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4-H Flash Newsletter

September 2007

Volume 2, Issue 8

Calendar

Sept 15- VOLT Training at Hancock County Extension Office

Sept 28- Project Records are due in the Extension Office

October 6– Perry Harvest Fair

October 6– Pumpkin Daze at Simon’s Hancock Farm Stand

October 7-13-National 4-H Week

 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.

The Gift of Giving

When independent 4H member Emily Lobley turned nine this summer, she most definitely wanted to have a birthday party.  But instead of following the tradition of receiving birthday presents for herself, she decided to do something a little different. When Emily sent out her party invitations, she included a list of items needed at the Machias Food Pantry and asked her friends to bring donations instead of a gift for her. Items such as toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, diapers and diaper wipes are items that can’t be purchased with food stamps at the grocery store.  Helen Vose, Director of the Machias Food Pantry says that sadly, they are in desperate need of these items due to the amount of requests they get for them.  

Emily got the idea from her friend Julia Leighton, also a 4H member, who did something similar last December at her birthday party collecting over 75 pounds of food.  “The best part about birthday parties isn’t the presents, but getting to have fun with your friends!  Plus they wrapped their donations like gifts so it was still fun to open stuff!”

Both Emily and Julia hope that other kids will consider throwing their own birthday parties and instead of getting birthday gifts for themselves, will get their friends to help them create a collective gift that gives to others.

Washington County Bulletin Board Items

Camp Tanglewood was Awesome!

Six young ladies from Washington County (three 4H members and three friends) packed their duffle bags and sleeping bags and headed to Tanglewood 4H Camp for a week.  All six of them say they can’t wait to return next year!  Swimming twice a day, participating in focus groups such as theater, art and water ecology kept the girls busy.  Highlights of the experience included an evening of dancing to a live band, learning new games and making new friends.  One of the most important things they learned?  The importance of reducing waste at meal time.  In just five days, they were able to cut down the entire camp’s food waste from 10 cups a day to just ½ a cup on the last day.  Great job girls!

                       CYFERnet Travel Bug Race

Don’t miss the second-annual CYFERnet Travel Bug Race.  This month, youth and adult teams can start touring the globe via their Travel Bug:  a metal tag that allows contestants to follow their “hitchhiker” trinket.  Visit http://www.cyfernet.org/4htech/missions.html for complete details.

Project Records

 Project records are due September 28th!  Please have them to the office as soon as possible

Re-enrollment 2008

 Watch the mail for your club’s re-enrollment packets. Another 4-H year will begin soon!

Maine Family Times

 The 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 or go to: http://www.umext.maine.edu/MaineFamilyTimes/mftnewsletter1.htm.  There is a PDF version ready for online use as well http://www.umext.maine.edu/MaineFamilyTimes/mftnewsletter1.pdf.  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 includes ideas about spending time  together as a family including 4-H is Family Time. The next (fall) issue will focus on communication and is in process. Look for it into the fall (late September or October

VOLT Training

 Reminder - There will be a VOLT (Volunteer Ongoing Leader Training) on Saturday, September 15, 2007, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Hancock County Extension office.  Please encourage anyone interested in 4-H to call the office for an application.  This will give a volunteer the opportunity to start a club, assist a club, chaperone, or just gain more knowledge of  4-H.

Maine State 4-H News

1.  What does it mean to be a Cloverbud? Did you know that in some states, you can’t join 4-H until you are 9?  That’s because the basic 4-H program has always been planned for youth ages 9 and older.  Over the past 15 to 20 years, some states have added programs for 5-8 year olds. It wasn’t that long ago that Maine had “Pixie” members who did different activities than their older brother and sisters.   About 15 years ago, the National 4-H program named the 5-8 year olds “Cloverbuds” and, using child development research from our land grant university partners, created a set of policies appropriate for children of these ages.  Over the past couple of years, these policies have been defined in more detail and this definition has shown that Maine needs to make some changes in the things our 5-8 year olds do.  We want to make sure that our program is as safe and age-appropriate as it can be for our youngest members.  Making the program safe and within the national guidelines means less chance of injury to any child and less liability for our staff and volunteers. Participation, safety, personal development, learning, and fun in a cooperative, non-competitive setting are the priorities of the Cloverbud program.

     This summer, a committee made up of staff and volunteers looked at the feedback received from a survey sent out to all volunteers across the state.  While we are required to follow the basic guidelines of the national policy, we asked for ideas that would help us implement the policy in the way that created the most fun for kids and the least stress for volunteers.  In the next couple of weeks, the new Cloverbud policy for Maine has been drafted and will be ready as the new 4-H year begins in October.  As this will be our first year under the policy, it will be a draft and will be reviewed after the year to see what might need changing.

