Instead of the Scouts perhaps one could join 4-H, if there is a group in their area. We joined (Kirsten)and our family this year and she loved it. I was in 4-H for a short time as a child and that is directly why we joined again. 4-H is very family oriented. There are many activities for the families at each monthly meeting. www.4husa.org, click experience tab at the top of page scroll down to join or click here http://tinyurl.com/9yorp http://www.4husa.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=34
Becky, this is our second year in 4-H. We are part of a homeschool group. It's been a wonderful experience for my kids. They stress leadership and community service, and their projects are REALLY in-depth. The kids learn a lot from them. From what I understand, Cloverbuds differ from group to group (as, I am sure, do 4-H grouops.) In our group, the kids go through a "project" each meeting. This year, we've covered ants, the American flag, textiles, About Me..... Last year, the kids spent their last meeting before Fair making posters for the fair; this year, they didn't and the posters fell on the parents to do with their kids. Personally, I liked doing them at home better. HOWEVER, our 4-H leader was telling the me at Fair last night that in her sister's group, the Cloverbuds just sat there, the leader would ask how they were doing filling out their project books, and the kids never "did" anything. Fair is a great experience! Each child goes through an individual interview for each project. The judges ask questions of the kids about what they did, etc. They are graded on how much they know, how they present themselves, communication skills, neatness, originality, etc. The Cloverbuds here are given $1 for each project they do successfully. The older kids are given up to $6 per project for an "A" grade. Last year I was a bit nervous about the judging, but found the judges were very competent at putting nervous kids at ease and to get them talking about what they did. They dwelled on the positive, rather than fixing on one or two minor mistakes. Again, I'm sure there are exceptions, but have yet to find one. (You have to excuse me! This is Fair Week for us, so I've spent all day Sunday there, while Rachael had our German Shepherd there in the Obedience Training show, then we were there for several hours last night with the dog on display. We're done now, but I'm still in "Fair" mode!) Phillip made the most adorable ant poster for his Cloverbud display. He found it in a book, and did it mostly all by himself! Faythe got an A-Grade on her project, and while our dog wasn't as obedient as Rachael would have liked, she (Rachael) handled the entire situation with lots of grace and maturity. She also did much better in her Illustrated Talk than I expected, though we've yet to see the judges comments on that. All in all, it's been a very profitable fair for us, but I'm sure glad it's over!!!
We(another mother and I) had a girl scout group made up of just Homeschool girls for a year and then our parents decided to dissolve as "Girl Scouts". We wanted to keep the girls meeting so we became the "Sonflowers". We have our own motto - "We are blooming in the light of the Lord". Last year we did girl scouts without the actual name, but this year we decided to do "Keepers of the Home". The girls get pins or bangles for each completed task. We have been having so much fun. We are utilizing the mothers talents. We did a cake decorating class last week and the girls will get a badge for that. We are also in the local Christmas parade and we have adopted a community project - the local women's and children's shelter. The girls are going to plant a garden and help build and paint the cabins they are scheduled to build. We hope we are building the character that we(the mothers) all learned from the girl scouts we remember as kids. Girl Scouting has changed from what I remember. I want my girls to be strong and confident, but I also want them to have the character of a moral christian. Because moral is NOT relative. Abortions are not okay. One of the reasons I homeschool is because I want to teach my children, not have someone else do it through books that I don't approve of. Sabrina
Yes, but am not sure what exactly. Very minimal...I think it was less than $10 per kid, at least in my county. Plus you have to pay for your project books; I think they're about $5 each....? And then my kids each have a club t-shirt, which ran I think $12. But then, you've got dues for Scouts and uniforms, too. Even AWANAS has dues and uniforms and books!
Yeah Sami and I don't have much so I was trying to figure a way to afford to put her in scouts or 4-H or something. She Was in Gymnastics but the $30 a month was 30 more than I could do. Is that like for the semester/year/week?
That's the total amount for the year. Another expense would be the fair. In our county, 4-H kids with projects get in free, but moms and dads don't. Plus there's the expense if you eat there, and rides, perhaps for parking. All that adds up, especially if you're going more than one day. Rachael needed to be there twice.
Yeah our fair is this comming weekend and I'm wishing I could take Sami, I know she'd be SOO excited. It dosn't sound nearly as expensive as some thigns I've looked into... Her grandma is looking for an extra B-day present for Sami, maybe 4-H money could do the trick.
Our 4-H fair is all about farming- the animals, crops, baking contest, canning, sewing. there's no rides, no games, and the food wasn't so expensive. The problem with 4H is it's only once a month here- the meetings I mean. That's why I looked into GS. If I could find a nearby church that offered it I might even consider AWANA. Jeannie has a better social calendar than me!
