4H is a research based youth development program
supported by osu extension
Oregon’s 4-H Cloverbuds is a volunteer run informal education program designed for youth ages 5-8. It’s so much more than animals: there are over 130 types of 4H projects to pursue according to youths’ interests in areas such as healthy lifestyles, expressive arts, plants and animals, science and technology, and personal development. (Check out options). Cloverbuds supports youngest 4H participants’ natural curiosity, enthusiasm for learning and high energy levels by giving them an opportunity for active learning. Cloverbuds encourages children to have fun, develop friendships and learn about their world all while promoting social, mental, emotional and physical development. It is noncompetitive. Link to cloverbuds program website.
OUR NEW SPRING GARDEN CLOVERBUDS 4H CLUB
The vision for our club in particular is a local group of 5-10 members that connects kids to each other and our community organizations as we pursue various projects of interest to the kids. Our leaders aim to draw on the talent pool of our grown ups to help develop learning experiences. Using a model for participation that is more flexible than traditional extracurriculars (e.g., this less rigid than a sports schedule and no firm weekly time commitment) we’re designing this club is a local resource aligned to add a boost to what families are already aiming to do: impart life skills, build a network of local trusted adults and mentoring opportunities, explore and support children’s changing interests. Our schedule in our first year will reflect the availability and interests of the families that join us.
How the club works
STARTING THE CLUB
For our first 4H year starting Oct 1, 2024 we are looking to enroll 5-10 kids, by invitation from leaders. Club size this year and going forward is subject to bandwidth of volunteer leaders. Ask leaders for enrollment form starting Oct 1.
FORMAT
IN PERSON MEETUPS: in the park during good weather, indoors elsewhere local during rain. A couple gatherings will likely be planned far ahead as highlights of the year, but most will arise along the way through out the year. You’ll receive invites from leaders to RSVP to meetups or outings of different sorts. Participate as much as schedule allows.
WORK ON PROJECTS AT HOME: Some projects will be ongoing at home at your own pace that your kids can work on as a family (e.g., cooking, gardening etc). In person meetups can be times to kickoff a new project, bring/share progress, or execute an entire short project.
LEADERS HELP: in person, via parents, and sort of remotely by sending info etc. Projects may be short and finished in one session (e.g., a painting lesson) or unfold over longer periods of time (e.g., compiling a family recipe book or collective club recipe book).
CLOVERBUD HOTLINE: we’re trying to setup a simple communication option, info below.
SKILL SHARE
Leaders can also draw on the skills and talents of our adults to inform and design club activities and expand the life skills talent pool. Cloverbuds in the community
We’ll provide opportunities for kids and their families to opt into community engagement together. For example, car free trick or treating planning and sign decoration/setup for Spring Garden Street and other streets; could march in the Multnomah Days parade; annual Spring Garden block party (grow pumpkin starts to disseminate to neighbors at the block party?, plan kid activities to include at the block party); Spring Garden Park stewardship events specially designed for our group (e.g., plant a new tree to light up for winter holiday season since the current one died, taking care of the playground and splash pad with horticulturalist Heike Edossa), SOLVE cleanup earth day event. These opportunities are made available through our connections to the Multnomah Neighborhood Association, Multnomah Village Business Association and Portland Parks & Recreation.
PROJECT TOPICS
There are over 130 types of 4H projects we can pursue pursued according to youths’ interests! CHECK THIS OUT. At the cloverbud age level we do not specialize, but make sure to explore all sorts of things!
AGRICULTURE/FOOD PROCESSING
Our cloverbuds may opt into assist with the Spring Garden Gathering Together Farm weekly CSA pickup site (at our club leader’s house) we hope to continue into future years June-November, including use of surplus vegetables, donating surplus vegetables to Neighborhood House, and learn the art of food processing using donated organic fruits and vegetables. It is an organic opportunity to learn about local agriculture, seasonal produce, etc (pun intended).
Various activities oriented around learning how to garden and sharing about your family’s yard/plants. Plant seeds and starts together in the spring, kids host/attend ‘garden tours’, share the harvest. Adults will learn too!