      Maine 4-H has been through changes before and there is no doubt that this change, while uncomfortable right now, will also result in a program that kids will find fun and engaging. Young children follow the lead of the adults and older kids in their lives- approach this as a positive change and they will also see it that way.  In fact, let them take the lead – you may be surprised to see that they don’t mind the change at all.  A positive outlook and involvement with families and kids will lead to the best way for your group to implement the policy. 

The new Cloverbud policy will be mailed out to 4-H families and volunteers in October.  Clubs that are making plans for the upcoming year and recruiting new members during September should make their volunteers, families and members aware that some parts of 4-H will look different in 2007-2008. Over the next year the Maine 4-H program will be making available curriculum resources, training, ideas and events that will help build our Cloverbud skills. We will work to design county activities including fair events that will involve our Cloverbuds in a positive way.  Our goal is to give clubs the tools they need to make this transition successfully.

      2.  Animal Science Committee Nominations The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Maine 4-H Animal Science Committee (ASC) is Saturday, November 3, 2007 in Waterville. It is time for 4-H volunteers who wish to serve on those committees to be nominated or re-nominated for a three-year term. You can visit our website at http://www.maine4h.umaine.edu/manual/attach/ascmemresp.htm to learn more about serving in this position.  You can find nomination and re-nomination forms at http://www.maine4h.umaine.edu/manual/partb/b18.htm. Membership to the Animal Science Committees is gained by a nomination and re-nomination process. Nominations can be made by any member of the committee, including the current Activity Coordinator and occurs prior to the Fall ASC meeting. Nominations must be submitted by October 15 to the committee's Staff Liaison. The Staff Liaison reviews the nomination, consults with the Extension educator or Extension professional in the county in which the volunteer is enrolled and if approved, submits it to the current members of the committee at the Fall ASC meeting. Teenage Members: It is recommended that teenage 4‑H volunteers be given seats on the Animal Sciences committees.  Teen members will follow the same membership procedures as adults, except for background checks. If you have any questions about the nomination process, please contact Michaele Bailey at mbailey@umext.maine.edu or Donna Flint at dflint@umext.maine.edu.

3.  Be Watching for 4-H in the Spotlight - As part of the sponsorship agreement between 4-H and DIC Entertainment, 4-H will receive 100 30-second 4-H commercial spots that are expected to reach 14.8 million boys and girls ages 6-11 during its year-long run on Kewlopolis, the CBS weekend morning kids programming block. We appreciate your quick response to our appeal for 4-H video footage and have incorporated it into the 4-H commercial. We hope that you will tune in to Kewlopolis September 15 to see the 4-H commercial make its national premiere!

In exchange, DIC Entertainment asks 4-H to spread the word about its educational cartoon, Horseland, throughout the 4 H community. Horseland is a show about kids and their horses experiencing adventures with themes of friendship, teamwork, acceptance, and compassion similar to the leadership, citizenship and life skills youth learn through their participation in 4-H.  DIC also is featuring 4-H through a variety of additional outlets including:
• a Disney.com and Nick.com expandable banner advertisement which will reach 3.9 million impressions during its run from August 15 to September 15.
• a full-page color print ad in the fall issue of Kewl magazine out September 15 read by nearly 1.9 million girls ages 10-15. 
• 12 months of banner ads on horseland.com with an expected reach of 24 million impressions for youth ages 6-11 and a Web page devoted to 4-H.
Donald T. Floyd, Jr., President and CEO, National 4-H Council

Cooking with the Kids

Chunky Fruit Salad with Zesty Dressing

This salad is so refreshing!

Chill overnight in a Thermos and pack it in your lunchbox!

 Ingredients for Salad:

3 apples, chunked

3 pears, chunked

1/2 honeydew, chunked

1/2 small watermelon, chunked

2 oranges broken into segments, chunked

1 cup fresh blueberries, raspberries or strawberries 

Ingredients for Dressing:

1 banana 1 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp poppy seeds

 1) Use an apple slicer to core and slice apples and pears.

2) Chunk honeydew, watermelon, and oranges.  Rinse fresh berries and mix all the fruit together in a serving bowl.

3) In a blender, combine bananas, yogurt, brown sugar, honey, and poppy seeds.  Drizzle over fruit and let chill before serving.

Taken from Kids Cooking Club Let’s Do Lunch

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.

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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.

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