the squibix family blog

For now, we're not worrying about the 4H part. We're going to try things out and see if we can figure out a schedule and a routine that works. Then maybe in September we can get more official. So far, our idea is to rotate between houses and at each gathering have a selection of chores and projects that the kids (and the parents!) can take part in. For our first meeting at our friends' house, we cleaned out the chicken coop, weeded the garden, fixed some broken fencing, and pulled out grass from a piece of ground that is transitioning from lawn to food forest. Or, some people did. I was on grass removal duty the whole time. There was also a nature drawing scavenger hunt. At the end we had snack: we brought cookies and rice-crispie treats and someone else had some delicious egg tart things, but the best of all was the "apple nachos" made right on the premises. Not all the kids loved being made to do things, rather than just playing with their friends, but hopefully the snacks will keep them coming back.

And hopefully we can host the next meeting. There's a lot of work that needs to get done around here!

Besides the food—hamburgers, grilled cheese, chips, brownies, popcorn, Hawaiian shaved ice—they bought raffle tickets, stuffed animals, and books. Which was almost everything they could have spent money on. Some of their friends also paid for henna tattoos, but that didn't interest them. The stuffed animals were delight enough!

And of course, it wouldn't be a proper old-fashioned fair without some field games. Besides the tug-of-war pictured here (Zion and Elijah's team won that contest, I was on the losing side every time I participated), there were sack races. They provided all the excitement anyone could hope for.

The event was pretty well attended, and it was a cheery sunshiny atmosphere all over the grounds. I didn't take any pictures of the animals, but they were the main attraction: you could visit and pet cattle, sheep, and goats—including a few adorable tiny baby goats. And the horse girls were riding in the ring, showing off their skills. And when the boys needed some time away from the crowd, the fairground has space for that too.

This was the first ever Spring Extravaganza; usually Middlesex 4H is content with just the one fair in August. But I guess they've been missing inviting the public to the fairground over the last two years! Of course, the end-of-summer fair is still on the calendar, and promises to be a whole lot bigger and better. We're looking forward to it!

In some ways it's just like things we've already been doing. The group at the first meeting last month was over 50% homeschoolers, and there's definitely a homeschool feel. The activities are loose and fun, and there are plenty of movement breaks between the sitting times. But there are also some distinctly unfamiliar elements. The cost, for one, which at $15 per kids per year is super affordable—but we've almost never paid for any group ever before! And there were all those forms to fill out. There are officers and elections. And strangest of all, every meeting starts with the Pledge of Allegiance! (and the 4H pledge, which is less noteworthy). The boys had no idea that was a thing, but they learned it pretty quick ahead of the second meeting this past Sunday.

Even though some of our best friends are also members, I had to force the boys to give the first meeting a try. Happily, they took right to it, and demonstrated once again that, while they aren't joiners by nature, they're generally pretty happy to be with other kids and are ready to jump into whatever is going on. There was a food drive last weekend that they had to help with, and Leah, who took them, reports that they were all great at talking to shoppers outside of Donelans in Acton. And while they declined to throw their hats in the ring for any of the major elected positions on Sunday Elijah tells me he's interested in running for Games Organizer when the minor positions are filled next month. Way to get into the spirit!