A the last meeting of the Time for Technology 4-H Club, members made mini claws out of everyday materials. They tried to make something that could pick up things, move forward and backward, and move from side to side. Once they made their claws, they tried to pick up first one object and then multiple objects with the claws.  Club members were challenged to think, work together, and go through multiple prototyping stages.  All club members had a fun time learning by doing. 

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Six Fairfax County 4-H'ers attended 4-H Day at the State Capitol yesterday.  They got to meet with legislators, learn about the life of Senate pages, view the Senate and House Sessions, and take a tour of the capitol.  It was an eye-opening first hand experience to learn more about how laws are made for the Commonwealth. 

The Nutts 4 Mutts 4-H Dog Club held a Meet and Greet on January 15 at the Hollin Hall Senior Center in Alexandria.  Guests and members played a guessing game to see how well they knew famous dogs from literature, film, and real life.  Trinity Woodall gave a presentation explaining 4-H and the club’s activities.  Sarah Parshley and her dog Rocco put on a tricks demonstration.

Forty-two 4-H’ers participated in the Art of Public Speaking Workshop on February 9^th.  They got to learn about extemporaneous speech, speech organization, non-verbal communication, introductions and conclusions, and PowerPoint from experienced public speakers.  At the end of the workshop 97% of participants said that they felt more comfortable speaking publicly and planned to use the skills they learned at the workshop. 

Herndon Horse 4-H Club announced its new club officers during their Halloween party in October.  The officers elected are as follows: President - Rachel Stephenson; Vice President - Meaghan O'Brien; Secretary - Caitlin Embly; Reporter - Rebecca Honigford; Historian - Regina Honigford.  During the December meeting, members signed cards for military patients at the Walter Reed Medical Center. 

Congrats to the newly elected club officers!

The Mt. Vernon 4-H Adventurers organized a dinner for the seniors at Hollin Hall Senior Center on February 1.  They made dishes with items from their winter garden including spinach pizza and kale chips.  They'll host another dinner for the seniors on March 8th. 

The 2 B a Bee 4-H Club has began the new year with plenty of excitement! In February, the club created homemade candle molds for making beeswax candles to practice after the presentation/explanation given by club leader Brenda Kiessling in December. The club has plans to make a film documentary about harvesting a wild bee tree, also. An ongoing discussion on Drone Congregation Areas (DCAs) with continuous speaker Todd Harding is gaining speed monthly and will lead to a field search for some Drone Congregation Areas sometime in the the spring. Who knows what else 2013 might have in store for the 2 B a Bee 4-H'ers.





Club members Abby Fry and Lukas Camby make silicone rubber molds for beeswax candles.








Todd Harding talks to club members about drone congregation areas.

Eleven teen Fairfax County 4-H'ers learned about the legislative process by visiting the National Capitol on January 28th.  They got to tour the Capitol, view the senate session, and meet with legislative aides and interns in the house and senate.  It was an incredibly informative trip and I wouldn't be surprised if in a couple of years you'll see some of these 4-H'ers working on the Hill. 

A great time was had by all at the 2013 Natural Resources Weekend at Holiday Lake 4-H Center.  Participants learned about managing wildlife habitat, edible insects, shooting, falconry, building bat boxes, road kill, lumberjacking, and much much more.  Below is a shot of the Fairfax County 4-H'ers that attended and a couple from our group that learned just how delicious mealworms can be!