It all started in a tiny community hall on the side of a rural road way back 30 or so years ago. There was this handsome boy across the hall, making eyes at me and I was ignoring him completely in my awkward 13 year-old way….
Fast forward to these days and we are a 4H family involved in that very same club – different community hall, same two lane road. Yes, it makes our lives busier, but our girls are learning life lessons here that they couldn’t learn anywhere else. And we wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Way back when I was a 4H kid, I took Dairy. And yes, I grew up on a dairy farm, so it might seem like a logical choice, but if you knew me then, I was not the farmer in my family…..by any stretch. But, what I was was too shy to go into a project that actually interested me so I tagged along with my siblings…as a little sister does! Ironically, had I taken something I was interested in like crafts or sewing, my mother-in-law would’ve been my leader 😉 That was not a stellar year by any means. I hated judging cows, showing cows and talking out loud to strangers. I’m not sure if I had to do speech or not, that has been erased from my memory completely. I do, however, remember getting run into the fence by my calf and Dad showing her in the confirmation class and handing me a red ribbon. There may have also been hiding in the cattle trailer and crying but who’s to say for sure 😉
So, if those are my 4H memories, why would we subject our kids to it? Well, the handsome Mr. Byrne rocked 4H and loved every minute of it. And now, as an adult, I see the value in the life lessons that 4H teaches. And so, we are just wrapping up our second year as a 4H family. And do you want to know how it went? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway!
Lena did Exploring 4H last year and this year moved on to taking 3 projects. She is involved in Light Horse, Crafts and Foods. And Hannah is a Cloverbud this year, her first year in it. I volunteered to be the Crafts leader, along with Heidi as my second in command and I’m her second in command in Foods. { We like to hang out together so this works well for us }
Part of our club’s requirements are speeches or demos, which can be super stressful for the kids { and momma hearts, too } and it isn’t uncommon for adults to struggle with this! Last year Lena’s speech prep was tough, I’m not going to lie. There were tears, fights, and threats of quitting but she persevered and accomplished her speech and was so proud of herself. And this past year she decided to do a Team Demo with her friend Abbie and they rocked it! They ended up as one of the top 5 Junior Team Demo pairs in the province. It was amazing to watch them practice, pour their hearts into it and to see them excel. They learned so much about being a team player, about winning and losing with grace and the ins and outs of doing demonstrations.
Hannah owned her speech. She didn’t want help writing it, she practiced it over and over and did a great job, considering the rocky start she had once she realized a line or two in that her cards were out of order! She asked for help, and got back up there and started like she hadn’t had an issue. Let me tell you, I am one proud momma!
Over the course of the summer, we did the various aspects of Achievement Day. And for those who aren’t familiar with 4H, this is when the different projects are judged, not against each other, but against the standards for the age bracket and club requirements for each project. The judges also comment on each project, making recommendations for improvements and/or noting aspects that were well done. The girls both did well on their projects but have ideas of how to improve their projects for Exhibition.
At the Exhibition level, they will be judged against the other members’ work. And based on how well they do at the Exhibition level, they may be eligible to move on to the Provincial Show where they would be up against the best of the best throughout the entire province. Taking your projects onto Exhibition is entirely up to the member, Achievement Day is all that is required to complete the project for the year. It’s amazing to see the level of skill these kids have, if you have the chance to check out your local exhibition, you need to check out the 4H projects.
The 4H Motto is ‘Learn to Do by Doing’ and it is fun watching the kids look to the leaders to learn from them and then take it and run with it and make it their own. It’s hands-on, it can be dirty, loud, messy but fun as we build up future leaders, farmers, craftspeople – you name it, it can all start here!
I also want to take a minute to dispel the myth that 4H is only for farm kids. It isn’t. It is for kids who want to try their hand at wood working or welding, fine-tune skills in photography, sewing, cooking, or yes, those that want to show a rabbit, cow, sheep or even a draft horse. The leaders will work with anyone who is willing to put forth the effort, who show up to the meetings, who takes part in the community events and who are all in.
We’re heading into our local exhibition soon. Lena will be showing for Lighthorse 4H on Labour Day Monday and then both girls will be showing in various classes throughout the week. I can’t wait to watch them. And probably take a million pictures because that’s what I do, right? There is something magical about watching your children in their happy place, to see the love and affection between a giant animal and a little girl in braided hair. To see them excel or flounder but preserve through it all. That is why we are involved in 4H.
To be continued,
Lori
