Waldo County 4-H Newsletter – October 2020

October 8, 2020 Waldo County 4-H Newsletter

Upcoming Dates

10/6-10/10: National 4-H Week!

10/7: National 4-H Spirit Day

10/7-10/18: Paper Clover Campaign

10/13: Afterhours with 4-H session: 4-H club reporting

10/14: Volunteer Share Fair

10/16: Project records and Achievement Award due

10/17: Birding in Your Backyard

10/27: Afterhours with 4-H session: 4-H Re-enrollment

11/05: Waldo County 4-H Leaders’ Association meeting

11/10: Afterhours with 4-H session: volunteer background checks

12/31: 4-H Re-enrollment forms due at county office

12/31: 4-H volunteer background check applications due

County News

Waldo County 4-H Leaders’ Association

The Waldo County 4-H Leader’s Association monthly meeting will be November 5th at 10:00am via zoom. All 4-H volunteers are invited to attend and participate in the meeting. More information on how to join the meeting and the meeting agenda will be sent via email. We look forward to seeing you there!

Project Records

4-H members in Waldo County are encouraged to complete a project record for all projects in which they have participated during the 2020 4-H year. Despite the uncommon and challenging 4-H year, it is important to reflect on your experiences and set goals for the upcoming year.

In order to be considered for recognition at the Waldo County 4-H Recognition Night, 4-H members need to complete a project record form.

Please note, you do not need to be finished with your project to complete a project record. We understand that many 4-H projects are ongoing and do not end at the same time as the 4-H year. If you are filing a project record for an ongoing or unfinished project, simply enter the information for your project up to the current date.

Project records are due at the Waldo County Extension office by the end of the day Friday, October 16th. Before turning in your project records to the county office, be sure to have your 4-H club leader or enrolled volunteer score them.

The project record forms as well as the evaluation forms and instructions can be found at extension.umaine.edu/4h/volunteers/project-records/. If you need hard copies of the project records printed for you, please contact the Waldo County Extension office.

Project Records are divided into the four levels listed below. If you are unsure of what level of project record to complete, please call the Waldo County Extension office.

Cloverbud: This record is appropriate to use with 4-H members who are between the ages of 5 and 8 years old. This record is meant as an entry into project records; this is a good introduction to the process without being overwhelming.

Beginner: This record is appropriate to use with 4-H members who have not previously completed a project record and are at least 9 years old. This record is meant as an entry into project records regardless of age; this is a good introduction to the process and encompasses beginning reflection tools.

Intermediate: This record is appropriate to use with 4-H members who have previously completed the beginner record for at least one year, and are at least 9 years old. This record should be used prior to the advanced record, regardless of age or level in project. A member should use the beginner record sheet until they are proficient or distinguished in most categories of the beginner record. We want 4-H members to be successful and build their skills, then move on to the next level.

Advanced: This record is appropriate to use with 4-H members who have previously completed the intermediate record for at least one year, have demonstrated themselves to be proficient or distinguished in most of the intermediate record level, and are at least 12 years old. The hope is that by completing the intermediate record, the 4-H member has built those skills and has become confident to challenge themselves with the advanced record.

Birding in Your Backyard

Are you looking for a fun October activity to do? How about an opportunity to celebrate migrating birds and birds you watch at your feeder? Individuals and families can bird at home or at one of your favorite nature spots. Birding is an excellent way to get outside and have some fun! Mark your calendars for October Big Day—17 October 2020! Big Days are a 24-hour opportunity to celebrate the birds both near you and around the world.

In addition, this year’s October Big Day 2020 is happening during the first Global Bird Weekend. The goal of Global Bird Weekend is to make October 17-18 the biggest ever birding weekend and support BirdLife International’s appeal to end illegal bird trade. One of Global Bird Weekend’s aims is to have more than 25,000 people submit eBird checklists on 17 October—will you be one of them?

For more information on eBird and October Big Day 2020, visit https://ebird.org/news/october-big-day-2020-bigger-than-ever.

