Anne Arundel County 4-H Happenings

July: Thriving Youth through Positive Youth Development (PYD)

Youth programs that are intentionally planned and implemented with a rich developmental context enable youth to thrive (Arnold & Gagnon, 2019). From January – April we touched on the developmental context, the “Soil”, of all 4-H programming: Spark, Relationships, Belonging, and Engagement. If we incorporate them, youth will thrive. 4-H focuses on seven indicators of thriving youth. From May through November, we’ll discover each indicator. After an overview of each, we would love for youth and volunteers to share how they utilized/ participated in an action to help youth prosper.

Indicator 3: Pro-Social Orientation - when one respects, cares about, and acts to benefit others, they are presenting prosocial behaviors. Reciprocity, social responsibility, altruism, and volunteerism are common prosocial norms. Pro-social development is facilitated when youth feel they belong and matter to others (4-H Thrive Resources). In response, young people, who have strong bonds to social units like prosocial peers, families, schools, and community, tend to be less involved in problem behaviors. (cite)

Strategies/ Activities:

• Service Learning (SL) Projects - Helping one in need without expectation of reward is pro-social. SL projects are more than just doing a one-time service; they include gaining perspective and insight, acquiring skills, and deepening understanding. Seek out projects with the intent of helping and learning using guiding questions like: Why is it the issue present? Whom will the service benefit? Why do I want to help? What other resources are/ not available? (cite)
• Cooperating with others to achieve a common goal – if an environment promotes connectedness and cooperation, demonstrates support (both youth & adults and peers) and encourages group decision making, youth are more likely to participate and build pro-social skills. (cite) For ex. Work on a Club Banner/ Display for the Fair.
• Role Models - people at every age are models; young children hear/see siblings, older youth hear/see adults – being conscious of behavior and words is important. Praise others for making positive choices.
• Set positive norms with youth – take the time to discuss and agree upon acceptable interactions; point out those whose actions align with the norms. This may be considered a ‘reward’ yet in dealing with youth, skills should be practiced and praised so they become habit. i.e. “Thank you for walking while carrying arrows so you don’t get hurt.” (cite)
• Perspective taking – Perspective taking allows for the growth and further application of our own knowledge by expanding our own perspective. (cite) Allow for open conversation to work through scenarios; role playing can be useful when making group decisions or when addressing conflicts.

As As always, please share you Club’s work with us. We are excited to see how the Thrive pieces are incorporated into your planning.

Regards,

Gretchen

Animal Husbandry & Quality Assurance (AH&QA) is open and will close July 31 for Anne Arundel County 4-H youth members. All 4-H members enrolled in alpacas, beef, dairy, goats, horse and pony, llamas, poultry, sheep, swine and rabbits must complete the training annually to be eligible to exhibit their project animals in Maryland County and State 4-H Shows.

Junior 4-Hers must complete one session. Intermediate/Senior Level 4-Hers must complete a minimum of two sessions: • Part 1 is general animal information. • Part 2 contains specific information for each animal species - members will need to complete Part 2 of the program for each specie project they are enrolled in and wish to exhibit. Intermediates and Seniors must complete both parts. The AH&QA site is here; additional details are on our website under Animals Science.

4-H membership cards a.k.a. Fair Cards, are processed and printed. They will be given to Club Leaders to distribute. See below for last month's details:

(From June) At this point ALL returning Adult Volunteers should be enrolled in 4-H Online. We will started printing 4-H Membership cards (aka Fair Cards) as of June 1. Any returning adult volunteer that did not complete the 2022 enrollment by June 1, will NOT receive a card. To verify enrollment, login here and review your profile. In the column next to your name is will read Volunteer - Approved. If it reads Volunteer - Awaiting Review, you are not enrolled - please contact Christie to determine what is missing/ incomplete: ckneipp@umd.edu.

All animal projects should be registered. All registration are forwarded to the MD 4-H State Office as well. If you are going to show at State Fair, they will have the project information. This includes: dog, horse and pony, livestock, poultry, rabbit, and cavy, breeding animal lease papers, performance animal lease papers, animal lease release. For additional details go to our county webpage.

