June 2020 4-H Newsletter

June 11, 2020 4-H News

4-H Happenings

A monthly newsletter for Hancock County 4-H Members

Download the PDF

Upcoming Dates to Remember

June 19 – 4-H Summer Learning Series Registration Opens
June 29 – Deadline to register for the 4-H At-Home Aquaponics – See State News
July 14 – 4:30 pm – Leaders’ Meeting via Zoom – Contact us for the private link
August 31 – Photos for Photo Contest Due

County News

4-H Summer Learning Series
Registration for the 4-H Summer Learning Series will be open on June 19! Lots of exciting workshops are being offered by 4-H staff and volunteers from across the state. There will be options for offline and online activities, animal science workshops, leadership programs, and a virtual exhibit hall for Maine 4-H’ers to enter their projects in lieu of their county fair. This is a great opportunity to meet other 4-H’ers from around the state and “learn by doing” something really fun this summer! To register visit here.

Leaders’ Meeting
The next Leaders’ Association meeting will be by Zoom on July 14, at 4:30 pm. Email carla.scocchi@maine.edu for the private link.

Congratulations to our Seniors
Congratulations to our seniors! Your 4-H family would like to extend their congratulations to the following 2020 high school seniors:

Dawsen Astbury, Lock, Stock & Barrel – George Stevens Academy
Alice Bowden, Lock, Stock & Barrel – George Stevens Academy
Katherine Charles, Lock, Stock & Barrel – John Bapst Memorial High School
William Charles, Lock, Stock & Barrel – Reach School
Wade Clifford, Lock, Stock & Barrel – George Stevens Academy
Alexis Dunn, Independent – Homeschooled
Lucas Jordan, Jolly Juniors – Ellsworth High School
Seneca Maddocks-Wilbur, Independent – Ellsworth High School

College Scholarship
The Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association awarded a $600 scholarship to Seneca Maddocks-Wilbur, Independent. Congratulations and best wishes!

Maine 4-H Foundation Scholarship winners
The Maine 4-H Foundation proudly announces the recipients of the 2020 Scholarships in the following video. Rising seniors – don’t forget you are eligible to apply for these scholarships next year!

Blue Hill Fair
The Blue Hill Fair Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s fair due to health and safety concerns. Fairs across the country have been canceled, much to the disappointment of 4-H’ers who have worked hard on their projects with the goal of exhibiting them to the public. The Maine 4-H Staff are working hard to provide 4-H youth the opportunity to exhibit your projects in a Virtual Exhibit Hall and participate in Animal Science learning opportunities according to commodity. Registration for these opportunities opens on June 19th, so watch your inbox and/or check the Registration webpage.

Photo Contest – August deadline
The Hancock County 4-H Photo Contest deadline has been extended to August 31, 2020. There are six photo categories, and you may enter one photo in each category for a possible total of six entries per person (seven if you participate in the “Enhanced” category). Categories include: Nature/Landscape, Animals, Architecture, People, 4-H Activity, Enhanced. Details for how to participate can be found on our webpage.

Hancock County 4-H At-Home June Jamboree
We are kicking off the At-Home June Jamboree on June 12! We have over 25 youth participating from Hancock, Washington, Waldo, and Penobscot counties. The youth received activity kits delivered to their doorstep by 4-H staff which contains materials and instructions for outdoor and offline activities to complete during the month of June. We look forward to seeing your photos and celebrating at the end of the month!

Style Revue
The annual 4-H Sewing Contest, has tentatively been rescheduled to take place during Cloverfest on October 23. We encourage youth with the ability to sew at home to do so and send us your photos! If you need patterns or 4-H sewing activities/curriculum, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Celebration of Life for Maiah Reilich-Godino
For those who were not able to attend in person, we invite you to celebrate the life of former 4-H’er, Maiah Alyssa Reilich-Godino, by watching her memorial service on Facebook recorded on June 10.

