The Marion County 4-H livestock judging team had phenomenal success during the 2013 judging season, and that success is hard to contain. Last weekend, more than 200 youth participated in the county's annual livestock judging contest in Salem, with youth traveling from Indiana, Oklahoma and Oregon...

The competition is only a small part of the real accomplishments which happen through Illinois 4-H robotics. A group of Will County 4-H participants discovered that when 24 teams showcased their skills in the regional 4-H Robotics Box Bot Showcase in Joliet, hosted by University of Illinois...

For 25 years, University of Illinois Extension's "Simply the Best" program in Washington County has mixed the right ingredients to inspire positive change in the lives of 250 junior high youth there a year. High school teens who have been through the program themselves serve as mentors, helping...

The following message came from a middle school teacher in Northern Illinois where Illinois 4-H has teamed with National 4-H Council to provide grant-funded 4-H robotics special interest clubs. She has seen the change in one young boy's life because of our valuable program. "One of my boys has a...

It speaks well of a state program when one of it's former longtime employees is honored for the magic they did for generations of 4-H members. Illinois can be proud. Errol G. Burns, a former University of Illinois Extension staff member, now of Vernal, Utah, was inducted into the National 4-H Hall...

The DeWitt County "Where Does My Lunch Come From?" 4-H SPIN Club gave 4-H members a chance to check out local agricultural sites to see where their food comes from and how it is raised or grown. Each day, the youth prepared a lunch which related to those agricultural businesses they toured. "In...

Robots will take over the ARC this Saturday during the sixth annual Illinois State 4-H BoxBot Robotics Competition. Approximately 300 students within 45 teams from across the state will exhibit their robots and compete against each other. In addition to the student competitors, University students...

"I hear that train a-comin," and it's being led by a group of former 4-H members who found each other on the University of Illinois campus years after spending a summer together as 4-H counselors. David and Daniel Fulton, twin sons of U of I Extension staff Sherry and John Fulton, first met Grady...

As we fill our bellies this Thanksgiving holiday, some 4-H youth will have a greater appreciation for the food set before them. The 4-H Hunger Ambassadors in Milan held a Hunger Banquet, but not everyone filled their plates. In fact, many didn't even get a seat at the table. The Hunger Banquet...

It's easy to tell friends and family about 4-H. Now, imagine you're a teenager and you're telling your story at the Illinois State Capitol. This spring, 49 4-H members did just that. The youth were specifically trained, either through the Speaking for Illinois 4-H educational program or as members...

It's what every good carpenter knows; "measure twice, cut once." Now, 4-H members in DeWitt County know the benefit of careful planning after attending a woodworking workshop which taught basic carpentry skills, such as using a scroll saw, chop saw, band saw, belt sander, planer, drill and air nail...

When a tornado hit Washington, Ill., 4-H families across the state were quick to respond, due, in large part, to the work of the Extension staff in Woodford County. Through the efforts of 4-H clubs, families and friends, $10,000 in gift cards have been donated to help the families who lost homes...

University of Illinois Extension and the American Heart Association (AHA) teamed up to motivate children at the Joliet Park District Hartman Center to live healthier lives. Megan Walsh, U of I Extension youth educator, organized the interactive educational event, which was led by David Lee, an...

Zoe Vicich wants people to think twice before tossing their pop tabs. Vicich, 14, of Sandwich, hopes to donate one million pop tabs to the Ronald McDonald House Charities so families will have a comfortable place to go while they are caring for a child in the hospital. It's a goal she'll need a...

Kids love to figure things out. Nearly 140 kids stretched their minds and investigative skills at the University of Illinois Extension 4-H Clover Clinic held at Illinois Central College in East Peoria. They gained new skills from more than 30 interactive workshops, such as ballroom dancing, origami...

More than 200 youth experienced a bit of college life during the 2014 Illinois 4-H Illini Summer Academies, sponsored by University of Illinois Extension in cooperation with several departments on campus. High school youth stayed in dorms, experienced campus recreation and food, and spent 15 hours...

Eric's pony was being a typical pony on show day; stubborn. For two years, Eric struggled to find common ground with his pony. The pony didn't do anything Eric asked of him on show day, said Extension Program Coordinator Amanda Fox. Eric's attempt to show the pony left him exhausted and frustrated...

How do you get kids interested in horticulture? In Montgomery County, you show them plants that eat things. 4-H members learned how and why carnivorous plants eat insects. Andrew Holsinger, U of I Extension horticulture educator, provided the hands-on instruction. When the county's classroom...

What do you do with a shoe that you aren't wearing anymore? If you're a 4-H member in Kendall County, chances are you've turned it into a garden planter. With instruction from 17-year-old 4-H Member Cydney Olah, youth took shoes from an area resale store and created a garden planter. ...

Sometimes, the best teachers are those who once learned the same lessons in the same setting. 4-H alumna Rachel Skelton, who currently serves on the Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team, returned to Logan County to teach teambuilding skills to the 4-H Leadership class. "She really made this...