Operation Military kids

Pretty neat, huh?!

Clover Credit Totals as of November 1, 2009

So how does your club stand in the Clover Credit competition at CCMS? Winning classes at the end of the year will receive a reward party! There are so many easy ways your club can earn Clover Credits: wearing a green shirt to class on 4-H Club day, participating in the monthly contest, receiving a blue ribbon (be sure to do your best work), attending after school 4-H activities, and completing a Service Project Report (as a class), are just a few of the easy ways to earn points!

Chester County 4-H Honor Club

4-H Honor Club is organized statewide and provides recognition, primarily within counties, of junior high (6th-12th grades) 4-H members who have demonstrated consistent leadership ability and have been active members in their clubs and communities.

We'll be starting up meetings for this school year next week, on November 4th. Honor Club membership and participation has nothing to do with grades but all to do with your interest in doing more with 4-H other than what is done in classroom clubs. As 4-H Honor Club members we will focus on doing community service projects, developing leadership skills, and getting together for social activities with other county 4-H Honor Clubs.

Please call Mrs. Amy to let her know if you plan on coming to the meeting on November 4th, after school, at our office. We may need to get a larger meeting place.

4-H Clubs have started in Chester County Schools!

Welcome to a new 4-H Club year! Mr. Brian and I had a chance to meet and enroll 4-Hers at the middle, junior, and high school, so we are excited to get things going! Below is a chart of the different contests and activities you can expect this next school year.

Here is some more detailed information about October's contest - Photography. Mark your calendars now because we'll be at CCHS on October 7th, CCMS October 20th and 22nd, CCJHS on October 19th & 30th. Don't forget to bring your photos mounted on posterboard or another sturdy paper!

We want this to be a fantastic year & as 4-Hers, you know our motto is "To make the best better!" Try something new - don't be afraid to make mistakes, that's how we all learn!! (Even grumpy people over the age of 18! Ha!) Remember you can earn clover Credits for your class the more you participate in 4-H. Look at the chart to see what other ways you can earn Clover Credits.

Hello! Who likes to win prizes?! We all do!!! So - we're gonna try something new called "Feature Friday". Every Friday we will post a photo from the community - of a building or place. It's your job to guess what the place is. The first person to 1) send me an email message of the correct answer AND 2) make a comment about the featured photo on the blog gets a prize! And if you want to submit the Feature Friday Photo - you can also win a prize, just send me a message & you can attache the photo in your message!

And just for fun - I'd like to share some photos from last week's BBQ Festival. These 4-Hers were having fun at one of the vendor booths. Every year the BBQ Festival has grown & it's really not fair of y'all to keep growing as well - I'm having to look UP to you now!!

Photo CDs from camp are ready for pick-up!

Yes - that's right, over 600MB worth of a VARIETY of photos from the 2009 Junior 4-H camp at WP Ridley 4-H Center in Columbia, TN are available for purchase at the 4-H office in Henderson! Give us a call before you come to the office so we can have your CD ready. You'll need to bring $5.00 and we won't be able to mail these out because we'll need your parents to sign a form - (just saying that none of these photos will be posted around the WWW). Our office hours are M-F, 8am-5pm. If you need to make other arrangements, just give us a call. I'm usually in the office late on Wednesdays.

For a $2.00 DISCOUNT - tell us about your best experience at camp this year (in 3 sentences or more)! This only applies to 4-Hers who went camping June 1-5, 2009 at Ridley! ;)

Camp Group Shot

We had a terrific time at Junior 4-H camp! The weather was great - for the most part. It did hail on us one day. :( And our pool times got canceled a few times because of thunder & lightning - but we did not want to be in the pool during those times! The camp staff had a neat zip line set up at Ridley & we were busy at the craft house, making cool crafts and t-shirts. (Mary Beth, you rock!!!) Crazy Critter guy kept our attention with all the fun events in the Wildlife House, on the Creek Stomps, and Tubing!! We even had a few campers try archery and rifles for the first time. The Talent Show was entertaining - there were quite a few campers from Chester County that were brave enough to get up on stage! I'm so excited that I get to go again in 2 weeks! :D

The Beloved 4-H Junior Camp Schedule for June 1-5, 2009!

OK - here is the schedule for 4-H Junior Camp this year. If you print out the pages on LEGAL sized paper, put the pages together (non-printed sides together) and fold in 3s, you'll have your camp schedule as you'll get it on Monday! So - you really don't have to print it out, just look at it. Hey - while you're at it you can book mark the site & you can visit us more easily!!

We're going to give each camper 1 schedule to keep for the week - we only have a few so if mom or dad want one, just give them this blog addy! :)

We are busy getting ready for Monday ... and Mr. Brian and I are so excited. We're gonna have a terrific time!!! :D :D :D

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Make Something Cool!

Isn't this great? I though so ... A way to recycle those old cassettes mom and dad have stashed away somewhere! I even added the sites button to our blog! Go to their site: Dollar Store Crafts. It's on the lower right when you scroll all the way down - maybe you can look through the site & come up with all kinds of busy summer activities or ideas for programs/demonstrations for next school year? It'll be here before you know it!

