Can you think of a better location than Wallingford to become the newest home to a 4-H club? Well don’t think twice, this Lynnwood-based club is heading our way and is seeking Seattle urban kids, ages 5-18 to become new members, and for adults to enroll as leaders. Wild ‘n’ Woolies will hold their first club meeting on January 2, from 9am-11am. If you’re interested, contact Nina Finley for the location: [email protected].
16 year-old Nina gave us the scoop as to how she got involved with 4-H:
When I was nine, I went to the Evergreen State Fair and fell in love with the beef cattle and the hay, and I decided to become a farmer. I tried convincing my parents to move to the country for a couple of weeks, but when that failed, I decided I would just have to make my backyard into a farm instead. I joined 4-H with my rabbit, and then I got chicks. Now, I also show my ducks and my Lynnwood 4-H leader’s sheep. It’s funny because I decided to make my yard into a farm when I was young and had never heard of the ‘urban farming’ movement, but now it’s all the rage! When I was on the City Chickens Coop Tour last year, I realized how huge the city chicken community is, and how dearly we need a Seattle 4-H club for urban farm kids! I convinced my mom to become the certified leader (you have to be over 21) but I’m going to be doing most of the leader work for the club.
You don’t need to own a farm to be in 4-H. There are lots of projects for urban kids, including: rabbits, goats, poultry, sewing, plant science, vet science, foods, environmental science, and more!
What can you do in 4-H?
- Learn about caring for your animal (chicken, goat, duck, rabbit, or guinea pig)
- Learn to sew, cook, preserve foods, and plant a garden
- Keep a record book
- Show your animals or crafts at the Evergreen State Fair
- Give a public presentation
- Make new friends
- Run a club fundraiser
- Be a club officer (treasurer, secretary, vice president, or even president)
- Earn ribbons and awards
- Teach other kids what you know
Nina added:
We’ll have a two-hour club meeting once a month at various members’ houses (date and time to be decided by members) and we’ll have a couple of field-trips and community service events throughout the year. I’m not sure what the King County Fair will look like this year, but there will definitely be an opportunity to show at a public fair in the summer. We’ll be planning more club events once we’re all together at the first meeting; and if we have enough kids interested in food preservation, for example, we’ll organize a monthly canning party where kids and parents can come to our kitchen and make a big batch of canned tomatoes, jam, etc. It’s going to be fun!
There is no cost to join 4-H, though there will probably be a small fee (around $5) for new members since I have to print out a lot of manuals and record books for them. We might do a club fundraiser to help cover fair ticket costs.
Since ‘Wild ‘nWoolies’ is the name of the Lynnwood club, we’ll also have the opportunity to give our new, independent Wallingford club a name. Some of our ideas are ‘Seattle Homesteaders, ‘Urban Homestead’, ‘Sowin Seattle’, ‘Ubran Farm Kids’, or ‘Cooped Up in Seattle’, though I’d be open to ideas from Wallyhood readers.
If you’ve got some ideas for names for the new 4-H club, post them in the comments and we’ll send them to Nina!
I live in the heart of Wallingford and happen to work for WSU Extension, home of the 4-H program statewide. It’s an excellent program that goes well beyond teaching livestock and agricultural skills. On the Olympic Peninsula the 4-H Network News club reports on news of the area, producing videos that are posted to YouTube and 4-H websites. I’ve witnessed classes in Snohomish County where 16-year old kids were teaching other 4-H members how to assemble computers from parts for donation to a local senior center. In other words, the possibilities for 4-H in Wallyhood are many and will provide great opportunities for kids in our ‘hood. The initiative shown by Nina in making this happen is an example of what kids take away from their 4-H experience. Go Nina!
Thanks for the additional insight, Denny!