4-H Blast from York County
January 8th, 2021
4 - January Take Home Kit available for Pick up
18 - Extension Office Closed for Martin Luther King Jr Day
4-H Month
3 - Wendy's Night 5-7 PM
7 - Beef Weigh-in 1-2:30 PM Fairgrounds
15 - York County 4-H Scholarship Deadline
15 - Extension Office Closed for Presidents Day
16 - 4-H Leader Training 7-8:30 PM
17 - Wendy's Night 5-7 PM
24 - Wendy's Night 5-7 PM
15 - Innovative Youth Corn Challenge
Winter 4-H Fun Pack
Looking for ways to keep the young people in your life engaged this winter? Check out the 4-H Winter Fun Pack - a collection of activities that youth can do on their own at home! Each recorded session of Living Room Learning is led by a Nebraska 4-H Youth Development professional. Getting started is simple: gather supplies, click the recording, and let us do the teaching.
The materials required for this resource are all things you can find at home! This resource was created with all areas of 4-H in mind, including Family Consumer Sciences, Environmental Education and Earth Sciences, Healthy Living, STEM, Communication and Expressive Arts and more!
Access the resources here and let the fun begin: https://4h.unl.edu/winter-fun-pack.
Risk Dial Update
So what does this mean for 4-H? Due to the new risk dial level, your club has options on how to complete activities. It is recommended that meetings take place virtually, but you may also meet in person. If the in-person option is chosen, all individuals present at the meeting are required to wear facial coverings.
We still have a handful of kits available of the following; click photo to register.
Special Agronomy Project
The Nebraska Extension Special Agronomy Project gives 4-H members an opportunity to experience a crop that is grown, was grown or has the potential to be grown in Nebraska. Youth participate by receiving seed and resources to grow the crop, research traits of the crop and determine the viability of that crop in the part of the state they live. The project allows 4-H members interested in agronomy to grow something fun, new, and different.
To kick-off the inaugural year of the special agronomy project, youth will explore teosinte. The plant looks and is very similar to corn, in fact it is believed to be the wild ancestor of today's corn!
For youth to participate:
Enroll for the 2021 Special Agronomy Project by enrolling in any of the Field Crop Project levels through 4-H Online.
Contact your local Nebraska Extension Office and let them know how many seed packets you need. If you do not contact your local Extension Office, seeds might not be available for you. The county office will order seeds as a county unit then distribute them to the members.
Seeds will be sent to the County Extension Offices. Pick seeds up from your local county Extension office when the county tells you the seeds are available (should be around March or April).
4-H members enrolled in the Special Agronomy Project will:
· Receive a ‘packet’ of teosinte seeds (one packet per youth) in March/April
· Grow their seeds in their garden or pots
· Receive written resource materials AND virtual, live or recorded videos/field trips
· Be eligible to enter an exhibit at both the County and/or State Fair in the agronomy project area:
o G750011 - Special Agronomy Project - Educational Exhibit (SF259)
o G750012 Special Agronomy Project -Video Presentation
o G750013 Special Agronomy Project (Freshly Harvested Crop)
Enroll for the 2021 Special Agronomy Project through 4-H Online by enrolling in ANY level of the field crop project area and contact your local Nebraska Extension Office to order packets of seeds. The local Extension Office will order and distribute the seeds.
Contact Brandy VanDeWalle at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu or 402.759.3712 or Aaron Nygren at anygren2@unl.edu or 402.352.3821
Click on pictures for more information
Pen Pal Program
2021 Special Gardening Project
Nebraska Extension Special Gardening Project lets 4-H members try their hand at growing unusual vegetables and flowers. The project allows experienced 4-H gardeners to grow something fun, new, and different while letting those new to gardening get their feet wet in this project area.
This project is open to all youth of 4-H age and it will give them the opportunity to learn about growing, harvesting, and exhibiting a tasty vegetable; obtain the tools necessary to be successful gardeners, and learn about the wide range of plant-science related careers. Last year over 1700 4-H members were enrolled in the project.
The 2021 Special Garden Project is focused on the tasty Hakurei Turnip. These are not your grandmother’s turnips. Hakurei is a white salad turnip that is smooth, round, and at its best when harvested under 2”. The roots can be eaten raw or cooked and the tops can also be cooked.
Remember to pick Special Gardening Project when picking projects in 4HOnline. This is how we know who is interested in getting seeds.
Virtual Opportunities
Virtual Home Learning
Living Room Learning
Nov 17 - Healthy Life, Happy Life
Virtual Field Trip
Nov 18 - Mountains of Sweetness - Growing Sugar in Nebraska
Dec 2 - Fried Shrimp, Shrimp Kababs, Coconut Shrimp, Nebraska Shrimp - Wait What?
STEM at Home
Classroom Connection
We’re proud to launch the new 4-H Classroom Connection, a collection of life enrichment experience designed for groups of youth in school classrooms, home school co-ops, afterschool programs, and families looking for supplemental learning experiences. All the programs are supported by a statewide network of positive youth development experts, bringing the education of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln straight to your classroom. 4h.unl.edu/classroom-connection
UNL Extension - York County
Jenny Rees - jrees2@unl.edu
Amanda Hackenkamp - amanda.hackenkamp@unl.edu
Steph Horak - steph.horak@unl.edu
Email: york-county@unl.edu
Website: https://york.unl.edu
Location: 2345 North Nebraska Avenue, York, NE, USA
Phone: (402) 362-5508
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unlextensionyork/?ref=bookmarks