4-H Fair Exhibits
4-H fair exhibits are the pinnacle of your child’s project for the year. This is their chance to shine! The public walks through the exhibit buildings and admires all the hard work the 4-H kids put into their projects.
In a building full of exhibits how can your child’s 4-H fair exhibit stand out?
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I encourage my children to think outside the box when it comes to fair exhibits. When there are 50 kids in the county who take the same project how can your child go above and beyond? Here are my thoughts on making 4-H fair exhibits stand out.
First things first!
Size Requirements:
Special Permission:
Ask first so your child doesn’t spend a bunch of time on an awesome exhibit only to have it turned away at the last minute.
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Posters:
Posters are the most common 4-H fair exhibit. The kids are often limited by size and posters are the easiest way to stay within the parameters.
While posters are a common exhibit there are ways to make posters stand out.
3-D Elements:
Add 3-D elements to your poster. My son did an outdoor survival poster on “10 survival uses for shoelaces”. He punched holes and laced a shoelace around the border of his poster. My daughter submitted a poster on “Tubing a Ruminant” with directions and a list of supplies. She took the supplies and zip tied them to the poster so people could see what they were.
Personal Touches:
We have a member in our club who is an excellent artist. She will often include her own artwork in her exhibits. Another has added pretty ribbons and embellishments to make their poster stand out. These personal touches can make a big impression when the judges look at a poster.
Cite Sources:
Build/Make Your Exhibit:
If you want to skip the poster and do something a little more creative you can build or make your exhibit.
Again, make sure to check with your counties rules and requirements ahead of time.
See below for some examples of exhibits you can make.
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Label, label, label!
Labels can be the difference between a rosette and a red ribbon. When there are two or more of the same type of exhibit the labels and explanations can make yours stand out.
One year two members built nearly identical bat boxes. One had labels and pictures on it with descriptions and the other was plain. The bat box with the labels did much better than the plain one.
Because 4-H is all about learning your 4-H fair exhibit should tie into what you learned that year. Or how you would use that item in your project.
Labels help the judges and the public understand what you learned and what your exhibit is all about!
Examples:
These ideas pertain to certain projects but I hope they get you thinking about what you can build/make for your own project!
tattoo box for rabbits
nest box for rabbits
hide away hole for rabbits
hammock stand for pocket pets
grooming stand
bat box
archery stand
diorama
taxidermy
goat coat
hay rack
homemade flashlight
circuit with 2 batteries and a light bulb
first aid kit (for humans or animals)
outdoor survival kit
grooming kit
Notebooks/Binders:
Front Cover:
Cover Page:
Sections:
Cite Sources:
Examples:
these ideas pertain to certain projects but I hope they get you thinking about what you can build/make for your own project.
Herd Management Records book (pigs, cows, goats, rabbits, chickens…)
A comprehensive overview of what you learned in that project
A in depth study of one aspect of your project
A manual: My oldest wrote a survival manual for his outdoor survival exhibit
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Record Books:
Our 4-H member’s project is judged half on their exhibit and half on their record book. To do well the exhibit and record book both need to be top notch.
The first year we had exhibits at fair a lot of the ribbons didn’t make sense to me. I saw some awesome exhibits that just got a blue and an okay exhibit that received a rosette. Later I learned the difference was the record book.
You might like my post “How to Rock Your Record Book” .
Lastly:
I cannot stress enough to find out what your county requirements are.
Are there size limitations or do they only accept one kind of exhibit. If you are in doubt ask your extension office for permission!
I don’t want any 4-H member to make an awesome exhibit only to find out at fair time that it won’t be accepted!
For More tips and how to guides check out this post: “4-H Program|An Overview”.
Any questions, comments or great ideas you are willing to share? Please comment below or email me. Let’s get a conversation started!
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4 Comments
Kim
This is an excellent article. Wish I’d seen it when my kids were in 4-H. Thanks for the great tips!!
Cynthia Montgomery
I am a 4-H leader we show goats and horses.
Mary
I am writing about the goat displayed. I was wondering if you could give me more info.
Thanks,
Mary
Jennifer
Hi Mary, thank you for writing! I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. Life has been a little crazy lately!
The goat display in the picture is from my daughter’s pet goat project. She sewed a little goat coat (like baby goats wear) for her exhibit. Then she traced out the shape of a goat on cardboard and cut out 2 and then cut little cardboard pieces to slot into them so it could be freestanding. Does that answer your question?
If you are asking about the goat in the picture attached to her display that is a Kinder goat. Let me know if that is what you are asking and I will give you more info on the Kinders.