4-H Projects
A 4-H project is what a 4-H'er learns, makes or does; for example: Learn to
grow a garden, make a dress, or train a dog. 4-H members should take at least one
project each year and complete the records for that project.
Your 4-H club may try to locate a
project leader when there are several members enrolled in a project. The
Project Leader will notify members when and where the project workshops will be
held. When there is no Project Leader, the member will be expected to
work individually. As a family, you can use the 4-H project literature to
guide your learning.
The family of a 4-H'er
should take an active interest in his/her project. Assist, encourage,
offer advice, but remember, the 4-H'er learns
by doing.
4-H Projects for Vanderburgh County
AEROSPACE If you can imagine yourself as a future
astronaut, this project might be for you. You can learn the parts of a
rocket and what makes it fly. You can even enter your rocket in the rocket
flight class at the 4-H Fair. (Must be engine-powered.)
AMERICANA
The purpose of this project is to
motivate and interest young persons in preserving items of our early American
past. This is done by restoring and preserving antique items for exhibit.
AQUATIC SCIENCE
Learn exciting and challenging
experiences in raising fish. This is done by learning about proper equipment
needed to care for your fish, choosing your fish and how to take care of them
so they are healthy. Keeping records of your fish is a part of this
project.
AUTOMOTIVE
This project teaches you about the safe
care and operation of automobiles. Areas covered are: the car and
the highway, maintenance and operation, and operating the car
efficiently.
BARBECUE
Eating meat outdoors over the fire has
to be one of life's greatest pleasures. This project helps develop skills
in the area of barbecuing and preparing sauces to use on the meat you
grill.
BEEF
Do you want to learn more about beef
cattle? Through the activities in the project guide, you will have many
interesting and exciting challenges. You will learn about beef cow parts,
breeds, costs to raise , how to care for them and much more. If you don't
already have beef cattle, some of the activities will help you decide whether
or not you want them. Learning about beef cattle isn't all you will be
doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
BEEKEEPING
Learn how to collect one of life's
sweetest products in this project. You will learn the basics about bees -
the types, the honey and wax produced, plants that attract bees and the
equipment needed. Each year becomes more advanced from the basic care of
a bee's nest to creating your own exhibit requirements based on what you have
learned from the past.
BICYCLE
Bicycling is fun as you will find out in
this project. Areas covered range from the history of the bicycle and its
maintenance to bicycle safety. You will learn how to care for your bike
and to be safe when riding it.
CAKE DECORATING
Cake decorating can be fun and
exciting. The purpose of this project is to express your creative
abilities through decorating cakes, either by adding frosting or trimmings in
fancy designs. Cake decorating requires no special talent, just the right
method and plenty of patient practice.
CAT
Do you want to learn more about
cats? Through the activities in the project guide, you will have many
interesting and exciting challenges. You will learn about cat parts,
breeds, costs to raise, how to care for them and much more. If you don't
already have a cat, some of the activities will help you decide whether or not
you want one. Learning about cats isn't all you will be doing.
You'll be learning about yourself, too.
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Play goes on every day in the lives of
young children. Playing and having fun are very important for helping
young children to learn. You will learn how to care for babies and young
children. This project gives you the opportunity to design and make a toy
to help children develop their skills and learn.
COLLECTIONS
Do you like to collect objects for a
hobby? Then this is the project for you! You can develop or continue
a collection that you choose, such as: tractors, matchbooks, spoons,
baseball cards, etc., and exhibit them creatively at the fair. You will
need to carefully label your collection and fill out your project record sheet
to exhibit with your project at the fair.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Working with computers can be fun and
rewarding. This project is designed to provide you with a general
overview of the world of computers.
CONSUMER CLOTHING
What a great project to convince Mom you
need some new clothes! In this project you purchase an outfit and
accessories to compliment your wardrobe. You also complete a notebook for
your exhibit.
CONSUMER EDUCATION
The purpose of this project is to
compare one product with another product and to see which is the best
buy. This is accomplished by comparing meats, small appliances (alarm
clocks, curling irons, etc.) and large expenditures (cars, dishwashers, a college
education, etc.)
CORN PRODUCTION
For those of you who enjoy growing field
corn, this project might interest you. You need to bring a stalk of corn
to the fair and be responsible for meeting the additional requirements
necessary for completing the project.
CORN SCIENCE
In this project you will learn about
Indiana's leading agricultural crop - hybrid dent corn. You will learn
more about the plant, its pests, and how to grow and harvest corn safely and
profitably. In addition, you will learn how it is used in food and household
products.
CRAFTS
Demonstrate your creative talents by
making projects in the areas of fine arts, needlecrafts and basic crafts.