It’s time to re-enroll 4-H members and 4-H volunteers!

Enrollment packets are being distributed to 4-H clubs and leaders. If 4-H clubs, groups or families have not received re-enrollment packets, please contact your 4-H leader or advisor. ALL enrollment packets are due by December 31st.

Renewing members and clubs are expected to re-enroll between October 1 and December 31 each year. New members may enroll at any time. However, both new and re-enrolling members must be enrolled by December 31 to participate in events and activities such as, but not limited to, state-wide market animal auctions, Eastern States Exposition competitions, National 4-H Congress, National 4-H Conference, and to be eligible for 4-H post-secondary scholarships.

In Person 4-H Club Meeting Update

As of October 2nd, the requirements for in person 4-H club meetings have been updated with the following changes:

  • The size limit on 4-H club meetings has increased from 10 people to 20 people. This limit includes adult attendees.
  • 4-H club programs can occur indoors, but no in people’s homes. Allowable indoor spaces must be well ventilated and can include garages and barns. There must be adequate space for the meeting, regardless of the location.

For more information on the In Person 4-H Club Meeting guidelines visit https://extension.umaine.edu/plugged-in/return/restarting-educational-programs/  or contact Waldo County 4-H staff at 207.342.5971.

Waldo County 4-H Leaders’ Association Raffle Results

On October 1st the 2020 Leaders’ Association Basket Raffle concluded with the drawing of winners for the 14 baskets in the raffle. Raffle winners will be contacted via the phone number they indicated on their ticket.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the raffle by purchasing tickets, selling tickets, and donating items.

Basket Winners:
Basket 1. Holly I.
Basket 2. Lucy W.
Basket 3. Ashley Q.
Basket 4. Gail Q.
Basket 5. George I.
Basket 6. Merrily S.
Basket 7. R. Hutchins
Basket 8. Tiffany M.
Basket 9. Karen D.
Basket 10. Jason R.
Basket 11. Dawn P.
Basket 12. Lucy W.
Basket 13. Jodie M.
Basket 14. Jodie M.

Thank you again for your support of the Waldo County 4-H Program. We can be contacted at 207.342.5971 or sadee.mehuren@maine.edu.

Afterhours with 4-H Offerings

Waldo County 4-H staff would like to invite you to a series of informational zoom meetings. In an effort to make ourselves available to Waldo County 4-H families, we will be holding Afterhours with

4-H office hours every other Tuesday evening from September 29th to November 10th. These zoom meetings will be a chance for 4-H members, parents, and volunteers to ask questions or learn more about the topic being covered. For a schedule of topics being discussed please see the information below or the attached flyer. We encourage you to attend and bring any questions you may have. Those who are unable to join via video conferencing can call into the zoom meeting.

To participate in a session, please email sadee.mehuren@maine.edu or call 207.342.5971 to be provided with the zoom meeting information.

Afterhours with 4-H Schedule:

10.13 – 4-H Volunteer Reporting (6:00-7:00pm)

This zoom session will cover information related to Waldo County 4-H reporting procedures for 4-H volunteers and 4-H club leaders.

10.27 – 4-H Re-enrollment (6:00-7:00pm)

This zoom session will cover topics related to 4-H re-enrollment for volunteers and members, including online enrollment options for volunteers, due dates for enrollment forms, and much more.

11.10 – 4-H Volunteer Background Checks (6:00-7:00pm)

This zoom session will provide instructions for completing a 4-H volunteer background check application as well as using DOE fingerprinting certificates as an alternative to a University of Maine background check.

If you would like to suggest a topic to be covered at a future Afterhours with 4-H zoom meeting, please do so by emailing sadee.mehuren@maine.edu or calling 207.342.5971.

Nutrition Education in Waldo County

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Waldo County is pleased to announce that the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is now available to income eligible pregnant women and adults with children in their household. EFNEP is available through distance education classes that incorporate videos, tasty, healthy recipes and interactive meetings led by Extension staff through Zoom or the telephone.

