The Clover Connection “For families in Lawrence, Dade, and Greene Counties”

Karla Deaver

4-H Youth Development Specialist

2018 Lawrence Co 4-H Council Brandi Freiburger, President

Debbie Pankau, Vice-President Tiffany Davis, Secretary Jamie Lowry, Treasurer

2018 Greene Co 4-H Leader’s Council

Jim Sontheimer, President Jennifer Peterson, Vice-President

John Waterman, Secretary Gail Driskell, Treasurer

Dade County Club Leaders

Busy Bees—Angie Whitesell, Michelle Kleeman

Turnback Trailblazers—Carla Hayes

417/466-3102 http://extension.missouri.edu/lawrence

deaverk@missouri.edu

December 2017

Dear 4-H Families: Greene and Lawrence Counties both had successful Recognition events in the past

few weeks. Congratulations to all those members and volunteers who have complet-

ed another year. I am proud of the work each of you do, and I am excited about what

the new 4-H year will bring.

If you have not already done so, now is the time to get re-enrolled in 4-H online for

this year. Both members and volunteers need to be re-enrolled and active in 4-H

online before they can sign up for events, including teen conference, photo corps

and other opportunities! Also, it is the best way to be included in emails, such as the

monthly newsletter, etc. Members and volunteers are encouraged to be re-enrolled

by December 31.

Save the date for our regional energizers coming up shortly after the first of the year.

Making the Best Better will be held in Neosho on Saturday, January 27, and Bright

and Bold will be held in Ozark on January 13. registration and workshop details are

in the attached registration forms.

For those of you who are new, the newsletter will contain dates of upcoming

events, important deadlines, and information on regional and state events.

If you have questions, please call or email. I also post a lot of information on

the Greene, Dade and Lawrence County 4-H Facebook pages, so if that is

more your style look for it there as well!

The holiday season is here, and this is a great time for a club community ser-

vice activity. Did you know that 4-H members are four times more likely to

be engaged in community service activities than their non-4-H peers? There

are a number of great ways to give back to your community in meaningful

ways. If you need ideas, check out the article on page 2.

I am here if you have questions or comments. It is my goal that each and

every 4-H member has a positive experience. Let me know how I can help.

Sincerely,

4-H Youth Development Specialist

UPCOMING EVENTS

DECEMBER

3 Lawrence County Recognition

15 Legislative Academy Applications Due

17 Lafayette House

25 Merry Christmas!

JANUARY

1 Happy New Year!

13 Bright and Bold, Ozark

19-20 Heart of America Dairy Expo

27 Making the Best Better, Neosho

University of Missouri, Lincoln University, U.S. Department of Agriculture & Local University Extension Councils Cooperating

Equal opportunity is and shall be provided to all participants in Extension programs and activities, and for all employees

and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without discrimination

on the basis of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or status as a

Vietnam-era veteran. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious

organizations or military organizations associated with the armed forces of the USA.”

4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning

citizenship, leadership and life skills.

Page 2

Club Service Project Ideas Community ser-vice and service learning are some of my favorite things about 4-H! There are so many great ways for us to give back to those in our communities. If you are looking for a new service project, here are a few ideas:

Make fleece blankets and donate them to shelters, police stations, or fire stations.

Work with your community to establish a maker space, public shop, or shared lab.

Help elderly neighbors mow the lawn, pull weeds, shovel snow, etc

Visit retirement centers or nursing homes to talk, play board games, or participate in other activities with seniors.

Make cards and personally deliver to hospital patients (children, veterans, families).

Help cook and serve meals at a homeless center or shelter.

Make weighted blankets and donate them to a school for children with special needs

Write letters to those in the military, the elderly, and others

These are just a sample of the many ideas that can be found here: http://4h.missouri.edu//documents/sl-ideas.pdf. What ideas do you have for a great service learning project? I would love to hear about yours!!

