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Wisconsin Parent

Wisconsin 4-H Turns 100!

Sep 25, 2014 01:53PM ● By Tiffany Malloy
To be honest, when I think of 4-H, I think of farming, livestock, and tractors. Little did I know that it includes robotics, music festivals, photography, travel, and more! 4-H Youth Development is celebrating its 100th year of growing Wisconsin student leaders, and we’re excited to be able to share with you a book released recently that helps kids learn more about 4-H.

Badger State Buddies by Noreen O’Brien is a book about four 3rd and 4th graders who, while having very different journeys, end up joining the same 4-H club and find friendship with one another. In this book the reader not only enjoys a good story, but also learns more about how 4-H is run, the fun opportunities it offers, as well as the values that it instills in the club members. Throughout the book the reader learns a good bit about Wisconsin history and geography. We’re pretty new to Wisconsin, so it was a great way to teach my kids about the great dairy state in which they live!Badger-State-Buddies-Cover2 Badger State Buddies can be purchased through the UW-Extension site. A dollar of each book goes towards the 4-H Foundation.

To celebrate the Centennial, you and your family can pick up a book and participate in the “Wisconsin 4-H Reads” program. Around the state, families will be reading this book around the dinner table and at bedtime, learning more about Wisconsin, and 4-H. More than anything, 4-H encourages kids to be caring, active members of whatever communities they live in. That is definitely something I can get behind!

Visit the website for more information as well as book discussion questions.