Washington County 4-H Newsletter

Welcome to our Family Newsletter! The most up-to-date information about events and activities going on in Washington County 4-H. Please pass along to friends and family that might be interested in attending a 4-H event. You will also receive the monthly Clover Update at the beginning of each month highlighting regional and state events.

Is your newsletter getting cut off? Washington County does have a lengthy newsletter and it often times will be cut off for gmail accounts and perhaps others. Meaning you have to hit a link to get the whole newsletter. The best way to view our newsletter is to open it in a new browser.

Washington County 4-H’ers – it is time to re-enroll for the 2024-2025 4-H year! There will not be a $25 enrollment fee this year! Please log in to your family account and re-enroll your 4-H members and any screened adults from your household now, no reason to wait, check it off your list!

Our annual 4-H Open House is a great way to learn all about what Washington County 4-H has to offer! This well-established youth program brings together young people in grades Kindergarten through 13th (one year past high school) to pursue their passions and interests in a supportive community.

Join us on Friday, October 11th from 5-7pm at the Washington County Fairgrounds to meet the different 4-H clubs in our area and see what kinds of activities we offer: performing arts, animal science, STEM, dog training, community service projects, and much much more! We will have fun hands-on activities, animal guests, and delicious treats for everyone!

If you would like more information on the event or how to enroll in 4-H, please visit our website at z.umn.edu/washco4h or email ashton@umn.edu.

Please share this event with your friends and community!

The Horse PDC will have its first meeting of the new 4-H year on Monday, October 14, beginning at 6:30 pm at the Stillwater Gov’t Center! All horse enthusiasts are welcome to attend! We will be discussing opportunities within the horse project! We will be electing various chair positions to help with horse related projects and activities for the coming year! Please see information and opportunities about the Horse PDC here. Any questions, contact Ann at; churc109@umn.edu or Lisa Kalka at; kalkax2@live.com

Any youth grade 3 and up and parent/guardians are invited to attend a FREE informational gathering about poultry health on Tuesday, October 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Dakota County Extension and Conservation Center, 4100 220th St. W. in Farmington. Participants must be currently enrolled or re-enrolled for the 2024-25 4-H year in order to have access to event registration in 4-H Online. This workshop is open to any active 4-H member, regardless of county.

Guest presenter, Dr. Zachary Adams, from Twin Cities Poultry Medicine Service will speak about prevention, treatment of common poultry conditions, avian influenza, and biosecurity There will be a time for questions to be answered. Workshop is FREE!

Register by Oct. 11 in 4-H Online under '4-H Poultry Health Workshop'. Contact: Rachel Rezac, reza0027@umn.edu if you have any questions.

Join us Thursday, October 24th for a night of real magic: science! Our very own 3M Visiting Wizard (aka Lydia’s dad) will be teaching us all about what makes science seem so magical! This event is perfect for any aspiring mad scientists in grade K+

Thursday, October 24th

Hooley Hall

6-7pm

Free!

K+

z.umn.edu/magicofscience

The October Ambassador meeting will start just a bit earlier this month at 5:30 with pizza served at 6:00pm. This is also Federation meeting night and club officer training so a jammed packed evening. Ambassadors are welcome to participate in all activities.

Please pre-register so we have enough pizza!

Join us for Cloverbud Workshop - an event you will not want to miss! This "Fall Fun" event for cloverbuds is planned and led by our own Washington County 4-H Ambassadors and will include crafts, games, and meeting new friends! All about animals is the theme, learn how to participate in Cloverbud showmanship at the fair. We will be spending time outside, so come dressed for the weather. All Cloverbuds and non 4-Hers in grades K-2 are invited to come meet new friends and participate in hands-on project learning. Pizza lunch will be included. Cost is $10. Register by Oct, 28

Please pre-register here!

Washington County 4-H and R. H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) are partnering to offer a series of life skills classes for teens in grades 9-13. Topics include finances, car care, mental health, relationships, housing, and more! Most events will take place at R. H. Stafford library from 5:30pm-7pm. Registration will be available soon, please keep an eye on social media or email ashton@umn.edu to be notified.

November 7- Car care: winter edition

December 12- Self-care and mental health

January 16- Money: how to make the most of what you have

February 13- Healthy relationships

March 6- How to do your taxes

April 10- Living on your own: apartments, dorms, houses, etc.

May 15- Car care: summer edition

The new year just started and we want you to consider becoming an Ambassador. Ambassadors are youth in grades 7-13 who are interested in serving in a leadership role on the county level. We plan activities for Cloverbud Workshops and other county wide events, have socials and participate in community service projects. Join us the 4th Monday of every month. Questions or want to learn more?

