COUNTY ADDRESS, CITY, STATE | XXX-XXX-XXXX | OFFICE HOURS LEARN MORE AT WWW.EXTENSION.IASTATE.EDU/4H/COUNTYNAMEHERE

Published by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University), an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Everyone is welcome.

Lauderdale County Extension Office, 802 Veterans Drive, Florence, AL 35630 | 256-766-6223 | Mon-Fri 8a-5p

Learn more at www.alabama4h.com

4-H County Council Build leadership skills in a fun way! With 4-H County Council, 4-H youth leaders...

… help make decisions about Lauderdale County 4-H activities,

… help us do a monthly community service project, and

… have a lot of fun making friends from all over the county!

All school club officers and special interest club officers are encouraged to be a part of

this club. You do not have to be an officer in your club to be in the County Council.

Leadership events: Friends of 4-H Event, County Round-Up, Regional Congress (Senior members)

Club Meeting Schedule: Tuesday, September 26 4:00p Officer training, decide service projects

5:00p promotional event at Texas Roadhouse

Meeting Schedule: October 30 , December 5, January 30,

February 19, March 20, April 17

4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at the 4-H Office

4-H Shoals to Shores (7th - 12th grade) Alabama is celebrating its 200th birthday over the next three years! What better time to expand our knowledge of our great state and its

history, government, and natural resources? The 4-H Shoals to Shores Adventure will impart the knowledge, skills, attitude, and motivation for

youth to commit their heads, hearts, and hands to the well-being of their school, community, and state. Participants will be encouraged to

apply what they learn to 4-H competitive events (Speak Up Alabama, Freestyle Showcase, Achievement Applications, etc.).

The 2017 Alabama 200 theme is “Exploring Places”. We will have monthly get-togethers at the 4-H Office that focus on citizenship

and service. The group will plan quarterly field trips around the state (Florence, Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery) as we explore

a few of the many wonderful places in Alabama.

Organizational Meeting: September 11, 2017, 6:00 p.m.

Monthly programs (6:00 p.m.): November 6, December 11, February 12, March 5, April 9

Field Trips (tentative): October 9, January 15, March (during spring break), May (to be scheduled)

New! Computer Science Club

What is the “4-H Age”?

A 4-H member’s age on January 1 of the school year.

Rocket Club (grades 7-12)

Robotics Club is expanding!

What kind of fun robot project will the

4-H’ers build and program at the Ro-

botics Club next? Will it be drag car

races? crazy lawnmowers? an obstacle

course challenge?

Join us as we learn more about pro-

gramming and engineering using Lego

Mindstorm NXT and EV3 Robot kits.

Members also work on projects they

can use in robotics competitions.

Computer science gives youth a foun-

dation of creativity, problem solving,

and computer skills.

Our new Computer Science Club will

explore the principals of computer

programming through both

“unplugged” activities and online pro-

gramming with lessons from CS First

and using MIT’s Scratch software.

Activities will have a different theme

each month… animation, art, fashion,

friends, gaming, music, sports… mem-

bers can join the fun any time!

TECH TUESDAYS - COMPUTER SCIENCE

4:00 - 6:00 pm

4-H Office

September 19

September 23 - volunteer @ Fair

October 17

December 4 - Hour of Code

January 16

February 20

March 8 - showcase projects at regional

STEM event

April - showcase projects at County

Round-Up

Participants will explore their interest in the science behind rocket flight, then use

that knowledge to design and build a model rocket - without using a kit! What

size body tube? What shape fins, and how many? How will the payload return to

Earth safely? The group project will be entered in UNA’s Rocketry Challenge.

Members must join at the first meeting to participate in the program.

October: UNA’s Introductory workshop (date to be announced by UNA)

TECH TUESDAYS - ROCKETRY: November 28, January 23, February 27, March 13

UNA Competition - March 24 (tentative)

Lauderdale County’s

AL 4-H STEM Ambassador

TECH TUESDAY - ROBOTICS Robotics I (1st or 2nd year) 4:00 - 6:00 pm

Robotics II (3+ years) 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Club meetings: September 12 October 10 November 14 January 9 February 13 March 6

Events:

October 7 - volunteer at BEST Robotics

February 24 - UNA Robotics Competition

March 8 - NW Alabama STEM Expo

April 26 - County Round-Up

ARCHERY CLUB

OUR CERTIFIED S.A.F.E. COACHES AIR RIFLE/BB CLUB

Air/BB Janet Lovelady (4-H staff)

Jonathan Mitchell

Michelle Smith

Charleen Wilbanks (4-H staff)

John Wilbanks

Archery Janet Lovelady (4-H staff)

Michelle Smith

Jamieson Wilcoxson

Shotgun Leonard Nichols

Jonathan Mitchell

Brian Matthews

Michelle Smith

Learn and practice archery safety and skills

using a compound or recurve bow. Some

Genesis bows are available to use; bring your

own bow and 3 arrows if you can.

Equipment provided through a grant from

NW Alabama RC&D Council.

Meets on the same day and place as the Shot-gun Club. Participants can do both activities.