EXPRESSIVE ARTS
We can draw on the talent pool of our adult community to design art experiences, e.g., custom painting class on a topic of interest to the kids; learn to knit; apply for/attend for Portland City “Summer Free For All” concert in Spring Garden park for Summer 2025 for a live family friendly show; rock painting (favorite pastime of club leaders); musician parents play songs, do instrument demonstrations and recordings. There are unlimited options we can pursue with expressive arts which includes but is not limited to visual arts, music, fiber arts, etc.
Tracking progress
Cloverbuds will document what they’re working on along the way in something simple like a record book to track skill development.
CREATIVE solutions
The club also a has a theme of “creative solutions” from the parent perspective. Trying to teach your kid to cook and also interested in handing down family recipes? Over time with cooking at home as a club project kids can document special family recipes they learn and help make at holidays. Recipes can be compiled into a book that can be decorated and added to over time, shared with family (holiday gift giving) culminating in a family treasure. Kids interested in biking? We can do some basic bike maintenance through a club park meetup where a skilled parent leads us in some tune up work. Kids and adults can both learn how to care for their stuff. Want to slow roll the introduction of smart phone technology to your child while providing age appropriate autonomy granting with friend to friend communication as they get older? With the cloverbud hotline project you can try out a low cost land-line style old school analog phone at your house to use with us and others. More info below.
the cloverbud hotline
PURPOSE
By having cloverbuds set up an old school land line style phone the kids
Can call each other to play, initiate a conversation, etc.
Learn the life skill of talking on the phone and making calls (i.e., how to answer a call, what to say or expect when you're calling someone)
Have a "slow rolled" experience of autonomous phone use
Learn the history of technology
Have a concrete/tangible experience of typing in phone numbers using the physical number buttons, a helpful introduction to calling people (Compared to smart phones where the basic concept is more abstract).
Can learn to call 911 in case of emergency from this phone
These phones are also a solution to some of the scheduling logistics of running a club since its hard to find regular times when most people can come to a meeting! In addition to periodic in person cloverbud meetups, having and using these phones with each other at your convenience will provide an ongoing sense of "being in a club."
Its not really a “hotline” we are just calling it that for fun. Functions just like a land line but it is VOIP.
HOW TO DO THIS WITH US
Enroll in the Spring Garden 4H Cloverbuds Oct 1 (contact leaders for forms) and we’ll send you instructions to setup your own phone and will help you with setup as needed. Project cost: one time $45 equipment purchase plus ongoing $2/mo (compare to $20/mo land line plus setup).
SCHEDULE
Our meetup schedule will develop seasonally over the year.
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Optional! Join our club leaders and their kids 10-11:30am to learn more about 4H and try some archery! This event is a 4H info session of sorts, hosted by Washington County 4H: LEARN MORE.
Note: if a different time during hte 10-2pm open house works better for our group we can rearrange our meetup time (currently we'll plan to be there 10-11:30)
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Join us for our first club meetup in the park to meet club members! Bring something from home that represents one of your interests and is something you'd like to show and tell with the group! We might also be able to do a seasonal craft project.
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We're planning an event to plant a replacement tree in Spring Garden Park to replace the one in the NE corner of the park that died this last year. We usually light it up in an informal "tree lighting" in December for the holiday season so we're working with Heike Edossa the PP&R horticulturalist in charge of the park to plan a special family friendly stewardship event with her to have the support of the city (and neighbors) to plant this tree.
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Fiber arts
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Tour of the training facility
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TBD
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Workshop in preparation for SW Portland Sunday Parkways May 18, 2025
idea archive
we’re brainstorming and compiling a big list of things that may interest our group. as plans unfold each season and each year we can revisit this list and choose what makes sense to implement
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Child lead "garden tour" at their house. Invite cloverbuds over and show what's growing.
