Ward County 4-H

12/24/2025

NDSU Extension | Ward County
Christmas Hours:

December 24 ~ 8 am to Noon
December 25 ~ Closed
December 26 ~ Closed

Extension Office will be open again Monday, December 29, 2026

Happy Holidays!

12/24/2025

📅 Mark Your Calendar for Giving Hearts Day — February 12! 💚

Join us for North Dakota’s biggest day of giving! Your support on Giving Hearts Day helps the ND 4-H Foundation provide scholarships, camp opportunities, national 4-H travel experiences, and essential training for the volunteers who support youth across our state.

✨ This year’s theme, “Beyond Ready,” is all about preparing young people for the future with confidence and essential skills. Plus, gifts made on Giving Hearts Day are even more impactful when matched by generous partners—doubling your impact!

🔗 To learn more or become a match donor, visit ndsu.ag/4hgivinghearts.

💚 Let’s come together to show our love for 4-H and make a difference for North Dakota youth!

The North Dakota 4-H Foundation, a non-profit organization, partners with individuals, organization and businesses to invest in the future of North Dakota youth through the state 4-H program.

12/22/2025

Ward County 4-H Active Members:

The next 2025-26 Achievement Days Premium Pool fundraiser is the January 13, 2026 Bake Sale.

Please bring your items to NDSU Extension Ward County 900 13th St SE Minot 8 am to 4pm on January 12, 2026.

Bake Sale Guidelines:
• Quantity: Two dozen (or one completed recipe) per member

• Types of Baked Goods:
> Bars – individually wrapped/baggie or whole pan
> Cakes or Pies – covered
> Cookies – 3 or 4 in a baggie
> Cupcakes – several plated and covered
> Popcorn Balls – individually wrapped
> Etc…

• Packaging: Cover/wrap all items (reminder to remove any toothpicks)

• Labeling: Include what the baked item is/name and indicate if it contains nuts (e.g., “Chocolate Cake with Walnuts”)

• Pricing: Do not price items; it is free will donations

• To track participation, be sure to include the member name on the delivery box or bag (not on the baked goods)

• Drop-off Details:
> When: January 12, 2026
> Time: 8 am to 4 pm
> Where: NDSU Extension Office, 900 13th Street SE, Minot

Next Bake Sale Participation Opportunities:
• February 20 and 21, 2026
• March 17, 2026 (St. Patrick’s Day theme)
• April 10 and 11, 2026 (Spring theme)

Note - Following the Ward County 4-H Policy Manual: Regular and Freedom members must participate in at least one county fundraising event each year. Cloverbuds are not required to participate. If a member does not participate, they will forfeit 50% of their Achievement Days Premium Pool.

12/22/2025

4-H 2025-2026 Animal Identification Information Due in 4HOnline by May 1, 2026

If your youth is planning to show Beef, Dairy, Goat, Horse, Poultry, Rabbit (Pet Rabbit included), Sheep, or Swine at 2026 Achievement Days or North Dakota State Fair (NDSF). Note: This message does not apply to youth planning to show Dog, Cat, or Small Pet at Achievement Days

• Enter all animal information into 4honline.com. This is required for youth to be eligible to show their animals at Achievement Days and NDSF.
• Important: Animals must be entered in 4honline.com to be shown at these events.
• If the animal is not listed, the youth will not be allowed to show it.
• Animals need to be entered only once, and can be shared by any family member.

• To assist you with the entry process, see 12/19/2025 1:47 pm Volume 6 Email for helpful resources:
• Step-by-Step Instructions (PDF) Adding Animals into 4honline.com Family Guide
• Video: NDSF Livestock ID Requirements Webinar 04/01/2025
• Livestock Identification Requirement Documents: View Documents
• Livestock Identification Frequently Asked Questions: View FAQ

12/22/2025

2025-26 4-H Indoor Archery Matches (as of 12/22/2025 11a):

LaMoure County Match (hybrid) - January 10-11, registration closed

Williams County Match - January 17, registration closes January 6 @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026WilliamsMatch
Registration is open

Bottineau County Match (hybrid) - January 24, registration closes December 23 @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026BottineauMatch
Registration is open

Mountrail County Match - January 31, registration closes January 20 @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026MountrailMatch
Registration Opens: ***JANUARY 2, 2026***

Hettinger County Match - February 7, registration closes January 27 @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026HettingerMatch
Registration Opens: December 27

Towner County Match - February 14 registration closes February 3 @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026TownerMatch
Registration Opens: January 3

Steele/Trail Match (hybrid) - February 21, registration closes January 20 @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026SteeleTraillMatch
Registration Opens: December 20th

Ward County Match - February 21, registration closes February 10 @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026WardArcheryMatch
Registration Opens: January 10th

12/22/2025

2025-26 4-H Air Rifle Matches (as of 12/22/2025 11a):

Ramsey County Invitational - February 14, registration closes January 6 (Postal), February 3 (In-person) @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026RamseyAirRifle
Registration Already Open

Ward County Air Rifle Match - February 21, registration closes February 10 @ Noon CST
Link to register: https://tinyurl.com/2026WardAirRifleMatch
Registration opens: January 10

12/22/2025

🎁 Give the Gift of Camp This Holiday Season! 🎁

Looking for a meaningful gift that creates lifelong memories? ND 4-H Camp Gift Certificates are the perfect way to give youth an unforgettable camp experience filled with adventure, learning, and fun! 🛶🌲

Gift certificates can be used toward summer camp experiences and make a great present for kids, grandparents, and supporters of 4-H alike.

