Club Reports
Club Reporters and 4-H Members: For your short report and pictures of your 4-H activities to be included here please email them to the Morris County 4-H office at morris4h@njaes.rutgers.edu
Dogs 'R' Us Reports:
Published on November 18, 2024
By Corlyn S.
Busy Bees Preparing for Winter
Published on November 18, 2024
By Declan M.
"Sigma, we cleaned the bee frames and put wax on because we rizzy."
(Activity at their November club meeting)
Venus Rocket Team update
Published on November 6, 2024
By Mya M. and Mia O.
On Saturday, November 2nd, the ResistoJets Rocketry girls team, Venus, successfully launched their first rocket for the American Rocketry Challenge. The flight was nearly perfect, scoring four points (aiming for zero). The team is continuing to work hard to achieve a flawless score in their next flight. Students in 8th grade and up are welcome to join. For more information, contact resistojetsrocketry@gmail.com.
Buckanears' Club Election
Published on November 6, 2024
Like most 4-H clubs, Buckanears had their election of club officers this month. Congratulations to Declan, President, and Samantha, Vice President!
Dumbledorks October Activities
Published on October 28, 2024
The Dumbledorks club used their creative minds and made wands. They came out so magical
Update from the Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry Club
Published on October 18, 2024
Our first meeting in September was held at Riamede Farm where we talked about our summer adventures, took a walk through the orchard and helped farmer Ashley prune a large row of zinnias! 🌸 We learned why pruning them was beneficial to the production of more blossoms.
Our October meeting was held at Zion Lutheran Church where we elected officers and learned all about eggs!
Dogs 'R' Us Reports
Published on October 18, 2024
By Corlyn C., club reporter
Buckanears Halloween Party
Published on October 16, 2024
In October the Buckanears party in their Halloween finest! See the Facebook post for more fun photos and videos: https://www.facebook.com/MorrisCounty4H
Bouncing Bunnies
Published on October 16, 2024
The new Rabbit Hopping club has a name: The "Bouncing Bunnies" are ready to teach their handlers some hopping skills - or vice versa. We can't wait for a performance at the Fair in the summer, or even before!
Busy Bees & Seedlings
Published on October 16, 2024
Busy Bees / Seedlings Club started out the year learning how to extract honey from frames, and had a great time seeing our bees' hard work coming to a sweet fruition!
We meet the second Thursday of the month at High View Farms, and new members are always welcome. No previous beekeeping or gardening experience necessary.
Teen Council Party
Published on October 16, 2024
Teen Council started off the year with their party in September.
Morris Marksmen - Senior Rifle Competitions
Published on October 6, 2024
By Shannon M., club reporter and photographer
Dogs R Us - working on Fair Entries
Published on June 26, 2024
By Corlyn, S., club reporter
Busy Bees & Seedlings Club update
Published on June 12, 2024
Club report from Busy Bees / Seedlings Club, June 9th:
Today we split a hive and now have a total of 4 club hives. Although we didn't see any queens today, we found evidence that all 4 are active and doing their jobs. Lots of eggs, healthy brood patterns, and orderly bees. We took 4 frames of honey to be extracted soon - this is Maddy W.'s favorite part of beekeeping!
Feathered Friends' Farm Trip
Published on June 12, 2024
The Feathered Friends club members enjoyed a trip to King of Glory Farm last weekend. Look at these adorable pictures.
ResistoJets Team Wins NASA SLI Altitude Award
Published on June 10, 2024
During the 2024 NASA Student Launch Initiative virtual awards ceremony, hosted by the Marshall Space Flight Center on June 7th, NASA presented awards to students from colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, and informal education groups who designed, built, and launched high-powered, amateur rockets and scientific payloads. In addition to the overall winners, other awards were presented for safety, vehicle design, social media presence, STEM engagement, and more.
The Morris County 4-H team from the ResistoJets Rocketry Club won the Altitude Award in the Middle and High School Division. They were just 43ft off their target altitude of 3900ft. Seventy teams worked on this challenge for 8 months, and our team was the only team from NJ and one of 47 who were able to participate in the final launch week events in Huntsville, AL in April. Congratulations Morris County 4-H ResistoJets Team!
You can watch the Awards Ceremony on NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centers' YouTube channel here:
https://youtu.be/lRPdustzuqM?si=kbePaGf3oPJH4VTy&t=734
Teen Council Assembles Fair Road Signs
Published on June 5, 2024
Today Teen Council members assembled the new Fair Road Signs. Get ready to see them around - or better yet, grab the ones for your town and set them up after 4th of July. Thank you Teen Council for getting the signs ready!
Shutterbugs' Club Exhibit
Published on June 4, 2024
Twelve Shutterbugs members have their photos in the current club exhibit at the Roxbury library. The show titled "Animals & Summer" offers a wide range of subjects and styles and will be available to view for the entire month of June. Visit during normal library hours - and get inspired to enter your own photos in the Fair!
Dogs 'R' Us May Reports
Submitted by Corlyn S., published on June 4
Submitted by Corlyn S., published on May 29
Published on May 15, 2024
Dogs 'R' Us was well represented at the Morris County 4-H Public Presentations event on May 11. Four members gave 1st time presentations and second timer, Corlyn, was the youngest room host.
Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry Club's May update
Published on May 15, 2024
By Avery O.
