My son signed up for the small engines project through 4-H this year. With his love for old lawn tractors, it seemed like a good fit for him. With old lawn tractors comes a bit of troubleshooting, like, “Why won’t it start today?” He’s getting better at diagnosing each little issue that arises. Isn’t that how it works? Something goes wrong, and you seem to learn the most.
Aside from entering a small engine that he has overhauled or rebuilt, which he isn’t there yet, he could enter displays, a trifold, or a poster. Surprisingly, he was pretty into choosing a couple of subjects for trifolds. He was loaned an old small engine repair book from a family friend and used it to choose “2 Stroke vs. 4 Stroke Engines.”
Now, I could make an attractive trifold, something he has never done before, but I knew nothing about two-stroke and four-stroke engines. We put his knowledge of small engines and my creativity together to make a small engines trifold project, and that is truly the beauty of 4-H— and, well, raising kids.
I’ve never been one to throw the kids into something and have them figure it out or fend for themselves. I’ve always believed in guidance. Time, guidance, and the right tools can do so much for any kid. It’s why we have a 15-year-old who can confidently bake any recipe she wants, even macarons. Now, there are plenty of kids who can figure out so much on their own, and that is amazing, but I revel in my role as a mom of 4-H’ers and do what I can.
I can’t honestly say how my son’s trifold would have turned out if I had dropped the supplies in front of him and walked away, but by guiding him through his first several, I feel confident he’ll have a good idea of how to put together a decent trifold on his own. The perk of getting to help him organize his trifold is that I now know the difference between a two-stroke and a four-stroke engine. I have a feeling he’s going to be topnotch at explaining his displays after explaining and re-explaining everything to me while we put the information together.
As I’m spending all my spare time filling out project information forms, making tags for sewing, copying instructions and plans for projects, I feel like 4-H is a lot for me, not just my kids, and really, it is. It truly is a family thing. Just as it’s important for a teacher to teach, it’s important for a 4-H parent to make sure all the boxes are checked. You want to set your kids up for success, so you help with the paperwork, you guide them on projects, and you give them your feedback. You help create capable children who can listen to a judge and then want to use the advice they were given to make something even better next year.
4-H is as much as you want it to be, but I do think it’s the perfect opportunity for kids to explore their interests. Go support your local 4-H’ers during fair season this year and maybe slip their moms a thumbs-up...or a coffee. A coffee will be needed.
by Ashley Burkhardt Walker
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Ingredients 2/3 cups old-fashioned oats 1 1/3 cups milk 1 tbsp chia seeds 3 tbsp peanut butter 1 ripe banana mashed 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon Mash the banana in a large bowl. Add your oats, milk, chia seeds, peanut butter, vanilla, and cinnamon Mix well. Transfer the oats into mason jars. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 4 hours minimum.
Enjoy as an easy breakfast!