How to make a successful 4-H Recordbook

Created by: Courtney Wilson

Recordbook Objectives

1. Attain a broad knowledge of 4-H projects & activities and the way they improve family and community life.

2. Acquire life skills essential for becoming an active, skilled, productive and responsible citizen.

3. Adopt & apply the latest practices and research findings to everyday living.

4. Use all 4-H training & experiences choosing & preparing for a job.

5. Develop leadership skills that promote positive youth development.

What is a recordbook?

• A 4-H recordbook is a 4-H member’s annual record of growth and accomplishments.

• It is an historical record of the member’s 4-H career.

• 4-H members record the projects they have been involved in, what they have learned, and how they have grown both in their knowledge and personally.

What is the primary purpose of a 4-H recordbook?

• The primary purposes of completing a recordbook are for a young person to:

develop the skills necessary to set goals

Work toward achieving those goals Reflect on his/her experiences Set new and higher goals for

themselves

Are recordbooks important?

• Record keeping teaches: Responsibility Self-Reflection Accountability• 4-H members who complete

recordbooks throughout their 4-H career have the skills to complete college, award and scholarship applications.

Why do a Recordbook?

1. To help you learn record keeping skills2. Document 4-H learning experiences3. Learn how to set goals and keep up

with the progress4. Reflect and understand the value of

your learning experiences5. Help monitor your growth and

development

Cont….

6. Provide information for awards and recognition7. Documentation of the value of 4-H

When should recordbooks be completed?

• Recordbooks should be completed throughout the year and are evaluated at the county level in late June/early July.

• District recordbook judging competitions occur in July, followed by the state judging for senior 4-H members in August.

Recordbook Basics

• Recordbook category• 4-H story• Project experiences and participation• Leadership • Community Service• Recognition and awards• Non 4-H experiences

Recordbook categories

• Beef• Citizenship & Civic Education • Clothing & Textiles• Communication & Expressive Arts• Companion Animal• Consumer Education• Dairy

Recordbook Categories Cont.

• Family Life• Entomology• Food & Nutrition• Gardening & Horticulture• Goat• Health• Horse• Housing & Home Environment

Recordbook Categories cont.

• Leadership• Natural Resources• Personal Development• Photography• Plant & Soil Science• Poultry• Public Speaking • Rabbit• Recreation

Recordbook Categories cont.

• Safety• Science, Engineering, & Technology• Sheep• Shooting Sports• Swine• Veterinary Science• Wildlife & Fisheries

4-H Story

• 4-H member discusses highlights or points of interests that may not fit into the 4-H project report form

• Vital part of the recordbook because it helps the judges to get to know the 4-H member

• The story should be personal, written in 1st person, and should express good things and unfortunate things that have happened in the member’s life.

Project experiences & participation

• 4-H recordbooks cover up to 4 projects for the past 4 years

• This is a summary of your experiences for the year.

• Examples: total number of tours, meetings, shows, meals, demonstrations (attended), etc.

Leadership

• Vital part of the 4-H recordbook• Members record their experiences in

leadership roles they have had.• Examples: elected/appointed offices,

volunteer roles, or promotional leadership at the club, county, district, state, national, and even the international level.

Community Service

• Community service is a way for 4-H members to contribute to their communities.

• A recordbook should describe the number of community service projects a member has been involved with, how many people were served through the events, and the highlights of community service for the 4-H member.

Recognition & Awards

• 4-H member highlights the most significant and special awards received during the years in 4-H.

• Ribbons and trophies are fine, but do you have MVP, unsung hero, helper of the week?

Non 4-H Experiences

• Developing a well-rounded 4-H member has always been a focus of the 4-H program.

• Members are encouraged to be active in school, church and civic organizations.

• This section of the recordbook allows 4-H members to describe their involvement in these aspects of life.

Developing a 4-H recordbook

• Family affair• 4-H members & their parents/guardians

should develop a record-keeping system for recording all the events in which members are involved.

• The record keeping can be as informal as keeping a calendar on the refrigerator & writing down all activities, or as complex as a computer spreadsheet a family designs.

Developing a 4-H recordbook

• Once the information is gathered, the 4-H member decides which category to enter the recordbook in.

• It should be a category in which he or she has actively participated and in which growth can be demonstrated.

Benefits of completing a 4-H recordbook

• A 4-H recordbook helps a member organize both 4-H & non 4-H information that is useful in applying for awards & scholarships.

• The current 4- H recordbook requirements mirror those of the Texas 4-H Scholarship Application, making the application process much easier for those who have completed the recordbooks.

Benefits of completing a 4-H recordbook

• 4-H members who have completed recordbooks over the years have a vast resource of information for their college applications & other scholarships.

• Recordbooks are also a source of personal satisfaction, as 4-H members reflect on how they have grown over the years.

Tips on making a recordbook successful

• Decide on a category on which you have been the most involved in.

• Pick the category at the start of the year & keep up with your data.

• Make sure you keep your data with a method that is easy for you.

• If you have trouble, do not be afraid to ask a parent to help you.

• Keep all your data in a folder or somewhere where you can find it so you can enter the data in the computer when its time to fill out the forms online.

Online Recordbook System

• www.4hreports.com• When you get on this website all you

have to do is follow the instructions on each sheet.

Resources

• http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/files/2012/11/recordbook_teaching_aids.pdf

• http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/files/2011/12/fcs_101_additional_recordbook_essentials.pdf