1. Having Fun at Project Meetings!
Presented by: Sarah Torbert
4-H Volunteer Development Specialist

2. Start by… Holding Project Meetings
Learning Activities that look at the project area.
Build on skills learned or skills taught.
Suggested – at least 6 hours of learning at 6 different times.
Offer Countywide or at multiple clubs

3. What is the environment you want to create?
Setting the stage
What is the environment you want to create?

4. What are we trying to do? The Youth Experience
1. The opportunity to set goals, keep records, and reflect on their learning in a project area.
2. A caring adult to provide the support needed to develop like skills through project work.
3. Opportunities for hands-on learning experiences.
4. A place to publicly display their learning in one or more project areas.
5. Opportunities to use the skills learned in their club and project work at a county, regional, state, national, and international level.

5. Values
Provide opportunities for experiential learning and life skill development through hands-on project work in members’ areas of interest.
Help young people see themselves as unique, resilient, life- long learners who actively participate in their own future, setting personal goals and practicing self- determination.

6. Values Create through projects, activities, and club work a sense of
Belonging
BY providing an inclusive environment that includes social interaction between youth with diverse backgrounds
By contributing to team efforts
By developing positive relationships with a caring adults
Independence
By supporting self-directed decision making process that relates to real-life experiences
By fostering leadership opportunities
Generosity
Through involvement in community service activities
Through opportunities to share experiences with younger youth members
Mastery
Through development of specific knowledge and skills with help and guidance from project leaders
Through opportunities to learn how to run effective meetings
Through understanding of finances gained through access to funds raised by the club.

7. Getting Started Get to Know each other
Ice Breaker Games – Try to make them project related
Two Truths and lie
Passport on your head
Toilet paper / m&m / card game
Other?

8. Understand why they are there…
Set goals
Post it notes
Why did you take this project
What do you hope to learn
What I like most about

10. Do activities Skill-a-thon stations Demonstrations Project judging
Quiz bowl
Games or competitions
Skill practice
Community service
Field trips
Guest speaker

11. Skill a thon
A 4-H skillathon is an excellent way to involve 4-H members in challenging, fun, learn by-doing activities. This educational method develops problem solving, communication, and technology skills. Skillathons are a series of mini-learning stations with a facilitator at each station. Skillathon activities can be used as a fun introduction to a topic, an initial assessment of skills, or as an evaluation of skills learned. The 4-H members can participate as individuals or as teams.

12. Stations include learn by doing activities.
Members visit a series of learning stations.
A facilitator oversees each station.
Participants rotate to each station to perform the given task.
Participants test their knowledge and abilities before receiving help.
If they falter, the members receive suggestions from facilitators.

13. Ideas for skill a thon stations
Identifying parts of something –animals, rockets, camera
Building something – rocket, paper airplane, robot, circuit
Using a tool correctly - scissors, cake decorating tip, giving shots
Matching items – feeds, types of fabric, equipment used, animal breeds
Measuring

17. demonstrations Used to show and tell someone how to do something
Parts of a demonstration
Introduce what you are doing
Show a finished product
Body
Give the steps you take to complete something
Conclusion
Review what was covered

18. Who demonstrates Members can share their knowledge at project meetings
Older members / teen leaders can be given a homework assignment to demonstrate at meeting for new and younger members
Leader can demonstrate
Guest speaker can demonstrate

19. Judging classes Successful judging depends on
Judging is making a decision and telling why you made it. Judging also teaches members to appreciate standards, to observe closely and to develop their reasoning ability.
Successful judging depends on
knowledge of the product,
understanding the standards or criteria for the product, and
ability to compare products to the standards (giving reasons.)

20. Getting started…
Early in the project, you will probably discuss the standards for the product you are making. What is the most important thing to look for in the product? For cookies, it would be taste, followed by texture and shape. For photographs, composition, lighting, technical quality and display are important.
In 4-H, judging contests are based on classes of four products. Products are designated by letters: A, B, C and D; or numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. Members are asked to compare the item to the standard and to explain orally the reasons for their selections.

24. Quiz bowl Are somewhat competitive Can help teach any subject area
Develop great life skills like critical thinking, decision making, communication, and more
Easy to set up

25. Getting started
Develop a bank of questions based on what you want to learn
Have members create questions for each other based on their knowledge and interests
Use buzzers or something to make it fun
Eggspert buzzers – $45-$90

26. Other project meeting fun
Games or competitions
Skill practice
Community service
Field trips
Guest speaker
More ideas?

27. Curriculum

28. Project Curriculum

35. Project learning sheets

38. The internet
Be careful

40. Be careful
Use land grant universities who provide research based information when gathering material to teach
Use recognized breed associations or other reputable sources
Use pintrest and esty to gain ideas for static exhibits

41. Questions?