On May 7th we went to Riamede farm. We talked about bees. We learned that bees can grow new queens. Then we went out into the orchard and looked at Ashley's bees. She had a lot! We brought sketch pads and pencils. She told us about the apple blossoms. The she wanted us to draw them. And she said she's planting new apple trees. That's what the Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry 4-H club did at our May meeting.
Excellence Awards for ResistoJets Club
Published on May 15, 2024
The ResistoJets Club received two Excellence in Programming Awards from the NJ Association of 4-H Youth Development Professionals at their May event.
Congratulations to the most out-of-this-world club!!!
Busy Bees & Seedlings
Published on May 15, 2024
At their last meeting, the Busy Bees & Seedlings Club planted seedlings to bring home.
Dogs 'R' Us April meeting
Published on May 1, 2024
By club reporter Corlyn S.
Plants, Pollinators, Poultry Club update
Published on May 1, 2024
In April, the Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry club had a special visit from the Avian Wildlife Center. We learned about "Birds of Prey" and all about the Wildlife Center's work. She brought two owls and a red tailed hawk for us to meet in person! It was a wonderful presentation with lots of questions and interaction from club members. The club filled her car to the brim with donations for the Center!
Shutterbugs activities
Published on April 24, 2024
The Shutterbugs members enjoyed some inspiring experiences in the last months: meeting photographer Ami Vitale after her show at MPAC in the morning, making photograms at the photography department at CCM during spring break, getting a special tour at the Iconic Images Art Gallery in Boonton in the winter, and more. We hope to see many fabulous photo entries at the Fair - from the club members and others!
ResistoJets team at NASA Student Launch in Huntsville, AL
Published on April 17, 2024
The ResistoJets' NASA Student Launch team had prepared for this since August last year, creating and submitting their proposal document, writing review papers, building and testing a sub-scale and full scale rocket, giving presentations to NASA, etc. After many hours of work finishing all the steps successfully, Sean M., Mya M., Nurayn H., Divya K., Garrett G., and Holt E. traveled to Huntsville, Alabama for Launch Week last week. They were the only team representing NJ from both, the Middle and High School teams and University teams, and one of 50+ other groups out of 70 who started. All team's rockets were checked for safety by NAR (National Association of Rocketry) members on Wednesday and Thursday. During that as well as the welcome session, workshops, and a social event, participants met in-person for the first time, or again since last year, the NASA personnel who they knew from emails and presentation over the past 8 months. The Rocket Fair on Friday was buzzing with excitement and members checking out other team's designs and ideas. Launch day started very early on Saturday morning with a drive and hike to the launch field at Bragg Farms. The entertainment value and comradery of news friends soared as high as the rockets - despite the fact that very few payloads (= portion of the rocket used to achieve a mission) were able to fly and even fewer flew successfully because this part of the challenge was so difficult. This year's mission was to bring model astronauts, or "STEMnauts", safely down in something separate and not using a parachute. The ResistoJets had built a remote controlled glider for that.
There is a bit more work ahead of the team to prepare and submit the Post Launch Review document by the end of the month before the virtual awards ceremony in June. Regardless of those details - Congratulations to everyone involved for getting to the final Launch Week in Huntsville and launch your rocket!
If you missed the live stream of the launch on Saturday, you can view the NASA recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/-XEfnsUGmU0?si=FrwDNKfdgRjPkQGD&t=22244 (if it starts at the beginning you can fast forward to 6:10:45 for their launch)
Pictures of the event as well as their prep work can be found on the club's website: https://nj4h.space/ and Facebook Page: https://m.facebook.com/ResistoJetsRocketry4HClub
Dogs 'R' Us training outside
Published on April 17, 2024
By Corlyn S., member of Dogs R Us
Checking on the Bees
Published on April 9, 2024
Busy Bees & Seedlings Club visited the Club Hives yesterday to do a quick check and learned about spring tasks to start the beekeeping season
Dumbledorks Update
Published on March 26, 2024
For the Dumbledorks monthly meeting, the club members used their Harry Potter knowledge and Wizardly brains, to solve crossword puzzles, word scrambles and other fun puzzles. We also made Harry Potter characters with fused beads.
Buckanears make "boo boo bunnies"
Published on March 20, 2024
The small animal club Buckanears had a bunny craft meeting. Members made "boo boo" bunnies out of socks!
Dogs 'R' Us prepares for Woofminster Dog Show
Published on February 28, 2024
Article by Corlyn S. and photos by Liv A. Both are members of the Dogs R Us Morris County 4-H club.
Please also see the Event Report with photos of the club members at the Woofminster Dog Show.
Horsin' Around - In The Snow
Published on February 21, 2024
The 4-H Horsin’ Around club braved the cold and enjoyed some snowy riding at BEAUtifulfarms. The kids were,of course chaperoned by the one and only resident mini-cow, Wendy.
Happy Trails kids.
Plants, Pollinators, Poultry - February meeting
Published on February 7, 2024
By Avery O.
We first talked about how plants help animals. I shared a bit about my family's hoop house. We also talked about the Spring Blossom Festival at Riamede, and some other 4-H events like the March 30th beekeeping presentation at the County College of Morris. We also planted some herbs like cilantro, sage, dill, and basil."
Dogs 'R' Us Club report
Published on February 7, 2024
By Corlyn S.
Plants, Pollinators, Poultry club news
Published on February 7, 2024
By Emmett D. and Avery O.)
