MARCH CONTESTS

Due to all of the crazy weather we've had, the 4-H clubs in Morgan County have not been able to meet for the past few month. Fear not, though! We will be in your classroom during the month of February and contests will resume in March. We've got 2 contests in March, now: Baking and Demonstrations!! These are 2 of our favorite contests, so we hope most of our 4-Hers will participate!

Here are the contest rules:

Baking Contest

The number one rule to remember is that all products must be made by you "from scratch".
This means no mixes are allowed.

Each grade is baking a different item, so make sure you bake the right thing!! The list is below; in parenthesis are suggested varieties

4th: 3 Muffins of any kind (plain, fruit/nut, bran, whole wheat, corn)
5th: 3 Biscuits of any kind (butter, cheddar, cinnamon)
6th: 3 Cookies of any kind (drop, bars or squares, rolled, filled, decorated)
7th: ½ Quick Loaf Bread of any kind or ½ Cake of any kind (layer or sheet)
(frosted or unfrosted, gingerbread, coffee cake, bundt cake, angel food, upside-down cake)
8th: 1 whole Pie of any kind. Crust must be homemade. No frozen crust or mixes
(fruit filling, chiffon, custard, cream, fruit cobbler)

SUGGESTIONS:
•Read and follow all instructions carefully. Measure accurately. Even slight changes can have drastic results.
•Don't start until you are sure all ingredients are available.
•Wash your hands and use only clean utensils and bowls.
•Use a favorite recipe or search the internet. Recipes can also be found on flour & cornmeal bags.
•Mix and bake your bread or other products yourself with a minimum of help and advice from your parents or more experienced cooks. This is your contest - not theirs.
•Practice several times before the contest.
•Clean up the kitchen after you cook. Your family will love you for it and you might get to cook more often!
•Submit one copy of your recipe with your entry in case there are any questions about your ingredients.



Demonstration Contest

4th & 5th Grades: Demonstrations should be 3 to 5 minutes in length and generally “show how” to do something related to the project area. NO LIVE ANIMALS MAY BE USED!

Project for 4th grade (from Explorer 4-H book):
Animals
Plant & Soil
Sports & Recreation
Machines & Tools
Safety & Health
Stitches
My Home
Shopping Tour
Yum & Chops
Nature

Projects for 5th grade:
Animal Science-Beef
Companion Animal
Forestry, Wildlife, & Fisheries
Animal Science-Dairy
Computers & Technology
Horticulture/Garden
Animal Science-Goat
Communications/Public Speaking
Leadership/Personal Development
Animal Science-Horse
Consumer Ed./Economics
Animal Science-Poultry
Electric
Line & Design
Animal Science-Sheep
Engineering/Safety Science
Nutrition, Health, & Fitness
Animal Science-Swine
Entomology
Performing Arts/Recreation
Citizenship
Environmental Sci/Conservation
Photography
Clothing/Textiles
Food Science
Plant Science
Veterinary Medicine

Steps in Giving a Demonstration
Step 1 Planning
A. Choose a subject you are familiar with on one of your 4-H projects.
B. List steps involved in demonstration and outline an explanation to go with steps.
C. Make a list of all materials and equipment needed.
D. Plan your visuals.

Step 2 Preparation
A. Prepare a title poster, supplies list poster, how-to poster and a conclusion poster.
B. Prepare your talk with an introduction, body, and conclusion.
C. Practice giving your talk and demonstration until you are comfortable with it.

Step 3 Presentation
A. Remember to speak slowly and clearly. Be yourself!
B. Smile! Look at your audience whenever possible.
C. Keep your working area neat and clean. Remember to keep all bowls, boxes, etc. to the side of you and “work” in the center. What you have to show and tell is important.
D. Please don’t mention any commercial brands or store names. Give your information source. E. Keep your finished product hidden until you need it.
F. Food demonstrations also need to include nutrition information. Be especially neat, have a clean work surface and cloths to wipe table when finished.
G. Ask for questions. Answer them as well as you can.
H. If you have a finished product, remember to show it. If using posters, finish with the title poster up front.
I. Thank your audience for their attention.


Interactive Exhibit Contest

6th-8th Grades will do an “Interactive Exhibit”, which is a tabletop exhibit (4 feet wide by 2 feet deep). Free standing exhibit boards or posters should be used. Space from the table to the floor may be used. Items may be displayed on the table. The 4-Hers will have a 2-3 minute talk to explain the exhibit. The contestant needs to be prepared to answer questions by the judges. NO LIVE ANIMALS MAY BE USED.