State News

4-H At-Home Aquaponics Project
For youth ages 9+ interested in fish, gardening, engineering, aquaculture, and/or simply learning something new – we have a summer project for you! The 4-H At-Home Aquaponics Project is an experiential learning program delivered virtually beginning in Summer 2020, in partnership with the UMaine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research(CCAR). The program will include learning experiences in introductory aquaponic systems and design, fish husbandry, aquaponic gardening, cooking and nutrition, and more! Prior experience with aquaponics is not required.The program leaders will mentor youth through the stages of designing and building an aquaponics system through maintenance and harvest. Youth complete their project independently at home (with adult supervision), but they are also members of a state-wide group of youth who will meet regularly via Zoom from July – October 2020. More info and registration is online.
What is Aquaponics? Aquaponics is a type of farming that combines raising fish in tanks (aquaculture) and growing plants without soil (hydroponics). In an aquaponics system, the plants use nutrient-rich water from the fish tank while purifying the water for the fish. Aquaponic farming can be done year-round, indoors, and in any climate. It is a fun and different way to grow your own food that is safe, easy, and fresh!
2020 4-H Summer Programming
4-H Staff and volunteers are working hard to put together some non-traditional offerings for Maine 4-Hers this summer. Registration and other information will be available online on June 19th.
Learn at Home: Educational Resources to Use During School Closures – With novel coronavirus closing schools across Maine for several weeks, the UMaine Cooperative Extension has assembled this collection of helpful educational resources for parents and caregivers. From science to financial literacy, whether for toddlers or teenagers, we encourage you to take advantage of these activity books, guides, and other resources to help children remain engaged in educational experiences throughout their school closure. Find resources for every age group at: https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/learn-at-home/.
4-H “Learn at Home” BINGO
Looking for some fun family activities you can do from your own home? Maine 4-H invites you to play 4-H Learn at Home BINGO! Register online to receive your Bingo Board for the month of June.
Virtual UMaine Webpage
If you’re interested in UMaine – there is a dedicated web page for students to learn more information because Accepted Student Days and Open House Programs have been canceled for the spring. Check it out!

Leaders Meeting Minutes

May 12, 2020 – Zoom

Members Present: Heather Linnehan, Lee Sargent, Lisa Carney, Brenda Jordan (later), Terry Swazey (later), Carla & Zabet (office staff)

April minutes and Treasurer’s report were not accepted as there was no quorum at the time.

Office Report

Proposed a new idea for June Jamboree (discussed below)
Eastern States update: a decision has been made not to open the dorm this year — ESE is “brainstorming” other options . We will hear more by June 1st as to what happens to the event as a whole.
Other fairs in June/July have been cancelled, August/September is wait and see – Blue Hill Fair will make an announcement by June 1
No in-person 4-H events continues through June 30th
County-wide service projects: Information in the newsletter. Asking for photos, or if you know of kids who did it, just let us know
Statewide Event Planning: 4-H staff are coming together (since Maine 4-H days are canceled, 4-H@UMaine, June Jamborees). It will be a virtual event involving a lot of different topics (animal science, etc) — talking about doing the whole gambit — biology, nutrition, showmanship, fitting, etc… ASC committees will help plan
Will be a great resource in general especially for Animal Science youth

New Business

June Jamboree Ideas
Mail kits of hands-on activities – THEME: Getting Outdoors
Start off with camping, end with a virtual slideshow —> projects for exhibit hall?
Topics: art, cooking, science, gardening, music, and physical activity (Activities: nature art, outdoor cooking, nature collections, growing sprouts, DIY wind chime, and scavenger hunt)
Should we do these as clubs or not? Either way -submit as a club or individual
We hope to know more about UMaine protocols next week (for example, do we need to mail the kits or can they be picked up? Wear gloves, mask, etc when assembling them?) Not all of the activities need a kit.
Can we use the funds reserved for June Jamboree for this project? Decided yes, maybe $150-$200 dollars max?
Event will last for a few weeks, not just one day
We can give away prizes as incentives – hats, frisbee, bandana, etc – we have these at the office already
Blue Hill Fair fundraising – will talk about at next meeting when we have more info
Office will mail Terry checks that we have received over the past 2 months

Adjourned 5:50pm

Respectfully submitted by Zabet NeuCollins on behalf of Lisa Carney, Secretary

Cooperative Extension in Hancock County