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!