If you are/have been involved with 4-H you will realize what a job we had in store for us at fair time!!! Of course Bud was always in charge of making sure the kids did what they needed to with the animals--breaking cattle, feeding & watering, grooming, and bathing them. He was also in charge of any woodworking projects. I was in charge of cooking, sewing, personal development, and almost anything that didn't fall under animals or woodworking. It was stressful, but we have good memories.
We feel that our kids benefitted a great deal from 4-H. They learned many domestic skills, but more importantly they learned to be good public speakers, they gained confidence, they learned to take criticism(from the judges), they learned to evaluate something they had done and figure out how to improve it, and they learned that life isn't fair. We are so glad that we encouraged our children to be involved in 4-H and not let them quit when their friends did(in middle school). And really the EASY thing for us as parents would have been to let them quit.
We are lucky enough now that our grandchildren are getting old enough to be involved in 4-H. This was Payton's first year in 4-H. One thing he did was called, "Pride of Iowa". He had to show how t o make something that was made of food grown in Iowa, but he didn't have to talk. He was judged on a variety of things, including the way he presented himself and his food.
He did a great job!
Cael and Payton were in the celebrity cattle show. Cael was partnered with a Iraq War Vet.
They won the show!
Grayson came to watch his cousins show their cattle.
Grandpa is trying to teach him about cattle!
It was Kids Day at the fair, so free activities were provided.
Cael just might be taking up more than his share of the sandbox!
We found a shady place to have our picnic lunch and relax.(It was about 115 heat index!). The boys horses around while we visited.
I love watching the grandchildren interact!
I suspect we will be watching our grandchildren in 4-H for many years to come!
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2 comments:
We are going on Monday to sign my son up for Boy Scouts! I agree getting them involved is key! My Husband was in scouts and he loved it!
What a special family time Kim, my grand daughters were in 4H til they moved out of state. They raised pigs. (eww) Our neighbors kids are all involved, from rabbits, chickens, cattle and goats, sheep, well you name it! I agree it's a great program for kids to learn responsibility and confidence. Congrats to all the kids Kim!
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