4H Families Hope everyone is staying warm! These frigid temperatures make me want to just curl up inside with a good book or binge watch movies. However, there are always things to do inside, clean closets, organize, plan the next 4H event, help with my nieces 4H Club day demonstration, sew on my t-shirt quilt or bake some goodies. The cold temperatures, right after the new year, ALWAYS seem to bring the NEW 4H babies at the Swonger Farm as well, I had the pleasure of being home at the farm to see 13 new baby lambs, the first litter of baby pigs and a couple of new baby calves be born. 4H is FULL SPEED AHEAD!!! What things are happening at your home that keep you working on 4H projects? Remember staying active in the 4H Program will help you get the most out of it! Are you participating in your Club meetings and being an active member by doing your part, are you volunteering to be on a club committee where you provide leadership? Are you thinking about participating in 4H Club Days? Public Speaking is such an important skill to obtain while you are young. Public speaking will be something you use the rest of your life! Deadlines: Jan 29: State 4H Scholarship Deadline Feb 8: State 4H Ambassador Registration due Feb 8: WCD District 4H Club Days Entries due Mar 22: Alien Adventure Registration due April 15: Discovery Days Registration due New Members Meeting There will be a New Members meeting in Rush County at the Extension Office on Saturday, January 27th starting at 10:00am and finishing by noon. All first and second year families are invited to attend. This will have some hands on activities, share some important parts about 4H and allow time for a Q&A session. Please RSVP by calling 877-798-3921, text 785-798-5020 or email rdeines@ksu.edu by 5:00pm Thursday Jan 25th. Judges Training -- Feb 3rd If you are interested in learning to be a county Fair judge or just taking a class that shares what the Judge is looking for plan to attend the training on Saturday, February 3rd at the KSRE Research Center in Hays. The morning session will include Food Preparation, Poultry and Visual Arts. The afternoon sessions will include Food Preservation, Fashion Revue, Rabbits and Photography. See the attached flyer. Mark Your Calendar Save the date for some great opportunities that will be happening Feb 25th for the next 8 weeks (skipping Easter Weekend) Air Rifle and Air Pistol at Ness County (All three Counties welcome) March 10 -- NW Judging Contest and Super Saturday Project events /Volunteer Gathering March 17 -- Rush Center St Patricks Day -- Come ride the 4H Float
March 20 -- Fiber Arts Day in Ellis County March 22 -- Making Mexican Food in the morning and Visual Arts Project meeting in the afternoon -- Ness County March 24 -- Space Tech Day in Walnut Creek District April 21 -- WCD Food Fair May 29- June 1 -- Discovery Days in Manhattan June 8 -- HOK Counselors go to Camp June 9-12 Heart of Kansas Camp, Rock Springs 4H Center June 20-22 -- 4Clover 4H Camp in Dodge City June 28-29 -- Cedar Bluff Overnight District 4H Club Days Public Speaking is a skill you will use the rest of your life rather just communicating, a job interview, volunteering as an adult. Start now and by the time you are an adult it will all come a lot easier. Beginning youth (Cloverbuds and 7&8 year old members) can participate in a Show & Tell -- a 3-5 minute informative speech over an item, Project Talk (JR) -- a 7-10 minute speech that tells about 1 aspect of a 4H project. Illustrated Talk (SR) -- 10-15 minutes an informative speech using illustrations or objects to explain, Demonstrations (JR & SR) -- a 5-15 minute speech where you demonstrate one aspect of a project (cooking, woodworking, craft, etc). Also youth may participate in vocal or instrumental entries, talent/dramatic entries, readings, etc. See the attached entry form for a complete listing of possibilities. Forms are due by Thursday, February 8th State 4H Ambassador Training -- "4-H Ambassadors - Leadership on Target" The 2018 Kansas 4-H Ambassador Training will be February 23-24 at the Rock Springs 4-H Center near Junction City. It is open to all county/district 4-H ambassadors, interested teens, ambassador advisors and Extension staff. Cost is $114.00, which covers one night s lodging, meals, breaks, t-shirt and all workshop and speaker costs. The theme is 4-H Ambassadors: Leadership on Target. There will be six youth workshops, three adult workshops, two speakers, with lots of fun and fellowship. Registration will be through the CVent system, and will close on Thursday, February 8, 11:59 p.m. Kansas Junior Sheep Producer Day Registration Open The 2018 Kansas Junior Sheep Producer Day is scheduled for Saturday, March 17, 2018 in Weber Hall on the Kansas State University campus. This event will be a fun filled, educational day of activities in which youth, parents, sheep project leaders, and adults can increase their knowledge and experience of sheep production and management. This interactive, educational event will stimulate enthusiasm and provide a foundation for the management and care of youth sheep projects. Presentations and demonstrations will be provided by K- State faculty and graduate students, as well as guest speakers. Topics that will be covered include project selection, nutrition, equipment and facilities, meat science, the state livestock nomination process, sheep health, wellness, and diseases, wool, showmanship, grooming,
