Wednesday, October 22, 2014

4-H Natural Resources Weekend

The 2015 Natural Resources Weekend is scheduled for January 24-25, 2015.  This event will be held at the Holiday Lake 4-H Center.
This weekend camp is open to youth ages 9-19 and adult volunteers.  All youth under the age of 18 must come with adult supervision.  The cost is $60 per person before January 2, 2015 and $70 per person after January 2, 2015.  Tentative workshop topics include Trout in the Classroom; Wildlife ID and Tracks; GPS; Birdwatching; Shotgun and Rifle Shooting; Duck Decoy Construction; Road Kill; Snakes; Archery; Wildlife Trapping; Mammals of Virginia; Arts and Crafts; Edible Insects; Identifying Wildlife Signs; Bat Conservation and Bat House Building and more!! Registration Deadline is January 15.
To register, please visit https://holidaylake4h.com/NREweekend.php

For questions, please contact Jenny Thompson at the Louisa VCE Office at (540)967-3422 or jthomp05[at]vt.edu

Poinsettia Sales

The 2014 sales of poinsettias to benefit Orange County 4-H have begun!  The regular (6 inch) pots are $7 each, and the jumbos (8 inch) pots are $14 each.  These plants are grown right here in Orange County at Battlefield Farms.  They are incredibly hardy and last a very long time.
If you are interested in buying a poinsettia, please call the Extension office or contact a 4-H member!

Monday, October 6, 2014

Happy National 4-H Week!

Happy National 4-H Week!  This is the one week out of the year where we officially celebrate just how awesome 4-H is.  We will post cool 4-H facts on OC 4-H Facebook page all week- check out the fun tidbits of information that will be on there!
You and your club can also join in on the fun- if you are on Twitter or Instagram, post a picture of yourself with the #iam4h to join in with thousands of other 4-Hers who have already posted a picture of themselves!  Let's show the whole world just what, and who, 4-H is all about!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

National Youth Summit Series

The National Youth Summit Series, held by the National 4-H Council and hosted by the National 4-H Youth Conference center are holding three National Youth Summits for some of the best and brightests students to focus on maker, healthy living, and agri-science.  Designed for high school students, the Summits provide opportunities to learn technical skills, participate in hands-on activities and workshops, learn from leaders in the field, and visit professional and academic sites.  Students attend in teams comprised of two to eight youth and are accompanied by an adult mentor/chaperone.

National Youth Maker Summit
November 7-10, 2014
Do you like to invent, build, or experiment? Do you ever catch yourself wondering how something can be improved? Have you ever taken something apart just to see how it works? The Maker National Youth Summit is for the creative and curious young minds of the next generation of innovators. Participants make what they can with a variety of materials from a range of fields, utilizing their resourcefulness and creativity.
http://www.nationalyouthsummit.org/maker-conference/

National Youth Summit on Agri-Science
January 16-19, 2015
At the National Youth Summit on Agri-Science high school students develop the skills and knowledge needed for the challenges facing agriculture, food security and sustainability. National 4-H Council and National 4-H Youth Conference Center have partnered with agricultural scientists, researchers, leaders, politicians, and advocates to host the National Youth Summit on Agri-Science. It's a hands-on learning, educational experience led by experts in the agricultural community. This Summit includes workshops, curriculum, tools, and visits to agricultural government and advocacy agencies as part of the learning experience.
http://www.nationalyouthsummit.org/agriscience-conference/

National Youth Summit on Healthy Living
February 13-16, 2015
At the National Youth Summit on Healthy Living high school students develop the knowledge and skills to address today's issues including nutrition education, physical fitness, wellness, and emotional well-being. National 4-H Council and National 4-H Youth Conference Center have partnered with professionals in family consumer science and healthy living to host the National Youth Summit on Healthy Living. Students are trained to create action plans to implement in their communities and teach other youth about what they have learned. The structure of the summits maximizes the amount of hands-on learning experiences and translates that learning to direct outcomes.
http://www.nationalyouthsummit.org/healthy-living-conference/

Block and Bridle Horse Judging Clinic

The Horse Judging Clinic will be held on November 15, 2014 on the Virginia Tech campus at
the Alphin-Stuart Arena on Plantation Road. This year’s agenda will cover conformation,
breed standards and performance classes. As always, there will be skill level specific instruction on reasons to address composition, organization, terms, and delivery. In addition, there will be a more vigorous teaching session for the advanced students in reasons as well as fun and educational horse related games for the beginners.
Also, please note that the entry deadline is October 31st, 2014.

General Information:
Advanced: For individuals that have significant contest experience. In addition to judging information, this group will focus on organizing and delivering a full set of reasons. These students should be knowledgeable with the reason format, delivery, and contest etiquette.
Intermediate: For individuals that have some judging experience. This group will focus on taking notes, class criteria, and giving a detailed pair of reasons. These students should have general knowledge of contests and be comfortable going through a solid pair in reasons.
Beginners: For individuals that have little to no judging experience. This group will focus on what horse judging is, what a contest is, what reasons are, and how to survive, taking notes and giving reasons.
Normally this is a large group that will be subdivided between ages 9-11 and 12 and older this year.
Coaches: Coaches are welcome to observe the clinic. If he/she pays the entry fee, a lunch will be
provided. Coaches may observe for free if they provide their own lunch.
Entries: Receiving entries postmarked by the October 31st deadline is a great help in planning for
lunches, locations, topics and more. If late entries are necessary, the $10.00 entry fee is charged. Checks
should accompany the entries. If policies prevent the inclusion with the entry, the coach should notify
Hannah McDonald to acknowledge arrangements. (hannah8@vt.edu )

For registration information, please contact the Extension Office.