Contents "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" When the Phone Rings Cloverbud Activity 4-H History Clover History Campus Connections Snack Time

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

Most of you probably recognize or embody the term "soccer mom." Drive past any community soccer field on a weekend and you will see scores of young children and parents lining the fields for "the big game." Be it soccer, baseball, football, or any other sport, our young people and their families feel a strong need or desire to be involved. While the assumption is that this involvement is positive, is this really the place where we want our 5-8 year olds to be?

Following are some reasons why it is good for 5-8 year olds to be involved in youth athletics. However, not all situations provide these elements. When choosing whether or not to involve a young person in these events, determine to what extent these elements are the reason for their being there:

• Developing Interest
  Young people ages 5-8 are not ready to be perfect in all they do in athletics. A main goal for their involvement is to gauge or help develop their interest in a particular sport.

  PRACTICE POINT: Allow children to participate in a number of different sports. By exposing them to different opportunities, they will be better able to decide later which they would like to specialize in and may then stick with their sport longer.

• Learning "The Basics"
  Children at this age are not ready to master a position but can begin to learn some basic skills that will help them later in their particular sport. Remember, our 5-8 year olds are still working to develop muscle coordination and many are new to fine motor skills altogether. We cannot and should not expect them to undertake complex and long drills.

  PRACTICE POINT: Make games out of simple skills. The traditional game of "catch" will go a long way to help a young person fine tune motor skills and prepare for future experiences that build on this skill. Also, allow young people to play in a number of different positions while keeping the rules simple and basic.

• Foster Group Skills
  Just as we have learned through our research with Cloverbuds, we know that 5-8 year old youth are not ready for competition. Involvement of young people at this age in athletics should, like Cloverbuds, help them learn to socialize, play together, and value one another.

  PRACTICE POINT: Competition is discouraged at this age. Consider participation awards that include everyone (ie. trophies, ribbons, juice boxes, etc.) Also, be sure to include as many young people as possible. Winning a game is not as important as giving everyone a chance to play.

• Have Fun
  Participation in athletics should be a voluntary choice. With a positive experience here, it is our hope that these young people will develop lifelong fitness habits. Therefore, it is important that our programs for youth meet their needs. Highlight the positives and do not dwell on negativity and criticism. Youth, like most of us, will return to an environment where they feel empowered and valued.

  PRACTICE POINT: Provide positive reinforcement when children master a new skill or do good things. For example, "Sally…great job kicking that ball straight. Why don't you try that again?" Also, remember to smile and have fun when working with these groups.

Coaches and parents who appropriately work with these young people cannot be involved for the glory of winning with the goal of coaching the "championship team." Rather, these young people require the caring presence of an individual who is more interested in who they are and what they need rather than what they bring to the team.

With the above elements in place, youth can find an environment that welcomes them to explore athletics and can begin to develop skills that will lead to future success. While the coach or parent involved may not see immediate success, they must take heart in the fact that they have provided what these young people need. With any luck they will be given the greatest reward of all – seeing these young people as adults following their lead and doing the same for the next generation.

If these items are what you are building or seeing in your community, won't you please. " take me out to the ballgame!"

Source: Luke Woods,
Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development
Fairfield County, Ohio

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When the Phone Rings

Children need to know how to properly handle telephone calls while they are home alone. Consider these suggestions.

Make sure that the telephone area is set up to avoid problems. Have a list of emergency telephone numbers posted by each phone. The safety lesson suggests that you and your child look the numbers up together. That way you can discuss who the people are on the emergency list and who to call in which situations. It also gives you a chance to teach how to use the telephone book.

Make sure there is a pencil or pen (that works) and a pad of paper by the telephone. Stress that these are not to be moved, or a telephone call will come and no paper and pencil will be near.

Set telephone rules with your child ahead of time. Do this together so the child understands the reasons behind the rules. Some things to decide on would be how many calls each child may make, who they may call and how long they may talk. It is a good idea to have a time limit on calls so that you can call home to check on things. You may even want to use some sort of timer. Some parents subscribe to a "call waiting" telephone service that gives a little beep if another call comes in while someone is on the telephone.

Be sure your child knows how to reach you. It is also a good idea to set guidelines as to why you may be called. Otherwise, the child may call every few minutes about trivial matters instead of important ones.

Besides discussing this topic with your children, act out the situations with the telephone. Make sure your children know how to call out and practice the many different types of calls they could receive. With practice, the proper method of handling the situation will come more naturally. Also, be sure to practice taking messages.