Saturdays, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

September 16, October 21, November 4,

February 17, March 17

State Competition: April 28, 2018

Learn firearm safety and shooting skills while

practicing the sports of skeet and trap. Bring

a .12 gauge or .20 gauge shotgun, 2 or 3 box-

es of target load ammo, safety glasses or sun-

glasses, and hearing protection. $5 per round

Meets at the Muscle Shoals Skeet & Trap Range in St. Florian/Greenhill. Directions: from Florence: take

CR47 through St. Florian, cross over Happy Hollow bridge, turn left on CR 353, follow signs to the range.

Saturdays, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

September 16, October 21, November 4,

February 17, March 17

State Competition: April 13-14, 2018

S.A.F.E.: Shooting Awareness Fun Education

Lauderdale County 4-H offers 3 shooting sports clubs

designed to help youth learn and practice safe firearm

skills while developing their marksmanship for

competitive shooting sports. Participants must be at least

9 years old for the 4-H program year.

S.A.F.E. programs are led by 4-H trained and certified volunteers, who are trained to

maintain the highest standards of safety at all times for all participants. Safety is

always a primary consideration at 4-H S.A.F.E. activities.

Each S.A.F.E. discipline has a state competition for youth to showcase his or her life

skills and project mastery -- but education and positive youth development are our

coaches’ goals at all times.

SHOTGUN CLUB

Learn firearm safety and enjoy indoor target

practice at 15ft (BB) and 30ft (Air Rifle). All

equipment is provided for you, including eye

protection. You may bring your own air rifle or

BB gun (unloaded, with a clear barrel indicator).

Meets at the 4-H Office in the barn once a

month (802 Veterans Drive, Florence)

Mondays, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

October 16, November 13, January 22,

February 19, March 12

State Competition: March 18, 2018

4-H S.A.F.E. participants must be at least 9 years old

based on the 2017-18 4-H age guidelines

Kid Chef Club

Stay up-to-date on club and program information

www.alabama4h.com, click on Lauderdale

Sewing Club

Learning to sew can be a fun adventure! The Sewing Club is designed to teach

youth how to use sewing tools, how to operate a sewing machine correctly, how to

lay out a pattern, and other sewing techniques. Participants will be prepared for

entry into County Round-Up competitions as well. The Sewing Club meets once a

month at the 4-H Office. Be sure to check online or call for the supply list before

coming!

September 21, October 19, November 16, January 18, February 15, March 15

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

What do 4-H’ers do in a cooking club

for kids? Members will learn to read

recipes, prepare dishes, measure in-

gredients, use different kitchen uten-

sils and appliances, practice food

safety and food preservation, pre-

pare menus, make grocery lists, shop

for food, prepare food budgets and

much more.

The Kid Chef Club meets once a

month at the 4-H Office, and each

month has a different theme around a

different meal or snack.

Participation in Kid Chef will also help

youth learn how to demonstrate skills

in the 4-H baking and cooking con-

tests.

Chef 4-H Demonstration

Healthy Living for Life

Baked Foods Exhibit

Beef Cook-Off

Chicken Que & Turkey Que

September 14, October 12, November 9,

January 11, February 8, March 8

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Horse Clubs

Join the fun of the Horse Club any time!

Choose the group that’s best for you.

Members must be at least 9 years old to

ride. All riders must wear a riding hel-

met.

Our Clover Bits Horse Club meetings are

designed for youth that do not own hors-

es or youth that own horses but do not

ride competitively. Activities include rid-

ing instruction, horse knowledge events,

and fun games to learn even more. You

do not have to bring a horse for the Clo-

ver Bits Horse Club.

Our Lauderdale Lopers Horse Club is for

youth who ride competitively - English or

western, barrels or poles… this group

practices what they know and learns new

things from one another! Participants must

bring his or her own horse to each meet-

ing.

Horse Club members are eligible to com-

pete at the Alabama 4-H Horse Show in

July. There are non-riding (passive)

events as well as mounted events.

The clubs ride at different stables and

make new friends around the county... so

check online for the latest information

about locations and times.

ALABAMA WATER WATCH

PERFORMING ARTS GOOD DOG!

Build life skills and workforce development

concepts though activities in communication, im-

provisation, pantomime, script writing, cultural

and historical influences, stage design, and cos-

tume design.

Do you want to express yourself, be creative,

or make an impression? It may be messy, fun,

strange, or unique. Work with paint, chalk, met-

al, wood, origami, computers and much, much

more. Be yourself, explore visual arts!

With the Water Watch program, youth will

gain confidence and have fun with science while

they gain awareness of natural resource issues

and enjoy time outside! Activities include bacte-

riological monitoring, understanding water

chemistry, and stream bio-assessment.

Members can choose to participate in a state

competition in July 2018 as well.

Look for the club schedule on our webpage.

The Alabama 4-H Good Dog! Project is perfect

for youth who are interested in learning more

about their dogs and how to care for them. The

4-H Good Dog! Project does not require you to

own a dog to participate.

