© 2018 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. University of Minnesota Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this material is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to 612-624-2116.Printed on recycled and recyclable paper with at least 10 percent postconsumer waste material.

A Guide to 4-H ProjectsNow that you’ve enrolled in 4-H you are ready to begin working on your projects – but wait! What is a 4-H project? How do should you pick projects? What do you need to do to complete a project? This sheet will help you answer all those questions.

WHAT PROJECTS CAN I CHOOSE FROM?• Cloverbuds – an exploratory, non-competitive program for youth in K-2nd grade

• Animal Science - Beef, Cat, Dairy, Goat, Dog, Horse, Lama, Pets, Poultry, Rabbits, Sheep, Swine, Veterinary Science, Exploring Animals

• Expressive & Communication Arts - Crafts & Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Photography, Video, Demonstrations

• Family Consumer Science - Child & Family Development, Clothing & Textiles, Food & Nutrition, Food Review

• Mechanical Science - Aerospace, Bicycle, Computer, Electric, Robotics, Wood Shop or Metal Shop, Small Engines, Tractor, Aquatics Robotics, Engineering Design, Rube Goldberg Machines

• Natural Resources - Entomology, Exploring the Environment, Fishing Sports, Forest Resources, Geology, Shooting Sports/Wildlife Management, Water/Wetlands, Wildlife/Biology

• Personal Growth & Development - Citizenship, Consumer Education, Global Connections, Health, Safety, Youth Leadership

• Plant Sciences - Crop Sciences, Flower Gardening, Fruit, Indoor Gardening, Lawn & Landscape Design, Plant & Soil Science, Potatoes, Vegetable Gardening

• Create Your Own Project - Self-Determined

WHAT IS A 4-H PROJECT? A 4-H Project is a way for you to find out what you are good at through a hands-on learing experience. You sign up for project areas that interst you when you enrole in 4-H. Then you think of what you want to learn and come up woth a project that will help you meet your goals.

For more details on what certain project areas are about, refert o the Minnesota 4-H Website for the PROJECT SELECTION GUIDE https://extension.umn.edu/4-h/4-h-projects

HOW DO I SELECT A PROJECT?You should select 4-H projects based on your interests and hobbies. If you enjoy painting, Crafts & Fine Arts would be a good project for you. If you like being outside, any of the plant science projects may be good fits for you.

WHERE CAN I GET IDEAS FOR PROJECTSThe Extension Office has a ton of great project resources for you to use. There are handouts that give an overview on certain project areas and may help you come up with ideas. Another thing you can use is 4-H Project Curriculum. These bulletins have instructions for hands-on activities you can do yourself at your own pace. The Extension Office has many of these available for a minimal charge, with some being free. To see a complete listing of the curriculum and information handouts that are available in each

project area, go to https://extension.umn.edu/4-h/4-h-projects (When you click on the project area, there are additional resources listed, including links to 4-H Project Curriculum. Look for the “Project Evalutaion Sheet” on each project website – this has additional resources what the exhibit will be evaluated on when brought to the fair.)

WHAT STEPS SHOULD I FOLLOW FOR SUCCESS IN MY PROJECTS?1. Select project areas that interest you.

2. Make sure you are signed up in FairEntry for your projects by this year’s deadline if you want to exhibit in that project area at the county fair. If you have questions or can’t remember what you signed up for, log on to https://mn.4honline.com – you can select or drop projects once you’ve logged in prior to May 15.

3. Come up with a project that will help you reach your learning goals. (For example, if you signed up for Child Development and you set the goal of learning how to keep children safe when you baby-sit, you might come up with a babysitting kit that could include a first aid kit and a home safety checklist.)

4. Use 4-H Project Curriculum to help you come up with project ideas and learning goals. 4-H Project Curriculum are “workbooks” that kids can do independently or with an adult mentor. They allow youth to go at their own pace and achieve hands-on learning independently. Curriculum can be purchased online at https://shop4-h.org/collections/curriculum

5. Begin work in your 4-H project area. Be sure to keep notes when you work on projects, including when you learned things and what you learned, what didn’t go as planned, when you shared your project with someone else, etc. . . Later on these notes can be transferred on to your 4-H Records.

6. Attend any project workshops that may be held in the project areas that you signed up for. Watch the website, newsletter and emails sent out from the Extension Office for more information – it always includes details of upcoming 4-H activities that are being offered to 4-H members.

7. If you want to exhibit your project at the County Fair, you will need to register your projects in Fair Entry by this year’s deadline. You will receive a registration form and more specific instructions as date gets closer.

8. Remember that you should be completing projects as a way to reach the learning goals you have set for yourself – not just making something to bring to the fair.

9. Complete your 4-H Records and turn them in to your club leader by October 1. Be sure to follow the guidelines that you receive with your records

10. Call the Extension Office for help if you get confused, stuck, or run out of ideas!

GOOD LUCK AS YOU “LEARN BY DOING” YOUR 4-H PROJECTS!

Sibley County 4-H – 111 8th St – Gaylord, MN 55334Phone: 507-237-4100 – Email: Rettm001@umn.edu

Website: https://local.extension.umn.edu/local/sibley