Big Stone County 4-H Clover Update
December 2018 
Here's what's new on the Big Stone County 4-H website this month!
Jingle all the way to Unity Square!

The annual 4-H Federation Christmas Party will be held on December 30 at Unity Square.


Winter sock collection

We will be collecting new pairs of socks for our winter service learning project.

Holiday office hours

The office will be closed over the holidays.

Wildlife Project Bowl teams are forming

It's that time of year again to start prepping for Project Bowl!


Robotics meets Rube Goldberg

Robotics and Rube Goldberg sessions will begin in January for youth at the Ortonville Library.


Weather related cancellations

4-H events cancelled due to weather will be communicated to club leaders.

Youth needed to serve as counselors at the Regional 4-H Camp

Youth in grades 7+ are encouraged to apply to become a 4-H Camp Counselor for the 2019 Regional 4-H Camp scheduled for June 18-20 in Morris. Counselors will report on June 17.


Sign up now for the Map to Leadership event

Are you wanting to explore new resources for your clubs but do not know where to start? Do you want to learn how to take your leadership to new destinations within your club and county? Begin your journey and map out your path to leadership with us at the University of Minnesota Morris campus on Saturday, January 5, 2019. Open to 4-H youth in Grades 6+ and adults!

More 4-H news this month
4-H Volunteers: Sign up now to attend the SW Winter Project Leader Training!
Plan to join fellow 4-H adult volunteers to network and gain new ideas for helping youth learn through projects. One of our overarching 4-H program goals is that "Youth will learn by developing a passion in their area of interest". To support this goal, we need volunteers to share their interests and lead project learning opportunities to help youth identify and pursue areas of interest. It will be held on Saturday, February 23 from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at SMSU in Marshall.
 
Dairy, general livestock, and horse enthusiasts - mark your calendar! The eighth annual Southwest Animal Science Challenge will be held on Saturday, February 16, at the Wabasso Public School.
 
Minnesota 4-H state director Jennifer Skuza challenges 4-H adults to help youth pursue a thriving life -filled with happiness, success and connection.
 
The Association for Minnesota Counties (AMC) has released the award application for the 2019 AMC 4-H Community Leadership Awards. These awards recognize community leadership projects by a Minnesota 4-H club during the past year. Two 4-H club projects will be selected to receive awards of $500 in recognition for their contributions and service to their communities. Find out if your club meets the award criteria and apply by Jan. 3!

4-H enrollment ensures that 4-H families receive critical 4-H communications - it is required for 4-H participation and is easy to do. Has your family enrolled yet? If not, please take a few minutes to enroll and/or update your family's information.

It's that time of year again - the Clovermart Winter Sale is here! Order Minnesota 4-H branded merchandise by Dec. 14.

County-based 4-H youth development summer intern positions will soon be available throughout the state of Minnesota. Candidates must have a high school diploma, and at least two years of undergraduate study is preferred. Submit your application by Jan. 4, 2019.

All volunteers who plan and lead activities and events with youth are invited to the "Keeping Youth Safe" webinar on Dec. 6, from 7-8 p.m. This online training will prepare you to plan for safe environments and to work within risk management policies and practices.

Minnesota youth in grades 9-13 are invited to sign up for Citizenship Washington Focus, a national 4-H civic engagement trip for high school youth. The 2019 conference will be held June 22-29 at the National 4-H Conference Center - this is a great opportunity to gain leadership skills and visit Washington, DC! Registration will close on Dec. 10.

Registration is now open for the 2019 Building Leadership & Understanding (BLU) regional leadership workshops. BLU is open to youth in grades six and up. Five BLUs will be held at locations across the state - registration deadlines vary by location. Meet youth from across the region and build leadership skills at this event!

2019 Project Bowl information is now available! Coaches and 4-H'ers (grades 3 - 12+) interested in learning more about the 4-H Project Bowl program should check out the website for dates, locations, rules, references and more! Get ready to learn more about your dairy, general livestock, horse, lama, poultry, rabbit and wildlife projects!

Be a 4-H Scientist! is a new curriculum for adults to engage Cloverbuds in hands-on science exploration. It is available via a free download at  www.4hpolymers.org. Volunteer training will be offered around the state in 2019.

Registration for the 2019 Science of Agriculture Challenge is now open! Youth in grades 6 - 12 should register by Friday, Feb. 1. The Science of Agriculture Challenge is a great way to develop communication and problem solving skills and explore careers related to agriculture.
Calendar

Check out all of the  upcoming events in Big Stone County on our website.  The events are in chronological order and can be filtered by subtopic at the top of the web page.

Suzanne Souza | 4-H Program Coordinator | 320-839-6380 | souza004@umn.edu | 
http://www.extension.umn.edu/county/ big-stone

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