4-H Clay County have been jampacked with loads of fun in the first few months of the year. In 4 short months, our Clay County youth participated in the following:
![](https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/clayco/files/2022/03/IMG_5887-300x200.jpg)
- A public speaking competition
- 4 animal clinics
- 2 Educational trips to Tallahassee
- A district teen leadership meeting in St. Augustine
- The Florida State Fair
- An information workshop to get ready for the Clay County Agricultural Fair.
- 2 Record Book Workdays
- The Clay County Agricultural Fair
Needless to say, 4-H Clay County have been springing into many different fun events.
Why does 4-H host all these fun events? We host them so that we can help youth develop crucial life skills and to give them experiences that they will remember. For example, we brought youth to Clay Day and 4-H Day at the Capitol in Tallahassee. For some of our youth, this was their very first visit to our state’s Capitol building, and for most youth, it was their first time meeting their legislators.
![](https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/clayco/files/2022/03/4HDayattheCapitol0068-300x200.jpg)
![](https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/clayco/files/2022/04/AgVenturers-Goat-Show-Participants-1-300x231.jpg)
We believe in the power of experiential learning and how events like County Showcase, the Florida State Fair, and the Clay County Agricultural Fair can teach our youth public speaking and communication skills. In fact, in our Know Before You Go to the Clay County Fair workshop, we emphasized how being involved in the fair provides 4-Hers the opportunity to educate the public on their project area, gain community service hours, and meet new people.
Clay County 4-H offers opportunities like this throughout the year that are open to all kids in Clay County. As our 4-H youth are wrapping up their involvement in the Clay County Fair, we are already looking ahead at 2022 Summer Day camps. This is a great way to get your child involved in Clay County 4-H. Click on the 2022-March-Day_Camp_flyer to see our 2022 Summer Day Camp schedule. Our camps are open to all youth in Clay County and surrounding counties. Registration for these camps will run through 4-H Online. For directions on how to register your child for a camp, please visit our website. For questions about 4-H or our 2022 Summer Day Camps, please contact the UF IFAS Clay County Extension Office at 904-284-6355.
Co-written by Elaine Giles & Stephanie Conner, 4-H Agents in Clay County.
An Equal Opportunity Institution. Extension Service, University of Florida, Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences.