Dog eating your shoes again? Aspire to be a fashionista? Dream of cloning yourself to be three places at once? These are just a few of life’s little questions. 4-H can help you with these questions. 4-H is a place where everyone in the family can go together on the same night. Join 4-H and learn the basics of dog obedience in the dog project. A fashionista is a passionate follower of fashion. Join 4-H and open up a new world of fashion options by designing clothes or buying them, selecting accessories and modeling.
4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. It is the largest youth organization in the United States. It is for youth age 7-19 years old. Barton County also has Cloverbuds for 5 or 6 year olds.
The 4-H year started Oct. 1 and we would like to have all enrollment cards in by December 1st. It is beneficial for the 4-H youth and parents to start the new year out right and attend all the monthly meetings.
4-H is not only for youth, but for adults, too. Adult volunteers are a vital asset to the program. We depend on them to share their knowledge and expertise with the youth. All volunteers are asked to complete a Volunteer Information Profile and complete a training. We are always excited to add additional volunteers to our list.
There is no cost to join 4-H but there may be costs related to projects. The first step is to fill out a project enrollment card and choose some projects you would like to work on. There are over 30 projects and they range from beef to dog, leadership to photography and everything in between. There is even a self-determined project that allows you to create your own project.
Enrollment card can be picked up from the Extension Office or from community leaders of the local clubs. In Barton County there are eight community clubs. If you would like to learn more about 4-H, call our office at 793-1910 and we can send you information or stop by the Extension Office at 1800 12th Street and find out when and where the clubs in Barton County  meet.
Berny Unruh is the 4-H and Youth Development Extension agent in Barton County.  She is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune.  She can be reached at 620-793-1910 or at bunruh@ksu.edu.