Aroostook County 4-H Newsletter: November 2018

Dates to Remember
November 11 – Veterans Day – offices closed November 12
November 22,23 Thanksgiving Holiday – offices closed
December 31 – Deadline for 4-H re-enrollment

Happy Birthday to all 4-Hers born in November

Alex R
Anna R
Dameon S
Gabe F
Kadence M
Keira C
McKayla G
Megan R
Michael S
Olivia C

Club News

4-H Family PACT

On October 13th the club took a field trip to Goughn’s Farm.  The members and leaders walked the corn maze and enjoyed an ice cream after.  October 27th the club met again and filled out paperwork and discussed plans for the upcoming year.

‘Paca Pals
Paca Pals has met twice in October. We have some new members, and everyone has been introduced to the animals. We are starting some craft projects to show at next year’s fairs too! We would also like to emphasize project record submissions for next year as well. Here’s a picture from our 10/27 meeting.

4h members having a meeting

Background check

Reminder, if you became a 4-H volunteer before 2015 you should have received an email for a background check.  Please follow the link that was in your email.  Contact Emily if you need help in completing this 532-6548.

Re enrollment forms are due by December 31st, 2018.   New enrollment forms are due no later than April 1st, 2019.

Annual 4-H Achievement Celebration/Aroostook County Extension Association Meeting

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Time 5:30 p.m. Shriner Club  Presque Isle

A nice representation of 4-H youth and adults took part in the combined Annual 4-H Achievement Celebration and ACEA meeting.  Awards were given to 4-H youth for their participation in various Northern Maine Fair events, State Events and project records.  Thank you to the ACEA for the wonderful meal and atmosphere.

4-H Scholarship Recognition:

  • Laura M.
    • Maine 4-H Foundation Book Award
    • Wilma Winslow Post Secondary Scholarship

4-H Honorary Page Program:  Each year the Maine Legislature holds a UMaine day where 4-H members, ages 13 and older, can serve as honorary pages.  During this day 4-Hers hand out information to Representatives or Senators, or place the paper information on their desks.

  • Bethany D
  • Shannel B

4-H Exhibitor of Character Award Nominees:  This is a 4-H Livestock Award that honors the 6 pillars of Good Character which are; Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Respect, Caring, Fairness and Citizenship.

  • Amanda W, Michael B, Michael S, Frankie P, Lila M, Julia P, and Noah M.

4-H Exhibitor of Character-

  • Amanda W.

Northern Maine Fair 4-H Herdsman Award: Steve Smith and 4-H Staff observe members to see how well they tend their animals, how clean they keep their area and pens and how available they are interact with the public to help educate them about their project animals. 

  • 1st Place- Amanda W.
  • 2nd Place- Frankie P.

Bartlett Farms 4-H Sign Contest: (Sponsored by the Bartlett Family)

  • 1st Place- Amanda W.- Goat
  • 2nd Place- Amanda W.- Sheep
  • 3rd Place- Izabelle H.- Horse
  • 4th Place- Alyssa S.- Pot Belly Pig

4-H Public Speaking Contest:  Northern Maine Fair

Seniors:

  • 1st Place- Amanda W.
  • 2nd Place- Alex R.
  • 3rd Place- Mesha Dahlk

Junior:

  • 1st Place- Grace K.
  • 2nd Place- Jacklyn R.

Collection Award:

  • Amanda W.

Portfolio Award:

  • Amanda W.

Judges Choice Award: Northern Maine Fair

  • Sarah G.
  • Izabelle H.

Community Service Pin: 10 or more community service hours documented on a project record.

Clint G, Ellie G, Gavin H, Nicholas M, Noah M, Grace M, Lila M, Laura M, Frankie P, Julia P, Michael S, Amanda W, and Izabelle H.

Eastern States Exposition Certificate:

  • Izabelle H.

Livestock Pins:

Clint G, Ellie G, Gavin H, Nicholas M, Noah M, Grace M, Lila M, Laura M, Frankie P, Julia P, Michael S, Amanda W, Izabelle H, Madison B and Kadence M.

Hodgdon Health Fair

Leisa participated in the annual Health Fair in Hodgdon on Thursday, October 18th.  The topic was “What is in your blood?  The community learned about red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and what their jobs are.   Did you know that for every 600 red blood cells there is one white blood cell and 45 platelets?

kids hands in a tote with balls

2018 4-H National Youth Science Day

2018 4-H National Youth Science Day inspires kids to “Code Your World” in four-part experience

Kids and teens will join more than 150,000 children across the country in leading the 11th annual 4-H National Youth Science Day (4-H NYSD) challenge throughout the month of October. This year’s challenge, Code Your World, teaches young people computer science skills through four engaging hands-on activities.

