Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/534168
12 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • July 2015 1. Fun Our children are designing robots, showing dogs, learning crafts, developing leadership skills, lobbying the state legislature, manag- ing events and serving people in need. 4-H members in the United States are explor- ing hydroponic gardening, renewable energy sources, bioengineering, collecting data on butterflies through WINGS, a partnership between kids and professional scientists and many more activities. 2. Freedom Kids can explore anything that interests them. Support, mentoring and connections are available through 4-H. 3. All 50 States Have 4-H Programs 4-H is part of the U.S. government Cooperative Extension Service. You can contact your state university, your county cooperative extension office, or www.4-h.org, for local club information. You can even start your own club, or your child can be an individual member. 4. 4-H is Urban, Suburban and Rural Programs include clubs, afterschool activi- ties, camps, fairs, events and conven- tions. Activities can be local, county, state, regional or national. 5. Low Cost There are no uniforms or equipment to purchase to get started. O ur search for different activities for our chil- dren led us to 4-H. We discovered that 4-H is much more than farming and raising ani- mals. 4-H is robotics, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), expressive arts, citizenship, leadership and more. Here are sixteen reasons why 4-H could be right for your child. BY SARAH YALE 16 Great Things About 4-H 16