Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Midday magazine for this July 29th, 2024. Hope you're
having a good one out there. You have your host, James, and we are joined right now by
our great friend, Laura Huber, 4-H program educator with UW Extension Wood County. Laura,
it's always great to see how you're doing.
Oh, I'm doing great. Thank you so much for having me again. This is always just a treat
to be able to come in and talk with you.
It warms our heart to hear that we love talking to our friends at Extension. Some of our
favorite interviews are with you guys every week. We appreciate that. What you guys
doing, specifically what you do, Laura, for our youth, for the 4-H. You are literally investing
in our future, the time and the energy that you and your volunteers and all the people
at the staff spend with these kids and what you do there. You guys have something fun
that you, we got nothing but fun things that you guys do.
And every once in a while, there's something that really stands out. And you're going
to be at the Central Wisconsin State Fair this year.
Absolutely. So the fair is actually one of the highlights for youth in 4-H and FFA and
other youth organizations every year because, you know, while 4-H is fun, it really is a
lot of work too. And the fair gives young people an opportunity to show off all of their
hard work, but then also get some really important feedback from judges. You know, what
are they doing really well? What are they really shining at? What could they make improvements
on? And I think when you talk about the educational value of things, getting that honest feedback
is really critical. Parents, I think we're really good at either, you know, oh my gosh,
that's just great. Or sometimes being overly critical of the work that we do or that our
children do, not understanding, you know, the development of, you know, that very first
beginner to being the expert. We might have disproportionate expectations for our children
based on age or experience where judges who come year after year are really much better
able to gauge, oh, this is your second year doing this? Well, you're doing great for
a second year experience, right? Not expecting just because somebody is 16 years old that they
should be a professional. If maybe it's their first year doing that thing. It's a really
good note to mention. You know, to every parent, the most beautiful kid in the world is your
kid. And that's great. That's how we are as parents and it's something we love. But kids pick
up on that pretty quick in life a lot earlier than I think we realized. I know I did. And so my mom,
my dad, my grandparents, their feedback was great and helpful. And it's certainly, we encourage
that out of people, build your kids up. But it is kind of strangers or people in these situations,
they're glued to that. And they really take that in. So it's a great point to make that I wouldn't
have thought of otherwise. And one thing that I did think about going into the conversation is
growing up around here or spending a lot of my youth out here and stuff and going to school
out here specifically. One of the things that I remember so often is, well, I got in the 4-H
because I saw this at the fair or I experienced this in the fair and it got me one to get into the
ag industry. We know and any Wisconsinite knows it has been to any of these fairs around here know
what I'm talking about. The spark that can happen in a child's mind just from seeing other kids
at the fair, seeing what they're doing. I mean, that's a kid 101. That is a great opportunity
for this as well in an important part of this where it's not only getting the chance to see what
these kids do and them getting to show that off, which is so vital to this event. But it's also
the idea that we might spark new interest in not only 4-H but in the ag industry. Through them,
just seeing these kids and you at this event. Yeah, that's actually my own family story if I could.
You know, my husband and I would go to the fair every year for the food. One night, one night
a year we would go to the fair and so when we started our family, it was no different.
And when my oldest, who's now 21, was just about to enter 4K. We walked through, it's called the
Junior Fair Building. That's where a lot of the youth work is on display. And he saw Legos
with ribbons on them. And he looked up at me and he said, Mom, why don't I get ribbons for my
Legos? Well, heck. So that's when I started to just explore 4-H because that would be the avenue
in to being able to show at the fair. Youth who show at the fair have to be a member of a youth
organization. So it could be Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts or 4-H or FFA but that's your that's your
ticket in. So then I started volunteering and the next thing I know I've got a brand new
career doing this because I wasn't in 4-H. And so I really encourage families to take their kids
to the fair and do more than just the rides and the food because there might be something there
that catches your child's eyes or child's eye that you didn't realize before. And 4-H can be
the way for you to make that pathway even if you're not an expert in whatever the field is, right?