I said I would be a 4-H Project Leader—Now what? Congratulations! Being a project leader is

one of the most important jobs in 4-H. Because you said yes, young people will gain knowledge and skills by having fun and making friends at the same time—isn’t that awesome? So what resources are available to help you with this amaz-ing responsibility? Most projects have a project brief, that gives a snapshot of the project area, meeting and exhibit ideas, and other helpful hints. You can find those on the State 4-H website. Click on the green button that says Projects and Opportunities and find the project you are leading. In the supplemental materi-als there will be a project brief listed. There is also a suggest-ed project leader calendar for your use. You can find this, as well as other project leader guides, under Resources and Forms. I suggest reading through LG784, LG785 and LG787 and LG 788. The most important part of being a project leader is to get started! Schedule a first meeting to get to know the members interested in the project you are teaching. Coordinate with your club leader to offer to do an introductory activity at a full club meeting about your project. Some project leaders are utilizing technology to help them meet their project goals. And remember, the primary way we teach activities in 4-H is through experiential learning. Do—Reflect—Apply. We do the activity, talk about what we learned, and then apply that knowledge to this and other activi-ties. And whatever you do, remember to have fun! Need more information? Contact me at deaverk@missouri.edu or give me a call at 417-466-3102.

Regional Energizers Scheduled for

Ozark, Neosho Get your 4-H year off to a great start by attending

one of our regional trainings! Two regional energiz-

ers/trainings have been set for you—Bright and

Bold is scheduled for Saturday, January 13 in Ozark

and Making the Best Better is set for Saturday, Janu-

ary 27 in Neosho. Both registration forms are

attached and are posted in 4-H Online. Both will

have similar workshops offered. There may be

some local differences in instructors, etc. Advance

registration is $8 per person and includes lunch.

Registration at the door is $10 per person. Check

the registration forms for each event’s deadline.

Keep in mind, some workshops may be cancelled

without adequate numbers pre-registered. Essential

sessions such as Shooting Sports Safety, Volunteer

Orientation, Show-Me Quality Assurance and lots

more will be offered! There will be special sessions

for clover kids, adult volunteers, club officers and

more! Spend the day networking with 4-H families

from around the region. For more information, con-

tact Karla Deaver at the Lawrence County Exten-

sion office.

Page 3

of the event.

Registration fee will be finalized by the launch date. A

limited amount of financial assistance will be availa-

ble for youth with financial need (scholarship appli-

cation required).

For the first 20 teams to register, first adult per team will

receive a discount registration.

Counties are encouraged to set local team registration

due dates 1-2 weeks in advance. Space is limited, so

early registration is encouraged!

YCLS teams that have attended the Summit in the past

are encouraged to apply as Youth Host Team for

2018! Applications are due by end of October.

Hope to see you at the Summit!

The YCLS 2018 planning team

Get Your Ticket to Leadership!

This March, go on location for an epic leadership

adventure at the 2018 State 4-H Teen Conference!

The theme is Lights…Camera…LEADERSHIP! and

your State 4-H Council teens are making this an-

other fun and exciting event for youth ages 11-

13. Teen Conference is the first big trip away from

home for many 4-H’ers, and it’s a good

choice. You’ll meet amazing new friends, learn

how to be a better leader and get a heads-up on all

the exciting things waiting for you as a 4-H teenag-

er! Teen Conference is safe and fun, and the hotel

is super nice.

Cost is $179 (if you share the large bed with a

friend you select) or $229 (if you prefer your own

bed). The production starts just after noon on Sat-

urday, March 24th and the wraps at 11 a.m. on the

25th.

Teen Conference registration is open at http://

mo.4honline.com from December 1 to February

15. Be sure you don’t miss out!

THE COURAGE TO LEAD!

13th Annual MO Youth Civic Leaders Summit

March 2-4, 2018

Windermere Conference Center, Missouri 2018 Summit website

Leaders in today’s world are faced with growing complexity,

uncertainty, and challenge. The emerging generation of lead-

ers will need greater confidence, creativity, and resilience to

meet the challenges facing our communities and world head

on. Youth and adults are stepping up to use their brains,

hearts, bravery, and compassion to generate hope and oppor-

tunity in their hometowns. How do they do it?

