Eaton County 4-H
Family News
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2022-2023 Program Enrollment Reminder | |
As a reminder, we utilize both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 program year listservs until November 15.
Youth Enrollment:
Each year, youth who wish to join 4-H must enroll or re-enroll in our 4-H Online database. Please enroll in 4-H Online as soon as you know you are joining the program for the year. Youth are not considered part of the program and are not covered under our insurance policies until this step is complete and youth have a status of “Approved” in the system.
Please communicate with your club administrative leader to ask about any club specifics, including projects, prior to enrolling.
The link to 4-H Online and help documents on the enrollment and re-enrollment process can be found at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/michigan_4_h_enrollment. Please make sure to click the link to 4-H Online in the first paragraph to access the database, or access the site directly here.
A few important tips with 4-H Online:
- If you were registered in 4-H in the past 5 years, you have a profile in 4-H Online. DO NOT create a new account if you experience any issues logging in. Please contact our office first!
- If you do not remember your password, please follow the reset password instructions in the system. If you do not remember the email address used or need to change to a new email address to log in, please contact the Extension office.
- Please make sure to update any contact information as needed, select all clubs and projects you plan to participate in before you submit your profile. If you do need to add clubs or projects after submitting your enrollment, you can do so in the system after your profile is approved or by contacting the Extension office.
- Please remember to sign all consents/signature spots with the first and last name of the person required in that spot (member = youth first and last name, parent/guardian = parent/guardian first and last name).
Reminder: Enrolling in 4-H is FREE (no participation fees)! Clubs and some experiences may still charge a club due, or fees for supplies or registration.
Current Volunteers:
The process for current volunteers is changing and becoming easier! You will only be asked to make sure your Volunteer Central profile information is up-to-date and for Gold level volunteers, complete the Child Abuse Reporting Protocol module in Volunteer Central by December (if you have not yet already completed it) this year. If you need help completing the module, you are welcome to make an appointment to complete it at the Extension office. For detailed information, please see the email sent from Volunteer Central on or near 9/16/22 that was customized to each individual's information or contact 4-H staff. Resigning? Please contact the office so that we can mark you as resigned in the system.
New Volunteers:
Are you considering volunteering as a Gold or Silver level volunteer? Apply online at: https://msu.samaritan.com/custom/502/#/volunteer_home
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Michigan 4-H to participate in Giving Tuesday, November 29
On Nov. 29, Michigan 4-H is once again participating in Giving Tuesday.
The Giving Tuesday movement is a global day of giving and a chance to celebrate the opportunities that make 4-H so extraordinary.
From 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. EST, Michigan 4-H supporters are invited to participate in Giving Tuesday by giving their support financially or helping spread the word via social media channels and word of mouth.
Michigan 4-H has a goal to raise $5,000 to grow 4-H county endowments in a 24-hour period.
County 4-H endowments are funds created by gifts from one or more donors to the Michigan 4-H Foundation. These endowments provide a perpetual source of income for county 4-H programs, where the principal amount remains intact and the investment income supports annual needs for a county 4-H program.
Every dollar is an investment in 4-H! Learn more about 4-H Giving Tuesday at https://mi4hfdtn.org/giving-tuesday/.
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Upcoming County 4-H Events and Activities | |
Extension office hours
The Extension office will be closed the following dates for county and/or MSU holidays:
- Friday, November 11
- Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25
- Friday, December 23 through Monday, January 2
- Monday, January 16
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Featured Project Area: Dogs
Welcome to a new area of the newsletter! Each month, we will feature a project area that youth can do in Eaton County 4-H, resources that are available, and other information. If this sparks an interest in you or your child, contact the Extension office for more information!
This month's feature is dogs!
Do you have a dog at home? Did you know there are many fun things you can do with your dog in 4-H? Learn all about your dog, from nutrition, conformation, and behavior, to practicing obedience, showmanship, and agility skills with your furry companion! Dogs of all breeds, mixes, sizes, and experience levels can participate (must be up to date on vaccinations). Bonnie Seitler, advisor for the Dog Committee and dog superintendent for the fair, holds dog classes in the spring to prepare you and your dog for shows. Don't have a volunteer in your club to lead the dog project area? Many volunteers allow youth from other clubs to attend their project meetings!
Eaton County 4-H has a dog committee that oversees the dog project area in the county, including the pre-fair dog show. For more information on the committee, visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/eaton/eaton_county_4_h/eaton_county_4_h_associations_and_committees/dog_committee.
Interested in competition? Save the date for the following shows:
- Eaton County 4-H Pre-Fair Dog Show, May 13, 2023 at the Eaton County Fairgrounds
- Eaton County Fair dog show, July 8, 2023 at the Eaton County Fairgrounds
- Michigan 4-H State Dog Show, August 12, 2023 at the MSU Pavilion
Resources available to check out from the Extension office:
Additional resources:
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Save the Date - Upcoming County Meetings (In-person meetings with virtual option) | |
All meetings will be in-person at the PMR (basement conference room at the Extension office building) and will offer a Zoom option to connect virtually to the meetings, unless otherwise indicated. If you would like a virtual connection option for these meetings, please use the Zoom registration link for each meeting to register. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with the connection information. If nobody is registered for the Zoom option by 5pm the day of the meeting, Zoom connection will not be set up.
