4-H Flash Newsletter

May 2009

Volume 4, Issue 5

Calendar

May 22-24– 4-H Teen Weekend-Bryant Pond 4-H Camp & Learning Center

June 5 - 7 Horse Camp at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds

June 19-21– Operation Military Kids Camp, Oakland

June 23-25– Going Green 4-H Camp, Whitneyville

June 26-28-Maine 4-H Days at the Winsor Fairgrounds

June 30-July 2– Going Green 4-H Camp, Cherryfield

July 4-11- CWF

July 5-10– 4-H GPS/GIS TEK Trek, Greenland Point

July 7-9– Going Green 4-H Camp, Whiting

July 27-31– Maine Robotics Summer Camp, East Machias

July 31-Aug 2– Operation Military Kids Camp, Bryant Pond

August 7-9– Operation Military Kids Camp, Bryant Pond

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

Plan now for the Perry Harvest Fair!

All Washington County 4-H members are invited to participate in this year’s Harvest Fair in Perry on Saturday, October 3rd. Now is the time to start thinking about what kinds of exhibits and projects you’d like to have. There is plenty of space for everyone to take part. This fair is lots of fun and seems to get bigger every year.

We would like to have each club do a club display. The theme can be of your own choosing, or, you might want to think about doing something on the theme of Going Green (the environment). Please call or email if you need ideas.

Individual entries are also encouraged, as there will be ribbons and premiums available. We have a list of categories that we will be sending to club leaders in the near future. Any member 5-19 enrolled in the Washington County 4-H program may compete for premiums provided that the exhibit is part of their 4-H project. A 4-H’er must have been enrolled during the 2008-2009 year.  Completed project card with life skills wheel must be presented with project at exhibit check-in (project cards are available at the Extension office).

Two exhibits may be entered in all classes, with the exception of crafts, which may have three, but items must not be the same medium.  (Example:  Artist cannot do two water colors, but could enter a watercolor and a charcoal.)  These should be original works only made in the current 4-H year, and should not be from a kit. Posters may not be larger than 14” X 22”.

We are looking for youth who would like to give a 4-H demonstration. If you are interested and would like more information, give us a call.

Have a small animal 4-H project?  We’d love to have you at the fair as well.

For more information, contact Diane Helder at 255-3345, 1-800-287-1542, or dhelder@umext.maine.edu.

Washington County Bulletin Board Items

 Going Green 4-H Camp

 Session 1– Whitneyville– June 23-25

Whitneyville Community Building

Session 2– Cherryfield–

June 30—July 2

Weald Bethel Chapel, Cherryfield

Session 3– Whiting– July 7-9

Whiting Community Building

Ages 6-9

9:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.

Cost: $15

Campers will have the opportunity to learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle to help them understand the importance of protecting our environment.  Please visit http://www.umext.maine.edu/Washington/washington4-H.htm or call the Washington County office at 1-800-287-1542 for more information and to register.

Horse Camp

 4-H Horse Camp is scheduled for June 5 – 7^th, 2009 at the Blue Hill Fairground and will be held as part of Jamboree. The camp will have a different format but will provide a great opportunity for horse project members to further their knowledge of horses through riding lessons & hands on activities. This camp is open to 4-H members ages 9-19.  The cost of the camp is $40.  Space is limited and slots are filling fast!  Please contact the office at 255-3345 if you would like more information and a registration form.

Maine Robotics Summer Camp

Elm Street School, East Machias

July 27-31, 2009

2009 Summer day-camp programs for 9-14 year old boys and girls

Cost:  $110

The Robotics Camp uses the ever popular LEGO® MindStorms Kit to learn about Design and Building of engineering projects. Particularly the campers design and build robots, including programming them using computers.

Students work in groups of two or three. They get familiar with building and programming in the first two days; eventually campers are able to design and build things from their imagination.

The MindStorms kit allows campers to build machines that perform simple and complex tasks. The robots are controlled with motors, and can sense the environment with a variety of sensors.

The Camps have grown here in Maine as an outgrowth of the FIRST™ LEGO® League, started in 1998. Maine Robotics has had almost 700 Maine children attend our camps!

 For more information, please visit  http://www.mainerobotics.org/camps.html or call Maine Robotics at 207-866-4340. 

Calling All 4-H Alumni!

 If you are, or know of, alumni of the 4-H program, we want to hear from you! Cooperative Extension wants to here how 4-H impacted your life.  Whether you were a member here in Washington County, another county or even in another state, please let us know. With just a few minutes of your time on the phone or via e-mail, we can ask you a few questions and get the information we are looking for.  By showcasing the impact of 4-H from years past, we can use those rich stories to help attract new youth and volunteers and secure funding to help support the programs.  If your club is looking for a service project, this would make a great one. Give us a call to find out how they can help.

