York County 4-H News, April 2017
4-H Club News
Acton Homesteaders
At the April Meeting, Acton Homesteaders will be going over the parts of a chicken to help the kids with their poultry knowledge. They will also have a take home activity so they can be practicing what they have learned.
Lucky Charms
Several members of the Lucky Charms dropped off donations and a check for $170 to the Center for Wildlife on Saturday April 8. The club raised this money by making and selling bird seed ornaments. Our next meeting will be a super exciting foal watch sleepover, we are hoping to see a foal be born that night!
Clucky Clovers
The Lebanon group had our first meeting in April! The kids began learning what 4-H is, and started discussing what activities they would like to do this summer. They also came up with club names and voted on our name, “clucky clovers.” The kids also started learning the 4-H pledge.
4 Leaf Clover
At a recent club meeting, club members learned about drones and created planes for the Drone Discovery Activity.
Wall-E
The Wall-E Club worked on a picture activity for STEM careers. The Meccano Robots are almost complete.
Kidding Around
Kidding Around will have its April meeting on April 23. Nathan will be showing us how to prepare our chickens for the show. There are baby goats, baby bunnies, and baby chickens at Grammy’s farm so there is lots to do and see.
Nature Kids
Nature Kids did seed planting in March. We are hoping to grow some vegetables/herbs for 4-H cooking projects and to donate to the food pantry. We also talked about animal tracks and kids made animal tracking posters.
Upcoming Dates
April 23: 1:00 PM, Nate Cole, Poultry Clinic. Contact debbi@kennebunklaw.com for more information.
May 1: 7:00 PM, 4-H Volunteer Leaders Meeting at the UMaine Extension York County office.
May 1: Fryeburg Fair Market Lamb Intent forms due.
May 13: Sheep Clinic, 10:00 AM, Rummler Run Farm in Buxton.
June 23: Oxford County 4-H June Jamboree: Swine, Sheep, Working Steer, and Horses. More info to come.
June 30: Animal Approval Forms and Lease forms dDue in the UMaine Extension York County office.
July 6 – 9: Ossipee Valley Fair
July 14 – 17: Southern Maine 4-H Horse Camp at Fryeburg Fair
August 24 – 27: Acton Fair
State 4-H News
Register now for 2017 4-H@UMaine, May 19 – 20!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to eat a bug? Or to invent an iPhone app? Or to learn a hip-hop dance with the UMaine Dance Team? For answers to these questions and more, 4-H@UMaine invites you (6th – 10th graders) to participate in our fun interactive overnight on UMaine campus with career role models and kids from across the state on May 19-20! For more information about 4-H@UMaine, contact Greg Kranich at gregory.kranich@maine.edu or 207.949.3878. Register online. Registration will be open until April 17; space is limited.
Save the Date for 2017 Maine 4-H Days
Maine 4-H Days will take place July 21 – 23 at the Windsor Fairgrounds. If you are interested in helping to plan next year’s event, please contact Jessy Brainerd at brainerd@maine.edu or 207.581.3877.
Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee
July will be here before you know it, and we are looking for a few good volunteers to join the fantastic current Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee. This year we are trying to recruit some teens to join in planning. Joining this committee gives you the chance to help come up with ideas and plans for one of our biggest statewide events! If you are interested in joining the Maine 4-H Days Planning Committee, or have general questions/comments/recommendations about the event, please email brainerd@maine.edu, or call 207.581.3877.
2017 4-H Dog Camp in Orono
Who: Every 4-H’er enrolled or interested in a 4-H dog project
What: Learn about obedience, showmanship, agility, vet meds, and sled dogs
Where: Whitter Farm, University of Maine in Orono, ME
When: Saturday, April 22, 2017
Why: To improve 4-H’ers knowledge and skills in working with dogs. This is a required session for youth trying out for ESE Regional 4-H Dog program.
How: Call Wendy at 207.942.7306 or wendy.robertson@maine.edu to register. Also complete a Vaccination Form and bring or send it in ahead of time.
Schedule: Arrive and walk dogs by 8:45 AM; ends with popsicle treats and certificates at 1:45 PM.
What to Bring to Dog Camp: there is a complete list on the 4-H Dog Camp page.
