Waldo County 4H Newsletter

4-H members are encouraged to complete and submit end of the year project record sheets to their local county extension office for 4-H county recognition. 4-H project records are important documents that are necessary for state and national opportunities, awards and future scholarship consideration.

All project record sheets need to be turned in at the Waldo County extension office by the end of the day on Monday, October 1, 2007. Youth participating in the Fryeburg fair must notify the county 4-H staff of their fair participation and will be expected to get their project record sheets in no later than the following Tuesday. Project record sheets will be returned to 4-H members during the annual 4-H achievement recognition night in November.

This is a great time to share and reflect with other 4-H youth, volunteers and 4-H staff what kind of learning experiences happened and the life skills you used to accomplish goals through your 4-H work. Be sure to include in your records results from participating in the fairs and other related events!

Are your 4-H club members showing animals and/or project exhibits at the local fairs this summer? If so, why not have two or three members write a news article to the daily and weekly papers highlighting the involvement of your members at the fairs. This can:

You may also submit 4-H news articles and digital or original photos for the 4-H on the Move newsletter. Be sure to attach a sticky note on the back with names, event, what is happening in the picture and who to return the pictures to.

Copies of the Equine Affaire have arrived here in the Waldo County Office. For detailed, continuously–updated information on Equine Affaire, you can go to www.equineaffaire.com. The Equine Affaire will take place at the Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA, on November 8-11, 2007.

At the May, 2007, 4-H Volunteer Recognition Night, one of the activities involved answering… What is one question you have about your role as a 4-H volunteer? We commit to answering these questions in future 4-H newsletters for all volunteers and families. The date indicates the month we anticipate providing a short article about each question.

Volunteer Question Corner

Q. Why don’t kids participate in more activities outside of the county?

A. Participating in more activities outside of the county (CWF, Teen Conference, EDGE, livestock activities and shows, fairs) depends on …

getting the word out about events and activities

understanding what these events are about and if it is of interest to the 4-H Volunteer and youth

scheduling transportation for youth whose families are busy with work and other activities

having a parent or guardian present at a specific one day 4-H show during the work week or fairs where youth are required to be on the grounds 3 – 10 days with their animals

not wanting to leave the county area because they aren’t travelers or even having the extra money that comes along with participating (money for gas, trailers for moving animals)

planning ahead with all the resources in place so that participation can happen

Q. Why are there so many deadlines associated with livestock? (ESE steer, ESE lamb, Windsor Fair, approval forms, etc.)

A. I agree, there are a lot of them and it is difficult to keep track of them all. The general approval forms for all animals not going to Eastern States or the market steers and market lambs for Windsor and Fryeburg Fairs are now due June 30, except for the fairs that are early like Houlton and Bangor.

The market steers and market lambs being shown at Windsor Fair and Fryeburg Fair have their own specific set of deadlines since those animals need an additional form of identification with microchip tags to be shown at these fairs. It takes some special scheduling to get those animals tagged.

All the other various deadlines for approval forms for animals going to Eastern States have to do with deadlines that are required by Eastern States in Massachusetts as well as the Animal Science Committees that must organize the tryouts in order to pick the teams. Each commodity has its own challenges holding their tryouts around other events and need those approval forms in advance to make plans for those events. Michaele Bailey, 4-H Activities and Events Coordinator

Maine has tried to get the dates more uniform. The earlier dates are mostly due to fair requirements (Maine fairs and ESE). Youth need to own the animals early enough in the year to have the experience as well as to plan their events. Donna Flint, Animal Science Committee

We need pictures of independent and club 4-H members and volunteers in the “doing of 4-H” – this is your 4-H project work.

4-H photographs that can be framed (8”x10” or 9”x12”) You do not need to do the framing unless you choose to do so for a club project Digital photos (email to conniec@umext.maine.edu) 35 mm snap shot photos (drop off to the Waldo County Extension Office) Old 4-H newspapers or clippings, 4-H artifacts, ribbons, trophies, items for the display cabinet Visual presentations, crafts, sewing projects, canning exhibit, etc. Space is limited – first come first served basis.

All photos, artifacts and other items must be in the Waldo County Extension office by August 31, 2007 unless other arrangements are made with Joyce Weaver or Anne Ambrose.

On Saturday, July 7, 2007, 4-H Volunteers Wayne and Jen Schofield, hosted a sheep and market lamb clinic. Two Franklin County 4-H youth who have had six years experience working with livestock animals volunteered to help out with the clinic. Special thanks go out to Teresa and Ashlie Hardy and Wayne and Jen for hosting this clinic. Six 4-H members from the Little Beavers 4-H Club participated learning many new skills including …

4-H Club leader, Marilyn Schofield, shares “I was really impressed with the attention and work done by all the 4-H members and how much they were able to cover in the amount of time we had for this clinic.” Two classes on judging were offered with Katahdin Lambs (which are the hair ones) and the wool sheep (Dorset and Suffolk crosses). 4-H’ers were given showmanship pointers as they worked with their animals. Before winding up the clinic, 4-H members worked on their project record sheets with a pleasing result of over 80% of the project record sheets getting done. We had a break and had hamburgs and hot dogs for lunch. A great time by all. Way to go, Little Beavers!

Maine 4-H Youth Development programs are research-based and founded on the principles of positive youth development.

Teacher to Deliver Lessons In Space

The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour, which is scheduled to begin an 11-day mission Aug. 7, will conduct a variety of educational activities, with a key role played by teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara R. Morgan, NASA announced yesterday.

The activities targeted to K-12 students are add-ons to the shuttle crew’s primary missions, which include attaching a huge truss segment to the orbiting International Space Station.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Ms. Morgan, a former elementary school science teacher from Boise, Idaho, will operate the shuttle’s mechanical arm to transfer equipment from the shuttle to the space station, NASA officials said at a July 10 press briefing.

Maine Day at the “Big E” Bus Trip

It’s time to reserve seats for the buses traveling to Eastern States Exposition (ESE or also called the “Big E”) in West Springfield, Massachusetts for Maine Day on Saturday, September 29, 2007. This one-day trip is sponsored by the Maine Trustees of the Eastern States Exposition to encourage Maine 4-Hers who don’t presently participate in events at ESE to see the activities that go on for 4-H youth in hopes to bolster their enthusiasm to participate in the future. Two buses are reserved for us and the northernmost bus will originate in Bangor and they will stop at several points on I-95. Seats fill up quickly, and we will begin taking registrations on Monday, August 13, 2007.

All youth must go with a chaperone, but since this event is primarily for youth, seats are limited to no more than two adults per child. The bus ride and admission to the “Big E” are free, but all individuals on this trip are expected to march in the parade at 5 pm. It works well if you wear a 4-H tee shirt if you have one and for clubs to bring their club banner to display during the parade.

Items you might want to bring along with you are: light snacks, water, a good book, G-rated movies (there is a DVD/VCR on the bus), a pillow, and a blanket. There will be rest stops along the way. Other items to consider bringing: clothing to identify your club, a comfortable pair of walking shoes, a hat with a visor, sun glasses, sun screen, a back pack, personal spending money, a camera, and a watch. If you have a cell phone, it will be helpful for logistics. Please include your cell phone number when you register.

Please leave valuable items at home. We will not be responsible for lost or stolen items. Bus stops will be determined based on location of riders. Reservations must be made in writing or by e-mail to:

Jessy Brainerd
103 Libby Hall
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5741,
or email jbrainerd@umext.maine.edu

When you register, please give your name, address, home phone and cell phone number if you have one. Please give the names of all the people in your group and indicate if they are a child or adult. Reservations are due by Friday, August 31, 2007. A confirmation letter will be sent to you two weeks before the trip giving you the time and pick up location. Pick up will be bright and early in the morning, but the return trip will be staggered. One bus will leave right after the parade; the second bus will leave after the evening events. So when you register, let us know if you’d like to return on the early or late bus.

For questions, you may contact Jessy Brainerd or Michaele Bailey at 800-287-0274 or 581-3877.

Youth In Action Teen Conference 2007

“It was excellent, I would not change anything”, was one of the quotes at the end of the Teen Conference.

Forty-two teens and 12 adults came together for an incredible conference at Sunday River from July 13-16th. Four tracks focused on Entrepreneurship, Leadership through the Arts, Digital Video, Photography, and Web Design, and Healthy Living. Teens were given the opportunity to learn about the teams and join the leadership PLT’s if they are interested. Participants in the tracks were able to learn new and exciting skills to bring back to their clubs and counties. Teen Leadership groups gave direction to creating the overall conference and planning many group challenges such as 4-H Fear Factor and 4-H Deal or No Deal.

In the Entrepreneurial Track participants learned all about brainstorming businesses, advertising and marketing, business strategies and were able to see first hand a 4-H member’s rabbit business website. The Art of Leadership included discussions on the qualities important in leadership roles, a combined mural of the “traits of Leadership”, and work on the proposal for next year’s Teen Leadership experience. Physical activity through games, healthy nutrition and balanced diets, and the focus of leadership groups working together all helped to build the Healthy Living Track, and the creation of an amazing digital video and slide presentation became the focus of the Technology Track. In addition teens learned about web design, GPS/GIS technology, and helped to create a geo cache treasure hunt.

The event ended with a showcase presented by each of the tracks and everyone got a “taste” of the entire weekend. The group discussed the creation of a Virtual Teen Council with opportunities to join the 4-H Leadership Teams at the state level. All teens are welcome to join the Council and teams. Please contact the following staff for more information: Teen Council and 4-H Youth in Governance: Barb Baker 1-800-287-1485, Susan Jennings 1-800-287-1482, Science, engineering and Technology: Lisa Phelps 1-800-287-1471, Healthy Lifestyles: Karen Hatch Gagne 1-800-287-1481, or Ellie Libby 1-800-244-2104, Earth Connections: Jon Prichard 1-800-287-1535.

Grants Available from the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation

The Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation offers grant funding for 4-H club programs, group travel, and 4-H projects. Descriptions of all of these grants can be found at http://www.umaine.edu/4hfoundation/funding.htm.
Some grants have a deadline of September 1, 2007.

VOLT Training at the Hancock County Extension Office

September 15, 2007 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

For more information, contact Joyce Fortier at 1-800-287-1479 or 667-8212.

Maine Family Times is a newsletter from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension for families with children aged five through eighteen. Ask your local Extension Office for a copy. It will soon be available on line at the UMCE Website. Our goal is to provide families with information about developing and maintaining healthy family relationships and to share ways parents can nurture themselves. The current issue, Making Time for Family includes ideas about spending time together as a family including 4-H is Family Time.

REMINDER - MORRIS SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE

If you are interested in this scholarship, remember the deadline to apply is August 17, 2007. For more information, refer to the article in the July 4-H On the Move newsletter.

4-H FAIR INFORMATION

Fair rules and regulations are now available on the Waldo County 4-H Web Calendar for:

Click on the text in blue for 4-H fair information or you can call or stop by the county office to request a copy of the fair information you need.

4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills.

Educate and empower Maine youth through hands-on and community based experiences.

Maine youth acquire the knowledge, life skills, leadership abilities and attitudes to help them succeed now and in the future

through effective collaborations, hands-on experiential education and self-directed learning.

Last Modified: 10/21/08
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Information in this web site is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned in this web site. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.

If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in a UMCE program, please contact your county office to discuss your needs. For assistance via a TTY line call 1-800-287-8957.


Noah learning how to shear	Colleen showing Alex how to tie the halter strap	Colleen shearing while Ashlie holds the lamb


Nicole learning to tie her halter rope so you can untie it quickly if needed	Shaynen judging Kimmie’s lamb