Projects for 6th-8th grades:
Animal Science-Beef
Companion Animal
Forestry, Wildlife, & Fisheries
Animal Science-Dairy
Computers & Technology
Horticulture/Garden
Animal Science-Goat
Communications/Public Speaking
Leadership/Personal Development
Animal Science-Horse
Consumer Ed./Economics
Animal Science-Poultry
Electric
Line & Design
Animal Science-Sheep
Engineering/Safety Science
Nutrition, Health, & Fitness
Animal Science-Swine
Entomology
Performing Arts/Recreation
Citizenship
Environmental Sci/Conservation
Photography
Clothing/Textiles
Food Science
Plant Science
Veterinary Medicine

I. Exhibitor:
Appearance: good posture; dressed appropriately
Voice: understandable, meaningful, vivid, properly pronounced, proper grammar
Projection to Judges: good eye contact; presented with expression and enthusiasm
Oral Explanation: have thoughts together; be able to communicate ideas
Well Organized: ideas center around a central theme in a logical order, easily followed and understood by listeners
Source of Information: accurate and current information
Question: accurately answer questions

II. Exhibit:
General Appearance: pleasing composition
Attractive: poster should be well-balanced and neatly done; must be correct size
Dynamic, Eye-Catching, Original: exhibit should be eye-catching and original, by using a combination of design and style of lettering to catch the viewer’s attention; use a pleasing color combination
Message Told: poster should attract attention and focus interest on the idea; the message should be brief and direct
Creative: poster should convey an original idea

November Club of the Month

Congratulations to Mrs. Angie Knight's 4th grade class at Central Elementary School, and Mrs. Lisa Nafziger's 4th grade class at Sunbright School for their phenomenal speeches!! They've tied for Club of the Month for November. We want to applaud these two classes for their quality speeches and participation (100% in each class!!) Great job!

October Club of the Month

Congratulations to Mr. Pace's 5th grade class, at Sunbright, for being October's 4-H Club of the Month!!! They had outstanding participation in October's contests! Keep up the good work guys!!

NOVEMBER'S CONTEST:

PUBLIC SPEAKING

This month's contest starts at the classroom level. 1st place winners in the classroom have the option of advancing onto the County Public Speaking Contest, where they will compete with other 4-Hers in Morgan County. Grand Champions at the County Contest can then move on to the Sub-Regional Public Speaking Contest, where they will be competing against 4-Hers from other counties.


4-H PUBLIC SPEAKING RULES

Good communication skills are important to every student's life. No matter what your career plans, everyone must be able to communicate and express their ideas clearly. This is your opportunity to learn a life-skill that will be helpful to you from now on!

All Club Officers must give a speech at the local contest. All blue ribbon winners will be invited to the county contest.

SELECT A TOPIC - When selecting topic, choose one that will be interesting to your audience. Here are some suggestions:

4th -6th grade topics 7th - 12th grade topics
Citizenship How 4-H has influenced my goals
Recreation/Performing Arts Duties of a Teen Leader
Animals How 4-H benefits my community
Leadership or Development An unforgettable adult (4-H) leader
Being Involved in 4-H What is leadership?


A WELL ORGANIZED SPEECH MUST HAVE THREE PARTS:

INTRODUCTION - This is your chance to greet your audience, more importantly, get their attention. Ways you can start are: Using a famous quotation, words or verses of a poem, a humorous story, or the definition of your title.

BODY - This is the main part of your talk, the part where you bring out what you want the audience to know. Avoid statistics and wordy information.

CONCLUSION - The ending or summary of your talk. Ways you can end a speech are:
1) A brief summary of the main points of your speech;
2) Closing with a high note like a poem, quotation, or surprise statement;
3) Concluding with a challenge; or
4) Concluding with a statement of your views on the subject.

TIME LENGTHS - 4th-6th should be 1-2 minutes; 7th-12th grades should be 3-5 minutes

SCORING - Speeches will be judged on the following criteria:

Speakers Presence - appearance; clear pronunciation; good use of grammar; voice projection; eye contact with audience

Subject Matter & Composition - well organized; accurate information; good introduction and conclusion

Results - effect on audience

Upcoming Contest:

December- Christmas Crafts

Welcome Back! October Contests!!

Welcome Back 4-Hers!! We're excited to be beginning a new school year with each one of you and are excited about the upcoming contests and programs.

This year, in the 4th and 5th grades, our special programs with be focused on the different types of energy and it's uses. We'll be doing hands on learning activities that are both educational and fun!!

In the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, we'll be focusing more on recycling and environmental issues, during the school year. We're hoping to create an awareness in Morgan County about the advantages of recycling and conservation.