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Small Animal Association: Thursday, November 17 (NOTE DATE CHANGE from prior announcements), 7pm, PMR. Register for the Zoom option: https://msu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkduqurj8sGtR01c8hQY-ok_LgO8NLkVbo
- Open to all youth and volunteers in the poultry, rabbit/cavy, and goat project areas.
- This meeting will feature officer elections for youth board open positions (vice president, secretary, treasurer, 1 species representative for each species (goats, poultry, and rabbits)) and poultry cages and fundraising.
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4-H Council: Monday, November 7, at 7pm, in the PMR. Register for the Zoom option: https://msu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0kdO2urz8qE9K10TuIs57rhBeMmbCJb480
- Open to all regardless of project area! Every club is encouraged to send at least 1 volunteer and 1 youth to every Council meeting.
- This meeting will feature officer elections for open positions (adult secretary, assistant treasurer, youth president, youth secretary, youth treasurer), leader forum planning updates, and bylaw changes to meeting dates.
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Junior Livestock Association: Monday, December 12, 7pm, PMR. Register for the Zoom option: https://msu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpfu-urjMjG9yMkd6BJNyosv7sxp-MEFRj
- Open to all youth and volunteers in the beef, dairy beef/feeders, sheep, and swine project areas.
- This meeting's agenda is TBD.
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Horse Development Committee: Wednesday, December 14, 6:30pm, PMR. No Zoom option.
- Open to all youth and volunteers in the horse project area.
- This meeting will discuss the future direction of this committee. Please attend! A lack of interest will mean this group will disband.
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Interested in attending a state or national 4-H workshop, camp, or other event? Don't forget - Eaton County 4-H has many scholarships available to help cover the cost of the events! For more information about scholarships, visit the link in the button below or contact 4-H staff. | |
Wild Spartans: November
Join 4-H staff as we take a look into life working with fisheries and wildlife! This month’s 4-H Wild Spartans Series will hike to the heights of the Porcupine Mountains and along the shores of Lake Superior. Join us on Tuesday, November 8th at 6:30pm EST for “Exploring Michigan’s Largest State Park.” You will meet Katie Urban, Interpreter for the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. You will learn about her work, and the education and career path she followed to get there. Youth will be encouraged to ask questions to learn more through a live Q&A. This free online series is open to 4-H and non-4-H youth ages 12-19 years. Monthly sessions will be held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm EST. Pre-registration is required: https://events.anr.msu.edu/wildspartans2023/
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Building Strong Adolescents
Are you wondering how to navigate the teen years with your child? Do you wonder how to set limits while still promoting independence and encouraging positive relationships? Join us for this five week parenting education series for parents with children between 9-16 and explore the assets children need to succeed. Certificates of attendance are available.
For more information contact Courtney Aldrich at aldric82@msu.edu
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One Health Kahoot
Join program instructor, Eilish McGhee, as she teaches participants the One Health - Health for One, One Health for All concept through a Kahoot game! The lesson will teach participants about One Health which recognizes that environmental health, animal health, and human health are all connected. https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/health-for-one-one-health-for-all-kahoot
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4-H Community Health Ambassadors
Are you interested in video production or being on TV? The 4-H Community Health Ambassador program will develop a youth-led state-wide public health education campaign in partnership with Detroit Public Television. Visit 4-H Community Health Ambassador Program - Vaccine Education (msu.edu) for more information.
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4-H Spectacular Youth Leadership Institute: Registration deadline extended to Nov. 14
The Michigan 4-H Spectacular Youth Leadership Institute is an event for teens who want to improve their communities and our world through leadership and youth power! Attending the Institute will help teens gain leadership skills and approach life with their head, heart, and hands open to new ideas, interesting people, and diverse cultures. Attend the Institute and be part of the movement that has YOUth leading the way!
The Institute will feature a wide variety of incredibly fun and interactive sessions focused on 4 tracks: personal development and leadership, community leadership, global citizenship, and leadership for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Participants who register for the overnight event in East Lansing will attend a MSU Men’s Hockey game on Saturday, December 3 as part of our evening entertainment!
This Michigan 4-H workshop is open to ALL teens (ages 13+ by Jan. 1, 2023) and to adult leaders who have Gold Level Volunteer status with MSU Extension.
Space will be limited for this workshop. Register at: https://events.anr.msu.edu/SYLI22/. The Michigan 4-H Spectacular Youth Leadership Institute is sponsored with a grant from the Michigan 4-H Foundation.
For more information, please contact MSU Extension educators Roxanne Turner (turnerr@msu.edu ~ 517-546-3950) or Brian Wibby (wibby@msu.edu ~ 906-439-5065)
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Summer 2023 Outbound Exchange Program
We are accepting applications for the Summer 2023 Outbound Programs! Explore a new country and culture via an immersive international exchange experience. Michigan 4-H has been in a partnership with States’ 4-H International Exchange Programs for many years. States' 4-H Summer Outbound programs provide American 4-H youth with the opportunity to travel to foreign countries for a month-long cultural immersion experience. Delegates live with volunteer host families and engage in experiential learning about a new way of life. Delegates experience aspects of daily life that allow them to understand both their host culture and their own culture more deeply. Our network of like-minded international partners recruits host families and plan enrichment activities. Enrich your 4-H experience and apply today to travel abroad summer 2023! Visit https://www.states4hexchange.org/ to learn more.
