Waldo County 4-H Newsletter – November 2020

November 3, 2020 Waldo County 4-H Newsletter

Upcoming Dates

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

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

12/08: Afterhours with 4-H session: Opportunities in 4-H Animal Science

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 waldo county 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!

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. 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. 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:

  • 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.
  • 12/08 – 4-H Animal Science Opportunities (6:00-7:00pm) This zoom session will provide information on the variety of animal science opportunities that are offered through the Maine 4-H program. To get a jump on your animal science project and be sure that you do not miss any deadlines by joining this one hour zoom session. This session is open to both new and enrolled 4-H members. If you have any questions regarding 4-H animal science projects, please bring them to the zoom session with you and Waldo County 4-H staff will be happy to go over them with you.

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.

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 many county and state 4-H events.

Why Re-enroll in 4-H? 

To be eligible for all 4-H programs, projects, and events such as but not limited to: 4-H Public Speaking, 4-H Summer Learning Series, 4-H Exhibit Halls, 4-H Club and Independent membership, and much more! (note: all of these programs – and more! – were available even this year, and will be for years to come!)

  • To take advantage of experiential and financial opportunities unique to 4-H’ers such as: National 4-H trips, scholarships, awards, and more!
  • To be eligible to participate in 4-H livestock shows and exhibit halls at county and regional fairs.
  • To continue receiving your Waldo County 4-H Newsletter to stay informed and connected.
  • To connect with the trusted resources of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, especially important during challenging times.
  • Because 4-H provides an opportunity for all youth to pursue their passions, explore their sparks, and build community.
  • Because it’s an incredible, positive youth development program at NO COST TO YOU!

Save the Date- UMaine Virtual Culturefest

UMaine Culturefest will be offered on an interactive website designed to convey the stories of our international students’ experiences at UMaine, and to allow students to share their cultures and traditions through a variety of multimedia platforms.

Visit the Culturefest website at umaine.edu/international/culturefest/ for a variety of information about their countries or cultures, including recipes of traditional foods, poetry, readings of childrens’ stories, dance videos or pictures and stories of life back home. The Culturefest website is expected to be live Nov. 23.

Gratitude Challenge

Happy November! This November Waldo County 4-H would like to challenge 4-H members, volunteers, and community members to participate in the November 4-H Gratitude Challenge developed by Ohio State University Extension. Print this calendar and complete each daily task to help you develop and show gratitude.

Follow along with Waldo County 4-H staff on Facebook (@Waldo4H) as we complete the challenge and periodically share our daily gratitude activity.

For more information on the 4-H Gratitude Challenge and a pdf version of the calendar, visit https://u.osu.edu/extensionclermont/2020/10/28/join-the-4-h-gratitude-challenge/

November gratitude challenge calendar

State News

4-H Virtual Teen Science Cafes for Fall 2020
This fall, join us on Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:30 pm, as we meet with cool presenters and learn about their research and pathway to UMaine! This November, we have a great assortment of topics including Fish Behavior on November 5th, Electrical Engineering on November 12th, and Engineers Without Borders on November 19th – future topics will be listed on the website, if you have a suggestion for a topic – please email Alice Philbrick.

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/.

Virtual National Youth Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summit Applications for 2021 are Available Now!

The National Youth Summits on Agri-Science and Healthy Living will be held virtually this year allowing us to add more youth to our teams. Attendees will learn more about their area of interest by attending interactive workshops, and pitching their own action plan ideas. 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.

Healthy Living: February 11 – 14, 2021
Agri-Science: March 4 – 7, 2021
Eligibility: Youth ages 14-18, enrolled in 4-H by December 31, 2020 – this year youth may enroll in Maine 4-H solely in order to attend the Summits and participate on the team.
Cost: $75.00 – we are currently working on funding sources and expect the participant cost to be closer to $25.00 per youth.
Application: https://forms.gle/4wuEj2mzr4ZZWoXN9 – This is a combined application for both the Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summits. Please note that references are not required this year.

For more information about the National Youth Summits please visit: https://4hcenter.org/tours-programs/national-youth-summits/ or check out the application for more details. Email or call Sara, sara.conant@maine.edu, 207-781-6099, with any questions. Applications are due by December 11, 2020.

4-H Legos Club

Calling all creators, builders, and Lego fans! You are invited to join the 4-H virtual lego club, a place to show off your creations, challenge your skills, and perhaps meet a new friend or two!  Each week you will be challenged to create a build based on a theme. We will share our creations, provide feedback, and connect with other kids across the state. This is open to youth ages 8 – 15 and space is limited to 12 youth. Dates are on Mondays – November 9, 16, 23, 30 from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm.

To register: https://extension.umaine.edu/register/product/4-hlegosclub/

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/.

Pumpkin Smoothie
Makes 2 servings | Serving size: 1 cup

 Ingredients Needed:

  • ½ cup canned pumpkin
  • ¾ cup skim milk or low-fat vanilla yogurt (you can use both ingredients)
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
  • 4 ice cubes
  • ½ cup crushed graham crackers

Directions:

  1. Combine ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.
  2. Pour into glasses and serve.