You might be surprised that 59% percent of Kansas 4-H members reside in towns and cities. Click on the family photos below to read first-hand about the experiences of some of our city members.
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| Tomka Family Overland Park | Gregory Family Lenexa | Clanton Family Manhattan | Fowler Family Manhattan |
Kevin, Julie, Cameron (14), Anna (12), Bryce (10)
Overland Park, Kansas
Blue River Wranglers 4-H Club (meets first Sunday of month; Stillwell United Methodist Church)
Why we got involved in 4-H:
We joined 4-H in September, 20, 2009. We wanted our children to be involved in this organization because it’s a great thing we can all do together as a family. And, it provides great opportunities for kids to learn, grow and serve in their community. 4-H is one of the very few activities in which we can participate together as a family. It seems most activities today divide the family instead of bringing them together.
What we do in 4-H:
We’re in our second year. Cameron served as a council rep and Anna worked on the recreation committee.
Our kids participate in the Johnson County Fair each year. We have a rabbit project which they work on year-round. We showed 2 rabbits in the fair this year. One of our kids showed a goat last year, and he also competed in the first ever 4-H broiler derby this past spring. We entered the following categories at the fair this year: baking, flower arrangements, flowers, vegetables and fruits, photography, art, ceramics and public presentations.
Our favorite projects:
The nice thing about 4-H is that you can do as little or as much as you want – but yet still participate. The more you work on your project, the greater the reward.
Anna and Cameron have rabbits which they take care of year-round. They both entered their rabbits in the Johnson County Fair, and they’ve also showed them at other rabbit shows. They are responsible for feeding, watering, cleaning cages and grooming.
Bryce showed a goat at the fair in 2010. His goat won champion in ultrasound. Bryce was able to do this because we were able to keep his goat on a farm near our home. Since we live in the “city,” it wouldn’t have been possible to keep the goat on our property. This spring, 2011, Bryceparticipated inthe Johnson County 4-H Broiler Derby. This involved getting 5 baby chickens and raising them to adulthood. He took care of the chickens for approximately 10 weeks until the competition in June. Bryce really enjoyed this and learned a lot about chickens! We were able to do this project at our home since the chicks took up very little space, and we only had them for a short time.
Anna and Bryce entered vegetables from our garden and did very well. Anna was overall grand champion for vegetables. Since we don’t have the room for a garden at our home, we joined a community garden where we were able to grow carrots, tomatoes, peppers, onions, zucchini, squash, gourds, pumpkins and flowers. We were happy with our results as this was the first year of gardening for us.
Anna and Bryce also entered flowers from our garden and even made floral arrangements. Bryce’s arrangement won reserve grand champion.
Anna is our artist and entered drawings in the fair. Bryce did a public presentation on his broiler derby project. All three kids entered photos in the photography competition. Anna and Bryce also made posters about their projects which were displayed at the fair.
Our involvement as parents:
Our main job is to guide and support our kids. We also help out our club with its duties as much as possible.
What we value
4-H is a wonderful, wholesome organization that’s family focused. It teaches kids great values, and offers them opportunities for leadership and personal growth.
My kids value 4-H because it’s FUN! They also enjoy learning and accomplishing their goals.
Why 4-H is a great activity for city/town families
Even if you didn’t grow up on a farm or live out in the “country,” there are still many things you can do in 4-H. It’s a nice break from the emphasis on sports, which our culture values so highly.
Overland Park, Kansas
Blue River Wranglers 4-H Club (meets first Sunday of month; Stillwell United Methodist Church)
Why we got involved in 4-H:
We joined 4-H in September, 20, 2009. We wanted our children to be involved in this organization because it’s a great thing we can all do together as a family. And, it provides great opportunities for kids to learn, grow and serve in their community. 4-H is one of the very few activities in which we can participate together as a family. It seems most activities today divide the family instead of bringing them together.
What we do in 4-H:
We’re in our second year. Cameron served as a council rep and Anna worked on the recreation committee.
Our kids participate in the Johnson County Fair each year. We have a rabbit project which they work on year-round. We showed 2 rabbits in the fair this year. One of our kids showed a goat last year, and he also competed in the first ever 4-H broiler derby this past spring. We entered the following categories at the fair this year: baking, flower arrangements, flowers, vegetables and fruits, photography, art, ceramics and public presentations.
