Hello Waukesha County 4-H Families,

The new 4-H year is off to a running start, and October has been packed with new beginnings and lots of energy, learning, and celebrations. We were able to kick off October with Club & Project meetings and celebrate National 4-H Week. Thank you for everyone that participated and a special thank you to the Promotions committee for putting together a great week of activities.

Hands-on learning is already in motion at clubs and Project Nights. It’s been great to see new members and families exploring everything 4-H from wood working, photography, arts, STEM and more. Be sure to check our calendar of events and sign up for the upcoming Project Nights on November 11 & November 18.

If you have not completed your enrollment as a youth member or volunteer please do so immediately. If you need any assistance or have questions contact Erin for youth membership and dues. Please contact James with questions for volunteering. IMPORTANT REMINDERS: All returning volunteers must be re-enrolled by November 1st to avoid having to restart the volunteer enrollment process. All returning youth members, the enrollment deadline is November 1st. 

We hope that you enjoy this newsletter and we look forward to seeing you all soon. Stay up to date on all of the amazing things happening in Waukesha County 4-H at our website, waukesha.extension.wisc.edu/4-h.

Mark your calendars! The Annual Leaders and Member Recognition Banquet is scheduled for December 7th. We hope to see all of our 4-H families there to celebrate our youth and volunteers. Registration details for the banquet will be released soon.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Sara or James to find out how you can get involved in our upcoming events or to share ideas for youth leadership opportunities and community initiatives. Thank you for making Waukesha County 4-H an amazing community!

Thank you to those of you who have completed your enrollment for the 2026-2027! If you have not yet re-enrolled for the upcoming 4-H year, please do so as soon as possible! Returning youth members should be enrolled by November 1st. After this date, enrollment dues will increase by $5.

Remember, enrolling in 4-H is a TWO STEP process: enrolling in 4-H Online and paying membership dues. (Note: Your Club may separately ask for a small amount for Club dues as well.)

For more information, visit: Waukesha County 4-H Enrollment.

Thank you to those volunteers who have completed enrollment for 2026-2027! If you are a returning volunteer, make sure to enroll by November 1st to avoid having to restart as a new volunteer. 

Volunteer enrollment is a THREE STEP process: enrolling in 4-H Online, completing the online volunteer training, and completing a background check.  

For more information, visit: Volunteer Enrollment.

Project Nights are open to all approved Waukesha County 4-H members and their parent/guardian/favorite adult(s), but you must sign up to indicate the sessions you'll be attending. 

December 2, 6-8 p.m.: Glowforge Training - This event will take place at Waukesha Public Library in Studio 321 and is for 4-H youth to become trained on their Glowforge Laser Cutter. The Glowforge uses a laser beam to precisely cut, engrave, and score a wide variety of materials (wood, acrylic, leather, and more!).

Once youth receive this training, they can attend classes or open hours to create on their own! Adults are required to attend with childer under age 11. Spots are limited to 10-12 youth, so if you sign up, please make a commitment to attend!

December 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: 4-H Night at Mike Crivello's - Come out to the oldest photography store in Metro Milwaukee and talk with the experts! Mike’s has a deeply experienced staff of professionals eager to answer the photography related questions of 4-Hers and their parents! Also, we know how much 4-Hers love their animals, so be sure to bring your camera AND your favorite pet to take a portrait using the backdrop we’ll have set up for you (but let’s keep it to smaller animals…sorry dairy and equine friends)! All animals must be kept in a crate, and all needs of that pet are the responsibility of the 4-H youth and their adult.

The Waukesha County 4-H Leaders' Association Fundraising Committee has coordinated the 4-H Racine Kringle sale as its countywide Fall Fundraiser. The sale supports youth programming including Fall Forum, the Awards Banquet, Scholarships, Summer Camp, and more.

Orders must be turned in by 11/20 and must be picked up prior to the Recognition Banquet on 12/7.

For full information, visit: 4-H Fall Fundraiser.

Don’t let your teen or older youth miss out on upcoming 4-H projects, event deadlines, camps, and club news! If you are a parent or guardian wanting to add your youth’s email address to our mailing list, follow these steps, or send your youth's email address to erussell@waukeshacounty.gov. 