Source: Keys for Kids - Guide for Parents, © 1985 by The Ohio State University.

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Cloverbud Activity

• Answer the telephone with "Hello". Do not give your name when you answer the phone. Never tell the caller your name, address, phone number or that you are alone- - even if the caller asks. While you are on the phone, remember to talk clearly and to speak up. Also, make sure that you hold the receiver close to your mouth…under the chin does not work. If the call is for your parents and they are not at home, say that your mother or father is busy and can not come to the phone right now, but will return the call. Ask the caller for their name and phone number…write it down. Then call your parents and have them return the call. That way the caller will never know you are home alone.
• Have Cloverbuds practice answering the phone. Adult volunteers can be the callers. Try many different situations.
• Practice calling your parents' work numbers using a toy phone or a real one which has been unplugged. Then try it for real.

Source: Keys for Kids - Guide for Parents,
© 1985 by The Ohio State University.

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4-H History

• 4-H was started in 1902 when A.B. Graham, superintendent of schools for Springfield Township in Clark County, Ohio, established a "Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Club." This was the start of what would be called a "4-H Club" within a few years.
• Some of the first "projects" offered were food preservation, gardening and elementary agriculture.

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Clover History

• In 1908 the first 4-H club logo was designed and it was a three leaf clover emblem. The three H's stood for "Head", "Heart" and "Hands." A fourth "H" was soon added and stood for "Hustle."
• In 1911 the present 4-H emblem, a green four-leaf clover with an "H" in each leaf was adopted. The four H's stood for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. (The fourth "H" which previously stood for "hustle" was designated for "health.")

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Campus Connections

When conducting Cloverbud meetings during this summer season don't forget about utilizing the great outdoors! Many of the activities in the 4-H Cloverbud Curriculum Series I & II can be done outside and are enhanced in that setting.

If you are using the Cloverbud Curriculum Series II there are several curriculum pieces that stand out to me that would be excellent for conducting them outdoors. Here are a few to consider: "Have You Eaten a Flower Today," "Sports," "Bugs, Butterflies, Worms, & Spiders," "Wildlife," "Ant Antics!" and "The Wonder of Water." In general, most kids love being outside. As a Cloverbud leader you might also like the fact that by being outside their voices are not contained by the walls of a room.

Another activity idea to share with your Cloverbud members is for them to make a vacation scrapbook. It does not have to be a long vacation or even a weekend vacation; a day trip would work fine for them to make a scrapbook. Lester Laminack (2002) in the publication, Teaching PreK – 8, gives an excellent strategy for how Cloverbud kids could make their very own vacation scrapbook.

Here is what Laminack (2002) recommends for the children: "To get started you might buy an inexpensive disposable camera and a small notebook for each family member. Explain to your family that the cameras are for capturing the moments they hope to remember – snapshots of favorite spots, the place in which you stayed, family members grouped together, unusual plants or animals and the like are the sorts of things that can help children to recall the events of the summer for years to come. The notebooks can be used to make notes (captions) about each snapshot. Get your parents to help you make notes if you need their assistance."

Once the summer is over and the scrapbooks are completed, the members can share their scrapbooks with the rest of the Cloverbud club at one of your early fall Cloverbud club get-togethers. The Cloverbud kids will have a great time doing the scrapbook, while at the same time work on improving life skills such as: decision making (what pictures to take or to include), social-interaction skills (sharing/telling other Cloverbud members about their scrapbook), physical mastery (fine motors skills by taking pictures & putting them in the scrapbook), learning to learn (how to take pictures, experiences from the vacation), and self-esteem (gaining confidence and being successful at putting the scrapbook together).

Thanks for all that you do as Cloverbud Leaders and Advisors!!!

Scott D. Scheer
State Extension Specialist,
4-H Youth Development, Preadolescent Education
The Ohio State University

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Snack Time

Honey Milk Balls
(Makes 24 cookies)

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup nonfat dry milk solids
1 cup uncooked quick oats (not instant or regular)

Measure 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup peanut butter into a bowl. Add and stir in 1 cup nonfat dry milk and 1 cup oatmeal. Use spoon to divide the mixture into 24 balls on a sheet of waxed paper or a clean plate. Shape each spoonful into a round ball between your hands. Place balls on a plate to serve. Tastes great along with a cold glass of milk.

Source: Keys for Kids - Childrens' Workbook,
© 1985 by The Ohio State University.

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Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ad. Admin. and Director, OSU Extension TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868