Our favorite projects:
The nice thing about 4-H is that you can do as little or as much as you want – but yet still participate. The more you work on your project, the greater the reward.
Anna and Cameron have rabbits which they take care of year-round. They both entered their rabbits in the Johnson County Fair, and they’ve also showed them at other rabbit shows. They are responsible for feeding, watering, cleaning cages and grooming.
Bryce showed a goat at the fair in 2010. His goat won champion in ultrasound. Bryce was able to do this because we were able to keep his goat on a farm near our home. Since we live in the “city,” it wouldn’t have been possible to keep the goat on our property. This spring, 2011, Bryceparticipated inthe Johnson County 4-H Broiler Derby. This involved getting 5 baby chickens and raising them to adulthood. He took care of the chickens for approximately 10 weeks until the competition in June. Bryce really enjoyed this and learned a lot about chickens! We were able to do this project at our home since the chicks took up very little space, and we only had them for a short time.
Anna and Bryce entered vegetables from our garden and did very well. Anna was overall grand champion for vegetables. Since we don’t have the room for a garden at our home, we joined a community garden where we were able to grow carrots, tomatoes, peppers, onions, zucchini, squash, gourds, pumpkins and flowers. We were happy with our results as this was the first year of gardening for us.
Anna and Bryce also entered flowers from our garden and even made floral arrangements. Bryce’s arrangement won reserve grand champion.
Anna is our artist and entered drawings in the fair. Bryce did a public presentation on his broiler derby project. All three kids entered photos in the photography competition. Anna and Bryce also made posters about their projects which were displayed at the fair.
Our involvement as parents:
Our main job is to guide and support our kids. We also help out our club with its duties as much as possible.
What we value
4-H is a wonderful, wholesome organization that’s family focused. It teaches kids great values, and offers them opportunities for leadership and personal growth.
My kids value 4-H because it’s FUN! They also enjoy learning and accomplishing their goals.
Why 4-H is a great activity for city/town families
Even if you didn’t grow up on a farm or live out in the “country,” there are still many things you can do in 4-H. It’s a nice break from the emphasis on sports, which our culture values so highly.
Mike, Katey, Jonathan (19), Lauren (17), Josh (15)
Lenexa, Kansas
Great Plains 4-H Club (meets at Lenexa Baptist Church first Thursdays of the month)
Why we got involved in 4-H:
We wanted a family activity that everyone could participate in together. We also wanted something that met regularly enough that we could get to know other families, but not so often as to conflict with other activities or limit things we already did. We really like the fact that 4-H allows the kids to grow in depth of knowledge in many areas and become leaders.
What we do in 4-H:
Geology, GIS, Robotics, Computers, Art. The kids have all gone to Discovery Days (a 4-H event for teenagers at KSU) which was a great way to learn about college and meet 4-Hers across the state. They have gone on geology expeditions across the state for years. Each of them has won at least one state award in their project areas.
Over the years the kids have been club officers, project leaders and served on committees—at the club level, in our county and for state-wide activities. I think they’ve held about all of the club offices throughout their years in 4-H. This year Jonathan was president, Josh was VP, but will be president, and Lauren was historian but will be county 4-H Council representative.
Our favorite things:
Our family has gone on geology trips with experienced state geologists for twelve years. Kansas is fascinating! We’ve found incredible fossils, rocks, and minerals. One of the best parts of 4-H has been learning and becoming leaders for various activities. 4-H allows youth at young ages to share and teach others. As they grow, they can become junior leaders, project leaders, county and state leaders. It’s the best opportunity that we know about!
Our involvement as parents:
We’ve now started as Cloverbud leaders (for 5- and 6-year olds), then project leaders for things we knew about and things we wanted to learn about. We’ve been club leaders for a while.
What we value:
As a parent, I value 4-H because our whole family can participate together in many projects. We can volunteer together, learn together, and lead together.
