4-H Record Keeping

1. 4-H Record Keeping A quick guide to keeping records to prepare for completing your 4-H record book. Adapted by Connie Moyers Roosevelt Co. Extension Home Economist 2012

2. Why? • Track your progress. • Record Activities. • Helps in preparing scholarships/resumes. • Scrapbook of 4-H career. • Opportunity for awards and recognition. • Personal satisfaction in knowing you completed your 4-H year.

3. Keep Track • 4 Common Ways • Calendar • Index Box • Binder/Spiral Notebook • Computer

4. Calendar • Get a “4-H” calendar from the Extension Office. • Keep it in a handy location – refrigerator. • Write everything down – church functions, school activities, anything you participate in. • Put a pocket on it to keep receipts in.

5. Index Box • Have dividers for each project, leadership, citizenship, and receipts. • Make sure you put down what you did and the date.

6. Binder/Spiral Notebook • Make sure you have a section for everything.. • Add pockets for receipts and other smaller documents.

7. Computer • There are many ways you can save information on a computer. • Scan information like receipts to your computer. • Completing forms on the computer will allow for cutting and pasting when you do a State Record Book. • Be sure and save your completed records several ways for example, hard drive, CD or flash drive.

8. Tips: • Don’t wait until the last minute! • Stay on top of it, if you don’t you will forget activities that you did! • Save 4-H Newsletter for information.

9. Pictures • Start taking pictures now!!!! • They are an important part of your record book. • They should show growth and development. • Use photos of leadership or citizenship, demonstrations, and fun activities. • Don’t pose for last minute photos, if you do make sure and change your clothes in between pictures.

10. Leadership vs. Citizenship • Leadership • The process of leading. • Helping someone or a group to accomplish something. • You do not have to hold an office to be a leader.

11. Examples of Leadership • Holding an office. • Teaching someone to do something. • Demonstrations • Can not count as a demonstration and a leadership activity • Teaching a sibling, friend or 4-H member • Being the chair of a committee. • Leading the pledges. • Talking to people about the benefits of 4-H. • Encouraging friends to join 4-H. • Make sure you have project and non-project related leadership experiences.

12. Citizenship • Working towards the betterment of a community through participation, volunteer work, and efforts in improve life for citizens. • Also known as community service.

13. Examples of Citizenship • Sang Christmas carols at the nursing home. • Set up a website for dogs in the animal shelter. • Picked up trash at local park or highway. • Delivered Meals on Wheels. • Volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. • Make sure you have citizenship for project and non-project related areas.

14. Examples of Leadership & Citizenship • Chaired a committee to organize preparing fruit baskets for the Women's’ Shelter. • Leadership – Chairman of a committee. • Citizenship – Preparing fruit baskets for the Women’s Shelter. • Can only use once. • Leave until the end and put it where you have the least activities.

15. Goals • What are goals? • An intended outcome that requires action to satisfy your needs. • Something you want to accomplish that requires work and dedication. • Goals can be long term or short term. You will want to set some of both. • Short term goal – “I want to learn how to pick out fabric for a quilt.” • Long term goal – “I want to make quilt for everyone for Christmas this year.”

16. Setting Goals • How do we set goals? • They must be something that can be achieved, it must be reasonable. • Sure we would all like to win grand champion at state fair our first year, but is it reasonable? • For a few people it might be possible – for the rest it’s just a dream. • Don’t set your goals too low • A senior member should have higher goals than a novice member.

17. Setting Goals • Be specific when setting goals • “I want to learn more about pigs”. . . No No No! • Pick some specific areas such as: • I want to learn the breeds and the importance of each one. • I want to learn how to feed my pig better by studying the contents of different feeds. • Set your goals at the beginning of the year • You are more likely to achieve your goal if you know what you are trying to accomplish. It’s a lot easier than setting them the day you put your record book together.

18. Setting Goals • You need to have at least 2 goals for each project. • If you don’t reach your goal at the end of the year include in your book why. • Lots of people don’t reach every goal that they set. • You may have not reached your goal, but maybe you have learned you are not working hard enough, or maybe you learned how to set more realistic goals for the next year

19. Summary • Start keeping records now!!! • Pictures and captions are important. • You can never have too much leadership & citizenship both project and non-project areas. • Set goals now and be specific!!! • If you keep track of everything as it happens record books are not that hard – it saves a lot of fights between kids and parents.