We had an author and illustrator come in and read us her book. We also brought in our favorite book related to our club. Some kids even read their book to everyone. Lastly some kids researched a chicken to talk about to the whole club. There was many different species. And that was our meeting. 1/4/24
Mad STEM Scientists and Tech-No Bots Club News
Published on January 31, 2024
Engineering challenges are one of the favorite activities of the Mad STEM Scientists and the Tech-No Bots 4H Clubs, but at our most recent meeting we did some Reverse Engineering. AKA taking things apart instead of building them. AKA destroying old computers to see what they look like inside.
(Have old computers to get rid of? The Mad STEM Scientists and Tech-No Bots are accepting donations of old desktop and laptop computers).
Busy Bees & Seedlings Club
Published on January 24, 2024
The Busy Bees and Seedlings had joint meeting tonight to make lip balm using beeswax from the club hives. Everyone got to take home two kinds
Shutterbugs update
Published on January 10, 2024
Two highlights from Shutterbugs members from the last few months:
"We had lots more ornaments and a bigger tree this year" said Benjamin J. about the 4-H tree that his family decorated with ornaments from all clubs for the Festival of Trees at the Frelinghauysen Arboretum. Members of the club visited the display atthe end of December after taking down their photo exhibit at the Parsippany library.
Christian K. remembers the photo walk at the Living Sculpture Exhibit in November: "My favorite was the guy with the old Polaroid, just like the one I have." He also just gave a club presentation at the January meeting about the history of Polaroid cameras, where he brought his collection for everyone to see and to demonstrate how they work.
Dumbledorks and Radical Racers
Published on January 10, 2024
For the monthly meetings in December, Dumbledorks and Radical Racers both met at the Senior Center.
The Dumbledorks tested their knowledge about Harry Potter by answering Trivia Questions. These kids sure are smart and know their stuff!
Radical Racers took to the road (and the floor) with their super fast RC cars. They were zooming all around and sharing fun information with each other about their individual cars.
STEAM Punks Club Report
Published on December 22, 2023
By Declan M., 7th grade
we built planes out of wood and used hot glue. we also used fun robots, that looked really cool. then we made ornaments for the 4H tree
You can follow the club on Facebook and Instragram too:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1IT_vOviau/
https://www.facebook.com/steampunks4h
PPP club news from December
Published on December 20, 2023
We talked about personal goals and club goals. We played a rowdy game of chicken breed bingo and did some blind chicken treat taste testing to learn more about what you should and should not feed to chickens. Oats, fruit/veggies and yogurt? Yes. Chocolate, oranges and onions? No. 🙂
Dogs R Us Holiday Meeting
Published on December 20, 2023
At their December holiday party the Dogd 'R' Us members played quiz bowl.
Horsin' Around with Dolly
Published on December 13, 2023
Dolly let the kids dress her in her holiday finest at the Horsin' Around meeting.
Thanks Dolly for being such a good horse!
Happy Holidays from Buckanears
Published on December 13, 2023
Buckanears celebrated the holidays with games, gifts, and snacks at their December meeting.
Teen Council Holiday Party
Published on December 13, 2023
Teen Council enjoyed a Holiday party complete with games, pizza, snacks, and a gift exchange.
Good Job party committee.
Curious Critters and Furry Friends' Ornament Making
Published on December 13, 2023
Furry Friends and Curious Critters joined forces at the Mt.Olive Senior center and all had a good time making salt dough ornaments.
Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry November Club Update
Published on December 6, 2023
The Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry club met at Riamede farm to spin honey with farmer Ashley. Everyone took turns. We also volunteered to help winterize the school garden at Old Farmer’s Road elementary school.
Dogs R Us club news for November
Published on December 5, 2023
By Corlyn, club reporter
Tuesday, November 28. Today we had a business meeting and also voted for club officers. We started off by talking about old and new business. Then Ms. Beverly started preparing for our club election.
When Ms. Beverly called out a position anyone who wanted the position would raise their hand. Then we voted.
2023-2024
Eva - president
Evelyn - vice president
Karina - secretary
Charlotte - vice secretary
Aiden - treasurer
Brooke - vice treasurer
Corlyn - reporter
Leah - health officer
STEAM Punks October Club Report
Published on November 29, 2023
By Leigh M., 2nd grade, member
We made a springy cup, so basically we made springs out of paper we used tape to stick in the inside of the cup, and we put one cup on top of the other and the spring was in the middle.
We also did an imagination workout so we printed random lines on a paper so then they could turn it into whatever we want.
It's like the opposite world for 4-H. The kids are in charge. You never expect that.
Dogs 'R' Us - Dog Training Meeting
Published on November 16, 2023
Photos by Liv Armstrong
Last years' members along with many new members doing obedience and agility training indoors.
Morris Marksmen Annual Pumpkin Shoot
Published on November 15, 2023
By Christian K., club reporter
The 4-H Morris Marksmen Annual Pumpkin Shoot happened on November 5th 2023. The pumpkins were graciously donated by Miller’s Hill Farm in Mendham NJ. Everyone had an amazing time! The parents were even able to join the fun.
(Make sure you see all the pictures in the image carousel)
PPP Club's October Update
Published on November 6, 2023
Secretary Emmett's report: "Our club elected officers, made a spooky spider craft and decorated the (Chester) library display case. Everyone brought something to put in and made it awesome. We had an apple snack. " President: Adam D. Vice President: August K. Secretary: Emmett D. Reporter: Andy M. Our next meeting is this Thursday at Riamede Orchard at 1:00 for honey spinning. We will also be volunteering at the Old Farmer's Road Elementary School garden on Sunday November 12th at 2:00.