Get Ready For Camp!

OK - the deadline to sign up for most 4-H camps is this Friday, May 15th. Please call our office if you need us to stay open later than 5pm - that's when we close up for the weekend!

For those of you who are signed-up and ready, we'll be mailing out health forms and parent letters very soon. You can always download an Activity and Event Acceptance Form. A list of what to bring (and what NOT to bring) is here. The Parent meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26th at 6:30pm at Henderson City Hall.

The Buford Ellington 4-H Center in Milan is closing down so we'll be going to the WP Ridley 4-H Center in Columbia.

Former TN 4-Her Wins National Debate

OK, so if Public Speaking is such an important life skill, then why is speaking publicly also the #1 phobia? Seriously, this is a skill that everyone will use - regardless of what they do in life. Whether your job is very public oriented or you choose to do something that limits your interaction with people - getting your idea across in a way that everyone understands is crucial!

Not to mention that being able to give a good speech and support your ideas in a debate can = scholarship $$! Later in life this can translate into getting a job over other applicants, getting a raise or promotion, successfully solving a customer service issue, or helping to lead a 4-H public speaking group for your child!

A former 4-Her from Sevier County has done well in a national debate:

"Former SHS student and freshman at the University of the Cumberlands, Seth Stoffle can lay claim to a title few people obtain but many covet – a national championship.

Stoffle and debate partner Katie Riley were recently named the Christian College National Champions after winning the Novice Duo Parliamentary Debate at the Christian College Forensics National Invitational Tournament at Biola University in California. The duo took 1st place after shutting out top-seeded Bethel University (Minn.) in the semi-finals and then going on to defeat Pt. Loma University (Calif.) for the championship."

Read the full article here!

2009 Summer Activities

Below is a chart with the 4-H Summer activities that we already know about. Mr. Brian and I might add a workshop or two just for 4-Hers in Chester County, TN so check back for updates! Junior Camp is not on the chart, but it is scheduled for June 1-5 at the WP Ridley 4-H Center in Columbia, TN The cost of that camp is $220.00 and the deadline to register for that camp is May 18th. 4-Hers who were in 4-6th grade as of January 1, 2009 may attend. As always, if you have questions, please contact me or Mr. Brian!

4-H Network News Interviews Taylor Swift!

I don't know if I did this right?? I guess we'll find out!!!

I may have to try to post a link to the video, but it's too cute!! This is a GREAT example of terrific extemporaneous speaking - on Claire's part and on Taylor's part, awesome job ladies!

Bread Baking Contest Rules

OK - the contest for the 4-H Club Meetings for March is Bread Baking!! There are only 2 categories: biscuits and cornbread. So, this contest is designed to give you some basic practice in baking/cooking - there's no fancy category for this contest. It's OK to get help - just make sure you are doing most everything related to baking your bread.
You can always call our office if you have any questions. I'm posting the rules, right out of your yearbooks - just in case you (gasp) lost or misplaced that invaluable piece of 4-H memorabilia! ;)

Chester County 4-H Public Speaking

This post is long overdue - the county Public Speaking contest was February 7th at the Brown-Kopel building at Freed Hardemen University. It was just the beginning of a very bad sinus infection for me - that's why the photos are not posted! I missed the window of opportunity to update our blog with Public Speaking pictures - sorry!





The Sub-regional 4-H Public Speaking contest is tomorrow night in Jackson at 4pm. Representing 5th grade will be Mary Emilee Lussier, representing 6th grade will be Talia Hinson , representing 7th grade will be Jessica Lindsey, and representing 8th grade will be Rachel Leach. Good Luck everyone!

Summer Camp 2009

Some of you may have heard that the 4-H Center in Milan is closing. This is true.

However, we will still get to go to camp this Summer - in Columbia, TN instead!!

The W.P. Ridley 4-H Center is beautiful!! Check out their site
http://www.utextension.utk.edu/ridley4hcenter/

Also, the date has changed to the first week of June for 4th-6th grades. 6th-8th grades can also go to Junior High Camp that first week of July.

We're really excited about getting to camp in our new location. The price should be about the same - close to $210.00

Our bus ride will be a bit longer though - about 2 hours!

We'd like to hear your opinions about it!

February Contest

The contest for February 4-H Clubs in Chester County is "Models". While we typically see cars, models are just scaled down versions of something large. I have also seen models of a plant and animal cell, so they can also be scaled up versions of something microscopic! The rules and judging criteria are in your yearbook - but for those of you unfortunate folks whose "dog ate their yearbook", I will re-post that page here!



The 4-H Club at CCHS will meet tomorrow during Activity Period. CCMS 4-H Clubs will meet February 10th and 12th. I'll update the blog as soon as we schedule the dates at CCJHS. Even though 7th graders will be enjoying the "On My Own" activity, we will still collect & judge your models!

FYI – Germs are everywhere! And a Prize opportunity!

That’s really not new news as the 8th grade 4-H Clubs at CCJHS got to see today. Students got to participate in a hand-on demonstration to determine what was best way to get germs off our hands.

