News : Benton County 4-H Cloverbuds Starts 2023 Strong

Youth show of their 'Beautiful Oops' artwork after experiencing an Art and Literacy 4-H program.

Benton County 4-H hosted a 4-H Cloverbuds Round Up and Winter Workshop on January 13 at the Benton County Extension Office in Vinton. 14 Benton County youth attended the event and experienced an Iowa 4-H educational offering titled "A Beautiful Oops" where they practiced art and literacy while making friends. This event built participants' sense of belonging and excitement around the 4-H program.

The Iowa 4-H Clover Kids program, also known as Cloverbuds in Benton County, is designed for Kindergarten through third-grade students. This program is foundational to the 4-H opportunities available to fourth through twelfth-grade students across Iowa. Cloverbuds aims to build life and social skills through fun, educational activities. "4-H Cloverbuds is an exciting program that empowers some of the youngest residents in Benton County to become familiar with the 4-H program and experience the power of positive youth development in it's truest sense," shared Emily Damro, the Iowa 4-H Youth Program Specialist serving Benton County.

Benton County 4-H is partnering with the Vinton Library to host a 4-H 'Find Out' Night on January 31. This event aims to connect with families that have children in early elementary to share the value of joining 4-H and to answer questions families have about the 4-H program. Benton County families are invited to join 4-H staff and volunteers at the Vinton Library at 5 PM on 1/31 to learn about the 4-H program and explore the library.

Additionally, Benton County 4-H and the Vinton Library are partnering to host three educational events in February for Kindergarten through fifth-grade youth. Participants do not need to be 4-H members to register to attend each workshop. Youth will practice literacy, experience fun STEM activities, and learn to apply what they learned. Families can visit www.extension.iastate.edu/benton and view the calendar to learn more about registering for the February 4-H program series at the Vinton Public Library.

4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential through youth-adult partnerships and research-based experiences, starting as early as Kindergarten. For more information on the Benton County 4-H program, please contact the Benton County Extension Office at 319-472-4739 or email 4-H staff at benton4h@iastate.edu.