|
As each child and parent group checked in, they
moved to the right and sat down on the white bleachers off to the
side. The young exhibitors, all between the ages of 5 and 7,
excitedly waited their turn to present their projects to one of the
judges.
There were five judges this year, with some new and
some returning. Judges Charlotte Judd, Alex Steffins, Sophia
Schneider, and Ellie Wrage all had at least one prior year of
judging experience. Judge Saria Jackson was new to Cloverbud judging
this year. All the judges have been in 4-H for at least 6 years,
with a collective experience of over 30 years.
The event kicked off at 4:00 PM, with Davis calling
on a 4-H group called the Early Risers to present their group
project. The project, all about the demographics of their group and
why they love Cloverbuds, was filled with pie charts, data, and fun
drawings. The group presented their project to judge Wrage, ending
the presentation with each child sharing their favorite thing about
Cloverbuds. While there were some answers such as “seeing friends”
and “showing our projects,” the most common answer was “everything.”
After the Early Risers gave their group presentation, Davis began to
call kids one at a time, directing them to one of the judges. The
kids would grab their projects and make their way over to their
designated judging table, many with eager parents following right
behind. The judges all met the kids with a smile and introduced
themselves before asking the kids about their projects.
[to top of second column] |
While some kids were a bit more
nervous than others, all of them did a great job answering the
judges’ questions and sharing interesting details about their
projects. The judges also did an excellent job making connections
with the kids, as to help them be less nervous and more confident.
The projects also varied widely in the topics they
covered. One young man put together a slide made of cut in half
water bottles and a wooden container to store ping pong balls in. He
would then take the ping pong balls out of the container and send
them down the slide. Another young lady made a presentation on
everything that goes into making banana bread. Another young man
took a picture of his two ducklings and talked about them. Still
another young lady used square stickers to put together a unicorn
picture with a pixel art effect. A couple of young ladies created
bracelets and showed them off to the judges. Another young woman
showed off pictures of flowers she has been gardening. Another young
man showed off snap circuits and the many things he could power with
them.
As the kids finished talking with the judges, they were awarded a
ribbon, and their projects were collected to be displayed. Sherri
Bishop, also of U of I Extension, went around collecting the
projects and finding a place for them to be displayed alongside
their ribbon and a tag with each kid’s name.
All-in-all, about 30 kids came and presented their projects. Even
though the humidity was rough, the kids all had great attitudes and
seemed excited to have taken part. Davis attested to this, saying
that her favorite part of running Cloverbuds is seeing how excited
the kids get and their desire to talk about their projects with
others. When asked about what the most important things the kids get
out of the Cloverbud Exhibit, Davis gave many examples. First, she
shared, the kids learn how to not only start, but also finish a
project. They also learn how to talk to older teens, and work on
their communication skills in general. They also learn how to
receive and take feedback. Also, in the case of group projects, such
as the Early Risers, they learn how to work with others.
All the evening's Cloverbud projects will be on display this week
during the fair. They can be found in the Brown Door Building near
other 4-H projects. If you happen to be walking by this week, be
sure to stop in and see all of the fun creative and fun projects
this year’s Cloverbuds put together.
[Matt Boutcher] |
