Even though National 4-H Week is over, there is still plenty of time to promote your 4-H club and recruit new members. Remember, you can join a 4-H club at any time during the year.

The Extension office would be happy to provide you with 4-H brochures, flyers, bookmarks, etc. that you can use to promote 4-H. Club leaders are also welcome to make copies of their club meeting schedules or other promotional information at the Extension office.

If you have a friend who is new to 4-H, you might want to meet with them and ask if they have any questions about 4-H. Show them how to enroll in projects, how to contact the Extension office and the club leaders, etc. Introduce them to your friends in the club so they feel welcome.

And be sure to get to know the other new members of your club too. You never know what you might have in common!

In this month's Grapevine, we have included a few activities you might try at a club meeting or other event to get to know the other members of your club. The activities are fun and simple, and only require a few materials that you probably already have.

Have fun!

Beginning with the 2009 4-H year, the State 4-H office is instituting a program fee for all youth enrolled in 4-H Clubs. This fee has been set (by the state) at $20 per member.

However, thanks to generous donations from local fundraising groups, that fee has already been paid for any youth who want to participate in Bureau County 4-H.

Please note that this donation only covers this year, and is due in part to profits from Federation and 4-H Inc. fundraisers (Bureau County Fair, Pork Day, etc.) Please remember to thank all members of your club who assisted with those events. It is important that we continue to support these groups by assisting with the food stand fundraisers when asked, as they are working very hard to help keep the cost to families at a minimum.

In the coming weeks, you will receive a list of all the groups and businesses who donated to cover the program fee. When you receive the list, we would appreciate it if you would send them a thank you note.

All youth ages 5-7 and not yet in third grade as of September 1, 2009 can enroll in 4-H as Cloverbud members. Several 4-H Community Clubs have Cloverbud members. There is also a county-wide Cloverbud group that meets once per month from October through April. A Cloverbud schedule has been included in your printed copy of this month's Grapevine. Youth may come to the county-wide Cloverbud meetings regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in another 4-H club. The county-wide Cloverbud group does fun, hands-on activities that focus on a monthly theme.

The first meeting for this year will be Tuesday, October 27, 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Bureau County Farm Bureau Building, on Rt. 34/Elm Place in Princeton.

The theme for this month is "Spiders are Special." We will learn how spiders are similar to (and different from!) insects, make a spider craft, play spider games, read a story about spiders, and more! You will also get a chance to meet Charlotte, a real live spider!

Please note an adult (ages 16+) must attend all meetings with the child. Families and siblings are welcome.

If you have questions about Cloverbuds or need more information, please contact the Extension office at (815) 875-2878.

We will be starting some new blogs related to 4-H on our website. The first is the "Bureau County 4-H Updates Blog," where we will publish information about upcoming events. It will be similar to the Grapevine, but updated more than once per month. It may also include other information that is not in the newsletter, such as links to project information, events that take place in between Grapevine mailings, etc.

You can view this blog at:

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/bureau/blogs/eb202/index.html

4-H members, leaders, and families are also welcome to submit articles for the blog, so long as they are 4-H related, have appropriate content, and meet the guidelines for publishing on our website.

We are also thinking about starting some other new blogs for 4-Hers to read and contribute to, and we will let you know when those are available.

Submissions for the blog may be sent to jacaldwe@illinois.edu. Please note all submissions will be evaluated for content, and the Extension office reserves the right not to publish items that do not fit within our guidelines.

Would you like to learn to knit, but think it's too confusing? Are you an experienced knitter who would like to learn something new and fun? Then this workshop might be for you! On Saturday, November 7, from 9:00 a.m.—noon there will be a loom knitting workshop at the Extension office. You will learn how to use knitting looms (or knitting boards) to make a variety of items, including winter hats and scarves. Hand-knitted items make great holiday gifts as well!

There is a $5 fee to cover the cost of handouts and refreshments, as well as a supply list of items (included in your printed copy of the Grapevine) that you need to bring to the workshop.

Both youth and adults are welcome to participate in this class. Adult 4-H family members may participate even if their child is not attending.

