Regional Wildlife Contest

Another early morning so we could head into the woods for a Wildlife contest.  This time the regional contest was just right around the corner!  Since we actually prepared our supplies and clothes the night before, we were out the door without any hiccups!  In fact, I was in such a good mood (since I was not stressed out with last minute prep), I felt like singing!  SO...I did!  We sang out the animal plant preferences as we drove down the road!  I am not sure if it helped the boys but it was a fun way to relieve some of that pre-contest jitters!

We also arrived early enough to read a little more of that incredibly dry reading material...better known as the Hunter's Guide!  We covered a little of the fishing regulations.  The boys were so thankful to see their friends arrive.  They did not hesitate to jump out of the car to greet their team members!  So much for a captive audience!

We made our way through the normal registration paperwork and the contest began by 9:30am.  Thankfully, Zaira slept through most of the morning, so I was able to join some of the other coaches to judge the contest fairness.  This is a great opportunity to not only see the contest during the actual event BUT also speaking with the coaches and listen to their tips on learning the information.  Brendan chose to join me (probably because we were going into a warm building...it was a little chilly at the first part of the morning!) and he behaved as we went through the contest questions.  It is amazing how he knew when we had completed our run through the questions...he immediately began asking to leave!  That is OK...Zaira was starting to wake up also so it worked out well.

We found the rest of the parents and found an extra chair so I could take care of Zaira's needs.  Brendan found the other younger boys and played with his toys.  I ended up sitting with two 4H moms from another county.  It was a nice way to spend the time as we waited for the participants to return.

Then the coaches and parents who wanted to see the contest had a chance to walked through.  I always enjoy going through the contest with others because we can discuss the more difficult questions.  This time we had Christi and Wanda, along Joseph who could not wait to see the correct answers!  For the most part, we all decided the contest was a good representation of what we had learned this year...except the dreaded technique station!  We found badger skulls...bear jaw bones...scat...and gopher traps!  The way I look at it we have some new areas to work on for next year!  You just never know what we will find in this section of the contest.

We then enjoyed another waiting period with talk of various topics over our lunches.  Around 2pm, we learned that we did not place for one of the top two spots.  We took some pictures of our teams and then headed our separate ways.  We left knowing that we could check out our scores on line.

So, I just pulled up the scores and I was so proud to see that we placed 3rd and 5th place!  We were right up there with the other top teams.  As individuals, our 4Hers placed in the top 20 participants.   I am so proud of them for all their hard work! We won't be going on to state but we improved so much this year and we have many more years of contests for this young group of 4Hers!  It still amazes me to see the young ones (9-13 year olds) competing with the high schoolers!  Great job!

Sizing Up the Rifles

Just a short blog post to say that the boys got to be sized for the rifles they will use for the next few months.  I was surprised at how quickly the boys were able to use the rifles.  They have all used a rifle at different events over the last few years, but it was in a very controlled situation with someone right beside them to assist.

Today, each of them were given a rifle and asked to lie in a prone position.  The instructors set them up in a sling to hold the rifle while they shot.  Then the boys were expected to load their own rifle (I did not even know they knew how to do that!) and shoot at the targets down range.

I will not say they are marksman just yet, but they shot well for their first time.  The boys were just excited that they were able to hit the target!

Now that the instructors know the rifles they will need, they will set up a practice schedule.  We will not officially begin for a couple of weeks.

So, it looks like we have a new project to keep us busy.  I am glad the boys have this opportunity...I would not be able to do this on my own.  They need to try this even if it is only for a year.  We will see if it is the right project for them as the weeks go on.

Last Meetings for a while...

We had our regular 4H project meetings today.

We started out with Wildlife where we discussed the correct answers from the contest.  We will have one more meeting before we compete again at the regional contest.  It is hard to believe the fall classes have gone by so quickly!  We will probably not meet again for Wildlife until next year.  It seems so hard to believe.  However, we will immediately start focusing on our WHEP (Wildlife Habitat Education Program) concepts so Wildlife is not out of the picture just yet.  So, next week we might need to have a surprise for the group as we meet to look over last minute techniques.

We then went to Robotics and learned that the project would be coming to an end a week early.  It just was not feasible to extend the meetings an additional week since that would have meant learning new concepts.  We were at a good stopping point in the modules.  We are not through for the year, but we are taking a break so our project leaders can get through the busy holiday season with their catering business.  We will start up again in January.

I am looking forward to seeing where this leads us...will we continue Junk Drawer Robotics? Or will we start the infamous Lego Robotics?  Only time and money will tell!