✨ Learn more and purchase here: bit.ly/4hholidaygift

Give a gift that goes beyond the holidays—give the gift of 4-H Camp! 💚🍀

12/21/2025

🎉 New Name. New Theme. New Opportunities! 💧⚙️

The Engineering Design Challenge has a new name—and an exciting new creative opportunity for North Dakota 4-H members!

🔧 New Name
The challenge is now called the Chain Reaction Machine Challenge, and ND 4-H members are invited to design the official logo for this year’s event!

💦 New Theme for 2026: Water
This year’s theme focuses on moving water and getting teams thinking about North Dakota’s water resources—especially how we manage water during floods or droughts.
👉 The 2026 challenge task: Design and build a Rube Goldberg™-type machine that moves water from one location to another.

🎨 New Opportunity: Logo Design Contest
North Dakota 4-H STEM is seeking logo designs to represent this year’s challenge! The winning design will be featured on:

The front of the 2026 guidebook

Fun participation and give-away items

✨ Who Can Participate?
All currently enrolled North Dakota 4-H members are eligible!

📋 Design Requirements
Your design must:

Include the 4-H clover

Relate to the water theme

Be original work (hand-drawn or computer-generated)

Use only non-copyrighted images (sources required if applicable)

Be clear enough to reproduce or digitize

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2026

📧 Submit your design by email or mail:
Email: margo.bowerman@ndsu.edu

Mail:
Margo Bowerman
North Dakota 4-H, Dept. 7280
PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108–6050

🏆 Prize!
The winning design will be selected by the ND 4-H STEM Team, featured on official materials—and the 4-H member will receive a $75 cash award!

Get creative, think water, and help shape the look of the 2026 Chain Reaction Machine Challenge! 💧🍀

12/19/2025

❄️ Snowflakes or Snowfakes? An Engineering Design Challenge! ❄️

Have you ever looked closely at a single snowflake? While no two snowflakes are exactly the same, they almost always share one important feature—six sides!

As the snow is flying outdoors, your challenge is to engineer your own paper snowflake using what scientists know about real snowflakes.

🔍 Start Here
Design your first snowflake using this resource:
👉 Mystery Science – Snowflakes
(If you’d like to skip the intro, jump straight to the Snowflake Activity.)

🛠️ Your Engineering Design Challenge
After creating your first snowflake, evaluate your design by asking:

What do you like about your snowflake?

What would you change?

How could you redesign it to make it better while still keeping it like a real snowflake?
(You decide what “better” means and what makes it realistic!)

✂️ Redesign & Improve
Create a second snowflake using your new ideas, then evaluate it:

Did you make a snowflake or a snowfake? How do you know?

Did your changes improve it? What makes it better?

✨ By creating, evaluating, redesigning, and re-evaluating your snowflake, you’re using the Engineering Design Process—the same process engineers use to improve bridges, snow tires, and even space gloves!

🏅 4-H Exhibit Opportunity
You can enter your snowflake models as a 4-H Exhibit in the STEM Project – Other Class. Be ready to explain to the judge:

What makes your snowflake like a real one

How you used the engineering design process to improve your design

Or, enter your snowflake in a Visual Arts class if you’d like to focus on creativity and artistic design.

🔬 Learn More
Explore how snowflakes really form at Snow Crystals, a website created by a physics professor at the California Institute of Technology who is originally from North Dakota.

So… will you design a snowflake or a snowfake? ❄️👩‍🔬👨‍🔬

12/17/2025

Finke Puts Best Foot Forward

North Dakota Living December 2025 Issue

Ward County Peppers 4-H Club Member Abby Finke

12/17/2025

🍫🌉 ENGINEERING CHALLENGE — National Chocolate Covered Anything Day Edition! 🌉🍫

In honor of National Chocolate Covered Anything Day, put your engineering skills (and chocolate) to the test!

Using the Engineering Design Process, create a bridge made with only 4 full-size chocolate bars and see how much weight it can hold. Design, build, test, and improve to make the strongest (and tastiest!) bridge possible!

📄 Check out the full activity plan here:
👉 Edible Engineering Experiment
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ma0sV2VM37Ag6ifpEdgzzE7DP-uBLg1EzfpCYNC9q0E/edit?tab=t.0 =h.bdoys1yqz03m

Celebrate National Chocolate Day by thinking like an engineer—and having a little fun along the way! 🍫✨

Edible Engineering Experiment Build a Chocolate Bridge What it is In this activity participants design and test bridges made from chocolate bars, exploring how structure and material affect strength. The Challenge: Using an Engineering Design Process, create a bridge made with only 4 full size ch...

12/13/2025

Giving Hearts Day 💛 – February 12, 2026

Early giving opens January 12!

During this 24-hour giving event, your contribution can be matched, helping prepare North Dakota youth to be beyond ready for work and life.