4H, Scouts, etc.

[Shandeh]

I, too, would love to share with you my own 4-H experiences. Just wait until I can, though, because I just found this and it's way too late at night for me to capture in a few words! More to follow. . .

Looking forward to reading your story!

[Shandeh]

...It is the first time I've joined anything since I was in 4H in elementary school..

Hey! I was in 4-H too!
"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!"
Us 4-H girls ROCK!

Last evening, my husband and I attended a political function, and after saying the pledge of allegiance, I started the 4-H pledge! So funny that in catching up on the weekend's activities on this forum that you would quote it! W used to say "my country" instead of my world. You are right about 4-H! It was a great life-shaper!!

They added "my world" to the pledge when I was a young girl. I remember that it was a really big deal!

[dcrozier]

Congrats to all the winners--everyone did such a super job that voting was very difficult! Thanks to those who nominated and voted for me in two categories--never expected it and thoroughly enjoyed the experience! I am also one of those "'50's" 4-H'ers--camp was THE BEST!!!!!!!! and I learned to be a leader in addition to all the regular 4-H experiences.

Wouldn't it be amazing if all of the 4-H people got together and we found out we either went to camp together, or were in Washington on Citizenship shortcourse, or even State Fairs at the same time?! I was in 4-H Wisconsin in the late 50's and almost all of the 60's!

I grew up in rural Florida and went to camp in Florida in the 50's--never got to do the shortcourse or state fairs.

[Kaye]

Congrats to all who participated and finished a blanket. Mine is not done , had to leave it in the sewing room to help my hubby move to a new job site in a different state. So, now I am doing a layout as I can see so many different ones, will stitch it all together and do a border. I am not as 'far seeing' as some and used rather dark colors but it is what it is. At least I have the patterns so I can do anything/any color I want later!
Thanks to all who helped by explaining some of the stitches and motifs. I was confused and stuck a few times and this forum REALLY helped. You are all great!
I too did a Mermaid Tears Purse, in fact, a few of them, as gifts and to use myself. They are fun!!
I was a 4-H member/officer in my younger years, a long time ago! I did cooking, photography, how I groom my room, did demonstrations and modeling, but mostly my horse. I attended camp and took a tour of DC. It was a great organization to belong to, a lot of work but most rewarding. I participated at county, district and state level in Nebraska. It was a great growing experience. I was later a team leader for horse 4-H in Connecticut. Super experiences.
Now, on to the sewing room to finish a few projects left on the back burner for a few weeks/months!
Love the forum and all the help from you fine people!

[Kaye]

Oh, WOW!! 4-H days! What memories, and what all I learned from that time..

We had sewing; an apron and sleepware that I remember. I modeled the sleepware. I remember I had to do the record keeping, taught me to keep good records even though I hated all that writing then! My apron had the apron plus the hot pads and a hand towel with hucking on the ends. The sleepware was a night shirt, bottom/pants, a robe, night cap and a clown doll in the pocket made from yo-yos.

I had Photography, How I Groom My Room, Beginning Baking and Meal Preparation. I remember taking a camera everywhere I went and got some great photos with two displays going all the way to State. I learned how to make my bed the right way and still use that. I didn't like the baking and meal prep, but I did it. I remember the day I chose to do my whole meal, they had to dig up the sewer and the dishes had to wait.

My favorite was Light Horse. I had my own horse, Beauty, and showed her through a few years of 4-H, winning big ribbons and learning to be a team. I had a demonstration 'How I Groom My Broomtail' where I showed all the grooming tools and used them on one side of this black, shiny animal and in the end, turned her around so the other side was the 'before' and the groomed side was the 'after'. She called to her stable mates through the whole thing but she did good.

