4-H records serve two primary purposes:
- They enhance the educational experience of the 4-H member.
- They help leaders and counties determine whether members have shown achievement.
The educational objective of records are:
- To help the member realize what they have learned during the year.
- To help the member learn how to figure costs, time, and money.
- To help the member adjust practices to minimize cost and maximize potential profit or success.
- To help the leader realize what the member has learned during the year.
- To help the leader determine how they can best direct, guide, and instruct the member.
Records are designed to fit the following criteria:
- Record keeping should be a positive experience for the 4-H member.
- Records should be practical and encourage good planning evaluation.
- Records should add to the educational experience of the member and not distract from it.
- 4-H member records should not be driven by awards, but the member can choose to compete for county, state, or national awards.
- Records should reflect the educational level and maturity of the 4-H member.
Computer-generated or remade records:
- Can be made to fit the project or to make record keeping on the computer easier.
- The information should correspond to WSU originals and similar table-like entry format should be used for ease of reading.
Computer-generated or remade project add sheets:
Need to contain the same basic information as WSU originals.
Please see originals for a guide as to what your add sheet should contain. The following are examples of items usually found on add sheets:
- Beginning and ending inventories.
- Expense records. These can and should be split into different types of expenses for animal projects – feed, nonfeed/equipment, and vet care.
- Profit/Loss statement and/or cost comparisons.
- Animal health and inoculation records.
- Hatch or birth records.
- Animal growth records.
- List of items, garments, photos, or articles completed, built, or repaired.
There may be more items on your project’s add sheet than are listed above. Please remember to look at the WSU original to make sure you have included all the items that actually apply to your project.
Not all spaces need to be filled in.
Spaces that do not apply to the individual project should be marked “none” or “NA”. This includes the Permanent Record Book section.
Record books are done by the 4-H member.
Any entries or work in the record book obviously done by someone else other than the 4-Her is cause for the record book to be excluded from competition. When necessary, arrangements need to be made through the 4-H office to determine the appropriate level of adult assistance that best helps the member retain pride in their work.
The 4-H record book is not a scrapbook.
The member should use a separate scrapbook for items like ribbons, certificates, memorabilia like bookmarks, etc.
Photos should enhance record keeping.
Photos are limited to one side of one page in each project section. They may also be included in the general supplemental information section and are limited to two sides of one page there. Photos need to be captioned and cannot overlap.
Substance is more important than form.
The important part is how the record reflects the educational experience of the 4-H member. Records can be done on printed copies of the pages on the WSU website or they can be computer-generated or otherwise remade to fit the individual criteria.
They must meet the following criteria:
- Neat, clean, and legible.
- The record pages should not be decorated with computer graphics, stickers, clip art, or photos. However, the folder/notebook cover may have personal decorations.
Content is more important than style.
However, the 4-H member should learn that accuracy, clarity, and completeness are key in keeping records.