Lydia & Cockerel Nimbus

Contrary to a common misunderstanding, you don’t have to be “100% country” or live on a farm for your children to be active in 4H.  Truly, 4H clubs are located everywhere – including very large cities across the country.

My niece Lydia, is a perfect example.  She lives in a very urban area and yet she has been participating as a “Cloverbud” (youngest rank for a 4H member) for the past three years and loving it.  Lydia is pictured above with one of her bantam Wyandotte cockerels, named Nimbus (yes, after a Harry Potter broomstick) in the 4H poultry costume contest at the Western Idaho Fair this past week.  Nimbus is “driving” a little John Deere Tractor as his costume and he (and Lydia) won 3rd place.

Participating in 4H, even as urban or suburban backyard chicken keepers is beneficial to both your kids and the community.  

Participating in 4H teaches children valuable life skills about animal stewardship, public speaking, sportsmanship through all of the competitions.  Moreover, it is a ton of fun for kids to get together and spend time with other who share their interest in chickens.  It is also noteworthy that 4H has numerous projects for children to participate in, such as: animal showmanship (e.g. poultry, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, horses, cows, etc.), cooking, sewing, robotics, woodworking, shooting (archery and guns) and much more.  I like to think of 4H as being like co-ed scouts but with the focus on learning more practical skills.  Moreover, there are many college scholarships available to 4H participants.

Having your children participate in 4H is good for the community as well. In today’s society where most individuals have little to no appreciable understanding of where food comes from and what it takes to care for livestock, 4H helps to keep and pass-on that valuable knowledge to new generations.  As 4H members, your children would carry on traditional skills and be able to share that knowledge with their friends and peers.  As a society, having active 4H clubs in our communities helps to keep people better connected to their food sources and to respect our human responsibility for animal stewardship.

I know that I’ve said it before, but I am going to say it again – put your children into 4H! Find a 4H club in your area here – 4H Club Locator

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