Aroostook 4-H Newsletter November 2019
Dates to Remember
November 7 – Aroostook County Extension Association Annual Meeting and 4-H Annual Achievement Awards
November 11 – Veterans Day – offices closed
November 28,29 Thanksgiving Holiday – offices closed
December 31 – Deadline for 4-H re-enrollment
Happy Birthday to all 4-Her’s born in November
Alex R
Anna R
Dameon S
Dani G
Eleanor K
Kadence M
Kaelyn C
Kayla B
McKayla G
Megan R
Olivia C
Fall fun at its finest!
Aroostook County Cooperative Extension has had a wonderful October and we are ready for a hayride to carry us into November. This month has provided us with a ton of smiling faces, wonderful programming and workshops, and more upcoming news! Also included in this newsletter is a scrumptious recipe for Apple Pan Dowdy. This was the dessert served at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum during the Houlton Southside Elementary field trip. Make sure you check it out and drop off the first batches for us here at Cooperative Extension to “taste test”.
October 8, 2019
Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum
Fifth graders enjoyed several workshops at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum on October 8 including a sewing workshop with Mari Glatter as the demonstrator. Students had the opportunity to learn about sewing techniques and sewed buttons onto bookmarks that they were able to take home.
Nancy Wright tracked down and provided us with the Apple Pan Dowdy Recipe that was enjoyed at this event. You can find the full recipe with instructions online at King Arthur Flour!
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/apple-pan-dowdy-recipe
October 23, 2019
CHOICES Program
‘Code Your World’ made an appearance with the Choices Program. Students received an introduction to computer coding with the ‘Code Your World’ curriculum from the 4-H National Youth Science Day program. This was an excellent opportunity to promote positive youth development, learn about computer science, and to get active while doing it! If you know an organization or classroom that would enjoy learning about coding and computer science, have them contact us!
October 24, 2019
4-H K-2 STEM Pumpkin Program
We hosted our first 4-H K-2 STEM Pumpkin Program on October 24th. Each attendee was able to pick out a pumpkin to explore and to take home after the program. In this hour long workshop we measured weight, height and width, and started counting seeds. We say started because as many seeds as there were we would have needed another hour just for counting! We had just enough time at the conclusion of the program for a story, “Fall Mixed Up”. The Houlton Higher Education Center also donated books for each child to take home!
Due to the success of this program we look forward to offering more in the future!
Enrollment packets
THANK YOU to the members that have mailed in their forms, we appreciate the time and effort it takes. We look forward to more members getting their packets in before the December 31st deadline.
Club Leaders: If you have new members and require more enrollment packets please feel free to reach out and let us know, we will get them mailed out to you!
National Youth Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summit Applications for 2020 Are Available Now!
Application and Recommendations due December 1, 2019
There are currently eight scholarships available through funding from the Maine 4-H Foundation. These scholarships allow youth to attend the National 4-H Conference Center, just outside Washington, D.C., for the Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summits in early 2020.
The Summits were created to empower youth to be well-informed citizens, expand engineering and agriculture experience, and increase connections to living a healthy lifestyle, all while being actively engaged in their communities.
Agri-Science: January, 9-12, 2020
Healthy Living: February 13-16, 2020
Eligibility: Youth ages 14-18. Enrolled in 4-H by December 31, 2019.
Participant Cost: $150.00 (Maine 4-H Foundation funding will cover the remainder of registration & flight cost – approximately $800).
Application: https://goo.gl/forms/uOsPytnzFA5OLfY53. This is a combined application for both the Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summits.
For more information about the National Youth Summits please visit: https://4hcenter.org/tours-programs/national-youth-summits/. If any youth would like to attend, but do not receive the scholarship funding, they may self-fund and attend. Counties are also welcome to provide full or partial-scholarships to youth as well. Email or call Sara, sara.conant@maine.edu, 207-781-6099, for more details on these options, or with any questions.
Applications and Recommendations due by December 1, 2019.
State News
- 4-H Statewide Teen Dance Seeks Planning Committee Members
There is a small group of 4-H members who would like to plan a statewide formal dance for teen 4-H members across the state. We are looking for teen volunteers who would like to be a part of the planning committee for this Winter event. FMI please contact Maddie Gray maddicus83@gmail.com. - Join Us for “Dining In” Day – National Family & Consumer Sciences Day
December 3, 2019 is National Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Day. The Maine Affiliate of the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences and UMaine EFNEP are planning to participate and we would like 4-H to join the promotion too. What is it? A specific opportunity to promote family and consumer sciences programs, tools, and professionals that support family mealtime. We ask families to make and eat a healthy dinner together during the week of December 3rd. Research has shown that the whole family benefits from family mealtime by having better nutrition, improving family communication, fostering family traditions, and teaching life skills, such as meal planning, budgeting, and food preparation. Encouraging families to prepare simple, healthy meals and eat together supports the essence of family and consumer sciences: “Creating Healthy and Sustainable Families.”Learn more about Dining In Day, and find some great resources for yourself and your club at: https://www.aafcs.org/fcsday/home. - Winter Becoming an Outdoor Woman Program
The 2019 Winter Becoming an Outdoor Woman program will be held on February 21 – 23, 2020at Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center, 17 Conservation Lane, Bryant Pond ME 04219 in Oxford County. This fun weekend is geared towards women seeking new ways to get outdoors, meet new friends, and challenge themselves. All meals and lodging are provided and space is limited to 36 participants. FMI: https://extension.umaine.edu/bryantpond/adult-programs/becoming-an-outdoors-woman/becoming-an-outdoorswoman-winter-skills-weekend/ or call 207.665.2068.