4-H in Indiana

4-H in Indiana

By: Carolyn O. Robinson, MD, FAAP

I grew up in a small Indiana community where a popular summer activity was participating in the local 4-H clubs.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see 4-H’ers in action again when I took my elderly father to the Hendricks County Fair.  I wanted to watch a patient show her sheep, and my father wanted to eat a pork burger. We enjoyed both activities and wandered throughout the fairgrounds, seeing the projects 4-H members had worked hard to display.

Are many of you familiar with 4-H? Most county fairs have already happened for this summer, but the state fair is an opportunity to visit the 4-H building and see examples of projects that are on display. Project options are vast, and include animals, but many others for those who don’t have animals. It is a great chance for kids to be creative and try something they might not have done before, as well as a time to gain knowledge in other areas of interest.

There is an annual 4-H overnight camp as well as leadership opportunities for teens, project workshops, and club meetings. Here are some photos of things I learned while I was at the county fair.

4-H sign-up runs from October 1, 2021 through January 15, 2022. For more information, please go to the Purdue Extension Website by clicking here.