Keep track of your livestock projects rate of gain. Monthly checks will assist with updates, waiting until the County Fair check-in may be too late. The fairground's scales will be available on the first Saturdays of each month this summer (except July it will be the 9th). If you would like to check your animal's growth progress please sign up here.

Anne Arundel County 4-H Summer Camp will be July 24-29 (open to 4-H members and public) Information and the registration form is on our website. Payment is via check made payable to the University of Maryland (complete information is on the form and will be emailed to you after registering). We look forward to a fun-filled week with all of our 4-H friends!

Orientation

New campers and an adult family member must attend the camp orientation meeting on Thursday, July 7, 2022, 7-8:30pm. Returning campers are welcome to attend as well. 97 Dairy Lane, Gambrills, MD 21054

Anne Arundel County Fair is September 14 - 18, 2022

Prepare for the fair! Start collecting your indoor entries: school projects, art, hobby projects, planting, practice cooking... so you're ready for entry day. Plan now to save time later.

The 2022 AAC 4-H Fair Catalog is on our website. All entries will now be online through Martech Blue Ribbon online registration. The site will open July 15 and close Aug. 27. Access to the system will be on the AAC Fair website. Please use the 4-H catalog posted on our website for entries (4-H entries) it differs from the AAC Fair catalog (open entries). Review it carefully for information, details and other 4-H specific contests and events.

- Check out all of the Indoor Exhibits you can enter - don't forget to review their specific entry details. NEW: Indoor entries will be accepted Sat. and Sun., see book for details.

- Youth/families with Livestock projects should review the book for general policies and rules, as well as for specific details for each species.

Fairground Clean-up/ Spruce up: Save the Date(s)

Saturday Sept. 10 is Fair clean up day from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

There will be additional days to assist with cleaning other areas (barns, horse areas, etc.), minor repairs, painting, etc. Watch for future notices.

AAC Fair Royal Court & Junior Ambassador Court

The Fair has is looking for Ambassadors! Youth ages 16 - 19 can apply for the Royal Court, ages 13 - 15 to be Jr. Ambassadors. As a member of the Court you will assist with events during fair week and have opportunities to continue your work throughout the year. Being an Ambassador provides experiences to work on leadership, networking, communication skills, and so much more while promoting all of the aspects of the AAC Fair. For additional details click the links above. You do not need to be a 4-H'er, pass it on to your friends.

Thursday July 14, 2022, 9am - 2pm, 15 interested and/or current 4-H members ages 10-15 are invited to join us at our 4-H Extension Office for a fun-filled day exploring science. Space is limited and we will collect a $20 cash/participant paid at entry. Lunch provided - pizza and a beverage. Sign up via our google form.

A three-time national award-winning program, AGsploration is a science-based 4-H curriculum designed to help youth explore the relationships between agriculture, the environment, and their health through engaging hands-on activities. For this workshop, its water, water everywhere! Let's dive into our own Chesapeake Bay and learn about the watershed, pollutants, strategies we can each take to protect this valuable resource. We'll even build our own watershed model to learn how each of us create pollution in our daily lives. Then we'll plunge into Maryland aquaculture and discover how growing marine organisms supports a sustainable, strong bay. We'll create our own mini aquaculture and go fishing into the pros and cons of farm raised aquatic species. Take the plunge and sign up via our google form by Tuesday, July 12th.

2022 County Fair 4-H T-shirt Design Contest

Have you ever thought of a great design or slogan for the County Fair 4-H T-shirt? Now’s your chance, submit a design and share your artistic ability!

The AAC 4-H Foundation is accepting designs for the 2022 contest. The contest is open to all enrolled county 4-H members. In addition to a $25 cash prize for the artist, the winning design will be featured on the back of the shirt that every 4-H participant receives compliments of the Foundation. Deadline for entries is Wednesday, July 13th. For further information, contact Mary Thomas at hackyt@aol.com. Follow this link to our webpage for more information, entry form, rules and guidelines in using the 4-H name/emblem.

AAC 4-H Cookout

Our annual county-wide 4-H Cookout will be held at Kinder Farm Park in Millersville at 6pm at the River Birch Pavilion on Friday, August 12th with a rain date of Friday, August 19th.

