Cooperative Extension: 4-H

Session #1

Bicycle Safety & Instructional Ride – for youth of all ages. Learn bicycle safety. A bicycle and helmet safety check will be done along with an instructional ride around the fairgrounds.

Introduction to Small Ruminant Health – for youth ages 9+. Join Maine 4-H staff in an interactive workshop that will teach youth the basics of small ruminant health indicators. Participants will work with live animals to conduct a routine health examination that can be replicated on their own animals. Whether you have sheep and goats already or are interested in getting them in the future, this is an excellent opportunity to practice the skills needed to keep your animals healthy.

(Workshop FULL)Macrame Bead Dolls – for youth of all ages (Cloverbuds must have an adult attend to help them). Using a simple macrame technique, we’ll make adorable little dolls with paracord and beads. The dolls can be used as zipper pulls, key chains or backpack decorations!

(Workshop FULL) Not Your Everyday Paper Airplanes – for youth of all ages. These aren’t your grandpa’s paper airplanes! Practice your fine motor skills while experimenting with various paper airplane designs. These origami masterpieces take precision and patience but are easily done with a little practice. What are your paper airplane ambitions? Distance? Speed? Loftiness? The best part of paper airplanes is the take off!

Preventing Pathogens and Parasites in Animals – for youth ages 12+. Up to 70% of American households own an animal as either livestock or a companion/pet. The care we provide to our animals factors into their overall happiness and health, but meeting the unique requirements for each type of animal can be challenging. Explore the world of animal health as we touch on subjects such as comparative anatomy, welfare, and nutrition. Find out what happens when disease prevails and learn the importance of preventative care. Presented by Dr. Dana Hill, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Veterinarian Specialist and Director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, come prepared to see real case examples and glance at creepy crawlers under the microscope.

Tips and Tricks for Basic Rabbit Showmanship – for youth ages 12+. It is important to know your basics to go above and beyond and show your project to its best ability. Bunny showmanship will be discussed and you will learn some tips in tricks to getting your bunny ready for a show.

Underground Creepy Crawlies – for youth ages 5 – 8. Cloverbuds brainstorm what we will find, then we dig and explore. Kids will also create a watercolor masterpiece of an underground scene.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls – for youth ages 9+. Vietnamese fresh spring rolls are a tasty snack or side dish for a summer meal. Plus, they look great on a plate! We will make these from a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs, plus we will make some yummy dipping sauces to go with them! These rolls will be vegan, gluten-free, and fun to make and eat!

(Workshop Cancelled) Wildlife Science – for youth ages 9 – 11. Investigate Maine’s ecosystem and learn about the wildlife that surround us. Participants will be detectives to sleuth out which animals we think are present and all participants will leave with an animal track casting.

Session #2

Basic Bike Repair – for youth ages 12+. Come learn basic bicycle maintenance with the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. We’ll learn about trail and roadside repair such as how to fix a flat tire.

Bull Moose Bootcamp: High Intensity Training with Body Weight  – for youth ages 12+. Everyone wants to get in shape to be healthy, to improve athleticism, or to look good, but it can be hard to get motivated. It’s much easier to do it with a group of like-minded fitness enthusiasts or with someone looking to make the first step. Come use your own body weight and just follow the instructor, using motions that can be modified to your own fitness level.

Exploring Maine Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils – for youth of all ages. Are you a person who picks up pretty rocks on your hikes or visits to the beach? You might be a Rockhound! Interesting rocks and minerals can be found just about anywhere in Maine. Learn more about collecting, identifying, and displaying the rocks and minerals you find, and join other Rockhounds for hands-on exploration.

(Workshop Cancelled) Improv for All – for youth ages 12+. Would you like to build your confidence, creativity, and leadership while developing positive social skills and tools for problem solving? If so, come experience how this improv workshop can help! In a safe, supportive, fun setting, we will enjoy a beginner improv “sampler platter” where you and your peers will learn a variety of simple improv games to grow your self-awareness, engage in light exercise, challenge your imagination, and try out on other groups you’ll be leading. Improv is a great way to break the ice, build trust, take healthy risks, and foster social-emotional learning!

Maine Search and Rescue Dogs (MESARD) – for youth of all ages. Come learn about the ins and outs of search and rescue using K9’s. Learn some key tips around what to do if you’re lost and see an awesome demo with the dogs!

(Workshop Cancelled) Make Your Own Refrigerator Pickles – for youth ages 9+. Come make your own jar of pickles, just the way you like them, with Master Food Preserver volunteers. Each 4-H youth will choose a variety of vegetables of their liking and fill a jar with spices, vegetables, and pickle brine to safely pickle summer vegetables. Each jar can be customized to your tastes. We just have one requirement: you must love pickles!