Dumbledorks Busy Assembling Their New Sets
Published on November 1, 2023
A generous donor gifted The Dumbledorks Harry Potter club with these wonderful Lego sets.
The kids had a great time at their October meeting and really utilized "youth led" as they needed no direction from their adult leaders to handle these.
Halloween Dog Parade
Published on November 1, 2023
On October 24, Dogs R Us had their Halloween party for all members. It was a fun night doing our dog training in costume at Pawsative Experience in Rockaway. Our dogs got lots of treats for doing their tricks!
Buckanears Halloween Party
Published on November 1, 2023
Last month, Buckanears members enjoyed a long standing tradition of a Halloween party for both kid and furry members with activities and treats for all.
Benjamin next to his entry at the Highlands Art Exhibit at the Morris Museum on October 19, 2023 at the opening reception
Published on October 24, 2023
By Benjamin J, Shutterbugs club member
Benjamin J. and Karcsi P., two members of the Shutterbugs 4-H club, have won a photography contest and have their photos on display at the Highlands Art Exhibit in the Morris Museum. The Exhibit includes photos from not just kids but adults as well. Youth contest winners bios for the website are available here: https://highlandsart.org/museum-youth-2023#.
The Highlands reach NY, NJ, PA and CT and many natural resources are located in these areas. They are important because of the resources they provide such as fresh water to locals. The Morris Museum is very generous for giving us a chance to display our best photography in the exhibit. The exhibit will be up in the Morris Museum until November 26th. Come check it out!
Article in "Out & About" features Youth 1st Place winner Benjamin J. with his photo "Jonathan's Woods". Karcsi P. received 2nd Place for his "Great Blue Skimmer". Photos and writeup can be viewed here https://highlandsart.org/museum-youth-2023#. Congratulations to Benjamin and Karcsi!
Archery First Shots
Published on October 18, 2023
By Sean M., Marksmen club president
Photos by Tod O.
This month we've kicked off our 2023-2024 season with first shots in both air rifle and archery! Welcome all new members and here's to a great season!
This past weekend, Morris Marksmen held Archery first shots where our many instructors worked one-on-one with each new member helping everyone have a fun and educational first archery day with our club!
Busy Bees Abuzz
Published on October 18, 2023
Busy Bees Club held its first meeting in September. The club was abuzz with excitement.
Teen Council Party in September
Published on October 18, 2023
Teen Council had a great kick off party in September! The club has many new members and is ready for their projects and opportunities to help at 4-H events.
Marksmen Club Report
Published on October 2, 2023
By Christian K., Marksmen club reporter
October started off with a “bang” for Morris Marksmen as we gained 7 new qualified instructors, 4 for air rifle and 3 for archery. Prior to this weekend, we only had 1 instructor for shotgun, 3 in air rifle, and 4 in archery.
A special mention to two of our new instructors, Sean and Mia, who are junior instructors. Sean is now dual qualified in archery and air rifle. Mia is now qualified in archery.
Our Rocketry team's proposal got selected for NASA SLI 2024!
Published on September 20, 2023
By Sean McConoughey, club president and team captain
The "ResistoJets Rocketry" team from Morris County 4-H has been selected as one of the 20 teams in the High School/Middle School national division for the NASA Student Launch Initiative (SLI). This year, the initiative features 71 teams in total, including 51 from the College/University division, with Morris County 4-H having the only team from New Jersey. The ResistoJets earned their spot through a comprehensive proposal for "Project Stardust," submitted earlier this month.
Read the whole article here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h9K8Av_pqDh1jKyoNh2DGjGsDd5kTaP6/view?usp=drive_link
Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry
Published on September 20, 2023
Our first meeting took place at Riamede Orchard to explore the summertime orchard. Farmer Ashley talked to us about pumpkin and watermelon pollination and about apples, of course! We tasted some fresh picked Gala apples and watermelon and were also able to be of service to the farm helping them assemble 200 donut boxes. We welcomed two new members and had 15 children in attendance. Our next meeting is October 3rd at Zion Lutheran Church at 6:15pm.
Busy "Busy Bees"
Published on May 31, 2023
Bees are busy and Busy Bees are, too!
Madison, 4-H'er and member of the Busy Bees 4-H club helping with honey extraction. She was also the official taste tester, and proclaimed it delicious!
Come join the Busy Bees club to learn about the fascinating (and delicious!) hobby of beekeeping.
STEAM Punks Projects
Published on May 31, 2023
STEAM Punks worked hard on their Pom-pom people and CD tops. It was a great meeting. For more information about joining STEAM Punks call the office at 973.285.8301
5 Flocks of Chickens will Change Lives
Published on May 16, 2023
4-H club Plants, Pollinators, & Poultry
Inspired by hatching and raising our own chicks and with the generosity of our family donations, our club was able to purchase 5 flocks of chickens through Heifer International for families in need around the world!! Thank you 4-H club for leading with your hearts!
Dumbledorks Report
Published on May 7, 2023
By Sophia K. - club member
On April 27, the Dumbledorks club met at High View Farms. We wrote questions for the quiz bowl and then asked trivia questions of each other. We also discussed ideas for the fair.
PPP May Meeting
Published on May 3, 2023
The Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry club had a great visit to Riamede Orchard on May 3rd. Owner Ashley presented on bees and pollination and what that looks like in the orchard this time of year. The kids had an opportunity to learn about apple blossoms in springtime, check out a bee suit, handle an inactive hive and equipment, taste two different varieties of honey and take a walk around the orchard to see all the rented hives. We are so thankful for this partnership with Riamede! We will be exploring the orchard once each season to observe changes.
ResistoJets at Rutgers Day
Published on May 3, 2023
By Holt E. - club member
Our club was invited to have a table at Rutgers Day. Four of our team members attended, along with Kelly, our 4-H Agent, on Saturday, April 29 from 10-4pm.
The event was moved indoors because of the weather. But there was still a great turnout. We had a lot of fun interactions with people asking questions about our rockets and our team. The rockets were probably taken apart 100 times. We also enjoyed helping kids build straw rockets - until we ran out, after having build 150 of them!
We were joined by Mercer County 4-H across from us who had a lot of their STEM projects on display. The 4-H STEM Ambassadors were also right there and had a fun binary bracelet making craft.
Overall it was a success and we think a club from Morris County 4-H should go again next year.
Shutterbugs and National Geographic Photographers
Published on April 28, 2023
By Benjamin J. (member and club secretary)
National Geographic Live - 4/26/2023
Location : Mayo Performing Arts Center, NJ
Holt E, Christian K, Kurt K, and Benjamin J attended the National Geographic Live show at Mayo Performing Arts Center featuring David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes. The show talked about underwater and arctic animals.
The National Geographic photographers presented their photos of animals such as harp seals, penguins, and polar bears. They both shared their experiences working with National Geographic over the years and their interesting encounters.
After the show we had a Lunch and Learn with the photographers discussing feedback we could give to make their storytelling better and asking some other questions. We also got to take photos with the photographers! The event was incredible and told some amazing stories of different animals all around the world.
Growing in April
Published on April 5, 2023
The Plants, Pollinators, and Poulty 4-H club had an awesome April meeting! We welcomed three new members! The kids shared about their growing baby chicks and seedlings. We also talked about good bugs and bad bugs for the garden. We each took home a praying mantis ootheca to watch hatch in the coming months. We introduced companion planting, planted a few spring flowers, and took home some marigold and calendula seeds for our gardens. We are excited to share our garden harvests at the fair!
Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry club update
Published on March 8, 2023
Our group incubated our own eggs and hatched 11 chicks on March 2nd. During the incubation we were able to candle the eggs throughout the process and celebrate their birthday with a hatching party to watch them hatch. We have been able to talk about different chicken breeds, the development process and changing health needs as they grow. These chicks will be fun to show at the fair! We have also welcomed several new members to our club this month!
STEAM Punks club report
Published on February 24, 2023
By Leigh M. (club member, age 7)
We made puppets and they are so much fun to control. It’s so funny when they walk it almost made me laugh. The hardest part was taping the strings on the legs.
The Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry club is off to a great start!
Published on January 11, 2022
Fall meetings included electing officers and getting to know each other better, presenting on our favorite things to grow in the garden, learning all about bees and tasting honey, reviewing chicken and bee anatomy and playing "Pin the stinger on the bee". We created our own take-home first aid kits for poultry, learned about worms and built our own vermicompost bins. Each meeting is as "green" as possible with healthy snacks, seasonal poetry, and a hands on take home project like planting seasonal bulbs or experimenting with planting seeds in different types of dirt. We look forward to hatching chicks and praying mantises in the spring, planning out our gardens, as well as helping our co-leader set up her new honeybee hives.
We Stirrup Trouble update
Published on December 21, 2022
At our December 6 meeting, the members learned about horse nutrition. We watched a short video overviewing horse nutrition and Mrs. Kelli gave a hands-on demonstration on what our horses get fed and why.
At our meeting last night (December 20), we had a holiday celebration and the members decorated cookies and then made horse treats. Afterwards, we took a group photo!
Dumbledorks club meeting
Published on December 21, 2022
By Sophia K.
Dumbledorks met on Monday evening at the Mt Olive Library. We played trivia and discussed fan theories.
Houston, we have lift off!
Published on December 21, 2022
By Mya M.
Our first rocket launch for the NASA Student Launch Initiative was a success! The point of this subscale flight was to prove our design is ok before we build the full scale. And it did! Thanks to the team and everyone who came out to High View Farms in Budd Lake on December 18.
Morris Marksmen Updates
Published on December 21, 2022
By Mya M.
On December 7th, Morris Marksmen held their first holiday party since 2019! Huge thanks to John and Ruth who hosted the party at the Ironia Firehouse. Stephen (club leader), provided the desserts, drinks and the pizza. Ava (member) was the DJ. The members also played cornhole.
Happy Holidays from Morris Marksmen!
On a chilly December 18th, the club had a .22 rifle shoot at the Black River shooting range. It was open to the club veterans, and a few new members.
Dogs R Us club elections
Published on December 13, 2022
By Maggie A.
On November 29 we met to vote on new members of the executive board. And to discuss some club news.
The members are:
President- Eva G.
Vice president- Liv A.
Secretary- Audrey L.
Treasurer- Leah A.
Health Officer- Elif A.
Reporter- Maggie A.
Vice treasurer- Brooke N.
Vice Secretary- Charlotte L.
Teen Council Winter Party
Published on December 9, 2022
Members of the Teen Council 4-H Club gathered in-person on December 7, 2022 for their annual Winter Party. This was the first in-person club meeting in over 1.5 years! The Party Planning Committee Co-chairs, Rohan G. and Vishruth, led attendees through games and lively conversations. Members also brought toy donations to be delivered to Child and Family Resources (cfrmorris.org). It was a fun gathering and great opportunity for members to see each other in-person.