Our upcoming contests are as follows:

October: Collections (4th and 5th grade); Posters (4th-8th grades); and Photography (4th-8th grades)

November: Speech

December: Christmas Crafts

We're continuing with the participation awards that we implemented 2 years ago. Each month, the participation of each class is tallied (this goes by a percentage basis), and the winning club of the county is given a prize and banner for the classroom. At the end of the year, we award one class from each school, for the highest participation, with a party.

Here are the rules for the upcoming contests:

OCTOBER

4-H Photography

Hit us with your best shot! SNAPSHOT that is! Select a recent picture and secure it on 8½ x 4 poster board. Add a short title or caption under the picture. Your letters should be large enough to be easily read from 2 to 3 feet away.

Select a photograph that shows some imagination. Move in close. People don’t need to smile and say “cheese”. Experiment with different angles and lighting.


Any Junior High or Senior 4-H’er interested in entering the State 4-H Photo Search may obtain entry forms by calling the Morgan County 4-H Office. All these entries must tell a 4-H Story.


RULES

1. Photos must be taken by the member making the entry and the member may enter up to three photos, each in a separate category.

2. Each entry will consist of either: * a print (no larger than 5x7) and the negative if film photography.
* or a print (no larger than 5x7) and a diskette/CD containing the photo in a digital format if taken by digital camera.

3. Entries may be a single photo or a series of no more than (4) photos. A series may be “before and after” or “how-to” sequences.

4. Photos may not be over 1 year old.

5. All pictures need to be secured. 4-H members Name, School, & Teachers Name must be on the back of the picture. Local winners will advance to the County level competition.

6. County winners will advance to the Regional 4-H Photo Search in May. Categories to be used at County contest are: 1) buildings; 2) landscape; 3) people (groups or individuals) and 4) animals & birds; 5) vacation.


We should have some great photos to judge from family holiday celebrations, summer vacation photos, 4-H camp pictures and winter wildlife scenes. Start selecting your best pictures TODAY!

MY COLLECTION CONTEST

1) Select what item you want to collect.
2) Categorize Items

3) Display

Ideas for Collections
Rocks
Leaves
Wood
Insects
Marbles
Dolls
Jewelry
Baseball Cards Research about your collection.
Stamps
Models
Pins or Buttons
Medals/Ribbons
Awards
Photography


Helpful Hints


Prepare a place to store your collection.

Remember, it needs to be easy to move and set up.

Decide how you will display.

Displaying your collection will give you new ideas on making your collection better.

4-H Poster Contest

Can you draw? You don’t have to be an artist to enter the 4-H POSTER CONTEST.
Make a poster that is 14 x 22 inches. This is ½ of a sheet of poster board.
Your poster must be about 4-H. Choose a catchy slogan or idea such as:

(Examples only)

4-H is Popping with Ideas
4-H Freedom to Be
4-H Expanding New Horizons
4-H For Youth For America
4-H is the Ladder to Success
4-H is “Sew” Fun
4-H is on the Right Track
4-H Building on Experience
4-H Makes a World of Difference




Make you artwork relate to the slogan you have decided upon. You may use drawings, painting, cutouts, etc. You are encouraged to use the computer for lettering. You are also encouraged to use a border for your poster.

DO NOT use well-known or copyrighted cartoon figures such as Garfield, Pooh, Mickey, etc., because they are copyrighted. Posters may be either horizontal or vertical. Objects may not extend over 1/8" from poster.

USE YOUR IMAGINATION!


BE SURE TO WRITE ON THE BACK OF YOUR POSTER:
Name, Address, Phone, Age, School, Grade, Teacher

It's Summer Camp Time!

What are YOU going to do this summer?

4-H Day Camps offer days filled with fun, friends & learning!

We are offering lots of day camps this summer, including:

July 7-8 Baking and Cooking
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
9am-2pm
Fee is $20

June 30-July 1 4-H Lock-in (Survivor challenges, games, karaoke and much more!)
Wartburg Civic Center
6pm-8am
Free!

July 21-23 Sewing Day Camp (Bring a t-shirt to tye dye!)
We will be making recycled t-shirt skirts
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
9am-2pm
Cost is $20

July 29 Environmental Day Camp (Hiking, Nature Program and more!)
Frozen Head State Park, Shelter C
9am-2pm
Free!

Day camps are open to anyone age 9-19! You must pre-register as soon as possible for each camp you plan to attend. To register call 423/346-3000. We are excited about the fun summer ahead!!

March Contests

The contests for March are demonstrations and birdhouses or bird feeders.

Demonstrations- should be 3 to 5 minutes in length and generally “show how” to do something related to the project area. NO LIVE ANIMALS MAY BE USED!







Birdhouses/Bird feeders- should be made from natural(wood, bark, etc.) or recyclable materials (plastic bottles, milk jugs, etc.)

Be sure to ask your teacher or 4-H agent for the complete rules for each contest.