To pre-register, please call the Extension office at (815) 875-2878 by Friday, November 6.

4-H Federation, 4-H Inc., and Friends of 4-H and Extension would like to express their thanks for your help at all of the fundraisers that were held this summer. We have heard many positive comments about the dedication of the volunteers, the hard work put forth by the families who helped, and their willingness to make these events a success. Thanks to your help, these fundraisers were very successful and we were able to serve a large number of people in a relatively short amount of time.

Please remember to thank those families in your club who helped to make these events a success!

The Extension office has several new/revised items available to help youth who are working on intercultural (Passport to the World) projects. These include:

· International Food File: This file has information about food customs in various countries around the world.

· International Cookbooks: We have several cookbooks (designed for young people) that have recipes from around the world.

· Culture Kits: The state 4-H office has discontinued their annual distribution of culture kits, and has instead given them to offices around the state. Bureau County has become the new permanent home for the Egypt and Argentina kits. The kits contain information and items from these countries.

Call or stop by the Extension office for more information.

Maybe you have some members of your club that you don't know very well. Maybe there are some new members in your club who don't know anyone. And maybe you have some friends in your club that you would like to know more about. Here are some activities to try that are fun and will help you learn about the members of your 4-H club:

· During roll call, rather than saying "here" or "present," have the president or secretary announce a question for everyone to answer. It might be something related to 4-H (what is your favorite project?), related to an upcoming event (are you going to dress up for Halloween?), or just something fun (what is your favorite sports team?) Everyone should say their answer to the question when his/her name is called.

· Make a list of questions you might ask a person (What is your favorite place to eat? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? etc.) Have everyone in the club interview a partner to learn more about them. Share your results with the group.

· Ask each member to write three statements about himself/herself—two that are true and one that is false (but all of which sound like they could be true). Each person should read their statements aloud, and the rest of the group has to guess which one is false.

· Ask each member to write down one thing about themselves they don't think the rest of the club knows. Mix them up. Have the club president read each fact, and the rest of the club has to guess who wrote it.

· Divide the club into groups of 4-5 people. Give the groups 5 minutes to list as many things as they can think of that they all have in common. Mix up the groups and try again.

· Have the group sit in a circle. Remove one chair and have that person stand in the middle. The person in the middle says something they enjoy, one of their hobbies, etc. (i.e. "I like basketball") and everyone who agrees has to get up and find a new seat. The person in the middle should also find a seat, so there is a new person in the middle for the next round. Stand and give everyone a piece of paper, masking tape, or paper plate to mark their spot if you don't have chairs.

· Write several two-choice questions (i.e. pop music vs. country music, "read the book" vs. "watch the movie", or even something silly, like "giraffe vs. monkey.") The group should start in the middle of the room. One person should indicate a side of the room for each choice, and then the members must run to choice they prefer.

Have Fun!

Bureau and Henry-Stark Extensions and Farm Bureaus will offer a series of equine seminars in November—check out the flyer in your printed copy of the Grapevine for more information. There is no fee for 4-H members to attend the seminars.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau, along with Marshall-Putnam and Stark County Farm Bureaus will be hosting a College Open House Day for Agriculture on Wednesday, November 18^th from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Marshall-Putnam Farm Bureau Building in Henry. This is a great opportunity for area students to meet locally with representatives of these schools.

The following schools who offer agriculture programs have been invited: Illinois State University, University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, Black Hawk East, Joliet Junior College, Lake Land College and Illinois Central College. If you are interested in majoring in agriculture, please feel free to attend the program and utilize this opportunity to meet with six Illinois colleges.

All area Marshall, Putnam, Bureau and Stark County public schools have been assigned a time slot to meet with representatives from these schools. If a school's assigned time does not work for a student, or a student is home-schooled, please feel free to contact the Farm Bureau office and they will be glad to assist with an alternate time slot.

Scheduled time slots:

10-11 a.m.—PHS, LaMoille, Ohio

11-noon-BVHS, Hall, DePue

If you have any questions regarding the day, or know a student who would like to attend please contact the Bureau County Farm Bureau at (815) 875-6468.