Rocket Team Starting Off Well!
Published on December 7, 2022
By ResistoJet's Media coordinator Mya
Our TARC (The American Rocketry Challege) team recently won and attended the grand prize of a private screening of the movie: Good Night Oppy! All club members along with other STEM club members were invited.
Visit their website: https://nj4h.space/
Marksmen's Pumpkin Shoot
Published on November 14, 2022
This past Sunday the Marksmen club had it's first archery event with this year's new members as well as it's legendary pumpkin shoot. Thanks to David Rodriguez for leading the archery instructions and to John McAndrew and Miller's Hill Farm for the generous donation of many pumpkins!
ResistoJets Club's new video
Published on November 14, 2022
At the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, members of the ResistoJets Club shared their new video.
Click on the image on the side or use this link to view: https://youtu.be/bA_TOFWdyiU
Shutterbugs October club Exhibit + Photo Walk
Published on November 13, 2022
In October the Shutterbugs had their 4th club exhibit - this time at the gallerie space of the Whippanong library again. They also hosted a photo walk during 4-H Month - with photographer Rob Kissling. We captured the wildlife and beautiful fall colors around Speedwell Lake in Morristown.
We Stirrup Trouble
Published on November 4, 2022
We Stirrup Trouble had their second meeting, where the members practiced grooming, tacking and reviewed horse coat colors. Not all club members were able to attend but they had time to take a couple group pictures.
Horsin' Around has 1st club meeting!
Published on October 18, 2022
The Horsin’ Around club had it’s first ever meeting Tuesday, October 11, at Charlottesburg Farm. Club members made a club poster and then learned how to groom the horses. They then glittered the horses’ hooves and added rainbow extensions to their manes and tails. The final touch was unicorn horns and snacks for the horses. New members welcome — contact the office.
Welcome New Teen Council Club Members!
Published on October 12, 2022
The Morris County 4-H Teen Council Club had its first meeting of the 2022-2023 year on October 5th. The club welcomed many new members in grades 8-13 (one year out of high school). Members introduced themselves by sharing a movie recommendation, many of which were from the Marvel Universe. The Teen Council 4-H club serves as the youth voice for the 4-H program and members build their leadership skills through various projects and events during the year. In November, Teen Council members will help host the annual 4-H Awards Ceremony. Anyone interested in joining Teen Council can contact the 4-H office.
4-H Rocket club - only NJ team accepted into NASA SLI 2023
NASA SLI team members as of September 2022. The club is still accepting new members. Please email them at resistojetrocketry@gmail.com if interested.
Updated on October 12, 2022
Watch the report on News12: https://newjersey.news12.com/jersey-proud-morris-county-4-h-rocketry-club-become-finalists-in-nasa-competition
Published on October 5, 2022
By ResistoJets club
The Morris County 4-H "ResistoJets" Rocketry Club has been accepted into the NASA Student Launch Initiative (Winners Release - NASA Selects Teams for 2023 Student Launch Challenge | NASA)! This is a rocketry challenge where student teams design, build, and launch a rocket and payload to NASA’s specifications. The goal of this year’s challenge is to simulate photographing the surface of a planet. The team will be building an 8-foot-tall rocket that will lift this payload to over 5000 feet.
They are one of 18 winning proposals for the High School/Middle School national division. “I can’t express how excited I am about this, I can’t wait to go to Alabama!” remarked the team's safety officer, Holt Englander.
“I am very proud of what the team has accomplished so far, and I look forward to everything that lies ahead.” Said the team captain, Sean McConoughey. They will be working until April, when they’ll head to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama for the finals.
Get their activities update from the Facebook account. The club is still open to add new members to their team. For inquiries, please contact resistojetrocketry@gmail.com.
Photo Walk at Frelinghuysen Arboretum
Published on May 25, 2022
By Mya M., Shutterbugs reporter
On Thursday May 19th, Shutterbugs held a photowalk at Frelinghuysen Arboretum. We had a new member join us on this walk. Frelinghuysen Arboretum is a large beautiful garden, with many different plants. My favorite part of the walk was when a bee landed on a member. Below are a few of my favorite pictures that I took. The first is of an Aquilegia flower, second is of the bee on someone’s hand, and third is of a fly on a Euphorbia.
“Tails” from 4-Footed Leader Club
Published on May 18, 2022
By Owen Armstrong, member of 4-Footed Leaders
It was a perfect spring morning to travel to Rutgers University on April 30, 2022 for the annual Rutgers Day event. The Seeing Eye organized a competition, with separate judging divisions depending upon the age of the raiser as well as the pup they were showing. Over 19 youths competed from 6 puppy clubs all over NJ (4 of these clubs are 4-H clubs). Competitors were scored based upon the condition of the pup, pup’s reaction to the judge and to the raiser, and their ability to follow numerous commands. The 4-Footed Leader Club had exceptional results, earning not only 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbons, but also an award for Best in Show.
3rd Place
Chelli Senthil shows her 5 month old male yellow labrador, Patience, at the Rutgers Day Dog Show. Patience poses very proudly with his yellow ribbon, as he earned 3rd Place in the “Youth with Pup < 6 month” category.
2nd place
Owen Armstrong is smiling as he poses with his 6 month old male black labrador, Poppy, who earned second place with an overall score of 99.5 in the Rutgers Day Dog Show. Judges had a challenge ranking the “Youth with Pups 6-9 months” division, since they were all very qualified.
