Four Generations of 4-H

4-Hers in our family

 

Earlier this month, Kinley went to 4-H camp at Rock Springs for the first time. Her Grandpa Alan - Eric's dad - texted us during her adventure to let us know that his mom - Kinley's Great Grandma Bonnie - was the first member of their family to attend Rock Springs. Kinley's arrival at camp signaled the fourth generation of their family connection to Rock Springs.

Randy, too, has great memories from his 4-H camping days at Rock Springs. It was decidedly more rustic back in his day when he stayed in a canvas-sided tent. At the time I was a 4-Her, Pratt County 4-Hers went to a camp in Ford County. So did my parents, so our 4-H camping experience didn't include Rock Springs.

However, Kinley and Brooke are the fourth generation of 4-Hers on both sides of the family. (Brooke will wait a few years before she has the Rock Springs experience.)

4-Hers in the Ladd Family

Last weekend, both sets of grandparents came for the Shawnee County Fair to see the girls' exhibits. It was Kinley's second year in 4-H. (Covid delayed her entry into the program the year before.) It was Brooke's first year as a member of the Auburn 4-H Club. 

As Pratt and Stafford County 4-Hers, members took shifts in the fair concession stand. One of the most valuable things (at least from a parent's standpoint) was helping kids figure out how to count back change; it seems a lot art these days. And, of course, 4-Hers also learned to work as a team, serve the public and be a small cog in a big event in a community - all skills that translate in a myriad of ways to life far beyond 4-H.

At the Shawnee County Fair, the 4-Hers serve a Saturday morning pancake breakfast.The pancake and sausage meal was delicious, but even more "appetizing" to me was the continued commitment to helping 4-Hers grow as people. "To make the best better" may be a slogan, but the program truly does teach life skills and leadership that can be used for the rest of their lives.

Of course, ribbons are something to work toward, and something to strive for. But there is intrinsic value far beyond the color of the ribbon. Some of them include:

• Setting goals. 
• Learning new skills.
• Learning parliamentary procedure and how to conduct and participate in a business meeting.
  
• Completing paperwork/project reports.
  
• Working with others.
• Volunteering in your community. 

Yes, Brooke got a reserve champion ribbon on her White Chocolate Blueberry Crunch Bread. (And Grandma's Kim's County Line got a shout-out as the recipe source, which was definitely fun to see). But I also watched Brooke work with her mom on preparing our Sunday meal. Following a recipe and producing a tasty meal is a skill she'll use for the rest of her life. Her family handed out plenty of praise for the delicious meal, but there were no ribbons awarded.

Kinley's sunflower decorated cupcakes earned a purple ribbon, too. It's great to know how to do these special occasion treats yourself. Have you priced similar items in a bakery?

For her arts and crafts project, Kinley decorated a food storage container for the newest member of the Ladd family, their dog, Summer.

 

After watching the dog showmanship and agility competition at the fair, Kinley came home and immediately started training Summer. That project is getting added to the roster next year.
 

Brooke's bee pencil holder was one chosen for the People's Choice Award in Arts and Crafts. (It was a penny a vote, but even the Grandpas stuffing the ballot box didn't garner her the win. And that was OK.)

 

Brooke earned champion for her clothing buymanship project, the dress she wore for Brent's and Susan's rehearsal dinner.

But maybe even more valuable was overcoming her fears and modeling in the public fashion show, where she got reserve champ for both her casual and dressy outfits.

Next year, Grandma Kim has been recruited to help Kinley with beginning a photography project. We spent some time looking at the 4-H photography exhibits at the fair, initially learning things about the Rule of Thirds, leading lines, framing and other basic principles. (I cleaned out a bunch of my 4-H project leader materials during my Covid de-cluttering. But Grandma already got an order for new Photography Leader manuals, and they arrived this week. Let's hope Kinley doesn't lose interest before the project sign-up next fall!)

No matter where 4-H is happening - a rural county in the middle of Kansas or a bigger urban area like Topeka - it's making a difference in the lives of youth and their families.