Many teachers began to state arithmetic problems in farm terms such as acres, bushels, and tons instead of abstract terms like time and distance. An example of one math problem might have been: if a farmer raises 80 bushels of corn per acre, and planted 4 acres of corn, how many bushels of corn will he harvest?
Teachers also assigned essay topics on the farm and home in grammar classes and in writing exercises. These ideas led teachers to take their classes outdoors. Class trips to gardens and corn plots became popular. Pupils studying the same subjects were easily formed into school-sponsored "clubs."
Adult meetings, called Farmer Institutes, and county fairs also helped introduce farm and home topics. The institutes provided competitive classes for rural youth so farm children could show results of their work. In 1857, the Iowa State Agricultural Society held a boys' corn growing contest. The winning yield was 95.5 bushels per acre. In 1903-04, Wallaces' Farmer held corn growing contests for boys The contests were sometimes referred to as "clubs." Wallaces' Farmer furnished each boy a quart of high grade seed corn and offered prizes for the best samples grown. These activities, along with continuing agitation in the farm papers and in the schools for more attention to rural young people, were forerunners of youth groups. These activities took place in Iowa and across the country.
Several Iowa county school superintendents and local teachers were pioneers in this "club" movement. Early school teachers O. H. Benson in Wright County, and Jessie Field Shambaugh in Page County, taught farm topics in schools. Both became superintendents in their counties in 1906 and vigorously promoted "club" work.
County Superintendent Cap E. Miller in Keokuk County, Iowa, also pioneered. In 1904 he urged his teachers to promote clubs and teach farm subjects. He sponsored a county organization of boys and girls with officers and educational programs. Miller's plans fostered many of the teaching tools today's 4-H program including life skills and learning-by-doing through projects, group meetings, and exhibits. Community service projects also provide active learning interaction of youth and adults and encourage youth to set and accomplish goals.
The program for boys were called "Boys' Agricultural Clubs." They had exhibits of corn and garden products, and held livestock judging contests. The programs for girls were called "Girls' Home Culture Clubs." The girls had exhibits of sewing and cooking, and held contests in which they judged "articles of sewing, handwork, and cooking."
From 1905 to 1914, clubs were started in nearly all states. The first clubs, largely corn clubs, developed extensively in the South around 1907. Boys and girls usually were enrolled by mail, and most were not under the immediate direction of a leader. Literature and instructions were sent to members from the state Extension office.
At about this time, Professor P.G. Holden, superintendent of Iowa Extension, gave A.U. Storms the job of organizing 4-H in schools. In 1911 E.C. Bishop from Nebraska, was appointed the first full-time state club leader for Iowa. With the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914, county agents and local leaders began to organize 4-H clubs. Club meetings and projects were made major requirements.
One sunny June morning in 1906 at a one-room country school near Clarion, Iowa, 11 pupils spent their recess outside searching for four-leaf clovers. They had plucked seven clovers when a visitor drove up. Their teacher recognized the guest as Superintendent Benson. At the teacher's suggestion, the children surrendered their good luck charms and placed the seven clovers into the hands of Superintendent Benson.
He said, "I'm looking for an emblem for the agricultural clubs and the schools of the country, and you have just given me that emblem--the four-leaf clover; it will help explain to young and old the message of a four-square education." (In those early days, 4-H was a part of the schools, but it was known as "four square education" then.) Several years earlier he had come across ideas for four-square education. The four main ideas for four-square education included educational development, fellowship development, physical development, and moral development.
In order to link home life with school subjects of agriculture and home economics, Benson organized agricultural and home economics clubs in each Wright County school. Picnics, fairs, short courses, and play festivals also were held. "In general, these built a greater brotherhood and community spirit amongst the people," Benson said.
Through Wright County schools, Superintendent Benson linked these clubs with four-square development. He saw these ideas in use at the one-room country school he had visited. This setting along with the good will bouquet of four-leaf clovers, led him to link the clover to the clubs for the first time.
Superintendent Benson recalled that three emblems were sketched in his office--a three-leaf clover, a four-leaf clover, and a five-pointed star. In 1907 and 1908, Superintendents Benson and Shambaugh began to use an emblem of a three-leaf clover with an "H" on each leaf, one each for the head, head, heart, and hand. This was to be the membership badge for every boy and girl member of the Wright County Agricultural and Homemaking Clubs. Superintendent Benson said, "Out of the hearts, hands, and heads of these farm children was born the significant 4-H emblem."
The emblem was used on placards, posters, literature, shields, caps, uniforms, badges, and labels. In 1909 he wrote that the first pins with the clover emblem came into use.
In 1911, O.H. Benson worked in Washington, D.C. to help organize club work throughout the United States. He and others suggested ideas for a national emblem to represent the developing club program. The four-leaf clover emblem suggested by Benson was chosen.
At that time the fourth "H" came to stand for "health." The four-leaf clover became the national membership badge. In the next 15 years all the agricultural and home economics clubs that had been developing across Iowa and the nation were joined by a common name?4-H Clubs?a name that came from the emblem that represented them. Other countries, also, accepted the clover emblem as 4-H clubs started throughout the world.
"Thousands have helped develop 4-H club work as it is today, including men and women of national affairs, officials of state and country, preachers, teachers, and businessmen; but for the inspiration for the ideas as wrapped in the 4-H emblem, we owe our thanks to the group of 11 farm boys and girls who, through their bouquet of good luck clovers, sent the 4-H message to the rest of the boys and girls of rural America." O.H. Benson
For example, a 4-H health contest was held at the 1922 Iowa State Fair, introducing health as an activity for most clubs. Iowa was one of the first states to stress music, art appreciation, and recreation. Leadership experiences for youth also were emphasized. Broadening projects and activities provided more opportunities for youth to develop. The base of knowledge for 4-H topics comes from research conducted at state land grant universities. As universities broadened the topics they taught, they had more to offer in 4-H.
In 1940 a group of New York City high school youth visited Iowa for a week. The primary purpose was to give the city youth an insight into farm life and to broaden their outlook on the need for rural-urban relations. An Iowa member was sent to England in 1948 on the first International Farm Youth Exchange. Out-of-state trips have been highly educational for hundreds of young people in 4-H.
The second trend is toward program and organizational coordination--combining the girls' 4-H organization and the boys' 4-H organization into a single integrated program.
The program also incorporates life skills development into an expanding number of delivery modes. In addition to the core 4-H community club model, youth may participate through urban groups, community resource development, special interest groups, EFNEP nutrition programs, school enrichment, camping, and interagency learning experiences.
Today, 4-H offers youth opportunities in communications, leadership and career development, livestock, home improvement, and computer technology. Programs are found in rural and urban areas throughout the world. The program is instrumental in building life skills in youth and making our communities better places to live and work. 4-H will continue to grow and develop with the head, heart, hands, and health of youth around the world.
Background and History of 4-H by Jamie K. Stensland, communication assistant and Melva Berkland, Extension communication specialist 4-H, August 1989