{"id":17042,"date":"2024-05-03T11:53:35","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T18:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/?page_id=17042"},"modified":"2025-01-15T07:23:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T15:23:16","slug":"pre-meeting-activities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/pre-meeting-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Meeting Activities"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wsu-hero wsu-width--full wsu-pattern--wsu-light-radial-left  wsu-hero--style-boxed \">\n\t<div class=\"wsu-hero__background\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wsu-image-frame wsu-image-frame--fill\">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/extension\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/07\/4H_Grows_Logo.jpg\"\n\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/extension\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/07\/4H_Grows_Logo.jpg 1313w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/extension\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/07\/4H_Grows_Logo.jpg 396w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/extension\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/07\/4H_Grows_Logo.jpg 792w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/extension\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/07\/4H_Grows_Logo.jpg 768w\"\n\t\tsizes=\"(max-width: 1313px) 100vw, 1313px\"\n\t\talt=\"4-H Grows Here logo in green with 4-H clover at right on a black background\"\n\t\tstyle=\"object-position: 50% 50%\"\n\t\t\/>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wsu-hero__overlay\">\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wsu-hero__content-wrapper\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wsu-hero__inner-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wsu-hero__title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"wsu-hero__title\">Pre-Meeting Activities<\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wsu-hero__content\">\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-row wsu-row--halves\" >\r\n    \n<div class=\"wsu-column\"  style=\"\">\r\n\t\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-column\"  style=\"\">\r\n\t\n<div class=\"program-contact \">\n\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-content\/plugins\/cahnrs-extension-plugin\/assets\/images\/four-h.png\"\n\t\t\theight=\"75\"\n\t\t\twidth=\"75\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"extension-program-icon\"\n\t\t\talt=\"Program Icon.\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"program-contact-info\">\n\t\t<h2>Program Contact<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\tAutumn Britt, 4-H Program Manager<br>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wsu-screen-reader-only\">Phone Number<\/span>509-588-7817\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wsu-screen-reader-only\">Email Address<\/span> \u2022\n\t\t\t<a href=\"mailto:autumn.britt@wsu.edu\">autumn.britt@wsu.edu<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n        <div id=\"cahnrs-back-to-top\" class=\"cahnrs-back-to-top\" hidden aria-hidden=\"true\">\n            <a id=\"cahnrs-back-to-top-btn\" class=\"cahnrs-back-to-top__btn\" href=\"#product-top\" aria-label=\"Back to top\">\n                <span class=\"cahnrs-back-to-top__icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2191<\/span>\n                <span class=\"cahnrs-back-to-top__label\">Back to top<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This page is adapted from the PDF &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.extension.iastate.edu\/4h\/files\/documents\/Pre-Meeting%20Activities.pdf\">Pre-Meeting Activities:&nbsp; The First Part of Your 4-H Club Meeting<\/a>&#8221; by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-row wsu-row--sidebar-right\" >\r\n    \n<div class=\"wsu-column\"  style=\"\">\r\n\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What To Do As Youth Arrive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As youth arrive to the 4-H meeting, do things ever seem awkward or chaotic as they wait for the meeting to begin?&nbsp; Are newer members or members coming to their first meeting being welcomed and what impression are they getting of the club environment?&nbsp; Planning pre-meeting activities can help to organize arrival time and to create spaces for youth to connect, whether this is their first or their fiftieth club meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Benefits of Pre-Meeting Activities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Kids are engaged from the moment they walk in the door, allowing the leader to prepare for the meeting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kids connect with their fellow 4-H&#8217;ers before the meeting starts as they work together on an activity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Activities can help 4-H&#8217;ers focus their energies so they are ready for business when the meeting time starts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parents and youth can both be involved in designing activities or helping at project tables, fostering a deeper connection between families and the 4-H club.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Youth feel a greater sense of belonging and inclusion in the club if they participate in these social activities with their peers.&nbsp; This inclusiveness stems into the other essential elements of youth development, including mastery, engagement, caring adults, safe environments, and self-determination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pre-meeting activities promote youth being on-time for meetings, as they want to be there for the fun right from the beginning!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-column\"  style=\"\">\r\n\t\n<section  class=\"wsu-section\"  >\r\n        \n    <nav class=\"wsu-navigation-vertical wsu-vertical-menu\">\n        <ul id=\"wsu-site-menu\" class=\"wsu-menu-collapse wsu-menu-collapse--style-vertical\"><li aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-haspopup=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/current-volunteers\/\">Current Volunteers<\/a><button aria-label=\"{Open submenu Current Volunteers\" class=\"wsu-menu-collapse--action-toggle\"><\/button>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/building-the-youth-adult-partnership\/\">Building the Youth-Adult Partnership<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/supporting-youth-officers\/\">Supporting Youth Officers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/4-h-club-officers\/\">For Youth 4-H Club Officers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/strategies-to-engage-4-h-parents-guardians\/\">Strategies to Engage 4-H Parents and Caregivers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/youth-friendly-parliamentary-procedure\/\">Youth-Friendly Parliamentary Procedure<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/pre-meeting-activities\/\">Pre-Meeting Activities<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/ice-breakers-and-team-building-resources\/\">Ice Breakers and Team Building Resources<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/4-h-pledge-motto-colors\/\">4-H Pledge, Motto, &amp; Colors<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/teaching-terminology\/\">Teaching Terminology<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/4-h-emblems-and-logos\/\">4-H Emblems and Logos<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.extension.wsu.edu\/4-h-treasurers-handbook-leader-guide\">4-H Treasurer&#039;s Handbook Leader Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/givepulse-4-h-volunteer-hour-reporting\/\">GivePulse \u2013 4-H Vounteer Hour Reporting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/4-h-travel-reimbursement-request\/\">Yakima County 4-H Travel Reimbursement Request<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/projects-programs\/cloverbuds\/\">4- H Cloverbuds<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/4-hfromhome\/\">4-H From Home<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/yakima-county-4-h-benefactor-program\/\">Yakima County 4-H Benefactor Program<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/4-h-project-forms-and-policies\/\">4-H Project Forms &amp; Policies<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/v2.4honline.com\/#\/user\/sign-in\">4-H Online<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/4h\/\">Washington State 4-H<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/4-h.org\/\">National 4-H<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>    <\/nav>\n\n    <\/section>\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wsu-row wsu-row--sidebar-right\" >\r\n    \n<div class=\"wsu-column\"  style=\"\">\r\n\t\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pre-Meeting Activity Ideas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pre-meeting activity stations don&#8217;t have to be complicated!