Small Engines 4-H Fair Superintendent and former 4-H Club leader Jack Becker has offered to provide Small Engines project workshops and/or classes to any 4-Her that is interested in learning about the project. No prior experience in this project is required. The workshops would be held during the winter or next spring. If you are interested in a workshop on this project area, please call the Extension office at (815) 875-2878.

The Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team is proud to announce Speaking for Illinois 4-H or SFI4-H!

The purpose of SFI4-H is to train 4-H members in advanced public speaking skills and business etiquette to effectively promote the University of Illinois Extension 4-H Youth Development Program. The ultimate goal is to offer a cadre of polished teen speakers across the state that are available to speak to civic groups, potential donors (county or state), and elected officials on the local, state, and federal level. Whether the topic be recruitment of potential 4-H volunteers, fund-raising, or budgets, we need 4-H members who are trained and qualified to share the 4-H vision and get the job done!

The Fall 2009 training is set for Saturday, November 14 at the Springfield Extension Center. Registration will start at 9:30 a.m. with the training from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Space is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no fee for the youth training, however if adults wish to attend to provide support for the youth, there is a $10.00 registration fee to help cover lunch expenses. If you are interested in this program, please call the Extension office at (815) 875-2878.

Did you know 4-H is an international organization? Illinois 4-Hers have opportunities to travel to other countries, including Japan, Australia, and Costa Rica. 4-H families are also able host international youth.

You can find out more by visiting http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/state4h/members/international.cfm

The Princeton Elementary Early Childhood program is looking for teen volunteers to assist with child care during their parenting classes this year. Your primary responsibilities would be playing with the children (mostly ages 0-5) while their parents are taking a class. Adult child care workers will also be there to provide guidance. Dates for classes vary, but are usually held on weekday evenings from 5:30-7:30 p.m. For more information, contact the Princeton Elementary Early Childhood Program at (815) 875-6075. This is a good opportunity to build experience if you are interested in babysitting, or might be useful if you are interested in the Child Development project.

Here are some fun facts about pumpkins to share with your family and friends:

• 90% of pumpkins grown for processing in the United States are grown within a 90-mile radius of Peoria, Illinois.
• Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A.
• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
• Pumpkin flowers are edible.
• The original pumpkin pies (made during colonial times) used pumpkins as part of the crust, not the filling.
• 496 million pounds of pumpkins were grown in Illinois in 2008.
• Most pumpkins are grown for processing. Only a small percentage are used for other purposes (like carving).
• Pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack.
• Pumpkins are used as feed for animals.
• Pumpkins are used to make soups, pies, and breads.
• Pumpkins originated in Central America.
• The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed more than 350 pounds.
• Native Americans flattened strips of pumpkins, dried them and made mats.

You can learn a lot more about pumpkins at University of Illinois Extension's "Pumpkins and More" website:

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/

If you'd like to carve a pumpkin this fall, here are some tips (from The Pumpkin Lady website):

• Choose a smooth pumpkin without deep ridges or a lot of bumps. It will make carving easier.
• Choose the flattest side of your pumpkin for carving, even if it's the ugliest side. It will be the easiest to carve, and when it's dark people can only see the glowing part anyway.
• Use a pumpkin saw instead of a knife for carving. It is safer. Remember to keep your non-carving hand away from the blade!
• For young children, it might be better to tell an adult where to carve and let them do the carving for you.

For free pumpkin carving patterns, visit one of these sites:

http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pattern.htm (the free patterns are at the bottom of the pattern category pages)

http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfeature/halloween_ms_pumpkins/

Your printed copy of the Grapevine should be arriving soon. Don't forget to check it for:

- A handout with some great tips for talks and demonstrations

- A flyer about the upcoming Equine Seminars

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/bureau/downloads/19858.pdf

- A flyer with information and a supply list for the Knitting Workshop

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/bureau/downloads/19864.pdf

- A Cloverbud brochure and full meeting schedule

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/bureau/downloads/19866.pdf

- A page to write down information about your club that you can keep in a convenient place