Children, being outdoors, and digging in the dirt, is there a better combination?  The hands-on learning that can occur in the garden is without limits. However, keeping children interested in gardening requires planning, and sometimes letting go of adult ideas about gardening.  Straight rows and perfect vegetables may not be the end result. To keep children engaged and happy in the garden, adults need to plan ahead for fun and for safety. 

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) premiered a new model for healthy living based on making healthier food choices and engaging in an active lifestyle – Choose My Plate. The members who participate in the 4-H Special Foods contest will learn about Choose MyPlate as part of their participation in the contest.  

Sometimes we overlook the most obvious opportunities for hands-on learning with children.  As a new growing season quickly approaches, adults may want to consider the endless array of topics that can be explored through gardening with children.  Naturally, one thinks of gardening as a way to learn about plant science and all the related topics of soil composition, plant nutrition, weather or climate, entomology (bugs), managing the environment, and recycling.  Exploring these topics offer a summer full of science for children.

For those of you that actively show or are thinking about exhibiting your 4-H beef animals during the winter months and have your animals properly broke to lead at this point, here are some winter show cattle tips that can help you to achieve the performance and fresh hair look during adverse weather conditions.

Partnerships ensure children’s rights to be viewed as active community participants and contributors. There is no perfect roadmap designed to build a community partnership.  In order for them to be successful they must focus on the needs of their community.

Sixteen clubs from 10 counties participated in the Focus on Character project across South Dakota from November 2010 through July 2011. The counties included Brookings, Brown, Brule, Clay, Codington, Custer, Davison, Grant, Hutchinson, Lake, Marshall, Minnehaha, and Spink. 

In the fast paced world that we live in it is sometimes hard to find that “extra time” to offer oneself as a volunteer. That is why it is a privilege to talk about one of South Dakota’s Friend of 4-H recipients.  I think it was said best by Calvin Coolidge.  He stated that no person was ever honored for what he received.  Honor is given by what he gave.  Amy DuVall is this year’s Edmunds County Friend of 4-H, however her commitment goes beyond the county level.

Sixteen-year-old, Erin Mirose, of Kimball, S.D. took her first trip overseas to Liperi, Finland with the International Foreign Youth Exchange.