Record keeping is part of the overall 4-H experience. A record book is completed by 4-H’ers ages 9 - 19. A 4-H record book is an important part of completing each project. It is a written history of your project work and a narrative of your success and learning in 4-H. Record keeping helps you make a plan (goals), be organized, document your project work, evaluate your work, keep track of expenses, make positive decisions when solving problems, and just have fun by seeing what you have accomplished in 4-H.
Completing a record book can:
• Give you a sense of personal accomplishment • Make you eligible to participate in other activities • Help you learn valuable life skills
• Give you the opportunity to be recognized on the county, district and state levels • Allow you to attend National 4-H Congress as an Advanced Winner
• Qualify you to apply for record book scholarships • Help you set challenging goals – and more!
This guide will help you report your 4-H experiences using the Arkansas 4-H Report Form. Carefully read this guide before beginning. Note that record books will be scored in five areas:
Project Work 41 Points
Leadership 20 Points
Community Service 20 Points 4-H Awards, Marketing & Impact 7 Points 4-H Story & Pictures 12 Points
This guide will give you tips and partial examples on how to complete each section. Before we begin the step-by-step instruction consider the following:
The amount, variety and quality of work will be important in a 4-H record that shows excellence. Equally important is how you shared what you learned in projects with others through demonstrations, exhibits, talks, radio programs, etc. What you attend or participate in, to learn more about your projects, also contributes to your 4-H record of excellence.
Tips for Completing
Your 4-H Record Book
Helping senior citizens, improving your communities and working with the disadvantaged and handicapped are activities that develop your citizenship skills. What citizenship activities or projects have been a part of your 4-H record?
Clearly, the work you do in your project, the leadership you give, and the citizenship you share is the most important parts of your 4-H experience. They are tied closely together in composing your 4-H record of excellence.
THE EXAMPLES PROVIDED IN THIS PRINTED PIECE ARE MERELY SUGGESTED WAYS YOU MIGHT FORMAT AND PRESENT YOUR PROJECT INFORMATION. No example should be interpreted as the only way to present information. Realize the examples shown are just examples. The way you choose to present your record will depend on what you have done in your 4-H project.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ARKANSAS 4-H REPORT FORM
• A standard 4-H cover – green Member’s Record Cover (purchase through the county office or from the National 4-H Mall – www.4-Hmall.org)
• For Advanced Record Books ONLY – a 1-2 page resume prepared as if you were actually applying for a job.
• 4-H Record Report Form, pages 1-10 • 4-H Story, five pages max.
• 4-H Project Photos, four pages max (exception Photography)
• Do not use a type size smaller than 12 characters per inch (10 points in printer’s measure – preferred font is 12 pt Times New Roman). All paper must be white and the standard 8 1/2” x 11” size. Print should be in black ink.
4-H Record Report Form, pages 1-10 – Report the last five years of your project work.
Beginners should only report one year of Cloverbud work. When preparing this report form, it should be handwritten, typed, or completed on a computer in this format. Do not repeat information. No additional pages can be added to this form.
Page 1
4-H Report Form Cover Page
This page includes information that is unique to you. Be sure to fill it out completely and to collect the required signatures. See the sample on the next page.
Arkansas 4-H Report Form
Before completing this form, please read ALL instructions. Please type or print.
Project Safety Year 2012
State Initiative (check one)
Strengthening Families Encourage Individual Development Valuing Agriculture Protecting the Environment X Enhancing Health & Well Being Animal Science Utilizing Science & Technology Extending Resources Plant & Soil Science
Number of years enrolled in this project 4 Number of years enrolled in 4-H 3
Name Katie Jones
Name you want used in publicity Katie Jones Sex: Male Female X
Home Address 444 East 44th Street
Zip Code 44444 County Any county Phone ( 501 ) 444-1414
Date of Birth: mm/dd/yyyy 04/03/1999 Age as of January 1, this year: 12
Grade in school on January 1, this year 7 Year of high school graduation 2017
The purpose of the following is only to gather statistics and determine compliance with Civil Rights Laws.