Contact Megan at slate187@umn.edu

Register to be an Ambassador here!

The Happy Hornets came early to their meeting this month to help winterize the garden at the church. The kids had a lot of fun, the work went fast with many hands, and the church was very appreciative of their service.

Our new officers were installed during the October meeting. After the meeting we had a paper mache demo where everyone was able to start their own paper mache projects. We hope to complete the paper mache projects next month. It was a sticky, messy, good time!

It’s fall, which means it is time for Chartering! Club’s will be choosing new club officers, setting budgets and creating their 4-H calendars! Please make sure that ALL volunteers and youth listed on the Charter’s are screened and re-enrolled for the 2024-2025 year!

Minnesota 4-H is excited to partner with the Minnesota Woodworkers Guild and Elpis Enterprises to offer a youth woodworking activity at the 5th Annual Woodworkers Expo. We invite you to save the date and join us at this family-friendly event on Saturday, October 12 from 9:00am - 4:00pm. The day includes kids workshops, demonstrations, prizes, and over 70 local and national woodworking retailers, tool manufacturers, lumber sellers, schools, organizations, and makers! Youth will have the opportunity to learn about the skill of woodworking and build their very own FREE candy dispenser or plinko game to take home with them! The youth woodworking activity will be 9:30am - 3:30pm or until supplies last. The event is free and open to the public and is located in the Progress Center Building on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Learn more on the event website.

Food shelves across Minnesota continue to experience record demand for food assistance. If your 4-H group has an idea to help community members access healthy food and essential supplies, let’s make it a reality!

This award program funds 4-H clubs and county/tribal 4-H programs to partner with a local food shelf, food assistance program or food organization to address food insecurity in their communities.

Each 4-H group is provided with $500 to come up with an idea and turn it into a service project. What that idea looks like and how it’s put into action is entirely up to 4-H youth, supporting adults and their partnerships. The project must be youth-led to be eligible.

Learn more and apply online to receive financial support to launch a service project. The online application will be available Oct. 1-31.

Livestock Reminders

• February 15 - Market Beef/Dairy Steer ID deadline
• May 15 - Animal ID deadline (Dog, Horse, Llama, Rabbit, Dairy, Breeding Beef, Sheep, Swine, Goat (market & dairy) and leased poultry).
• July 1 - County Fair registration due
• LQA Training - Livestock Quality Assurance training needs to be completed BEFORE County Fair to be eligible for a State Fair trip with an animal. In-person training lasts 3 fair seasons versus online training is 1 year and has a fee. In-person usually takes place mid-late June.

Washington County Fair 2025

• July 1 - County fair registration deadline. Final selection of projects and animals need to be entered in FairEntry by this date. Late entries accepted for ribbon only.
• July 26 - 4-H General project judging (Saturday)
• July 30- Aug. 3 - Washington County Fair

Youth enrollment and animal ID deadline

• Oct. 11, 2024 - Open House - learn more about what 4-H can offer.
• May 15, 2025 - Enrollment deadline for full County Fair participation and eligibility for State Fair, State Shoot, State Horse Show and State Dog Show.
• Participation is limited after May 15 (Not eligible for champions, auction, state trips) Blue, red and white ribbons only.

Get ready to explore the wonders of nature with our 4-H Science Sprouts: Exploring plants, water, and color series! Calling youth in grades 3-5! Join us for three fun and interactive virtual sessions where we’ll dive into how water and color affect plants. Each session is just 30 minutes long and packed with hands-on activities you can do from home! When: 3rd Monday of October, November, and December from 5:30-6 p.m. Sign up by Oct. 9 to receive a special kit filled with everything you need to get started! Don’t miss out on this chance to become a plant scientists! Learn more at; https://extension.umn.edu/.../4-h-science-sprouts...

Embark on a global agriculture adventure with 4-H Explorers in Ag! Join us as we explore the rich agricultural landscapes of Cambodia, Poland, and Canada—right from home! Each week unlocks a new country, where you’ll discover unique farming practices and how agriculture shapes communities worldwide. Guided by the Minnesota 4-H Agriculture Ambassadors, you’ll learn, engage with guest speakers, and gain a global perspective on food and farming! Starts Nov. 12. This is a free program with take-home materials for youth in grades 6-8. Sign up now for this unforgettable journey!

Save the date! The 2024 4-H Outdoor Education Summit will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel. Come for a fun-filled day of project workshops for Cloverbuds through adult volunteers! Sessions will include Cloverbud outdoor day camp, wilderness survival, skull identification, environmental service leadership, and more! Adult sessions include SS&W certification training, curriculum training, and how to lead a 4-H WHEP team. Registration will go live on Oct. 1 in 4-H Online.

