Extension open house and 4-H enrollment night

Have trouble making it into the office during regular hours at the Extension office to enroll or pick-up 4-H or other materials?

On Feb. 22, the office will be open from 5-7 p.m. for an "Extension Open House and 4-H Enrollment Night" enabling 4-H youth and parents to stop by for forms, manuals and to submit completed forms for registration.

Also, for adults who are interested in "Open Class" projects, there will be handbooks and representatives available for those respective areas to help answer questions.

The Extension staff locally is seeking to make Purdue Extension programs and the Putnam County Fair a "family affair" so to speak. A good example was the Food Preservation Workshop a couple weeks ago where 40 individuals attended to learn about canning at the Putnam County Library. Parents, grandparents and youth were present. Extension locally is grateful for partners like Putnam County Farm Bureau, Inc. and Putnam County Hospital that were key co-sponsors that helped to advertise and organize the workshop.

Youth grades 3 through 12 are welcomed to join 4-H and are reminded that the deadline to enroll is April 1. The 4-H program is not strictly about the important lessons learned from showing livestock or farm activities. There are more than 50 non-animal projects that include shooting sports, scrapbooking, photography, sewing, aerospace, ATV safety, small engines, and model building crafts.

While Putnam County 4-H'ers decide which projects and activities that they want to enroll this year, they and your Purdue Extension-Putnam County staff would like to offer a challenge to their family members, friends, and fellow county residents to "Share the resources and opportunities!" When the 4-H'er is working on a craft project such as a wall hanging, adults can learn the same skills by making one with them and exhibiting it during the Putnam County Fair in the Adult Open Class exhibit area. If the 4-H'er travels around the county taking pictures for his or her photography poster, adults should consider taking a second camera on the venture and utilize photographs while exhibiting the product at the fair.

Also consider working adjacent to the 4-H'ers in your life as they maintain their vegetable and flower garden areas so they will have products to exhibit at the fair. The 4-H'er, other youth, and adults can exhibit in the Open Class Horticulture exhibit area in Harris Hall.

While food preparation and preservation skills are being developed by 4-H members, the family can go beyond enjoying the tasty time of the project activities but can share in a family fun time of planning a healthy meal, shopping for the needed items, preparing the food dishes, and enjoying dinner time together.

If a family or group of friends like to spend time outside, how about learning what is needed to set up a weather station at your home, developing an exercise regiment, studying our local trees or wildlife, or get involved with the adventure of a bicycle and ATV project? Involvement with the many animal project options would guarantee family and close friend time together. Extension resources are available pertaining to beef and dairy cattle to rabbits and poultry; sheep and swine to goats; and cat and dogs to horses.

The 4-H project manuals and reference books are good resources for persons of all ages. Additional sources of information are available through the expanded Purdue University website located at www.extension.purdue.edu.

This is your challenge: Work toward increasing your time spent with those in your life that you cherish while expanding your knowledge though quality leisure time activities.

Check our website www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam to view the most up to date info. You can contact the local Purdue Extension Office by calling 653-8411 for more information regarding column topics or to RSVP for upcoming events. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs.

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