1st Place
Best in Show
Emma Acomb showed her 14 month old female yellow labrador, Zaylee, in the “Youth with 12+ month Pups” division. Not only did this dynamic duo earn First Place in their division, but they went on to win Best in Show!! They deserve big round of “aPAWS” for this great accomplishment.
Knit Wits member Leigh M. exceeds Fundraising Goal
Published on April 28, 2022
Member of the Knit Wits club, Leigh M., exceeded her fundraising goal for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by 500%! At her stand she had crocheted bracelets, handmade keychains, and candy for the generous supporters from her neighborhood. Some of the items she sold for donations came from the Knit Wits club.
Leigh's achievement is featured in the Florham Park Press. Click on the picture or here to see the article.
Heading to National Fly-offs
Update on May 4, 2022
Watch them on News12: https://newjersey.news12.com/jersey-proud-4-new-jersey-teams-participate-in-egg-rocket-competition
Published on April 8, 2022
By: Holt E., team member
The ResistoJets team of Morris County 4-H'ers successfully completed our qualifying rocket flights last weekend and we just got notified that we made it into the National Fly-offs! The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC - rocketcontest.org) is the world's largest rocket contest.
While adjusting our rockets to meet this year's rules (carrying two raw eggs to an altitude of 835 feet, staying airborne for 41-44 seconds, and returning the rocket to the ground safely with the eggs intact), our team had many interesting learning experiences: rockets zigzaging up or taking off sideways, landing in a tree - where it was recovered a few days later, with the eggs intact! - plus a couple of liquit egg salads early on... You can watch our first flight video and second launch.
Now we beat over 620 other teams in the country and are among the 100 finalists who will compete for the top title. This is the first year for Morris County 4-H and the team. We are very excited to be heading to the final fly-offs in The Plains, VA near Washington, DC on May 13-15.
Shutterbugs Photo Exhibit
Published on March 31, 2022
The Shutterbugs club had their photo exhibit from March 4 - 31 at the main gallery in the Parsippany Library. Watch the video the library created for the exhibit with a selection of the art. We hope to see you at one of the club's next exhibits.
Minecraft Winter Fest
Published on March 27, 2022
The Minecraft Club had their Winter Fest live event today on March 27, from 7-8pm. It opened with a short video tour of the club's latest project: the Winter Carnival. This was followed by an "open house" or rather "open Minecraft world" where guests were able to explore the different activities (sledding hill, snow ball arena, petting zoo, ...), food stands, arctic village and more. At the end, all were invited to join the build challenge in the huge ice iglu - which soon looked like a big sculpture gallery with lots of creative 3D art. It was a very challenging event overall; the club members mastered it beautifully! We hope all guests enjoyed it too.
Check out the club's website and YouTube Channel with their latest videos of this and other events.
4-H'ers Take Flight
Published: on March 8, 2022
A team of Morris County 4-H members are exploring rocketry as they get ready to compete in The American Rocketry Challenge. Their first test flight was launched at High View Farms (special thanks to Rosanne Oblen!). The takeoff looked amazing! The return trip...left room for improvement. Watch their video and stay tuned for more reports on future launches.
Update: The second launch was a success!
Photo Walk -
at the Whippany Railway Museum
Published: on March 1, 2022
Text and photos by: Mya - Shutterbugs reporter
Thursday, February 17 at 4pm, Shutterbugs went to the Whippany Railway Museum. We had a guide that could open some trains and let us inside. He also told us the history of some trains. Below are two of the pictures I took, the first one is of a train that looks like it’s coming at you. The second one Is of the refection on a train.
(Our guide was Mike Dodge, who is a 4-H as well as Railway Museum volunteer. Thank you!)
Buckanears Halloween Party
Published: on December 22, 2021
The Buckanears gathered for a howlin' good time for their annual Halloween party. Members enjoyed tantalizing treats, dressing their spooktacular best and a mind blowing movie. Party on peeps!
Teen Council Holiday Party
Published: on December 9, 2021
Teen Council held a virtual holiday party on December 1st. Members shared their favorite seasonal drinks (i.e. hot chocolate, peppermint tea), chatted about upcoming 4-H events/opportunities, and played trivia games using Blooket. The group played several trivia quizzes on topics including 4-H, strange holiday traditions and facts, unique animals, and more. Some of the questions were really tough and players were pretty competitive (but all in fun!). If your club hasn't tried Blooket yet, make it part of your 2022 meeting plans. The games were easy to play, challenging to win, and a great way to have fun with friends.
Published: on November 22, 2021
Shutterbugs member Sophia K. is the youth winner of the 8th Highlands Juried Art Exhibit
See her winning photo: "Feasting Mantis".
Club members Mya McConoughey with "Inchworm" and Holt Englander with "Chipmunk, Great Swamp." were also selected finalists at the exhibit, which was shown in Boonton. The winners, who competed with their photos, paintings and sculptures to capture the essence of the New Jersey Highlands, were announced on Friday, November 5th at a lovely and well attended reception. The closing reception will be on November 28 and is open to the public. If you missed it, the virtual exhibit can be viewed at: https://highlandsart.org/
Read more in the article in the Patch: Chester Youth Grabs Top Spot In Highlands Art Exhibit
Published: on November 22, 2021
Morris County 4-H‘s Be the Change Club, led by borough resident Jennifer Hughes, seeks to create a close connection with the community through service projects and outreach, and to empower each club member to be a leader.
