activities

Don’t Be Left Out in the Cold – Register for 4-H by May 1!

Due to circumstances related to COVID-19, the deadline to enroll in the Darke County 4-H program in 2020 has been extended to May 1.  4-Hers who were members in 2019 can register online.  First year members will need to complete a paper enrollment form.  Enrollment help for registering online or a copy of the enrollment form can be found here

4-H is the Youth Development program offered by Ohio State University Extension.  Membership in the 4-H program is based on a child’s age and grade as of January 1 of the current project year. Eligibility for Cloverbud participation begins when a child is enrolled in Kindergarten and is five years old. Eligibility for participation in 4-H projects and competitive events begins when a child is age 8 and in the 3rd grade. Any youth age 9 or above is eligible for project membership, regardless of grade level.

4-H members participate in community clubs, do community service, and exhibit projects at the Great Darke County Fair.  4-H offers over 200 different projects in a variety of subject matter categories.  To view 4-H projects, check out the 4-H Family Guide.

To learn more about how to Join 4-H in Darke County go here.

If you have questions about the enrollment process, or about 4-H in general, please email williams.418@osu.edu or call 937-569-5003.

Don’t be left out in the cold – enroll today!

4-H Project Books Available for Purchase Online

Good news!  You now have the opportunity to purchase your 4-H project books directly from OSU.  Following are options for downloading one of the free project books or ordering online.

Download one for free. A special collection of project books is available for free on the Perfect Stay-at-Home Projects web page. Click on the book you want, and when the file opens on your screen, save or print it from there. (For accessible formats of these publications, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility.)

Buy one online. If you would like to buy a print copy of a Perfect Stay-at-Home project or any other project book, you can order directly from extensionpubs.osu.edu with one of these special discounts for Ohio residents: FREE2020 (for free shipping) OR 20IN2020 (20% off the entire order). Use the coupon that works best for you. Orders can be shipped directly to your home as long as it is an Ohio address. Please review your order carefully. No returns are accepted. There is no restriction on the number of times a coupon can be used.

Make your own. If you would rather not purchase a book in this way, self-determined projects are an excellent choice for self-motivated members eager to get started by creating their own projects. Although self-determined projects may be better suited for older 4-H members, they are available for any member and are often based on idea starters already available online. Many of the idea starters are great stay-at-home projects too, for example, Music, Bats, String Art, Climate Change, American Sign Language, etc. Our extraordinary educators are even preparing one called My Stay-at-Home Summer! (For project judging, self-determined projects are judged in self-determined categories.)

If your club has already collected the money for your project book(s), check with your advisor before ordering.  They may already have your book.  Or, check with them about the possibility of the club issuing a refund to you, if you have already paid the club for your books.