Fine arts includes oil, charcoals, pencil, ink, acrylic or watercolor on
canvas, etc. Needlework is handwork: knitting, embroidery, counted
cross stitch, quilting, tatting, etc. Basic crafts are crafts that do not
fit in the above categories: tole painting,
ceramics, candles, etc.
CRAFTS-MODEL
Consists of any models, (cars, ships,
houses, etc.) except engine-powered model rockets and airplanes.
This project will stimulate interest and skills through construction, painting
design, and purchase of kits and supplies.
CREATING WITH A BOX MIX
Tired of making the same old box
mixes? Be creative and use a box mix with other ingredients to make a new
and exciting product. The finished product cannot be the result of making
the product from the box instructions.
CREATIVE WRITING
If you like to write, then this is the
project for you! You can use your creative skills to write prose or
poetry or both and exhibit them at the fair.
DAIRY
Do you want to learn more about dairy
cattle? Through the activities in the project guide, you will have many
interesting and exciting challenges. You will learn about dairy cow
parts, breeds, costs to raise, how to care for them and much more. If you
don't already have dairy cattle, some of the activities will help you decide
whether or not you want them. Learning about dairy cattle isn't all you
will be doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
DAIRY/BOER GOATS
Do you want to learn more about dairy
goats? Through the activities in the project guide, you will have many
interesting and exciting challenges. You will learn about dairy goat
parts, breeds, costs to raise, how to care for them and much more. If you
don't already have dairy goats, some of the activities will help you decide
whether or not you want them. Learning about dairy goats isn't all you
will be doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
DOG
Do you want to learn more about
dogs? Through the activities in the project guide, you will have many
interesting and exciting challenges. You will learn about dog parts, breeds,
costs to raise , how to care for them and much more. If you don't already
have a dog, some of the activities will help you decide whether or not you want
one. Learning about dogs isn't all you will be doing. You'll be
learning about yourself, too.
DOG SCRAPBOOK
Put together a keepsake starring “Man’s
Best Friend.” Your notebook will include pictures of activities and
training featuring you and your dog. Older members will research animal
health and care.
ELECTRIC
What is electricity? Where does it
come from? Take this project and find out the answers to these questions
and more. You will discover the world of electricity! Learning how
to make such projects as circuit boards, extension cords, lamps and others that
could lead to an electrical career.
ENTOMOLOGY
This is a learning, doing, exploring
kind of project. Insects are found all around us and this project will
help us learn more about them. You will learn how to collect, preserve
and identify insects. Each year you will expand your collection of
insects.
FAMILY CAMPING
Let's go camping! You will learn
how to build a fire, types of outdoor cookery and how to make them, recipes,
how to tie knots, how to find the directions, outdoor manners, and campfire
songs. This project is planned to help you develop these campcraft skills that will make you a good camper.
FIRE SAFETY
How many stages of fire are there?
Learn this and more by taking the fire safety project. You will learn how
to take a fire safety inspection of your home, prepare a safe fire escape
route, purchasing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, first-aid and special
fire hazards to be aware of in the home.
FLORICULTURE
Flowers are a part of nearly everyone's
life. This project will help you learn how to grow, care for and identify
them. As you advance in this project, you will learn about perennials and
will expand what you already know about annual flowers, indoor plants and
floral arrangements.
FOODS
Everyone likes to eat - so let's learn
how to prepare those tasty foods. You will start with cookies and advance
to yeast breads and other products. You will learn the food pyramid and
how to plan a well-balanced menu for a day. This is a fun project to help
you learn how to bake. You will also learn about the processes used to
preserve food for use in the months ahead. There are special methods used
in preserving food - freezing and canning. You will discover how to
properly prepare foods to be preserved and which method is the best to
use. Exhibit those products that you have preserved for your family's
future consumption.
FORAGES
The purpose of this project is to gain
knowledge and understanding of forages. You will do this by testing your
soil to determine the type of seed that will work best for you. You will
exhibit some of the product you raised along with other required
information.
FORESTRY
America's forests are one of its
grandest and proudest natural resources. You will learn various skills in
this project. These range from learning about trees and collecting leaves
to timber harvesting and marketing or preparing a woodland management plan.
GARDEN
Vegetables fresh from the garden taste
scrumptiously delicious. You, too, can raise fresh vegetables by taking
the garden project. Planning a garden, garden safety, garden tips, garden
pests, garden diseases, insect management, growing tips and harvest tips are
areas covered in this project.
GENEALOGY
Have
you ever wondered where your family came from originally? Tracing your
family heritage can be fun and very interesting. This project is designed
to help you discover your "roots" and how to document what you find.