The 4-H Foundation will provide all the meats (hamburgers, hotdogs, vegan/veggie burgers), rolls, condiments, paper products, water and a limited variety of sodas. They request each family bring a side dish, salad, or dessert/snack to share, as well as other drinks of your choice. If you have any questions, contact Mary Thomas at hackty@aol.com. Please RSVP with the number attending and the dish that you are bringing to: https://forms.gle/isjE6S27oC3uhBYB7

Cake Auction

AAC 4-H Foundation, Inc. invites YOU to participate in this Annual Event! 4-H CAKE AUCTION Sunday, September 18, 2022 at the Anne Arundel County Fair. Entries accepted from 4-H Members, Parents and Volunteers ~ Please consider baking a cake for the Cake Auction or come and bid on one! All proceeds benefit the 4-H Program in Anne Arundel County. Cakes can be dropped off Saturday from 12 - 8pm at the information booth or Sunday 9 - 10:30am in the 4-H department. Judging begins at 10:30am on Sunday. Live Auction at 12:45pm on the point stage. More information is available in the AAC 4-H Fair Catalog.

Terry Cooper Unsung Hero Award

The Terry Cooper Unsung Hero Award was established in memory of Mrs. Terry Cooper, a dedicated 4-H volunteer who worked quietly behind the scenes doing whatever was needed to support the 4-H program. This award may be given to one adult and one youth who have made a significant contribution to the 4-H program, but who have received little or no recognition for their efforts. Anyone can submit a nomination, so please nominate a deserving adult or youth. Deadline for nominations is Wednesday, July 13th. If you have any questions, contact Mary Thomas at hackyt@aol.com.

4-H Foundation Meetings

The Anne Arundel County 4-H Foundation meets the third Wednesday of the month at the County Fair Office at 7 p.m. We encourage all 4-H clubs to send a representative to our meetings so we can better serve the County 4-H program. For further information visit our Foundation Page on our website, contact Joan Mauritzen at jm0037@prattlibrary.org.

Maryland 4-H Aerospace Workshop will be held on July 31, 2022, 1pm - 6pm @ ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS. The Maryland 4-H Aerospace program provides youth with the opportunity to test and improve their skills and knowledge in Science and Engineering by designing and building model rockets, learning about the physics and history of aeronautics, and learning about careers in the Aerospace industry. Registration is online. Cost is $10/youth and free for 4-H volunteers (volunteers need to register as well to attend).

Workshops will be offered at various locations across the state May-July, to prepare youth for the 4-H State Aerospace Challenge Contest to be held Saturday, October 8, at 1pm @ Baltimore County Extension Office ($25 per youth). Registration for both the Aerospace Workshop and the October State Aerospace Challenge Contest will be via 4-H Online.

NOTE: Participation in a 2022 4-H Aerospace Workshop is an eligibility requirement for a 4-H youth member to participate in the 2022 4-H State Aerospace Challenge Contest. However, 4-Hers do not have to be enrolled in an 'aerospace project' to participate.

Looking for Volunteers! Volunteers will receive hands-on experience supervising and assisting youth with a model rocket building. Each workshop is limited to 20 youth participants, with registration closing when program is full. There is no limit on the number of adult participants. For more information, please visit the STEM site: https://extension.umd.edu/programs/4-h-youth-development/program-areas/stem. These workshops are an excellent intro to STEM programming in our state (and now in our county)!!

Youth Eligibility: 4-H youth participants, ages 8 - 18, must have an approved enrollment for the 2022 4-H program year. Adult participants must be certified UME Volunteers who are enrolled for the 2022 4-H Program Year.

Maryland State Fair is changing their schedule in 2022; it will be held over three weekends and some weekdays between August 25 and September 11, 2022. See the website for more details. Also new this year...the entry deadline for the 2022 Maryland State Fair 4-H Division extended until July 31st!

Clover Entries

The State Fair now has a Clover Department for Indoor Entries! Clovers (ages 5 - 7) can enter a Project Box. Boxes are about the size of a shoe box and can contain various items such as: crafts, sewing, natural resources, and much more. Internet entries are now extended to July 31 using the link on the State Fair website. Drop off of entries is Tuesday, August 23 from 2 - 8 p.m. Please bring your Clover along to drop off, State Council members will accept the box, discus the projects with Clovers, and give them feedback. Additional details on Clover entries (Section 16 - "4-H Clovers Exhibit"). Details on General Rules, Regulations, Drop off/ Pick up; All 4-H/FFA Exhibitor Info. Other questions, please reach out to Gretchen.

