4-H Blogs

The best leaders are those who also serve others. 4-H offers a wide variety of opportunities for youth to develop those servant leadership skills. The four 4-H Federation groups in Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties have worked hard over the past year encouraging others through 12 various...

Youth and families are currently impacted by a variety of stressful events outside of their control. Changes in normal routines, limited social interaction with friends and families, and missed significant life events can all increase the stress and anxiety children and families are feeling....

The skill mastery exhibited during the 2020 Virtual 4-H Shows seemed extra special this year and deserved an extra special recognition. A drive-thru awards ceremony was held honoring the Tazewell County 4-H Virtual Show exhibitors. “An important part of the 4-H experience is the recognition of...

Combining classic children’s literature with engineering activities resulted in a unique learning combination for a unique situation. 4-H staff with University of Illinois Extension serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties created “Storybook Engineering” kits for youth to use at home...

Peoria County 4-H members look forward to the day they are old enough to become a Junior Superintendent at the 4-H Show. That volunteer role holds a special place of honor for a small group of teens each year. While their responsibilities looked very different for the 2020 Virtual 4-H Show, the...

An unprecedented spring and summer, filled with COVID fears and cancellations, made it clear that the upcoming school year would be far from business as usual. The University of Illinois Extension 4-H educators Judy Schmidt and Emily Schoenfelder generally work within the sphere of non-formal...

Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) programming in the University of Illinois Extension Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit may have looked different this summer, but one thing was still the same –kids were engaged in STEAM activities and career exploration.  4-H staff...

Local 4-Hers did not let the cancelation of the regular 4-H Shows stop them from exhibiting their 4-H projects with the same pride and skill development as they have shown in the past. Thanks to the hard work, creative thinking, and ingenuity of the University of Illinois Extension staff, 327 youth...

Embryology in the Classroom has been a long standing part of University of Illinois Extension’s 4-H program and it continues to grow in classroom participation across Tazewell County. From 2010 to 2019, the number of classrooms participating in the program quadrupled from 8 to 32 classrooms....

“I pledge my hands to larger service...” is part of a pledge that 4-H members have said for many generations.  Service to others is one of the main pillars of the 4-H program. 4-H members participate in service projects year-round through their clubs, county, and state-wide opportunities....