Sherburne County 4-H Newsletter

Happy new year everyone!

I hope you had a great holiday season and are back and ready for ALL THINGS 4-H ;)

If you didn't know already we have a new county support staff! Her name is Jamie she has been doing awesome and has been a great addition so far! So if you see her be sure to give her a warm welcome! (See the picture of Jamie and I below from the holidays! :))

Have a great weekend!

Sam Stone

Extension Educator, Sherburne County 4-H Youth Development | Sherburne County Extension | University of Minnesota | umn.edu

ston0392@umn.edu | 763-765-3077

Monday 1/12: Office

Tuesday 1/13: Office

Wednesday 1/14: Remote (Buffalo)

Thursday 1/15: Office

Friday 1/16: Remote

Monday 1/19: Holiday (Office Closed)

Tuesday 1/20: Office

Wednesday 1/21: Remote (Fair Board Meeting)

Thursday 1/22: Office

Friday 1/23: Remote

NOTE: When working remote, I can be contacted via email at ston0392@umn.edu or text my cell at (320) 496-3374.

4-H Youth Development is seeking a committed group of teens to join our Camp Counselor team for our 4-H summer camp offerings! Counselors are an integral part of our summer camp team & inspire local young campers with engagement, skills, knowledge, & passion!

Do I qualify to apply?

Do you have a willingness to try new things and enjoy a challenge? Do you enjoy working with youth outdoors in the sunshine?

Expand your leadership toolbox with 4-H through direct experience working with other teens to plan events and summer programs!

No prior 4-H experience necessary – all local teens ages 15-19 are encouraged to apply!

Important spring & summer dates:

4-H Camp Clover: June 28th - July 1, 2026

Camp Counselors receive approximately 20 hours of youth development training facilitated by 4-H educators and interns. The training sessions focus on a variety of topics, including how to facilitate hands-on curriculum, learning camp songs and games, behavior management of young campers, what it means to be a positive role model, and more! Camp Counselors will co-create themes for camp, develop the daily schedule of activities, and continuously strengthen their own leadership styles.

Camp Counselor Training Dates:

• Sunday, March 22th from 1-5pm in Maplewood, MN.

• Sunday, April 19th from 1-5pm in Minneapolis, MN.

• Sunday, May 17th from 1-5pm in Jordan, MN.

• Tuesday, June 23rd from 9:30am-3:30pm in Minneapolis, MN.

• Sunday, June 28th (At the start of overnight camp, at Camp Koronis.)

Application Process:

1. Interested teens will fill out an online application.

2. Teens will take part in a group interview, to share their interest and prior leadership experience.

3. 4-H Staff will select 8 summer camp counselors– teens will respond to accept or decline their position before moving forward with training.

Complete the Online Application today!

We’re thrilled to announce two exciting ways staff, volunteers, and community partners can support
youth leadership development through the 2026 Building Leadership and Understanding (BLU) regional workshops! Whether you're passionate about leading engaging sessions or helping youth step into leadership roles, your involvement helps shape the next generation of changemakers.

Call for Workshop Proposals

Do you have a great idea for a hands-on, youth-focused leadership session? We’re now accepting proposals for one-hour workshops at the 2026 BLU events! These sessions should help youth in grades 6+ build leadership skills, connect with others, and explore the world around them.

We welcome proposals from:

• Volunteers
• Youth leaders
• Community partners
• Youth co-presenters are especially encouraged!

Workshop Dates

Saturdays between January 31 and February 28, 2026. Proposal Deadline: Friday, November 14. Submit your idea here.

Help Recruit Youth Program Facilitators

We’re also looking for youth in grades 10+ and young 4-H alumni to serve as Youth Program Facilitators (YPFs) at BLU! YPFs will co-lead small group learning alongside MN 4-H State Ambassadors, helping younger participants engage in meaningful leadership experiences. This is a fantastic opportunity for youth who are: Empathetic and inclusive, strong communicators, ready to lead and support other. Application Deadline: Sunday, November 30

Learn more and apply here. If you have questions about either opportunity, please reach out to Jacquie & Meg.

Come test your skills with archery where you will have the opportunity to showcase your archery and wildlife skills and learn from peers, coaches, and volunteers in a positive environment! Open to youth grades 4+. Register in 4-H Online by March 26, 2025. Medals will be awarded to the top individuals in the archery competition!

