Hangin' at the Carnival
Here's a picture of Xavier and me at the carnival behind our newly constructed booth. This year, the theme was Duck Dynasty and our club decided to construct a duck toss game. It was a big hit, particularly with the very little kids. I was there pretty much all day, and had a great time.
Easter Basket Bonanza
Two Things That Go Great Together!!!
Murdoch's and $.25 burgers is a sure recipe for success! Every year, a couple of times a year, Murdoch's donates supplies and space so that 4-H can have a fabulous barbecue. This year was no exception. I love volunteering for the cookouts even though the weather is usually horrible. I've been there in snow, rain and below zero temperatures. Something always goes wrong and it's always hectic and crazy, but I get to meet kids from different clubs and we all pull together to make things work out.
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My Spiral Herb Garden Project
Experiment: Many herbs have been touted as having antibacterial/antimicrobial properties. My goal is to test selected herbs against know antimicrobial agents and see which performs the best.
Herbs to test: yarrow, lavender, peppermint
OTC products to test: anti-bacterial soap, bleach, hand sanitizing gel
Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that yarrow will have the best antimicrobial impact among the herbs. Bleach will have the best antimicrobial impact among the OTC products. Bleach will kill more microbes than yarrow.
Procedure:
1. Obtain petri dishes and agar powder.
2. Prepare 3 petri dishes with the growth medium.
a. ½ tsp agar to ¼ cup hot water is enough to fill petri dish
b. Bring to boil to completely dissolve agar. Allow to cool 3-5 min before filling dish
c. Separate petri dish and fill the bottom half with agar
d. Cover with top slightly ajar to let steam escape and let agar harden
3. Use a clean cotton swab, dampen with water and collect bacteria and rub a squiggle onto the agar.
a. Mouth
b. Toilet flusher handle
c. Kitchen sink – around the faucet
4. Cover the petri dish with the top half, label with masking tape and seal dish with tape.
5. Cultivate bacteria in a warm, dry, dark place. (TV stand in my room)
6. Distill essential oil samples from each of the 3 plants
7. After colonies of microbes are established, take a swab and cultivate identical colonies/samples from each of the 3 original/control petri dishes. Make 3 new controls.
8. Place a line of each test product via a clean swab through the middle of each dish of new culture. New swab for each sample. Repeat step 4.
9. Cultivate in a warm, dark place.
10. Compare results.
Herbs to test: yarrow, lavender, peppermint
OTC products to test: anti-bacterial soap, bleach, hand sanitizing gel
Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that yarrow will have the best antimicrobial impact among the herbs. Bleach will have the best antimicrobial impact among the OTC products. Bleach will kill more microbes than yarrow.
Procedure:
1. Obtain petri dishes and agar powder.
2. Prepare 3 petri dishes with the growth medium.
a. ½ tsp agar to ¼ cup hot water is enough to fill petri dish
b. Bring to boil to completely dissolve agar. Allow to cool 3-5 min before filling dish
c. Separate petri dish and fill the bottom half with agar
d. Cover with top slightly ajar to let steam escape and let agar harden
3. Use a clean cotton swab, dampen with water and collect bacteria and rub a squiggle onto the agar.
a. Mouth
b. Toilet flusher handle
c. Kitchen sink – around the faucet
4. Cover the petri dish with the top half, label with masking tape and seal dish with tape.
5. Cultivate bacteria in a warm, dry, dark place. (TV stand in my room)
6. Distill essential oil samples from each of the 3 plants
7. After colonies of microbes are established, take a swab and cultivate identical colonies/samples from each of the 3 original/control petri dishes. Make 3 new controls.
8. Place a line of each test product via a clean swab through the middle of each dish of new culture. New swab for each sample. Repeat step 4.
9. Cultivate in a warm, dark place.
10. Compare results.
Distilling the herbs and cultivating the samples:
Unlike basil and peppermint, both of whom have culinary applications, yarrow has been used primarily as a medicinal herb throughout history. It acquired its Latin name from the great warrior Achilles who, according to legend, used the herb to heal his fallen companions. In fact, yarrow has been used so extensively as a healing herb that it is known as woundwort, soldier's wort, staunchgrass and nosebleed. Yarrow is a native plant of the US, and it was used by many tribes as a tincture, tonic, balm, tea and skin cream to heal a wide variety of ailments.While it can be used in cooking, the herb is so bitter that it is rare for people to eat it
Home On The Range
One of the other amazing things I got to do this summer was go to the WYRED summer camp. Kids from all over Wyoming came and spent a week out on the range learning all about the grasses and plants that make up the flora. Unlike most of the kids there, I had no ranch experience whatsoever, so I was starting from scratch. The first day we arrived, we were given a humongous notebook full of all kinds of information not only about the plants and their habitats, but also about how these plants needed to be managed in order to take care of livestock. I had no idea how much science (and math!) goes into maintaining range ecology. The camp was hard work! We got up at sunrise and hiked and hunted for different kinds of plants. I had the time of my life , and by the end of the week I felt strong and healthy. The last event of the camp was a competition where we displayed the plants that we had collected in our herbariums. I didn't win for my plant collection, but I won an award for "Most Improved". I was so honored that how much I had learned over one short week was recognized. I used the plants from my herbarium along with the images and information below to make my Range Management project.
Leadership Washington Focus: Learning to Lead in Our Nation's Capitol
Leadership Washington Focus (LWF) is a 4-H leadership program for youth entering grades 7 through 9. The program will take place at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center, just 1 mile from the Washington, D.C. border. For more than 50 years, thousands of 4-H’ers have participated in our high school program, Citizenship Washington Focus and now we are happy to introduce its precursor for middle school 4-H'ers, LWF. Middle school 4-H delegates will:
- Build confidence in their ability to motivate and direct others in meaningful action
- Practice effective communication with others through group discussion and public speaking
- Work with others to create and accomplish goals
- Develop an understanding of their own personal leadership style
- Exchange ideas, practice respect, and form friendships with other 4-H'ersfrom across the nation.
- Experience hands-on learning using the historical backdrop of Washington, D.C.
The LWF conference was an amazing, action packed week where I got to meet kids from 4-H clubs from all over the country. Everyday we would wake up at 8:00 AM, go to breakfast, then split into our breakout rooms. In breakout rooms, we would discuss what it means to be a leader and play leadership games. After that, we would do whatever field-trip/games we had to do, or sometimes we would go to the Auditorium for a leadership meeting/presentation. In the afternoon we would head to lunch (all you can eat :D ). Our last activity of the day varied from breakouts to field trips. Finally, it was time for reflection groups and then bed. In reflections we would reflect on what happened that day and talk about the next.
Along the way, I met friends from all over the USA with different accents, different clothes, and different food preferences. Throughout the trip, not only did I learn more about the world and people around me, but I learned more about myself as-well. I had to be independent, manage time, and be responsible for my own obligations. This conference changed my life!