Developed by Google and West Virginia University Extension Service, this hands-on experience includes a computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform, as well as three unplugged activities that bring coding to life through games and interaction. Code Your World is perfect for first-time and beginner coders, ages 8 to 14.

If you would like to do this National Youth Science Day activity with your club please contact Mari at 207-532-6548.

Life Skills Wheel Made Easy

(Michigan State University)

Each month we will feature a part of the 4-H Life Skills Wheel to make it easier for you to understand.  This month we will focus on the Life Skill Wheel.

Category:  Head

Sub Category: Thinking

Skills: Learning to Learn, Decision Making, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking and Service Learning

 Head: Knowledge, Reasoning and Creativity

Thinking: using one’s mind to form ideas and make decisions; to image, to examine carefully in the mind, to consider.

 Learning to Learn projects and experiences should help youth understand the methods and skills for learning.  Some of the skills youth can learn involving learning to learn include:

  • Using the sense to gain new information.
  • Remembering and retaining learned information
  • Questioning to gain more information
  • Applying learned information to new situations

Children and youth develop at different rates.  The skills listed below are only general guidelines. (All tables)

 

  Age-Appropriate Skills: Process the Skills they learned:
5-to-8-year-olds ·         Ask many questions.

·         Participate in hands-on, active learning.

 ·         What did you observe?

·         What did you learn from this activity that you didn’t know before?

·         What are some ways we can learn new things?
9-to-11-year-olds ·         Enjoy a wide variety of learning experiences.

·         Use previous experiences to improve decision-making.

 ·         How did you learn _______________?

·         Describe five ways in which new ideas are communicated to you.
12-to-14-year-olds ·         Ask the appropriate questions to get the information needed.

·         Predict results.

·         Share skills to help teach others.

 ·         If you did not know this before, how did you figure it out?

·         How did this differ from the way you are usually taught in school?
15-to19-year-olds ·         Seek more in-depth, longer learning experiences.

·         Interpret and communicate information.

·         Discover ones own preferred learning styles.

·         Begin to mentor younger peers.

 ·         How did you use your various senses to ________________?

·         In what ways do people help each other learn new things?

·         How would you teach someone about this activity or concept?

 

Decision Making projects and experiences should help youth gain life skills.  Some of the skills youth can learn involving decision making include:

  • Thinking
  • Developing good judgment.
  • Gathering information to make good decisions.
  • Choosing among several alternatives.

 

  Age-Appropriate Skills: Process the Skills they learned:
5-to-8-year-olds ·         Choose from two alternatives.

·         Accept responsibility for their actions.

·         Identify problems.

 ·         What did you do?

·         Tell me why you chose this.

·         What type of decisions did you make?
9-to-11-year-olds ·         Start developing their own opinions.

·         Seek out information to make decisions.

·         Be aware of consequences of those decisions.

 ·         What did you learn about making decisions?

·         How did you make your decisions?
12-to-14-year-olds ·         Choose and compare several alternatives for decisions.

·         Begin to make personal decisions.

 ·         Can you tell me why you chose this project?

·         What was an alternative?

·         What did you learn about yourself by doing this project?
15-to19-year-olds ·         Specify goals.

·         Consider risks.

·         Apply personal values when making choices.

·         Begin taking freedom from parental control to make decisions.

 ·         Why is it important to have plenty of information before making decisions?

·         What did you learn about your decision-making skills?

·         What are some of the decisions you had to make to carry out this activity?

 

Problem Solving projects and experiences should help youth gain life skills.  Some of the skills youth can learn while problem solving include:

  • Identifying a problem.
  • Developing a plan of action to solve the problem.
  • Using the problem-solving process.
  • Recognizing if the problem was resolved successfully.

 

  Age-Appropriate Skills: Process the Skills they learned:
5-to-8-year-olds ·         Seek solutions to problems.

·         Consider a few selected alternatives.

 ·         How did it feel to do this activity?

·         What part of the activity was hardest to do?
9-to-11-year-olds ·         Identify problems.

·         Gather information needed to solve problems.

·         Choose among several alternatives.

 ·         How did your group work together?

·         How were people’s viewpoints the same?

o    How were they different?
12-to-14-year-olds ·         Compare and choose among several alternative solutions.

