I was asked by a local 4H extension agent to lead a workshop for 4Hers in two project areas- Food Review and Fashion Review. I did both of those categories in my 4H days and have always wondered why more people don't do them. Probably because they don't understand what the project actually is. So this workshop was perfect.
I planned one hour total, each project area would get a half an hour. First up, food review. This category is basically meal planning/table setting. Pick a theme, come up with a menu, figure out what to serve it on (plates, cups, silverware, centerpiece), and make and bring one item from the menu.
It sounds more complicated than it is. For the workshop, I made five examples using dishes and things I had at home already. I used Canva to make my menu posters.
Each one had its talking points. Japan theme- how to come up with a theme (think about something you've already done or will do at home- birthday party, celebration, holiday, a food you're really excited about, etc), how do you know how many bowls/silverware to include? Think about what you'll be serving and include enough for that.
This World Cup theme I actually used just last month for a church block party. Since it was an outdoor event, we used paper products as the table setting. Talking points - the formality of the meal dictates what dinnerware you use. Also, tell the judge why you made the decisions about the meal that you did. Looking at this one isn't very impressive, but if I told the judge that I served this meal for 65 people and washing dishes and silverware wasn't practical, that makes a lot of sense. Fun fact- the soccer jersey is from Croatia when they were in the semifinals and finals a few years ago. My college traveling friend and I happened to be there at the time and decided to join the crowd and festivities. It was crazy and awesome!
This theme I used for a previous 4H workshop I did for a 4H club cloverbud meeting (the really young kids). We baked Hershey kiss cookies and talked about how to do a place setting. So, I reused the idea here.
This menu I actually did as a 4H project back in the day. I revamped the sign and added sweet rolls to the menu. The talking points for this one were centerpieces (if you make it, bring that as a 4H project too!) and how to decide what menu item to bring to judging. The judge may or may not eat the food. You want to have proper food safety, so it's best to bring something room temp. And a little complicated to show off your skills. Can you imagine if someone just brought a glass of orange juice?
One of the kids pointed out, what if you freshly squeezed the juice yourself? Okay, that bumps it up to some degree.
This last one is the one I brought a menu item from.
We talked about how to display your food item and how to line up your plate/silverware.
I had a couple people ask for the recipe, so it was good I took a picture of it before I left home. In a regular 4H project, I would have a copy of the recipe posted with my project.
The second half of our time was Fashion Review. It's such an easy category I don't know why people skip doing it. It's literally wearing your clothing project for the judge to see how it fits you. And adding accessories and knowing how to care for your garments. Still. All stuff you're probably doing anyway.
We talked about how to decide what to buy/make as a project (clothes-you-make, clothes-you-buy, clothes-you-recycle project areas). Answer - look at what you already have in your wardrobe and see where the holes are, also take into account what your preferences are. If you hate dresses, don't buy or make a dress (unless you specifically need it for an event). If you love tshirts but have 20 already, don't buy or make a tshirt. Maybe try a tank top instead.
I was going to have them practice writing a biography for their outfit, something they need to do for the public showcase of the fashion review project, but they had enough questions and our conversation was flowing enough, I just did a sample one based on what I was wearing. The biography is read while the 4Her models their outfit on stage.
Something like this- Emily Holzhueter is a 4Her in the Bondin Belfast 4H club. She chose to wear a loose and flowy black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the season. The 100% cotton dress is cool in the summer and can be worn with a sweater in the fall and winter, allowing her to use this dress year round. The black fabric means she can wear it with almost everything in her wardrobe. She chose to pair it with a bracelet that was a gift from a friend, a hand-me-down long chain necklace, and silver button earrings. Her black sandals were purchased from a thrift store for $1. All together her entire outfit cost $3. Way to be thrifty Emily!
I modeled how to walk across the stage (go slowly, smile), pause at the three points and do a pivot to show off the sides and back of your outfit, and the T-stance (how to stand when you pause at the three stage points). All the 4Hers practiced walking across the "stage" to end our workshop.
The parents who attended said it was really helpful to have someone explain how to do both categories. You can only get so much out of reading the instructions in the premium book. Six 4Hers attended and they all seemed excited about at least one (if not both) of the project areas by the end of it.
And I finished right at one hour! All in all, it was a good experience. I hadn't realized how much I missed using my teaching/planning brain. It was fun to dive into a topic and figure out what I should teach the kids about it.
One funny story from home. I baked the cookies the day before the workshop. Jaron recognized them as cookies and kept saying "cookie, cookie!" over and over again. He definitely wasn't going to get to eat one, and I told him, "these cookies are not for Jaron, they're for the kids." He responded, "yeah, kids!" And the rest of the afternoon he would randomly say, "cookie, kids! Cookie, kids!" no matter where we were in the house. 😂
