4-H Members can choose from more than 50 project areas that focus on science, engineering, and technology, animals and agriculture, food & nutrition, outdoor adventures, marine science, public speaking, art, and wildlife. 4-H learning is experiential- where youth learn life skills and use their skills to give back to their communities. Youth set goals and keep records and they can participate in events and activities on a county, state, and national level to keep their learning strong.
4-H has three major priority programs: STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), Citizenship & Leadership, and Healthy Living. Please check out the resources available to you in each of these areas.
4-H projects are set up so that youth use the Experiential Learning Process. 4-H Youth Development relies heavily upon the five steps of the experiential learning model to teach life skills. The sequential steps of the model help youth identify what they have learned from a 4-H experience or activity and to apply that learning to other experiences or situations. The experiential learning process engages the learners in all phases of the activity, resulting in the ability to generalize this learning to new situations.
4-H record books help you keep organized by detailing information about your project(s). You should complete a record book each year that you participate in any project. Each Manatee 4-H member needs to complete a 4-H record book and submit it in April to the 4-H Office to be eligible for 4-H scholarships, awards, and recognition. It is also a requirement for some clubs and project areas that you submit a record book to be eligible to participate in that project/club the following year.
Manatee County 4-H and Florida 4-H use reviewed and approved project and record books for youth. In order to see project books that are approved and available to you, please explore the links below. You will find National 4-H, Florida 4-H, and Manatee County 4-H approved curriculum.
Not finding what you need? Reach out to the office and we'll help you!
National Curriculum is peer reviewed and approved on the national 4-H council level. These project books often come from Universities across the country and have the national peer review stamp of approval on the cover. While this is a curriculum that has reached the highest approval, there is often a cost associated with each project book.
To view National Curriculum that is available click here or visit the curriculum tab in the Shop4-H.org website.
The Florida 4-H Curriculum Clearinghouse is a list of 4-H publications which meet the standards of approval and reviewed by Florida 4-H. Many resources are available from UF-IFAS EDIS, National 4-H Council, and other Universities. Listed materials include project curriculum, record books, informational publications, volunteer and club resources and other educational resources for 4-H youth development programs.
To view the Florida 4-H Curriculum Clearinghouse click here.
Below are books that are free for print and use by 4-Her's for correlating projects! For more project books check out the National Curriculum or Florida 4-H Curriculum Clearinghouse.
Sometimes you will find County or District level Project Books from other counties. In order to use any project book, you will have to seek permission from the Manatee County 4-H Office if the book is not listed below. This is to ensure the curriculum is up to the standards of 4-H, compatible with Manatee County's 4-H Record Book program, and is helping youth reach their educational goals.
When you turn your record books in at the end of the year, put them in the green 4-H Folder and put the Title Page and Overall 4-H Report at the front of the book, with the project records you completed behind the overall report.
For a complete guide on how to put your Member Record Book together for submission to the 4-H Office, please see the "Guide for Putting Your 4-H Member Record Book Together".
For more information about how the Overall Report portion of your Member Record Books are scored, please see the Rubrics below for Juniors and Intermediates/Seniors. The point system used to score Project Record Books are at the back of each of the individual Project Record Books. These scores are combined with the score for your Overall Report to give an Overall Record Book score.
Use this document at the front of your overall Member Record Book to summarize your 4-H work for the year. This report is scored using the appropriate rubric for your age division.
Cloverbud Title Page and Project Summary
All Manatee County 4-H Cloverbud age youth (5-7 years old as of September 1, 2024) should use the Cloverbud record books below. The Cloverbud Rabbit, Dog, and Poultry books should be used for any Cloverbud planning to enter their rabbit, dog, or poultry project in the Manatee County Fair. All other Cloverbud youth should do the Discovering 4-H Record Book. Cloverbuds do not turn in an Overall 4-H Report, they do the Cloverbud Project Summary.
Cloverbud Rabbit
Cloverbud Poultry
Cloverbud Dog
Discovering 4-H
Please use the following record books for all livestock projects.
Any of the books below are approved for use in Livestock Record keeping and can be used for the Manatee County Fair. Record keeping is an important life skill, especially when it comes to the health of your animal and/or the consumer.
Market Livestock
(Beef or Swine)
Poultry
Rabbit
Beef Breeding
Dairy Cattle
Dairy Goat
Dog
FNGLA - Plants
Horse
(Seniors)
Horse
(Juniors and Intermediates)
Non Market Swine/Swine Breeding
(not for use at Manatee County Fair)
These are Manatee County 4-H approved record books for 4-H projects other than the livestock projects in the section above.
General Project: the record book labeled "General Project" is to be used with any National 4-H Curriculum Books or approved Florida 4-H Curriculum Books (if you find a curriculum online that you want to try, but you're not sure if it's approved, contact the 4-H Office).
Special Interest Project: the record book labeled "Special Interest Project" is for any project that doesn't require equipment or materials (like the Citizenship Project), a judging team, or the Hog and Ham Project.
For more information about selecting the correct book for your project, contact the 4-H Office.
Small Animal (Pets)
Herpetology
Photography
Archery
Shooting Sports
Rifle/Smallbore
Shooting Sports
Shotgun
General Project
(formerly called the Non-Animal Record Book) This is the record book to submit with any project without it's own specific book.
Special Interest
This is the Record Book to submit with any "Special Interest" project. A special interest project would include any research based project that doesn't require equipment or materials, a judging team, or the Hog and Ham Project. For more information about selecting the correct book for your project, contact the 4-H Office.
For more information about becoming an officer, check out our Club Officer Information page.
The Secretary and Treasurer cover books (listed below) require the full books which are on the Club Officer Information page.
Sergeant at Arms
Parliamentarian
Recreation Leader
Historian
Council Delegate
Citizenship books should be completed with the Special Interest Record Book above.
Citizenship Unit 1
Me, My Family, and My Friends!
Citizenship Unit 2
My Neighborhood
Citizenship Unit 3
My Clubs & Groups
Citizenship Unit 4
My Community
Citizenship Unit 5
My Heritage
Citizenship Unit 6
My Government
Citizenship Unit 7
My World