Marine Touch Tank – for youth of all ages. Join interns from the UMaine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR) to learn about some of Maine’s common sea creatures! Youth will be able to handle and explore and learn about the captivating marine life that thrive in our waters and the extraordinary sea farms that cultivate the locally produced seafood many of us enjoy.

Practical Pocket Purses (or Pouches) – for youth ages 9+. Let’s recycle those amazing back pockets off our worn out or outgrown jeans! Well take those old pockets and make them into pretty pocket purses or practical pocket pouches to hold your “stuff” and make it easier to carry around. No Sewing Required!

(Workshop Cancelled) Small Ruminant Health – for youth ages 9+. Join Maine 4-H staff in an interactive workshop that will teach youth the basics of small ruminant health indicator. Participants will work with live animals to conduct a routine health examination that can be replicated on their own animals. Whether you have sheep and goats already or are interested in getting them in the future, this is an excellent opportunity to practice the skills needed to keep your animals healthy.

Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey – for Adults. Not an enrolled 4-H Volunteer…yet? Have questions about becoming a 4-H Volunteer? Then THIS workshop is for you! Join us for this interactive session to get started with your 4-H volunteer adventure! Come learn the basics of what it means to help youth THRIVE, discover ways that you can get involved, practice “experiential learning”. You will leave this workshop with your next steps and be well on your way to joining our enrolled 4-H Volunteer crew!

Storytellers Unite! – for youth ages 5 – 8. Cloverbuds will hear a story and then create puppets to retell the story to their friends. There will be several storytelling games for them to do with friends. This is a low pressure, fun experience.

(Workshop Cancelled) Thriving Together: Cultivating Team Spirit in 4-H – for youth ages 12 + and Adults. Participants will learn valuable strategies for effective communication, problem-solving, and conflict resolution, all while having a blast with their fellow team members. We will play various games to develop these skills and provide a time to reflect/discuss your new capabilities!

Session #3

All Abilities Yoga and Journaling – for youth ages 9+. Do you sit in a desk, chair, or car and stare at books or screens for much of the day? You are not alone! If your body and mind crave a time-out to reset & refresh, this could be the workshop for you! We will use chairs or towels in a beginner-friendly, gentle yet uplifting yoga session. There will be brief, creative writing prompts sprinkled throughout to encourage a healthy balance of mindful reflection connected to our physical experience. Participants will also have the option to further engage their senses with the subtle integration of aromatherapy (after ensuring there are no concerns re: allergies). Bring a water bottle and towel is you have one- if not, extras (and additional materials) will be provided.

Bee Yourself – for youth ages 9+. This class is about the Introduction to Beekeeping! Learn about how honey is made, how to properly take care of Honey Bees, and how to get started with your own bees!

Bubbleology – for youth ages 5 – 8. Through experiments, art, and play, we’ll discover the science behind bubbles. What makes a bubble? How do bubbles work? What makes the biggest bubble? We’ll explore the answers to these questions and more as we make bubble snakes, try to create giant bubbles, make bubble art, and other hands-on investigations. We may get wet, so it is advised to have a set of clothes to change into as needed.

(Workshop Cancelled) Handwashing Heroes – for youth of all ages. We all know that handwashing is important, but do you know how to wash your hands well? Germs can be anywhere, so it is important to wash your hands well and often! In this workshop, we will learn about how germs spread from person to person and from animals to people. Be a disease detective and see if you can figure out how the germs spread! Using some glow-in-the-dark “germs,” we will learn about handwashing and test how well we actually do. Be a handwashing hero!

Marine Touch Tank – for youth of all ages. Join interns from the UMaine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR) to learn about some of Maine’s common sea creatures! Youth will be able to handle and explore and learn about the captivating marine life that thrive in our waters and the extraordinary sea farms that cultivate the locally produced seafood many of us enjoy.

(Workshop Cancelled) Mission to Mars – for youth ages 12+. This workshop will be filled with science and engineering challenges. We will work together to gain insight into landing on Mars and growing food on the Red Planet. There will also be other engineering challenges and games to test as time allows.

(Workshop FULL) Screen Printing Basics for Artistic or Entrepreneurial Expression – for youth ages 12+. Have you ever wondered how designs are put on t-shirts? Have you ever wondered, “How can I mass produce this amazing art that I’ve created? The basics of screen printing will provide instructions on how to go from conceptualization to production of marketable artwork for artistic expression or a small business idea.

The Magicians Perform – for youth ages 9+.Kids will learn magic tricks, perfect them and work with other participants to create an exquisite show. They will perform the show in front of all of Maine 4-H Day’s Participants. A great public speaking performance opportunity!