&nbsp; Set up one or several tables fifteen minutes before the meeting starts.&nbsp; As members arrive, they can circulate between the stations, working on the activities, before the meeting starts.&nbsp; Activity tables can be a mixture of educational activities and activities that are just for fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Starter Ideas:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Art Activities<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Work with others or individually to draw a picture of a common item, such as a penny, without looking at it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Draw a still-life from a basket of objects or tableau on the table (such as a basket of fruit or a scene made with wooden toys).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a puppet from a paper sack, a sock, or other objects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create a magazine clippings collage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a straw rocket out of paper and see how far it flies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Draw the funniest face you&#8217;ve ever seen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Team Building Activities<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Work as a team to complete an A-Z Scavenger Hunt of items around the meeting space.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Write your name backwards and practice pronouncing it.&nbsp; Introduce yourself using your backwards name to everyone who enters the room.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Design the room &#8211; have club members sketch different ideas for the meeting space they can propose as alternatives to the current setup.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In a small group, design a scavenger hunt others can participate in as a future meeting&#8217;s pre-meeting activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Club Spirit Activities<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Create 4-H lyrics to a popular commercial jingle, such as &#8220;My bologna has a first name, it&#8217;s OSCAR&#8230;&#8221; or another short popular song or nursery rhyme.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make thank-you notes from the 4-H club that can be used throughout the 4-H year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Figure out how many words you can make from the letters of 4-H leaders&#8217; names.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have a 4-H member share their working exhibit as a make-and-take activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community Service Activities<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Make simple fleece toys for shelter pets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brainstorm possible community service projects or service learning projects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Write or draw a response to your previous community service or service learning project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Just-For-Fun Activities<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Guess now many candy hearts or jellybeans are in a jar.&nbsp; Whoever has the closest guess wins the jar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn a life-skill such as sewing a button on a piece of fabric.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set up a breed identification game for an species of animal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-column\"  style=\"\">\r\n\t\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/extension\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2023\/12\/4-H-Wizard-Hat.png\" alt=\"green wizard hat with yellow stars and the 4-H clover emblem\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Activity Guides<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-cta \" >\n\t<a \t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/pre-meeting-activities\/pre-meeting-and-recreational-activity-ideas-and-resource-guide\/\"\t\n\t\tclass=\"wsu-button  wsu-button--style-action\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\tPre-Meeting and Recreational Activity Ideas and Resource Guide\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-cta \" >\n\t<a \t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.kansas4-h.org\/resources\/leader-resources\/clubcorner\/officer-resources\/docs\/Blue_Ribbon_Games.pdf\"\t\n\t\tclass=\"wsu-button  wsu-button--style-action\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\tKansas 4-H Blue Ribbon Games and Activities (PDF)\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-cta \" >\n\t<a \t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.playworks.org\/game-library\/\"\t\n\t\tclass=\"wsu-button  wsu-button--style-action\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\tPlayworks Game Library\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-cta \" >\n\t<a \t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.exploratorium.edu\/explore\/activities\"\t\n\t\tclass=\"wsu-button  wsu-button--style-action\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\tExploratorium Science Activities\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-cta \" >\n\t<a \t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.steampoweredfamily.com\/no-prep-stem-activities-with-paper\/\"\t\n\t\tclass=\"wsu-button  wsu-button--style-action\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\tSteam Powered Family: No Prep STEM Activities with Paper\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Now it&#8217;s time for your meeting to begin &#8211; check out our page on <a href=\"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/4-h\/volunteer-resources\/ice-breakers-and-team-building-resources\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"20391\">Ice Breakers and Team Building Resources<\/a> to get everything started!<\/p>\n\n        <div id=\"cahnrs-back-to-top\" class=\"cahnrs-back-to-top\" hidden aria-hidden=\"true\">\n            <a id=\"cahnrs-back-to-top-btn\" class=\"cahnrs-back-to-top__btn\" href=\"#product-top\" aria-label=\"Back to top\">\n                <span class=\"cahnrs-back-to-top__icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u2191<\/span>\n                <span class=\"cahnrs-back-to-top__label\">Back to top<\/span>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pre-Meeting Activities This page is adapted from the PDF &quot;Pre-Meeting Activities:\u00a0 The First Part of Your 4-H Club Meeting&quot; by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. As youth arrive to the 4-H meeting, do things&amp;hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":17033,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":0,"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_expiration_date":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17042"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17042"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22403,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17042\/revisions\/22403"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/yakima\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}