Member Re-enrollment Re-enrollment for members will be done on-line this year. Attached to this newsletter is step by step instructions. Member dues for 2016 are $5 for regular members and $2 for Clover Buds (ages 5-8) and will need to be paid at the Extension office or to your Club leader, not on-line.

Leader Re-enrollment Please make certain to complete an enroll-ment form if you are leading or helping to lead an organized 4-H club or your family club. Forms are included in this packet.

4-H Planning Meeting The 4-H Annual Planning Meeting will take place on January 19, at 7:30 pm, in the Extension Office Conference Room. This is your opportunity to help shape the 2016 project year. Bring your ideas, whether forged from frustrations or celebrations in your 4-H past and help plan for the future of 4-H in Pierce County. All 4-H clubs please remember to sub-mit your year end treasurer’s report and bank statement to the Extension Office.

The Special Garden

Project

The Special Garden Project is a way to offer 4-H members the chance to grow unusual and fun projects in their gardens. This year it is focused on the colorful, Jazzy Mix Zinnia. * Grow an unusual flower

* Learn about growing zinnias, soil care, and gardening

* Enter zinnias at County and State Fair.

This project is open to all youth of 4-H age and it will give them the opportunity to learn about growing, harvesting, preparing, and exhibiting this unique flower! The Special Gardening Project lets 4-H members try their hand at growing unusual vegetables and flowers. The project allows experienced 4-H gardeners to grow some-thing fun, new, and different while letting those new to gardening get their feet wet in this project . 4-H’ers Special Garden Project will:

* Pick up a ‘packet’ of Jazzy Mix Zinnias (one packet per youth) in April at the extension office.

* Receive a newsletter about: Planting & growing zinnias Zinnia problems & insects Harvesting & using zinnias Exhibiting zinnias

* Be able to enter this unique flower at County and State Fair

STEM Volunteer Opportunity-FIRST LEGO LEAGUE

Source: Brandy Wagner

Have you heard of FIRST LEGO League? FIRST LEGO League intro-

duces youth ages 9-14, real-world engi-neering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a the-matic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make posi-tive contributions to society. The FLL program is well underway for the 2015-2016 "TRASH TREK” Season. The TRASH TREK

SM Challenge asks

teams to explore the hidden but fascinat-ing world of trash, from collection, to sort-ing, to smart production, and reuse. They must also invent a solution to help our trash problem and create their own LEGO MINDSTORMS

® robot to accom-

plish trash-themed “missions” on a play-ing field, and show how well they practice FIRST LEGO League Core Values.

We would love to have you volunteer for one of our events! Information regarding volunteer positions and the Nebraska FIRST schedule can be found at http://4h.unl.edu/firstvolunteer0.

All volunteers MUST register with FIRST via theVolunteer Information Management System (VIMS). As part of the FIRST Youth Protection Program, volunteers will be screened with a background check. Please note: You do not need to provide your SSN nor pay the $2.50. Once you log into VIMS, you will be able to indicate the event you are able to attend as well as you preferred volunteer position(s). FIRST, and specifically FLL in Nebras-ka, is successful because of the won-derful volunteers at these events. We could not provide this experience for these students without the dedication from amazing people like you. We are ALWAYS looking for new volunteers so spread the word! Questions? Please Contact Brandy Wagner at bwag-ner5@unl.edu or at 402-472-9023. Or contact the Pierce County Extension Office.

We’re excited for you to

continue your sewing journey with STEAM

Clothing: A Maker’s Guide to Sewing Stuff!

4-H Grows