My kids value 4-H because of the friends they have made and the projects and accomplishments they have done each year. They worked with incredible adults who gave their time to teach all kinds of projects like computers, small engines, geology, ceramics, leadership, community service, shooting sports, and sewing. They learned as much about the projects as they did about the strong character attributes that 4-H leaders offer.
Why 4-H is a great activity for town/city families:
4-H is a great activity for city/town families because the possibilities are limitless. You get to learn from other parents, adults, and youth about things that affect your future. Every year, you are challenged in leadership, service, and depth of knowledge as you earn achievement pins and work on your Key Award. 4-H is the best opportunity for families to do something together all during your school years. You’ll meet people from across the state and country as you earn opportunities to go on trips. 4-H alumni always tell us how much “growing up 4-H” has meant to them. Now we know.
Here’s a story from Jonathan about what 4-H has meant to him:
My name is Jonathan Gregory and 4-H has been an amazing part of my past twelve years. I have developed leadership and citizenship skills in several project areas that have expanded into new developments this last year. Through the last six years, I have pursed ideas that intrigued me and enabled me to share my never-ending passion for learning science, engineering, and technology (SET) with others. These adventures have given me opportunities to be the project leader in geology, robotics, technology, and geocaching.
One aspect of this passion that I have developed was organizing and planning statewide geology trips for five years. I have instructed classes in the marvels of this ancient inland ocean, taught classes in mineral identification, and organized judging activities for youth and adults of all ages. I have trained youth to identify sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. I have instructed others how to unearth carefully Inoceramus bivalves, sharks’ teeth, and primeval fossils of sea monsters-all from Kansas!
Another facet of this project has been the opportunity to coach youth, as well as adults, in robotics’ workshops sharing my passion in technology at events such as the American Royal and numerous community outreaches on our 4-H Tech Bus. Developing skill-a-thons in technology created opportunities for advancing to increasingly difficult levels of educational instruction. While training others how to use computer programs and develop web page designs, I grew in my confidence as a public speaker and event organizer. I learned how to rebuild computers for our Tech Bus. I rebuilt computers and donated them to less fortunate, while instructing others how to repair their computers and enhance the performance of their machines.
I organized a team to teach a technology camp for youth to develop critical thinking skills while learning to program robots at our county 4-H camp. I also mentored younger team members in developing leadership skills by teaching them to lay out a GPS course and instructing youth in geocaching. Part of my vision is to organize teams to develop after-school enrichment programs at several middle schools modeling them after successful programs that I have implemented in the past few years.
I will continue to focus my vision on increasing educational opportunities in science, engineering, and technology for others. These adventures have nurtured my entrepreneurial spirit and continue to assist me in serving my community in a meaningful way. 4-H has been the best experience to learn and apply leadership skills, develop citizenship, and make great friends.
Lenexa, Kansas
Great Plains 4-H Club (meets at Lenexa Baptist Church first Thursdays of the month)
Why we got involved in 4-H:
We wanted a family activity that everyone could participate in together. We also wanted something that met regularly enough that we could get to know other families, but not so often as to conflict with other activities or limit things we already did. We really like the fact that 4-H allows the kids to grow in depth of knowledge in many areas and become leaders.
What we do in 4-H:
Geology, GIS, Robotics, Computers, Art. The kids have all gone to Discovery Days (a 4-H event for teenagers at KSU) which was a great way to learn about college and meet 4-Hers across the state. They have gone on geology expeditions across the state for years. Each of them has won at least one state award in their project areas.
Over the years the kids have been club officers, project leaders and served on committees—at the club level, in our county and for state-wide activities. I think they’ve held about all of the club offices throughout their years in 4-H. This year Jonathan was president, Josh was VP, but will be president, and Lauren was historian but will be county 4-H Council representative.
Our favorite things:
Our family has gone on geology trips with experienced state geologists for twelve years. Kansas is fascinating! We’ve found incredible fossils, rocks, and minerals. One of the best parts of 4-H has been learning and becoming leaders for various activities. 4-H allows youth at young ages to share and teach others. As they grow, they can become junior leaders, project leaders, county and state leaders. It’s the best opportunity that we know about!
Our involvement as parents:
We’ve now started as Cloverbud leaders (for 5- and 6-year olds), then project leaders for things we knew about and things we wanted to learn about. We’ve been club leaders for a while.
What we value:
As a parent, I value 4-H because our whole family can participate together in many projects. We can volunteer together, learn together, and lead together.
My kids value 4-H because of the friends they have made and the projects and accomplishments they have done each year. They worked with incredible adults who gave their time to teach all kinds of projects like computers, small engines, geology, ceramics, leadership, community service, shooting sports, and sewing. They learned as much about the projects as they did about the strong character attributes that 4-H leaders offer.
Why 4-H is a great activity for town/city families:
4-H is a great activity for city/town families because the possibilities are limitless. You get to learn from other parents, adults, and youth about things that affect your future. Every year, you are challenged in leadership, service, and depth of knowledge as you earn achievement pins and work on your Key Award. 4-H is the best opportunity for families to do something together all during your school years. You’ll meet people from across the state and country as you earn opportunities to go on trips. 4-H alumni always tell us how much “growing up 4-H” has meant to them. Now we know.
Here’s a story from Jonathan about what 4-H has meant to him:
My name is Jonathan Gregory and 4-H has been an amazing part of my past twelve years. I have developed leadership and citizenship skills in several project areas that have expanded into new developments this last year. Through the last six years, I have pursed ideas that intrigued me and enabled me to share my never-ending passion for learning science, engineering, and technology (SET) with others. These adventures have given me opportunities to be the project leader in geology, robotics, technology, and geocaching.
One aspect of this passion that I have developed was organizing and planning statewide geology trips for five years. I have instructed classes in the marvels of this ancient inland ocean, taught classes in mineral identification, and organized judging activities for youth and adults of all ages. I have trained youth to identify sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. I have instructed others how to unearth carefully Inoceramus bivalves, sharks’ teeth, and primeval fossils of sea monsters-all from Kansas!
Another facet of this project has been the opportunity to coach youth, as well as adults, in robotics’ workshops sharing my passion in technology at events such as the American Royal and numerous community outreaches on our 4-H Tech Bus. Developing skill-a-thons in technology created opportunities for advancing to increasingly difficult levels of educational instruction. While training others how to use computer programs and develop web page designs, I grew in my confidence as a public speaker and event organizer. I learned how to rebuild computers for our Tech Bus. I rebuilt computers and donated them to less fortunate, while instructing others how to repair their computers and enhance the performance of their machines.
I organized a team to teach a technology camp for youth to develop critical thinking skills while learning to program robots at our county 4-H camp. I also mentored younger team members in developing leadership skills by teaching them to lay out a GPS course and instructing youth in geocaching. Part of my vision is to organize teams to develop after-school enrichment programs at several middle schools modeling them after successful programs that I have implemented in the past few years.
I will continue to focus my vision on increasing educational opportunities in science, engineering, and technology for others. These adventures have nurtured my entrepreneurial spirit and continue to assist me in serving my community in a meaningful way. 4-H has been the best experience to learn and apply leadership skills, develop citizenship, and make great friends.
Aaron, Karyn, Jacob (11) and Talia (8)
Manhattan, Kansas
Bonfire 4-H Club (meets second Monday at Green Valley Community Center)
When/Why Involved:
Aaron and I were 10 year members in Ottawa County. It was natural that we wanted our kids to be involved. We had a great experience with 4-H. Jacob was in kindergarten when we moved here. We looked for a club near us, and started attending. It was a natural progression for us to become a part of 4-H. We wanted our children to have the 4-H experience too.
What we do in 4-H:
Club Roles:
Jacob: Club Reporter
Talia: One of the club Recreation Leaders
Aaron: Photography Project Leader
Karyn: Arts & Crafts Project Leader
Both Aaron and Karyn are serving as the third year organizational leaders for Bonfire.
We serve on various committees: Gavel Games, Float, Banner, Family Fun (Our club has a family fun activity to celebrate the end of the 4-H year. This committee selects the activity. The club celebrated by swimming at the Northview pool this year.)
Projects/Activities:
Jacob: He has three projects: Photography, Rocketry and Robotics. He participated in the photography judging contest, Club Day, Gavel Games, 4-H camp, State Fair Photo Fun Day and County Fair.