1st, I made them listen to me as I lectured them about germs; how most are harmless or helpful and only a small amount of germs (environment-wide) are pathogenic – aka “bad germs”. They learned that all it takes is 1 bad germ to get inside you & when that 1 bad germ turns into a few hundred a few hours later, you can get very sick.

Ignorance is bliss, but when it comes to germs and keeping your hands clean, ignorance can kill you. We used Glo Germ powder or Glitter Bug Potion and a blacklight to “show” us where germs like to hide and to show how easy it is to spread germs around. First we all took turns looking at each other with the powder/lotion all over us. Then, the class split into 3 treatment groups:

1. This group washed their hands by quickly rinsing in cold water & towel dried their hands.
2. This group washed with cold water (we wanted to use warm, but there was no warm water in the school) soap, rubbed for 20 seconds, and then towel dried their hands.
3. This group used 1 squirt of hand sanitizer.

The 4-Hers came up with their own conclusion as to the BEST method for REMOVING germs that may be on your hands. So find an 8th grade CCJHS 4-Her and ask them!!



I have a 4-H prize for anyone who can answer these questions correctly about today’s activity (you can work in groups too – no more than 5 people to a group). Everyone is welcome to try, just send me an email with the answers, the name of the people in your group, and your address if you’re not local!

1. How many germs, per square inch, can there be on your body?
2. How fast is a sneeze? (MPH)
3. How many people can you infect (potentially) from one sneeze?
4. What is the #1 way to prevent the spread of germs?
5. How long can germs live on inanimate surfaces?

Good luck 4-H fans!

4-H Time on Stage!!

Do you want to see your name in lights? Auditions for the 2009-10 Tennessee 4-H Performing Arts Troupe are coming up this spring. 4-H members in grades 8-11 are encouraged to apply. The categories for applicants are vocal and dance. There are also technical positions (i.e. sound and lighting) available.

There are two ways to apply for the troupe:
1. Schedule a live audition. All live auditions will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009, from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville. To schedule a live audition, applications must be received by March 13, 2009.
2. Submit a video or DVD. The video or DVD must be postmarked by April 17, 2009, and sent to: Justin Crowe, Extension Specialist, 2621 Morgan Circle, Room 205, Knoxville, TN 37996-4510.




Each vocalist must have at least one selection with musical accompaniment. A dancer or vocalist may also include a group performance where the individual is clearly identified. It is desirable for all vocal applicants to include at least one selection that includes movement and dance.

4-H Across the WWW

So, today I was searching for other 4-H blogs and found many from North Carolina! I went into where I could edit things and figured it out (again)! So now there's a link to those North Carolina 4-H blogs and I found 1 in Washington. If y'all know of some more, let me know and I'll link those up as well!

Communication Contest Information

Communication, Public Speaking, Talking – whatever you want to call it, that’s the contest for January for Chester County 4-H. No groaning now!! The ability to effectively communicate is such an important skill to be able to master – no matter where your path in life takes you so this is a great time to show off your skills!

4th Grade subject: “My favorite …” (You finish out the thought!) We want to get to know about you so tell us about your favorite thing to do in your free time. Tell us about your hobby or a sport you like to play, tell us about your cute pet - whatever, just tell us about your favorite. Essay should be 1 – 2 minutes long. No speech this year, as you are new to 4-H so we’re cutting you a break! Follow the guidelines for writing an essay. They’re the same as what is expected for 4th graders in Tennessee for Language Arts. You will read your essay in front of class for the competition.

5th Grade Subject: “The Person I Admire is …” Your speech should relate to a role model, hero, or someone you admire. If you have a writing assignment for class, you can use the same report; just make it into a speech. I can think of some wonderfully interesting people in History, Science, Social Studies, and many other school subjects, that would be great to learn about. Speech should be 2 – 3 minutes long.

6th Grade Subject: “A Career I’m Interested In …” Your speech should be about a career that you are interested in and have researched. You should make reference to the sources used in finding out about your dream career, somewhere in the body of your speech. Your speech should be 3 – 4 minutes long.

Junior High Subject: “How My 4-H Project/Interest/Activities Relate to Science” Your speech should be 3 – 4 minutes long. Most of the great science teachers at CCJHS are being very generous with giving extra credit to those who participate!! I believe Mr. Bell has the best deal … uh hem – Mr. Kirk & Mrs. Hatch – do you care to comment?

High School Subject: “Tennessee 4-H: Your Voice is the Driving Force” Your speech should be 3 – 4 minutes long. The top 4 in 9th & 10th speeches will be awarded an all-expense-paid trip to Nashville in March! 11th and 12th graders will have the opportunity to compete for 1 spot for the same trip!

Your teacher may have given you an assignment to write an essay on the above subject for a grade. It’s important for you to remember that being able to write an essay and give a speech is a required Language Arts standard in Tennessee. Whether or not you give a 4-H speech is up to you though. We hope you would choose to do it, since you wrote about the subject we’d love to hear your thoughts, and it may just mean extra credit for you!

Scorecards for the speech can be found here for 4th, 5th, 6-8th, and 9-12th grades. Use the information on the scorecards to practice your speech!