PB from MN

I, too, am one of the people who bleed green! I am a former 4-Her, 4-H parent, 4-H volunteer and now a 4-H judge.

4-H is one of the best youth development programs around and it is for ALL youth, rural, city, etc.

You can do any project area from animals and livestock, photography, computer, Horseless Horse, foods/nutrition, purchased and constructed clothing, archery, small engines, the list goes on.

I see some incredible youth when I judge. I don't know if this is true for all states but the project is judged half on the project and half on the youth interview. I have frequently found that projects that went wrong is where the most learning has taken place. This is why you may see a project that is not "perfect" get a high ribbon, the youth had a very successful interview and vice versa; the perfect project had a youth that could not explain it well (credit is given for youth limitations and ages). I absolutely love it when a youth takes the interview and tells me everything I need to know, with me asking very few questions. These are life long skills the youth are learning.

I also know our youth need people to teach 4-H project areas. An earlier comment is correct that a generation never learned home ec areas or industrial arts area is correct.

I joke with people that my idea of fun is sitting in a metal shed in July listening to kids.

mhollifiel

Other than family, 4-H was the best thing we did growing up! I was County Council President and, Boy, did that experience help in college and my educational career. We did public speaking, electric, wildlife, conservation, leadership, chickens, etc. One or the other of the four of us were into about everything. We looked forward to a week at NCSC, North Carolina's land grant college, every summer in our teens. I went to Electric Congress. We spent weeks perfecting our demonstrations. We ate corn muffins for weeks getting ready for my sister's bake off. My baby sister and my brother went on to nationals in Chicago where my sister met her husband! Some of us are NC Honor Club members and my dad even chaperoned at 4-H camp one year! He had more fun than we did! Great memories!

miriam

Last week I took my oldest Grand Daughter for the judging. She made a fat quarter tote bag - pattern was found here on QB! She is the 4th generation 4-Her. My mom won a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin back in the 1940s. She won it for her gardening skills. She still gardens in containers and she is 87 years young. I was involved for a couple years until we moved to a place with out strong 4-H. I can remember a project I did. I made a little blouse and I sewed a beautiful turquoise jumper. It had a stylish long V neck and arms. The sewing on it was perfect. I took my time and did it right. WELL. I wore the outfit to church. Then we came home and ate a quick lunch in the back yard - I should have changed clothes.... Drum roll. We had a very nice rich chocolate cake for dessert. Yeah. I carried the cake from the house to the yard and tripped and the cake ended up on the jumper. I would have won a trip to the state fair had I not stained my project beyond getting the stain out. The judge said so... Then my DD wanted to do 4-H so we made up a project and she did well. She didn't want to go on because they made her model her project and that was the end of it. Since she had so many objections to modeling DGD decided to do a tote bag that didn't have to be modeled. She won Champion. The only other project in her division was a girl 6 years older and she got the Grand Champion. I will say the judge didn't find anything to critique on her project - that bag had a lot of points on the score sheet. My next oldest DGD is in Mini 4-H and she was very disappointed that she did not go through judging. She made a big sweet roll covered in icing. (her pincushion is in the Campbell's Soup container. We also watched the modeling together and they both thought it wasn't a big deal - why was momma so freaked out??? Maybe next year... Keep the projects away from chocolate cake.
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SuzzyQ

Also bleeds green here.
Biggest problem for 4-H (like most everything elses) is finding the adult volunteers to run the projects.
SO - if you have any interest VOLUNTEER!. You don't need to be an expert - just willing to learn along with the members. You will get more than you give.

mjhaess

My daughter was in 4-H years ago, we both loved it..That is the only place I go when I go to fairs is to see the 4-H booths and the quilts.

RugosaB

Lots of memories of when I was a kid, being pretty active in sewing, and winning the first year the dog project was included. But the memory I treasure the most is when I was a leader of a dog club (same county fair as when I showed), and my little tiny daughter won at the county level, and then AT THE STATE level with a BASENJI!!!!!

If anyone knows anything about basenjis, they do what they want, when they want! OMG, I'm still just so proud of them

When she was in hs, she had to give blood for a surgery was going to have, and she was on the table. I asked her where she got the skirt she had on? "Oh, I made it from a shirt I got at goodwill." Found out she made it by hand, that girl got a machine pronto! She was not interested at all in sewing for 4-H

KarenR

My daughter made her quilt for 4H this year and on the day of judging got asked to go to church camp. She choose to go to camp. I was a little peeved. I had spent over $100 for the materials for her quilt.
I think with the economy parents are more careful about how much they let their children spend on the projects they do. It is hard to say- spend $50 for a $3 premium, so parents sometimes make their children make decisions on what they can bring. My daughter wanted to do the ready made garments- she wanted to go buy a new wardrobe. I said NO- not enough $$$$.

retiredteacher09

My husband and I met at 4H. We both were grads of it. He asked me out after a 4H radio contest many years ago.

Last month, I helped my great niece with directions for her 4H duffle project. I was her 'support' person for the second year. She made an apron last year and got reserved champion.

Her county fair is next week so I am anxious to see how she does with the bag.

Connie

Grace creates

Wonderful that you self taught yourself and undid what your Mom told you. I to am self taught. My Mom did a bit of sewing but was not the best of a teacher and My grandmother was a person who did lots of handwork but had no desire to pass it on. However, when there is a will there is a way and I am happy to call myself a quilter. My daughters have no interest in learning, they like quilts but don't want to do it themselves as of now. I do plan on teaching my granddaughters when they get a bit older.

Gerbie

Nothing says that you have to live on a ranch or in the country to be in 4-H it is for all kids, unless the rules and regulations have changed since I was in 4-H eons ago. I have great memories of 4-H. I lived in town and so did all of my 4-H group. We had a great extension agent, who taught us so much, cooking, sewing, health, safety, etc. I guess you could say I really learned to sew in 4-H I made my first outfit at 9 yrs old in 4-H.
We had slumber parties, or overnight stays they were called then, at the community center. We had our fairs, and went to other fairs in surrounding towns. Four of us went to the state competition with our safety program one year, my mother was our trip sponsor. The state finals were held at Texas A&M then, (it was an all male school then)- we traveled by greyhound during the summer and with no AC back then it was miserable (we did rather poorly placed 21st in the state) but we had fun anyway- we were 10-11 yrs old. I will never forget that trip nor any of my 4-H years. The same for scouting, I was a Brownie and a Girl Scout. I was a GS and in 4-H all at the same time.
Just check with your County Extension Agent and get the details on the local 4-H program.