Ethnic Origin: White Black X Hispanic Asian
American Indian/Alaskan Native Mixed
Name of your 4-H club or group Luck Clover 4-H Club
Name of parents or guardians John and Mary Jones
Statement by Member I personally certify that this report accurately reflects my work:
Date February 14, 2012 Signature of 4-H Member Katie Jones Approval of Report
We have reviewed this report and believe it accurately reflects the work of the 4-H member:
Page 2 - Project Work (Section I)
Page two has three parts: A. Main Project Goals, B. Knowledge Gained This Year and C. Main Project Work Overview. Only three goals and three things learned in your main project should be listed.
A. Main Project Goals - Using the state project objectives (refer to the Arkansas 4-H
Projects and Objectives) for your project area as your guide, list your three top S.M.A.R.T goals. (Remember they should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Relevant, and Timely.) The goals should reflect the work completed by the member in the Project Work Overview section.
Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a
general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the: “who, what, when, where, which, why” questions.
Measurable - Establish specific criteria for measuring progress toward the
achievement of each goal you set. Can you tell when you meet your goals?
Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to
figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
Relevant - To be relevant your goals must inspire you. If they don't, set new goals.
Your goals must be realistic and you must have the resources to accomplish the goals.
Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it
there’s no sense of urgency.
B. Knowledge Gained This Year - List the top three things you learned from participating
in this main project during this year. This should be a reflection upon the goals set in the previous section.
C. Main Project Work Overview – Judges will be looking for three basic things: amount of
project work; variety of project work and quality of project work.
Report the past five years of project work (Exception – Beginners should only report one year of Clover Bud work). Describe in a chart form all the things you have done in your main 4-H project. Use numbers if you can (ex: number of animals, size of garden, etc.). The amount of project work shows that you are a hard worker. The number of animals, dishes, meals, articles made, garments, repairs, quarts, activities, etc. are just some of the ways to show the amount of work you have done. The variety of work experiences
indicates that you are trying new things and growing in your project work. For example, if your project is beef, you should not only report the number of animals you manage daily, but also related activities such as marketing, animal health and breeding. The quality of work can be shown by indicating such things as money earned, savings realized by developing skills and items made which are useful or enjoyed by others. In any case, you should report your project work in chronological order by year – start with your first year in the project.
Charts can be very effective in this section. They allow a great deal of information to be presented in a small amount of space. The first year should be listed first. Be sure that you identify for the reader what your numbers mean (hours, dollars, people, etc).
EXAMPLES OF PAGE 2: Consumer Education Project A. Main Project Goals
1. To develop a personal spending plan
2. To learn skills needed to make wise purchasing decisions
3. To teach younger 4-H members about the importance of saving money.
B. Knowledge Gained This Year
1. To learn to save and use money wisely. 2. How to make wise purchasing decisions
C. Main Project Work Overview
Consumer Management 2010 2011 2012
Home budget set-up 1 2 3
Consumer Purchasing Coupons used 24 58 81 Shopping – foods 12 18 26 Money saved/earned Recycled cans ($) 5.00 27.00 33.00 Babysitting ($) 300.00 400.00 500.00
Educational Activities Created
Money Puzzles 1 4 6
Consumer Games 0 0 2
Beef Project Example D. Main Project Goals
1. Learn to properly vaccinate my animals
2. Learn to keep herd records on family computer 3. Explore marketing options for my herd
E. Knowledge Gained This Year
1. How to give a shot
2. How to enter my herds data on the computer
3. There is a market for high quality registered beef animals
F. Main Project Work Overview
2010 2011 2012
Animal Production
Cows in my herd 10 15 20
Calves raised 5 6 8
Herd Health Management
Animals I vaccinated 0 0 20
Pest Control treatments 10 30 40
Veterinarian Visits 4 6 5
Minerals fed ($) 60 70 80
General Herd Management
Record Keeping (hrs) 20 30 40
Computer Record (hrs) 0 0 20
Ear tags attached 10 10 25
Financial Records
Animals Purchased (#) 1 2 3
$ of animals purchased 500 1,200 2,100
Animals sold 2 3 4
$ received 800 1,800 2,800
EXAMPLE – CITIZENSHIP PROJECT
D. EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES IN YOUR MAIN PROEJCT WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