There are several different class options that can be taught individually or in small groups. Class topics include planning low-cost healthy meals, how to save money at the grocery store, exploring recipes the whole family will enjoy and keeping your family active. Community programs that work with income eligible parents, caregivers or youth age 5 to 18 can also request an EFNEP class.

Classes can be requested online.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, email Deborah Barnet deborah.barnett@maine.edu or call 207.622.7546.

State News

4-H Virtual Teen Science Cafes are Back!

This fall, join us on Thursdays, beginning October 1, as we meet with cool presenters and learn about their research and pathway to UMaine! In our first session, we will be joined by UMaine Electrical Engineering PhD Candidate, Sonia Naderi whose research focuses on utilizing artificial intelligence in wireless networks to enable widespread environmental monitoring. Other topics for this series will include animal health, wildlife, engineering and more!

Register today at: https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/learn-at-home/teen-virtual-science-cafes/.

Every Wednesday, you have the opportunity to participate in The University of Vermont’s VTeen Science Exploration – these are a similar format and run from 3:30 – 4:45 pm.  On their announcements page, scroll down to VTeen Science Exploration for details about the different offerings, and registration links: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/youth/announcements

To view spring session webinars, visit: https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/learn-at-home/recordings-teen-virtual-science-cafes-march-31-june-9-2020/.

National 4-H Week is Almost Here!

National 4-H week is October 6th through 10th and we want everyone to celebrate with us.

Listed below are multiple ways that you can get involved in National 4-H week and show your 4-H support.

Shop at a local tractor supply and donate to the Paper Clover Campaign. As part of National 4-H week, Tractor Supply will help raise money for 4-H programs with the Paper Clover Campaign, a national in-store fundraiser that benefits 4-H programming. Visit your local Tractor Supply between October 7th and October 18th and ask about the 4-H Paper Clover Campaign to donate.

Participate in the National 4-H STEM Challenge- The 4-H STEM Challenge, formerly known as 4-H National Youth Science Day (4-H NYSD), is an annual month of October initiative to inspire kids everywhere to take an interest in science, technology, engineering and math through hands-on learning. For the past 12 years, 4-H has developed fun, accessible challenges that show kids how STEM skills can be applied to the world around them.

This year participants will journey to the Red Planet in the #4HSTEMChallenge, Mars Base Camp. The four included activities allow kids to explore Mars in exciting ways like targeting the perfect landing zone, building a rover and growing food to sustain their team. Get started right away with the FREE activity, Insight from Mars, that teaches kids to code using CS First and Scratch.

This challenge is open to all, 4-H youth, non-4-H youth, afterschool, homeschool and school students. Please contact your local county UMaine Extension 4-H Program Staff if you would like to partner or collaborate with our Maine 4-H Program in this year’s STEM Challenge.

More information on the 4-H STEM challenge can be found at 4-h.org/parents/4-h-stem-challenge.

Celebrate National 4-H Week spirit day (October 7th) – Wear green or the 4‑H clover. Have a 4‑H mask? Be sure to wear it!

Share these ideas and encourage other 4‑H’ers to participate in spirit day!

Trainings for Volunteers

With the start of the new 4-H year just around the corner, Maine 4-H is excited to offer some virtual learning opportunities for 4-H volunteers! Whether you are a club volunteer who has worked with a group of youth for a number of years, or a newly enrolled volunteer trying to decide how you can get involved, the Maine 4-H program has something for you. Register to join us for one, two or all three virtual sessions to learn how you can work with 4-H youth this year.