GEOLOGY
At some time or another, each of us has stopped to look at a rock because it was unusual in some way. It may be the shape, color or size of the rock. This project will help you learn more about rocks - how they are formed, the different types, what minerals and fossils are, and how to identify rocks.
GIFT WRAPPING
Enjoy creating wrapped packages of all shapes and sizes. This project will let your creative juices flow as you use your imagination.
GOVERNMENT
This project will help youth develop an understanding of and an appreciation for an individual's responsibilities as a citizen of his community, county, state and nation. This is done by researching the individual government organizations listed above and compiling the information in a notebook to be exhibited at the fair.
HEALTH
Are
you healthy? Find out the signs of good health and how to achieve
them. Emphasis is put on personal health, family health, physical fitness
and health careers. The things you learn about health are to be exhibited
at the fair on a poster, as a Public Service Announcement (PSA), in an Action
Demonstration, or a computer program, depending upon the division you are
enrolled in.
HOME ENVIRONMENT
Your
home is where you live. The Home Environment project shows you ways to
care for parts of the home and to make living areas more enjoyable. You
will learn about caring for your bedroom and other areas of your home.
You will construct creative items for a living setting that compliments the
room's decor and your personality.
HORSE AND PONY
Do you
want to learn more about horses? Through the activities in the project
guide, you will have many interesting and exciting challenges. You will
learn about horse parts, breeds, costs to raise, how to care for them and much
more. If you don't already have a horse, some of the activities will help
you decide whether or not you want one. Learning about horses isn't all
you will be doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
JUNIOR LEADERS
Emphasis
in the Junior Leader project is placed on training Junior Leaders to assist the
local 4-H leader in running the 4-H program on the local level. The
project is designed to help Junior Leaders gain leadership skills by working
with peers and other members of the community.
LLAMA
Do you
want to learn more about llamas? Through the activities in the project
guide, you will have many interesting and exciting challenges. You will
learn about llama parts, breeds, costs to raise, how to care for them and much
more. If you don't already have llamas, some of the activities will help
you decide whether or not you want them. Learning about llamas isn't all
you will be doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
MICROWAVE
Learn
how to make snacks to complete meals in the Microwave project. This
project teaches you how to use the microwave oven and helps you understand how
it operates. You will compile a file of microwave recipes during
enrollment in this project.
PERSONALITY
This
project will help you understand who you are and where you've come from.
This is accomplished by looking at yourself, family and friends. The more
advanced divisions help you look at specific areas in your life - dating, money
management, citizenship, careers, etc.
PETS
Do you
want to learn more about pets? Through the activities in the project
guide, you will learn about kinds of pets, costs to raise them, pet care and
much, much more. If you don't already have pets, some of the activities will
help you decide whether or not you want them. Learning about pets isn't
all you will be doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
PHOTOGRAPHY
You
will learn about the basic elements of photography. Like any skill,
improvement will come through practice. The basic elements discussed in
the manual are light, a camera, film, a subject and processing. You will
also learn about caring for your camera, basic camera handling, elements of a
good picture, indoor and outdoor picture taking.
PLANT SCIENCE
Plants
are not all alike. Just like animals and people, they have different
needs. you will learn how to care and provide for the different needs of
plants. You will also learn about ways of reproducing and growing
plants. Experiments are used for learning experiences.
POULTRY
The
project focuses on the small backyard flock and emphasizes poultry husbandry
and related topics. By actively participating, you will learn about
poultry breeds, stages of growth, and flock management and improvement.
You will also have opportunities to develop skills in showmanship, in making
decisions and in time budgeting and management. And you will become a
more informed consumer.
PYGMY GOATS
Do you
want to learn more about pygmy goats? Through the activities in the
project guide, you will have many interesting and exciting challenges.
You will learn about pygmy goat parts, breeds, costs to raise, how to care for
them and much more. If you don't already have pygmy goats, some of the
activities will help you decide whether or not you want them. Learning
about pygmy goats isn't all you will be doing. You'll be learning about
yourself, too.
RABBITS
Do you want to learn more about rabbits? Through the activities in the project guide, you will have many interesting and exciting challenges. You will learn about rabbit parts, breeds, costs to raise, how to care for them and much more. If you don't already have rabbits, some of the activities will help you decide whether or not you want them. Learning about rabbits isn't all you will be doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
ROBOTICS
Robotics introduces science, math, engineering and technology skills while teaching life skills. You learn what a robot is, how to build one and how to program the robot to use sensors to interact with its environment. In the advanced you advance their programming techniques, use subroutines and variables to achieve more precise movements of their robots and build their own custom functions.
