4-H in Washington County – October 2020
Dates to Remember
October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29: Maine Virtual Teen Science Cafes
October 7, 14, 21, and 28: Vermont’s VTeen Science Exploration
October 2 or October 5: 4-H Volunteer Training Session: Virtual 4-H Special Interest Clubs – What’s All the Hype?
October 4-10: National 4-H Week and Washington County 4-H Challenges
October 7-18: Tractor Supply Co. Paper Clover Campaign
October 8: 4-H Volunteer Training Session: Taking 4-H Outdoors
October 9 or 13: 4-H Volunteer Training Session: When Your 4-H Club Can’t Meet in Person…GO VIRTUAL!
October 14: 4-H Volunteer Training Session: 4-H Volunteers: Connecting with Cloverbuds
October 18: Deadline to submit photos or Facebook comments for National 4-H Week Challenges
October 19: Virtual Mindfulness Meeting
November 25: Deadline for Reenrollment Paperwork
December 31: Final Deadline for Reenrollment Paperwork
December 31: Deadline for Volunteers to Complete Background Check
National 4-H Week and Washington County Daily Challenges
October 4th-10th is National 4-H Week! Celebrate all week with us by participating in daily 4-H challenges. When you participate in a challenge, you will be entered into a drawing for a fun 4-H surprise. If you participate in at least four of the six challenges, you will be entered to win a grand prize. Challenges are open to Washington County 4-H youth and can be submitted until Sunday, October 18th.
Daily Challenges
Monday, October 5th: Kick-off national 4-H week by wearing your best 4-H gear or commenting on our Facebook post with your favorite 4-H gear.
Tuesday, October 6th: Like and follow our county 4-H Facebook Page.
Wednesday, October 7th: Print or create a What Opportunity Means to Me sign.
Thursday, October 8th: Choose one activity from the 4-H Inspire Kids to Do Activity Guide.
Friday, October 9th: Participate in one of the following:
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Email a picture of a friend or family member’s paper clover from the Tractor Supply Paper Clover Campaign.
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Email or comment what 4-H means to you.
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Email or comment a positive memory you have about 4-H.
Saturday, October 10th: Visit a local park or nature area in Washington County.
As a way to get to know your new 4-H Youth Development Professional for Washington County, Brittany Foster, will be participating along with you! Challenges will be posted each day on our Facebook Page starting Monday, October 5th. You can email your daily challenge entry directly to brittany.foster@maine.edu, subject line with your youth’s name and the challenge day (ex: Brittany Foster, Oct. 5th 4-H Challenge). You can also comment on the daily challenge post on our Facebook Page. Have fun!
Tractor Supply Co. Paper Clover Campaign
The Paper Clover Campaign at the Tractor Supply store in Calais will take place on October 7-18th! Each spring and fall, Tractor Supply helps raise money for 4‑H programs through the sale of Paper Clovers in their stores. In the most recent campaign, over $6,000 was raised in the state of Maine to support scholarships for camp and leadership activities.
This year, because of the COVID crisis, TSC is requesting no physical presence from 4-H programs at their stores including outdoor spaces like parking lots. Although we can’t be at the store in person, there are other ways you can help make the fundraiser a success. Please ask your family and friends to visit the Calais store and participate in this fundraiser and share social media posts about it!
This fall, the top 10 states who show the greatest percentage increase in funds will earn a $2,500 bonus for their state! Please help us spread the word!
In-Person Programming Updates and Reminders
- The total number of people has increased from 10 to 20.
- Programs can occur indoors but not in people’s homes and there must be adequate space for 20 people.
Volunteers, please check the website for information on restarting in-person programming and club meetings. You must fill out the program restart form and wait for approval from the 4-H Youth Development Professional, Brittany Foster.
4-H Volunteer Background Checks
Our Maine 4-H program takes the safety of our program participants very seriously. As of October 1, 2018, all Maine 4-H volunteers are required to have a background check every three years. This includes currently enrolled volunteers. If a volunteer does not pass a background check or refuses to follow through with this policy, then the volunteer will no longer be able to serve as a UMaine Cooperative Extension Volunteer. This re-screening will be done at no cost to the volunteer.
Many of our Washington County 4-H Volunteers should have received an email from Jessy Brainerd regarding background checks. You will need to complete the process if your initial background check was done over three years ago, 2017, and older. Please check your email and follow the instructions provided. It is important that you let Tara Wood know that you have submitted the form so that it may be processed. There is an online tutorial if you need assistance or please contact the office. This will need to be completed by December 31st.
4-H Volunteer Training Sessions for Fall
With the start of the new 4-H year, 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. Sessions include Taking 4-H Outdoors, Virtual 4-H Special Interest Clubs- What’s All the Hype?, When Your 4-H Club Can’t Meet in Person…Go Virtual! For more information and to register, visit the website.
4-H Volunteers: Connecting with Cloverbuds
Identified as a need by volunteers, this networking connection will focus on Cloverbud engagement activities and ideas. Come learn about Vermont Cloverbud Connect Program and share/gather ideas from/with peers in the North East Region. You may just find a gem to use with Cloverbuds in your state! This workshop will take place on Wednesday, October 14, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. You may register at this website:
4-H News from the State
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/
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/.
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/
Trainings for Volunteers
With the start of the new 4-H year, 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