 

Register at: https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/4-h-volunteer-sessions-for-fall/

  • Taking 4-H Outdoors – Thursday, October 8, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
  • Virtual 4-H Special Interest Clubs – What’s All the Hype? – Friday, October 2, 12:00 – 1:00 pm OR Monday, October 5, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
  • When Your 4-H Club Can’t Meet in Person…GO VIRTUAL! – Friday, October 9, 2:00 – 3:00 pm OR Tuesday, October 13, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
  • 4-H Volunteers: Connecting with Cloverbuds – Wednesday, October 14, 7:00 – 8:00 pm

Virtual Share Fair for Volunteers who work with Cloverbuds:

On Wednesday, October 14 from 7-8pm, the North East Region Volunteer Specialists are hosting a fun and informative virtual share fair for 4-H volunteers who work with Cloverbuds. During the hour they will have the chance to network with a small group of volunteers, learn about a fun Cloverbud program hosted by UVM that they and their Cloverbud families can participate in, and wrap up by sharing some of your favorite Cloverbud activities and resources with one another. For a sneak peek at the UVM Cloverbud Connection program watch this video clip  https://flipgrid.com/98ec0131

To register for this free event volunteers can visit go.umd.edu/NEcloverconnection.

Virtual Mindfulness Meeting

K-2 kids are invited to join Sara King for a Mindfulness Meeting on Monday October 19th at 4:00 PM via Zoom. Have you heard of yoga and mindfulness but aren’t sure what it’s all about? Come check it out! Sara will guide everyone through a short yoga sequence, followed by some breath work and a mindful activity! Please register by October 16 at: https://extension.umaine.edu/register/product/virtualmindfulnessmeeting/

Flu & Ag Train the Trainer Session

Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is hosting a virtual training on zoonotic diseases, how they spread, and how to prevent them for people who work with youth in agriculture. The goal of this program is to provide youth leaders with the knowledge and tools to use the training materials to teach youth involved in agriculture and serve as a resource for others in the community. This training will include PowerPoint presentations, educational games, and interactive activities. Each attendee that completes the training will receive zoonotic and agriculture educational games for free for their organization.

When and Where?

This is a three-part training held remotely on Zoom. The training will take place:

  • Monday, October 26th from 12-1pm
  • Wednesday, October 28th from 12-1pm
  • Friday October 30th from 12-1pm

You will need to attend all three sessions in order to receive the educational games.

Who? Any 4-H or agriculture leader that has not previously attended this Train-the-Trainer.

Registration? We are only accepting the first 40 interested individuals.

To reserve your spot, please email me at Catie.Peranzi@maine.gov.

4-H Aquarium Club

The 4-H Aquarium Club is open to youth ages 5-18 who are interested in being members of a community of youth aquarium hobbyists! This group is for Maine youth who already have an aquarium hobby, or who are looking to start one, to come together to talk about their love for fish and aquaria. The club is led by aquaculture experts Dr. Scarlett Tudor from UMaine’s Aquaculture Research Institute, and Melissa Malmstedt from the UMaine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR). Meetings take place approximately once per month, starting in November 2020. All meetings will be virtual via Zoom in order to connect youth from across the state of Maine! For more information and to register by November 1: https://extension.umaine.edu/hancock/4h/aquarium-club/

New to our Newsletter! Mainely Dish Recipe of the Month

Fall is a wonderful time for families to get kids inspired to cook. Cooking as a family is a great way for families to discover new recipes and learn how to make nutritional meals. Each month our county 4-H newsletter will feature a recipe from Mainely Dish Recipes created by UMaine Extension EFNEP staff.

The Mainely Dish Recipe this month is baked apple crisp. To view the instructional video of the recipe, visit https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/efnep/recipe-video-series/.

Recipe of the month: Baked Apple Crisp    EFNEP Logo

Serves 12

Ingredients Needed:

  • 8 cups unpeeled, cored and thinly sliced apples (about 8 medium apples)
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon (use 1/2 at a time)
  • 1 ½ cups applesauce, unsweetened
  • 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup evaporated skim milk

 Topping:

  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt, nonfat

 Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Prepare a two-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. In a large bowl, toss apples with sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and lemon juice. Place apples into casserole dish and spread the applesauce over the apples.
  4. Combine rolled oats, brown sugar, flour, evaporated milk, and the other 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
  5. Layer rolled oat mixture on top of the apples in casserole dish.
  6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.
  7. Cool slightly, and serve while warm with the topping of vanilla yogurt.