any parents who have children involved in 4h

[mikensara]

After a horrifying and tragic weekend. our 8 year old daughter was devastated when we put our geriatric australian shepard mix down. I was looking to see what clubs or activities we could interest her in with our menagerie of pets. (we seem to adopt just about everything but reptiles) I did some research on 4h and I think it sounds challenging and rewarding. So I was wondering if anyone can tell us about their experience with 4h and can tell us about the community services projects they have done.

 

[Southernbelle]

I loved 4-H when I was in it. I loved meeting other kids, loved 4-H camp and showing my animals in the county fair. My kids aren't involved, yet. They only have 4 4-H groups in this county and none of them fit my kids' interests.

Girl or Boy Scouts are a great option, too. There's always animal related badges to earn.

 

[Spookwriter]

Second year 4-H parent here. Several great groups in our area.
Most to do with some sort of livestock or animals. Monthly meetings.
Summer cookouts.

Do? Parades, fund raisers, camp (which I can't bear to let her go to)
Fair...camping at the fair. Scholarships.

But the biggest advantage I see? Her getting to know people, and being
a productive member of HER community.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Sense scouts was mentioned I thought I would mention the less well known Explorers. http://exploring.learningforlife.org/

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I'm a 4-H parent and both of my kids are involved.

Because 4-H have a strong volunteer leadership component it can vary somewhat from county to county and state to state as to what is available. But there is a LOT your kids can do with animals (among many other areas) if you choose to that way.

The first thing I would do is contact your county Cooperative Extension office then ask to speak with the 4-H specialist. They should be able to tell you what clubs you have available in your local area and give you an idea which one may be the best fit for your family. If none of them really do it for you it may be possible to simply become a Member At Large without a specific club affiliation.

From there you can then explore your kids interests. There is a lot more to 4-H than agriculture and home economics and they can do far more than simply show at a local or state fair so ask about curriculum when you talk to the extension specialist.

There is a national website that you may find useful: http://www.4-h.org/

Specifically look at some of their curriculum offerings: http://www.4-h.org/resource-library/curriculum/.

Your local and state offices may have some curriculum offerings of their own not available on the national level.

My oldest daughter is in the Intermediate Class (11 to 14 years old) and my youngest is a Cloverbud (6-8) years old. Between them they are doing or have done projects in poultry, robotics, Florida wildlife, marine science, and ecology.

If you want them to be successful there is a high parental involvement quotient here, particularly for young kids. By this I mean the kids have to do the work, but the parents have to supply the encouragement and access to the resources needed for them to be able to get it done. You get what you pay for. But it is definitely worthwhile making the effort because of the positive benefit it brings to the kids.

Good luck!

 

[chickenman98]

I (I'm a teen) was in 4H because I was gonna show my chickens, but I had to much work to do around the farm.

 

[kagedgoddess]

My son is in cloverbud 4h and its fumn Sometimes. We do two parades, county fair, and some other stuff. My son looses intreset and cant participate much yet. But it is different in every area and every club. Our club seems to be mostly a marketing stradegy for local dairey goat breeders which is why he doesnt have much fun. But our area also has a "crazy pets club" which was created by the old goat club leader and it sounds like a lot of fun and its not divided up by ages. I agree with the privious poster in that you should contact your extension office and ask about 4h clubs. If there isnt one already you could maybe start one.

 

[LittleChickenLady]

I did all ten years of 4h and also two years of mini 4h.
I think that it is an awesome experience that all kids should be able to at least try.
I can't believe how many people don't even know about it..
Even if you don't have animals, there are lots of projects that kids can get into.
4h is also a great way for kids to make friends with similar interests.

You'd just need to go to the extension office and get a 4h project book.
It should show you everything available and even give you details on what to expect during the project.