4-H News in Washington County – October 2024
Table of Contents
Dates to Remember
Thank you, Jane Bell
Oh Yea 4-H Grows True Leaders
Crafting Clovers 4-H Club – Update
4-H Science Fridays
Bate’s teen opportunity to participate in research
Project Records Due October 30
News from the State
Dates to Remember
October 2024 – July 2025– Conservation Career 4-H Club
October 12: Crossing Paths, Fall Foliage Walk at Pigeon Hill in Steuben
October 12: Fall Family Day at Tanglewood
October 15-November 12: Super Sitters Virtual 4-H SPIN Club
October 15: Northern Maine Children’s Water Festival at UMaine
October 17: 4-H Climate Civic Action SPIN Club Registration Deadline
October 19: Pumpkin Carving at UMaine Machias
October 25: 4-H Science Friday- Forensic Science
October 30: Project Records Due
November 1: 4-H National Trips Applications Due
November 12 & 19: Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey Virtual Training
December 31: 4-H Re-enrollment Due
April 11-16, 2025: 4-H Conference in Washington DC
November 28 – December 2, 2025: 4-H Congress in Atlanta, GA
We want to thank Jane Bell for her 15 years of being involved with 4-H in Washington County. Jane has been an outstanding advocate for 4-H. She has provided hundreds of hours of time, energy and enthusiasm to three clubs during her years of service, in addition to helping at various local, state and out-of-state events. She has shared her expertise and knowledge with 4-H youth, volunteers, new staff and the larger community. Although her retirement as a 4-H leader is upon us, Jane will continue to be a pillar and advocate for Washington County 4-H.
New programs for Oh Yea! 4-H Grows True Leaders start this month, and both locations in Washington County are open to all kids and teens who are interested in being part of our youth development program. Kids 8-13 years old would be enjoying outdoor excursions, S.T.E.A.M. experiential learning, and cultural exploration.
Meanwhile, the high school participants will be taking on leadership roles as they help out with the younger group. The teens also attend youth empowerment conferences and contribute their ideas as part of our regional 4-H youth council. Most excitedly, those 16 and older can get paid an hourly wage when working under Maria Paniagua from Mano en Mano and Jason Palomo from UMaine 4-H. These older teens will be part of the the Maine Department of Education’s “Extended Learning Opportunity” program where they will shadow different professionals as they work in their respective field of expertise. This great opportunity was spearheaded by youth program manager, Corrie Hunkler for Washington County teens.
At Princeton Elementary, students are back in class, and the 4-H kids are continuing to keep their fish swimming in the tanks they received last year. During the S.T.E.A.M. block implemented by Principal Williams, 4-H has already begun to germinate seeds that they are growing indoors, and they plan to get the aquaponics system they started last year back up and running. To open opportunities up for more members, 4-H will also do cultural exploration through holiday-related craftmaking every Monday of the month while the teachers have their faculty meetings. The first one is this Monday, Oct. 7th with a craftmaking Fall Foliage garland. The next activity will be pumpkin carving on Oct. 19th at the UMaine Machias campus from 1 – 3 p.m. (This location my change, so call the Cooperative Extension ahead.)
Meanwhile in Milbridge, Oh Yea! 4-H will be meeting twice a month, once at the monthly Nuestra Voz community meetings and then two weeks later to continue projects we may not have finished or to introduce new activities. The first event is this Saturday, Oct. 5th from 9:00 am – 11:00 am at Mano en Mano, where Mano en Mano is hosting their annual planning retreat. While the parents participate in the community meeting, kids can will be learning about fall celebrations in different cultures and making skullmasks for Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos. (Note: Nuestra Voz meetings are usually on the first Friday evenings of every month.)
Most excitedly, 4-H has created an outdoor outreach program Crossing Paths with the help of Cathy Lookabaugh from Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Crossing Paths signifies overlapping generations and cultures eager to take advantage of the outdoors around them as they explore Maine trails, broadening their understanding of our natural environment and how to preserve it. Our first excursion is Oct. 12th for a “Fall Foliage Walk” through Pigeon Hill in Steuben. Kids and their parents are encouraged to attend, and we will meet at 9:00. If you’re interested, you can always show up on the day of the event, but please try to register with the UMaine Machias Cooperative Extension first by calling 207.255.3345 or emailing jason.palomo@maine.edu.
