All About 4-H in Louisville, KY and other surrounding counties

4-H: The four H’s in the very familiar green clover logo stand for Head, Heart, Hands, Health. When I worked for the library system, I met some awesome 4-H leaders who spend hours driving all over Jefferson county to connect with kids from elementary school all the way through high school. 4-H is a fun, engaging, and educational program that your child might really benefit from and reap so many rewards. This feature is designed to inform you of what is involved in 4-H, how you can get your kids signed up, and what summer activities and camps are going on around Louisville and the state.

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I like to think of 4-H as a “scouting” opportunity for city kids. 4-H is not related to the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, but many of their activities are similar. 4-H started as an agricultural endeavor in the rural areas of the country, and still stays true to its original intentions. What has become of 4-H over the years has resulted in a way to reach the inner city and kids who don’t have opportunities to be exposed to the agricultural world. Today, those connections are made through cooperative extension offices, with 4-H groups meeting in every county, in every state of the U.S. It’s a really dynamic program!

Some programs that I got to see firsthand at the library were babysitting workshops, electricity experiments, nutrition, communication/speech preparation, science with magnets, hands-on cooking, and learning to grow and cultivate small container gardens with plants such as tomatoes and cilantro.

4-H is open to students ranging in ages 9-19. This summer, 4-H is partnering with the Louisville Free Public Library to bring summer science activities and opportunities to participate in 4-H fair project days. Some of the science topics include electricity, kitchen science, and CSI. On select days your kids can complete a 4-H fair project such as bamboo windchimes, quilling, and staining wood boxes, just to name a few. There is also a program for students under age 9 called Clover Buds. You can sign your kids up for these programs by calling your closest LFPL branch library.

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One big program that happens every summer is the Jefferson County 4-H Fair. Participants from 4-H groups all over the state of Kentucky submit projects to the fair and are judged and can earn a little bit of cash too. Click here to read about LouFamFun’s coverage of 4-H at last year’s KY state fair.

This summer, check out 4-H at the library; it’s a great way to see what it’s all about and maybe start attending a club or meet-up in the fall with other 4-H’ers.
Here is the summer fair project day schedule for five local libraries. Sign-up is required:

4-H Fair Project Days
Southwest Library – June 24th (call 502-933-0029)
10:00 a.m. – noon – Bamboo Windchimes
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Decoupage
Middletown Library – June 25th (call 502-245-7332)
10:00 a.m. – noon – Wreaths
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Texture Wall Hanging
Jeffersontown Library – June 26th (call 502-267-5713)
10:00 a.m. – noon – Jewelry
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Placesettings
Westport Library – June 27th (call 502-394-0379)
10:00 a.m. – noon – Quilling
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Wood boxes – stain
Okolona Library – June 28th (call 502-964-3515)
10:00 a.m. – noon – Huck Toweling
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Quilling

4-H can be found in many surrounding counties including Spencer, Bullitt, Shelby, and Oldham. To find out more about the Jefferson County Extension program, contact their office through their website, or by calling 502-569-2344.

By guest contributor: Erin

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