10-12 C-3 County Government at Work
10 C Property Taxes
10 C Flag Care
11 L Responsible Citizens
12 S How a Bill Becomes a Law
12 S Consumer Rights
INTERVIEWS
10 L Mayor
10 C Quorum Court Member
10 C Justice of the Peace
11 L City Attorney
11 C County Judge
12 C Circuit Clerk
12 C County Tax Collector
12 S State Senator
TALKS/DEMONSTRATIONS HEARD
10 L What is Citizenship? 10 L History of our Flag?
10 C Folding the Flag
11 L U.S. Military
11 L Citizenship begins at Home
11 L History of Any County
11 L Preserving History
12 C County Government
12 C What does the County Judge Do?
12 C How to register to vote.
FIELD TRIPS
10 L Grant County Museum – local heritage
10 C County Courthouse
10 S State Democratic Party Hdqters.
11 S State Capitol
11 S State Supreme Court
12 S Territorial Restoration
12 S Old State House
ARTICLES/BOOKS READ
10 L-8 Local history, city government 11 L-2 Flag Care & History of Flag 11 L Running for public office
12 L Community Service
WEBSITES VISITED
10 L Thomas
12 L Visited over 25 sites that deal with U.S. History and/or Government
Page Three
D. Educational Experiences in Your Main 4-H Project
This section is where you record activities you participated in and learned about your main project. List tours taken, talks or demonstrations seen or heard, individual instruction, exhibits, workshops, camps, competitions, consumer experiences
(shopping), interviews made, websites visited, books and pamphlets read. Numbers
should reflect the number of activities participated in - NOT number of
contacts. Be sure to indicate level where educational experience took place (L=local;
EXAMPLE OF PAGE 4 – E. Overview of Other 4-H Project and Activity Experiences
Fabrics & Fashion 2010 2011 2012
Garments made 30 40 45 Alterations made 25 30 39 Accessories made 10 20 25 Outfits designed 0 0 2 Wardrobes planned 1 2 15 Items crocheted 1 5 4
Gardening & Horticulture 2010 2011 2012
Mowed grass (times) 4 10 20
Varieties of vegetables grown 10 14 26
Shrubs planted 0 0 6
Annuals planted 24 48 48
Flower beds dev. 0 0 1
Bedding plants planted 0 0 144
Soil samples taken 1 3 11
Hours weeding 31 42 62
Veterinary Science 2010 2011 2012
Animals treated 1 2 10
Flea pills given 0 12 36
Shots given 4 24 46
Surgeries assisted 0 0 5
Animals artificially inseminated 0 2 18
Cattle dehorned 2 4 12
Page Four
E. Overview of Other 4-H Project and Activity Experiences
This page is to be used to report experiences in those projects and activities that are not reported on page 2. Report no more than three projects. Be sure to list the name of each project and then tell your activities. Describe in a chart form all the things you have done in your other 4-H projects. Use numbers if you can (example: number of animals, size of garden, household safety checks completed, first aid kits built, etc.). Make “active” statements; for example: first aid kits assembled; household safety checks made, etc. Show financial information if you can. Do not give totals.
Clothing
Talks/Demonstrations
10 L Hemming
10 L Selecting a Pattern 10 L Color & You 11 C Sewing with Cotton 11 C Fabric Care 11 C Textiles 12 L Sewing Performance Fabrics 12 L Bound Buttonholes 12 C Wardrobe Planning Workshops Attended
10 L Sewing for Others 11 C Alterations 11 C Tailoring 12 C Fabric Accessories Books/Articles Read 10 L-4 Clothing Construction 11 L-6 Textiles, Design L-8 Clothing Construction/Style 12 L-8 Tailoring, working with wool
L-8 Fashion, color, style, design
Landscaping
Talks/Demonstrations
10 L Soil Tests
10 L Proper care of mower 10 L Plant Identification 11 L Planting shrubs 11 C Lawn Watering 11 C Border Planting 12 L Types of Grass 12 S Pots with Pizzazz
Workshops Attended
10 L Plant Selection 11 C Pesticide Application 12 C Landscape Design
Books/Articles Read
10-12 L-45 Articles Read on plant & landscaping ideas Health Talks/Demonstration 10 L-2 Personal Health 11 C-2 Safety, Exercise 12 L-1 First Aide 12 C-2 CPR & Diabetes Tours 10 L-2 Dr’s Office, Pharmacy 11 C-3 Hospital, Health Dept. 12 S UA Medical Center 12 C Child Care Health Center
Websites Visited
10 4-H Cyber Health Camp American Red Cross
11 Cancer Society, Heart, Lung 12 UAMS; other health related
Page Five
F. Educational Experiences in Other 4-H Projects and Activities
This section is where you record activities you participated in and learned about your other projects. List tours taken, talks or demonstrations seen or heard, individual instruction, exhibits, workshops, camps, competitions, consumer experiences
(shopping), interviews made, websites visited, books and pamphlets read. Be sure to indicate level where educational experience took place (L=local; C=county; D=district; S=state, R=regional, N=national). Keep all experiences for each project together.
A. 4-H Leadership Experiences (Example)
Year Level Kind of activity/What did you do # people reached
10 L Organized and conduct program on eye safety 19 attended L Gave a demonstration “sewing on a button” 15 attended L Conducted an exercise class for senior citizens 10 attended L Organized a rabies vaccination clinic in neighborhood 35 pets C Gave a demonstration on “Organizing a Speech” 50 attended C Planned with three others, county fun day 75 participated C Directed parents activity at county talent show 25 participated C *Contacted donors for county fair, raised $1,000 10 contacted 11 L *Demonstration on Planting Shrubs 15 attended
L *Talk on “Becoming a Vet” 16 attended
L Organized refreshments for club Parents’ Night 60 participated
L Conducted community clean-up 15 participated
L Led 4-H Scavenger Hunt to recruit new members 10 participated, 3 recruited L *Organized tour of vet clinic 25 participated C *Co-organized officers’ workshop, 10 clubs 75 participated C *Contacted donors for county fair, raised $1,500
C Conducted public speaking workshop 38 participated
C Camp Counselor 100 campers
C Demonstration – CPR 40 attended
Page Six/Seven – Leadership (Section II) A. 4-H Leadership Experiences
List your 4-H leadership experiences. Your leadership experiences are the most important things that tell others how you have been involved in leading and teaching. You have these pages to tell about leadership experiences. You should explain “How and what did I do to lead or teach others in 4-H?” Remember leadership is: planning, leading, teaching, conducting, organizing, coordination, directing, demonstrating, talks and demonstrations, etc. Do not repeat any information listed on any other page. Be sure to indicate level (L=local; C=county; D=district; S=state, R=regional,
N=national). Place an * beside leadership experiences that relate to your main project. Placing asterisks beside your leadership experiences in your main projects helps the judges to more easily see your main project leadership. Failure to use them may result in the loss of points.
A. 4-H Leadership – continued
12 L Organized club workshop on public speaking 15 participated L Organized community service project 14 participated
L Contacted speaker for program 25 attended
L Planned club recreational event 45 participated L Conducted club record book workshop 15 participated L Organized and conducted city government day 15 participated L Talk – “Your Government at Work” 15 attended
L Demonstration – “Planting Bulbs” 14 attended
C *Conducted a field trip to Vet’s Office 25 attended C *Organized a county Vet Science Club 10 members C Taught “4-H Story” segment of record book workshop 65 attended C Planned workshops for “Project Day” 75 participated C Conducted 4-H Activity Day registration 100 attended
C Talk- “Exercise for Health” 60 attended
C Planned entertainment for achievement banquet 175 participated
D Talk – “Exercise for Health” 15 attended
S Contacted speaker for Teen Leader Conference 175 attended
B. 4-H Elected/Appointed Leadership
List 4-H Offices you have held and committees served on. This includes everything from serving in an elected office such as president or reporter to serving on the refreshment committee. Give your specific responsibility. Indicate level (L=local; C=county;
D=district; S=state).
