This year, each club with Cloverbuds will receive the new Big Book of Cloverbud Activities and Choose and Tell Cards through funds from the Muskingum County 4-H Endowment.

Ohio 4-H’s Cloverbud Design Team also has additional resources available for those who are looking for new activities on the state website. Check out the 4-H Cloverbud Connections blog, old editions of the PDF newsletter, and the Click It, Print It, Do It Activity pages!

And don’t forget…we have six Cloverbud Activity Kits that can be checked out from our office. We ask that you keep them no longer than a week.

Our Country – Cloverbuds will learn about our country and how to fold a flag, put together a floor puzzle of the United States, learn about the history of the 4-H flag, weave a 4-H flag, sing patriotic songs with a CD, learn fun facts about Ohio and enjoy a children’s book about America Is.

The Science of Sound – Cloverbuds will learn all about sound with sound experiments, participate in sound matching activities, play music on pipe chimes, color their way through a listening skills activity, play games, learn about Sounds All Around from a children’s book and have fun with sound clips on a CD.

Food Fun – Cloverbuds will play food bingo, enjoy a music CD, read about Eating the Alphabet from a children’s book, experience healthy snack ideas and understand serving sizes using food models.

Sports Fun – Cloverbuds will learn about different sporting activities, play Sports Bingo, read several books related to sports, learn about good sportsmanship, sing classic sporting songs such as Take me out to the Ballgame and create their own sports pennant.

Fitness is Fun – Get your Cloverbuds moving with Halfpint Skillastics™, follow along to bean bag activities & coordination skills and read Get Up and Go!

Weather Fun –  This kit includes five weather-related science activities and all the materials needed to complete them. It also includes the book, Storm is Coming, which is a fun look at storms to help kids deal with any fear they may have. The kit also contains games, crafts, songs, and snack ideas.

I’ve posted links to several resources related to the Mandatory Volunteer Trainings on our website. I’m also sharing those links here. Anyone is free to view the slides and videos from this volunteer update and share this information with your club.

2018 4-H Updates and Reminders (First 20 minutes of Mandatory Training) – PowerPoint slides

4-H Fundamentals Session (taught by Jamie) – Recordings on YouTube

• Youth Opportunities
• Introducing 4-H Online
• Skillathon Updates
• 4-H Website Updates
• Quality Assurance Test-Out

As always, please contact our office if you have any questions.

Muskingum County 4-H Scholarship

Muskingum County 4-H Scholarships were established in 2015 by the Muskingum County 4-H Committee. Muskingum County 4-H recognizes and rewards individual excellence in project work, leadership, citizenship and community service.  A minimum of two $500 scholarships will be awarded.

Applicant must:

• Be a current or alumni member of Muskingum County 4-H, a current year graduating high school senior, or equivalent of a college freshman or sophomore (proof of equivalent in a home school program by the end of the current year is acceptable,);
• Active in 4-H for the previous, continuous three (3) years
• Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on the most recently completed semester
• Plans to attend (or currently attending) any post-secondary educational institution

Applications are available online under 4-H Youth Development>Member Resources>Older Youth Opportunities and at the Extension Office. Completed application & essay are due to the Extension Office by  4:30 p.m. on January 31.

Junior Fair Livestock Sale Scholarship

Any 4-H or FFA member who graduated from high school in the spring of 2017; exhibited a market hog, market lamb or market steer; and is enrolled in an accredited, post-secondary institution in the fall 2017 may apply for a Junior Fair Livestock Sale Committee Scholarship. Applications are available online under 4-H Youth Development>Member Resources>Older Youth Opportunities and at the Extension Office. Application, including supporting documents, are due to the Extension Office by 4:30 p.m. on January 31.  

