations of the game.
California 4-H Youth Development Program website http://4h.ucanr.edu/Projects/HealthyLiving/activities/
How to Spark a Youth's Interest - By Colleen Pallas
According to Search Institute, Sparks are the activities and interests that truly engage kids to be their best. “Sparks” are the interests and passions young people have that light a fire in their lives and express the essence of who they are and what they offer to the world. 4-H helps youth to discover and cultivate their spark.
Being a positive, caring adult is the key to helping spark a youth’s interest in 4-H, a specific project, or a career path in the future. This can be done by capturing the youth’s attention on a topic of interest to them and creating even more interest and excitement in the topic/project area. This will help make the learning experience more meaningful and relevant to the youth.
Here are six different categories of strategies that can be used to spark interest in a topic. They can be used in many ways and combinations to spark interest. As you work with young people, think of ways you can capture their attention and get them excited about their spark topics. Explore ways you can use these strategies in your 4-H activities. (Motiving Youth by Sparking Interest. PDF File. http://click2sciencepd.org/sites/default/files/attachments/SI-training-30min-F2F-motivating-youth-by-sparking-interest_0.pdf)
Demonstration: A demonstration is a way to show or make something visible. It provides an example or display and can be a great way to catch someone’s attention. It could involve using an object or presenting a process.
Prompt: A prompt is a way to remind or provide a clue to remember something. It might be a way to stimulate thinking and explore a certain area. It can cause someone to act or allow for quicker action on their part.
Model: This is similar to a demonstration, except it is usually done without a formal presentation and is often a behavior. It also could be a physical piece (for example, a model robot, car, project, etc.) or an exhibit.
Challenge: A challenge generally refers to things that have a sense of difficulty or victory. It often involves a competition and requires action to solve a problem and be the best.
Invitation: An invitation is a request for something: an idea, an answer, a product. It might be an offer or a call for help or ideas.
Question: A question can be a great way to move to another level of thinking and discovery. Questions are often used to sustain interest and allow for further inquiry.
Wonderful things can happen when adults help youth find their spark and help to provide them with opportunities to let that spark grow.
2020 4-H State Fair Livestock Identification Requirements - By Debra Walnofer
The quality care of livestock and the showcase of exhibiting at county and state fairs is a large part of the 4-H experience for some youth. While everyone and every county has slightly different rules and guidelines when it comes to exhibiting at county fair, if youth want the option to have the potential to show at the Nebraska State Fair under 4-H, here are the requirements they must follow. Find your project and make sure to note the deadlines.
Market Beef - all Market Beef that will be shown at State Fair must be tagged with an 840 EID tag. DNA hair sample must be collected and submitted to your local county extension office and animal information submitted online via Show Stock Manager Database by June 15th.
Breeding Beef - all Breeding Beef that will be shown at State Fair must have a legible tattoo (bangs tattoo are not accepted) and the animal information submitted online via Show Stock Manager Database by June 15th.
Market Swine - all Market Swine that will be shown at State Fair must be tagged with an 840 EID tag. DNA hair sample must be collected and submitted to your local county extension office and animal information submitted online via Show Stock Manager Database by June 15th.
Market Sheep and Goats - all Market Sheep and Goats that will be shown at the State Fair must have an official USDA scrapie tag. DNA hair sample must be collected and submitted to your local county extension office and animal information submitted online via Show Stock Manager Database by June 15th.
Breeding Sheep and Goats - all Breeding Sheep and Goats that will be shown at the State Fair must have an official USDA scrapie tag and the animal information submitted online via Show Stock Manager Database by June 15th.
Dairy Cattle - all Dairy Cattle that will be shown at the State Fair must be appropriately identified on the Nebraska 4-H/FFA Dairy identification affidavit and turned in to your local county extension office by June 15th.
Horse - all Horses that will be shown at the State Horse Show must be appropriately identified on the Nebraska 4-H Horse identification affidavit and turned in to your local county extension office by May 8th.
Rabbits & Poultry – no nomination is required. Rabbits will be required to have an ear tattoo by the show entry deadline (August 10th).
The due dates listed above mean that all tagging is to be finished, animal information should be submitted online via Show Stock Manager Database (www.showstockmanager.com), DNA collected and completed DNA envelopes should be in the possession of your local county extension office.
Please note that 4-H Feeder Calf, Bucket Calf and Dairy Goat projects do not have a class option at the Nebraska State Fair.
Questions or concerns should be directed to your local county Extension office, especially if you would like more information about how your local office handles the process.
Introducing Photography to Youth - By Kameran Ulferts
With the use of the experiential learning model, the newly edited National 4-H Photography Manuals give volunteers and leaders everything they need to successfully guide youth in the area of photography- everything except the camera. The Level 1 book- Photography Basics is a beginning level book and is recommended for youth in grades 5-12. Activities cover four main areas related to photography: equipment, lighting, composition, and skill building. The Level 2 book- Next Level Photography is an intermediate-level book for a serious study of photography and is also recommended for youth in grades 5-12. This book covers four main areas: equipment, lighting, composition and skill building. The final book in the series is the Level 3 book- Mastering Photography. This is an advanced-level book for a serious study of photography, also recommended for youth in grades 5-12. The four main areas that the book covers are also: equipment, lighting, composition and skill building. Each book can be taken as a stand-alone project or in connection with another 4-H area of interest.