Last month members collected items and donations, made toys and dog treats, and presented all to a representative of 11th Hour Rescue. This month many rocks were painted with inspiring messages and designs for the Love Garden at Holy Family Church.
Read the article here.
Published: September 2021
The Morris County 4-H 2020-2021 Yearbook is now available online! Inside you'll see all the amazing things our 4-H members, volunteers, and community accomplished over the past year. Congratulations everyone on another great year!
4-H Clubs Return to Tractor Supply
Published: on August 17, 2021
Representatives from the several 4-H clubs visited Tractor Supply in Flanders to promote their clubs and educate the public on their many project areas. A well dressed rabbit (bee costume) and a friendly chicken were great ambassadors for the Feathered Friends, Furry Friends, and Busy Bees club. Everyone had a great time and look forward to more opportunities to meet and greet with the public.
The Photo Walk
Published: on May 22, 2021
By: Mya - Shutterbugs club member
On 5/20/2021, Shutterbugs hosted a Photo Walk at Jockey Hollow. The walk lasted for two hours. The club went on a hike and took pictures of things the people thought interesting or cool. For example, people took pictures of a few toads we saw. The club leader brought three geocaches that were ready to hide. Before we started the photo walk, I saw a small hole in a tree. We thought it would be a great spot for the smallest geocache. But there was one problem, we didn’t know if an animal was living in there. So, we didn’t hide a geocache there. Below is a picture I took.
Zoli depositing the geocache
Grand Tour De Side Build Debrief
MCProHosting, our club's sponsor, making all of this possible.
Published: on May 9, 2021
By: David D & Sean M - club members
“The event was so incredible, and I really appreciate everyone who participated! Lots of fun.” says our club president, David Longendyck.
You’re probably wondering what this is about, well, let me tell you!
On May first, the Morris County 4-H Minecraft club hosted an event on a YouTube Livestream and Minecraft. In this livestream, the club members showcased some of the side builds that they have constructed in the first year of our club's existence.
As usual, this event was sponsored by McProhosting; however the club streamed the event on YouTube this time to make things simpler, in contrast to past events when we used Discord and Zoom. “One of the best outcomes of our May 1st livestream event on YouTube is that we now have a video of it to enjoy over and over again." Says club leader Celia Longendyck.
In our opinion, the event was a SMASHING success and it ran much more smoothly then we anticipated.
Click to see Mya's presentation. All sample macro photos in the presentation were taken by Mya.
Shutterbugs
Published: on April 26, 2021
By: Holt - club member
Luckily our club is able to stay connected with our monthly photo presentations and photo challenges at each meeting. In addition, our club member Mya gave her public presentation on Macro Photography at our last meeting. A fascinating look into the "little side" of photography. See the recorded video here.
Space Exploration in Minecraft!
The Minecraft 4-H Club members have been busy exploring the galaxy with their latest build projects. Club member, Sean, took his creativity to the next level with this fabulous animated space exploration video. Check out Sean's attention to detail, creative use of Minecraft materials, and storytelling of our journey to the Moon and Mars in the future.
April - Minecraft
By: David L. (club member)
What a terrible start to the spring season. The 4-H Minecraft Club has suffered greatly this month. Our world was destroyed by fire and explosives. Unfortunately, we lost a bunch of work and the last backup made to the server was all the way from when we did the 4-H Fair. Everyone was quite distraught, and we didn’t know what we are going to do. This might in fact be the regrettable end of the 4-H Minecraft Club. …Just kidding! Happy belated April Fools day! I did blow everything up, and it felt quite nice to do so, however we did have a recent backup, and everything was completely fine. Our adult leaders for the session, Susan Akers and Kris Kaufmann, were totally fooled for a while, as well as some of the other members. Therefore, I think it was a great success!
Upcycled T-shirt Bags
Teen Council 4-H Club members prepared for the warm spring weather by upcycling t-shirts into tote bags. This no sew project was simple and fun to make. Within 30 minutes, everyone had a new bag ready to hold their sunglasses, sunscreen, beach towel, and water bottle for an impromptu day outside. Some members went a step further in their creativity by turning scraps into more fashion accessories. Sleeves became an outfit for a rabbit or tassels for flip flops. You can make your own t-shirt bag other accessories, too!
Club leader Kathy with her dog
Dogs R Us is Keeping Busy
By: Liv (club member)
Since the pandemic we have been meeting on a zoom call twice a month. At our meetings we update everyone on how our dogs are doing. We share silly stories, What they like to do, eat and what kind of tricks we can get them to do. Also we exchange how to stop them from continuing bad habits. We also talk about old business and new business. Another thing we do is zoom parties. We do activities like a scavenger hut and a kahoot. Another thing we mention is our non-dog pets and how they learned to get along with the dogs. We have created friendships, and I am glad to be a part of a group that has stayed connected through rough times.
Liv with her dog in the snow
Shamrock Shakes with Teen Council
Teen Council 4-H Club members kicked-off March by making Shamrock Shakes. While whipping up our shakes, members chatted about the latest movies/tv shows, discussed the recent landing of Mars rover Perseverance, and dressed up in our best greenery. We had fun connecting virtually while enjoying a special, tasty treat. Next month, we will attempt to repurpose t-shirts into shopping bags. Try this recipe for your own at home Shamrock Shake!
How to join 4-H
Visit the 4-H Clubs page to see what is available - then email or call the 4-H office to get connected with the club leaders and get you started. You can try a club meeting to see if it is the right fit for you before you enroll. Email: morris4h@njaes.rutgers.edu, Phone: 973-285-8301