Welcome to Arlington County 4-H

Learn what it takes to grow a garden! Under the guidance of caring Master Gardeners, students will learn to plan, plant, weed, water, and harvest a garden. Using one of the Junior Master Gardener curriculums, the club will investigate the wonderful world of insects, search for wildlife, discuss erosion, and discover where food comes from.

Currently, this program runs at Barcroft Elementary. With additional volunteers, we can expand to reach even more sites. For questions or more information about 4-H, please contact Arlington County 4-H Agent Deborah Madden at  deborahjm@vt.edu

Play in the dirt, smell the flowers, and adventure into the great outdoors!  Students in grades 4th to 8th are invited to join the 4-H Outdoor Explorers Club. Together the group will search for wildlife, investigate backyard habitats, embark on scavenger hunts, play nature-inspired games, and much more! This is perfect for the animal-lovers, future gardeners, or even youth who just want to get outside.

4-H strives to foster positive first experiences in nature for youth. This program is led by volunteers under the supervision of the County 4-H Agent. Currenty this program is seeking adult volunteers to lead Outdoor Explorerers 

With additional volunteers, we can expand to even more sites. For questions or more information about 4-H, please contact Arlington County 4-H Agent Deborah Madden at deborahjm@vt.edu.

^4th through 12^th graders are invited to join 4-H on a culinary adventure! Together we’ll investigate the food that we eat, play games to get everyone moving, and whip up some delicious and nutritious snacks. Knowledgeable Master Food Volunteers facilitate these programs, under the supervision of the County 4-H Agent.  These programs are scheduled after school, in community centers,  recreation centers or 4-H Club meeting sites. 

Girls with Goals is an soccer program that encourages fitness. This program runs is located at Drew and Abington Elementary School in the Fall and Spring.  During the winter months,  volunteers will facilitate a health living projects to encourage  healthy behaviors. Plans to expand to other schools in the Spring of 2023 are under way. 

The 4-H Nature Knights club is open to all youth ages 9-15. Together the club adventures on field trips to watch birds, go fishing, learn to identify trees, walk in the woods, and much more. The club meets on Thursday evenings and weekends, under the supervision of parents and the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists. This is a classic 4-H community club open to all youth ages  9-15 year, regardless of where they go to school!

For questions or more information about 4-H, please contact Arlington County 4-H Agent Deborah Madden at deborahjm@vt.edu.

Want your teen to learn responsible spending and saving habits? Bored by tedious worksheets and long lectures?  This ZOOM series combines essential financial knowledge with engaging discussions,  hands-on games and activities.

Throughout the six-week program, youth learn to distinguish financial needs from wants, manage income to pay bills on time, identify strategies to start saving, and understand how to build and manage credit. This program is lead by a variety of adult volunteers, including Master Financial Education Volunteers under the supervision of the County 4-H Agent and FCS Financial Program Associate.

This program currently runs on ZOOM in the Spring. Next session begins in the Spring of 2023.   If you have a group or organization that would like to participate in this six-week course, please contact Arlington County 4-H Agent Deborah Madden at deborahjm@vt.edu.

How do I sign up for 4-H?

We are so glad you’d like to get involved with Arlington 4-H! Arlington 4-H Clubs can meet in schools, homes, community centers, schools, churches and conference rooms. 

Our program runs primarily at Fairlington Community Center and Arlington Public Schools’ Extended Day programs. To see if there’s already a program at your child’s school, you can check with your school’s Extended Day program or, contact 4-H Agent Deborah Madden at deborahjm@vt.edu. You can also check out our 4-H Afterschool Programming page for more information on our current offerings.

If your child is not enrolled in Extended Day, or you don’t have a program at your school, don’t worry. You can still get involved with Arlington 4-H. Here are  other ways to get started:

#1: Fairlington Community Club

The 4-H Fairlington Community club is open to all youth grades 4th to 8th grade. This is a traditional 4-H club with projects planned in financial education, cooking, dogs and outdoor exploration.  Club begins on Saturday November 3rd, 2022 at 11:00 AM  - 1:30 PM.  To sign up go go 4-H Online to create a family enrollment at https://v2honline.com, or e-mail deborahjm@vt.edu or call Deborah Madden at 703-228-6404.      

#1: Nature Knights Club

The 4-H Nature Knights club is open to all youth ages 9-15. Together the club adventures on field trips to watch birds, go fishing, learn to identify trees, walk in the woods, and much more. The club meets on weekday evenings and weekends, under the supervision of parents and the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists. This is a classic 4-H community club open to all youth ages 9-17, regardless of where they go to school. To sign up for information on this club, please email 4-H Agent Deborah Madden at deborahjm@vt.edu.

*Note: this club will resume meeting in the Spring of 2023

#2: 4-H Summer Camp

Our annual Summer Camp is a great introduction to 4-H. We spend 5 days, 4 nights at the NOVA 4-H Center, in Front Royal, Virginia. Youth 9-13 can attend as campers, and teens 14-18 may apply to serve as Teen Counselors. For the latest information on 4-H Camp, follow this link to the 4-H Camp webpage.

#3: I’m Looking for Something Else

If there isn’t an existing program that meets your needs, Arlington 4-H is always happy to work with you to create something new!

Requirements to start a new club:

·         2 Adult Volunteer Leaders willing to be trained and pass a background check

·         5 Youth Members from at least two families

Still have a question? Please contact 4-H Agent Deborah Madden at deborahjm@vt.edu for more information.