4-H Flash Newsletter

April 2008

Volume 3, Issue 3

Calendar

May 16-17 State Shooting Sports Training
May 17-18 4-H EDGE Weekend 2007 UMaine campus
May 30-June 1 Jamboree
June 27-29 Maine 4-H Days
June 29-July 3 Horse Camp
July 5-12 CWF

For a complete listing of what’s happening in 4-H  check out the 4-H Calendar  Page at: http://www.maine4h.umaine.edu/calendarpage.htm.

4-H Demonstrations

 The second annual Demonstration Event was held in Washington County on Saturday, April 5^th.  Three 4-H members participated in this year’s event. Hannah Sprague won first place for her demonstration of making stain glass fudge; Lydia Mather won second place for showing the audience how to make potato salad; and Alexandrea Willey placed third by showing the crowd how to make molasses horse treats.  Judges this year were Jane Bell and Marcia Bernhardt.  Great work ladies!

Colleen’s Corner

 Spring is finally springing as we see less of the white stuff.  New clubs are kicking off around the county boosting up our enrollment!  Demonstrations went off without a hitch despite a basketball tournament that some of our participants were involved in.  Congrats again to Hannah Sprague who took best overall demonstration for the second year.  She is shaping up to be 4-H's very own Rachel Ray!  Lydia's potato salad was just what I needed to get me in the barbeque mood.  Alex Willey whipped up some gooey molasses horse treats.  She told us her grandfather Wayne Hanscom taste tested them... so we all gave them a try.  Neigh!

Washington County 4-H'ers, please join me in welcoming back our educator Jen Lobley.  Jen has been on sabbatical for the past six months researching volunteerism in other states.  She will be sharing with us some of what she learned in the near future.  Although she is back in the office full time, she is still adjusting to office life and wrapping up some last minute projects from sabbatical.  I will continue to cover general 4-H club/volunteer questions and concerns as usual.

Second Annual 4H Robotics Expo 

On Saturday, March 29, over 50 youth joined their coaches and parents for the 2nd Annual 4H Robotics Exposition held at the Elm Street School in East Machias.  Students from area schools spent the morning showing off their robotic and non-robotic creations to judges and the public.  After lunch, the youth participated in some fun hands-on learning stations in the Robotics Skill-a-thon.  The day ended with a brief awards ceremony.  Special thanks to our judges, Tom Bickford of Maine Robotics, the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation and the Perloff Family Foundation for their work and financial support to help make this event a success! 

Congratulations go to:

Calais Elementary School:  Best Robot

The EdGE: Best Non-Robotic Creation

Machias Valley Christian: Teamwork Award

Charlotte Elementary: Best Overall Project

Maine State 4-H News

1. Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF)

This summer, 4-H members from Maine will participate in Citizenship Washington Focus July 5 to 12, 2008 in Washington DC. CWF is a leadership program conducted by the National 4-H Council for high school youth ages 15 to 18.

Delegations of 4-Hers from across the country spend six days touring the city and attending leadership skill-building workshops.

Each county has their own selection process and applications have closed for this year. If you are interested for next year, you can find more information on our website at www.umext.maine.edu/4h/events/cwf.htm.

2. VOLT Training Corner

VOLT training will be held on April 26, in Piscataquis County from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Please bring your lunch, completed application forms, and a $5.00 fee for the notebook and materials. No one will be turned away for lack of money. Location will be at the Piscataquis County Cooperative Extension Office, 165 East Main, Dover- Foxcroft. Please register ahead at 942-7396 or in Maine 1-800-287-1485.

3. Maine 4-H Days

Mark you calendars now for Maine 4-H Days this summer at Windsor Fairgrounds, June 27, 28, and 29. It will be a weekend full of personal enrichment workshops as well as livestock events. Camping is encouraged and entire families are welcome.

4. National 4-H Trips

It is time to apply for the National 4-H Trips, Conference and Congress. To apply please fill out an application and submit your 4-H Story and your Resume. Mail your completed application to the State 4-H Office. Guidelines for writing your 4-H story can be found at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/events.htm and click on the event you wish to apply for. Interviews will be held in Orono on Saturday, May 3rd.

You may also pick up an application at your local County Extension office. Nat’l 4-H Congress will be held 11/28/08 – 12/2/08 in Atlanta and Nat’l 4-H Conference will be held in Washington DC 3/28/09 – 4/2/09.

 Applications must be postmarked by April 15, 2008.

5. Teen Conference on Wheels

Save the date for Teen Conference on Wheels - July 14 to 17, 2008 featuring Citizenship, Leadership and Entrepreneurship themes being planned by the Youth in Governance Program Leadership Team.

6. Tanglewood Hosts Open House

Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center, a program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, will host two open houses, April 20 and May 11, at both Lincolnville and Tenants Harbor camps from 1:00 – 4:30 pm. Parents and potential campers will have the opportunity to meet Tanglewood staff, explore the camps, participate in ecology activities, and go on hikes through the woods.

