Volume 3, Issue 2

Put Reading First: Helping Your Children Learn to Read

When children become good readers in the early grades, they are more likely to become better learners throughout their school years and beyond. Learning to read takes practice. Cloverbud volunteers may want to incorporate reading activities into Cloverbud meetings.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Practice the sounds of language. Use rhymes, short poems and songs in your Cloverbud activities. Many of the curriculum sections include examples.
• Listen to children read words and books. Be patient and listen as Cloverbud members take turns reading directions, labels, signs, or other words as a part of their activities.
• Read and reread familiar books. Each Cloverbud kit at your local Extension office contains books related to the curriculum topics. Reserve the materials for the topic that you will be covering at your Cloverbud meetings. Allocate time during the meeting to read a book to the members.
• Build reading comprehension. Talk to your Cloverbud members about the stories you read to them. Talk about what happened in the story. Ask them to describe the characters or to repeat the events of the story. Ask the children what they learned from the story.
• Encourage members to read on their own. You may want to build in a sharing time where members could talk about a book they have read at home related to the topic you are covering at your meeting.
• Visit the library. Your group might visit the local library as a Cloverbud field trip. Work with the children's librarian to identify books related to topics that you have been covering in your meetings that are age appropriate for your members.

Source: The Partnership for Reading

Programming Idea: Cloverbuds Sensational Saturday in DeKalb County

On Saturday, December 8 the DeKalb County Extension office hosted its first Cloverbuds Sensational Saturday for 4-H Cloverbud members and one of their friends. The day went from 9 am to 1 pm and was filled with games, crafts and hands-on activities for the youth to enjoy as well as a lunch of pizza and pop! Activities included making button nametags, icebreaker games, and then four seasonal stations of making sock snowmen, twirl-a-ball paint ornaments, pinecone bird feeders and cookies in a jar. In addition to these activities, youth enjoyed a story of the legend of silver pinecone and other seasonal storybooks.

Thirty-one youth participated in the day and eleven 4-H Federation members assisted in leading the group activities. A small fee of $3 per child was charged to help cover expenses. The day was a great success, and parents and Cloverbud members were both quite excited and pleased with this event. Additional Cloverbud Sensational Saturdays will definitely be included in the DeKalb County plan of work.

Contributed by Johnna Jennings, DeKalb County Unit Youth Development Educator

4-H Celebrates Centennial in 2002

4-H will be 100 years old in 2002. National 4-H Council offers a variety of items in recognition of this event in the 2002 4-H Sourcebook. You may obtain a copy of the Sourcebook from your local Extension Office or order on line at www.4-Hmall.org. The cartoon character Garfield is featured in several of the items as Jim Davis; Garfield's creator was a 4-H member in Indiana. You may want to consider these items (pens, stuffed animals, bean bag animals, mugs, stickers, bookmarks, buttons) as a means of recognition for your members during the year.

Save the Dates: Cloverbud Days at 4-H Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see!

4-H Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see will offer two Cloverbud days during the summer of 2002 on Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 29. Mark your calendars and look for more information in later issues of this newsletter.