1. Log into your 4-H Online.
2. Click on Family Member Profiles and select the youth member’s name.
3. Scroll to the Contact Information section and enter the youth's email address.
4. Click Save to update your preferences.

Sign up today so your youth doesn't miss out on exciting 4-H opportunities this year!

At 4-H, we work hard to maximize our resources so that all families can participate and our program quality remains high. The additional support that we receive from families and community organizations who contribute helps us achieve these goals. Please join us in saying THANK YOU to those families who have generously contributed so far this year: the Ebben, Meier, Reinke, & Wilson families, as well as many families who donated anonymously.

Share your club and project news! Let us know about an upcoming event, highlight a project or activity, or show off your club’s use of the Essential Elements of Positive Youth Development: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. Submit your article using the Newsletter Submission form and email any photos/flyers to erussell@waukeshacounty.gov by the 3rd Wednesday of each month for publication in that month’s newsletter.

The Waukesha County 4-H Emerging Leaders program has successfully expanded to Butler Middle School, bringing year-round youth leadership opportunities to students. More than 35 participants are currently involved in biweekly sessions focused on leadership development, life skills, college and career readiness, and hands-on STEM experiences. Throughout the year, students will build confidence, strengthen decision-making and communication skills, and take on leadership roles that help them make a positive impact in their school and community.

by Becca, Club Reporter

For our meeting this month, Center Oak 4-H club had a guest speaker. Our guest speaker was Tatiana’s Tiny Zoo. She brought a ton of animals and told us all about them. There were snakes, a turtle, cockroaches, and a leopard gecko. She then walked each animal around the room and let the kids who wanted to touch them. Some things we learned are where they live, what they eat, their names, and fun facts about them. We then had our regular meeting. We are looking forward to a community service project for the Wildlife in Need Center and our pen pal project.

by Finley, Historian

In the youth leadership meeting this month, we started out by making pens by drawing our sparks on them and learning about the skills needed for effective public speaking. Using our pens, we all wrote our possible speeches for the officer elections for the 2026-2027 youth leadership year. All Youth Leaders who were interested in becoming an officer ran and gave their campaign speeches. Congrats to the new officers and thanks for everyone’s participation in this meeting! Our next meeting is November 24th and is our Friendsgiving celebration.

Throughout the year, we will highlight state and national opportunities in the newsletter, but you can also find information about Wisconsin 4-H programs by visiting the 2026-2027 Wisconsin 4-H State Programs & Educational Experiences website or viewing the 2026-2027 Wisconsin 4-H Program Guide.

Meet 4-H members from throughout Wisconsin and explore your unique Sparks by joining one of the Wisconsin 4-H Ambassador Teams for Arts, Agriculture, Leadership, and Outdoors (NEW!). The ambassadors teams will engage in opportunities that build personal leadership skills and encourage others to grow their leadership potential. You can apply for any of the four groups on one application. Applications close November 15th. For more information, visit: WI 4-H Ambassador Teams. 

The Wisconsin Distance Learning group is excited to announce three Distance Learning programs for 2027! Registration opens November 1st. 

Learn more: Winter 2027 Distance Learning.

Cedar Crest Ice Cream and Wisconsin 4-H have teamed up to present the Cedar Crest Ice Cream 4-H Flavor Creation Contest! Wisconsin 4-H clubs are invited to collaborate to imagine a delicious new ice cream flavor and come up with an interesting flavor name. Each club may submit up to five entries. Five finalists will be selected from all entries received to receive a Cedar Crest Ice Cream party for their 4-H Club. Entries are due November 15th. For more information and to enter, visit: 4-H Flavor Contest. 

Submit nominations for the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame by November 2nd! The Hall of Fame recognizes 4-H volunteers, financial supporters, staff, and pioneers who made major contributions to the 4-H movement at the local, state, and national levels. Any group or individual is eligible to submit a nomination for consideration. Find more information and the nomination forms at: Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame.

Extension Waukesha County is committed to supporting quality educational experiences for our youth as well as supporting our volunteers and families. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or if you need any assistance!

James Boling

Sr. PYD/4-H Educator

james.boling@wisc.edu

262-548-7784

Sara Wells-Tomjanovich

Associate 4-H Educator

stomjanovich@wisc.edu

262-548-7774

Erin Russell

4-H Administrative Support

erin.russell@wisc.edu

262-548-7782

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements.