Welcome to Independence county 4-H

Welcome to Independence county 4-H A GUIDE FOR NEW 4-h CLUB MEMBERS We are excited to welcome you as a new member of the Independence County 4-H. In 4-H you will meet new friends and gain lasting memories! With any new adventure there are always many questions. We hope this guide helps answer some of your questions and directs you along the way. What is 4-H? 4-H is a community of young people boys and girls getting together across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. 4-H is a fun educational program where kids learn by doing. What is a Club? A 4-H club is a group of kids working with adult volunteers toward common goals. The club meets once or more each month and the members elects officers to lead the meeting. What age can join 4-H? Anyone 5-19 can join 4-H Members are placed into 3 different categories: Cloverbuds 5-8 yrs old Juniors 9-13 yrs old Seniors 14-19 old How much does it cost to join 4-H? Participation in 4-H is FREE! What is a 4-H project? A topic that a member chooses to work on in a 4-H club. Members can select from many different activities from the 82 project areas. A 4-H project is selected by the 4-H er and is an area they are interested in. A 4-H er will have one main project and could have several other projects. Scholarship Opportunities Each year Arkansas 4-H youth receive more than $80,000 in college scholarships at the state level for their 4-H work. If you are an active 4-H er in Independence County you could receive the J. W. Collier Scholarship. Competitive Activities Competitive events contribute to the goal of developing life skills so 4-H ers can become self-directing, productive and contributing citizens. 4-H Year October 1 September 30 Independence County Cooperative Extension Staff 1770 Myers Street Batesville, AR 72579 870-793-8840 4-H Program Assistant Linda Latus llatus@uaex.edu CEA Staff Chair Stan Carter scarter@uaex.edu CEA Family Consumer Science Julian King jmking@uaex.edu CEA Agri / 4-H Nathan Reinhart nreinhart@uaex.edu Admin Office Supervisor Sharon Lillard slillard@uaex.edu 4-H Pledge I pledge my HEAD to clearer thinking My HEART to greater loyalty, My HANDS to larger service, My HEALTH to better living, For my club, my community, my country & my world. 4-H MOTTO To make the best better 4-H Colors Green symbolizes life, springtime & youth White Symbolizes purity. 4-H Slogan Learn By Doing Newsletter CLOVERPATCH Buzz-z

4-H MISSION 4-H EMBLEM 4-H MONTH The mission of 4-H is to provide opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, develop life skills, form attitudes, and practice behavior that will enable them to become self directing, productive, and contributing members of society. Independence County Fair any entry into the fair (July) Project Fair Review of 4-H Projects on project board (October) B-Day BB Shooting, Bicycling, Bait casting, and BBQ (October) Talks and Demonstrations (November) Performing Arts Dance, Vocal, Instrumental and Club Skits (February) Fashion Revue Purchased or Constructed (March) Activity Night Seeds, Ornamental Horticulture, Forestry, and Dairy (April) 1st The 4-H emblem is a four leaf clover with the letter H on each leaf. The letters in the emblem stands for Head, Heart, Hands and Health the foundation of all 4-H programs. Doing 4 of the 7 activities earns you 1/4 off the 4-H summer trip. Turning in Record book is another 1/4 off. Each activity earns points for the 4-H er and their club. Any items entered into the fair gives you credit or a point for the first activity of the year. Fiscal year for 4-H is October but the first activity begins with the fair. EXAMPLES of items you may enter: Web Page http://www.kidsarus.org INDEPENDENCE COUNTY 7 ACTIVITIES INDEPENDENCE COUNTY FAIR JULY JULY Crafts, art, photography, sewing, wood working, vegetables, flowers, preserves, etc. Livestock cows, horse, swine, chickens, goats, sheep, etc. October is National 4-H Month 4-H ers can do the following: All Star Steer Program (contact Nathan Reinhart for more information) Wear their 4-H t-shirts! Put up flyers to promote 4-H. Talk to a class or civic club about 4-H. Put up a 4-H welcome sign in your community. Each club participates in constructing an Educational Booth in the Blanche Crain building and works one shift at the 4-H Food Booth. Page 2

2nd PROJECT FAIR OCTOBER Project Fair is where a 4-Her creates a project board similar to a science fair board with information about their 4-H project or activities they have participated in since they have been a 4-H member. The boards are viewed at the Independence County Annual Farm Bureau meeting. The boards are usually viewed by approximately 500 Farm Bureau Members to promote 4-H in our County. Boards should only include photos and flat information. NO trophies or other personal items. Every Project Board is different and shows the interest and project of the 4-H er who designed it. The Extension Office will have Project Boards available to purchase. Example of a board. This is a participation only activity. There is no judging involved. 3rd Bait Casting BB Shooting Bicycling Broiler BBQ B-DAY OCTOBER This activity is held on Saturday at the Independence County Fairgrounds. 4-Hers can compete anytime during the two hour allotted time. B-Day activities are judged with first, second, and third place ribbons award. Any 4-H er who did not place will receive a participation ribbon. You can compete in all four activities or just one if you prefer. Bait Casting BB Shooting Bicycling Broiler BBQ Each contestant will be judged on accuracy in casting. You will get four casts to determine your score. At county you must use the fishing poles provided. 20 pt 10 pt 5 pt Each contestant will have two targets provided on the same score sheet. The first is a practice target and the other is the competition target. You will get 5 shots on each target. Shots touching a scoring ring receive the higher value, shots outside of the scoring ring are scored as missed. You can do any of the following positions: Sitting, Kneeling, Standing or Prone. BB Guns are provided. The object for this activity is for the rider to complete the course in the quickest time with perfect control of their bicycle. Pass on the left side of the first object and stagger by others. Turn around when you pass the last cone and return. Demerits are given for touching feet or cones and not following the path. To compete in Broiler BBQ you must provide all needed equipment and supplies to cook. You will receive two 1 1/2 lbs broiler chickens to cook. You will be allowed 30 minutes to start your fire then another hour and a half to grill. Points are given on starting and controlling your fire, timing, appearance of chicken, doneness and taste. The top five winners will advance to District Broiler BBQ. Page 3

4th ILLUSTRATED TALKS AND DEMONSTRATION NOVEMBER 4-H illustrated talks and demonstrations are show-n-tell presentations to teach useful information to others. Which one you choose depends on your audience, where you will be giving it, the topic you have selected and your access to visuals and equipment. ILLUSTRATED TALKS Focus on TALKING You TELL HOW something is done by using models, real objects, posters, power point etc. Healthy Foods in Trail Mix There is NO finished product for the audience. Your goal is to share knowledge for your audience TO IMPROVE Cloverbud (5-8 yrs) talks are 1-5 minutes Junior (9-13 yrs) talks are 2-5 minutes Senior (14-19 yrs) talks are 5-8 minutes NOTE: NO live animals permitted! The categories are: Agribusiness Public Speaking Animal Science Citizenship Consumer Economics Environmental Stewardship Health Human Development Entomology Horse Public Speaking Vet Science Pet Care and Training Food Fair: Breads, Eggs, AR Foods, Healthy Snacks, Fruits and Vegetables DEMONSTRATION Focus on DOING You SHOW HOW to make something by using ingredients and equipment. How to Make Trail Mix Audience can see, taste, touch, feel or test the FINISHED PRODUCT. Your goal is to encourage your audience TO GO AND DO what you have shown. Parts to your Talk or Demonstration Introduction Body Summary 5th PERFORMING ARTS FEBRUARY Performing Arts includes vocal, instrumental, dance and club skits. 4-H ers should be prepared to introduce their number by giving the title of the piece they will perform. Page 4 VOCAL Vocal may consist of solo, duet, trio, etc. but NO pantomimes will be allowed. Please note that disks or tapes with vocals are allowed but should not overpower the voice of the performer. If, in the opinion of the judges, the vocals are overpowering the performer, they will be penalized. Performers must provide their own equipment, instruments, props and accompanist. INSTRUMENTAL Includes all types of music. No singing or vocals will be allowed with instrumental. Other accompaniment is allowed; however, this must assume the pure character of accompaniment. The test is whether the performance would stand alone if accompaniment were removed. DANCE All types of dance will be allowed including tap, ballet, square dance, modern, clogging popular dances modern jazz and break dancing. Not allowed: acrobatics, gymnastics, martial arts or baton twirling. A talent act is limited to five minutes and can have up to eight 4-H members in the same age division. A piano will be available for vocal and instrumental acts. CLUB SKITS Skits go no further than county so the rules are a little different. Skits need to follow 4-H theme and be no more than 6 minutes long with 2 minutes for set up and 2 minutes for take down. One skit per club all ages can be involved no limit on the number of 4-H ers in the skit.

6th 4-H ers will start out by presenting a short, 1 to 2 minute commentary. It should include detailed information on cost, fabric, fibers, care and why the garment was chosen. 4-H ers will be using a microphone and should speak without notes. After the presentation, 4-H ers will informally model the garment. 4-H contestants should be prepared to answer judges questions about how their outfit was purchased or constructed and information about accessories worn. FASHION REVUE MARCH CONSTRUCTED or PURCHASED Contestants will be judged on: Knowledge of fabric characteristics, uses and care. Ability to evaluate garment quality and apply knowledge. Appearance, fit and fashion ability. DIVISION and CATEGORIES PURCHASED Casual & Dressy CONSTRUCTED Causal & Dressy Contestants may have one entry in Constructed and one entry in Purchased. Dresses that are more than a hand above the knee with be disqualified. NO Formal Gowns or Swim Suits. 7th ACTIVITY NIGHT APRIL The last of the seven 4-H activities for individual points is Activity Night with 5 activities to choose from. SEED Identification: 4-H ers will identify 20 seeds out of a variety of 47 standard common seeds. ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE Identification: Identify common ornamental horticulture plants. Garden flowers, foliage plants, landscape plants, and trees could be included for identification. TREE Identification: A total of 20 trees will be identified. A study book is available at the County Extension Office. There is a CD study guide for the above 3 contests available at the Extension Office. You need to bring a blank CD to trade. ENTOMOLOGY 4-H ers can become better acquainted with the insect world by participating in the entomology collection activity. Collections will be judged on insects collected, specimen quality, pinning technique, labeling, identification and general appearance of the collection. Cloverbuds minimum of 10 adult insects from a minimum of 3 orders. Juniors minimum of 15 adult insects from a minimum of 5 orders. Seniors minimum of 25 adults insects from a minimum of 9 orders DAIRY FOODS CONTEST Participants must be 4th-12th grade. This contest will consist of two categories: Party Ideas and Main Dish, but you may enter only one category. Bring one copy of your recipe and the dish prepared by the 4-H er. Entries are judged on the use of milk and dairy foods, originality of recipe, clearness and accuracy of recipe, ready availability of ingredients, and original ideas for serving. First place winners will receive a GIFT from Farm Bureau. Rules can be picked up at the Extension Office. Page 5

Other Competitions Beekeeping Essay Contest February Ross Photography March Pumpkin / Watermelon Contest March Poster Art Contest April State Spring Livestock Show May 4-H District O Rama June District Horse Show June Broiler BBQ District June Independence County Fair July Poultry Chain CHICKS April / June 4-H State O Rama July District Fair September State Fair Arkansas State Fair 4-H Contest Oct Sew with Cotton October District O Rama: First place winners of the county contests will get first chance to go to District in their category. If the first place can t compete at District, the 2nd and then the 3rd place get a chance. Categories are opened up after that and selected on a first come basis. State O Rama: 4-H ers must compete at District O Rama to continue on to State O Rama in Fayetteville. Information on all competitions are included in the monthly newsletter CLOVERPATCH Buzz-z COUNTY AWARDS 100% 4-H Record Book CLUB AWARDS If a club has all members turn in their 4-H record book they will be recognized with a plaque. Membership Award The club with the most members is awarded the Membership Award and given a plaque. High Point Club The High Point Club Award is given to the club that has accumulated the most activity points from active 4-H members in their club. A plaque is awarded. Club Activity Award This award is given to the club with the highest average of individual activity points per member. A plaque is awarded. Champion Club Award The club with the highest percentage from record books turned in and total club activity points is awarded the Champion Club Award. A plaque is awarded. County and State Clubs Clubs who fulfill the required guidelines for County and State will receive a plaque and a monetary award. County Honor Clubs - $25.00 State Honor Clubs $50.00 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS Independence County Champion 4-H er The 4-H er who has accumulated the most county activity points in the 4-H year will be awarded Champion 4-H er and a trophy. Two 4-H ers are selected from each category Cloverbud, Junior and Senior. Individual Activity Award This award is for any 4-H er who completes 5 to 7 county activities during the 4-H year. 5 activities BRONZE Award certificate 6 activities SILVER Award certificate 7 activities GOLD Award plaque Record Book Winners County Record book winners receive a t-shirt, project pin and plaque at the awards banquet. Blanche Crain Award The 4-H er who accumulates the most points in the Blanche Crain Building at the Independence County Fair. 1st place $30.00 / certificate 2nd place $20.00 / certificate 3rd place $10.00 / certificate District and State O Rama 1st place winners District O Rama - $25.00. State O Rama $50.00 ACTIVITY POINTS are awarded from the 7 county activities as followed: 1st place 4 points, 2nd place 3 points, 3rd place 2 points and participation 1 point. (1 point for fair, project fair and participating in club skit). Page 6

4-H RECORD BOOKS JANUARY The Arkansas 4-H record book is one place to show others what you have done in your 4-H career. Completing the record book is much like completing a portfolio. Through your record book, you show your accomplishments and how you have developed responsibility by keeping records. Throughout your 4-H career, you will find your record book useful in evaluating past achievement and in making improvements in future plans. 4-H record report forms, instructions, tips, and how to add photography to your record book can be found on-line at http://www.kidsarus.org/go4it/recordbook/default.htm or contact the Extension Office for a copy. Turning in a completed Record book counts as 1/4 of the summer trip. LEADERSHIP CLUB OFFICERS In any club or organization it is important that members know how to conduct a meeting. A 4-H club elects their officers to give training on how to run and conduct a meetings. All age groups are eligible to run for an office that is to their ability. President Conducts meeting. Vice President Assists the President and serves on committees. Secretary Keeps a permanent record of the club s meetings. Recreational Leader Chooses activities or games that would be interesting to the club. Historian Works with photographer/secretary/reporter to make a yearly book of activities of the members and club. Song Leader Selects songs to sing at club meeting. Photographer Takes photos of club members at activities/meetings. Reporter Reports any news or activities the club is involved in to local papers, etc. A good 4-H club meeting gives its members a chance to think, plan and do things together. TEEN STAR The Arkansas 4-H Teen Star Program is a recognition program for Arkansas 4-H members who have outstanding achievement in the areas of 4-H projects and activities, leadership, and community service. Must be 15 years old and no more than 18 as of January 1 of the current year. Applications due February. AMBASSADOR Arkansas 4-H Ambassadors are youth who can be called on to assist with 4-H promotion at the county and state levels. Ambassadors duties include: assisting with statewide programs, assisting with county programs as requested, promoting 4-H at every opportunity and representing 4-H at various activities and events during the year. To apply, a 4-H member must be a 4-H Teen Star (must be 15 yrs by January 1st of the current yr). 