I was really shy but showing the horses, modeling what I made and being an officer gave me the confidence I needed to be a leader. You talk about small towns? How about 320 people in the panhandle of Nebraska?? We were small!! I had fantastic leaders, helpers and guidance. My mother pushed my sister and me to participate and if I didn't get the inside chores done, I couldn't go out and be with my horses. So, I learned to hurry through chores inside so I could go ride. I do remember being in tears a few times because I would sew a seam and mother would ask if I wanted to leave it in and I would cry, knowing it wasn't good enough and I would have to rip it out and do it till it was the best ever. It paid off with purple ribbons and big rewards, but I remember the anger at being made to learn other things when all I wanted was to be outside with the horses.

When I had my daughters, I was a team leader in a 4-H horse club in CT. We had three leaders because we had 33 kids, all ages. We had a ball teaching not only horse related things, but community service and we even took the kids to New York's Madison Square Gardens to see the International Jumping Horses and riders. Some of the same kids formed a drill team for our Saddle Club and we did demonstrations with kids ages 7 to 17 and horses from small pony size to huge 16 hand animals! The kids were great, the leadership skills I learned were helpful and I still have very fond memories of 4-H camp and competitions.

My girls had horses, goats and rabbits in 4-H. When Jamee went to Goat Camp with her goat, Rosie, I missed them horribly. Heather learned to show and care for her rabbit. Shani was not the best rider but she learned hard work and lots of practice pays off with her horse, Lexie. They had 4-H in school and learned to sew and cook too. They learned a lot as I had. Oh, I did have one year of Brownies, but there was a lack of leadership in our tiny town so that kinda folded. We were a farming community so animals were part of lively hoods and girls learned to sew and cook for the families who farmed and worked long hard days. That, along with track, volleyball, pep team, and all the other school activities....we never had time to do anything but! I could go on and on about 4-H but I'll stop here and let someone rest their eyes before the next post.

[Shandeh]

Don't stop! I'm enjoying your story very much!
I agree that 4H teaches leadership!

[svmatt]

From the time I can remember, 4-H was one of the "hearts" of my rural life in Wisconsin, and I could hardly wait until I turned nine in 1958, so for one year I could be a junior member. We were very involved in our county and surrounding areas, and 4-H was second only to our church life! I grew up in a small, farming community in Northern Wisconsin, where 4-H clubs were predominantly in the farming communities, and Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts were very strong in the towns. 4-H did expand into the towns, however, which may have contributed to why the number of projects one could participate in BOOMED, about the time I left for college! It also meant that more parents were actively involved, because for every project, there would be a project leader. Thank you, parents!

For the entire ten years I was associated with my club, the main projects I took were sewing, home furnishings, and dairy. Other projects like photography, knitting (there was no crochet class then), and cooking were enjoyed, but not the mainstays, because of the work involved helping with farming/milking chores. My garments were in the local reviews, and I made state fair (with blue ribbons!) for the last two years I participated. One of my fondest remembrances of the home furnishings project was when my mother and I gathered various types of weeds and oat shafts, and spray painted some silver, some gold, and made what may have been the first dried, natural arrangement (natural? Painted SILVER and GOLD?!) to be shown at the local fair, and I won a blue ribbon, and championship ribbon for the group! For the next couple of years, every time I visited someone's home, there were various dried material arrangements spray painted gold, silver, or combination. I guess for the first, and maybe only time in my life, I was a trend-setter! Who knew that many years later, I would spend almost 30 years in the interior design related business?!

The dairy project was second skin, since my father was a registered Holstein breeder. Our animals were shown at other events besides the fairs, and it was really what took the most time. There were years I didn't even make it to the Fairway (rides section) because I was in the barn almost every waking minute, taking just enough time to see what ribbons my other projects had earned, and to see what ribbon we made for our booth display. Many late hours were spent just before the fair opened with the preparation, not to mention the loss of sleep during the fair. We just didn't think of it! It was part of the thrill of it all!