Apple picking
Bulb planting special edition of Spring Garden Park stewardship event tailored for our young group
Farm visit in Washington County with our group piggy backing to join onto a trip planned by another Cloverbuds group
Decorate "road closed " signs for car free trick or treating on Spring Garden Street
Help judge costumes in the Multnomah Village Business Association annual Halloween costume contest
Simple sewing projects related to halloween costumes
Help decorate and deliver "car free trick or treating" invites for residents along the SG Street closure
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Library visit with youth librarian
Garden planning
Distribute seed catalogs to members to explore and discuss
"Night Hikes" in marshall in the dark in the early evening after after dinner (bring a headlamp and take advantage of the short days!)
Mardi Gras King cake parties (Jan 6 through mardi gras day)
Experience a seed catalog and do garden planning
Find a community garden plot for our group
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Submit child artwork to Oregon Agriculture in the classroom calendar
Plant seeds
Grow, share, deliver plant starts to each other and neighbors
Art project based on drawing/painting the plan for your garden
Plant a collective garden plot for our club somewhere, that we can plant and care for as a group (community garden plot or in someone's yard)
Farm visit to see baby animals
Special edition of Spring Garden Park stewardship event for us that includes plant identification and learning about "meadowscape" in spring Garden park with PP&R staff
Participate in Multnomah Village Earth Day litter pickup event
Bike maintenance workshop
Help decorate and deliver Spring Garden Block Party invites for residents along the SG Street event closure
Club member children who are interested in hosting a little "garden tour" can use the cloverbud hotline to call club members and invite them to come check out what's going on in their garden in October. Could do it again in the fall to observe how things have changed and to exchange gardening advice/ideas.
a one night overnight "camping" experience in someone's big enough backyard. This can be kind of a capstone end of school year pre-summer club bonding thing to look forward to and fun for the whole family. Could shoot for late may/early June before school release.
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Sign up for summer reading at the library
Playground meetups including adult braintorms for upcoming 4H year ideas and interests
Participate in Washington county fair with non-competitive entries, or just attend and look at others' 4H projects
Visit Gathering Together Farm in Philomath
Assist with Gathering Together Farm Spring Garden CSA dropsite, food donations to neighborhood house
Canning and food preservation (jam, vegetables, etc)
Early summer/late spring possible backyard "campout" for the group to do a trial run with tents, smores, campfire, etc.
March in Multnomah Days parade the 3rd saturday in August
Lemonade stands
Plant pumpkin seeds for starts that we can share with each other to grow pumpkins in our yards
Large bubble making in the park
berry picking
strawberry shortcake party
Partner with other washington county 4H group to attend a farm visit
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large bubble making in spring garden park
rock painting
learn to sew on a button
learn to patch a hole in pants
practice public speaking by having our mic hooked up to a portable amp at meetups and kids can talk into the mic to the group when sharing
simple show and tell meetups in the park where we share our interests and get cool ideas
entrepreneurship: e.g., making and selling stuff such as lemonade stand, sell items at the booth in front of Thinker Toys, car wash, etc.
Observe the yarn spinning process. A friend of the group harvests and spins their own wool to make yarn.
Meal Planning and Sharing: making a large batch of something? Maybe for the freezer? Involve your kid in the process and share some with group members. Can share recipes and deliver samples or portions of the result. This is inspired by our neighborhood's previous "Soup Group" soup exchange.
Create a Spring Garden Cloverbud cookbook. Over time, collect recipes from the group then compile and produce them, including artwork by the kids.
Mass produce greeting cards using art by kids. Take a few choice artworks by group members and manufacture boxes of 12 or so greeting cards that can be purchsed by families as a fundraiser. Ideally we give kids copyright to their own work.
Age 8: intro to knitting
partner with the city to organize a heritage tree tour in our neighborhood for all ages
volunteer for Portland Backpack. Procure supplies and work as a group to pack lunches for schools to distribute to children in need.
Volunteer with Friends of Noise
Find high quality family entertainment options and propose to attend as a group. E.g., Okee Dokee Brothers concerts and Oregon Symphony family friendly performances are recommendations.
Expedition to explore a cave
Plan a scavenger hunt. Someone make a map for others to follow that leads to a treasure or special surprise!
3D printing experience
Robot experience
identify and gain permission to use food from neighbors’ fruit trees who have surpluses. Look into Portland Fruit Tree project for ideas and opportunities.
