Prairie Winds 4-H Club Start off the Year with Some Harvest Fun
Submitted by Jackie Donner (Parent Volunteer)
The first weekend in October was fun-filled as the Prairie Winds 4-H Club kicked off their year with the first meeting, registration and family social. Returning members were excited to see each other again, while new families had the opportunity to get to know everyone. At this meeting, members learned about making motions and practiced their skills as they voted on the club t-shirt and hoodie colour for the year. The evening ended with a challenge to build the tallest tower using only uncooked spaghetti and marshmallows!
The next day, our urban families had the chance to visit an organic farm south of Strathmore for our first workshop of the year. Members learned information such as how irrigation works and how fields are managed using crop covers. Upon arrival to the vegetable garden, 4-H members were able to taste and pick fresh potatoes, carrots, beets and parsnips of many varieties. They discovered purple potatoes and carrots and yellow, gold and candy cane beets! One of the highlights was harvesting the vegetables. Each member took bags of fresh vegetables home to enjoy, just in time for Thanksgiving. The tour ended with a visit to the packing plant to see how vegetables were sorted, washed and prepared for sale.
From the farm, many club members made their way to the Rockyview District Corn Maze Event. It was a beautiful evening for the kids to run and enjoy themselves outside. Activities included: a zip line, hay bale lift, jumping pillows, flashlight fun in the maze and more. It was a great start to the year!
Some of the upcoming workshops for the club include silk-screening, glass blowing and Money Smarts.