Project Goals: • Attain responsibility, leader-

ship, and other life skills through project work. •

Understand nutrition, health care, selection, and

training of a dog. • Gain knowledge of a

selected dog and the interactions with daily life.

State 4-H Dog Show: July 26, 2018

Natural Resources

Alabama is a state rich in natural resources and ranked fifth in the nation in terms of

biodiversity (variety of fauna & flora). That’s a fancy way of saying “we have a

great outdoors”! Come enjoy the outdoors with us with our natural resources clubs.

These clubs come together to offer an Outdoor Adventure Day Camp at McFarland

Park in June. The fun includes kayaking, fishing, fish ID fun, and more.

SPORTISHING CLUB

Fishing is an easy and fun activity that the

whole family can enjoy together.

Learn the types of fish in the Tennessee River,

knot tying, casting skills, and more!

The Sportfishing Club meets at McFarland

Park on the pier near the restaurant. Bring

your own fishing gear if you have it, or you

can use ours!

Mondays, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

September 25, October 23, January 29,

February 19 (4-H Office), March 26, April 23

4-H Independent Project

If a 4-H’er is interested in a project, but we don’t offer it as a club, there’s a way to

do that! It’s called a 4-H Independent Project. To get started, enroll in 4HOnline,

choose the project(s), and make an appointment with Janet Lovelady (4-H regional

Extension agent). Independent members can enter projects at County Round-Up and

enter state contests (in most cases). Here are a few suggestions!

For a list of Alabama 4-H projects

visit www.alabama4h.com

VISUAL ARTS

Livestock Activities There are many opportunities for you to learn about animals and to explore different

types of livestock with the 4-H Animal Science programs. There are also many great

reasons to be a part of livestock clubs! These clubs and programs help build self-

confidence, teamwork, leadership skills, and more! Several of the projects are short-term

and can be done with a large yard! Youth can do Quizbowl, Skill-A-Thon, and Judging

without even owning animals. Livestock projects are open to youth ages 9 - 18.

Lauderdale County 4 -H 802 Veterans Drive

Florence, AL 35630

Office 256-766-6223

Fax 256-718-2049

lauderdale4h@auburn.edu

Janet Lovelady lovelj1@aces.edu

Melinda Smith mas0070@aces.edu

Charleen Wilbanks scw0041@aces.edu

Find us on...

A few of our great

sponsors...

PIG SQUEAL CHICK CHAIN BEEF IT UP!

With Chick Chain, 4-H’ers will receive 10 birds to raise through the summer. Partici-pants bring 2 to the show and auction, and keep the rest.

Project requirements:

Attend project meetings

Record keeping

Chick Chain show

Project timeline: February 26 - kickoff meeting March 19 - project training Early April - chick delivery Summer - home visits August 18 - showmanship clinic September - show and auction

Participation also prepares members for the skillathon and quizbowl at the State Poultry Contest, June 25-29, 2018.

Participants raise a steer of their choosing, then bring the steer to a show. The steer can be shown on a halter or in a pen. Registration and steer validation is due by Novem-ber 1, 2017.

Project requirements:

Enroll youth in 4-HOnline

Register steer(s) at valida-

tion site in your area

Record keeping

Poster presentation

Enter steer in state show

Beef It Up! State Show April 7, 2018 Autaugaville

Some regional workshops may be offered to help members prepare for the state show.

JUDGING & SKILLATHON HEIFER SHOW MARKET LAMB

Lauderdale County 4-H proudly presents the annual Heifer Show.

Tuesday, October 24* 3-4:30 pm check-in

5:30 pm cake auction 6:00 pm Cattlemen’s supper

7:00 pm show starts

The show rules are posted on our website. Entry fees and registration are due by

Friday, September 15. *schedule updated 8/15/17

Livestock judging is develop-ing evaluation and decision making skills using animals and animal products as tools. For Skillathon and Quizbowl, par-ticipants showcase knowledge through a team activity and through solving and analyzing real-world livestock issues.

The fun includes...

Learning the parts and pur-

pose of livestock (cattle, lamb, swine, goat)

Developing your public

speaking strategies and skills

Build analysis and organiza-

tional skills

Some regional workshops will be offered, but most project work is done on your own.

The 4-H Market Lamb project is designed to teach 4-H mem-bers recommended manage-ment practices for growing and raising sheep: · Learn to produce a healthy finished lamb product · Develop an awareness for business management · Develop record keeping skills · Realize the pride of accom-plishment

2017-2018 Project Timeline: February - registration April - project training May - lamb delivery June - home visits August - showmanship clinic September - Market Lamb show

I pledge my HEAD to clearer thinking, my HEART to greater loyalty, my

HANDS to larger service, and my HEALTH to better living, for my club, my

community, my country, and my world.

The 4-H Pig Squeal Project teaches young people recom-mended management practic-es for growing and raising swine:

learn to produce healthy

pigs

develop business manage-

ment and record-keeping skills (income and expenses)

Learn parts of the pig and

pork cuts of meat

Project timeline: October 30 - kickoff meeting November 27 - project training January - pig delivery February - home visits March 3 - showmanship clinic April - show and auction