FAQs
What is the time commitment as a club member?
Minimum of 2 hrs per YEAR. Low barrier to participation! It is 12 months year round but the group may decide to be most active at certain times per year. It is up to the group to decide!
What is the age cutoff for cloverbuds?
To register, your child must be 5-8 years old on Sept 1 of the upcoming 4H year. The 4H year restarts each Oct 1. Annual registration for the 4H year is Oct 1.
Is 4h animals?
Not our group! Our club is not doing animals unless in the future families and a parent leader want to spearhead animals topics, which requires a different area of engagement with the 4H organization. Cloverbuds age 5-8 are allowed to work with small animals (not large ones, which is less relevant in the city anyway).
What is the cost?
Annual enrollment fee is $35 to register in 4H. Leaders provide suggested donation amount for certain activities and outings. Funds are collected from families in a “slush fund” donation model and leaders use the funds to coordinate activities. We are working on setting up our club’s bank account, paypal/venmo options. We track finances and report annually on our activities as a nonprofit.
What kinds of projects will we work on?
There will be very few things your kid is interested in that could not be transformed in one way or another into a cloverbud project!
What is the parent commitment?
Enroll each year in the fall. Attend the club meetups with your kid that you can. Continue work on ongoing projects at home as time and schedules allow. Anything else is optional.
What’s the deal with fair?
It is optional to enter children’s projects into the washington county fair for display. This is non-competitive for cloverbuds age 5-8. Leaders will help interested cloverbuds do this.
Do i drop off my child at cloverbud meetups?
No, parents will attend with kids (unless different arrangement is made with leader).
Can little brothers/sisters be at club meetups?
Yes this is meant to be really practical and easy for families to participate, little siblings can be in the mix with a parent along to supervise! Depending on the type of outing or project parents decide if it makes sense to bring little siblings.
What happens when my kid ages out of cloverbuds?
We’ll take it year by year, and expect it should be possible for interested kids to continue on with our Spring Garden 4H club as a regular 4H member (age 9-17). When it is time we can adjust the club so that it is not just cloverbuds but includes older 4H participants as well. Many clubs include both cloverbuds age as well as age 9-17 participants.
what are the ideological commitments?
There is no religious affiliation of 4H. Its is a longstanding volunteer driven program stemming from USDA and administered through Oregon State University extension service. Started over 120 years ago and now supported by the US Dept of Agriculture, 4-H is the largest out-of-school youth program in the United States. Read more here!
why are we enrolled through washington county?
Because OSU extension services that include 4H in Multnomah county were eliminated as a line item in the county budget about a decade ago.
WHY formalize our efforts THROUGH 4h?
Nonprofit status, insurance, support of the OSU extension faculty, and a theoretical orientation informing how we can optimize communities and human development. The “4-H Thriving Model” is the theory of change for positive youth development in 4-H. It illustrates the process of positive youth development in 4-H programs by connecting high quality program settings to the promotion of youth thriving. LEARN MORE
Meet the Leaders
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Pam Fox
Club Co-Leader
I grew up in Corvallis, home of OSU Extension, and took fiber arts 4 times in high school. A friend's parent got me enrolled in 4H for the last two years of high school. Later I was exposed to the positive youth development research behind 4H during graduate studies in in the related field of Human Development and Family Studies. My personal interests are knitting and crochet, painting, food preservation, gardening (sunflowers, pumpkins), placemaking, Spring Garden Park stewardship activities, civic engagement, libraries, school and teaching, outdoor learning, and community supported agriculture. I'm interested in ameliorating our national loneliness epidemic, promoting in person opportunities for meaningful connection among youth across childhood and adolescence, exploring urban-rural learning opportunities in Oregon, and more. Our family likes supporting the arts!
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Lydia Woodman
Club Co-Leader
Lydia works in the firefighting profession and in addition to being an artistically inclined mom has an exciting skillset to share stemming from her experiences living in Alaska, traveling, adventuring in the outdoors and rallying community in our area.
House Plant
From the creators of the house phone project, we also bring you the house plant project.