Maine State 4-H News

1. Operation Military Kids Summer Camps

For youth whose parents are in the military National Guard and Reserve Units and any children with parents who are, will be, or just arrived back from deployment.

Dates:

June 19 – 21, Camp Tracy in Oakland, ages 9-12, Transportation from regional areas (Bangor, Portland), Cost: $25.00

July 31 – August 2, Bryant Pond 4-H Camp in Bryant Pond, Ages 13 – 18, Transportation from regional areas (Bangor, Portland), Cost: $25.00

August 7-9, Bryant Pond 4-H Camp in Bryant Pond, Ages 13 – 18 (limited number of spaces), Transportation from regional areas (Bangor, Portland), Cost: $30.00

For more information and registration forms contact Karen Hatch Gagne karenhg@umext.maine.edu or Heather Andrews handrews@umext.maine.edu, or call 1-800-287-1481.

2. 4-H GPS/GIS TEK* Trek

*Technology and Environment for Kids

AKA Naturalist Camp, July 5-10, 2009 at Greenland Point Center and the University of Maine at Machias in Princeton and Machias, ME, for ages 12 – 15.

4-H GPS/GIS campers will "Get Outdoors" to learn about wildlife and their surroundings including woods, water, land and air. Participants will learn to collect GPS data and carry out a service mapping project for the Center and will also spend 1-1/2 days at UM Machias using the computer labs and exploring the campus.

 ATV and Boater Safety certifications course will be available. Bring cameras for tips on photography!

 Special cost to 4-H members: $150.00 for the entire week (non 4-H cost is $250.00). To register, go to www.greenlandpoint.com Under Skills Camp, find Naturalist Camp – 4H GPS/GIS – At bottom of list, go to Click Here for Application. Apply Early! Camp is limited to 15 youth!

3. State Dairy Show and ESE Tryouts

Save the Date! The 2009 Maine State 4-H Dairy Show will take place on July 18-19, 2009 at the Windsor Fairgrounds. More information can be found on the Maine 4-H Website’s Dairy page at: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/dairy.htm.

4. Make It With Wool Contest

4-Hers in Maine are invited to enter the Make It With Wool Contest, a national competition sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Association. The state-level contest will be held on October 10, 2009 at the Page Farm Museum at the University of Maine in Orono. Contestants may enter garments made with wool that are sewn, knit, crocheted or felted. More information and rules for the contest are on our website at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/events/other/wool.htm or you can contact Michaele Bailey at 1-800-287-0274 for more information.

5. Morris Scholarship 2009

Every two years Maine has the opportunity to select an Eastern States Exposition participant to receive a $500 scholarship towards continuing his or her education beyond high school, and this is one of our years! To find information on how to apply for this scholarship, look online at: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/ese/morris.htm.

6. Save the Date for 4-H Day at Skowhegan State Fair

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

We would like to invite any 4-H youth and all 4-H clubs to participate in our 4-H Day Parade at the Skowhegan State Fair. You may participate by walking in the parade; leading, riding an animal or carrying an animal, riding on a float from your club or county, driving an antique tractor or just about anything else. Flags and banners are welcome. Be as creative as you can be – it is a celebration!! Any 4-H member taking part in the 4-H Day Parade will be admitted free to the Fair on 4-H Day.

During the day, we will have livestock demonstrations in the livestock ring and the 4-H Club Building will be open to view all the projects and educational exhibits from around the state. Because Skowhegan is a State Fair, all 4-H’ers are welcome to display in our building and show in our 4-H livestock shows.

Eleanor Pooler is the 4-H Day Parade Chairman and she is available at (207) 643-2305 to answer questions.  Emails can be directed to dkantor@umext.maine.edu at the Somerset County Cooperative Extension Office. More information will follow in the next few months.

7. 4-H Horse Project Study Sessions

Due to lack of attendance, the May 22 study session will be cancelled. Thank you to all who attended, manned the sites, created lessons, and parents for bringing their children to these study sessions. There does seem to be interest in getting together throughout the state for 4Hers and we would like to try another venue in the future!!

The national teams of Communications, Hippology and Horse Quiz Bowl will be announced at the end of May. Thank you to all who came into the extension offices to tryout!

Eastern States Tryouts and Maine 4H Days will be June 26-28, 2009. ESE tryouts will be at Skowhegan Fairgrounds and M4HD at Windsor Fairgrounds.

