recommendation: 4-H

If you are looking for a group or activity for your child to join, look for your local county 4-H organization. They can direct you to a wide variety of interests. It is fairly low cost for most clubs. Animal classes will require a lot more time, effort and money. However, 4-H teaches a lot of good lessons.

I had been trying to find a club for my girls before the pandemic, but I just could not find the right fit. Now that they are in high school, they have both joined 4-H. They are showing small animals, but they can also enter their craft projects in the hearth side of 4-H.

4-H really strives to encourage children to be in charge of their own interests. They offer pathways to take more responsibility not only in your club, but at the county level and even state level in some cases. They encourage kids to teach kids, so there is mentoring and skill building built into the program.

Small animals club has allowed my children to take care of something other than themselves. They learn the importance of being patient and constant with their furry charges. They learn how to properly care for the critters and the importance of a balanced diet and plenty of exercise. At home, they are in charge of fulfilling all the needs of the animals. We step in, if their schedule gets too busy, because animals are not things, but a choice we made to bring into our home and to care for until their hopefully long lives come to a natural end.

My youngest started first and absolutely loved fair time. She loved hanging around the fair and meeting new people. She really excelled at showing her animals to the public and answering questions. She won several ribbons, including multiple grand champion ribbons. It is a great way to get kids to come out of their shell and connect with others about something they are passionate about. I am really looking forward to seeing how much my girls have grown this year and watching them tackle new challenges in new areas of 4-H. Adults can also submit arts and crafts to the fair! Ask your local 4-H organization!

4-H is not just animal husbandry, or even cooking and crafts. Our county has several STEAM clubs who do various engineering and robotics projects. There are photography clubs. If you cannot find inexpensive extracurriculars for your kids, call your county 4-H administration today! It is probably the best decision I have made for my kids. The adults involved are so great at promoting the kids to learn and become leaders themselves. My girls have made connections with other kids across county lines as we go to off season competitions to prep for fair. It is amazing how social your socially struggling children can be when everyone around them has the same interests. They just light up as they talk for hours about their passions and you forget about waking up so early on the weekend.

It is also a year round activity! I just can’t recommend this enough! Try it!