April Vacation Camp at UMaine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Tanglewood
April Vacation Camp will be held from Tuesday April 18- Friday April 21 at Tanglewood in Lincolnville. Explore the Tanglewood forest, garden, and play cooperative games at this science-based camp. Ages 4-12 are welcome. For more information, please call Patti at 207.789.5868. Register online.
Eastern States Sheep Team
If you are interested in being a member of the Eastern States team then the intent form must be signed by one of your county’s UMaine Extension staff. The form must be postmarked by May 1 and sent to Judy Smith in the UMaine Extension Franklin County office. You must be at least 12 years old by January 1 of this year. You must be enrolled in at least your second year in the sheep project.
The intent form indicates your intent to participate in the 2017 Eastern States 4‑H Sheep show as a representative of Maine. Any Maine 4-H member who is considering team membership in 2017 should fill it out. This form must be completed and returned by the deadline to be eligible for the 2017 Maine 4‑H ESE Sheep Team. However, this form alone does not enroll the member on the Maine 4‑H ESE Sheep Team. A schedule of mandatory meetings and further information will be mailed to you once we receive this form. The form can be found on the Maine 4-H Sheep page.
Are YOU a 4-H Alum? If so, you will want to read THIS!
4-H alums from across the nation are being asked to raise their hands to support the next generation of true leaders. Every alum’s raised hand is a vote towards a $20,000 award for the 4-H state with the most alum hands raised. So if Maine gets enough hands raised, Maine 4-H will get the 20 grand!
Want to “Raise Your Hand” for Maine? Here is what to do:
- Go to Raise Your Hand to show your pride as a 4-H alum and vote for MAINE!
- It’s all about MAINE: Raising your hand is a vote towards a $20,000 award for the state with the most alums’ hands raised, which, in this case, will be MAINE! Second place gets $10,000 and third place gets $5,000.
- Pay it Forward: Tweet, post, and share your #4HGrown experience or support and tag fellow alums asking them to raise their hands for MAINE (or, in a show of good sportsmanship, for their state if not MAINE) at Raise Your Hand.
The contest runs from March 1 through June 30 but don’t wait THAT long to RAISE YOUR HAND for Maine 4‑H!
Train the Trainer Sessions on the Topic of Mosquito and Tick-borne Diseases
Train the Trainer sessions on the topic of Mosquito and Tick-borne Diseases will cover both awareness and prevention. Sessions are being done by the DHH with a grad student from the University of Maine named Hannah Rhul. The program is for people who will be working with people outside. It is a good fit for Master Gardener Volunteers who work with community gardens, school gardens, etc.; 4-H Club Leaders, Camp personnel, Garden and Ag professionals. There is no cost but there is a requirement to sign up in advance since we only have so much space and we want to make sure we have enough handouts for all.
See details on location and sign up. Feel free to share this information with anyone you feel might benefit from one of these sessions.
4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Training Weekend Workshops (Level 1)
Participation in the 4-H Shooting Sports has steadily grown in recent years and with this growth comes a greater demand for volunteer instructors. The 4-H model is a comprehensive youth development program that utilizes shooting sports as a way of connecting with young people, teaching life skills such as teamwork, respect, and discipline as well as safety and enjoyment. Currently there are certified 4-H Shooting Sports Instructors in every county in the state and that list is growing.
There will be two trainings: one April 22 – 23, 2017 in Augusta at the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Headquarters, and a second July 16 – 18, 2017 at the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryant Pond. Details about each training, topics covered, and registration links can be found at Instructor Training.
Maine 4-H Educator Kristy Ouellette, Androscoggin & Sagadahoc Counties, our next Teacher in Space
Well, perhaps not but she did recently contribute to an exciting new national 4-H Curriculum, written in collaboration with NASA, called Expeditionary Skills for Life! It was released recently in conjunction with International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 50, which is commanded by former 4-H Member Peggy Whitson. To hear Commander Whitson answer questions from members of the Hartsfield Elementary School 4-H Club of Texas check out this video on YouTube.
