Hello Henry-Stark Cloverbuds! I'm Angela your new 4-H & Youth Community worker and am looking forward to meeting all of you at either the 2009 Henry or Stark county fair. This will be a very exciting time for all the Cloverbuds that are exhibiting for the first time or for a return visit to the fair. Good Luck to all who choose to participate!

We will be hosting a Cloverbud workshop at Black Hawk East, Building 4, on April 4, 2009. This workshop is a great opportunity for you to learn something new, make craft projects and meet kids your own age! For more information, or to register, call the Extension office at: 309-853-1533. Registration is limited, so sign up early and bring a friend!

Earth Day is coming up soon, so make sure to get involved in an activity that will help Mother Earth go green. Some ideas are included in this newsletter.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Angela Basehoar

4-H & Youth Community Worker

Here are some ways you can make a difference to help go green during Earth Day and every day!

*Turn off the light when you leave a room

*Shut off the water while you brush your teeth

*Take faster showers or baths in just a small amount of water

*Help hang clothes on the line instead of putting them in the dryer

*Donate old towels, blankets and comforters to local animal shelters for bedding

*Choose products that are not over packaged at the store

*Start a compost bin using food scraps and garden waste

*Get your family involved in a recycling program including: plastic, paper,

aluminum and glass

*Walk, ride a bike or take the bus instead of traveling by car

What you need:

*Smooth, round or oval rocks *Acrylic craft Paint of your choice

*Black acrylic craft paint *2 wiggly eyes for each ladybug

*Black Sharpie marker *Acrylic matte sealer spray

*White craft glue

1. Scrub your rock with warm soapy water. Dry all rocks, or let air dry over night.

2. Paint your rocks in desired colors and allow to dry. Apply a second or third coat if needed to fully cover the rock. Lighter colors will require more coats of paint.

3. Paint the head on your rock by using black acrylic craft paint. There is no pattern needed, just paint about 1/4 of the rock black in the "front".

4. Use a black Sharpie to draw a straight line down the center of the rock, starting at the center of the base of the "head".

5. Dip the eraser of a pencil in black craft paint. Dot on the spots, reloading with paint after each dot.

6. Once the paint is dry, spray the rock(s) with the acrylic sealer spray. Allow sealer to dry completely.

7. Using white craft glue, attach wiggle eyes and let dry.

Note: White and black paint can be used instead of wiggle eyes. Simply dot on white paint, allow to dry, then use a smaller tool to dot on the black.

Have fun and be creative!

Craft is from http://kaboose.com

*Cloverbud Series 1 *Exploring 4-H Group Activities

*Cloverbud Series 2 *Health—It's your Choice

*Aerospace 1 *Latino Cultural Arts

*Arts & Crafts *Polite is Right

*Bicycle 1 *Step Up to Leadership 1

*Embryology 1 *WOW! Wild Over Work

April

4 Cloverbud Workshop Day

22 Earth Day

May

15 Henry County Fair registration due

June

20 Henry County Fair General Project Day

23-28 Henry County Fair

July

10 Stark County Fair registration due

24-27 Stark County Fair

Who can participate: Children, ages 5-7. Children do not have to be a 4-H Cloverbud member to register, so bring your friends!

Time: 1 pm to 4 pm Place: Black Hawk East Building 4

Cost: $6 per child Registration: 12:30 to 1 pm

Workshops: Beginning at 1 pm, there will five project workshop sessions for the Cloverbuds to participate in: Bicycle Safety, Fire Safety, Ice Cream in a Bag, Safe Pet Handling and Soil Sam.

Sign-up Deadline: March 25th (space is limited to the first 25)

*Parents are encouraged to stay and help if able.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, please contact the

Extension Office at (309) 853-1533 before March 25th.