Learn more and register.

**Adult Volunteer Coach Needed for this program in Washington County**

WHEP is a hands-on environmental education program dedicated to teaching wildlife and fisheries habitat management to youth. It provides participants an opportunity to test their wildlife knowledge in a friendly competition in teams of 3-4 similarly aged individuals, led by a local 4-H volunteer coach. The winning senior WHEP team (14-19 years old) will have the opportunity to attend the annual national WHEP contest, typically held the last full week of July. 4-H WHEP will replace Wildlife Project Bowl.

There will be WHEP learning sessions for coaches and youth at the 4-H Outdoor Education Summit on Nov. 23 at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel.

Learn more about WHEP.

Calling all 4-H youth and adult leaders with a passion for equity and making change in their communities in order for all members to feel belonging. Join us for the inaugural equity focused leadership summit by Minnesota 4-H - MNclusion! The summit will provide lots of hands-on learning, presentations and interactive discussions about equity and tools to support youth as changemakers in their communities. During this retreat YET members will share their projects and experiences, introduce participants to identifying equity issues and create action plans that create more inclusive environments. Youth are welcome to come individually or with a team. The weekend will include a service project, multi-generational learning experiences, roundtable discussions on important topics the youth identify, and time for everyone to make connections and deepen relationships.

November 8 - 10, 2024

Location: Camp Friendship, Annandale, MN

Registration Deadline

Registration will be open September 30 to October 21, 2024

As adults we are supporting the growth of our youth into strong leaders. It is important for us to recognize where we are empowering youth to be leaders now, not just in the future. We are responsible for making space for their voice in all of our programs so they can learn, grow and flourish. During this training we are going to reflect on our personal beliefs about youth voice, our behaviors in how we show up in youth adult partnerships and learn about the essential ingredients in strengthening youth voice and youth adult partnerships in our program.

The goals of this session are to:

• CENTER the vision of 4-H where “Youth & Adults Learn, Grow, & Work Together as Catalysts for Positive Change”

• DEFINE youth voice, youth-adult partnership, and understand research behind youth participation

• REFLECT on our beliefs, behaviors and ways of being in order to TAKE ACTION towards the 4-H vision

We are asking that 2-3 volunteers from each club, project, activity or event, attend this annual volunteer training on behalf of their 4-H group. Statewide webinars are just one way to attend.

The new 4-H year will bring many volunteers into a new role as a club leader or assistant leader. We have an upcoming webinar that will provide knowledge and tools to empower them in their role!

The new club leader webinar will be hosted via Zoom by regional volunteer systems educators on Nov. 14.

Learn more and register.

As club leaders get ready for the new program year, don’t forget to check out the youth development curriculum library to help find fresh ideas. It’s grown 30% in the past month alone!

• Check out our newest themed 4-H club agendas on origami, popcorn, mushrooms, family, clovers, spices, trades, and landfills! Each includes an arrival and roll call activity, sample meeting agenda, educational lesson, and recreation and refreshment ideas tied to a theme.
• 30-Minute Seasonal Science is a series of nine activities that help youth in grades K-5 explore innovation through scientific experimentation and do-it-yourself crafting categorized by season.
• Birding Adventures is a group of four stand-alone independent learning guides that help youth explore the world of birding, even in the winter!
• Pumpkin Party is a 1.5 to 2 hour experience that teaches youth in grades K-5 about the lifecycle of a pumpkin through storytime, crafts, and a pumpkin growing experiment.

University of Minnesota Extension works across the lifespan. We create and support positive non-formal learning opportunities for youth. We foster resilient, healthy and secure futures for families and seniors. Extension works with Minnesotans to make informed decisions leading to better health and well-being. Learn more at: https://extension.umn.edu/families-and-youth

University of Minnesota Extension improves food literacy, physical activity, food safety and healthy food access for Minnesotans and the food service industry. Learn more at: https://extension.umn.edu/food-health-and-nutrition

The best plants and gardening practices for Minnesota gardeners, homeowners and hobbyists to grow healthy lawns, landscapes and gardens. Learn more at: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden

Ann Church - Livestock (Beef, Dairy, Llama, Sheep, Swine, Poultry, Rabbit), Horse, Shooting Sports, Federation, Community Clubs, Fair, Charters and Finance, Grant writing, Foods & Creative Arts projects.

Megan Slater - Youth Teaching Youth, Ambassadors, Performing Arts, Resident/Day Camps, Dog, Goat, Cloverbud.

Ashton Kulesa - STEM, Project Workshops, New Families, Promotion, Food Stand, Outreach and Libraries.

Contact information is listed below.