Northern Meadows Meeting!!!!

Northern Meadows first meeting of the year will be Monday, October 20th. Meeting place is the AmericaWest Bank. At this meeting is where we plan out the outline for the year and see what new members we might have. Also coming up is Awards Banquet, Sunday November 2nd. That's where all the 4-h'ers efforts for the year is recognised.

Happy New 4-H year!!!

October 1st starts the new 4-H year. Time for setting new goals, turning in old records and nominating the new officers. The start of the year is also the best time for joining 4-H. That way you have the whole year to do your projects.

State Competition Results!

Our members have been involved in a lot of State Competitions this year. In April Naomi and me went to Bellingham for a Hippology (horse knowledge) competition. I competed on senior team with other members from Spokane County. We placed 5th. Naomi competed with other intermediate members from Stevens County and they placed 7th. Next was State Fair in Puyallup, WA. I went for National Equine Presentations and came in 2nd with a blue ribbon, I also sent my educational poster and won a blue ribbon. Kody sent a poster and a picture he took and won a red ribbon for each. Naomi went for her presentation (she also won the high point award at our county competition) and for Fashion Revue. She won a blue ribbon for all her competitions and won two special merit ribbons as well.

Record Book Time!!!!

Late September is record book time for 4-H'ers. Every year we do a new record book for our projects. The record book is composed of four main parts: Your calendar, where you list all the 4-H events and which ones you go to; The project journal, the main part, where you record your goals for the year, your expenses and everything related to your project; The permanent record is next, and you keep this through your whole 4-H career, and it has your offices through the years and presentations and such; Last is the 4-H story, here you write about the experience you had that year, what you did, and how 4-H has changed you. Record books can be hard, but they're so worth it. To be able to look back on what you did five, ten, even fifteen years later is great. Plus record books prepare you for all the record keeping you have to do as an adult. Every time I start to dread doing my record book, I remember just how important they are, and how they contribute to the adult I will be.

What is 4-H? Why join 4-H?

That's two of the most common questions I will be asked by people interested in 4-H. 4-H is a youth program for kids age 5 and in kindergarten through teens in 12th grade. Kids interested in 4-H can join a club (led by our amazing adult volunteers) and pursue projects that interest them. Pick a project, 4-H has it. You don't need to have a horse to be in the horse project, same with every other animal project as well. You then work on your project(s) the whole 4-H year (Oct. 1st through Sept. 30th). You can keep a record book to track your work through the year. If you want you can show your project(s) at the local fair and maybe even state fair. The other neat part is public presentations. You pick something that interests you in one of your projects and study it and then give a presentation on it. Now that you know what you do in 4-H, most people will wonder 'why 4-H?' 4-H teaches so much to kids willing to learn. When I started 4-H I could barely talk in front of a few people. Now my favorite part is public presentations. Ask other 4-H'ers and they'll give you similar answers. 4-H teaches leadership, responsiblity, and so much more. If you're interested in 4-H you can learn more at the WSU website http://www.4h.wsu.edu/. If you want to join Northern Meadows, you can contact Robin at northernmeadows@gmail.com