The 4Hers did complete the goal of creating a mechanical arm that could lift objects (various weights) and move them across multiple planes.  I know I have said this many times over the last few weeks, but I am so amazed by the ideas the youth designed.  All very different and flexible in the adaptations that improved over the course of the project.  I think all the groups enjoyed the results of their efforts.  Everyone was successful at various degrees.

I also liked how the older ones learned to work with the younger ones.  It is a good skill to learn patience.  It also gave the older ones an opportunity to teach in a way adults cannot ever seem to accomplish.  For instance, these two little cuties (in the picture to the left) might have seemed like they were just running around squealing ..they were actually very interested in what was going on around them.  I was even surprised to see these two sitting so quietly as they watched the older ones at work!

Also, there were practical advice throughout the project for the actual 4Hers involved.  Tonight I heard many older ones giving tips on how to create the parts of the arm.  This was more about construction but very important life skills.  I love that about 4H!  Sometimes the learning has nothing to do with the project content.  I cannot emphasize that enough for all the 4H projects!  I think that is why there is such a wide range of ages involved in 4H.  There is always someone for the youth to admire and want to learn these skills. The project content just becomes the setting for these life lessons!

I am so thankful for the ability to invite the entire family to join in the fun!  And isn't that what it really is all about?  Having fun!  I am also thankful that even though there might be competitions to attend...in the end it is about enjoying time with your friends learning about a topic of interest.  And maybe even learning that you have an interest!  There were siblings who came only because they had to be there for their brother or sister...in the end, they usually joined in the learning and were very creative!  Of course, there were also those who learned they would never be engineers!  So, it worked out both ways!  Have I mentioned that I love this about 4H?  I see it as another way "to make the best better!"  Learning your strengths and weaknesses definitely makes the world a little bit better place!

Shooting Sports

New project alert!!!!!

Today we began our new adventure in 4H...shooting sports.  Henry has been begging me for the last four years to join this project..I was just not ready for the commitment needed.  However, after being persistent for so long, I decided to let him have a chance.  This also gave Sean and Edward the opportunity to try as well.  After all, we all have to be there anyway...there is no reason to just sit around.

So, today was just an introduction to the project.  We filled out paperwork and listened to the rules of the range.  This included each of the boys signing a paper stating that they understood the rules of the range.  There are three instructors for this project...Robert, Travis and David.  These men really seem to care about the safety and enjoyment that is needed to make this project helpful for their gun ability for recreation and competition.  I can see that the main concern is going to be keeping these 4Hers safe at all times.

The rules are simple...be safe and all will be good!  That means keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction, being aware of the surroundings, and listening to the instructors at all times.  It seems simple enough to me...I hope the boys can handle it.  Of course, it is already known that if they cannot, they will be out of the program.  There were about twenty 4Hers who all want to learn so getting cut from the program is definitely an option.

Mr. Robert did not waste any time showing the group that consistency is the key to performing well.  He demonstrated handing off the rifle for use.  EVERY TIME he gave a gun to one of the 4Hers, he would ask, "Got it?" and the 4Her was to respond, "Got it!"  This was a very important process that must be followed in order to take a gun into your hands.  Once the 4Her responded, the rifle in their possession was their responsibility.

It was a great introduction.  Next week we will meet to fit the boys for the right size rifle and determine when their time slots for the weekly practice.  I know this will be god for them.  I will just need to find a way to keep the younger ones entertained while we are at the range.

This Week in 4H

We have been very busy this week, especially with our 4H events...so it has been hard to stay up long enough to post about our events.  I thought I would take the time now to update our activities.

Tuesday was our regular 4H project meetings.  We had a brief discussion about our mock contest from the week before.  The meeting was cut short because we were rained out about half way through the meeting.  We did have a new 4Her come to the meeting and we look forward to learning with Anna in the next few weeks.

It was a good review overall and I was able to give the group some last minute things to go over at home before the contest the next day.  The main focus was on techniques and gaming laws.

We then had our Robotics meeting.  I was not able to stay due to another event, however, the boys enjoyed adding a claw to their arm construction.  I hope to see these next week, especially since I did not leave the camera with the boys to take pictures!

Wednesday was the big day for our district Wildlife contest.  We arrived with plenty of time to study any last minute questions.  Our boys choice to listen as I read from the Hunter's Guide.  I guess this must have been a good choice because they would later find out these were the questions asked on the contest!

The contest was different from a year ago...we had no compass and pacing course.  It seemed strange to see the four groups divided and sent out to an area within view.  Normally, we would see them walking out into the woods for the contest.