8. Maine 4-H Days

Maine 4-H Days, held June 26, 27, 28, 2009 will be full of fun events for the whole family. This year we will offer the Physics Road again and some workshops like Rocketry and Digital Photography. The Goat Track will have a veterinarian present a healthy goat seminar and will demonstrate how to test for internal parasites by doing fecal samples and at Dog Camp there will be lots of activities to learn all kinds of dog knowledge. Parents who come as chaperones can participate in VOLT training if they are interested in becoming a 4-H volunteer and adults can also learn about what other clubs do in 4-H at the 4-H Speed Date Workshop!

Check out the website in the coming months as more information, and registration materials, become available: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/events/4hdays.htm.

9. Market Lambs at Windsor and Fryeburg Fairs

4-Hers planning to raise a market lamb to show and sell at the Windsor or Fryeburg Fair need to submit an Intent To Participate Form in order to receive their ear tags. Find the form at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/forms/lambintent.htm or at your county Extension Office.

Forms are due May 2. Market Lambs will need a special ear tag to participate in these two fairs.

To get your lamb tagged, you’ll need to bring them to one of four tagging sites:

Cumberland County June Jamboree June 6, Noon

Oxford County Jamboree June 20, 9-11:00 am

Franklin County Jamboree June 13 9-11:00 am

For more information contact Donna Flint at the York County Extension Office at 324-2814 or 1-800-287-1535

10. Nick Offers Grants and Features 4-H Million Trees Project On-Air

Nickelodeon is offering grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to 10 Green Teams—extraordinary youth across the nation that are helping to make smart, eco-friendly changes in their home, school and community. This initiative is a part of the "Big Green Help," an environmental awareness campaign and kid-led movement that provides information and tools to help explain climate change to young people, and connects them to energy-saving and earth-friendly activities in their everyday lives.

This is a great opportunity for 4-H'ers that are currently engaging in environmental projects. Youth can register their projects online—starting on Earth Day, April 22, and through the end of the year. Details about "The Big Green Help" and the grants are available online at 4-H.org. Also, Laura Webber, who conceived the 4-H Million Trees community service project with her Belmont, California 4-H Club, will be featured in a 20-second profile airing on the network on Earth Day. As a part of their "Big Green Help" initiative, Nickelodeon will highlight youth who are make a huge impact on the environment.

To learn more about these grants and the 4-H Million Trees Project profile airing on Earth Day, visit 4-H.org or contact Nancy Cole (ncole@fourhcouncil.edu) at National 4-H Council.

11. Eastern States Tryout Prep Clinic (Horse)

This event is being held to help our 4-Hers intent on trying out for the Eastern States team. It is a brush up on Showmanship, Equitation, and Pleasure, for both English/Saddle Seat and Western Competitors. We will be limiting the number of participants with horses to 12, to be able to give each person individual attention, but spectators will be welcome.

Clinician: Kyle Smith – 4-H and Open Show Judge

When:  June 6, 2009

Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Cost: $40.00/participant

Where: Shamrock Farm, Pond Road, West Gardiner, ME

12. National 4-H Congress & Conference

After an extensive application and interview process, the delegates for the 2009/2010 National 4-H Congress & Conference trips have been selected. Please join us in congratulating these exceptional youth:

National 4-H Congress: Sara Conant, Grace Gonnella, Dana Hayward, and Morgan Lee

National 4-H Conference: Amberosity Davis, Ashlie Hardy, Kate Laliberte, and Aryn Martin

Hand washing - is the Most Effective Way to Stop the Spread of Illness

 Wash Your Hands After: (and before!)

 Handling food or eating.

 Using the bathroom or changing diapers.

 Sneezing, blowing your nose or coughing. Touching a cut or open sore.

 Playing outside or with pets.

 Use soap to scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Use a clean cloth or paper towel to dry your hands.

 Cooking with the Kids

 Simple Vegetable Sushi Rolls

2 cups cooked rice (short grained works best)

12 washed and dried lettuce leaves (romaine works well)

Vegetable Slivers - Choose 2 or 3 (use them raw or lightly steam)

• Carrots – cut carrot sticks, then slice them 3or 4 more time until very thin

• Asparagus – the tips work best

• Avocados – peel and slice thin

• Tomatoes – plum tomatoes work great, just cut into strips

• Scallions – mince very fine

• Cucumbers – peel and slice very fine

• Red peppers – cut into thin strips

Put about a tablespoon of rice lengthways down the lettuce leaf.

Press the rice flat on the leaf. Lay your vegetable slivers on the rice. Fold one side of the lettuce leaf over the rice and vegetables and tuck it under a little. Then roll. Enjoy!

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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Last Modified: 05/15/09
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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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