My high school years were the most demanding, involving demonstration contests (my first one was on the proper order to wash dishes, and did it so many times on request that it was almost enough to make me want a dishwasher!), 4-H talent contests, Junior Leaders, 4-H speaking contests, and still keeping up with piano lessons, pipe organ lessons, concert schedules, and a full life of church worship/activities as well! One of my friends from another club and I were appointed chair of the dress review for the fairs. Since the great movie Mary Poppins was released, we used the them Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious as our theme, and even painted a huge sign to run across the stage. We prepared and presented dialogue for everyone who modeled their winning garments. I even got to wear my crown and banner, because the previous winter, I was chosen as the first county 4-H Queen! (Last time I checked, there are now 4-H ambassadors).

I loved 4-H camp. My aunt was one of the cooks there, and it was always such a fun time. Junior Leadership training sessions in Madison allowed us to meet a lot of other "kids." 4-H band and chorus allowed me to travel the state. The Wales School for Boys is a highlight of that time. We gave a concert late one morning while on tour, and NO ONE clapped between our numbers. At the end of the concert, no one started clapping, so when our director signaled, we started to dismantle our stands and get ready to leave the stage. Someone started to clap, and soon the entire audience of boys was standing and thunderous with applause. There was not a dry eye on the stage that morning as we just stood there. It was an understanding realized that our own age group, bound in the reformatory of life, could actually appreciate some of their own age entertaining them for the strict love of doing so. Makes my eyes water just remembering that moment.

The memories of 4-H are so cherished. Several years ago, our home was broken into, and my jewelry box, which contained 4-H medals and pins as well as other treasured memorabilia, was stolen. It took some time to realize that the memories far outweigh the outward signs of hard work and achievement! To think that we accomplished what we did without fax machines, cell phones, Facebook, and text messaging is a true test of hard work, and some extra driving! We had to prepare ahead! I am not sure my grandchildren could comprehend my telling them to "meet me at 1:30 at the Surge tent for your clean show-ring clothes!" HaHa!

The most appreciated part of all of this is how my life was shaped by my family, peers, animals, and leaders, for whom I am a grateful, wiser adult.

[Shandeh]

Wonderful story, svmatt!
I didn't know you were an organist, like me!
You had a wonderful, full experience in 4-H.

[MzMolly]

What kind of activities did you learn?
What was your 4H experience like?
Were you bribed into going or did you have to do the bribing to go?

I was a member of the Thorhild Super Sewers! Whoot whoot

I really wanted to join the horse or beef club but no way was my Mum going to buy a trailer and cart me around so she shoved me out the door and down to the neighbour's. That lovely lady was the leader of the sewing club and would give me a ride every Tuesday night and so that was the club I got to join.

I don't regret it one bit.

I learned all kinds of sewing techniques, knitting and crochet. (all of which I am excellent at today) I took part in public speaking events and learned to be an excellent public speaker. I went camping and learned some cooking as well. I learned to participate and be a team player. For a few years I was the treasurer so I learned basic book keeping. I got to travel Canada on exchange programs and had a visitor from Japan come and stay with me for a summer (our exchange 1/2 to go to Japan was cancelled to my ENORMOUS dismay) .. and all of that before I was 17 years old.

On top of that it got me out of the house and off the farm for a least one night a week, more if there was an event going on. That was enormous for a lonely girl who had no one living near by who was her age to play with or talk to.

I was definitely the one that wanted to go and although my Mum forced me into a club I didn't choose I came away with so many benefits I appreciate it today.

I also had to say the pledge that Shanda quoted above although there's no way in heck I would be able to remember it off the top of my head without going to look it up. Gosh .. that was around 30+ years ago.

I'm jealous of some of the 4H kids today, they have really cool clubs like dog training and traversing.

[Shandeh]

I also had to say the pledge that Shanda quoted above although there's no way in heck I would be able to remember it off the top of my head without going to look it up. Gosh .. that was around 30+ years ago.

I'm weird like that. I remember pledges and songs all the way back to when I first learned to talk. But, I can't remember what I had for dinner yesterday. And I always forget names and events.