Free Online Course for Youth: Excellence in Exhibition: Preventing Disease in Animals and People
Raising and showing livestock help youth develop responsibility, learn good sportsmanship, and gain confidence. While raising and showing animals have an overall positive impact on youth and the community, there are many animal diseases that can be spread between people and animals, especially when people have close contact with animals. Several animal-related disease outbreaks, such as variant influenza A virus of swine (H3N2v) and enteric disease outbreaks caused by pathogens such as e coli, have been associated with fairs in recent years. In many instances, these events resulted in severe illness in youth. Youth livestock projects can also present disease transmission risks to animals due to the comingling of various animals and animal species from different locations.
Understanding disease risks and preventive measures is critical to reduce the occurrence of zoonotic diseases among youth associated with animal agriculture. Awareness of these risks can help youth to understand the importance of disease prevention for themselves, their animals, and the public.
This online course was created by Iowa State University to teach youth about zoonotic diseases. This web-based course includes, lessons, case studies, and supplemental materials; it is self-paced and accessible online at any time, which means that you can participate in the class when it works with your schedule. Learn more and sign up online.
Maine 4-H Community Service in 2016
“I pledge…my Hands to larger service…”
One aspect of every member’s 4-H participation involves “giving back” by providing a service of some kind to their community.
In 2016, a community service project survey was conducted to learn about the projects that were implemented. Projects reported via this survey included improving fairgrounds, providing assistance to local shelters, improving community nutrition through community gardens, planting flowers at the rec center, clothing donations to needy families, children and teen mentoring, donations of blankets to Veterans homes, food to food banks, increasing civic pride through community parade participation, literacy campaigns, and dressing up cemeteries by cleaning and placing US Flags on graves before Memorial and Veterans Days.
Clubs reporting service projects in 2016 indicated that although a few took as long as 300 or more hours to complete, half of all the projects reported took less than ten hours to complete, some as short as only one hour! Thirty-three percent of the projects spent $50 or less to complete, some nothing at all, yet 100s of people were reported as being helped in some manner. In addition to the communities and individual lives being improved, the 4-H’ers themselves found benefit in doing this work. Growth experienced by the 4-H’ers that was reported included: organizational skills, leadership helping younger children with service tasks, time management, critical thinking skills, learning to be responsible, willingness to help others with nothing expected in return, planning skills, decision making skills, empathy, and a sense of pride. Comments received included:
“They continually want to help others.”
“Because of the work with cemeteries they are now very interested in their ancestors.”
“I think that we all had a lot of fun and enjoyed helping make the fairgrounds look better. With every project we do we learn more about why community service is important.”
“The youth had a great time sharing what 4-H is to them.”
Youth Educational Poultry Basket Show
Where: Poultry Barn at the Windsor Fairgrounds, Windsor, ME
When: Sunday, May 7: Registration at 10:00 AM, show at 11:00 AM
Who: Anyone 18 years old or younger can enter! Anyone of any age can come, observe, and learn.
What: Purebred Poultry – Large Fowl, Bantams, Waterfowl, and Pigeons. LIMIT: 5 BIRDS PER EXHIBITOR
Have you maybe been interested in showing your poultry at the state fairs or club shows, but weren’t sure what you needed to do and know? Well, here’s the chance to learn and become involved! It’s fun, and you can win prizes and even money. Central Maine Bird Fanciers is a club that not only sponsors shows, but provides poultry educational opportunities for everyone. We’d like to see more young people become involved in successful poultry raising and exhibiting. This basket show will give everyone a chance to have some fun competition AND learn at the same time. Prizes will be given.
If you have any questions, please contact Linda Blackman at 207.542.4323 or lindablackman@roadrunner.com, or Meccasue Simmons at 301.300.6871 or meccasue82@yahoo.com.
April 4-H Fix
APRIL is here and we all know that April Showers bring…4-H Alums? Well it does if we’re talking about the 4-H Fix!
This spring is ALL about our 4-H ALUMS! On April 7 the 4-H Fix will investigate the meaning of being a Maine 4-H alum in a post entitled “Standing on the shoulders of giants!”
Our March 4-H Fix was an introduction to one Maine 4-H alum, Brownie Schrumpf. Now in APRIL we get to meet another! On April 21 visit the 4-H Fix to meet Maine 4-H alum Katherine Watier Ong in the first of our new series, “Where are they now?”.
Don’t forget! If you haven’t done so already, go to Raise Your Hand to show your pride as a 4-H alum and vote for MAINE!