Douglas 4-H Buzz
March, 2023 Edition
4-H Rabbit Fun Show in Douglas County
Mark your calendars for our annual 4-H Rabbit Fun Show on Sunday, April 30! Here’s your opportunity for a judging experience before the county fair or to purchase rabbits before the May 15 deadline!
This event will take place at the Brandon Auditorium located at 105 Holmes Ave, Brandon, MN 56315. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. and judging begins at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $ 3 per rabbit. This show has lots to offer!
A huge shout out and thank you to Moses & Aaron 4-H Club for partnering with Douglas County 4-H to host and run this event.
Attention Swine Exhibitors
In the swine project, we have previously limited exhibitors to two exhibits between market barrow, market gilt or breeding gilt. This year we are allowing youth grades 3 and up to exhibit three swine if they so choose. So you can exhibit a breeding gilt (Jan, Feb or March), a market gilt and a market barrow. However, you are not able to exhibit two of the same; for example two breeding gilts or two market barrows. If you have questions, please contact the office.
Register Now for Regional 4-H Camp in Morris
The regional 4-H camp is scheduled for June 20-22 at the University of Minnesota Morris campus. Youth in grades 3-6 are invited to attend this unique camp experience.
Youth participate in program offerings packed with educational sessions, large and small group activities and a whole lot of fun! Youth learn new skills and make new friendships.
This year's track topics to choose from include In Focus, Performing Arts, Moving & Shaking, Farmin' Frenzy, Bugging Out, Straight as an Arrow and Outdoor Survivalist 2.0.
Cost is $ 160 but Douglas County 4-H will pay $ 80 towards this fee for enrolled Douglas County 4-H members (active status) that attend.
Register now for best selection in mn.4honline.com or contact the office for assistance.
4-H Flotation Science
Youth grades 3-5 are invited to come and learn how life jackets work, why do boats float and be part of an experiment demonstrating the science of flotation all while having a ton of fun. No event is complete without snacks so we'll provide those too.
This event will take place at the Legacy of the Lakes Museum in Alexandria on Saturday, April 1 from 10 a.m. to noon.
To register, visit mn.4honline.com or email mnext-douglas@umn.edu to request a paper form before the March 27 deadline. Bring a friend and we'll see you there!
Share the Fun - April 16
Save the date for Share the Fun - April 16 at Osakis High School! What is Share the Fun? Share the fun is an opportunity for clubs to work together to create a performance of some kind. It can be a skit, a talent act, a comedy routine, any type of performance is great! If just a couple individuals in your club want to participate, that is fine to, it does not have to be the whole club.
If you need ideas or more information, please reach out to Jodi at hintz010@umn.edu for assistance. There are opportunities for winning skits to perform at the Minnesota State Fair and cash prizes for performing arts 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Give it a try and start planning now!
Contact the Extension office if you are planning a skit or performance by Friday, March 31 at 320-762-3890 or hintz010@umn.edu.
Junior Camp at Faith Haven
Camp registration at mn.4honline.com on or before registration deadline of May 22.
Earth Day Poster Contest
Douglas County 4-H members are invited to create an earth day poster with the theme of Invest in the Earth. Age categories are grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9+. Please use an 8 1/2 X 11 inch piece of paper. You can use crayons, pencils, paints or make it multimedia. The committee is working on cash prizes. Please return your poster with name, grade, and email on the back to the Extension Office by Monday, April 17. This would be a great club activity at your March meeting. If you have questions, please contact the office.
Harvest Pack Scheduled for Thursday, April 13
The Forada Lions have invited Douglas County 4-H to help with the upcoming Harvest Pack April 13 from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Forada Fire Hall. Please come 15 minutes early for instructions. We had a great turnout last time so hope to see many of you there again this year! This is for any age youth and parents/guardians are welcome also.
Save the Dates
- May 6 (Saturday) - Engineering Design Day to be held in Alexandria. Come and learn what you can build and do in the engineering design project. Don't miss it!
- June 27 (Tuesday) - 4-H Demonstration Day
More information on these fun opportunities coming soon.