STEM Contests

The 4-H Robotics and Engineering (Large Tractor, Electricity/Energy, Small Engine, Bicycle Safety, Lawn Tractor) contests at the Maryland State Fair will open in July for youth to register for in 4-H Online and close in August. Questions, contact Mark DeMorra @ mdemorra@umd.edu.

The dates/times/locations are:

• Large Tractor: Thursday August 25, 12pm, Racetrack Infield
  
• Robotics (Lego & REC): Sunday August 28: 9am, Back Lower Level of Grandstand
• Bicycle Safety: Saturday Sept 10: 10am, North End Cow Palace
• Lawn Tractor: Saturday Sept 10: 1pm, North End Cow Palace
  
• Small Engine: Saturday Sept 10, 4pm, North End Cow Palace
• Electricity/Energy: Saturday Sept 10, 5pm, North End Cow Palace

The Maryland State Fair is seeking youth, ages 14-18, to work at the Maryland State Fair in the following buildings/exhibits: 4-H/FFA Home Arts Building, U-Learn Barn, and U-Learn Farm.

Available positions include:

• 4-H/FFA Home Arts Building: This is the main 4-H/FFA Exhibit Hall where non-animal exhibits are on display for the public to view. Youth workers will assist with the receipt, placement, care and release of exhibits, and general upkeep of the building. There will be extensive interaction with the public, youth workers will be required to advocate for 4-H/FFA and lead youth activity stations.

• U-Learn Barn: This educational exhibit will connect animals and agriculture to food & fiber consumers can purchase at the grocery store. Youth workers will assist with the care and feeding of the animals on exhibit as well as the general upkeep of the facility. There will be extensive interaction with the public and animals, youth workers will be required to advocate for 4-H/FFA and agriculture and lead youth activity stations.

• U-Learn Farm: This is an educational space where the public can learn about and explore agriculture in Maryland. Youth workers will assist with the activity stations, and general upkeep of the facility. There will be extensive interaction with the public, youth workers will be required to advocate for 4-H/FFA and agriculture and lead youth activity stations.

The Job Description, Reference Form and link to the Qualtrics Application Form can be found at the bottom of the Maryland 4-H/Get Involved/Maryland State Fair page of the 4-H website at: https://extension.umd.edu/programs/4-h-youth-development/get-involved/maryland-state-fair. Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Contact Chris Anderson, canders2@umd.edu; Jamie Morris, jkenton@umd.edu; or Kevin Huang, khuang14@umd.edu if you have questions about State Fair Entries or Youth Worker Positions.

NOTE: All events, County/State/National, are subject to change due to ongoing health crisis.

*** Be sure to share your club's next event with us so we can help you spread the word! ***

Congratulations to Summer M (Linthicum 4-H Hi-Riders Club), for her excellent performance at the Maryland 4-H Horse Judging Contest held on June 11, 2022 at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Her placings in the Senior Division:

Individual Overall, 2nd

Individual Overall Halter, 2nd

Individual Overall Performance, 3rd

Individual Overall Reasons, 4th

Equine Examiner

Congratulations to Dani C., Bay Country Club Leader, for become a Maryland 4-H Equine Showmanship & Equitation Standards Certified Examiner for Tiers 1 and 2. Dani completed the training offered by the state and passed the required exam. This is a great accomplishment and allows the county to have an additional resource.

Happy July everyone! My name is Lacie H and I am the president of our Bay Country 4-H club. Our club dedicated the month of June to be our “give-back” month where we complete service projects to help better our community. We accomplished this by sewing fabric hearts that we donated to the Anne Arundel Hospital. These hearts will be given to mothers and their babies in the NICU. They’re known as bonding hearts that are shared between the mother and baby since they are not able to live with each other yet. We were introduced to this act of service through an adult that most of our club members knew, she even came to our meeting and helped educate us on the importance of bonding methods. Creating these hearts was a wonderful way to help people in need that allowed our club members to help and learn from each other in the process. (see photos below)

Club (this piece written by Club member - Julianna C)

The 4-H Friendship and Outdoor Skills Club has been busy doing archery and riflery since April. There are around 40 members who come to the once weekly meetings with approximately 20 twenty people in archery and 20 people in riflery. The archers are enjoying new targets and target stands. The riflery group began the season shooting at tables and as they have gotten more practice, they have begun to use different shooting positions including prone (laying down on shooting mats), kneeling, sitting, and standing. The 4-H Friendship and Outdoor Skills Club Clovers are also meeting several times a month and are learning about different pollinators.