Affordable program offerings for 2008 include family camps and a variety of youth day and residential, discovery, and leadership camps for ages 5-18 years old. New programs this year include residential camp and family camp at Blueberry Cove in Tenants Harbor. Tanglewood is partnering with the St. George Sailing Foundation to offer quality sailing programs at the seaside camp. Also new this summer is a Leadership Development program for teens where participants will get a chance to climb Mount Katahdin!

To see or request a catalog or for more information visit www.tanglewood4h.org or call (207) 789-5868.

7. Dog Camp at Maine 4-H Days

Dog Camp will begin on Friday, June 27, and continue through the 28 and 29 at the Windsor Fairgrounds. Dog Camp is open to Maine 4-H participants of all ages and experience levels even if you do not wish to attend ESE for dog. This year our breed group focus will be on the Toy Group and as always the major focus will be on having fun with our dogs.

Planning is still in progress but we have some exciting events underway. This year there will be a presentation about behavior counseling through the use of Bach Flower remedies. We will also have Showmanship and Obedience workshops for multiple experience levels. Back by popular demand this year are Agility workshops, a pizza party, and Quiz Bowl. Dog camp is always a fun and informative experience for everyone and we hope to see you there!

8. 2008 Northeast Regional Volunteer Forum

The 2008 Northeast Regional Volunteer Forum will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire from October 23-26, 2008.

For more details, a promotional flyer is available on our website at:

http://extension.unh.edu/4H/4HVol/08NEVF.htm

The full registration brochure will be available in May. Stay Tuned! We look forward to seeing you in the fall!

9. State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest and Eastern States Judging Team Selection

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Judge – James Davis

For a complete schedule, go to: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/dairy/judging.htm

For more information contact:

Dr. David Marcinkowski, Associate Professor and Dairy Specialist, UMaine Extension

Ext., Phone: 1-800-287-7170 (Instate Toll Free) or 207-581-2740,

Email: davidm@umext.maine.edu

10. 4-H EDGE: Connecting Kids to Campus May 17 and 18, 2008

Find all the latest EDGE information – workshop choices, registration forms (coming soon), maps, program schedules and other information as it becomes available at the 4-H EDGE website http://extension.umaine.edu/4h/events/edge.htm

It’s time to register for this year’s 4-H EDGE: Connecting Kids to Campus. This year’s 4-H EDGE is bigger and more exciting than ever!

• If you are an 11to15 year old 4-H member, we have an exciting weekend planned for you including 29 different workshops for you to choose from. You might learn about sensor technology, biomedical robotics, tracking whales with GIS, marine botany, technical theater, robotics, museum display design, and geometric origami to name just a few of the choices. There are math workshops, art workshops, new chances to explore the meaning of gender equity and the topic of bullying from a university perspective. Explore many faces of engineering – wood composites, civil engineering, biological engineering, lasers, and surface technology. You will stay over night in Oxford Hall, eat in one of the University Commons, swim in the new Recreation and Fitness Center, see the new Physics Road show and have a great time with 4-H members from around the state.

The cost for this weekend will be $50 per person. Second and additional members from the same family can come for $35 each. To get a registration form, go to the 4-H EDGE website: http://extension.umaine.edu/4h/events/edge.htm or call your county office and ask to have one mailed to you. We expect to have the registration forms posted on-line on March 24.

Deadline for registration is April 25.

• If you are a 4-H member ages 16-18, we are preparing a day-long experience to introduce you to some of the information given to prospective UMaine students in the Open House program. You will participate in a campus tour, and then have an afternoon series of sessions giving you lots of information on what to expect as you go through the college application process and what life might be like as a new college student.

• Also for 4-H adults – In order to make the 4-H EDGE weekend safe and fun, we are asking for some volunteers to help chaperone the 11-15 year old portion of this event. Chaperones will arrive with the youth on May 17 and stay until the end of the program on May 18 and will be able to participate in the workshops and other activities or can choose to attend the parent sessions on Saturday if they wish. If we have more volunteers than we can use, we will try to make sure we have at least one from each county that has youth attending. We will notify you either way by the end of April. Chaperones will not need to  pay the registration fee. You can volunteer to become a chaperone by using the Adult registration form found on the EDGE website.

11. Horse Team Study Sessions

Study Sessions for Hippology, Horse Judging, Quiz Bowl and the Communications Teams will be held one Tuesday night a month at high schools around the state via video conference. You do not need to be a team member to participate and tryouts for these teams will be on May 20 during the video conference. The next dates are: April 15, 6-8 pm May 20, 6-8 pm

At these locations:

Cape Elizabeth High School, Houlton High

Messalonskee High, Oakland Mt. Blue High, Farmington

Nokomis High, Newport Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, S. Paris

Presque Isle High School Searsport District High School

For information on the tryout dates and times for the Hippology, Horse Judging, Quiz Bowl and the Communications Teams, please check the Horse Page on our website at www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse.htm or contact Kate Slattery at slatterk@sad44.org for more information.

12. Nurture Nature Kids Drawing Contest

Maine children in grades 3-7 are invited to participate in a statewide reusable bag drawing contest. The winning artist will have their design printed on 1000 special Bulletin Bags, receive public recognition and win a $100 gift card!

As a leader at the Maine 4-H you have direct interaction with the age groups eligible for the contest. Please take a moment to register here: http://www.bulletinbag.com/component/option,com_chronocontact/chronoformname,KidsCare/ for a Nurture Nature Contest Kit, which you can give to your Youth Coordinators and have available to kids who use your facilities.

The kits include information about the problems with disposable paper and plastic bags, entry forms, official rules and a return envelope for mailing completed forms (please allow 2 weeks to receive your Contest Kit).

The first 1000 children who enter will be sent a free Bulletin Bag printed with the winning artwork AND be entered to win more great prizes (stay tuned for prize details!). The contest ends April 30, 2008.

13. Horse Vaccination Requirement

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will require certain vaccinations for horses who participate in 4-H events during the 2008 season:

4-Hers attending 4-H horse events in 2008 must provide proof of current, annual vaccination for rabies as well as a current, annual Coggins test done by a veterinarian. EVH-1 and Equine Influenza are also required. Horse owners may, however, administer their own EVH-1 and Equine Influenza inoculations and a sales receipt will be sufficient evidence for proof of vaccination.” EVH-1 and Equine Influenza are considered effective for six months. Plan the timing of your inoculations with your last event in mind.

If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact your county Extension office or you can call the State 4-H Office at 1-800-287-0274.

14. Horse Tryouts for Eastern States

The Eastern States tryouts for the horse team will be held June 20, 21, and 22, 2008 at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. Maine 4-Hers who would like to try out for the horse team can find the packet at www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse.htm. Members who cannot access the packet on the website can contact their county Cooperative Extension Office for a packet.

4-Hers who intend to participate in the Horse Tryouts also need to fill out an Intent to Participate form and send it in by April 1. The intent form is at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/forms/eseintents/horse.htm . Also your horse approval form is due by April 1 only if you are trying out for Eastern States.

15. Market Lambs for Windsor and Fryeburg Fairs

You are no longer required to send an Intent to Participate Form for Market Lambs being shown at Windsor and Fryeburg Fairs, however, if you are planning to show at these fairs, you still need an Approval Form and to have your lambs tagged. There are four lamb tagging sites this year and bringing your lamb to one of them for tagging will constitute your intent to participate. When your animal is tagged, you will be given an Approval Form that must be signed and embossed by your county educator or professional. The deadline is June 30.

 Tagging Sites:

• May 17 NE Livestock Expo, Windsor Fairgrounds, tagging will start after the sale in

the sheep barn.

• June 7 Franklin County 4-H June Jamboree, Farmington Fairgrounds, 9 - 10 am

• June 7 Cumberland County 4-H June Jamboree, Cumberland Fairgrounds, 12 noon

¨ June 21 Oxford County 4-H June Sheep Jamboree, Oxford Fairgrounds 9:00-11 am

16.Agriculture Specialty License Plate

Perhaps you have seen the colorful, new Agricultural Specialty plate which raised money for agricultural education through the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom program. This is not affiliated with Maine 4-H, rather a national program that provides training and resources to classroom teachers to promote agricultural education in the schools.

The Agricultural Specialty plate has been very successful so far with over 3,000 plates issued in the first four months. The Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Association has 500 vouchers still available so that the full $20 cost of the plate submitted in the first year will benefit the Agricultural Education program. They do not expire until 2009. To receive a voucher, mail a check for $20 per set of plates with your name, phone and mailing address to: Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Association, 28 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333 and they will mail your voucher immediately. For more information go to www.maineagintheclassroom.org/, e-mail maitca@maine.gov or call (207) 287-5522.

Cooking with the Kids

Monkey Juice

You will need:

• 1 or 2 ripe bananas

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1 cup milk

 Beat banana until creamy.

Add vanilla and sugar.

Blend well.

Stir in milk.

Chill and serve.

Alternative: Banana can be mashed with a fork. Place

banana in a jar with other ingredients. Cover with a tight

fitting lid. Shake to mix.

 Yield: 1 pint 

Source: March 2008 Aroostook County 4-H Newsletter

Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD)  Phone Numbers 1-800-287-8957.

If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in any programs, please call the Hancock County Office at 1-800-287-1479 or Washington County Extension Office at 1-800-287-1542 to discuss your needs.  Please contact us at least 20 days prior to the event to assure the fullest possible attention to your needs.

University of Maine Nondiscrimination Statement

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and in pursuing its own goals for diversity, the University of Maine system shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or citizenship status, age, disability or veterans status in employment, education, and all other areas of the University.  The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.  Questions and complaints about discrimination in any area of the University should be directed to the Director of Equal Employment Opportunities, 101 North Stevens, (207)581-1226.

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In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and in pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or citizenship status, age, disability, or veterans' status in employment, education, and all other areas of the University. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Questions and complaints about discrimination in any area of the University should be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens, (207) 581-1226.

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