4-H Projects
4-H believes that youth learn best by doing. That's why all 4-H'ers are encouraged to participate in hands-on projects in areas like science, health, agriculture, and civic engagement. Youth can concentrate on one project area, or they can try as many as they like.
Driven by Youth Interest
Youth drive their own choices. As in the 4-H pledge, they use their:
Head to engage actively in learning.
Heart to demonstrate caring for others and their own learning.
Hands to share their experiences with others.
Health to experience success and learn to support their family, community, and world.
Project work can be overwhelming-where to begin, how to get started, what should I do are FAQ’s surrounding project work. Some project areas are easier to figure out than others. Watch this space in future newsletters for project information and ideas.
4-H Exhibits
A 4-H exhibit is something that 4-H'ers can make and show at the fair or other showcase event to demonstrate what they have learned in the project area.
BICYCLE
Bicycle is an exciting project area: people ride bikes for many purposes. Ride for transportation, exercise, or competition! If you like traveling, tinkering, or racing, you probably like cycling. Along with taking you from place to place using no fossil fuels, bikes can teach you about safety skills and keep you fit.
- Find out about cycling in your community and bike paths throughout the state
- Learn how to make your own repairs
- Explore how to ride more safely
- Get involved in off-road biking, touring or racing.
Create an exhibit
After exploring and learning about bicycles, you can create an exhibit to bring to your fair or showcase event. This might include:
- A display showing built, restored, reconditioned or rebuilt bikes
- Display showing types of bikes, parts of a bike, maintenance, traffic rules, bicycling hazards, city/council/regional bike or active transportation plans.
- Demonstrate how to wear a helmet, teach others about bike repair or first aid
- Plan to implement a bike event, such as a bike rodeo, group trail ride, bike race etc.
- Serve your community by having a bike repair event, a learn how to ride clinic or raise funds to provide bikes to those who need them.
CHILD & FAMILY DEVELOPMENT
This is an exciting project area for those who enjoy working with young children, whether it is teaching others, babysitting or playing with children. In this project area, discover how to be self-reliant and responsible.
- Develop skills to handle emergencies and develop home alone skills
- Learn about home safety, age-appropriate toys and nutritious snacks for children
- Create a poem, story or game for young children
- Study future careers including childcare provider, teacher, child psychologist, therapist or a children's literature author.
After investigating aspects of child and family development, you can create an exhibit to bring to your fair or showcase event. These might include:
- Toy, game puzzle, puppets, art/craft materials, made from new or recycled materials.
- Babysitting kit, travel kit or a rainy-day activity kit
- Display exploring different types of families (nuclear, blended, single parent, childless, foster etc.)
- Educational display about youth mental health. Explore strategies to help youth cope with stress and anxiety with busy bags, sensory activities, conversation tips, etc.
- Job shadow and early childhood education provider, childcare provider or other youth worker.
CITIZENSHIP
In this project area, be the change you wish to see in the world. Citizenship means contributing to the world around you and giving service to others. Learn how to solve problems in your community and how to take action in a positive way. Everyday situations give us the chance to be active citizens.
- Learn how to solve problems in your community
- Take action in a positive way
- Contribute to the world around you by helping others
- Giving service to others
- Attend Citizenship Washington Focus
- Attend youth leadership workshops
Create an exhibit
As you explore what it means to be a productive citizen in your community, you can create an exhibit to bring to your fair or showcase event. These might include:
- Highlights of community projects or citizenship activities you engaged in with your club
- Educational display on how the government works on a local, state or national level
- Research the steps you take to become a naturalized citizen
- Explore how elections work, voting rights, what election officials do
- Study the impact of community organizations on everyday life such as law enforcement, fire departments, medical facilities
- Survey your community for needs and improvements and report your findings
- Share the economic impact of the county fair on your community
Jodi Hintzen at hintz010@umn.edu or Jackie Kokett at jkokett@umn.edu
Email: mnext-douglas@umn.edu
Website: extension.umn.edu/douglas
Location: 305 8th Ave W, Alexandria, MN, USA
Phone: 320-762-3890
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MNDouglasCounty4H/
Twitter: @UMNExt