The contest still took over two hours to complete.  While the 4Hers were having a BBQ sandwich lunch, Wanda and I made it around the contest.  It was great to see that we could answer most of the technique questions and the plant samples were all identifiable.  There was one tree that I had to ask about (black gum) and another that had leaves so high up from the ground they were hard to identify.  All in all it seemed like a straight forward contest.

With a short delay after lunch, we were given the results.  We do not have competition at this level so we were guaranteed the two slots to go on to the regional contest.  However, it was good to know we had divided the teams properly so the same groups will work together in a couple of weeks.  The big surprise was the high point individual...Sean was given this award!  So proud of him for that last push to practice before contest!  Also, for the first time...the scores for our groups were comparable to FFA members.  This has not happened in a while, so I guess we are finally studying the right material!  That is always good to know as a project leader.

We look forward to the next contest with hopes of going on to the State level in the spring.

Today we also joined with Ms. Christi and Jaron to serve the Veterans sandwiches, coffee and donuts.  This is always so rewarding.  I can never stop helping these Veterans...they are so humble.  They really are happy to see the young 4Hers join in to help.

And while the other activity we enjoyed this week is not technically a 4H activity, you might be interested in our wild bee harvest from the last week.  Check out my other blog (go to the end of the blog to get to that part of the story) as we had two bee harvests this week!  Today we had the second of the two hives set up in the corner of our garden.

And the Big Winner is...

Just a quick post to say that the last of the 4Hers were able to complete our mock contest this afternoon.  I just wanted to let everyone know the high point scorer for this club contest.

Congrats to Joseph for his accomplishment!  High score was 90 points...Awesome job!  Of course you know the prize is to lead the group next Tuesday right?  Just joking, I will bring your prize next Tuesday when we meet.

After looking over the answers, I encourage all of you to study the gaming laws in the next couple of days and the animal preferences.

Also, today we attended the Beekeeper's meeting.  Check out my other blog to see the fun we had!
http://ourotherstuff.blogspot.com/2012/10/quiet-thursday.html

Mock Contest and Pneudraulic Arms

Today at our Wildlife meeting we had a mock contest.  I put together all of the parts of the contest so it looked as much like the real contest as possible.  Wow!  I have a greater appreciation for the ones who put this contest together.  Of course, the judges are experts and probably know these answers without needing to look them all up in books and on the internet.  However, I can see that it is not something you can put together in an afternoon.

I spent most of the last week culling through past contests (pictures and old emails) as I looked for questions that I never would be able to create on my own.  THEN, I had to make sure I knew the answer!  I threw out a lot of questions and realized how little I know about wildlife.  I realize that I still have a long way to go before I would ever be considered an expert myself.  Thankfully, I still can look to my personal wildlife expert, even though she is MILES away!  Amanda, graciously, answered questions about all the ones that continued to stump me.

So, once the contest was created, I was able to make it to the museum and set it all out for the 4Hers.  It was not exactly like the contest but pretty close.  It took them about an hour and a half to go through the entire contest.

I was all set to give out the high point individual for our mock contest (as promised!), when I realized that two of our 4Hers have not taken the contest yet.  I had promised that they could come back later in the week and have their chance to answer the questions.  SO, I will need to hold off a couple of days before announcing the winner!

However, I can suggest that EVERYONE review their gaming laws.  Here is the website for the hunting safety course that is online.  This will help you to study and it is fun!  Check out the link...http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hunter_education/homestudy/index.phtml.

Also, look over the plant preferences and management technique sections in your Wildlife books!

I will announce the winner as soon as I can get the others through the contest, so keep watching for  the announcement!  Oh...and at this time the high score is a 90 (not saying who just yet!) out of 136 points.


After this meeting, we made our way to Robotics.  I wish I could tell more about this project, but it is so far beyond my understanding.  All I know is that the groups continued working on their mechanical arms.  Today they added syringes and tubes to create an automatic movement.  Because this is introducing air into the mechanical action the groups have now created a pneudraulic arm.

I thought it was great how the lessons move into this concept slowly.  The groups began by making pinwheels.  Then, using different methods of thrusting air on the wheel, they were able to move the pinwheel.  They also tried to move a bolt across the surface of the table with the use of a balloon.  From this, the groups could see the use of air to create movement.  They were then expected to use this knowledge to improve on their mechanical arms.  

We have completed our work on the mechanical arms.  Each group was allowed an opportunity to showcase their creation.  I continue to be amazed by all of the interesting designs.  We have some very creative 4Hers.

Next week I think they will start work on a mechanical vehicle.  I look forward to seeing more creativity throughout this month.