Head, Heart, Hands, and Health

I think it was a little later that I learned that many of those guide dogs got their primary training through families involved in the 4-H program.  I had absolutely no idea what 4-H was, but I wanted to join so WE could raise and train dogs.   A puppy would get to spend almost a year with us while we socialized it and gave it some basic obedience training.  Then we’d have to give up our puppy for a year of formal training before he or she’d be ready to actually work guiding a blind person.

Sadly, I grew up in apartments and trailer courts.  Small pets were all we could have, so my parents rerouted my desires to girl-scouting.  And that was the last I thought about 4-H.

Until recently…

Two years ago, my little girls (back then they were 5 and 7 years-old) were actively involved in a homeschool group at our church.  Most of our church/home school friends were also involved in, you guessed it, 4-H.  It seems one of the moms helped run a dairy goat farm.  Her home schooled girls had been in 4-H for years and she had started a “goat club”.  My girlies and I toured their farm and we were sold.  We joined 4-H.

We were still a little shaky on what 4-H actually was, but we were working with goats on a weekly basis and having a blast – so who cared!  Each of my daughters got to “lease” a kid in exchange for farm work.  Each week we’d go to the farm, do chores and then spend time grooming, socializing and training baby goats.  That way, when fair season came, the babies would be well behaved and ready for showing.

That first year, Girly-Girl showed her lamancha at a few of the local fairs and won several awards, ribbons and premiums.  Yes, she won MONEY!

Silly-Head wasn’t interested in showing, but she had fun loving on her goat and both the girls learned about goat breeds, goat products, goat care, goat feeding, and goat breeding.  They helped shave goats, feed goats, brush and wash goats.  They helped trim hooves, give shots, and diagnose for worms.

It was awesome!

Unfortunately, last year that club started to fall apart.  The leading mom had several health issues and family emergencies and some of the 4-H guidelines changed.  According to the new guidelines my girls were “Cloverbuds” and as such, weren’t allowed to focus on just one project – like goats.  The 4-H chief-high-muckety-mucks decided it was healthier for the younger children (up through age 9) to dibble and dabble in a wide variety of interests and activities instead of getting immersed in one intense topic.

At first we railed against this decision – mostly because we’d already been showing goats and loved them.  But after listening and thinking, I’ve come to realize the wisdom of the change.

So now we’re in a new club.  We’ve studied migration and hibernation.  We’ve learned about recycling.  We’ve rang the Salvation Army bells in the freezing cold while exuberantly singing Christmas carols.  We’ve made crafts and birdfeeders.  We’re preparing to learn knitting and plan a play for a local nursing home.

And we still have goats.  Our new leader also has goats and they’ll be kidding in February and/or March.  We’ll be leasing some!  Silly-Head is still not old enough to show, but I imagine Girly-Girl will be in the ring beaming at the judge and holding her goat’s head high.

And I’ve just completed my training to be a 4-H volunteer.  Did you know that 4-H is the youth branch of the University Cooperative Extension program?  The 4-H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.  All the activities we participate in are geared toward helping our kids (that’s people kids, not goat kids) to grow and mature in those four areas.

Much of what we do is related to agriculture – raising stock and better farming practices.  But 4-H is MUCH more than that!  It’s a club atmosphere where kids can learn leadership skills and service, drama, teamwork, conflict management, business principles, arts and crafts, science, cooperation, decision making, setting goals and keeping records.  It’s a wonderful avenue for learning and growing!

If you are interested in learning more about 4-H, contact your local University Cooperative Extension.  You can find it quite easily by just googling “[your state] cooperative extension”, then search for “4-H” on their homepage.

If you’ve never looked into 4-H for your kids, please do.  It’s a wonderful way to help them grow!