About 4-H

The 4-H Experience

Texas 4-H is a club for kids and teens ages 8-18 in grades 3-12. As the largest youth development program in Texas, reaching more than 550,000 youth each year, no matter where you live or what you like to do, Texas 4-H has something that lets you be a better you!

You may think 4-H is only for your friends with animals, but it’s so much more! You can do activities like shooting sports, food science, healthy living, robotics, fashion, and photography.

How do I enroll/register for 4-H?

Enrollment in 4-H is accomplished by using 4H Online, which is an online system, and you can access your account or create an account by clicking on the link below. Enrollment in 4-H is by academic year (i.e. September 1 – August 31), and each member must enroll each year. There is a $25.00 annual membership fee if you enroll by October 31st, and the membership fee increases to $30.00 if you enroll after October 31st, so it is to your advantage to enroll early! Clover Kid membership is now a flat rate of $10 per 4-H year.

What are the age minimums for participating in Gillespie County 4-H?

Clover Kids/Beginners: K - 2nd graders (Some projects limited to 1st - 2nd graders)
Junior Members: 3rd (at least 8 years old), 4th, & 5th graders
Intermediate: 6th, 7th, & 8th graders
Senior: 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders

What kinds of activities can I do in 4-H?

The possibilities are endless, but a few of the activities Gillespie 4-Hers are involved with are:

Showing/Raising Animals
Food & Nutrition
Fashion & Interior Design
Entomology
Photography
Livestock Judging
Shooting Sports
Meat Judging
Robotics
Gardening
Horse
Plant ID / Range Judging
Wildlife
Dairy Judging
Dog (Companion Animal)

If you want to start a project of your own, just contact our 4-H Extension Agent, and we will be happy to provide you with whatever information that we can find.

The first thing that we recommend new families do is to choose a club to join. In Gillespie County we have nine community clubs. Our clubs are made up of members who participate in a variety of projects, so we don’t have project based clubs in our county. Club meetings are open to any 4H member and his/her family. The size of clubs in Gillespie County allows for most youth to have several opportunities to gain leadership and public speaking skills by serving as a club officer throughout their 4H career. Clubs are a family event, therefore, families should not just drop their children off and pick them up later. Club meetings are presided over by youth officers and offer an educational or community service projects.