My daughter is a dancer. I am not. I never have been whatever. So I rely on somebody who knows
about dance to help my daughter with that. Same with llamas. My daughter is showing llamas. I don't
know the first thing about those animals. But she's able to do that through 4-H with people who
know and care that can teach her. But then we go to the fair and she shows off the llamas and she
gets great feedback from a judge who has lots of experience in llamas. So it is a really fun time
and there's so much more to the fair than just the fun. You know we as the speaking of this
we're 20 some days out of the fair. The fair will be going on August 20th through the 25th and
you can find out more at Central Wisconsin State Fair dot com. Central Wisconsin State Fair dot com
where you guys are going to be or do you know where the location of where you guys will be set up?
Yep absolutely. So we have the junior fair office which is in it's a building called the
junior fair building. And by the way the benefit of coming to visit us is we are the only air
conditioning building on the fairground. That's a great selling point. Maybe we buried the lead.
We should live with that baby. So on the really hot days come in and visit cool off and check out
some really amazing work. That building, along with the hockey building, will both have youth
displays in. But then every animal barn will have youth and their animal projects in there. So
no matter where you go you will encounter youth work at the Central Wisconsin State Fair
and not only will you encounter the work but you'll encounter the kids especially in those barns
and I would encourage you to just ask a few questions and you will be so impressed with the knowledge
that these young people have. So what kind of exhibits will the kids be having?
Well one of the cool things about 4-H is kids get to choose their own path you know when
when the kids are in public school there are specific curriculum things that they have to do
that's not the way it is in 4-H. So in the building where my office will be that junior fair
building we'll have everything that kindergarteners first second graders make and that runs the gamut
but then we'll also have electricity, we'll have woodworking, we'll have arts and crafts,
we'll have photography, we'll have sewing and crocheting and knitting, we'll have all of their
foods projects in that building. But if you're more interested in things like the plants that they
grow the vegetables that they grow natural resources displays, horse displays like all of that
sorts of stuff that's going to be in the hockey building and then like I said the different barns
will have different animals and lots of 4-H kids. Yeah when it comes to taking in these two it's so
important to be able to not only ask those questions but to kind of take these things in and make
sure the kids are seeing you take these things in. Even if it's not necessarily a question that
you truly have you just want to ask a question I think that goes a long way for these kids as well
it gives them opportunities. Well we focus at 4-H on the ag industry certainly one of the things that
I've enjoyed talking with you Laura is all the different ways the 4-H has impacted other aspects
of kids and one of the things we always come back to when we're talking about kids is building them
up building their confidence and certainly building their people skills and their communication
skills. Here's another great opportunity for them to work on that and build that as you ask them
questions that they don't know. They don't know that you're going to ask this particular question
when you do so it's really enlightening for them and a great opportunity to build on those people
skills be able to build on explaining and communicating and talking to others and talking to
in the public and that. There's no kid who's going to grow up and not have to do that at some
point in their career if not multiple times in their career these are reps and every time you give
them a rep they're going to get better at it. So we talk about hard skills and we talk about soft
skills right and yes it's really important for us to prove to our employer that we have the
computer skills or we have you know whatever that that skill might be but those soft skills those
life skills the communication piece so critically important and recently here's just again we
recently had a trip that we took with middle schoolers it was called Discover Wisconsin so 567th
and 8th graders and that's an age group that really gets a bad rap right oh my gosh who would
want to teach middle schoolers they're just hormonal and you know off the walls and all of those
sorts of things but when you get a chance to have a conversation one-on-one with somebody and
I don't care if they're a kindergartner who you know they're adorable or if they're a high
schooler who's ready to start talking about career plans or college plans or whatever
that's not for sake those middle schoolers because they are amazing and so if you take the time
to just maybe it's asking a question and yeah maybe you already know or maybe you've observed
something really cool about the display that they have up above the animals or you see how hard
they're working to keep their area clean or to take care of their animals or whatever to just take
a moment and give the compliment or ask the question to notice them is so critically important
because that's going to give them the boost to have more of a conversation that age group isn't
