When I first started homeschooling over five years ago, one thing that I was uncertain about giving up was the extracurricular activities that were such a big part of my life in middle and high school. I was in the choir, a member of the drill team, played on sports teams and so on. Some of these activities are available through local homeschool co-ops and support groups, but many are not. I live in a small town and so there is only one co-op available to us. However, I am very lucky that Kathy, a wonderful mom in that group, had the foresight to start a 4-H club several years ago. We have been members for two years and I actually gave Kathy a break and led the the group this year. It was a lot of work, but so worth it! Next year, I will co-lead the group with Kathy again.

My kids are special needs - my son is ADHD/Asperger's and my daughter is hearing impaired. Most things are not an issue for my 7th grade daughter as her hearing aids correct a good portion of the hearing loss. However, she has been challenged in other ways - completing her yearly project has forced her to learn time management and to take responsibility for getting her contest entries done on time. Last year, she won the regionals demonstration competition. Just yesterday, she won the county demonstration contest and will go on to regionals again this upcoming Tuesday. Participating in 4-H has taught her how to interact with other people and how to give a speech, too. She has made new friends and enjoys helping the younger students or the adult leaders when asked.

For my "Aspie" son, joining 4-H was not high on his list of things to do last year! However, I know how important it is for him to learn how to behave in group situations and with other children & adults. In the two years that he has been giving speeches and demonstrations for 4-H, he has actually shown a natural ability for it! Yesterday, out of about 20 children in his project group, my son won the county demonstration competition and will also be attending regionals for the first time on Tuesday alongside his sister! This competition required him to prepare several display poster boards and to prepare a speech to explain them ... his "Aspie" brain allows him to memorize his speech with little effort. A few months ago, from a pool of about 20+ kids, he won the county baking contest with his original cookie recipe. I was so proud that he took the initiative to create his own recipe. He had no idea he had won until his name was called ... the look on his face was priceless!

Purple and blue ribbons are all over my house and my kids are so excited when they win a contest and gracious to the other winners when they do not. But the great thing about 4-H is that ALL children earn ribbons based on their performance. Noone goes away empty-handed and I believe that is a good thing ... to acknowledge ALL children for their efforts to compete, whether they are the top winner or not. Our group is small, but all of the kids (and parents!) work hard throughout the year. This year, our county added a new group designation - Independent Club. This was for smaller schools, private schools, and homeschool groups. Out of our ENTIRE county, only 12 students in grades 5-12 turned in a project folder with HALF of those coming from our club, 5/7 of our student members are going to regionals. Almost all of our members participate in the various contests throughout the year ... needless to say, we won the distinction Independent Club of the Year for 2006-7 and I couldn't be prouder of the kids, parents and leaders who made this possible!

Your local 4-H extension agency can help you with this and they should be there alongside you all year helping you. I am very blessed to have an absolutely totally dedicated agent who wants to see the students succeed. 4-H is for students in grades 4-12 and encourages community service and guides a child as he studies his area of interest. There is even an Honor Club that children can join beginning in the 6th grade. These are wonderful things to note on a high school transcript! High school students get the chance to travel & participate in 4-H Congress, Round-Up and more! I would highly encourage homeschoolers, whether they have children with special needs or not, to consider starting up or joining a 4-H group. I cannot say enough positive things about our experience with this wonderful program!

... Kris ...