Just Like the Big Kids – Using “My 4-H Cloverbud Year”

Cloverbud members want to be “just like the big kids” and have a 4-H book to complete.  Have you considered using My 4-H Cloverbud Year with your members?

This fun book is a great way for Cloverbuds to learn the basics of 4-H and keep track of their activities and events. Completion of this book is optional and can be done with or without the help of an adult leader. It can be repeated each year a child is a Cloverbud.  It is especially appropriate for older Cloverbud members as they prepare to transition to project membership.

The length of your Cloverbud meetings or activity time might determine how best to use this resource. Here are two options:

  1. If you have plenty of time (approximately an hour) for your Cloverbud meeting, then you could have the members complete the sections after each group activity. It will probably take at least 15 minutes to help the members complete the two pages titled “Today at 4-H Cloverbuds”. Younger members will need help answering the questions about what they did, their favorite part of the activity, what they learned and what they want to learn more about. There is also a box to draw or add a picture about the day’s activity.
  2. Here is a second option if you are limited on time with your Cloverbuds. Plan one or two of your meetings around completing the beginning of the book where they will learn about themselves, all about 4-H, their club, meeting manners, the American Flag and the 4-H Flag. After these sections are finished, the book could be sent home with your Cloverbud members. Ask parents to help their child complete the “Today at 4-H Cloverbuds” section after each meeting or club activity. This will help reinforce learning and recall of information as well as begin practicing the life skill of recordkeeping.

My 4-H Cloverbud Year is for Cloverbud members who can write about themselves and their experiences, with or without the support of an adult helper. If your Cloverbuds struggle with writing, you can help them by providing prepared answers to paste into their books. On the Today at 4-H Cloverbuds pages, for example, “What we did” could be answered with a short typed, or printed response: We practiced reduce, reuse, and recycle.

The end of the book provides a spot for community service activities, county fair activities, and a place to add memories like photos, ribbons, or clippings.

Copies of My Cloverbud Year can be purchased from your local OSU Extension or from https://extensionpubs.osu.edu