going to go and hide behind mom like a kindergartner right they want to know that you're there
that you care that you see them and that their hard work is recognized they're so accustomed to
being criticized so getting positive attention is so important to them and you then will be helping
them build the communication life skills because they're going to give you more of the time of the day
than if you just like oh my gosh those kids they're always on their phone or whatever else it might be
that investment I was talking about the Lauren and the the crew at 4-H make on our youth is something
that you can be a part of as well by taking in these exhibits by asking these questions by giving
these kids these positive feedback you are impacting our youth you were investing in our youth
it's as simple as that it's a great way to be able to do that we're speaking with Laura Heuber for
H program educator with UW-Madison Extension Wood County Laura is there anything different that
the the kids will be exhibiting or doing this year than in years past is there anything new that
you guys will be doing over there well we have a number of different things going on so we talked
about how we'll have displays in the junior fair building and in the hockey and in all of the barns
but this year we're also a part of it's the wonders of Wisconsin program and that's going to be
in the laying building which is right next to the junior fair building but each day Malena
Caratini our AmeriCorps member is going to have some hands on activities for kids sometimes she
might be in the junior fair building sometimes she might be next door and part honestly is going to
depend on the weather because if it's crazy hot we're going to want her in the junior fair air
conditioning but that really worked out that really worked out easy especially on Saturday from
10 until 2 we've got a special program going on called the progressive egg safety zone so this
is a hands-on just interactive thing we'll have little passports for kids to be able to go from
station to station we're partnering with a couple of different groups to make this possible so
we're going to have a like and this sounds so silly I know but a first aid station there for kids
to learn first aid everybody knows band aids from the time they're little on right a band aid makes
it better but until you've seen a kindergartner or you know just a young kid trying to take off a
band aid and put it on themselves you don't realize that they haven't learned the basics because
those young kids are always going to a grown-up for help in those things we want to give them the
hands-on experience of what do you do why does it matter if you wash off that little excuse me
cutters great yeah how do you get that band aid on so we'll have a number of different things the
first aid is just the one I'm looking forward to because I love watching little kids and band aids I'm
with you a thousand for I just experienced this my my nephew Henry is in town and Henry's about eight eight
nine somewhere on there and he there's little things that we've been experiencing already together
for one of them was the band aid thing he couldn't open it yeah and he didn't know he didn't know
the adhesive part and some of that he was just trying to put it on he couldn't figure out why
I wouldn't go on I was letting him and then I helped him yeah and I think that's a nice note
there too letting kids try and then just showing them hey this is not you know doing it for them some
of that and everything another one that was shocked by Henry is talked on the phone before but it's
always been his mom either holding the phone or speaker phone so when we his mom called on the
landline and my mom my mom went to a hand him the phone he didn't know what to do sir you know
where to talk and do already yeah it was he was having fun with it I was having fun it was
hilarious yeah it's a great note I also think and I've mentioned many times on the over the years
on the air I would love to see our education system be able to have the funding and be able to
incorporate every kid you can't graduate until you know how to do CPR sure you got to know how to
do the Heimlichman over like I could you imagine generation after generation every kid knowing that
yeah where's the downside in that it's a very similar thing of what you guys are doing with
this exhibit um these are things these are life lessons that we learned in some of it if we leave
it up to the ether to find out you just don't know how a kid is going to learn right here you are
being able to take the initiative of it and hey this is how it's done yeah and one of the pieces
that goes with it is you know what we have faith in you yeah right I'm going to take the time to
invest in you because I know that you can do these things and sometimes um grown-ups take for
granted just how capable young people are but you know what my job is to make sure that you see
that I know you young person are capable of a lot of things so I'm not going to try and do everything
for you let's learn together right and it's it's just I it's so much fun for me let's face it
I am in this work because I love doing it um and the response I get from kids is really cool um
let me just step back again to that discover Wisconsin trip we stayed at UW-Superiors dorms
where they still have physical metal keys for the dorm rooms and the kids have to use the key
on the outside to lock the door when they leave they didn't know how fifth through eighth graders
didn't know how to use a key because so many of their own homes right now have key pads to enter the