·         Identify a plan of action for resolution of the problem.

 ·         Give an example of a challenge you had.  What did you do to solve it?

·         What was the most challenging or difficult part of the activity?

·         What do you do when you don’t agree with the group?
15-to19-year-olds ·         Recognize long-term consequences of solutions to problems.

·         Probe, devise, implement and evaluate a plan of action to resolve a problem.

 ·         What did you observe about the way the groups disagreed (or agreed)?

·         Why do you think people have different ideas about what is correct?

·         What would you do differently if you conducted this activity?

 

Critical Thinking in projects and experiences should help youth gain life skills to strategize, analyze, compare, reason and build connections with past learning.  Some of the skills youth can learn involving critical thinking include:

  • Making thoughtful decisions.
  • Deciding what to believe or do.
  • Gathering information to make good decisions.
  • Questioning oneself.
  • Considering alternative responses and opposing viewpoints.

 

  Age-Appropriate Skills: Process the Skills they learned:
5-to-8-year-olds ·         Ask questions throughout an activity.

·         Gather necessary information.

 ·         What did you like about this activity?

·         How did you decide what to choose?
9-to-11-year-olds ·         Think and understand more.

·         Retain more information.

·         Ask questions to clarify information.

 ·         Do you agree with what is being said or done?

·         Did you ask questions to clarify information?
12-to-14-year-olds ·         Understand various points of view.

·         Reason, compare and analyze information.

·         Start to make decisions from past learning.

·         Draw conclusions from different situations.

·         See the connection between two things.

 ·         What did you learn about yourself doing this activity?

·         Can you describe a time when you might need the skills learned today?
15-to19-year-olds ·         Understand and interpret information to make decisions.

·         Question ones own opinions.

·         Recognize problems and draw conclusions.

·         Recognize, prioritize and evaluate the potential consequences.

 ·         Give an example of a challenge you had and how you solved it.

·         Were you able to draw conclusions based on what information you gathered?

·         How can you apply the thinking process used in this project to evaluate other issues at home or school?

 

Service learning projects and experiences should help youth how to become active participants in their communities and apply their experiences to real-life situations.  Some of the skills youth can learn when developing service learning include:

  • Leading others
  • Accepting responsibility.
  • Showing appreciation.
  • Putting facts and ideas into perspective.

 

  Age-Appropriate Skills: Process the Skills they learned:
5-to-8-year-olds ·         Participate in community service projects.

·         Learn why communities are important.

 ·         What was the hardest thing to do in this activity?

·         What did you like most about the activity?

·         Tell me more about the activity.
9-to-11-year-olds ·         Understand what makes up a community.

·         Learn different roles community members’ play.

·         Learn about how communities work.

 ·         How will your new skills help you at home?

·         What are some ways you like to learn?

·         What did you learn from this activity that you didn’t know before?
12-to-14-year-olds ·         Organize community events.

·         Discuss the importance of being active in their community.

·         Brainstorm solutions to issues in the community.

 ·         How can you use what you learned?

·         How did you feel during the exercise?

·         How did you feel about being able to help someone else?
15-to19-year-olds ·         Plan community functions.

·         Identify needs and discover opportunities to meet those needs in the community.

·         Advocate for a better community.

 ·         What skills do you need in order to become a great leader?

·         How would you work with the local government to influence change in your community?

·         Talk about a time when you were put in a leadership position.

 

Below is a list of the month and the topic for each.  Be looking for and learning more about 4-H Life Skills Wheel.

November:     HEAD- Thinking
December:     HEAD- Managing
January:          HEART-Relating
February:       HEART- Caring
March:            HANDS- Giving
April:               HANDS- Working
May:                HEALTH- Living
June:               HEALTH- Being

