4-H December Newsletter 2022
Happy Holidays
We hope this newsletter finds you all in a festive spirit as we enter December. It’s a great time to reflect on the past year and start making plans for the year ahead. What do you want to do with 4-H in 2023? Think about all the great opportunities available and consider trying something new?
* Learn about a new project area.
* Attend a State Sponsored 4-H event.
* Attend a National 4-H event.
* Participate in a SPIN club.
* Learn a new skill and share it with your club or friends.
* Reach out to a friend and invite them to join 4-H.
With 4-H, the possibilities to expand your horizons are almost limitless.
Chromebook Giveaway
A generous community member has donated a Samsung Chromebook to be raffled off to a lucky 4-H member. This community member is an avid writer, and so to enter the raffle we ask that you submit a short writing on any topic of your choice. 4-H’ers who are not writing yet can submit a picture with a description written by their adult. Please email your submission to megan.cook@maine.edu by December 14th to enter the drawing. Submission will not be judged, we simply want a brief writing of something that interests you.
Easton Wraps Up Fall Series
Thank you Easton Rec department for hosting our “Fall for 4-H” series. Throughout the month of November Easton youth had the opportunity to experience the basics of 4-H through fall themes. Topics included leaf science, harvesting, Thanksgiving food systems, and Hibernate, Migrate Adapt. Youth participated in various hands-on activities to bring these topics to life.
State 4-H News
Public Speaking In-Person Workshop
The Maine 4-H Communication Science Team invites all enrolled 4-H members to an in-person
workshop on January 21st from 2 – 4 pm. The meeting will be held at the Penobscot County
Extension Office in Bangor. Participants will learn how to prepare for county/regional public
speaking contests for both Demonstrations and Illustrated Talks. Please
contact sheila.norman@maine.edu for more information or to register.
4-H Youth Summit Applications are Now Open!
Applications for the 4-H Youth Summit are now open. The link is here! Applications are due by December 18th.
This year there is ONLY ONE LARGE 4-H Summit. It will combine tracks in Agri-science, Healthy living, and STEM. The Maine 4-H Foundation has once again helped us to fund teams of youth for both Agri-Science and Healthy Living by providing scholarship funds for youth who are selected.
Ignite by 4-H – the 2023 National 4-H Youth Summit to be held in the Washington, DC area, March 9-12, 2023.
High school-aged youth are immersed in an agenda focused on agriscience, healthy living, or STEM. Sessions will be offered within these respective tracks to demonstrate why and how these topics are important and how young people can become changemakers. Find general conference information at https://4-h.org/parents/national-youth-summits/.
If you have any questions please contact Tara Marble at tara.marble@maine.edu, 207.778.4650.
2022-2023 Re-Enrollment Process
There is a new option available for families for the new 4-H Year. Starting October 1st, families will have the ability to log into their account and complete their re-enrollment, as well as all required forms, online. If you were enrolled for the 2021-2022 year, you can simply visit: https://4h.zsuite.org/ – click “Forgot Password?” and complete the prompts using the email address you receive your 4-H communications to. There is a help menu that offers step-by-step instructions in the system, as well as live chat for questions. You are also welcome to reach out to your county staff or to the State Office at 4-H@maine.edu. If you would prefer to continue to complete paper forms, they can be found online at: https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/volunteers/forms/ or by reaching out to your county office.
Independent Member Clubs!
This fall county offices are piloting a new club specifically for independent 4-H members. This is a space for youth to come together and build relationships with their peers. We will share interests, projects, goals, and plans for the year and then reflect on our learning throughout and at the end of the year. This is also a great place to start if you are a new or recently enrolled independent member. We will meet 3 times throughout the year as a group with county staff. This will be a space for youth to foster friendships with peers and possibly come together to work on projects of similar interests. We are even hoping to get the group to brainstorm common interests and work together on a community service project! Somerset and Aroostook counties are both holding meetings in December.
Register here! Meetings can be attended either in person or virtually and will be open to all ages. Dates based on county/region.
2022/2023 4-H Volunteer Training Opportunities
As we get ready for the new 4-H year, we are looking forward to offering a variety of learning experiences (both in person and virtual) for our 4-H volunteers. Sessions are free of charge, but require registration. Some sessions have limited space. Visit the 4-H Volunteer Calendar of Training Opportunities to learn more and register!
EFNEP Recipes: Welcome to Winter
December is here and winter has begun! With it, there are plenty of celebrations and festivities as we say goodbye to another year. Sharing food with family and friends is a big part of this time of year, and many of us have traditions that include special recipes and treats. While many often think of special holiday foods, how many of us think of special holiday drinks? Our friends at Michigan State Extension have shared these great Healthy Hot Drink Recipes, and curling up with a nice warm drink and a cookie (try our Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, Gingerbread Cookie, and Carrot Cookie recipes!) is a great way to spend part of a December day. We wish you all the happiness of the season!
For more delicious recipes, check out our UMaine EFNEP Mainely Dish Video Series. By Debbie Barnett (EFNEP CEA in Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, and Waldo counties – deborah.barnett@maine.edu).
Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)
offers FREE nutrition education classes to income-eligible adults with children, or young adults 19-25 years old, and if you are eligible for programs such as SNAP, WIC, or Head Start. Find out more online.
Androscoggin/Sagadahoc 4-H Monthly Workshops – Open to All Maine 4-Hers!
Come join the Androscoggin and Sagadahoc counties 4-H program at their monthly workshops – the Third Friday of every month (unless otherwise noted) from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the Lisbon Extension Office at 24 Main Street. Anyone interested can contact Cathy Gray to find out more information.
Currently Scheduled Topics:
– December 16, 2022 – Game Night
– January 20, 2023 – “Getting the Word Out” Digital Marketing
– February 17, 2023 – Short Film Making
– March 10, 2023 – Spa & Relaxation Science
– April 21, 2023 – Movie Premier Night
– May 19, 2023 – Wool Spinning Workshop