Talia: She has two projects: Foods & Nutrition and Arts & Crafts. She has participated in Club Day, Gavel Games, 4-H Camp, and County Fair. She attends club project meetings and attended a county-wide Foods project meeting.
Our Favorite Projects:
Jacob – Photography: Jacob talked to our club and gave a talk at Club Day on Photography. He looked at photos that other people took, and rated them on various qualities such as light, composition and focus during a Photography Judging Contest. He served as a photographer for the club’s Arts and Crafts project meetings. Jacob then provided photos to the club Historian. Jacob has entered photographs in several other photo contests for evaluation and practiced taking photos throughout the year.
Talia – Food: Talia gave a talk at Club Day on a food topic. On Thanksgiving, our family volunteered to deliver meals through the Flint Hills Breadbasket. We delivered meals to several retirement communities within Manhattan. It was really neat for Talia to be a part of this. Talia helped out at a club concession stand for a state show and worked during the club’s county fair concession time slot. Talia practiced her cooking skills throughout the year by preparing a variety of recipes for her family.
Our involvement as parents:
When we started, we started small, and just served on committees. We started with the banner committee, and signed up to bring refreshments one night for a club meeting. The next year we then signed up to be project leaders. Now that we have been in several years, we are moving into more club leadership roles. We enjoy being project leaders most. It allows us to follow our passion and get to know the kids better in a smaller group setting. Watching the kids progress in their skill level for that particular project is neat to see. I know some people think that “I don’t have time to do it,” but you can make it work for your schedule. We each take turns having project meetings at varying times.
What we value:
There are so many things we value about 4-H. It is a team activity, so they learn to work as a team. It is an individual activity too. They learn the value of putting their own effort into a project. They learn to cook, take pictures, record keeping and organization skills. They learn to handle disappointment in a healthy way. They don’t always get the ribbons they want. It helps them learn about this. They learn to build their confidence by getting up in front of others. They learn to run a meeting. They build friendships through fun activities.
My kids both value the fun side of it. It is a fun activity to do. It gives them opportunities, like going to camp, that they would not otherwise have.
4-H is a great activity for city/town families because:
It involves the whole family. You can learn incredible things and meet great people. Kids can pick projects based upon what their interests are. There are so many things that each child can pick.
Manhattan, Kansas
Bonfire 4-H Club (meets second Monday at Green Valley Community Center)
When/Why Involved:
Aaron and I were 10 year members in Ottawa County. It was natural that we wanted our kids to be involved. We had a great experience with 4-H. Jacob was in kindergarten when we moved here. We looked for a club near us, and started attending. It was a natural progression for us to become a part of 4-H. We wanted our children to have the 4-H experience too.
What we do in 4-H:
Club Roles:
Jacob: Club Reporter
Talia: One of the club Recreation Leaders
Aaron: Photography Project Leader
Karyn: Arts & Crafts Project Leader
Both Aaron and Karyn are serving as the third year organizational leaders for Bonfire.
We serve on various committees: Gavel Games, Float, Banner, Family Fun (Our club has a family fun activity to celebrate the end of the 4-H year. This committee selects the activity. The club celebrated by swimming at the Northview pool this year.)
Projects/Activities:
Jacob: He has three projects: Photography, Rocketry and Robotics. He participated in the photography judging contest, Club Day, Gavel Games, 4-H camp, State Fair Photo Fun Day and County Fair.
Talia: She has two projects: Foods & Nutrition and Arts & Crafts. She has participated in Club Day, Gavel Games, 4-H Camp, and County Fair. She attends club project meetings and attended a county-wide Foods project meeting.
Our Favorite Projects:
Jacob – Photography: Jacob talked to our club and gave a talk at Club Day on Photography. He looked at photos that other people took, and rated them on various qualities such as light, composition and focus during a Photography Judging Contest. He served as a photographer for the club’s Arts and Crafts project meetings. Jacob then provided photos to the club Historian. Jacob has entered photographs in several other photo contests for evaluation and practiced taking photos throughout the year.