Year Level Office or Committee Responsibility
10 L Recreation Leader Planned recreation for 12 club meetings L Phone Committee Call 7 families to remind of club meetings C Banquet Committee Clean-up after banquet
11 L Photographer Take photos meeting & special events
L Parent Recognition Plan program, obtain speaker, invite guests L Project Committee Distribute 4-H Project books, schedule reports L Community Service Chairperson, conducted three events during year C Expansion Committee Help decide where county needs new clubs
C Teen Committee Attend meetings and plan workshops
12 L President Preside at 12 meetings
L Banquet Committee Chairperson, preside at banquet
L Fair Booth Chairperson
C Teen Leader Reporter Turn in report of meetings for county newsletter
C Fair Chair committee for education exhibits
C Council Represent club to plan county events
A. 4-H Community Service - Example
Year What did you do Number of hours or Items contributed
10 Community Clean-up Cleaned road for 8 hours 10 Nursing Home Visit Visited 8 patients
10 Fairgrounds Maintenance Painted sheep barn – 6 hours
10 Hospital trays Made 200 tray favors
10 Community Center Painted inside – 2 hours
11 Coats for Kids Collected 35 Coats
11 Race for the Cure Collect $100, ran race
11 Rabies clinic Worked 7 hours
11 Food Bank Drive Collected 100 cans of food
12 Toys for Tots Collected 25 toys
12 Christmas Basket Made 15 loaves of bread
12 Dairy Judging Provided animals for training
12 Bicycle Safety Clinic Taught 1 session – 10 participated 12 Suitcases for Kids Collected 10 suitcases
12 Boys Club Conducted safety workshop for 10
Page Eight/Nine – Community Service (Section III) A. 4-H Community Service
Community service is the opportunity for 4-H members to go out into the community and help others or to improve the quality of the town and the lives of those around them. How do you know if what you have been doing is community service? The definition of community service is:
“ What you as an individual or with others perform to help your community OR any planned activities (projects, programs) that benefit others outside your group. Activities can include single-service events, a seasonal project or an ongoing project.”
This section is for community service activities only and not for citizenship experiences (citizenship is a project). Please note that you should give the number of items contributed or the number of hours served. List by year those activities you have done which have helped someone else.
1 ½ pages are allowed to report this information. Be sure to include year, what did you do (kind of activity) and the number of hours or items contributed (members responsibility). List by year, first year first.
A. Community Service (continued) - Example
Year What did you do Number of hours or Items contributed
12 Drug Free Rally Organized & conducted, 200 attended 12 Teen Leader Club Fund Drive Raised $100
12 PTA Volunteered to babysit, 4 hours
12 Hurricane relief for MS 4-H’ers Collected $300
12 AAE4-HA Meeting Provided entertainment
12 Cattlemen’s Meeting Served meal and cleanup
A. 4-H Awards - Example
List awards received in 4-H.
Year Level Type of Award For what received
10 *C-25 Ribbons Fair Exhibits
10 C Medal Record Book
10 C-2 Trophies Big “B” Day
10 *C-22 Ribbons Fair Exhibits
11 C $15 Ross Photo Contest
11 C-26, D-12 Ribbons Fair Exhibits
11 L-1, C-1 Trophies Record Book
11 C $50 Community Service
12 C-26, D-5, S-3 Ribbons Fair Exhibits
12 C-1, D-1, S-1 Trophies and Plaques Record Book
12 C-1, D-1 Rosettes Fashion Revue
Page Nine/Ten – Awards and 4-H Promotion (Section IV) A. 4-H Awards
Awards and recognition is an important component of the 4-H experience. Please list by year the most important awards received in 4-H. This may not be an all inclusive list of awards, but should include the most important awards received during the past five years. This should not take up more than half of page nine. Place an * beside awards and
.
B. 4-H Promotion/Marketing - Example
List 4-H promotional activities. Do not report activities listed on any other page.
Year Level What You Did
10 L, C 4-H Month-passed out book markers
10-12 C-3 County Fair Parade – Rode on 4-H float
10-12 L-3,C-5 Wrote thank you notes to donors
11 C Talk on 4-H to Farm Bureau
11 C Talk on 4-H to Rotary Club
11 L Radio Program – 4-H recruitment
11 L-6 Farmers market – 4-H Booth
12 C-2 Newspaper- wrote 4-H article
12 S TV Program – 4-H call in Q & A
12 S EHC Convention – 4-H Talk
4-H IMPACT – EXAMPLE
In 100 words or less detail what differences 4-H has made in your life.