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4-H in the Kitchen: Isekai Edition
A grand journey awaits you! Whether you will set out in a giant mech suit, atop a mystical kitsune, or with a band of misfits that are the best friends you’ve ever had, you’re going to need food along the way. Mason County 4-H is proud to announce their 4-H in the Kitchen: Isekai Edition where we will explore the world of Japanese Anime and Manga. Isekai is a sub-genre of anime in which a central character is taken from their world and transported to a strange new one, such as Alice going to Wonderland. In this workshop, participants will get the chance to learn how to prepare a pair of dishes from two popular anime franchises, Ranma ½ and Fairy Tail. While preparing the dishes, participants will get to learn about Japanese culture and find out about many exciting opportunities coming up in the Michigan 4-H Youth Exchange Program.
We will be hosting four sessions in total. On January 16th and 18th, participants will get to learn how to make Fairy Tail’s Sabo Noodles and on January s Sabo Noodles and on January 23rd and 25th, participants will get to learn how to make Okonomiyaki from Ranma ½, a savory pancake that is quite popular in Japan. All sessions will take place from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
https://events.anr.msu.edu/IsekaiEdition/
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Save the Date: State 4-H Rabbit & Cavy Show
The State 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Show is being once again held at the MSU Pavilion at the end of January.
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Save the Date: 4-H State Goat Show
The 2023 Michigan 4-H State Goat Show will be held on Saturday, June 17th at the MSU Pavilion South Barn. We are excited for this show to make its return for the first time since 2019!
More information will be available in the spring. Mark your calendars - you will not want to miss it!
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This section will feature a different topic each newsletter highlighting best practices for 4-H clubs. Everyone, youth 4-Hers, adult volunteers, and families, can contribute toward making their club the best and following best practices! | |
Improving your public speaking (Part 1) | |
This the first part of a series of five articles that can be used together with groups of youth who want to learn more about public speaking. It can be used by 4-H clubs looking to learn tips for public speaking. Many people fear talking in front of others for many reasons and these activities will allow participants to start simple and then add more skills to strengthen their public speaking as the lessons move on.
Step 1
Starting a meeting with an icebreaker is important to get folks ready to speak in front of a group. “Have you ever?” Is a simple exercise that gets participants talking. Put your chairs in a circle, with one less chair than there are participants. When facilitating this exercise, the facilitator can start the process. Start by saying your name, where you are from, and then ask a question, such as “Have you ever been swimming in the Great Lakes?” Everyone who has done that finds a new seat. The person that remains standing says their name, where they are from, and a little bit about their answer to the question, such as “I went swimming in Lake Michigan last summer.” Then they ask a new question. It is okay if someone doesn’t get to talk, but you can adjust your questions to get a particular person up to speak.
Step 2
Discuss with the group about any potential fears related to public speaking. Let them know it is okay to feel uncomfortable, and new things often feel uncomfortable.
Step 3
30-second practice. Ask each participant to speak for 30 seconds on any subject they choose. It would be helpful to share some tips on how to choose a topic. Topics that are something they either know a lot about or are passionate about are easy first topics. Applaud for each person when they finish, but don’t give other feedback. The reason for not giving feedback is because this might be the first public speaking experience, and we want the participants to try it out.
Step 4
Discuss how to set up a speech. Explain that every talk should have a beginning, where you set up the situation and get folks excited. Ask participants for some examples of a good way to get the attention of the audience. The main part of a speech explains the information. The speech should end with a conclusion, including the main points you want to walk away with. This could also be described as: 1.) Tell them what you’re going to tell them, 2.) Tell them, and 3.) Tell them what you told them.
Step 5
Tell participants they will give a 1-minute speech. Give participants time to prepare their speech. Let them know you will hold up a card when they have 30 seconds left, and 10 seconds left.
Step 6
Reflect with the participants on how they felt when they spoke. Ask them to share what they felt they did well, and what they want to improve upon in the future. Consider having youth write down these reflections, so they can review them at the end of all the public speaking activities.
Adapted from "Improving your public speaking, part 1: Getting started" by Darren Bagley. Find more about this article at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/improving-your-public-speaking-part-1-getting-started.
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The following information is related to the Eaton County Fair. While The Eaton County Fair is not a MSU Extension, 4-H sponsored event, this information is of interest to many in our 4-H community. Please contact the Eaton County Fair directly for any fair related questions. Contact information can be found on their website at https://eatoncountyfair.com/. | |
Michigan State University is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and material are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, or veteran status.
Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg – Three Fires Confederacy of the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples. The university resides on land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.
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Kristy Oosterhouse (Pronouns: she, her, hers) | 4-H Program Coordinator | Eaton County MSU Extension
517-543-2310 | oosterh6@msu.edu
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