4-H Record Instructions

Why Records?

Record-keeping is a useful, practical skill that benefits 4-H youth. The 4-H Records Program supports youth development of this skill through the three main records components:

  • Summary Record: 4-H youth learn how to track their participation in community service, leadership, and youth development experiences, as well as keep track of awards and communication experiences in their summary record.
  • Project Record: Keeping project records is intended to be meaningful for youth. They are encouraged to learn how to set, achieve, and reflect on personal goals that matter to them and are related to their 4-H projects. The project record also involves tracking project-related activities and expenses throughout the 4-H year.
  • 4-H Story: Youth are asked to share a narrative of their 4-H experience during the project year to reflect on the impacts of 4-H in their life and share key takeaways and insights from the year.

Ideally, in October, as soon as records have been submitted from the previous year, youth begin working on identifying projects and setting goals for their current 4-H year. Maintaining records is a practice that is most meaningful when considered a yearlong process. Keeping records is intended to be woven into the fabric of the project work itself.

Records are submitted to club leaders and county educators at the end of October for the previous 4-H year. These records are evaluated according to a holistic scoring rubric and are awarded ribbons according to the Danish system. At the county level, trained records judges evaluate these record books according to the scoring rubric. County educators then evaluate the scoring sheets and award Danish ribbons and project medals. Some youth will be invited to submit their record books to a state level Records contest.

Records Scoring Rubric

The Records scoring rubric is a tool. We are giving it to you to help you to better understand how to develop your record book throughout the year. Please read through it and talk about it with your parent or guardian, your club leader, or your County UMass Extension 4-H Educator as you get started setting your goals and working on your project. There are a lot of words squished onto one page, which might feel overwhelming at first. Once you start to use the rubric as part of your record keeping process while you work on your projects, though, it will start to make more and more sense. Imagine how much better a carpenter gets over time as they use their measuring and cutting tools. The more you use this rubric, the more useful it will be in helping you to reach your goals. It is your tool, and the evaluators borrow it at the end of the 4-H year to help them to better understand how well you met your goals and to communicate with you.

The scoring rubric is meant to be given to youth, their families, and club volunteers at the start of the 4-H year. Scoring record books should be consistent and the expectations clearly defined at the start of the process. The youth are encouraged to use the rubric to help them shape the development of their record books throughout the year.

Rubric Format and Scoring

Page 1 of the rubric is broken into Categories (listed vertically) that are scored by Levels
(listed horizontally across the top).

  • There are three distinct scoring levels: “Revving your Engine,” “On Your Way,” and “You’re There!” and each category is scored holistically according to these levels.
  • A column is provided to indicate if a component is completely missing from the record book.
  • A comments column is provided all the way to the right for evaluator comments.
  • The “Above and Beyond” column to the left provides open space for an evaluator to highlight an area of particular strength, beyond what is expected of the 4-H project. This area is to be reserved for truly notable features of the project record and there is no expectation that it be used by evaluators. In fact, the expectation is that it ONLY be used when an evaluator was particularly “wowed” by the project scope or depth of learning and reflection as evidenced in the submitted record book. Appropriate use of this column will be emphasized in evaluator and user training sessions.

Page 2 of the scoring rubric is meant for evaluator feedback to the youth member and is broken into two areas: “Way to Go!” and “Ways to Grow”. Both areas are meant to be positive in tone with the goal of providing useful information to help youth recognize their own strengths, of which they may or may not already be aware, as well as motivate them to want to learn and grow.

  • “Way to Go!”: Evaluators are encouraged to identify extremely specific examples of strengths in the record book rather than providing vague comments that reflect value- judgments. For example, “You gave a lot of thought to how much time it would take to train your dog to stop pulling on their leash and I could see the progress through the year in how clearly you described it in your project record” instead of “Great project record!”
  • “Ways to Grow”: This area is intended for focus on one or two growth areas for the youth member to think about. These should be considered carefully because this is an opportunity to challenge youth in appropriate ways. As with positive comments, these suggestions should be kept as judgment-free as possible and be grounded in evidence from the record book. For example, “You listed in your 4-H Story that you learned a lot of skills this year. I was curious to know more about which skills you learned and how you learned them. Next year, consider adding these kinds of details to your story” instead of “Your 4-H Story lacked detail”.

For equity, each record book should be evaluated independently by two evaluators. If the scoring levels in any category are discrepant by more than one level, the county educator will make the final score determination.

All final ribbon rankings and awards are determined by the county educator.

Signature Page Instructions

Your record book is a way for you to record all of your experiences for the year and the actions you took to complete your 4-H projects and reflect on what you learned. You are encouraged to talk with a lot of people as you work on your project and fill in your record book because that is an important part of your learning process.

The pages you are submitting should reflect your work and ideas, not someone else’s. By signing the signature page, you are agreeing that you are the person who completed the record book.