garage or even just to enter the front door so um just taking the time and being respectful to show
them how to do it and being patient to let them fiddle with that key even where it got a little bit
sticky wow right so I think um as we get older we don't realize how much the world is changing
and um the patience is necessary for our young kids to want to learn and to try the things if
we're impatient with them they're just going to hand it over and let somebody else do it
so another soft skill I mean is it perseverance is it willingness to learn like I'm not exactly
sure what we call that um but we can grow that in in our children if we hand them to tool the tools
to learn and offer them the patience so that they can mess up and try again or keep trying
until they get it that that word patience is really important with this subject too and always
with kids always with children it's important but I think in in more maybe not patience that we
always understand it to be with certain things and sometimes that is that uh having the patience
of letting them figure it out themselves or at least being there to help them figure it out
it goes a lot further than we realize and while we get as we get older we forget more and more
of these things chances are this is how we learned as well you know uh another thing the 4-H
does that I really admire that I think is on display at this exhibit and that's this event at
the fair uh and again we're talking with Laura about the uh central Wisconsin state fair is the
opportunity for them to not only um interact with others and have some of that that going on but um
that the simple chance that they have to run into somebody else that may say something or do
something that we don't pick up on um the opportunity to try and fail uh there's a lot of times
in life with that where there's some real uh there's a risk of this happening or this happening
or something like that here's a safe environment here's an opportunity for them to do these things
and not just the central Wisconsin state fair of a 4-H in general is a chance for them to
learn grow make mistakes with a net if you will um and that's something that I I don't think
of very often and I'm so thankful to the 4-H for and to have an opportunity for them to share
and show these things at like the central Wisconsin state fair yeah and one of the things I'd like to
highlight about that is the net isn't always us professionals it's not always the volunteers
oftentimes that net is created by their peers the other kids who are there in showing um the coolest
part of uh for me on the show days where the kids are showing animals is the level of support
that the older youth will give to the younger youth and it doesn't matter if they're in the same
family or in the same club or if they're just in the same barn yeah right it's so cool to see um
that that you know what yes I want to succeed in this and I am your competitor but I want you to
succeed too so when I see you struggling or I see the tears that flow after um the market sale
if you're not familiar with market sale youth are able to raise um beef sheep and swine um they show
them on the first day of the fair and then on Wednesday night there's a sale so those um there
are actually bitters out there in the audience that um purchase those animals and then the animal
goes to market so those kids who've spent so long months for beef it's even over a year um raising
those animals working with those animals they literally have to say goodbye and um know that they
are going to go to market um there's a lot of tears there and so seeing the older uh youth who've
been through this before go ahead and put an arm around somebody who's experiencing it for the
first time or sharing their own personal experiences it goes so much further than just having an
adult always come in to the rescue oh you'll be fine wow no it is such a growth experience for
these these young people I just I can't say enough about the fair yeah yeah that hit me that
that the I just the image of that hit me that's beautiful and I that is I'm so glad we got that
in Laura and I so glad we were able to take some time and focus on this and not only celebrate
the such a Wisconsin safe uh Wisconsin Central Wisconsin State Fair but celebrate four H and
your guys place in this again find them at the find our four H at the Central Wisconsin State Fair
going on August 20 through the 25th enjoy yourselves at the fair and find out more at Central
Wisconsin Fair dot com and Laura if people follow questions for what we've talked about today how can
they reach you yeah so you can always reach me by phone or email at the extension office my phone
number is 715 421 8439 or my email is Laura dot huber at whisk dot edu and hey come and see me at
the fair I will be at the junior fair building every single day of the fair I try to leave before
six o'clock each night but hey sometimes I'm there later so knowing you yeah I can see that I can
see that Laura we appreciate you appreciate your team over there always encourage parents and
kids to get involved with four H and you could be involved before H2 or they're always looking for
volunteers and other helpers so reach out to Laura and the gang and find out more you can find out
more at four H dot extension dot whisk dot edu that's four H dot extension dot whisk dot edu thank
you again for the time Laura thanks so much James well a more midday magazine for you coming up on
97 5 FM 13 20 AM WF HR we are locally grown radio
