Sussex County 4H Weekly News June 21 – 26, 2020

We have a NEW Facebook Page! Follow Us @SussexNJ4H 

Sussex County 4-H Weekly Challenge

This week in a sentence, photo, or drawing share what you hope to due during Summer Vacation? Post your responses under Sussex County Facebook post of our weekly challenge or email them to patrie@njaes.rutgers.edu to be counted.  And don’t forget to hashtag them #SussexCounty4HWklyChallange and @SussexNJ4H.

At the end of the week, one winner will be chosen and win a 2021 Teen Council Dairy Barn gift certificate. All entries must be submitted by 4:30 pm on Friday to count. Only one entry person per week.


June 4-H from Home Webinars

June 23:
Interactive Storytelling
(grades K–3)

July 4-H From Home Webinars to be announced soon. Check the website for updated info. http://nj4h.rutgers.edu/

Have an idea for a Webinar or Virtual STEP Club and/or interested in hosting one.
The 4-H from Home Team is looking for 4-H volunteers/Club leaders, 4-H Teens, etc.  who may be interested in teaching youth a specific topic. Contact the 4‑H From Home team at 4hFromHome@njaes.rutgers.edu to share your thoughts or volunteer.

STEP Clubs Starting Soon
Registration is limited.

Understanding Horse Behavior
July 1–August 5

Young people in grades 5–8 are invited to join us via Zoom to improve their knowledge of horse behavior, while getting to do some fun activities and virtually meet with real horses and former horse trainers! Information and materials needed will be shared prior to the first session. Youth who register are expected to attend all club sessions and will receive a certificate of completion at the program end. A small package will be sent to each participant’s home with materials needed for the club.

Sessions will run on Wednesdays 6:30–7:30 pm
Understanding Horse Behavior registration


Zoo and Aquarium Career Detectives
July 6–22

Discover your future career! This detectives group will explore a variety of careers that you will find available in a zoo or aquarium. Youth members in grades 6 – 12 are invited to join us for a virtual Short-Term Exploratory Program (STEP). Participants will have the opportunity to connect with professionals as they learn about their careers and fields of study. Youth who register are expected to attend all club sessions and will receive a certificate of completion at the program end.

Sessions will run on Mondays and Wednesdays 7:00pm–8:15pm
Zoo and Aquarium Career Detectives registration


Virtual 4-H Horse Camp
July 13 -16, 2020
Registration Now Open

Who: All 4-H Horse Project Members Grades 4- 13
What: Virtual 4-H Horse Camp
Where: Your Own Computer (will be a Zoom log in every night)
Why: To have fun while learning about horse topics
When: July 13th– July 16th from 6:45pm-9pm
Price: $25 (includes a 4-H t-shirt)

4-days of fun Horse related topics taught by Equine Industry professionals and 4-H leaders.  Some topics include First Aid for your horse, Equine Anatomy, Parasites, Hay Selection, Braiding, Banding, and Clipping,  Ranch Riding, and Showmanship.

Please email the registration form to nj4hhorse@gmail.com by July 1st then send a $25 check made payable to New Jersey 4-H Horse Project Advisory Council to Emily Vail, 6 Giancarlo Road, Newton NJ 07860

For more information see below:
2020 Virtual 4-H Horse Camp Schedule
New Jersey 4-H Virtual Horse Camp- Presenter bios


Please Share What You Love About the Fair with the S. C. Milkmakers.

The Sussex County Milkmakers are organizing a video montage of 4-H members answering the questions “what they love most about the fair” and/or “What are you looking forward to doing next year at the fair”.

They would love to have other 4-H members from other clubs participate as well. Their hope is to gather video or audio clips, alongside a compilation of favorite photos from the fair in years passed to compile into one complete video. 

If you are interested in participating complete the information below.
Submission Requirements:
Name: 
Age: 
Club: 
Years in 4H:
Audio or video clip
: <max length 1 minute>
and/or
Photo attachment: <5 photos max>

Submission will be due July 1, 2020, to Nora Swanson (S.C. Milkmakers Leader).
Please Email entries and or questions to noralanie@yahoo.com 


4-H T-shirt Fundraiser

Look Cool While Supporting 4-H Programs!

Middlesex County is holding a 4-H T-shirt fundraiser to help keep the bills paid for their 4-H Center. Normally the building would be supporting itself though rental use of it from outside parties, but as with everything those are on hold due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

You have the option of 2 designs in 2 different colors.

The “Stronger Together” t-shirts are $15 each. Your choices are Green/White tie-dyed or Multi-Tie-dyed, both with black lettering

The “I NEED A NAP” t-shirts are $10 each. Your choices are Black or Burgundy, both with white writing.

The deadline to order directly is July 10. They hope to be able to begin to distribute them around August 1.

There are a variety of shipping options, but if you would like to take part in a bulk Sussex County order to reduce shipping costs, contact Tanya (patrie@njaes.rutgers.edu) with your order no later then July 7.


Is your family… 

  • Interested in growing their own food? 
  • Curious to learn how to make healthy, tasty meals? 
  • Excited to eat foods you grow and prepare? 

The New Jersey Healthy Kids Initiative is excited to announce the launch of “Grow. Prepare. Eat.” — a free virtual food literacy program offered during Summer 2020 for children in grades 3rd-5th.  Participants will engage in a 6-week virtual food literacy class to learn about the source of their food, the process that food goes through from seed to plate, and how to choose, prepare, and enjoy healthy, safe, and tasty meals and snacks.  The program has two main components: Twelve (12) 30-minute live/recorded lessons covering a wide variety of food literacy topics; and post-class hands-on activities that parent/guardians and children will complete together.
 Spaces are limited. Register early to reserve your spot. 