Club Clovers

The Friendship Outdoor Skills 4-H Clovers have been busy learning many different things. This past month they built straw rockets, made paper airplanes and launched a soda bottle rocket. They also learned about leaves and made leaf rubbings. In previous weeks they learned about dandelions and wood ducks. Check out the awesome photos below!🎯

On Tuesday, June 28, Kinder Farm Park 4-H assembled and donated lunches for the Light House, a homeless shelter in Annapolis. The Light House helps members of our community who are struggling with homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless and assists them in stabilizing their health, maximizing their income, and securing safe housing. Participating in community service like this helps us learn to respect others, be helpful and kind, develop leadership skills, and become better citizens.

Here are thoughts from the youth:

I really liked making sandwiches and helping people and I want to do more! - Elsie

“We are changing people’s lives by packing them a healthy lunch. It’s important for them to know other people care about them and want to help them. I am proud to be part of a group like 4-H when we help you serve the community.” - Meredith

It was fun and it’s important to help my community. - Paul

“Our club made about 90 sandwiches for a homeless shelter. Making sandwiches for places like this is important because everyone needs food and these sandwiches will help people in need to eat. Doing community service helps me to be a better citizen by helping people in my area that are in need.“ - James

4-H is all about head, heart, hands and health. During this activity we made sandwich’s for people in need and donated them to the Lighthouse Homeless shelter. Doing service activities like this is not only a fun way to interact and engage with others but also a way to help out our world and community. - Misa

Monday, June 20, 4-H members ages 10-15 joined us at our 4-H Extension Office for a fun-filled day exploring science. AGsploration is a science-based 4-H curriculum designed explore the relationships between agriculture, the environment, and health through engaging, hands-on activities.

Youth learned about the varied uses of animal byproducts or coproducts, identified common items made from byproducts, and made glue from milk (see photo). We also the importance of soil as a resource (components, uses, and renewability), compared samples of different soils, and then created a soil profile (see photo). And in our last lesson, we discussed the benefits of locally grown food by simulating a farmers market (with nutritionists, chefs and farmers) using MyPlate dietary guidelines to create a balanced meal (see photo). It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed spending some time with our 4-H youth. ⬇⬇⬇

We will continue this summer with 2 more youth AGsploration Workshops - next one is July 14th, 9am - 2pm @ our UME-AAC office. (15 interested and/or current 4-H members ages 10-15 are invited to join us for a fun-filled day exploring science). Sign up via our google form.

*** Share your club experiences, 4-H'er accomplishments, & any events with us so we can include them in the newsletter! ***

MANY HANDS MAKES LIGHT WORK!

Volunteers do NOT need to be UME Volunteers :)

On Monday, September 12th, 2022, Anne Arundel County 4-H Youth Development needs adults (minimum 1 hour) to assist in judging youth 4-H projects at the Anne Arundel County Fair. Bring only yourself, instructions & materials will be given to you when you arrive.

We are also looking for volunteers to help with 4-H project indoor entry set-up on Tues, September 13th. Again, a simple 1 hour commitment can make a huge difference!

***For additional details and/or to rsvp for a time on either day, please contact Joy Sim at jsim@umd.edu.

Have your children aged out of 4-H but you would like to continue in supporting our quality programming? Interested in awards and scholarships for academics or camping? Perhaps you would just like information about how our county 'All Stars' and 'Foundation' supports positive youth development. Please take a moment to check out our newly updated '4-H All Stars and Foundation' webpage. We are SO grateful for all the work these organizations do for the youth in our county.

