4-H Happenings, April 2024

April 17, 2024 4-H Happenings Newsletter, Newsletters

Contents

Important Dates: 

County News

Scholarship Applications Due

Do you have a junior or senior who is planning to go on to higher education after high school? There are some exciting scholarship opportunities available for 4-H members through the County Leaders Association, the Maine 4-H Foundation, UMaine, and others! Reach out to karen.giles@maine.edu at the Extension Office for more information, requirements to apply, and deadlines for submissions.

Collecting Used Eclipse Glasses

Somerset County Extension office is collecting undamaged eclipse glasses for Eclipse Glasses USA who will share the glasses with others who have upcoming eclipses. Drop your glasses off at the county office until May 1st. If the office is not open at the time of drop off, place them in the blue tote beside the door, either in an envelope or secure them together with a rubber band.

Eclipse Glasses USA works with other organizations to donate used but undamaged eclipse glasses to other countries with upcoming eclipse events. They only accept US-made paperboard glasses that have the manufacturer’s address and contact info and that bear the ISO logo. All others will be discarded due to liability and quality issues.

New RockHounding Club Opportunity Starting in 2024

We are looking for participants for a new Rockhounding group starting in 2024. An update: this group will be starting in the first part of July as part of the Summer Learning Series, for which registration will be opening soon. We also hope to offer some in person enrichment sessions at Maine 4-H Days as part of the group’s activities. 

This hands-on experiential club will feature in person and virtual learning modules, utilizing the Gem & Mineral 4-H STEM Toolkit as well as other resources to study, identify and record rocks, gems, and minerals found in Maine. Participants will learn about the history of and discuss contemporary concerns regarding mining in Maine. We are planning to incorporate field trips to gem and mineral destinations, i.e. the Gem & Mineral Museum in Bethel, Poland Mining Camp, and the Gem & Mineral Show in Augusta. We plan to introduce special guest speakers in careers such as Geology, Paleontology, Earth Sciences, Oceanography, GIS, as well as introductions to other resources and groups. Please reach out to Karen Giles karen.giles@maine.edu for more information.

Stop Motion Animation Coming Soon

Are you interested in learning about animation? Stop motion is a special type of animation that uses real objects and photography- instead of drawings or computer-generated images- to tell a story. This spring/early summer we will be offering a virtual, after-school program for 6 weeks that will dive into this fun activity. Please reach out to karen.giles@maine.edu for more information.

Come to Work at Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove!

Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove are now hiring for our spring and summer seasons! Positions include Educators, Counselors, Trip Leaders, and more. Please visit our website for more information and to apply.

Young Explorers Early Childhood Enrichment

Young Explorers at Blueberry Cove, our new early childhood enrichment program, is accepting registrations for 2024! The program focuses on play, sensory learning, and developing social skills in an outdoor setting. Explorers spend time with our camp animals, play at the forest and beach, and read stories. Ages 3 – 5, M, W, & F from 9 am – 12 pm. Visit the program page for more information.

Club News

Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club 

Solon Pine Tree 4-H Club met on March 9th, 2024 with four members, two leaders, and two visitors attending. For club business they discussed the funds raised to benefit the Solon Food Cupboard. The club members thanked the Seavey family for the sleigh ride at their farm in February and Rachel Welch for helping them with craft projects. At the April meeting the remaining members will present their demonstrations to the club.

For the educational portion of the meeting, the members painted. Four members shared their  demonstrations on subjects including “How to Walk a Dairy Heifer,” 8 Things to Know about Baby Chickens,” 4 Ingredient Oven Truffles,” and “How to Make Lemonade.”

They also decorated cupcakes and had refreshments.

Welcome to Our Newest 4-H Volunteer and Newly Formed 4-H Club!

We share a big welcome for Dixie Ring, our newest 4-H Volunteer and club leader! She is the Director at the Canaan Public Library. Stop by the Library if you are interested in signing up for her club and for more information.

Are You Interested in New Clubs?

We have some new clubs starting soon and will be looking for volunteers and members to join! Please reach out to Karen Giles karen.giles@maine.edu for more information.

  • Embden, Goat Club
  • Fairfield, Horse & Mixed Club
  • Anson, Cloverbud Afterschool SPIN club
  • Palmyra, Mixed

Please share your club news- we’d love to hear from you! Let us know what is happening with your club members. Reach out to karen.giles@maine.edu to share activities, highlights, awards, or events.

State News

Events and Opportunities

Save the Date: Maine 4-H Days is Happening in 2024!

4H Clover

Where: Windsor Fairgrounds, Windsor, Maine

When: Friday evening, July 19 – Saturday, July 20. Animal Science tracks are being scheduled from Friday, July 19 – Sunday, July 21.

Workshop sessions for Saturday are still needed. If you know anyone who might want to run a workshop on Saturday, please reach out to Karen Giles via email or phone: 207.474.9622.

All workshop forms are due by May 1, 2024.

Registration for the event for 4-H’ers and their families will be opening in mid-May. More information is coming soon. We can’t wait to see you there!

Maine CDC is running the 2024 Lyme Disease Awareness Month poster contest NOW!

The theme is “Little Tick, Big Deal.”

Do you know a Maine student in K-8th grade?  Kids in K-8th grades can make and submit a poster for the Maine CDC 2024 Little Tick, Big Deal Poster Contest. Winners will get a prize and may have their artwork featured as the 2024 Lyme Disease Awareness Poster! Submit posters by April 30th. To learn more visit the Lyme Disease Awareness Month website.

Kids in Maine ages 5-14 years old have one of the highest rates of tick borne diseases in Maine, including Lyme disease. Maine CDC wants to encourage all youth in Maine to take tick prevention seriously and show off their knowledge in this poster contest! Posters should illustrate at least one of the four approaches to personal prevention:

  • Use caution in tick-infested areas
  • Use an EPA-approved repellent
  • Wear protective clothing
  • Perform daily tick checks both by sight and by touch

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.

Fairs and Shows

Equine ESE Intent forms Due May 1, 2024

The 2024 Eastern States (ESE) Horse Intent Form is now live and online.  The form indicates your interest in participating in the Eastern States Team Tryout event this summer. The event this year will offer a weekend opportunity for youth to qualify and to learn and grow while getting to know other youth who are also interested in trying out. Youth can try out to be a Teen Leader (4-H age 12 and up) or to be a Rider or Driver (4-H age 13 and up).

More details will go out to those who fill out the intent forms in the registration packets. The intent form does not bind you to the tryout event. Applications will be used to determine the event roster.

The ESE intent form needs to be submitted by May 1. Approval forms must also be filled out and sent to your county office by May 1 as well.
If you have any questions, please reach out to: Tara Marble, tara.marble@maine.edu, or 207.778.4650.

4-H Market Lamb Intent for Fryeburg Fair

Youth planning to participate in the Market Lamb program at Fryeburg Fair need to submit the 2024 Fryeburg Fair Market Lamb Intent form by June 5. An online form is available, otherwise youth can print and mail a copy downloaded from the website.

Leaders Meeting Minutes

Next meeting: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.