This week was the Warrick County 4-H Fair. Mason completed a Division II Electric Project to build a shakelight. He and Bill worked together to complete the activities in the handbook and then soldered the pieces to make the light. Good solder is the key to a good project.
They also made a display board. They cut a piece of wood, routed the edges and stained it. The flashlight sits on metal brackets that swing open for easy removal of the light.
When Mason turned in his project on Sunday, he met with the judge. He asked Mason questions about how he built the light and looked at his solder points.
I myself do not know much about soldering but according to those in the know, Mason did a good job. The soldering is the part of the project that Mason liked the best.
The judge told Mason he had earned a blue for his light but it wasn’t until Wednesday night when we returned for a work shift that we discovered he was a reserve champion in his division. Congrats, Mason!
That night we spent three hours in the Council’s food booth. When Mason was not busy helping customers, he was working on solving the Rubik’s cube. After many, many attempts over the last few days, he proudly showed me he did it!
Our last activity this week at fair was the softball tournament. Our game was scheduled at 7 am to avoid the heat of the day. The opposing team played really well and beat us a lot to two. Our team had a lot of fun and was happy to have won an early exit from the ball fields.
Mason was eligible to participate in the Parade of Champions on Friday but he preferred to skip that. That meant the only thing left for us this week will be to pick up Mason’s project Sunday. Walker was away at camp this week and he could have submitted a project. However, he chose to forego it this year. In fact, both boys have decided to dedicate their time to other activities. It looks like this is our last fair week unless things change in the future. 4-H has been a great experience for us and we would encourage anyone to give it a try.
The end of an era! What a great experience. Joel went to the Iowa State Science fair this year and I said, “those kids who have done 4H have been doing this for years!” (many winners in smaller locations with strong 4H programs…at least that is my guess!)
I love being a proud Gramma!