4-H Poster Ideas

The Warrick County 4-H Fair is less than 2 weeks away. This time of year brings lots of fun and last minute preparation for 4-H Exhibits. As you work on posters, here are some things to think about.

• Know your 4-H project requirements that are found in the Warrick County 4-H Handbook.



• Look at resource books and websites related to the subject. When using websites make sure the information is from a reliable source.



• Brainstorm



• Get ideas from others



• When visiting other fairs, look at the exhibits but DO NOT COPY.



• Always cite your sources. For posters, you can list your sources on the back of the poster.

Sources for this blog entry: Steve McKinley, Extension Specialist and Amy Nierman, Extension Educator

4-H Fair Open Class Exhibits

The time is NOW to prepare your fair Open Class Exhibits! Please see the Warrick County Web Site for exhibit guidelines. Divisions are available for exhibiting in Foods, Wood Crafts, Flowers, Garden, Food Preservation, Crafts, Refinishing, Needlework, Clothing, Sweatshirts, and more!

Purdue Home & Family Conference

Three Warrick County Extension Homemakers attended Purdue Home and Family Conference in June. Terri Dicus, County Vice President, attended as recipient of the I LEAD scholarship award from the Daisy Maes and Friends Club. She also participated in the Sew Now Style Show and entered a silent auction item from Warrick County to help raise funds for the Indiana Extension Homemaker Association. Della Shiver, incoming County Treasurer, also attended from the Paradise Club. Linda Shaw, county First Timer award winner and president of the Friends Night Out Club, also attended. Janet Turner, Country Friends Club, submitted her County winning Cultural Arts Needlework picture, representing Warrick County.

New 4-H Exhibit Tags

For the 2010 Warrick County 4-H Fair, we are using a new exhibit tag. Here is what it will look like.

The new tag makes it easier for us to have accurate fair results. 4-H members can pick up their exhibit tags from 1:00 until 3:00 on Sunday, July 11th at the 4-H Center.

Purdue Helps Families Stretch Dollars

Last week marked the launching of the Purdue Dollar Stretcher Program in Warrick County. The Purdue Dollar Stretcher program is a finanacial simulation for families. The program is hands-on and is designed to help families plug spending leaks and adapt to our changing economy. The Castle Community 4-H Club hosted the program at their June meeting. Thanks to the 4-H Club members and their parents for participating in this important program.

Don't forget to to enroll in Indiana Saves!

4-H: No Animals Required

Last week marked the annual 4-H Speech and Demo contest. We heard 10 speeches and 10 demos, and they were all wonderful. So, why blog about this event and not others? Here are some reasons:

1. Many people associate 4-H with animals. Frequently, when I tell people what I do as a career I hear "4-H, that's that thing you have to have animals to be in". NOT TRUE!

2. Everyone needs communication skills! We use them every day to communicate with family members, co-workers, and teachers.

3. 4-H allows youth to develop communication skills in a safe environment. Last week, I heard 2 third grade youth clearly explain how they benefit from 4-H community service projects to anaudience of about 25 people. WOW!

4. Employers hire employees that can communicate. The ability to communicate the written and verbal word often are cited as one of the top skills employers desire.

4-H fosters life skills. This event reminded me how important speech and demonstration contests are, and I am so glad we have one in Warrick County with such great participation. All done without animals!