By Cheryl Howell

By now, the Branch County 4-H Superstars Club is beginning to plan the fall party that starts the club’s 4-H program year.

The club averages between 75 and 100 youth members ranging in age from 5 to 17, and age-appropriate programming is and has been the rule, not the exception, since the club was formed.

“Our county started Branch Buds my first year out of high school. That’s been about 17 years,” said Marlene Lehman, Branch County 4-H leader and co-leader of the 4-H Superstars Club. “Last year, we had 25 Branch Buds in our club alone. We do everything but horses and dogs. We do some things together as a club. We do our pledges together and general club announcements, and then we break.

“We (5- to 8-year-olds) go to the back of the room while the big kids have their business meeting. We do all kinds of things — a small craft or art project and we tie that in with something related to, say, safety.”

The 4-H Superstars volunteers, Lehman and her husband, Jeffrey, and their friends and co-leaders John and Brenda Underwood, approach their work with youth in their club by making sure that experiences are first fun and that they also offer opportunity for youth to learn appropriately, whether the child is 5 or 17.

Although they were doing this long before the Michigan 4-H Participant Age Policy changed, Marlene says her experiences as a leader support establishing age-based limits to what youth in 4-H are expected to do.

“I think that you can’t expect a 5-year-old and even up to an 8-year-old to be ready,” Lehman said. “They’re not ready to sit through a business meeting, but they are observing and watching and learning from the older kids.

“It’s about maturity level. We don’t let them go until they are ready. They’ll fly when they’re ready.”

As of September 1, 2004, 4-H participant age will be determined by the age a child is on January 1 of that program year. This new policy shortens the window in which 4-H youth members may be involved in activities that are not appropriate for their chronological age.
The policy also confirms that 4-H youth members aged 5 to 8 may not participate in 4-H activities that involve competition or placements and rankings, although 5- to 8-year-olds may participate in noncompetitive shows and exhibitions.

What the 4-H Superstars and other Branch County clubs with 5- to 8-year-old members prove is that these limits do not need to lessen the experience a 4-H’er may have at county fair.

“There are different events going on throughout the week for 5- to 8-year-olds at the fair,” Lehman said. “They do keep their animals at the fair. We allow them to show only rabbits, pocket pets (hamsters, birds, guinea pigs), cats and dogs. We’ve pulled them out of the big kids’ barn. They get to decorate their own barn — everyone knows it’s the 5- to 8-year-old barn.

“Judges come and talk with the kids and they get a show ribbon. They have their own color of ribbon. It’s not like any other ribbon at the fair.”

Lehman also admits that thinking and planning to engage youth in ways appropriate for their age isn’t easy.

“It takes an extra couple of people who are willing to say, ‘I will pull them (the younger ones) out,’” she said. “We alternate so that leaders share responsibility for working with both the older and younger youth in our club. We had dinner last night and we were planning what we were going to do next year. It takes planning!

“I’m just excited about this program because a lot of kids are excited about 4-H, they want to do what the big kids do, and we allow them to do so in fun and safe ways,” Lehman said.

For more information on age-appropriate 4-H programming, visit 4-H online at http://www.msue.msu.edu/ cyf/youth/ageapprop.html. For more information on the 4-H Participant Age Policy, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/ cyf/youth/downloads/4-H-Age-Policy.pdf.

Cheryl Howell is the state 4-H information officer.

Learn more about 4-H age-friendly and Cloverbud programs.

What's good at what age?

Defining age-friendly 4-H programming

A variety of 4-H experiences are open to Michigan young people aged 5 to 19. A sampling is listed here. Please note that not all 4-H experiences are open to all age groups.

• Ages 5 to 8 — Noncompetitive age-appropriate activities in all 4-H project areas, including but not limited to animal experiences with direct one-on-one adult assistance; low-risk community service activities with adult supervision; non-competitive shows and exhibitions.

• Ages 9 to 13 — Age-appropriate activities in all 4-H project areas; community service activities; and competitive and non-competitive events including demonstrations, exhibitions, shows, sales and auctions. 4-H members who are 4-H age 12 and older can also participate in 4-H Exploration Days.

• Ages 14 to 19 — Age-appropriate activities in all 4-H project areas; teen leadership experiences, including leading specific project area learning by younger youth; most overnight events; competitive and non-competitive events including the state 4-H awards program, demonstrations, exhibitions, shows, sales and auctions. Youth aged 14 and up can also participate in adult and older teen leadership training events.