Well the girls have finally picked their projects. I limit them to 3 each so they can take the time to do a better job.

Lindsey picked: Horseless Horse, Creative Art, and Exploring Animals

Megan picked: Photography, Fun with Friends (a health project) and Let's Explore the Outdoors

Kadia picked: Creative Art, First Aid, and Fun with Party Foods

Let us know what projects your kids are taking if they are in 4-H...

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 23, 2002

Answers

What is a horseless horse?

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), February 23, 2002.

I limit my kids to two projects because one is usually livestock. My boys have both bred pigs so they do breeding and showing pojects with them. My daughter does breeding projects with her Jacob sheep - she wanted something she didn't have to butcher. Middle son and daughter have also shown dogs with success at the state fair. Don't think son is going to show dogs this year but I think that my daughter will show one of the Great Pyrenees dogs.

-- Joanie (ber-gust@prodigy.net), February 23, 2002.

Hi there! Isn't 4H great? I've been a leader for two years and my DD has been in it for 6 years. Horseless horse is for those members who are interested in horses and doing projects with horses but don't own a horse. In our area, if you join horseless horse, you can also be teamed with someone with a horse and use that horse for your projects. There are many other projects you can do in horseless horse - model horse showing, arts, crafts, reports, posters, etc. My DD was in horseless horse the year before she went into horses. Its a good stepping stone.

This year my DD is in: Photography 1, Pets 2, Horse 2, Rabbits 3, Vegetables 3, Foods & Nutrition 3, Flowers 3 & Houseplants 2. She has done everything but photography before. Each year she likes to try something new. Last year was sewing, the year before child development.

Of course fair time is the most hectic time of the year for us (mid August). She usually brings 30-38 exhibits in. This year will be the first time we bring her horse and try to juggle the horse show with the rabbit show and pet show. Its gonna be crazy!

-- Lisa in WI (llehman16nospam@hotmail.com), February 23, 2002.

Right about Horseless Horse, you can also take it if you own one (which we do) and just don't want to take a horse to the fair (which I don't!!)

I might enter a few things this year. I haven't for a few years. Last time I enterd canned goods and won all first palce ribbons for all of my entries and won Best of Show for my canned goods display, which is 10-12 jars in a display with certain categories having to be met.

I am an advisor this year too for the first time. I have had kids on 4-H for 7 years and we all love it.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 23, 2002.

whats 4H ?

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 23, 2002.

It is a club for children, which is celebrating it's 100th year this year! It used to be mostly agricultural based, with projects in all kinds of animals, gardening and also things like cooking and sewing. Now it is a little broader based with over 100 projects kids can take about many areas.

Some examples are listed above, but others are things like welding, electricity, wood working, all types of outdoor projects, almost anything you can think of. The 4-H clubs meet once a month and learn how to run meetings, and at ours they give talks in health, safety, energy, and litter, and some kind of demonstration once a year. We also perform many community service projects each year.

The 4 H's stand for "head, heart, hands, and health" It is symbolized by a 4 leaf clover.

It is one of the best programs for kids I know of. The children recive a book with activities in their project. They fill it out, doing everything in the book and writing a report about their experiences. They then go to a county judging day, taking the book, the report, and something to show the judge. Like if you did a cooking project you take a table setting, and a sample of the food you made. You receive a grade of A, B, or C and a percentage and a rank of 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

The club usually displays their projects at the County Fair, and if you win 1st and sometimes 2nd place you can go to state judging at the state fair. My oldest daughter has many times qualified for state competiton for all of her projects. We went once and she won't go back now! She is happy just competing at the county level.

I think that about covers it!!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 23, 2002.

This is from the Ohio 4-H site.

Nearly 300,000 Ohio youth are enrolled in 4-H youth development programs and activities in 2001. The 4-H program utilizes four primary delivery methods to educate youth. These methods include community clubs and school enrichment, special emphasis, and camping programs.

Three types of learning experiences are emphasized in 4-H youth development programs and activities: hands-on (making, producing, practicing, observing, etc.); organized activities (demonstrations, workshops, field trips, camps, etc.); and leadership/citizenship (conducting, planning, assisting, informing, organizing, etc.)

4-H offers learning experiences in more than 200 subject matter areas. Some of these subject matter areas include: health, family life, photography, aerospace science, bicycles, natural resources, safety, horticulture and nutrition.

4-H programs have branched out into urban areas. Last year, more than 28 percent of all Ohio 4-Her's were living in towns and cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000. More than 16 percent were living in cities and suburbs with populations greater than 50,000.

Volunteers are an essential part of the overall 4-H program. Approximately 30,000 youth and adult volunteers participate in the Ohio 4-H program this year. 4-H volunteers have the opportunity to contribute their time, energies, talents, and knowledge to help develop 4-H youth in a positive, educational way.

One out of every six people in Ohio has been or is currently involved with 4-H youth development programs either as a member, parent, volunteer, or donor. There are currently 45 million 4-H alumni nationwide.

The Ohio 4-H program is coordinated by County, District and State 4-H Youth Development professionals, who are staff members of Ohio State University Extension. 4-H Youth Development is represented by over 100 4-H Youth Development Agents working in each of the 88 Ohio counties.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the 4-H program should call their county OSU Extension Office. The telephone number is usually listed under "Ohio State University Extension" or under "Ohio Cooperative Extension Service" in the county government section of the phone book.

The official 4-H emblem is a green, four-leaf clover with a white "H" on each clover leaf. The four H's stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.

The official 4-H motto is: "To Make the Best Better."

The official 4-H pledge is as follows: "I pledge My Head to clearer thinking, My Heart to greater loyalty, My Hands to larger service and My Health to better living, for My Club, My Community, My Country and My World."

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 23, 2002.

Melissa (and others) - I see our clubs vary in the way they present their projects. We have the same project books as you do, but we don't have to bring them to judging. We maintain a record book throughout the year, documenting dates things are done, who with, if we taught someome else about them, who we received help from, what we learned, what our goals are and why what we learned will be important in years to come. Very detailed and time-consuming! But its really a joy to watch your child be recognized for all the hard work they've put forth.

My DD (brag time here) won two grand champions at the fair last year (best of show), and at the county awards banquet received the 2001 Sportsmanship award in Horse. It was a very tough 4H year....she almost was killed (literally) at a 4H horse camp in May (the horse reared up on her as she was mounting, threw her to the ground, spun around and fell on her, rolled over her, kicked her three times in the head, once in the face, shoulder and chest- WEAR HELMETS!). Then after 6 weeks of working with that horse again intensively, she was able to show him in a professional horse show. The next day, she rode him in a parade. After the parade, they decided to ride the horses back to the stables - a two hour ride. At the very end, the lead horses saw their stables and took off full speed. Needless to say my DD wasn't prepared and went off and broke her shoulder. That end of her show season! But she was back in the saddle again as soon as she could.

My reason behind telling that story is because I really think 4H can really change and inspire kids. If it weren't for 4H, I don't know if she would still be riding. Along with riding, in the past couple of years she has learned to cook, sew, take photographs, garden, arrange flowers, grow houseplants, work in her community and speak publically.

Okay, I've rambled way too long...sorry! I'll wrap it up now by saying 4H is the best organization to belong to!

-- Lisa in WI (llehman16nospam@hotmail.com), February 23, 2002.

Sounds like our books has the records built in already. There are pages to write dates and everything you do. Some of the books are over 50 pages long, and it is a lot of work to do everything!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 23, 2002.

My daughter is signed up for poultry, sewing, food and nutrition, and fine arts. My two boys (both age 8) are involved in Entomology, forestry, computers, and geology.

My daughter is sewing a pair of slacks (with zipper), and a button down blouse. She is on her fourth year of adding recipes to her recipe notebook, which went to state and won a champion ribbon last year. She is also showing poultry again this year (she has won showmanship the last four years!), and will be giving an educational talk on Blue Andalusians - blue genetics. For fine arts she will exhibit her calligraphy and oil painting.

The boys will put together another insect box (pinned insects from 10 different orders), and a forestry notebook with at least 10 pressed native specimens. Steve is designing a brochure for our farmer's market booth for his computer project. Both boys are in geology just for the fun of it (no project yet!). Whew!

We love being involved with 4H and the county/state fairs.

-- Lisa Langford (langfordfam@proaxis.com), February 23, 2002.

This will be Mike's 2nd year as a clover buddy but we have not picked the project yet. He will be showing a goat in the open show though. Shannon is raising market turkeys and showing her pyrenees. She might show in open goat show too.

-- kathy in NE Ohio (kathy0801@msn.com), February 23, 2002.

Our daughter is in her second year of 4H this year. She did a rabbit project last year and did very well. She also got a herdsmanship ribbon for her extra hard work in the rabbit barn. The experience of showing and answering the judges questions was wonderful for her. This year she will raise a trio of meat rabbits to sell in the youth auction. The community is very supportive and the kids usually make good money for next years projects. 4H is a great opportunity!

-- Darcy in NW WA (gatecity@nomail.com), February 25, 2002.

well my teacher mr.downs said we have to pick a project and don't know what to do should i do something with tooth paste like get a egg and put it in coffe to see what coffe stain gets off with what to paste .

-- Maria hergena hernandez (luvcarlosever112002@yahoo.com), August 24, 2002.