Murray County 4-H Messenger
December 1, 2021
Season's Greetings to our 4-H families!
Explore 4-H STEM Club
Join the SW Explore 4-H STEM Club to learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) while connecting with 4-H’ers across the region! Each month you will be provided a STEM challenge kit and the opportunity to share your work with other 4-H STEM enthusiasts.
The STEM challenge kit will include most, if not all, the supplies needed, lesson/activity guide, and access to video demonstrations.
Registration is free and can be completed here, you only need to register once and can attend any or all sessions. Register by November 22 to participate in our December session.
All ages are welcome to participate!
Youth must be enrolled in 4-H prior to participation.
NEW! Youth Leadership Opportunity! There will be two sessions split by grade with the opportunity for older youth members to help as STEM youth leaders! Older youth members (grades 7+) will learn the lesson during their session to then have the opportunity to share their learning as youth leaders at the grades K-6 session.
SW Explore 4-H STEM Club Challenge Online Gatherings:
December - Waterslides
Grades 7+ - December 6, 2021 from 6-6:30 p.m.
Grades K-6 - December 13, 2021 from 6-6:30 p.m.
January - Chocolate Construction
Grades 7+ - January 3, 2022 from 6-6:30 p.m.
Grades K-6 - January 10, 2022 from 6-6:30 p.m.
February - Circuits and Valentine’s Day Cards
Grades 7+ - February 7, 2022 from 6-6:30 p.m.
Grades K-6 - February 14, 2022 from 6-6:30 p.m.
All monthly club online gatherings will be held on Zoom; links will be provided once registration is completed. Kits will be available at your local Extension Office. You will be notified when the kits are ready to be picked-up.
If you have any questions, contact your local 4-H Extension Educator.
Murray County 4-H Holiday Craft Day
REGISTER AT 4HONLINE - EVENTS: Murray County 4-H Holiday Craft Day
(please register by December 3 to ensure we have enough supplies)
Hour of Code on December 7
Join Murray County 4-H as we celebrate National Computer Science Week, December 6 - 12, 2021
Murray County Event: Tuesday, December 7 from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., Murray County 4-H Building
Youth in grades 3-6 will explore Coding Challenges featuring Edison Robots. We'll cover ten different challenges from beginner to advanced levels of coding.
Register with 4-H Online https://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in; click on Events (on the left): Hour of Code is the program
Participation is limited.
Murray County 4-H offers Adopt-a-Lamb and Lottery Lamb programs
Adopt–a-Lamb Program
The Adopt-a-Lamb program is for first and second year sheep project members. The lambs all come from the same producer and cost 4-H'ers the same amount. When members get their lambs in April, they draw a number to determine which lamb they take home. Herrigs offer their help during the summer so the youth and lambs get a good start.Lottery Lamb Program
To participate or learn more about either program, call Dave Herrig at 507-836-6311 (home) or 507-220-1360 (cell). Lambs arrive around April 20; instructions for feed, care, safety, training, and showmanship will be provided to families that are interested and willing to put in the time and effort.
Shooting Sports is coming back to Murray County
4-H offers the following disciplines:
- Wildlife (All ages)
- BB gun (3rd grade & older)
- Archery (3rd grade & older)
- Air rifle and air pistol (4th grade & older)
- .22 rifle and .22 pistol (7th grade & older)
- Muzzleloading (7th grade & older)
- Shotgun (7th grade & older)
What you'll learn in shooting sports:
- Ethics, sportsmanship and responsibility
- Leadership skills
- Safe storage and handling of firearms and archery equipment
4-H shooting sports and wildlife leader certification
To run a county or multi-county shooting sports and wildlife program, instructors must be certified by Minnesota 4-H. Leader certification trainings are designed to cover the essential knowledge and rules to become a certified 4-H county instructor.
State 4-H shooting sports and wildlife invitational
Young people from across Minnesota will have the opportunity to compete in local meets in events including archery, muzzle loader, shotgun, air rifle, .22 rifle and air pistol. Skillathon, wildlife calling, conservation projects, and cast iron cooking will be available in a virtual format.
