A new thing we tried this year was a taste test lesson. It was well received (and the first time my daughter had tried lamb
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Members made observations of ground beef, lamb, turkey and pork when raw, when being cooked and when eaten. Samples were not ID'd and the members then compared their observations and guesses of what each was.
Sometimes we get stuck on just teaching about the animals and how to show them. Think about ideas that hit other "project areas" that relate to the species they are working with. As a youth in a sheep project, through the years I made wool art, learned to crochet and weave, did leather craft to make halters, scrapbooking for pen displays, sewing to make blankets, woodworking to make small show totes and led demonstrations/clinics of basics skills learned. We were a full on breeding project where the lambs we showed were a result of our breeding, lambing and management - so all aspects of sheep management/showing were hit upon at some point.
I found lesson plans while researching this year through the Kansas State Extension
http://www.kansas4-h.org/p.aspx?tabid=414 Look down the resources for each species to a leader guide there are a number of fun and interesting lessons to teach about the industry, animals, management and showing at different levels.