Talia – Food: Talia gave a talk at Club Day on a food topic. On Thanksgiving, our family volunteered to deliver meals through the Flint Hills Breadbasket. We delivered meals to several retirement communities within Manhattan. It was really neat for Talia to be a part of this. Talia helped out at a club concession stand for a state show and worked during the club’s county fair concession time slot. Talia practiced her cooking skills throughout the year by preparing a variety of recipes for her family.
Our involvement as parents:
When we started, we started small, and just served on committees. We started with the banner committee, and signed up to bring refreshments one night for a club meeting. The next year we then signed up to be project leaders. Now that we have been in several years, we are moving into more club leadership roles. We enjoy being project leaders most. It allows us to follow our passion and get to know the kids better in a smaller group setting. Watching the kids progress in their skill level for that particular project is neat to see. I know some people think that “I don’t have time to do it,” but you can make it work for your schedule. We each take turns having project meetings at varying times.
What we value:
There are so many things we value about 4-H. It is a team activity, so they learn to work as a team. It is an individual activity too. They learn the value of putting their own effort into a project. They learn to cook, take pictures, record keeping and organization skills. They learn to handle disappointment in a healthy way. They don’t always get the ribbons they want. It helps them learn about this. They learn to build their confidence by getting up in front of others. They learn to run a meeting. They build friendships through fun activities.
My kids both value the fun side of it. It is a fun activity to do. It gives them opportunities, like going to camp, that they would not otherwise have.
4-H is a great activity for city/town families because:
It involves the whole family. You can learn incredible things and meet great people. Kids can pick projects based upon what their interests are. There are so many things that each child can pick.
Mark, Courtney, Piper (14) and Paige (9)
Manhattan, Kansas
CiCo Shamrocks 4-H Club (meets third Thursday at Pottorf Hall;)
Why we got involved in 4-H:
My husband grew up with 4-H. His Mom was an extension agent. His family was very active, so he always knew that he wanted his children involved. I like it because it is a family activity. It not an activity where you drop your kids off and leave. You participate as a family. His Mom even comes to help the girls with their projects too. It is a great way for Grandma to spend time with the girls. For us, it is three generations working together, especially during the summer months.
What we do in 4-H:
Club Roles:
Piper: Recording Secretary – She did not want to take on a bigger responsibility, but we encouraged her to do that, and she is ready to step up and try a new role. She is also a 4-H Council Representative, which is a big role too. Piper will be attending meetings on a county-wide level and bringing information back to our club.
Paige: Song Leader – This is the perfect office for a younger member. She has such fun picking out a song to sing with the club at each meeting. She is looking forward to this office this year.
Mark: He helps out as a leader, by serving as a consultant. He helps out when the other leaders need a back up assistant.
Courtney: We offer an extra set of hands to help out wherever needed. I started helping out with the club project meetings. I am an extra Mom to help out with the knitting group. I don’t know how to knit, but I can help the kids get their supplies ready and can answer some questions while the lead Mom teaches.
We serve on various committees: Float, Banner, and Club Achievement Celebration Night. The girls like creating and making things, so the active committees like float and banner are perfect.
Projects/Activities:
Piper: Sewing, Foods, Leadership. Our kitchen becomes a test kitchen during the Foods/Nutrition project! Piper attended Discovery Days and had a great time. Piper made friends with a lot of the older girls, and we think that is cool that she knows all these girls around the county.
Paige: Sewing, Foods, Knitting. Knitting is hard – but Paige really did learn to knit. She even took her project on vacation, and picked up a real skill. Paige took her 4-H knitting project to her day care and started a group there. So now, Paige is part of two knitting groups! They made head bands this summer. Paige also loves to bring friends to our club meetings. Paige also attended camp with a friend.
Our favorite things:
Piper – Foods- She loves fun food; food that is fun to eat and fun to make. The girls did a meeting on holiday foods and would do things that were fun. One meeting was on healthy foods too. Each Food/Nutrition project meeting has a theme. The older members serve as leaders with adults too, so it is a fun way to get to know the older club members.
Paige – Sewing- She loves to make stuff. Paige made pillowcases this year. These items were donated to the homeless shelter. The club sewing group creates special projects each year. The club group, in the past, has sewn dolls for children in the hospital; towel accessories for the crisis center; head wraps for cancer patients and blankets for babies. Paige made two pillowcases with the group, and then really got the hang of it. So, she made two more to give away!
