Originally Published on February 5, 2021.

Dates to remember

February

• Shooting Sports Shot Gun Practice: 4
• Shooting Sports Archery Practice: 9
• State Livestock Show: 13-20
• Shooting Sports Shot Gun Practice: 18
• Ambassador Commodity Talk: 22
• Shooting Sports Archery Practice: 23
• Central Region Career Camp: 26^th
• Demonstration Day Pre-Registration: 19
• Dress Review Garments Due: 20
• Junior Leader Meeting: 25
• Lego Challenge Due: 26

Welcome to Allen Parish 4-H!

You may also find up to date information on the Allen Parish 4-H Facebook Page.

Our office has a new location: 117 N 5th St. Oberlin La 70655

If at any time you have questions please email your 4-H Agent, Brooke LaFarge. blafargue@agcenter.lsu.edu

Due to Covid-19 there is always a possibility that an event maybe canceled. Please check our Facebook Page (Allen Parish 4-H) for announcements regarding all our 4-H Events.

Junior Leaders Club

Our next meeting is Thursday February 25, 2021 at 6:00pm

This year the Junior Leaders service project focuses on Saying NO to Drug and alcohol abuse. Drug abuse is affecting the youth all over the world. It is ruining the society socially, physically, culturally, emotionally and economically. We need to raise our voice to create awareness among people regarding bad effects of drugs.

The Junior Leaders are challenging 4-H Club Members to submit a drug awareness video. The contest is to help raise community awareness of the problem of drug abuse. Videos should be 2 minutes to 5 minutes in length and submitted to blafargue@agcenter.lsu.edu Videos should have an anti-abuse message or making the right choice message. Junior Leaders will choose the best video!

Attention Market Exhibitors! Send a picture of your “Thank You Letter(s)” to the buyer(s) and add ons of your animal(s) to the 4-H Office blafargue@agcenter.lsu.edu or kmanuel@agcenter.lsu.edu by Friday, March 12th. It is not necessary to send a “Thank You Letter” to resale buyers of animals - just to the original buyers and add-on supporters. Checks will be held until the thank you letter has been received at the 4-H office.

The Commodity Ambassador Contest

This State Contest is a unique state-level opportunity that exposes and prepares our younger 4-H members to public speaking. The BBQ Chicken, BBQ Turkey, and Egg Demonstration contests are events with advancement to the National 4-H contest held in Louisville, KY. Traditionally, division III winners would all be rewarded a spot on the State Educational Trip. We are transitioning this award system to monetary awards, except for those contests with national advancement opportunities. Our goal is to assist youth in advancing their public speaking skills, potentially awarding them in multiple ways for their hard work.

2021 ONLY – Virtual contest format

• Division I and II entries for all categories will be submitted for entry as pre-recorded demonstrations speeches. Division III entries will be live speeches via Microsoft Teams on the following dates and tentative time frames:
• Pre-recorded videos and all deliverables due: February 22nd,2021
• Chicken BBQ, Turkey BBQ, and Egg Demo – March 2nd, 4:00-7:30 PM
• Beef and Seafood Demo – March 3rd, 4:00 – 7:30 PM
• A Commodity Crops – March 4th, 4:00-7:30 PM

Please contact Mrs. Brooke if you are interested. blafargue@agcenter.lsu.edu

Demonstration Day

This year we are going to conduct our contest virtually.

Attention Leaders!

Please Pre-Register by February 19, 2021. You will receive a Pre-Registration Form by Email. Members will present their presentation Live through the Teams App. Presentations will be presented March 8-12^th. The presentations will be scheduled according to the times that the schools allow. Dress Review: Garments are due to the 4-H office by February 20th.

Limited to 1 Demonstration Presentation Per 4-H Member.

Individual= 1 member and Team= 2 members

What is a Demonstration? A demonstration puts words with actions. During a demonstration each step is explained as the audience watches how each step is completed. Demonstrations are full of action-packed words, such as mix, saw, turn, or fold, that accurately describes the action that is being viewed.