State 4-H News
November 2018

  1. Please provide feedback on Project Records!
    Click the following link to take the survey.     https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bP1iUM659wuRVrLYou are invited to participate in a statewide research project being conducted by Kristy Ouellette and Jennifer Lobley, Extension Educators at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.  4-H volunteers and staff from all over Maine will participate in this study.Purpose of this research project:  We recognize the value of our 4-H volunteers.  As a state we have rolled out new 4-H Project Records. We want to have a better understanding of your beliefs and understandings of the function of these records. What will you be asked to do?  If you decide to participate, you will be asked to complete an on-line survey with questions pertaining to your attitudes and beliefs regarding 4-H project records in Maine.  The survey will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. Risks: Except for your time and inconvenience, there are no foreseeable risks to you in participating in this study.  Benefits: You will be eligible to enter into a raffle for a $25.00 gift card to Hannaford.  Confidentiality:  As a participant you will be anonymous. Investigators or a student will enter data into a computer.  Data will be kept on a secured computer with only the investigators or a student having access. Data will be kept for a period of  5 years.  Voluntary:  Participation is voluntary.  If you choose to take part in this study, you may stop at any time during the study.  You may skip any questions you do not wish to answer.   Participation in the on-line survey implies consent to participate.Contact Information: If you have any questions about this study, please contact Kristy Ouellette at 207.353.5550 or kristy.ouellette@maine.edu If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact Gayle Jones, Assistant to the University of Maine’s Protection of Human Subjects Review Board, at 581.1498 (or e-mail gayle.jones@maine.edu).
  2. 2019 Maine State Science Fair
    It’s time to announce the 2019 Maine State Science Fair, to be held Saturday, March 23 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Prizes and awards include 12 four-year, full-tuition scholarships to The University of Maine (including admission to the UMaine Honors College), and major scholarships from University of New England, College of the Atlantic, and Husson University. In 2018, MSSF awarded over $1 million in scholarships and awards. Other scholarships may be announced in the coming weeks.

    The Maine State Science Fair is open, without cost, to all Maine high school students who complete their own research or engineering project individually or in teams of 2-3. The purpose of MSSF is to present, learn, and discuss science with peers and STEM professionals from across Maine.  Projects are invited from across all STEM disciplines: life sciences, agriculture, mathematics, computer sciences, psychology, energy, physics, marine science, environmental sciences, ecology, chemistry. All STEM projects are considered!Important dates for this year’s MSSF:
    – January 18 – student registration
    – February 1 – research plan deadline.
    – March 1 – preliminary research results deadline.
    – March 23 – Maine State Science Fair.More information can be found online at: https://www.jax.org/education-and-learning/high-school-students-and-undergraduates/maine-state-science-fair
  3. 4-H Page Day in Augusta – January 29, 2019
    UMaine Day at the Legislature, Tuesday, January 29, is approaching.  It’s a day where Cooperative Extension gets to highlight our awesome programs, and 4-H is one of the best! Since legislators like to see 4-H members from their districts, 4-Hers (age 13 or older) are encouraged to serve as Honorary Pages. The Maine 4-H program has up to 30 slots for Honorary Pages.What does a page do? Legislators are constantly communicating and making decisions while in session and pages make that communication possible. Pages hand out information packets or place the paper information on their desks. Pages will also run communication and documents directly from legislator to legislator.If you are interested in serving as a page, please contact  Diana at 207-622-7546 or hartley@maine.edu.We would love to pages from all over the state represented. Slots, representing different state senators and representatives, will be filled in the order they are received, but the final deadline is January 20th.  If the slot for your legislative district has been filled, your name will be added to a wait list in the order it is received.  If you are leaving a message, please be sure to say “I am interested in serving as a 4-H Page at the Legislature on January 29”.  Your slot will be reserved if you leave this complete information:
    – Full Name
    – Age
    – Mailing Address
    – County
    – Phone Number
    – Email Address (this is how we will confirm you)
    – Name of your School
    – Name of your 4-H Club
    – Name of your Maine State Representative
    – Name of your Maine State Senator
    – Name of your Adult Chaperone
    – Adult Chaperone’s cell phone number4-H Honorary Pages will be in the Capitol from 8:30am– 3:00pm.  A parent or 4-H volunteer must provide transportation and chaperoning.  If you have questions, please let Alisha know at alisha.r.targonski@maine.edu.
  4. Farm Service Agency Youth Loans
    The Farm Service Agency makes loans to youth to establish and operate agricultural income-producing projects in connection with 4-H clubs, FFA and other agricultural groups. Projects must be planned and operated with the help of the organization advisor, produce sufficient income to repay the loan and provide the youth with practical business and educational experience. The maximum loan amount is $5000.
    Requirements:
  • Be a citizen of the United States
  • Be 10 years to 20 years of age
  • Comply with FSA’s general eligibility requirements
  • Be unable to get a loan from other sources
  • Conduct a modest income-producing project in a supervised program of work as outlined above
  • Demonstrate capability of planning, managing and operating the project under guidance and assistance from a project advisor.

For more information stop by your Local FSA County Office or call Mary Anne Coffin at 207.990.9140.