Our involvement as parents::
Getting them places is a huge commitment. Sometimes it is difficult to keep up with. We both trade off on going to the girls’ activities. It is a family oriented program. I love seeing the end product of their work – preparing a project talk and then delivering it. They have learned so much by doing this, and the rewards are huge. I could always tell, even in college, the people that had 4-H experience. They will see even more rewards later, as they continue to have more experience.
What we value:
I think it helps make families stronger.
My kids enjoy the fun stuff now, but I think as they get older they will value the skills and relationships built.
Why 4-H is a great activity for city/town families:
4-H offers the opportunity to learn from so many people, and learn together as a family.
Manhattan, Kansas
CiCo Shamrocks 4-H Club (meets third Thursday at Pottorf Hall;)
Why we got involved in 4-H:
My husband grew up with 4-H. His Mom was an extension agent. His family was very active, so he always knew that he wanted his children involved. I like it because it is a family activity. It not an activity where you drop your kids off and leave. You participate as a family. His Mom even comes to help the girls with their projects too. It is a great way for Grandma to spend time with the girls. For us, it is three generations working together, especially during the summer months.
What we do in 4-H:
Club Roles:
Piper: Recording Secretary – She did not want to take on a bigger responsibility, but we encouraged her to do that, and she is ready to step up and try a new role. She is also a 4-H Council Representative, which is a big role too. Piper will be attending meetings on a county-wide level and bringing information back to our club.
Paige: Song Leader – This is the perfect office for a younger member. She has such fun picking out a song to sing with the club at each meeting. She is looking forward to this office this year.
Mark: He helps out as a leader, by serving as a consultant. He helps out when the other leaders need a back up assistant.
Courtney: We offer an extra set of hands to help out wherever needed. I started helping out with the club project meetings. I am an extra Mom to help out with the knitting group. I don’t know how to knit, but I can help the kids get their supplies ready and can answer some questions while the lead Mom teaches.
We serve on various committees: Float, Banner, and Club Achievement Celebration Night. The girls like creating and making things, so the active committees like float and banner are perfect.
Projects/Activities:
Piper: Sewing, Foods, Leadership. Our kitchen becomes a test kitchen during the Foods/Nutrition project! Piper attended Discovery Days and had a great time. Piper made friends with a lot of the older girls, and we think that is cool that she knows all these girls around the county.
Paige: Sewing, Foods, Knitting. Knitting is hard – but Paige really did learn to knit. She even took her project on vacation, and picked up a real skill. Paige took her 4-H knitting project to her day care and started a group there. So now, Paige is part of two knitting groups! They made head bands this summer. Paige also loves to bring friends to our club meetings. Paige also attended camp with a friend.
Our favorite things:
Piper – Foods- She loves fun food; food that is fun to eat and fun to make. The girls did a meeting on holiday foods and would do things that were fun. One meeting was on healthy foods too. Each Food/Nutrition project meeting has a theme. The older members serve as leaders with adults too, so it is a fun way to get to know the older club members.
Paige – Sewing- She loves to make stuff. Paige made pillowcases this year. These items were donated to the homeless shelter. The club sewing group creates special projects each year. The club group, in the past, has sewn dolls for children in the hospital; towel accessories for the crisis center; head wraps for cancer patients and blankets for babies. Paige made two pillowcases with the group, and then really got the hang of it. So, she made two more to give away!
Our involvement as parents::
Getting them places is a huge commitment. Sometimes it is difficult to keep up with. We both trade off on going to the girls’ activities. It is a family oriented program. I love seeing the end product of their work – preparing a project talk and then delivering it. They have learned so much by doing this, and the rewards are huge. I could always tell, even in college, the people that had 4-H experience. They will see even more rewards later, as they continue to have more experience.
What we value:
I think it helps make families stronger.
My kids enjoy the fun stuff now, but I think as they get older they will value the skills and relationships built.
Why 4-H is a great activity for city/town families:
4-H offers the opportunity to learn from so many people, and learn together as a family.