Seasonal scents, tastes and experiences filled the air at our last club meeting. Youth celebrated their accomplishments from the Washington County Fair and took part in the 4-H tradition of record keeping by filling out their first project records.
Youth explored all things apples during September’s 4-H Science Friday! Youth learned an apple grafting technique, whip & tongue, and modeled the skill using various supplies. Participants learned fun facts about apples while exploring apple trees on the University of Maine at Machias campus, including what climate factors impact Maine’s apple production and industry.
The final 4-H Science Friday of 2024 will take place on October 25th. Youth, led by 4-H Community Education Assistant Becca Whitney, will use forensic science to solve a fictional break in. Register here!
Bate’s teen opportunity to participate in research
Bates College’s Youth ACT Lab is inviting high school students to participate in the Rural Youth Sociopolitical Development and Wellbeing (RYSE-Well) Study. This opportunity is not affiliated with Maine 4-H. “We are seeking participants in Maine who are ages 14-18 (currently attending high school) and reside in rural areas (towns with less than 2,500 population). We will be providing up to $100 in research incentives for participation!”
The Rural Youth’s Sociopolitical Engagement and Wellbeing (RYSE-Well) study will highlight rural youth’s civic and political experiences and well-being during the 2024 presidential election season.
Participants will contribute to the study in the following ways:
- Attend one Zoom interview in September/October ($20 gift card)
- Complete daily surveys (5x) between November 3rd and November 7th ($5 per survey with a $25 bonus if all surveys are completed)
- Provide saliva samples between November 3rd and 7th so we can look at stress levels over election week ($30, if at least 3 saliva samples are completed and mailed to us. Saliva sampling kits with instructions will be sent to the address provided by the participant.)Please complete the interest form if you are interested in participating in our study! If you have questions, please email the researchers at rysewellstudy@gmail.com.
Project Records Due October 30th
4-H projects help youth…
- Identify and nurture their spark
- Learn and practice goal management skills
- Develop a growth mindset
- Develop self-reflection skills
- Demonstrate skills
Project records are due to the Washington County Cooperative Extension office by Wednesday, October 30th. You can find project records on our website, or reach out to Gabby Brodek. For cloverbuds (youth ages 5-9) project records are a reflection of their year in 4-H. For juniors and seniors (youth ages 9-18), records are project specific.
News from the State
All 4-H volunteer and members must re-enroll by December 31 to stay an active in the new 4-H year.
If you manage your family’s account via ZSuite, reenrollment is just a few clicks away:
Login at 4h.zsuite.org
· Click on the PRIMARY profile and enter your 4-character PIN.
· Click on the name of the youth member you wish to enroll.
· Click on ENROLL MEMBER NOW.
· Review/update the requested member information. When you are done with that, click NEXT
· Here you will read and electronically sign the 4-H participation waiver(s), click NEXT
· Here is where you will select your club or clubs and desired projects. There may be clubs and projects listed that carried over from your enrollment during the last program year.
· To add clubs, select your county. This defaults to the county submitted when you created your account. You may need to select another county to find your desired club.
· Select your Club from the drop-down menu. Select ADD CLUB.
· To add projects for any of the clubs, select ADD PROJECT for the desired clubs. Select the desired project from the drop-down menu. Select ADD PROJECT and selection will be added to the club. Feel free to add additional clubs or projects. If you make a mistake or wish to remove a project, select the X and confirm you wish to delete the project.
When done making your selections, click Submit.
Enrollment records need to be active/green status before engaging in 4-H activities and to register for events.
APPLY NOW for 2025 4-H National Trips!
Exciting news! Applications are now open for the 2025 4-H National Trips, featuring 4-H Conference and 4-H Congress. These events offer incredible opportunities for leadership development and national networking. Any Maine 4-H Youth, ages 14 to 18 is eligible to apply. Applicants must be current Maine 4-H members at the time of application and the time of the actual trip.
– 4-H Conference: April 11 – 16, 2025 in Washington DC
– 4-H Congress: November 28 – December 2, 2025, Atlanta, GA
Apply online by November 1, 2024: 4-H National Trips Application. Don’t miss your chance to be part of these transformative experiences!
Interviews will occur early December 2024. Reach out to Kristy Ouellette with any questions.
Fall Family Day at Tanglewood
Fall Family Day at the UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Tanglewood, 184 Tanglewood Rd, Lincolnville, ME from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm on October 12, 2024.
