Any 4-Hers out there?

[Farmfresh]

My sister and I just got back from a 4-H alumni reunion tonight. It was lots of fun with a potluck and lots of familiar faces from the past.

Sis and I were both started in 4-H when we were about 7 years old and both of us grew up to be 4-H leaders for many, many years. We each had our own 4-H group. Both of us did horse activities with 4-H. From riding, on to judging, hippology and horse bowl. We were even involved with our counties therapeutic riding program. In addition we both had poultry projects. Sis did a cat project.

When my kids were old enough they were all in 4-H as well. They did horsemanship of course, but also competed in LOTS of other projects as well.

My question is, how many of you were or are involved in 4-H?

What projects did you do?

What did you learn there that benefits your life today?

 

[FarmerDenise]

I wanted to join 4H, but our local 4H didn't allow girls
My male cousin was in it and I sort of participated by surreptitiously watching him. But he actually really enjoyed having an activity I could not participate in. So he didn't share much. We were very competitive, and he is a year older than I
We raised sheep one year for his 4H project. Actually my Grandmother and Grandfather did most of the caretaking , but we all did the eating. We couldn't let my sister know that we were eating the sheep.

 

[Farmfresh]

I wanted to join 4H, but our local 4H didn't allow girls
My male cousin was in it and I sort of participated by surreptitiously watching him. But he actually really enjoyed having an activity I could not participate in. So he didn't share much. We were very competitive, and he is a year older than I
We raised sheep one year for his 4H project. Actually my Grandmother and Grandfather did most of the caretaking , but we all did the eating. We couldn't let my sister know that we were eating the sheep.

WHAT!!! In the USA? I am in shock.

I know that 4-H in our area has been going strong since at LEAST the 40's for both boys AND girls.

Sadly, I have born witness to the almost complete destruction of 4-H in our county. The city folks apathy finally won over and even our 4-H center was sold a few years back. They CLAIM to still have 4-H, but it exists only in a few after school groups that primarily do things like crafts. The last County Fair had only a handful of entries.

When I was a kid we had barns full of animals and tents full of arts, crafts and projects. Families were everywhere! I owe a lot of what I am today to 4-H. The community service work, public speaking experience, and just plain learning "how to do by doing" was a great thing for a kid to experience. Now people who are serious about 4-H all travel to a distant county so they can still participate to a certain extent.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

This is our first year with 4H. My daughter is doing a Pet Duck project and my son is doing a Fancy Poultry (chicken) Project.

They're super excited.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I lived waayyyy out in the boonies in upstate New York! The guy who did the 4-H didn't want girls in the group
The girls were in FFA (Future Farmers of America), where they learned the "girly" stuff of farming like sewing and cooking etc. I wasn't interested. I already knew how to do that stuff and didn't want to be around a bunch of silly girly girls.

Girls were also not allowed to wear pants to school!! Even in the dead of winter with 3 feet of snow on the ground!!!! And many of us had to walk to school or to the school bus, because the schoolbus couldn't make it through the snow!!!

ETA explanation of FFA and typo, dang, my fingers are not cooperating today

 

[miss_thenorth]

4H used to be very popular around here, and i always wanted to go when I was a kid So when we moved out here to the country, I wanted to get my kids in 4H, but the closest branches, one was 50 minutes away, and the other one is over an hour away. Too far for me.

 

[hwillm1977]

We have a 4H group at the barn where I board my horse, they almost always do horse projects although two years ago they all got pigs, and one cow. They had a pig scramble at the local fair and the kids all got one... then animal rights groups protested (that it was cruel to the piglets), and there may not be a scramble this year.

I'm not directly involved, but it's fun to see the kids getting so excited for farm stuff... most of them live in suburbs. There's about 10-15 (all girls) in the group.

 

[tamlynn]

I was a 4-H kid! My main area was horses. I competed many times at the state level in horsemanship 4-H. I was on our county's horse bowl team one year and we went to Nationals in Denver. I also did some judging. That was so much fun.

I also did quilting, needlework, art, ceramics and even a cooking demo team one year.

The town I grew up in was big on 4-H. The horse club is still going strong. My mom has a poultry club and an art club that my kids get to participate in during the summer. I think she is having a goat club this year too. She always puts me on as a co-leader. The local (UT) county fair is the big even for 4-Hers still.

 

[Farmfresh]

Glad to see another Horse Bowl-er out there! My kids all were in Horse Bowl and I was the county coach. We went to State many times and won several times!

When I tell others about my kids being in Horse Bowl they all give me strange looks. They start thinking everything in between bowling balls and fish tanks.

 

[Dace]

My 16yr old rides with a friend now and then in another town. The woman who owns the horses is involved with 4H (goats mostly).

I woudl love to learn more about getting my 7 yr old involved. I don't really know anything about it.

Can someone explain what a 'project' is exactly...I assume it is raising an animal to the point of sale and learning how to care for the critter during the time they have them. Yes?