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to work with three teens and their parents to update their County 4-H Achievement Award Applications in time to be submitted for the Ohio 4-H Achievement Award contest. The County 4-H Achievement Award Application is due November 15 and can be downloaded from our website at: Member Resources>Older Youth Opportunities. The application is available year-round youth who would like to begin working on it! In Muskingum County, this form is used to select county medal winners, 4-H Ambassadors, and delegates for trips like State Leadership Camp and Citizenship Washington Focus. Practice completing these types of applications helps prepare youth to apply for college, scholarships and jobs!

Helping youth succeed in the State 4-H Achievement Awards process was a passion of our late 4-H Educator Vicki Reed. I was fortunate as a teen to have the opportunity to work with her over several years on my own achievement form and be recognized as the State Winner in Personal Development in 2004. State Winners receive an all expense paid trip to the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia. For me, helping youth with their State Achievement Awards forms is part of Vicki’s legacy I hope to continue.

This year, Chris Tooms, Rachel Hampp and Samantha Mozena were selected to represent us in the state awards process. I look forward to sharing results in late February!

If you haven’t already heard, Facebook will be changing your news feed, making it harder to keep in touch with Muskingum County 4-H. But don’t worry, with a few, simple clicks you’ll still be able to see everything happening in the county:

If you’re using a desktop or laptop:

Go to The Muskingum County 4-H page and look at the upper left part of the page:

• First, make sure you “Like” Muskingum County 4-H’s page. Then, next to the “Like” button, you’ll see the word “Following.”
  • Hold your cursor over the “Following” button – options will appear for you to “See First” and “On (Events, Suggested Live Videos).” You have selected them correctly when the check mark appears next to your selections. These options will keep our posts, events, and live videos appearing in your news feed.
• If you want to control how you’re notified when Muskingum County 4-H posts something new, click the small pencil icon next to the word “Notification” and make your selections.

If you’re using a phone or tablet:

Go to Muskingum County 4-H’s Facebook page. Under the photo, find the word “Follow” or “Following.

• Click on it, then click “See First.”
  • Selecting this option will keep our posts, events, and live videos appearing in your news feed.
• You will also have an option “Get Notifications” every time we post.
  • Select edit notifications to choose what notifications you receive from our page.

Thanks for choosing to keep in touch. To us, you’re family.

Stefanie

This year’s 4-H Kick-Off will take place on Tuesday, February 13 at Rolling Plains United Methodist Church. We are so thankful the church allows us to use their facility at no cost for this event!

Families have the opportunity to learn about everything 4-H has to offer! The first 250 youth through the doors will receive a pair of Muskingum County 4-H sunglasses to help us celebrate the theme “Our future is so bright, we have to wear shades!” Please help us spread the word about this great event!

Project & Opportunity Fair: 6-7 p.m.

Families can learn more about joining 4-H, view award winning project displays to learn more about projects they might be interested in, enter a 1/2 camp scholarship drawing, preview 200+ project books, check out the photo booth and much more.

Participation in the event’s scavenger hunt will earn them a coupon for a free Frosty. Thanks to Wendy’s for donating the coupons!

There will also be fabulous cookies baked by friend of 4-H Troy Ball!

County Awards presented at 7 p.m.

Several award winners will be recognized and we hope you will join us to recognize them!

Muskingum County 4-H Scholarship Winners

TBA, as the Deadline is January 31

County 4-H Ambassadors

Head – Treva Hampp, Heart – Cheyenne Frank, Hands – Rachel Hampp, Health – Samantha Mozena

County Medal Winners

Cheyenne Frank, Rachel Hampp, Treva Hampp, Leah Jordan, Samantha Mozena, Caroline Sowers, Jillian Sowers & Chris Tooms

State Achievement Award Nominees

Rachel Hampp, Samantha Mozena, Chris Tooms

State Leadership Camp Delegates

Treva Hampp & Caroline Sowers

Citizenship Washington Focus Delegates

Cheyenne Frank & Samantha Mozena

The 4-H Kick-Off is sponsored by the Muskingum County 4-H Committee. 

We are excited to celebrate another Muskingum County 4-H Week, February 11-17. This year’s theme is “Our Future is so Bright, We Have to Wear Shades!”