In the spirit of youth-adult partnerships, the Summit will in-

vite leaders of all ages to find and follow the “yellow brick

road” of teamwork, action, and impact. Come explore “The

Courage to Lead!” at YCLS 2018. The Missouri Youth Civic

Leaders Summit is a statewide energizer for teams of teens

and adults who are engaged in leadership and service

through local 4-H clubs, councils, afterschool programs, com-

munity betterment groups, municipal or countywide efforts.

As a Summit team leader or member, you can join with other

teen/adult leaders from across Missouri to learn, act out, and

showcase youth-adult partnerships! Youth-adult partner-

ships are key to growing new leaders, gaining youth voice on

community issues, engaging in thoughtful and meaningful

local action, and delivering solutions.

2018 team registration is open now! Counties can begin co-

ordinating the registration of one or more teams of teens/

adults to attend YCLS 2018. Registration closes Feb. 1, 2018.

Teams are made up of a group of teens ages 14-18, and at

least one adult team leader (staff, volunteer, parent).

Teams can represent a local club, council, afterschool pro-

gram, community group, organization, community or

countywide effort.

Teams must have a minimum of 3 members (1 adult, 2 youth)

and a maximum of 10 members (2 adults, 8 youth).

Participation is open to 4-H members and non-4-H members;

adults must be approved as 4-H chaperones by the date

Page 4

Lawrence County Extension Courthouse

P.O. Box 388 Mt. Vernon, 65712

Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook! You can find Lawrence County 4-H here: https://www.facebook.com/LawrenceCounty4H Greene County 4-H can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/greenecountymo4h Dade County 4-H can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/DadeCountyMO4H/

4-H Online is Now Open Now is a great time to get enrolled for the new year! Help guides are posted on the 4-H online site. If you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to call or email! Karla Deaver, 417-466-3102, deaverk@missouri.edu. Calling 4-H Photographers! Is photography your passion? Do you like a

challenge?? If so, consider applying for Photo

Corps, Missouri’s state 4-H photography

team. Enthusiastic 4-H photographers will

challenge their photo skills and learn with a

team fellow photographers from across the

state. The group works via social media, so no

travel is required. This awesome opportunity

is open to all members, ages 12-18, that have

completed at least one year of 4-H photog-

raphy. To apply, visit https://

mo.4honline.com. Applications will remain

open until January 1. Don't miss out on the

opportunity to be a part of the 2018 team, ap-

ply today!

Through Clover Kids clubs, children learn how to get along, share, and work

in groups, explore their interests, and build self-confidence. Each Clover Kids

Corner provides an activity, information or other materials that Clover Kids

leaders can use in planning and implementing experiences that introduce five

to seven-year olds to the 4-H concept of learning by doing.

Message Tiles

Materials

White ceramic tiles (4¼ inch square tiles) Stickers

Clear-gloss glaze (found in craft stores) Felt

Tacky glue Colored markers

Scissors Small paintbrushes Directions 1. Lay a ceramic tile on a piece of felt and outline the tile with a marker.

2. Cut out the felt and glue it to the bottom of the ceramic tile.

3. Choose 2-4 small stickers to use and stick them in the corners of your ce-ramic tile. Be creative and decorate as many corners of the tile as you want. (Remember to leave room in the center of the tile for messages) 4. Take a small paintbrush and paint on the clear glaze over the stickers. Don't paint the whole tile, just over the stickers. 5. Let dry. 6. Take a marker and write a message or draw a picture in the middle of the tile. It will wipe off with a damp paper towel. Put by the phone or on the kitchen counter and use it to write messages or notes to your family! Source: Iowa State University Extension, 4-H Clover Kids Electronic Newslet-ter. Fall, 2007 (extension.iastate.edu/4H/Clover/materials.htm)