To learn more visit: https://extension.umn.edu/projects-and-more/4-h-shooting-sports-wildlife-project or contact the Murray County Extension Office.
Murray County 4-H Ambassador Meeting
Sunday, Dec 5, 2021, 01:00 PM
3048 Broadway Avenue, Slayton, MN, USA
James W. Tracy Scholarships are open!
James “Jim” Tracy was born in 1941. He grew up on a farm near Northfield, Minnesota. During his childhood, James was an active FFA and 4-H member. He loved helping young people and wanted to see agriculture and rural America remain strong. Jim had a deep love for the land and farming. He farmed his land until he lost his battle with illness in 2014. But Jim's story doesn't end there, his desire to support youth in agriculture led him to donate his farm to support youth across Minnesota. The Minnesota FFA Foundation is pleased to bring life to James Tracy's dream of providing scholarships to youth involved in agriculture. Generations of young people will benefit from this donation as the funds will be used to support youth agricultural scholarships.
Scholarship Eligibility:
- Must be a resident of Minnesota
- Must be enrolled or plan to be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary school in the U.S.
- Must plan to pursue an academic award (certificate, diploma, or degree) in agriculture or animal husbandry
Scholarship Criteria:
Again this year: $2,000 scholarships will be awarded based on the following criteria: (full details can be found on the website here.)
- Leadership, involvement, and agriculture interest
- Three Essay questions: limited to no more than 500 words.
- Two letters of recommendation. Letters must be from non family members. One letter must be from someone who has worked with the student over the last 12 months.
- Upon completion of their Fall 2022 semester at a post-secondary school, the scholarship recipient will need to send a transcript (copy acceptable) to the MN FFA Foundation showing satisfactory progress. Once the transcript is received by the MN FFA Foundation, a check will be sent to the scholarship recipient.
Scholarship Timeline:
- Applications are due on or before February 1
- Scholarship recipients will be announced by May 1
For full details please go to the website. Again this year, students will apply with a Google Form application that can be found here. Applicants can edit their applications if need be. Just an FYI: Applicants no longer need to be limited to high school seniors; college students can apply.
SAVE THE DATES for the 4-H Fundraiser
FUNDRAISER DELIVERY DATE IS MARCH 12 at the Murray County 4-H Building. Clubs will sort orders that morning; families can start delivering to customers after sorting. Let your leader know if you're willing to help sort the club order. Profits from this fundraiser support youth participating in 4-H events, activities, field trips, camps, and state fair. Funds are also used for equipment upgrades, trainings for youth, and of course a few days of 4-H fun are mixed in. More details will follow from your club leader.
University of Minnesota -Twin Cities has waived the application fee for 4-H youth
As high school youth continue their college search process, we want to share some exciting opportunities that are available. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities has waived the application fee for 4-H youth. Students applying for fall 2022 can also do so without any essays, letters of recommendation, or ACT/SAT score requirements.
To help promote this opportunity, and to ensure that each student feels confident tackling the application process, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities will host a Virtual Application Workshop & Information Session for 4-H Youth on Thursday, Dec. 16 from 4 - 5 p.m.
No matter where they are on their journey, by attending youth will be able to:
- Ask questions specific to their areas of interest and experience.
- Hear directly from admissions counselors who can support them long after the workshop is over.
- Walk through the applications that the U of M accepts, including the Common App and the Golden Gopher Application.
All ages are welcome, though the content will be particularly helpful for high school juniors and seniors. Please pass along this virtual event info to any 4-H student you believe would be interested:
Virtual Application Workshop & Information Session for 4-H Youth
Thursday, Dec. 16 from 4 - 5 p.m. (Central)
If students have any questions about the session or would like to connect with a U of M admissions counselor, please have them reach out at z.umn.edu/ContactAdmissions, 612-625-2008, or 1-800-752-1000.
Contact
Email: loremipsum@umn.edu
Website: extension.umn.edu
Location: 1420 Eckles Ave, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-333-4444
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UofMNExt
Twitter: @UMNExt