Having access to a camera is essential. The difference between the old and the new curriculum books is that each book suggests that the youth learning from the book have access to either a digital single lens reflex camera or a phone. In the current day and age, most youth we encounter have their own cell phone and majority of youth in grades 5-12 know how to use a phone. This curriculum allows them to access that piece of technology in a positive and productive manner. Before introducing youth to photography, ensure that each youth you are working with has access to a phone or camera.
Each manual gives “project guidelines” for the book. Those guidelines are as follows:
Step 1: Explore each of the four project areas. In each area, complete the photoshoot activities (at least 2) of your choice along with the Talking it Over activity.
Step 2: Take part in at least two Learning Experiences
Step 3: Become involved in at least two Leadership/Citizenship activities
Step 4: Take part in a Project Review
Optional: The Challenge Yourself activities are optional.
The beginning of each book gives a great chart layout for youth to document their experiences in detail from the date they started, the date they completed, what they plan to do, etc. At the end of each project area, there is a space for youth to share, reflect, and generalize about their work. Finally, there is a space that gives youth the opportunity to apply what they have learned to their personal life. From the “fun with shadows” activity, to a “bug’s eye view” activity, then to the “art of the selfie” activity, and also to a “telling a story” activity, and so much more, these curriculum books give step by step instructions so that anyone (youth, volunteers, leaders) can learn about the process of and joy in photography.
Hosting a Successful Quilts of Valor Ceremony - By Holli Alley
Nebraska 4-H is fulfilling the National Quilts of Valor Foundation mission of “cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.” Currently, Nebraska is the only state with such high involvement of 4-H members making Quilts of Valor.
The majority of the 4-H Quilts of Valor that are displayed at the Nebraska State Fair are returned back home and awarded locally by the 4-Her who made the quilt. While this can make for an extra special ceremony, it is important to understand and uphold the integrity of the Quilts of Valor mission.
An ideal ceremony has five parts: 1) Opening, 2) Information about the Quilts of Valor Foundation, 3) What a Quilt of Valor means, 4) Information about the awardee, 5) Closing statement. Each part can be as brief or as lengthy as the situation warrants.
The National Quilt of Valor Foundation has recognized a standard protocol and procedure to award each quilt.
- Invite family members to the Award Ceremony.
- Find out details of the military service for each veteran. You can ask the family or ask the Veteran Service officer in the county where the veteran enlisted.
- On the day of the Ceremony, go to www.qovf.org website and scroll down to find the number of Quilts of Valor presented. (Right hand side of the first page.)
- Have the American flag be at the front of the room.
- While the “military history” of the veteran is being read, volunteers (who will wrap the QOV) will stand and hold up the QOV behind the veteran so the audience can see the quilt.
The following must be said as required by the “Quilts of Valor Foundation”:
- We HONOR your service – we know you left our home to protect us.
- We say THANK YOU; we know that freedom is not free. This quilt is to comfort you. Please know that your family, friends, community and a GRATEFUL NATION appreciate what you have done.
- Please USE THIS QUILT, don’t put it in a box, into storage, or on a shelf. The maker of the quilt wants you to feel cared for and comforted as you cover yourself in it.
- For those who have not heard the words – “WELCOME HOME!!”
A full script and procedures for a Quilt of Valor Ceremony can be found at 4h.unl.edu/quilts-of-valor. For more information on the 4-H Quilts of Valor project, contact Julie Ochsner at 402-461-7209 or Holli Alley at 402-762-3644.
CASNR Clubs and Organizations - By Carly Horstman
Clubs and Registered Student Organizations (RSO’s) are an integral part of the college experience. They allow students to come together, explore common interest areas, and meet new people. The University of Nebraska houses over 500 different clubs and organizations for its students, and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) specifically has over 50 for students to join.
A popular club amongst our CASNR students is the CASNR Coffee Club. These meetings are held one morning a month and provide attendees with free breakfast and coffee. What makes this club extra special is that it provides students with an opportunity to network with other students, faculty and staff across many different disciplines. Rodeo Team, Equestrian Team, and Soils Judging Team are also popular organizations that use student’s skills to compete to win titles all across the country.
CASNR has clubs for the students of each major to be a part of as well. Fisheries and Wildlife students can be part of the Wildlife Club and the American Fisheries Society, Horticulture students can join the Horticulture Club, and Forensic Science students can join the Forensic Science Club. The clubs for each major are very career focused as well. The Forensic Science Club will practice interviews for criminal justice fields and the FBI in their club meetings. Horticulture Club members will grow different types of plants in their greenhouses then sell them to raise funds. Being a part of a college club or organization is fun, but can also be very beneficial.