4-H Needs Assessment
Families! We know it is important for everyone to stay connected and feel a sense of belonging while we are practicing social distancing in our communities. We want to hear from 4-H volunteer leaders, parents AND youth. The short survey below is designed to understand how you are doing, how/if you are keeping connected in your 4-H club, what you need in order to remain connected, and how the Extension Office may best support our 4-H community. This survey is anonymous and not mandatory. Here is the Qualtrics link to the survey: https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0BZvilcN9rKK0xn
Message from Tracy Schweiger – POC 2020 Swine Entry Info
Hello Friends!
There are a few things Jennifer and I would like to let you know about.
1st – THERE IS NO PIG WEIGH-IN THIS YEAR. Though we have never required exhibitors to weigh-in their pigs, this year we will be cancelling weigh-ins altogether due to the pandemic.
2nd – YOU MUST TURN IN YOUR “MARKET HOG WEIGH-IN REGISTRATION FORM.” Despite the fact we are not having weigh-ins, you are still required to fill-out and return your “Market Hog Weigh-In Registration Form.” You should have already received an exhibitor’s packet from either your 4-H leader, by email, or by mail. “The Market Hog Weigh-In Registration Form” is part of your exhibitor’s packet. You will need to keep the remainder of your Exhibitor’s Packet and present it at the time of the fair. If you did not receive a packet, please contact either Tracy @ (509) 954-8169 or Jennifer @ (509) 951-9598 and we will ensure you get a packet. You may return your “The Market Hog Weigh-In Registration Form” either by mail or by email.
3rd – “MARKET HOG WEIGH-IN REGISTRATION FORM” ARE DUE MAY 16, 2020. If you do not return “Market Hog Weigh-In Registration Form”, you will not be allowed to exhibit a swine project at the time of the fair.
4th – FAIR ENTRY FORMS ARE DUE JULY 15, 2020. Don’t forget, you are also required to fill out and return your Fair Entry Form. This form may be found on Fair website – pocfair.com.
5th – The theme for the fair this year is “SEW IT, GROW IT, SHOW IT.” The colors for the fair are RED and WHITE.
6th – Fair Vet Check begins Wednesday, August 19, 2020, at 3 p.m. Please be aware, you must be on the fair grounds no later than 7 p.m. in order to exhibit your hog at the fair.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us! Also, send us pictures of your projects! We would love to see them!
Thanks – Tracy and Jennifer
4-H Leader Council
Join us for the next Leader Council meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 16. The meeting will take place via Zoom and begin at 6:30 p.m.
Message from 4-H Leader Council – Vickie Blanchet
FOLLOW AND LIKE THE PEND OREILLE COUNTY 4-H FACEBOOK PAGE
https://www.facebook.com/pendoreille4H/
JOIN OUR PEND OREILLE COUNTY 4-H GROUPS
~ New Groups are being Added All the Time!
Pend Oreille County 4-H Jr. LEGO Masters
https://www.facebook.com/groups/246925816349702/
Pend Oreille County 4-H Minecraft Build Challenge
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2508584826136356/
Pend Oreille County 4-H STEM
https://www.facebook.com/groups/231926777999374/
Pend Oreille County 4-H Cooking
https://www.facebook.com/groups/4263511527007995/
Pend Oreille County 4-H Arts & Crafts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/638552743590879/
Pend Oreille County 4-H Horse
https://www.facebook.com/Pend-Oreille-County-Horse-4-H-108076624062972/
NEW FACEBOOK GROUPS
We’d love to add the following animal project groups to Facebook:
- Rabbits
- Goats
- Sheep
- Poultry
- Swine
- Pocket Pets
However, I need adult and youth volunteers who will help provide content for the pages. (You may be surprised to hear that growing up in Los Angeles, I wasn’t allowed to have most of these animals in my backyard and so am not qualified to offer advice for these projects.)
What would the commitment be? The adult and youth would share links, videos, and documents related to the animal showcased on their page. They could also create their own content. For example, they could make a PowerPoint or Video; they could design a project; or they could post pictures of an aspect of their animal project and ask others to do the same. Volunteers would meet briefly with me once a week, (either by videoconferencing or by practicing social distancing), to determine content to be added. Depending on how many people volunteer for each animal project, the commitment wouldn’t be more than one hour a week.
The goal here is to provide resources to youth in our county and to enable them to continue to connect with other youth who are doing the same project. Please contact Vickie Blanchet at 509.671.2428 or schoolontheroad@gmail.com to volunteer to help.
POST YOUR PROJECT PICTURES
Are you working on a craft or doing an animal project, or starting your garden? Please take a picture and post it on one of the Pend Oreille County Facebook Pages. We want to see what you are doing!
CLOUD QUEST ZOOM CLASS
This is not a class in Zoomba, but a virtual class exploring clouds, weather, satellites, and more. Youth will build their own satellite model, launch their own rocket, measure the wind, and fly a kite, just to name a few of the activities. As part of the California Academy of Sciences’ Citizen Science Program, youth will complete regular sky observations and upload their data to NASA’s Globe Observer app, which is used by professional scientists and researchers to track changes in sky and cloud conditions to support Earth science research. Designed for middle school youth (grades 5-8), Cloud Quest meets Next Generation Science Standards AND is a lot of fun. The whole family can participate and work as a group on Cloud Quest activities. Each participating family will need to be able to connect via Zoom and will receive a supplies kit to allow you to fully engage in all the activities.
Cloud Quest will be offered for an hour once a week via Zoom and will run for twelve sessions. If you are interested in participating, please contact Vickie Blanchet at 509.671.2428 or via email at schoolontheroad@gmail.com.
MEALS FOR KIDS
The USDA National Hunger Hotline is a helpful resource for people seeking food assistance. The hotline, operated by Hunger Free America, can be reached Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET. at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) (for Spanish).