I would like to know if there are any other 4H leader/mothers out there. I have been a 4H leader now for 15 years and sometimes run out of ideas for the kids to do.
Both of my sons were in 4-H in school. A teacher was their sponsor. I know she had a manual to follow. Were you not given a manual of sorts when you signed up to be a leader?
Our club is a homeschooling club. When you meet at 1pm on a Monday, that's who comes. We require parent participation (no dump and run) and each parent choses a month to be responsible for the activity. Never run out of ideas that way but sometimes have to separate the cloverbuds out. For instance, they couldn't have sat stil to listen to an English woman descibe the differences between countries.
Try guest speakers decribing their jobs. We do crafts, work on the banner. I talked about urban survival skills and wilderness survival skills and the car is stuck in the snow skills. No cell phones available in either case - so what now? Have a leader in other project areas come and show off the project and their best hands on project.
We practice our project judging by presenting to our own group. Animals one meeting and the rest another.
I am a former 4-H Club member, current leader, and 4-H secretary. At my club meetings (the first one of each year) we have the kids come with ideas for programs for the year, they come up with some good ones, then we assign each child/family one topic and they are responsible for coming up with the program. This works well and takes the load off of you as a leader. Or use a 4-H project for the group to do together and use the ideas out of it, also check with your 4-H agent for possible programming ideas, we too give out a leaders manual but sometimes these have all been used and new ideas are needed. We have lots of other resource books, ideas and resource people who can come to club meetings.
4-H Leader in Hickory/Shelby - North Carolina
I'm a leader in our club, which is over 80 yrs old
We have "Sub-Clubs" within our main Club ie: Sewing, Foods, Woodworking, etc.... What kind of ideas are you looking for??? Half our members are livestock showers as well. I'd be glad to give you ideas if you are more specific. What kind of ages also would be helpful. Lisa
4-H is FUN !!!! 
I'm a leader in our club, which is over 80 yrs old 
I'd be glad to give you ideas if you are more specific. What kind of ages also would be helpful. Lisa
