Volume 7, Issue 3

Family Works Web Site

The Family Works web site sponsored by University of Illinois Extension at www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/familyworks/index2.html contains a number of fact sheets on strategies for building stronger families.  The topics include “Families and…respect, anger, stress, managing time, values, responsibility, school, discipline, teen years, gangs, drugs, diversity, and learning.”  These fact sheets may be helpful as you engage in discussion with your 4-H Cloverbud members or may be helpful to parents of your 4-H Cloverbud members.   

Additional 4-H Cloverbud Curriculum Offerings

During 4-H Cloverbud orientation, we recommend that 4-H Cloverbud groups enroll in the Cloverbud I or II curricula published by The Ohio State University Extension.  These two curriculums are leader guides only. 

Some 4-H Cloverbud youth continue as members from age 5 through age 7.  By age 6 or 7, the children will begin to read and write at school.  Therefore, they may be ready for more advanced 4-H Cloverbud activities.  Illinois 4-H offers additional curricula geared to the older 4-H Cloverbud members.  These projects include Aerospace I, Bicycle I, Child Development I, Gifts of Gold, Health I, Step Up to Leadership, and Cloverbud Theatre Arts.  Most of these projects include an individual member manual and a leader’s guide.  Check with your local Extension office for publication costs.  If you choose one of these projects, we suggest that the entire group enroll in the project.
 

Step Up to Leadership

Step Up to Leadership is a new 4-H project that may appeal to some 4-H Cloverbud groups.  The activities in the Mentor Guide for Grades K-5 are adult-guided to teach children the concepts of leadership.  Children begin to understand what a leader is and what they can do to become a leader.  Activities are built around the four leadership areas of relationship building, communication, planning and organizing, and group process. Using the experiential learning process, the activities guide the members through a series of steps in each activity.  Several children’s reading books are referenced for each topic.  These may be checked out from the local library and read to the children at the meeting.  Ask to see a copy of this curriculum at your local Extension office or inquire about volunteer training on this project.

4-H Cloverbud Program Plan
Once you know what curricula activities your group has chosen for the year, you are ready to develop your program plan. Be sure to ask as many parents as possible to be involved in assisting with the group.   The program plan might include the following information:

• Calendar of dates, time and location of meetings, the theme from curriculum, person responsible for refreshments, and parent helpers for that meeting.
• List of members with names, addresses, phone numbers, and parent’s names
• List of volunteers with names, addresses, and phone numbers
• Extension office address, phone number, and web address along with names of staff
• Group goals for the year

Club/group tools to help you create this plan can be found on the Illinois 4-H web site at http://www.4-h.uiuc.edu/opps/lead01.html.  These include resources for 4-H club/group meetings such as the 4-H Club/Group Information Form, 4-H Club/Group Progress
Goals, and 4-H Club/Group Program Schedule.

Group Goals
To help you and your member’s measure how successful you are as a group and to aid in planning for the next year, we suggest that groups set some simple group goals.  There is no recommended number of goals or specific goals that must be included.  The goals should be “unique” to your group.  Here are some sample goals to guide you.

Sample Goals

• 4-H Cloverbud members will attend 90% of group meetings.
• 4-H Cloverbud members will each attend one county level, age-appropriate program.
• 4-H Cloverbud members will help each other with an activity from the Cloverbud curriculum.
• 4-H Cloverbud members will learn the 4-H pledge and take turns leading it at their meetings.
• 4-H Cloverbud members will take turns providing refreshments for their meetings.
• 4-H Cloverbud groups will visit the county Extension office and meet the staff.
• 4-H Cloverbud members will attend the county 4-H fair and the group will put an activity on display for the public.
• 4-H Cloverbud members will help promote 4-H and will invite a friend to join them.

When you and your members have developed and written your plan, distribute a copy of the plan to each family and be sure to give a copy to the Extension office. 

Newsletter written by:  Sheri Seibold, Extension Specialist – 4-H Youth Development, University of Illinois Extension.  Submit comments or newsletter content ideas to Sheri Seibold at sseibold@uiuc.edu.