SAFETY
Safety
in everyday life is extremely important and should be observed. This
project has three goals: identification of hazards, identification of
precautions and education of others. You will learn how to develop and
put together a safety study.
SCRAPBOOK
Pictures
- they’re worth a thousand words, yet for all their importance, many pictures
are not taken care of properly. Learn to turn your boxes of photos and
memorabilia into keepsake, photo-safe albums.
SEWING
Sewing teaches basic sewing skills in
the lower division and advances to special construction techniques in the upper
divisions. You will also learn about proper grooming, clothing selection,
pattern and material selection and choosing the right style for you. You
will be able to apply these skills in making garments for yourself and others.
SHEEP
Do you
want to learn more about sheep? Through the activities in the project
guide, you will have many interesting and exciting challenges. You will
learn about sheep parts, breeds, costs to raise, how to care for them and much
more. If you don't already have sheep, some of the activities will help
you decide whether or not you want them. Learning about sheep isn't all
you will be doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
SHOOTING SPORTS
Includes:
Archery, Blackpowder, Shotgun, Hunting and Wildlife,
Rifle, and Pistol. Each discipline teaches safety, concentration,
self-discipline, self-confidence, goal-setting, decision-making, and courtesy
as you learn basic skills and build to more advanced activities.
SMALL ENGINES
Do you
enjoy messing around and repairing engines? This project will teach you
the differences between two-cycle and four-cycle engines, principles of
operation, proper service, maintenance and simple engine repairs. You will
demonstrate the knowledge you've gained by exhibiting a display at the
fair.
SMALL GRAINS
Expand
your knowledge about how to grow a productive crop. Areas discussed
include: varieties, weed and garlic control, insects, diseases and the
steps for growing better wheat.
SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION
You
will learn more about the importance of conservation of water and soil in this
project. This will be accomplished by doing experiments and activities to
help you understand the important concepts of water and soil.
SOYBEANS
This
project is designed to help you learn about the soybean plant - its history,
the seed, plant parts, varieties, planting, fertilizing and harvesting.
This will help give you a working knowledge of soybean production and
management and develop wise techniques in growing soybeans.
SPORT FISHING
Learn
all about fishing from casting to baiting a hook. The resource book
contains many hands-on activities that will help develop you into an
accomplished angler. Learn water safety and to care for our natural
resources.
SPORTS
If you
like sports, this project may be "right down your alley."
Investigate the latest in uniforms or equipment, team strategy or individual
technique. Research famous athletes or their diet and conditioning
routines. Report on the history of a sport.
STRAWBERRY
Everyone
loves strawberries! You might like to take this project so you will have
those tasty berries at your fingertips during the producing season. In
this project you will learn how to prepare your land, plant, fertilize and
maintain your plot.
SWINE
Do you
want to learn more about swine? Through the activities in the project
guide, you will have many interesting and exciting challenges. You will
learn about swine parts, breeds, costs to raise, how to care for them and much
more. If you don't already have swine, some of the activities will help
you decide whether or not you want them. Learning about swine isn't all
you will be doing. You'll be learning about yourself, too.
TRACTOR
This
project helps you gain knowledge about tractors. Monthly meetings will
help you learn more about safety procedures, parts of the tractor, and how to
properly care for the tractor. Participation in the Tractor Operator's
Contest is optional, but you are encouraged to enter.
VETERINARY SCIENCE
Veterinary
Science is the branch of medicine that deals with the treatment and prevention
of animal disease. This project will acquaint you with the
characteristics and care of healthy animals. you will also become
familiar with the causes and prevention of disease.
WEATHER
We all
depend upon the weather. You will learn what makes weather and do
experiments with weather-makers. You will have the opportunity to become
a storm spotter and construct some of your own equipment. You will study
clouds and how they are formed. Weather fronts and symbols are covered at
more advanced levels.
WEEDS
You
will gain knowledge about weeds and understand their role in the
environment. A weed can be described as a "Plant out of Place"
that is usually objectionable. Classification of weeds, how they're
spread, how they're harmful, and how they are controlled will be discussed in
this project.
WILDLIFE
Learn
about our wildlife resources - birds, fish, herptiles,
and mammals in this project. You do this in exciting and interesting
ways. Learn how these animals fit into the grand scheme of our world and
you will be laying the groundwork for a lifetime of wildlife enjoyment.
WOODSCIENCE
This
project is planned to help boys and girls learn how to use tools in
woodworking. Intermediate members learn about kinds of woods and how to
care for tools. You will be learning woodworking skills for your
enjoyment through the articles you make.
For more information on 4-H Projects you can take, send
e-mail to Randy Brown or Rochelle Belt.
Return to the
Vanderburgh County 4-H Page