Information to include on Tri-Fold Board or Poster:

1) Title/ Cover Poster; 2) Materials/ supplies needed; 3) Steps/ Process; 4) Summary

Keep it simple! Sometimes the simplest ideas presented well are better than complex ideas presented poorly.

Parents if you have any questions please contact your school leader or email blafargue@agcenter.lsu.edu

Chef Club

Our focus this year is families cooking together. We will notify you when chef club boxes are ready for pick-up. Your monthly chef club box with include: a kitchen tool, recipe, and activities. If you are still interested in joining, please sign up by visiting the Chef Club sign up form.

February Lego Challenge! Earthquake Experiment!

Please email a picture of 4-H Member/Lego Challenge to blafargue@agcenter.lsu.edu

Due Date: February 26, 2021

Supplies needed: metal cookie sheet, wooden blocks, Lego bricks

Directions: First, construct a tower on the cookie sheet using the wooden blocks.

Have two of the kids sit on either side of the cookie sheet and shake it as if there were an earthquake. Not surprisingly, when we did this, the tower crumbled with very little shaking and the blocks fell.

The metal cookie tray is meant to represent a tectonic plate and the shaking represents the shifting that happens with an earthquake.

Directions Part Two: Next, get a parent, friend, or sibling. Work together to construct a tower with interlocking Lego blocks. Made it approximately the same height and shape as the wooden block tower. Parents, discuss about how sometimes doing things the right way takes more time.

Set the new tower on the cookie sheet and have two kids sit on either side (in order for the experiment to be as scientific as possible, we wanted to use the same people so that they could attempt to create the same earthquake force). At first, they recreated the same shaking they had the first time and the tower stayed intact.

Simulate a larger, more powerful earthquake. When you do this it becomes more and more forceful with the shaking, eventually lifting the tray up and banging it up and down as well as side to side before they were able to knock the tower over and dislodge a few of the bricks.

Golden Clover and Emerald Achievement Award

The Louisiana 4-H Youth Development Program is continuing the process of incentivizing local programming and recognition with the 2020 transition of the Golden Clover and Emerald Achievement Awards being parish level awards. If you are an active 4-H Member and are interested in applying, please email blafargue@agcenter.edu The application is fillable.

Applications Due April 1, 2021

Lesson

Cell phone Etiquette:

Cell phones make communication easy and convenient. The popularity of cell phones has created the need for a new type of manners. Most of the same manners that apply to land-line phones also apply to cell phones, but there are a few extra guidelines.

• Choose a ring tone that is pleasant and not annoying
• Turn down ringer volume so others are not disturbed.
• Speak softly and avoid arguments, discussing personal problems or issues in public
• In public, keep your conversation short. Don’t try to have a phone conversation while checking out at a store or ordering a meal
• Place cell phones on silent in libraries, movie theaters, churches, doctors’ offices, restrooms and school buildings
• When answering a call, move at least 10 feet away from other people so you do not disturb their conversations or activities.
• Remember, using a cell phone while driving or operating machinery is not a good idea and is against the law in some states.
• Before making a cell phone call, make sure you have a good signal.
• If someone using a cell phone is talking too loudly, try moving to another location. If that is not possible, ask an authority figure, such as the restaurant or theater manager to talk to that person

Text Messages

• Text Messages can be forwarded on to others, so be careful what you send!
• Treat texting as you would a cell phone call. If you should not be talking on the phone, you probably shouldn’t be texting.
• Never text while driving. It is against the law and very dangerous.
• Make sure your cell phone plan includes texting because it can cost extra.
• Don’t send a message or receive one from someone you don’t know.
• Be courteous and do not text while involved in a conversation, in class, at a meeting or during a meal. If you really need to communicate with someone who is not at the event or at the table, excuse yourself and then return as soon as you can.

Cell Phone Bullies

Unfortunately, cell phone bullying has quadrupled over the last five year. Bullying is NOT acceptable behavior, and you can be held accountable for it. If you have ever been bullied, or have a friend who has, there are some things you can do to stop it.

• Let your parents know what is happening. They can contact the appropriate people or the authorities.
• Block the bully’s number from your phone
• Avoid chat rooms or social media interactions with the bully
• Report inappropriate behavior from others on chat sites or social media sites