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Sioux County Newsletter
April 2020
Calendar of Events
April 1 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 2 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
April 6 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 7 – Virtual Field Trip for 9th – 12th grade at 10 am
April 7 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
April 8 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 9 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
April 13 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 14 – Virtual Field Trip for 9th – 12th grade at 10 am
April 14 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
April 15 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 16 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
April 20 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 21 – Virtual Field Trip for 9th -12th grade at 10 am
April 21 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
April 22 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 24 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
April 27 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 28 – Virtual Field Trip for 9th -12th grade at 10 am
April 28 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
April 29 – Boredom Buster at 1 pm
April 30 – Living Room Learning at 1 pm
May 17 – Speech Contest
May 27-28 – Wilderness Wonders Camp at Camp Norwesca
June 3-4 – LOG N Camp at Halsey
June 7 – Sheridan County Progress Show
June 10 – YGB Sheep, Goat, and Beef Workshop
June 11-12 – Design Camp
June 11-13 – Fort Robinson Horse Camp
June 20 – Dawes County Progress Show
June 27 – Box Butte County Progress Show
Important Announcements
· The District Horse Show for this year is cancelled. Youth will be able to participate in the State Horse Show without pre-qualifying. Horse Level testing will not have to be completed until June 15th.
· 4-H pigs are available for purchase. Families can call Daryl Scherbarth at 308-360-1881 or Travis Binger at 308-430-0564.
· The ARBA Rabbit Show has been cancelled for this spring.
Office Closures
Due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, the Nebraska Extension Offices in Sioux, Dawes, and Sheridan Counties will be closing their doors to walk-in traffic, effective as of Friday, March 20, until further notice. Staff are working remotely to deliver learning opportunities to Nebraskans. Many Extension programs will be available online. To contact UNL Extension: Sioux County call 308-668-2428 and leave a message or email jnixon@unl.edu, Dawes County call 308-432-3373 leave a voicemail or email dawes-county@unl.edu, Sheridan County call 308-327-2312 leave a voicemail or email jack.arterburn@unl.edu.
4-H Registration
Youth need to sign up for 4-H to participate in Fair by May 1st. To enroll in 4-H, families need to visit ne.4honline.com. Families can also like and follow the Sioux County 4-H Facebook page and the Nebraska Extension-Sioux County Facebook page. Youth do not have to participate in fair to be a 4-H member, youth can participate in monthly workshops, summer camps and more!
Concerns about Upcoming Events
During this unknown time, many of you may be wondering about our summer 4-H activities. Currently we are being directed to make determinations about events around a month out. For now we are going to continue to plan activities for after May 10th, including Fair. We will continue to keep you posted as things get closer. For those of you who are not sure about purchasing animals feel free to wait as long as you need but if you want your youth to still have the learning aspect and responsibility of the project to go ahead and purchase the animal. This year would be a great year to work on recordkeeping of what youth are learning and doing with their projects. The State 4-H Director has said we will have some sort of 4-H celebration event it just may look different than our traditional fair this year. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
4-H Care Kits
Sioux County 4-H Council and Nebraska Extension are currently mailing out 4-H Care kits to
4-H members. These kits will include supplies and lessons for an activity the youth can complete at home. We encourage the youth to share with Nebraska 4-H what they created by sharing a photo on Sioux County 4-H page and adding #NPNE4H. Families can sign their youth up for the 4-H Care Kits by registering their child for 4-H.
4-H Camp Scholarship
Are you interested in attending a 4-H Camp but are not sure you can afford the fee? Apply for a 4-H Camp Scholarship. These scholarship applications are due on May 1st. We realize families might not know for sure what camp they are attending yet, we ask you go ahead apply for any camps you think you might attend. You can submit your application to the Nebraska Extension-Sioux County Office. You can find the application at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/northernpanhandle/scholarship-opportunities/.
Scholarship Opportunity for Ag Majors
The Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) is pleased to announce the opening of the scholarship period for the 2020/2021 school year. The IPSA scholarship program was created by the Myron "Ted" Asplin Family to benefit the future of agriculture by supporting and encouraging the education of future ag professionals. Ten $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to students studying in the field of agriculture. Both high school seniors and active college students majoring in Agriculture are encouraged to apply. Applications are due to IPSA by APRIL 30th, and award winners will be announced by June 1. For more detailed information go to:
https://ipseed.org/ipsa-affairs/scholarships
Please keep in mind, in addition to the application online, the most recent student transcripts and 2 letters of recommendation must be uploaded for each applicant. PDF is the preferred version.
4-H Volunteers
We greatly appreciate all members who volunteer to assist with the 4-H program. As an organization that serves youth, our number one priority is to keep them safe. With that being said we have some new procedures in place to ensure that we are able to do that. In accordance with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Youth Activity Safety Policy, we must ensure that 4-H volunteers do not have a criminal background that would disqualify the individual from serving. All 4-H volunteers who work directly with youth to complete the Direct Volunteer Form and submit a background check. Adults and youth who teach workshops or are directly involved with youth like Council members need to complete the Direct Volunteer Application at https://ssp.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6htdcs3Hnt4vBqt. Make sure you go to the DHHS website to complete the background screening. This screening does cost $5. If you do not assist with teaching but serve as a Fair Superintendent, you can complete the Indirect Volunteer screening form at https://ssp.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e9UrGhL5RZsnh9X.
Weekly Project Ideas
Each week Nebraska Extension 4-H Staff are creating Weekly Project ideas youth can complete at home with the materials they will have at their homes. These items will be posted on the Nebraska Extension Sioux County Facebook page. These activities are potential fair projects that can be entered in the County Fair this summer. Youth are encouraged to post a photo with a hashtag #NPNE4H.
The first project idea for April is a family traditions exhibit (A101012)! The exhibit could be a story or illustration. This activity can be a State Fair project that can be entered at the county fair this summer. Displays should not be larger than 22" x 28" wide. Clover Kids can create a Family Tree or Family Celebration to enter at the county fair. Other youth can also create a heritage poster and enter it in class A101001. For more information about this project check out the project manual at https://4hcurriculum.unl.edu/index.php/main/program_project/47
Photography Challenge
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday youth and adults will be challenged to take a picture around a certain topic and submit it to the Nebraska Extension Staff. The photos can be emailed to Melissa Mracek (mmracek2@unl.edu). The winners of each photo challenge will be posted on Facebook the following day or two.
Speech & Presentation Contest
This year there will not be a regional Speech Contest, instead each county can send 5 intermediates and seniors to the State Speech Contest on June 24th in Lincoln or participate via zoom. The County Speech and Presentation Contest will be held on May 17th. PSA’s are to be 60 seconds are less and be around the Inspire Kids To Do theme. The Clover Bud speech length is under 2 minutes, Juniors 1-3 minutes, Intermediates
3-5 minutes, and Seniors 5 to 8 minutes. For more information about the rules visit https://4h.unl.edu/communication and https://4h.unl.edu/employee/presentation-contest for the Presentation Contest.
Living Room Learning
Tune in every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at 1 pm MT for Nebraska 4-H’s Living Room Learning! Each day, youth will participate in a hands-on virtually guided activity where they will learn about healthy living, science, technology, and more! Each session will focus on a new activity that can be done with materials found at home. Living Room Learning activities are perfect for youth in 3rd-5th grades. Each session will be recorded and made available for
on-demand viewing. For a listing of activities and materials visit https://4h.unl.edu/living-room-learning.
Boredom Busters
Tune in every Monday and Wednesday afternoon at 1 pm MT for Nebraska’s 4-H’s Boredom Buster Challenge! Each week, youth will be given a problem to solve using materials found in their home. On Monday, youth will be introduced to the challenge, and on Wednesday, they will be introduced to the exciting twists and turns! Through these hands-on virtually guided challenges youth will learn about entrepreneurship, healthy living, science, technology, and more! Boredom Buster Challenges are perfect for youth in 6th-9th grades. Each session will be recorded. To learn more visit: https://4h.unl.edu/boredom-buster-challenge.
LOG N Camp
Youth going into grade 6th and 7th are welcome to join us at the LOG N Camp on June 3rd and 4th in Halsey. Participants will enjoy camp activities such as canoeing, ziplining, and high wires while developing their leadership skills. As 7th graders they will graduate to become a part of our Next Chapter program gaining life skills necessary for the next chapter of their lives. The Next Chapter program will continue with them until they graduate from high school to help them set goals, practice interviewing skills, research colleges, and more. By participating in the Next Chapter program, youth will get their University of Nebraska application fee waived! The fee for this camp is $80. Scholarships may be used to help pay for this camp. The application is due on May 1st to the Box Butte County Extension Office. For more information visit https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/northernpanhandle/LOG%20N%20Application-Essay%202020.pdf.
Wilderness Wonders Camp
Can you survive 4-H Wilderness Wonders camp? This camp is an overnight camp for youth going into 3rd through 5th grade. The youth will work together as a team to accomplish the camp challenges, which include archery, water slide, crafts, GPS activity, and more! This camp will be held on May 27th through 28th at Camp Norwesca. The fee for the camp is $80. Youth do not have to be 4-H members to participate. 4-H Scholarships can be used to help pay for this camp. Registration is due to the Box Butte County Extension Office by May 15th. For more information visit https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/northernpanhandle/event-calendar/.
Fort Robinson Horse Camp
YGB Clinic
Box Butte’s 4-H Council is hosting Chastin Legget’s You Gotta Believe Livestock Camp on June 10th at the Box Butte County Fairgrounds in Hemingford. Youth can participate in Beef, Sheep, or Goat portion of the showmanship clinic. The fee for the camp is $125 per exhibitor. Participants will need to bring their animal, water bucket, show halter, collar, and show stick. Sheep will need to be ruff shorn within two weeks before the camp. Lunch will be provided. Youth can only bring one species to the clinic. 4-H Scholarships. Registration is due by May 1st. For the registration visit https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/northernpanhandle/event-calendar/.
Big Red Summer Camps
High School youth have the opportunity to attend a variety of Big Red Summer camps starting on June 7th. These week long camps are college and career exploration camps that give high school youth a chance to explore the UNL campus, meet people from across the country, spend time investigating an interest or potential career, enjoy exciting evening activities or trips, and have lots of fun! These are residential camps; all housing and food will be provided for all participants throughout the duration of the camp. Youth can check out all the opportunities at https://4h.unl.edu/big-red-camps.
Nebraska Extension Sioux County Office
Email: mmracek2@unl.edu
Website: go.unl.edu/siouxcofair
Location: PO Box 277 Harrison, NE 69346
Phone: (308) 668-2428
Facebook: facebook.com/UNLSiouxCounty