Join us during the best season at Tanglewood, the Fall as we celebrate autumnal changes. This is a free family event open to all ages and abilities.
Activities include cider pressing and tasting, face painting, pumpkin painting, garlic planting, nature bracelets, a campfire and s’mores, and time to explore the beauty of the woods at Tanglewood. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our programs and 4-H.
For more information, contact Emma at tanglewood4h@maine.eduor 207.789.5868.
4-H Climate Civic Action SPIN Club
This is a 3-part series for youth ages 12-18 that will dive into real-world issues and what we can actually do about them. Join Christopher and Sarah as we take a look at the impacts of climate change. Christopher is a second-year graduate student at the School of Policy and International Affairs (Global Policy) with a focus in Climate change and Environmental policy).
Together we will learn about climate change from a global and a local perspective and explore opportunities for individual action to make a difference. This will involve hands-on, minds-on learning to unpack this big topic. This series will be held via Zoom, Mondays, October 28, November 4, and November 11, from 4:30 – 5:30 pm. Registration closes October 17.
For more information, and to register visit the Maine 4-H Virtual Learning Open Registrations.
Explore Maine’s Aquaculture Industry with Virtual Field Trips from 4-H
Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) are an innovative way for youth to explore and learn about places and people that would otherwise be infeasible! These immersive, online experiences bring Maine’s thriving aquaculture industry to life—no travel required.
Accessible at no cost, the Virtual Field Trips are designed to break down geographical and financial barriers, making high-quality, hands-on learning available to all. Register online to receive a link to the VFTs. Each field trip also comes with complementary 4-H activity guides and lesson plans to help facilitate meaningful engagement with youth.
The first VFT currently available features the University of Maine’s Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR), a large-scale, land-based aquaculture facility in Franklin, Maine. Additional virtual field trips are in development and will be rolled out throughout 2025 and 2026. These experiences offer insight into seafood production, workforce development, career exploration, and STEM concepts related to aquaculture technologies.
To register for a virtual field trip, visit umaine.edu/hancock/aquaculture/vft.
For more information: contact Carla Scocchi, 4-H Youth Development Professional, carla.scocchi@maine.edu.
Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey Training
Thinking about becoming a 4-H volunteer? We are looking for people to help youth find their spark and thrive! We offer lots of ways to be involved depending on your time and interests. Join us for two one-hour virtual sessions to help you with your decision. By the end of the two-part series, you will have completed four short e-Learning modules to introduce you to the 4-H program, participate in an experiential learning activity, learn about the key aspects of positive youth development, and be introduced to ages and stages of youth. This core training will wrap up with an outline of next steps and an introduction to your county staff contact so you can begin the application process if you choose. No pressure to commit, no cost, and no reason to not attend! Please note, these sessions are for individuals who are not currently enrolled 4-H volunteers.
Upcoming Sessions:
– Tuesdays, November 12 & 19, 2024 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm.
For more information or to register visit the information page.
4th Annual Maine STEM Film Challenge
Join us for our 4th annual Maine STEM Film Challenge! Hosted by the STEM Outreach program at the University of Southern Maine, the Maine STEM Film Challenge is a fantastic fall semester opportunity open to students of any level. This challenge is self-paced and very easy to get started with.
Divisions Include:
– K-3 grades
– 4-5 grades
– 6-8 grades
– 9-12 grades
– Any college grade
Teams of 1 to 10 students storyboard, design, edit, and produce a 3 to 10 minute informational, multimedia video about any STEM topic of their choice. Films are evaluated on content, production quality, artistic merit, and accessibility. Groups of any kind are welcome to participate, including schools, community groups, and families.
Full challenge description, rules, rubrics, and past winning videos are available on the Maine STEM Film Challenge website: MSFC Website. If you’d like to be kept in the loop during the challenge season, click on the “Pre-Registration” link to get started! For more information, email msfc@maine.edu.
Northern Maine Children’s Water Festival at UMaine
Join Scarlett, Melissa, and the 4-H Science and Engineering Learning Center as they explore organisms found in the ocean. Kids get a chance to touch, hold, investigate, and explore species found in the Gulf of Maine. This free, hands-on, learning festival is geared towards 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. The event will be filled with a variety of water resource professionals that promote the value of clean water and healthy habitats, as well as provide teachers with materials and lessons they can use in their own classroom.
Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Location: University of Maine, Orono
For more information visit the Children’s Water Festival website.
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 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.