We have updated our webpage to include information for potential new 4-H interested in 'Participating in 4-H' via club membership or camping. Please refer anyone interested in 'Joining in a 4-H Club' use this link to find information about

4-H, our clubs and their locations, as well as 4-H curriculum for those interested in starting a new club or conducting experiential learning on their own! We are hoping this will answer many of the frequently asked questions we receive about 4-H.

Please let us know if you have information you would like to see on our webpage or if you encounter incorrect/old information. We strive to update our pages as much as possible but there is always room for improvement!

In this part of the newsletter, we'll take a moment to discuss the basics of 4-H, how the University of Maryland Extension (UME) is structured, how 4-H fits into the UME, resources available to you at your UME county office, etc...

The Anne Arundel County 4-H Foundation

The role of the 4-H Foundation of Anne Arundel County is to support, promote and enrich the 4-H program in Anne Arundel County. The Foundation assists Anne Arundel 4-H members, clubs and the Extension Office by offering fundraising, club development, social activities and volunteer services. They provide direct support to the county 4-H program by sponsoring scholarships to county 4-H members and volunteers, and county-wide social events (like the county-wide 4-H Cookout and 4-H Ice Cream Social at the Anne Arundel County Fair).

The County 4-H Foundation directly sponsors the following activities:

4-H Variety Show

County-wide 4-H Cookout
County Fair: 4-H T-shirt Design Contest, Cake Contest, and Ice Cream Social

And the following awards:

Terry Cooper Unsung Hero Award
Maryland 4-H Issue Forum Scholarships
John C. Kozenski, Jr. Kindness Award
James R. Kahler Turkey Shoot Top 4-H Archer Award
Alumni gifts for members aging out of 4-H

The 4-H Foundation meets the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. For additional information and details, please visit our new webpage. Other questions, contact the Anne Arundel County 4-H Foundation: aacounty4hfoundation@gmail.com.

Please follow this link to our website - click on the calendar icon for 2022 Calendar details. Updates will be made as they become available to us. All newsletters are now uploaded to our AAC website.

• 6/1-7/31 - AH&QA Online, Required for all 4-H members enrolled in animal projects
• 7/7 - New Camper Orientation @ UME-AAC, 7-8:30pm, gsumbrum@umd.edu
• 7/9 - Fairground weigh-in (scale sign up sheet found here)

• 7/13 - AAC Foundation: T-shirt design contest, Terry Cooper Unsung Hero Award

• 7/14 - AGsploration Youth Workshop 9am-2pm, UME-AAC, register here.

• 7/18 - Deadline for entries to the Virtual State 4-H Visual Arts Contest via 4-H Online.

• 7/20 - AAC Foundation Meeting, 7pm

• 7/24-29 - AAC 4-H Residential Camp

• 7/31 - Aerospace Workshop, 1-6pm, Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds (4-H Online)

• 7/31- **NEW** Last day to register for the Maryland State Fair (via Blue Ribbon Online)

*** Save the date ***

• 8/12 - AAC Foundation County-wide 4-H Cookout and Awards, KFP 6-8pm

• 8/25 - 9/11 - Maryland State Fair

• 9/10 - Fairground Clean Up Day (more info to come)

• 9/14-18 - Anne Arundel County Fair (Entries made on the AACF website 7/15 - 8/27)

4-H Inclement Weather Policy: If there is no school, or there is early dismissal in Anne Arundel County due to inclement weather, ALL 4-H events will be cancelled.

4-H Covid Policy: MD 4-H activities must comply with local directives for indoor or outdoor gatherings. If AACPS transitions to virtual learning, we are required to transition ALL indoor 4-H activities to virtual format (including 4-H Meetings). Outdoor activities are still permitted in alignment with local government requirements for masking, physical distance and capacity sizes.

Have questions, ideas or news to share? Please Email Joy Sim, jsim1@umd.edu, to be included in our UME - AAC 4-H monthly newsletter.

Programing Questions? email Gretchen Sumbrum, UME - AAC Educator, gsumbrum@umd.edu.

Check out our Facebook page: Anne Arundel County 4-H

Email: GSumbrum@umd.edu
Website: https://extension.umd.edu/locations/anne-arundel-county/4-h-youth-development
Location: 97 Dairy Lane, Gambrills, MD, USA
Phone: 4102223900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AACO4H