Hand-Forged Farm
  • About Us / Contact

4-H Fluff & Buff

19/5/2014

1 Comment

 
The long weekend in May.  Traditionally seen by most Canadians as the start of summer. Everybody has their own traditions, some people open up the cottage, some book their favorite campsite at their favorite National Park, while gardeners traditionally take the opportunity to plant this years garden. However for several dozen families in  Nova Scotia we do something called Fluff and Buff.


Picture
Fluff &  Buff is an amazing showmanship clinic for 4-H members hosted by the Annapolis county 4-H program. It has traditionally been open to members in the beef, dairy, sheep and goat projects. This year they decided to add rabbits to the
mix. The kids arrive Friday afternoon and the program runs until approximately
noon Sunday. The kids recieve great instruction in preparing their animals for
show, clipping and grooming etc. They also have a lot of instruction in showing
your animal and the chance to handle other animals.
Showmanship is all about  presenting your animal to the judge. It is about knowing your animal; knowing their strengths and weakness and how you present the animal. The grand finale is  a show on Sunday morning, where everyone can put their new skills to the test, and also get great feedback from the judges.
Picture
One of the goats turning the tables and checking out the judge

In addition to this there is usually a guest speaker on Friday evenings, this year two of the local large  animal vets gave a talk on recognizing signs of ill health in animals and then held a Q&A session.
Add to all this soccer games, tug of war, water fights and a pizza party! I should also mention the food.. From what I am told  the food is ample and fantastic. This is high praise indeed because unless you  have faced 80+ hungry farm kids at breakfast time.. you don't know cranky.

Fluff and Buff been a tradition in our family for 4 years now.
Every year just seems to get better. Reiley continues to aquire more knowledge
and friends every year. I am continually impressed by the dedication of the
volunteers, this is run by volunteers, most of them 4-H parents or past members.
I have been involved in many sports, teams and childrens programs over the past 25 years; but I can honestly say that 4-H is one of the best.
Picture


Reiley and Pepper showing on Sunday

In Nova Scotia the cost to register per year is less than I have paid for a single hour of coaching,  programming in other organizations. The philosophy behind the program, learn to do by doing, is incredibly refreshing in today's bubble wrapped child mindset. You are not going to learn to weld a bead or grow a garden by watching a  lecture. You need to get in there, hands on, make mistakes, practice and move  forward. 4 -H does this. It is a refreshing attitude. We do our kids a disservice by not allowing them to fail. They need to fail, to test themselves  physically, mentally and emotionally. Without the fail, the victories are hollow.

Picture
1 Comment
Jake link
9/8/2024 07:23:07 am

Much appreciate you sharing this

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    A  4-H Family
    Lives Here

    Receive inspiration and information for your homestead several times a week

    * indicates required

    Author

    Hi! I'm Shelli Killen,
    a homesteading, homeschooling, wife and mother of five. 

    I am a student  herbalist with a passion for learning and a  habit of bringing home strays.

    I love music, and the power of creating things with my hands.
     
    I tend to do best when life around me is organized chaos
    .

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Bees
    Canning
    Chickens
    Economy
    Gardening Vegetables
    Goats
    Herbs
    Hobby Farming
    Homesteading
    Homesteading Skills
    House Management
    Lifestyle Planning
    Pigs
    Self Reilance
    Self Sufficiency

    Archives

    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.