October 2024: Androscoggin-Sagadahoc Counties 4-H Newsletter
Androscoggin-Sagadahoc County 4-H Newsletter
Dates to Remember | County News | State News
Dates to Remember
- October 7- 12, 2024: National 4-H Week
- October 12, 2024, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Fall Family Day at Tanglewood
- October 15, 2024: Northern Maine Children’s Water Festival at UMaine
- October 17, 2024: Registration deadline for Climate Civic Action SPIN Club
- October 21, 2024: Volunteer Voices
- October 31, 2024: 4-H Enrollment Deadline
- November 1, 2024: Applications due for national trips
- November 12 & 19, 2024, 6:00 – 7:00 PM: Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey Training
- November 18, 2024: Maine STEM Film Challenge Submissions Due
County News
Happy New (4-H) Year!
Volunteer Voices
Happy National 4-H Week!
Midcoast Mainers – The Big E!
Midcoast Mainers take on the Big E! Congratulations to Elizabeth Buckley and Lola Vaillancourt on a successful Eastern States 4H Horse Show at the Big E! They represented Maine 4H with pride.
State News
APPLY NOW for 2025 4-H National Trips!
Exciting news! Applications are now open for the 2025 4-H National Trips, featuring 4-H Conference and 4-H Congress. These events offer incredible opportunities for leadership development and national networking. Any Maine 4-H Youth, ages 14 to 18 is eligible to apply. Applicants must be current Maine 4-H members at the time of application and the time of the actual trip.
– 4-H Conference: April 11 – 16, 2025 in Washington DC
– 4-H Congress: November 28 – December 2, 2025, Atlanta, GA
Apply online by November 1, 2024: 4-H National Trips Application. Don’t miss your chance to be part of these transformative experiences!
Interviews will occur early December 2024. Reach out to Kristy Ouellette with any questions.
Fall Family Day at Tanglewood
Fall Family Day at the UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Tanglewood, 184 Tanglewood Rd, Lincolnville, ME from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm on October 12, 2024.
Join us during the best season at Tanglewood, the Fall as we celebrate autumnal changes. This is a free family event open to all ages and abilities.
Activities include cider pressing and tasting, face painting, pumpkin painting, garlic planting, nature bracelets, a campfire and s’mores, and time to explore the beauty of the woods at Tanglewood. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our programs and 4-H.
For more information, contact Emma at extension.tanglewood4h@maine.edu or 207.789.5868.
4-H Climate Civic Action SPIN Club
This is a 3-part series for youth ages 12-18 that will dive into real-world issues and what we can actually do about them. Join Christopher and Sarah as we take a look at the impacts of climate change. Christopher is a second-year graduate student at the School of Policy and International Affairs (Global Policy) with a focus in Climate change and Environmental policy).
Together we will learn about climate change from a global and a local perspective and explore opportunities for individual action to make a difference. This will involve hands-on, minds-on learning to unpack this big topic. This series will be held via Zoom, Mondays, October 28, November 4, and November 11, from 4:30 – 5:30 pm. Registration closes October 17.
For more information, and to register visit the Maine 4-H Virtual Learning Open Registrations.
Explore Maine’s Aquaculture Industry with Virtual Field Trips from 4-H
Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) are an innovative way for youth to explore and learn about places and people that would otherwise be infeasible! These immersive, online experiences bring Maine’s thriving aquaculture industry to life—no travel required.
Accessible at no cost, the Virtual Field Trips are designed to break down geographical and financial barriers, making high-quality, hands-on learning available to all. Register online to receive a link to the VFTs. Each field trip also comes with complementary 4-H activity guides and lesson plans to help facilitate meaningful engagement with youth.
The first VFT currently available features the University of Maine’s Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR), a large-scale, land-based aquaculture facility in Franklin, Maine. Additional virtual field trips are in development and will be rolled out throughout 2025 and 2026. These experiences offer insight into seafood production, workforce development, career exploration, and STEM concepts related to aquaculture technologies.
To register for a virtual field trip, visit extension.umaine.edu/hancock/aquaculture/vft.
For more information: contact Carla Scocchi, 4-H Youth Development Professional, carla.scocchi@maine.edu.
Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey Training
Thinking about becoming a 4-H volunteer? We are looking for people to help youth find their spark and thrive! We offer lots of ways to be involved depending on your time and interests. Join us for two one-hour virtual sessions to help you with your decision. By the end of the two-part series, you will have completed four short e-Learning modules to introduce you to the 4-H program, participate in an experiential learning activity, learn about the key aspects of positive youth development, and be introduced to ages and stages of youth. This core training will wrap up with an outline of next steps and an introduction to your county staff contact so you can begin the application process if you choose. No pressure to commit, no cost, and no reason to not attend! Please note, these sessions are for individuals who are not currently enrolled 4-H volunteers.
Upcoming Sessions:
– Tuesdays, November 12 & 19, 2024 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm.
For more information or to register visit the information page.
4th Annual Maine STEM Film Challenge
Join us for our 4th annual Maine STEM Film Challenge! Hosted by the STEM Outreach program at the University of Southern Maine, the Maine STEM Film Challenge is a fantastic fall semester opportunity open to students of any level. This challenge is self-paced and very easy to get started with.
Divisions Include:
– K-3 grades
– 4-5 grades
– 6-8 grades
– 9-12 grades
– Any college grade
Teams of 1 to 10 students storyboard, design, edit, and produce a 3 to 10 minute informational, multimedia video about any STEM topic of their choice. Films are evaluated on content, production quality, artistic merit, and accessibility. Groups of any kind are welcome to participate, including schools, community groups, and families.
Full challenge description, rules, rubrics, and past winning videos are available on the Maine STEM Film Challenge website: MSFC Website. If you’d like to be kept in the loop during the challenge season, click on the “Pre-Registration” link to get started! For more information, email msfc@maine.edu.
Northern Maine Children’s Water Festival at UMaine
Join Scarlett, Melissa, and the 4-H Science and Engineering Learning Center as they explore organisms found in the ocean. Kids get a chance to touch, hold, investigate, and explore species found in the Gulf of Maine. This free, hands-on, learning festival is geared towards 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. The event will be filled with a variety of water resource professionals that promote the value of clean water and healthy habitats, as well as provide teachers with materials and lessons they can use in their own classroom.
Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Location: University of Maine, Orono
For more information visit the Children’s Water Festival website.
4-H Tick Project
The 4-H Tick Project is a community science project engaging K-12 youth and educators, made possible through a partnership between 4-H Youth Development, UMaine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab, Maine Forest Tick Survey, and members of the Learning Ecosystems Northeast partnership. The project provides youth an opportunity to explore ticks and tick-borne diseases, which is a connected story of climate, ecosystem change, and public health.
All educators interested in teaching about ticks in Maine are encouraged to participate in the project at no cost to you. This is a great project for 4-H clubs, SPIN clubs, homeschool groups, and more. For more information and to register, visit the 4-H Tick Project webpage.