Find more details and register here:

https://extension.umn.edu/event/stevens-county-archery-invitational

Get ready to explore the wild side of Minnesota—right from home! Discover amazing amphibians and reptiles, learn how they survive in our lakes, forests, and wetlands, and find out why they’re so important to nature. We’ll also share simple, fun ways to help protect these incredible creatures and their habitats. This exciting program is full of learning and discovery, designed to spark curiosity and a love of wildlife. Dates are January 8, 15 and 22. Time is 7p.m. - 8 p.m. in the comfort of your own home. For grades K-13. registration is through 4-H Online.

We’re curious about how kids your age learn about plants, and whether you’ve used plant identification apps or not, your input matters! If you’re a 4-H member in kindergarten through one year past high school, we’d love for you to take this short survey. There are no right or wrong answers, just your honest thoughts. We’re trying to understand how youth use (or don’t use) plant ID apps, and what makes them helpful or challenging. Your feedback will help us create better resources to guide people in choosing and using these tools. This survey is led by the Invasive Species Education Community of Practice (IS CoP), a group of Extension and university professionals who collaborate to explore educational and research opportunities around invasive species, share ideas, and grow professionally together. Take the youth survey here:

Want to test your skills and knowledge in general livestock (beef, sheep, swine, and meat goat)? Livestock Skillathon Contests provide a valuable educational experience for youth. The overall content of these contests provide a framework for youth to learn a variety of topics related to production, management, products, equipment, and more.

Minnesota 4-H will be offering a General Livestock SkillaThon contest to 4-H youth in grades 3 through a year post high school. There will be two contest options (choose one): February 7 in Redwood Falls OR February 28 in Brainerd. The contest will begin at 9 a.m. and it takes about 3 hours to complete all stages of the competition (note team start times will be staggered from 9-10 a.m.). 4-Hers can participate in this event individually ($10) or as a team ($40 per team). Awards will be given out for top individuals and top teams; the top Senior team will be eligible to participate in the national competition! The complete rules and additional information z.umn.edu/GLSkillaThon.

Registration is due by January 25 by going to z.umn.edu/GLSkillathonRegistration.

If you have any questions please contact Brandi Schaap,at bmraatz@umn.edu, Kirstin Koch, at kochx040@umn.edu or David Foley at djfoley@umn.edu.

Do you have 4-H youth leaders who enjoy leading younger members or creating a fun virtual environment? We could use their teen superpowers to help build the Green Superheroes of Science (GSOS) program, where younger youth “show and tell” what they explored, tested, and discovered during weekly STEM experiments connected to polymer science. Youth will mix up moon dough (a cool bio-plastic), dive into green chemistry and fizzy foam fun, become a material engineer, solve a plastic litter mystery, create an art sculpture, and more!

Teens in grades 6+ (or very mature 5th graders) are invited to be a teen superhero and help lead large and small group activities during the LIVE Zoom GSOS gatherings on Jan. 22, Jan. 29, Feb. 5 and Feb. 12.

Teens are asked to join weekly 30 minute virtual prep meetings and a 1-hour training session in December or early January (date TBD by the group). Please share this opportunity! Interested teen leaders can apply by completing this form.

Application deadline: Jan. 5.

Learn more about Teen Superheroes of Science.

For more infomation, contact Amie Mondl (rober199@umn.edu), Heidi Wyatt (wyat0003@umn.edu), or Anne Stevenson (steve020@umn.edu).

4-H volunteers, youth members and staff are invited to join us on Jan. 22 from 7 to 8 p.m. for the Minnesota 4-H Animal Science Project Development Committee (PDC) Kickoff Webinar.

This session will help get your county committees off to a great start! Together, we'll explore how PDCs work and share ideas from across the state.

Members of the Minnesota 4-H animal science and volunteer systems teams will cover:

• The role of the PDC
• How a PDC supports the mission of the Minnesota 4-H program and local county program
• Committee structure
• Financial processes
• PDC's purpose, policies and rules
• Ideas for educational experiences

Audience

4-H livestock volunteers, youth and staff

Cost

Free

Registration

Complete this online Zoom registration form to attend.

Did you know that you can obtain some of your State Shoot Wildlife hours through online state offerings? Join Wildlife Wednesdays! Each week, you'll discover something new and inspiring about nature — from secret animal behaviors to incredible ecosystems — all while learning how to protect and respect the environment around us. Whether you're curious, have a love for animals, or looking for a midweek adventure, this series is your gateway to conservation knowledge and a lifelong love of nature. Sessions will be held virtually, 7-8 p.m., on the following Wednesdays: Nov. 19 and 26; Dec. 3, 10 and 17; Jan. 7, 14, 21 and 28; Feb. 4, 11 and 25; March 4, 11, 18 and 25; and April 1 and 8. Go to the Wildlife Wednesdays webpage for more information and registration!

Fill out the form below or email Sam at ston0392@umn.edu

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