4-H ers may apply for the Ambassador program the same year they apply for Teen Star. Applications due May 1st. STATE 4-H OFFICER To run for a state office you must be a 4-H Ambassador for 1 year and at least 16 yrs of age but not more than 18 during the current year. TEEN LEADER CONFERENCE The Arkansas Teen Leader Conference is a three-day conference for 4-H members ages 14 19. Each year the conference focuses on a specific topic and helps to prepare teens for leadership responsibilities in their local clubs and counties. The Teen Star Recognition and Hall of Fame Induction will be conducted at the Teen Star/Hall of Fame Banquet held during the conference. TLC SERVERS 12-14 years This is a great opportunity to develop some leadership. Volunteers will assist with setting the tables and serving at the Teen Leader banquet in Ferndale 4-H center. COMMUNITY SERVICE 4-H Clubs offer community service learning for their members and decides what community service they want to provide to their community. The 4-H clubs within our county are very active in helping others. Examples: Humane Society, Christmas Brings Hope, Military / Veterans writing Christmas & Valentine Cards, Cemetery Clean up, 4-H Food Pantry, Help & Hope collecting food, Angel Tree sponsors, marched in parades, visit nursing homes and One Day of Service - (helped the needy, assisted Master Gardeners and county). Page 7

4-H CAMPS and TRIPS INDEPENDENCE COUNTY SUMMER CAMP Independence County 4-H provides a 3 day trip to a selected location each year. This trip is usually scheduled the first week in August. In the past, trips have been to Branson, MO; St. Louis, MO and Dallas, TX. If a 4-H member completes a 4-H Record Book, they will receive 1/4 of the camp fee paid, and if a 4-H er participates in 4 out of the 7 competitive activities, they receive 1/4 of the camp fee paid. If a 4-H er does both a Record Book and 4 activities a total of one-half of their trip cost will be paid. 4-H ers travel by charter coach to the selected location with hotel and all activities included. This is a great way for 4-H er to make friends with others in our county. STATE CAMPS: 4-H Adventure and Challenge Camp Cloverbud 4-H Camp Junior 4-H Camp Entrepreneur Camp Advanced Entrepreneur Camp Equine Camp High Adventure Program Forestry & Wildlife Camp National 4-H Conference Washington, D.C. National 4-H Congress Atlanta, GA Kansas City Global Kansas City Citizenship Washington Focus Washington, D.C. Independence County 4-H CLUBS Batesville Cindy Bunch 799-3680 Candi Sikes 601-618-3391 Cave City John & Kim Bridgers - 283-6349 Rita Gilliam 283-5565 Cedar Ridge Livestock Pam McCoy 613-1709 Laura Fitzgerald 307-5331 Diamond T Catherine Harris -264-3277 Lana Hightower 613-3063 Kripple Creek Karina Green 799-9826 Traci Bowren 501-345-2584 L-U ARK Ricki Gilbert 612-0191 Livestock Jeff & Jana Mead 612-3504 Rebekah Reinhart 613-3063 Community Clubs Riverbend Philip Ives 384-0140 Judi Qualls 307-8395 Ruddell Hill Ronda Griffis - 612-5078 Barbara Sweet - 793-5386 Southside Pam Gramling - 251-3633 Casey Callahan - 793-4179 Central Magnet Afterschool Afterschool Clubs Project Clubs Horse Rhea Jennings - 698-0349 Rachel Collins 613-3447 Livestock Judging Nathan Reinhart - 793-8840 Razorback Extension Staff 793-8840 Shooting Sports Mary Zirkle - 501-345-0367 Lisa Coles 283.2232 Teen Club Linda Latus 793-8840 Julian King 793-8840 Southside Afterschool Glenita Anderson 834-4289 / 793-2498 Melissa Martin 251-4016 Lisa Siler 501-472-1007 Dawn Jeffery 251-4025 Sulphur Rock Afterschool Pam Baxter 799-3149 Lisa Siler 501-472-1007 Page 8