Program Information: 
July 6th to August 13th 
Two (2) 30-Minute lesson per week 
AM and PM sessions offered 

Cost: FREE* and all program materials will be provided! 
*Program requires a one-time $50 registration fee which will be returned upon completion of the program.  If registration fee presents a hardship, please contact NJHKI Program Development Administrator Erin Comollo at:erin.comollo@rutgers.edu 

For more information or to register, please visit the following link:     
https://njhki.rutgers.edu/virtual-food-literacy-program-summer-2020/


Sussex County
4-H Class of 2020
Senior Spotlight

Abbey Lazier

Abbey has been a member of the 4-H Summer Blossom member since 2010. She is graduating this year from High Point Regional High School and has the distinguished honor of being this year’s Salutatorian. Abbey is committed to Dickinson College, in Carlisle PA, and will be studying Anthropology & Human Sciences.

Abbey’s all-time favorite memory of her time with the Summer Blossoms is of Spring Fest. She felt being allowed free entry into the event to represent 4H was quite an honor! Then helping the little visitors at the club’s booth who completed the scavenger hunt, to plant a seed pod into a cup to take home as a prize. She loved the hands-on interaction!  Her 2nd favorite memory was sharing a garden bed with a younger club member.  He loved Abbey’s advice & opinions and truly looked to her as a mentor. Abbey remembers the Thank You Note he wrote to express his gratitude for the guidance!  Lastly, she will remember winning a blue ribbon at the NJ STATE FAIR in…photography!  It was at this moment that her family feels her self-confidence began to sprout!

Kelly Nelson

Kelly Nelson is a senior at North Warren Regional High School, she is a very active girl in and out of 4H and always there to help the younger kids, she has been in 4H for 7 years and was a part of many different clubs but this year there are only 5- Regal Rabbits (president), Kicken Chickens (president), Goatopia (president), Teen Council and Lambdemonium. During her time in 4H, she has held several other club positions and was the fair representative for a few years for the Alpaca club, the 2019 Rabbit, and Small Animal Representative and if fair had happened this year she would have been the 2020 Poultry Representative. In 2019 she won senior showmanship for rabbits and chickens and the year before that sheep showmanship as well as Round Robin. Kelly also for the last 3 years has been part of Market Animal Sale at the fair, first selling meat pen rabbits and then also selling a lamb. Kelly loves fair time and spends a great amount of time there. Kelly loves to attend NJTC and winter camp. For many years she went during the summer to the Lindley G. Cook camp and was a junior counselor last year.

Outside of 4H Kelly belongs to Girl Scouts and at school FFA and has been president for the last 2 years. For many years Kelly participated in school cheerleading, competition cheerleading (they won national champions one year and received rings), softball, street hockey, and had joined lacrosse this year but never got to play with school closing. She loves street hockey and has earned several awards and was captain a few seasons.

Kelly also has earned several scholarships the Blairstown Rotary James E. Gilmore Memorial Scholarship, NWR Garden Club Scholarship, a 4H Foundation scholarship, and a Sussex County Teen Council Scholarship.

Kelly will be attending Sussex County Community College for interior design and will be joining a few clubs at school. She hopes to also open a floral shop. Presently Kelly is working at the Gourmet Gallery in Blairstown and doing side help to a few locals babysitting and helping with yard work and helping to maintain their chickens. Kelly plans to come back for her 13th year of 4H.

Congrats to Our
2020 Graduating
4-H Members!


Information and Programs For Our 4-H Parents and Leaders

Rutgers Earth Day at Home Webinar Series

June 22, 2020
Ticks and Lyme Disease. Protect yourself from ticks and Lyme disease by learning about the tick life cycle, tick removal, and differences between a variety of tick species. Learn also how to reduce tick habitat around your home. Amy Rowe, Associate Professor/ County Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Passaic/ Essex Counties.

June 29, 2020
Understanding the 2019 Harmful Algae Blooms in NJ. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) plagued many aquatic waterways in 2019. This talk will cover what it is, what to look for, health effects, and how you can do your part to prevent them. Mike Haberland, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Associate Professor/County Agent- Burlington/ Camden Counties.

To register or for more information visit
https://envirostewards.rutgers.edu/EarthDayatHome2020.html


Wellness on Wednesday webinars with Family & Community Health Sciences will focus on a variety of topics related to food, nutrition, and healthy lifestyles.  This series will walk you through the easy steps that you can take to add positive health behaviors into your day.  From reducing the amount of food waste you produce in your home to understanding how to read the new nutrition facts label, now is the time to make some of those small changes that will improve your health in a large way.

All sessions are free, will last approximately 45 minutes, and be provided via Webex.  To join, you will need either a computer, tablet, or smartphone with speakers. You must register to participate. 

June 24 – Benefits of Family Meals
From building vocabulary to developing social skills, to adopting healthy eating habits, eating together as a family can foster many benefits for family members of all ages. Whether at the dining room table or on a picnic blanket at the park, meals can serve as a positive family time that becomes a building block for life-long healthy behaviors. Learn about the abundance of research that links family meals to positive behaviors across the life span.  Jennifer Shukaitis, MPH, FCHS educator, State Office

https://go.rutgers.edu/iy870ob

July 1Nine Staple Foods of the Mediterranean Eating Plan
Eating a Mediterranean diet may lower your risk of a heart attack, stroke, and death by up to 30 percent, according to a highly publicized study done in Spain and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.  Help your heart and overall health by adding the following key foods which were staples of those following the Mediterranean eating plan.  Karen Ensle, EdD, RDN, FAND, CFCS, FCHS educator, Union County

https://go.rutgers.edu/729z7i6x

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