We have a couple club contests to help us promote 4-H in Muskingum County! Talk to your 4-H Club advisor if you are interested in your club doing one of these!

Club Display Contest

4-H Clubs are encouraged to help us promote 4-H across Muskingum County! Put a display in a school, library, church, local business or other location. For displays to be considered in the contest, they must be in place by Saturday, February 10th and a photo of the display must be e-mailed to mcconnell.210@osu.edu by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, February 12th. In order to help promote the 4-H Kick-Off, we hope clubs will make an effort to have displays up by the beginning of February.

Displays must include information about the 4-H Kick-Off and provide contact information for the Extension office. Clubs are encouraged to include their club name and contact information.

All entries submitted by the deadline will be on display at the 4-H Kick-Off on February 13. All Kick-Off attendees will receive one ticket to vote for their favorite display and winners will be announced that evening. Prizes will be awarded to clubs as follows: One Outstanding Display ($20), Four Honorable Mention Displays ($10 each).

Facebook Photo Challenge

New this year! 4-H Clubs can help promote Muskingum County 4-H on Facebook! Clubs can submit one photo per club that includes members demonstrating this year’s theme, “Our future is so bright, we have to wear shades!”   Photos must be e-mailed to mcconnell.210@osu.edu by February 8 at 4:30 p.m. to be included in the contest. Please mention the name of the club when photos are submitted.

Photos will be posted in an album on the Muskingum County 4-H Facebook Page. A prize of $20 will be awarded to the club photo that receives the most likes during 4-H Week!

Both contests are sponsored by the Muskingum County 4-H Committee.

The 2018 Ohio Beef Expo Judging Contest will be held Friday, March16, 2018.  The registration form and rules can be found on the Ohio Beef Expo website: https://www.ohiobeefexpo.com/schedule-events/youth-events.

Please feel free to pass this email along to anyone who might be interested!

Some new and revised projects books have been making their way across my desk recently. The flashy colors and inviting graphics look nothing like the books I completed when I was in 4-H. Long story short, I’m in love! But, we all know it’s what inside that counts.

Today I’m exploring It’s My Home (previously Adventures in Home Living).

Here are some quick stats about the project:

A quick glance through the project and you’ll find it teaches youth about use of color, texture, lines, and style for interior design. My favorite activity (because I could use a little more of it myself) is one that guides youth through organizing (a closet, dresser, desk, bookshelf) any space frequently used that needs some extra love and attention – teaching them to keep, donate, throw away, or upcycle! Members are challenged to explore ways to keep their home clean and donate time or gently used items to local organizations in need.

I highly recommend this project for beginning 4-H members. To view sample project pages of It’s My Home and other Ohio 4-H project books online, please visit 4-H Project Central. To view the entire project book, please stop by the 4-H Office.

Mrs. Stefanie

The 2018 Ohio 4-H Conference is designed to bring together 4-H volunteers and teens (age 13 and older) from across Ohio. Teen leaders and volunteers learn together and from each other in order to become better at delivering the Ohio 4-H Program to our members. A variety of educational sessions ensures that there is something for everyone! I am looking forward to teaching two sessions – one with my 4-H colleague Jessica Rockey from Perry County titled “Grow 4-H in Your County!” and another with some of our Camp Counselors titled “Campbassadors – Counselors Empowered to Promote Camp.”

Who: Teens and Volunteers

What: Ohio 4-H Conference

When: Saturday, March 10

Where: Greater Columbus Convention Center

Registration fees for the conference are $35. $20 scholarships are offered through the TSC Paper Clover Campaign (teens) and Muskingum County 4-H Committee (adults).
 Muskingum County 4-H Junior Leaders will cover the additional $15 for enrolled members.

Final Cost:

Teen: Junior Leaders 
- NO COST

Teen/Adult: Not Junior Leaders $15 fee

Registration Form

Registration Booklet (with session list)

Deadline to submit registrations to the Extension Office is Friday, February 2 at 4:30 p.m.