Midway. Handicrafts. Livestock. The county fair offers a variety of fun activities. One of our favorite events of the year is participating in our county fair. The handiwork your children make throughout the year can be entered in a variety of categories at your county and state fair. 4-H is offered in all counties, however, club membership is not required for fairy entry.
Legos, artwork, clay, plants, baking and gingerbread houses can be displayed and earn ribbons of merit and cash awards! This opportunity can be a great motivator to do their best and boost their self-esteem in accomplishing tasks.
The look on your child’s face when they see their own item displayed is priceless. Especially if it has a blue ribbon hanging on it!
My boys never really enjoyed legos. However, legos are a simple entry for families. Making a gingerbread house as a family can be a fun project. Learning to sew, knit, doing woodworking, making paracord bracelets and entering photography are just scratching the surface of possibilities.
Check your local or state fair website for their exhibitor handbook which has all the information and forms you need, along with all the categories and items accepted for an entry.
I pick at least three categories for each child, depending on their age. As they get older I challenge them with a new handicraft to learn. When Grayson was nine, I chose sewing pajama pants. If you have a basic knowledge of sewing, this project is fairly easy to teach. A pillowcase is an even more basic project that can bring satisfaction to the beginner.
Throughout your year, keep a log of projects that the kids have done so it will be an easy reference when it is time to decide what to enter at the fair time. Remember that application deadlines are usually one month PRIOR to the fair. We made that mistake one year and it was disappointing for the boys.
In 2012, Grayson won the Viers Award for overall entries in the boys’ division. He had worked hard all year on new skills and had fifteen entries! That particular year, we studied the Prairie Primer. It is a unit study of the Little House on the Prairie books. It is a fantastic study for boys and girls that the whole family will enjoy. We learned so many new skills like sewing a small nine square quilt, building a wooden toy truck, making soap, and a host of other skills that filled up the registration entries at the fair that year.
If your family has small animals, such as rabbits or chickens, you can enter them in the judging and show portion. Preparing for this is serious work. You learn animal history, classification, public speaking, anatomy and animal handling. Preparing for an animal exhibit can become a unit study over a course of time to prepare your child and the animal.
Head out to the county fair this year. Enjoy the sights and sounds. Then take a walk through the exhibit halls and see all the entries. Take note of what entries your family might be interested in. Set goals for each child and yourself. Moms need to enter at least one category. It is wonderful for your children to see you try something new and working toward a goal of your own. Try a new craft, bake a family recipe and earn a blue ribbon and $5!
We always meet other homeschool families on that day and get to see all the great projects they have worked on. It keeps us inspired!
The Fair Associations across the country promote success in children by providing opportunities many are unaware of. The opportunity to earn cash awards, ribbons of merit, best in show and scholarship money for college. Taking a closer look beyond the candied apples and fried Twinkies can be a worthwhile experience for everyone.
Points to remember:
Start small and enter items your children have already made during the year.
Next year, choose your categories at least six months ahead, time slips up on you.
Don’t try to attempt too many new skills in one year, save some for next year.
Mark your calendar for the application deadlines. DO NOT MISS IT.
Moms, enter at least one category, no excuses.
Books we enjoy whether you enter the fair or just dream about it: