Young People Can Learn a Lot Working With Animals
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Collapse ▲Hopefully you had a chance to get out to the Lee Regional Fair last week and enjoy the wonderful sights, sounds, and smells that make it such an enjoyable experience for the entire family. Through my job as County Extension Director, I am fortunate enough to spend quite a bit of time at the fair. One of my favorite experiences each year is helping out with the various animal shows that take place during the week in the Livestock Barn. These shows included animals such as goats, steers, heifers, and chickens.
But as much fun as it is to watch the animals during these shows, my attention is often drawn to the exhibitors. I am continually impressed with the hard work that these young people have put into their animal projects, and the skills they have developed throughout the process. Anyone can lead an animal into a show ring, but not everybody can describe in detail how to care for the animal, what feed they use, list the parts of the animal, explain where different cuts of meat come from, or answer any of the other tough questions a judge might ask them.
One of the areas that we focus on in the 4-H program is the development of life skills in our young people. These are the valuable skills that 4-H members will be able to utilize as they grow older and head off to college and later look for employment. The wonderful thing about these animal projects is that they’re chock full of life skills and other teachable moments.
Keeping track of your animal’s growth and progress requires detailed record keeping. Learning about the vaccinations your animal needs requires an understanding of scientific disciplines such as chemistry and biology. Anatomy skills are developed in learning the parts of an animal. Confidence is gained throughout the project and when showing the animal in competition. Responsibility and discipline are also skills that are developed by regularly feeding, cleaning, and caring for your animal. These are just a few of the life skills young people can develop through working with animals, and there are no doubt many others.
I strongly encourage parents to get their kids involved with animals in some way through our 4-H program. There is a great deal that can be learned through the relationship between a young person and an animal that they feed, train, and care for. Please call 775-5624 for more information on how to get your child involved today.
Bill Stone is the County Extension Director for North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Lee County.