and Youth for the Quality Care of Animals certification. A complimentary lunch and t-shirt will be provided for participants. Registration is due by February 23, 2018 and is $15/person. Kansas Junior Beef Producer Day Registration Open The 2018 Kansas Junior Beef Producer Day is scheduled for Saturday, March 24, 2018 in Weber Hall on the Kansas State University campus. This event will be an interactive, educational day in which youth, parents, beef project leaders, and adults can increase their knowledge about youth beef production and management. K-State faculty, staff, and guest speakers will cover topics such as market and breeding project selection, nutrition, the state nomination processes and updates, meat science, grooming, leadership, health, reproduction, showmanship, grooming, and Youth for the Quality Care of Animals certification. All ages and skill levels are invited to attend. A complimentary lunch and t-shirt will be provided for all participants. Registration is due by March 2, 2018 and is $15/person. Discovery Days Registration Discovery Days registration for "Tell Your Story" will be opening on March 1, 2018. Registration will then close April 15 at midnight. 4-H Alien Adventure Experience Registration Opening Soon The Kansas 4-H SpaceTech Program and the Kansas Cosmosphere located in Hutchinson are again teaming up to provide fun, hands-on and science-based programming for Kansas 4-H Youth Development. This third program will feature The Alien Adventure. The experience will begin Friday, April 6, at 4 p.m., and will end on Saturday, April 7, 4 p.m. Cost will be $110 for youth between 9-18-years old and $110 for all adult participants. All youth must have a designated chaperone to attend. Parents, grandparents, other relatives, and guardians may chaperone their own children/relatives. They may not chaperone other non-family members. Registered KSRE 4-H Leaders or KSRE staff may also chaperone 4-H members. Adult chaperones will be responsible for their children overnight. Registration includes three meals, two breaks, and an overnight stay. Program topics include: a tour of the Cosmosphere, doing experiments and microscope examinations to learn about what makes something alive, finding out how scientists are searching for life in our solar system, learning about the search for extra-solar plants, decoding alien messages, and developing an alien species with its own unique planet and culture, plus much more. This Cosmosphere collaboration is designed to be an adult-child experience, where 4-H members and adults can interact and learn from these fun and educational experiences. The program will include overnight indoor camping at the Cosmosphere located in Hutchinson, KS, (bring your own sleeping bag, air mattress, pillow, towel and toiletry items). The experience is open to 4-H members, parents, grandparents, volunteer 4-H leaders, and KSRE staff.
Campference 2018 4-H Campference is for youth ages 12-14 (before January 1, 2018), and will be held June 26-29 at Rock Springs 4-H Center. Participants will experience the feel of a conference, while enjoying the 'camp' activities Rock Springs 4-H Center has to offer. This is a great transitional opportunity, as these tweens go from being a camper to attending educational conferences. 4- H Campference will feature workshops about opportunities in the 4-H program and how to better interact with others. Participants will meet other youth from around the state of Kansas. Registration and detailed information will be the State 4-H Website in March Register early as the space will fill on a first come basis, and Campference was full the last four years! Register online by May 15 (or earlier it will close when it is full) and payment must be in the local Extension Offices by May 15. JOANN and 4-H are empowering more kids in Kansas to learn by doing, creating and making. #JOANNhearts4H Kansas 4-H and JOANN Fabrics stores want to see more kids learning by doing, creating and making. Thousands of local 4-H members, staff, volunteers and supporters will join with JOANN customers to ensure more kids get that chance through a new Paper Clover campaign to bring hands-on 4-H programs to Kansas. During the month of February, millions of JOANN customers, 4-H members and supporters will have a chance to share their hearts and show their love by equipping local Clubs with resources to reach more kids in need. Here s how: 1. Support the 4-H Paper Clover Campaign by visiting your local store between February 1 and 28, 2018. Donate $1 or $4 at purchase, and you ll receive a clover featuring a special Valentine s Day craft from FamilyFun. With each $4 donation, you ll get $4 off your next purchase. 2. Join hundreds of 4-H youth February 3, 2018, from 11am-2pm to make and deliver custom Valentine s Day cards to local children s hospitals, senior citizen centers, and others in the community. Visit your local JOANN store to participate. Last but not least, the new 4-H Rewards Card is here! Stop by your local JOANN store now to sign up for free and receive 15% off your purchases. It s a great way to shop with purpose & give back to 4-H! Visit http://bit.ly/2zunwih for more details! Kansas 4-H Shooting Sports Training The next 4-H Shooting Sports Training is scheduled, Friday - Sunday, April 6-8, 2018 at Rock Springs 4-H Center with Western Heritage/Cowboy Action beginning on Thursday, April 5.
Plans are to offer all disciplines within 4-H Shooting Sports provided interests from volunteers across the state aligns with the disciplines. Disciplines offered: Coordinator, Rifle, Shotgun, Archery, Muzzleloading, Pistol, Hunting Skills and Western Heritage/Cowboy Action. Registration will be on the 4-H web page mid-february. New! Bread Sculpture Contest The Kansas Wheat Commission has created a new contest for the 2018 fair season. So get creative and enter the Bread Sculpture contest! This is intended to be a county and state contest, with the county winner moving on to the State Fair. But, individual entries can also be made at the State Fair. The informational flyer can be found at http://www.rrc.kstate.edu/judging/index.html under the "Foods & Nutrition" section. ALL questions about this contest should be directed to kswheat@kswheat.com or Nicole.Jaskoski@ks.gov. As always, stay connected with what is going on at your club, local and District level of 4- H. Each club has events and activities that are taking place. Project leaders are starting to have project meetings that will help you learn more about the projects you are enrolled in. Each 4H member is encouraged to do at least one presentation, you should have your project goals written by now. Remember also, that trying to complete some type of leadership and an act of citizenship within each project is a great goal to have. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to contact me! Helping Grow Tomorrow's Leaders, through 4-H!! Robyn R. Deines District Extension Agent 4-H Youth Development rdeines@ksu.edu office: 785-798-3921 fax: 785-798-3540 cell: 785-798-5020 www.walnutcreek.ksu.edu