4-H is the best thing that ever has happened to me. Since joining 4-H I have overcome a severe case of shyness. For the first time in my life, I have a sense of belonging and feel like I can make an impact in my community. I have really enjoyed serving as leader of my club and I now have the confidence to serve in other leadership roles. The things I have learned through my 4-H
B. 4-H Promotion/Marketing
List by year the 4-H member’s promotional/marketing activities. This includes speaking on the radio about 4-H, riding on a 4-H float during a parade, placing an article in the newspaper, displays promoting 4-H, etc. This does not include wearing t-shirts. Do not report activities listed on any other page. This should not take up more than half of page ten.
Page Ten – 4-H Impact (Section V)
4-H Impact
In 100 words or less, describe what differences 4-H has made in your life. This should be a concise representation of what 4-H has done for you - the 4-H member. The reader of this should rapidly know how 4-H has changed your life.
THE 4-H STORY
The 4-H Story is the next major section of the 4-H record. The story should emphasize the impact of 4-H on the individual, their family and the community. It should include personal reactions and feelings that could not be placed in the Arkansas 4-H Report Form. The story should convey to the reader what the 4-H’er has done and learned by participating in 4-H. Avoid a year-by-year listing of activities and accomplishments. Don’t save the best for last, but put it near the beginning to catch the reader’s interest.
4-H’ers should be creative in writing their 4-H Story. The 4-H’er should try to use a unique way to introduce their story or carry out a central theme in telling their story.
Certain rules should be followed when preparing the 4-H Story. These include: 1. 4-H Story is limited to 5 pages.
2. Each page should be typed or printed in black ink, double spaced and on one side of the page only.
3. Use paper size 8 1/2” x 11”, white in color. 4. Use a one inch margin on all sides of the page.
5. The title should be “My 4-H __________Story”. The blank should be filled in with the name of the 4-Her’s main project.
6. Check for spelling and other errors.
7. Above all – THE STORY SHOULD BE IN THE 4-H MEMBER’S OWN WORDS! The following outline may be helpful in developing the story. This is only an outline. These parts should NOT be identified in the 4-H story.
Part I INTRODUCTION: Introduce yourself – tell age, interests, about your family, where you live, where you go to school, when and why you joined 4-H. (1/4 page)
Part II MAIN PROJECT: Tell about the project area in which you are submitting your record – Why did you choose this project? What goals did you set and which ones did you reach? What have you learned in the project? How has it grown? Describe the things you have tried and found successful and some things that were NOT so successful. How have you arranged financing? Make it interesting! This is your chance to share feelings with the judges. (1 to 1 ½ pages)
Part III OTHER PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES: Highlight other 4-H projects and activities. Give information about other projects and activities you have participated in, including major learning experiences, special interests, and unusual situations that you encountered. (1/2 to 1 page)
Part IV LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY SERVICE: Explain how 4-H has helped you become a better citizen and leader. Describe the most important offices you have held and the committee assignments you have accepted. Tell about what you have learned from working with other 4-H’ers. Explain how you have learned to accept responsibilities. (1/2 to 1 page)
Part V SCHOOL AND CAREER GOALS – Describe how 4-H participation has influenced your school and career goals. Describe life skills you have learned through 4-H work. Tell about your plans for the future and the career you would like to pursue. (1/4 to ½ page.)
4-H Project Photos (four pages, one side only)
Photo pages should include new pictures each year and reflect the past five years of project work. 4-H members should use no more than 9 photos per page. Captions should contain the YEAR the photo was taken. You will have to make decisions about which photos to add and which ones to delete.
• Photo pages must reflect the following outline – main project, 1 page; other project work, 1 page; leadership, 1 page; and community service, 1 page.
• Photos should be action shots.
• Use high-quality photos. Computer-generated photos are okay.
• Each photo should have a caption (tells what is going on in the photo). • Avoid excessive cropping.
• It is important to remember that the photo pages are a visual narrative and should not be in a scrapbook format.
EXCEPTION – If Photography is the main project, the 4-H member may have a total of 14