After you sign your record book, ask your parent or guardian and club leader to sign it too, confirming they have looked through the book and agree the work is yours, before you submit it to your regional 4-H Office in October.

Summary Record

The summary record is the area where you will track all your activity for the year, both inside and outside of 4-H. It can be very helpful to list all your experience in one place. It can help you reflect on your learning, and it can be very helpful for you when you need to write a resume, or go to a job interview or apply to college.

When you submit your record book this year, you should also include all summary records from your previous 4-H years.

Name: Enter your first and last name.

Age: Write the age you were or will be on 1/1 of the current 4-H year.

Main Club: Even if you will be listing projects here that you did in a different club, write the name of your main 4-H club here.

Number of Years in 4-H: Enter the number of years you have been a 4-H member, including this year.

Year (include specific date if applicable): Record the date that you engaged in the activity. This could be a month and a year, just a year, or a specific date (if it was a one-time experience like a workshop or fair).

Topic/Title: Enter a title for the activity or experience.

Description: Provide a very brief description of the topic/title. This can be short phrases rather than sentences.

Category: Check off one or more categories for each entry. For community service work, please enter the number of hours rather than an “x”. You may also enter a number of hours rather than an “x” for any of the other categories if that is applicable. Ask your leader or regional educator if you have a question about which category or categories to use for a particular 4-H activity or experience.

  • Project—check this box when listing a 4-H project you completed.
  • Community Service—enter the number of hours you engaged in community service in this box. This community service may have been on your own, with your club, or with your school. If you completed a community service project, then you should check the Project box instead.
  • Leadership—check this box if you participated in a leadership opportunity (club officer, team captain, etc.). If this leadership experience is related to a leadership project you completed this year, then you should check the Project box instead.
  • Communication Skills—check this box for a public speaking event or other communications activity (Visual Presentations, writing for the school or local paper, creating a blog, etc.)
  • Youth Development—check this box if the activity developed you as a whole person (national leadership conferences, contests, or workshops).
  • Awards & Achievement—check this box for awards and recognition you received.

Goal Setting and Reflection (Choice 1)

You may have multiple goals you want to achieve this year for each project. You may either list all your goals on one form or use a different form for each goal.

You will revisit and revise this form all year long because sometimes what you originally thought might help you reach a goal turns out not to work as well as you thought, and you need to change your action steps. This is to be expected, so don’t worry! Recognizing when things don’t work out as you thought and being able to figure out how to do something differently shows that you are learning and growing.

Instructions for filling in the Goals form:

  • Name: Enter your first and last name.
  • Club Name: Enter the name of the club. If you are in multiple clubs, this should be filled in using the club that is associated with your project.
  • Project: Enter the name of your 4-H project.
  • Age on 1/1: Enter how old you were or will be on January 1st of the current 4-H year. If you fill this out in the Fall for the current 4-H year, as recommended, ask yourself, “How old will I be this January?”
  • 4-H Year: Enter the 4-H year you are working on this project. The 4-H year runs from October 15th through September 30th, so you should enter something like “2022-2023” in this box.
  • # of Years in Project: Write the number of years you have been working on this type of 4-H project. This may be the same as the number of years you have been in 4-H, or it may be different.
  • Goal(s) Box: Depending on your project, you may have one goal or multiple goals. You may use the same Goal Setting & Reflection sheet for multiple goals or print additional sheets if you would like to list one goal per sheet. Using multiple sheets will leave you room to write about the steps you will take to achieve each goal and reflect on how well you did in reaching each goal. Using one form to list all goals will keep them in one place. Decide which is easiest for you.
    Make a clear statement of each goal. Goals should really matter to you personally. They should be stated in a straightforward way and reflect goals that are realistic at this time in your life. Use positive language and state what you will do instead of what you will not do. Include a general timeframe for achieving the goal. A goal may take you the entire 4-H year, or it might be the first step in a series of goals and will be accomplished within a few weeks or months so that you can move onto another, related goal. Include your timeline in your goal statement. You can look at the R.O.A.D. M.A.P.S. sheet or Writing S.M.A.R.T. Goals sheet for help on writing your goals.

Instructions for the Goal Reflection Sheet:

Name: Enter your first and last name.

Project: Enter the name of your project.

Goal(s) Reflection Box:

What have you learned?

In this area, write about how well you met your goal(s). Include details about what was successful, what you learned, and write about what you might do differently next time. If you achieved your goal(s), you could use this space to write about what you want to do next based on what you learned. This is also an area you can use to write about changes you made to your action steps along the way. If you tried something and it did not work, you can write about that here. Or, if you learned there were additional steps you needed to take, you can describe those here as well.
 

Goals & Project Planning (Choice 2)

You may have multiple goals you want to achieve this year for each project. You may either list all your goals on one form or use a different form for each goal.

You will revisit and revise this form all year long because sometimes what you originally thought might help you reach a goal turns out not to work as well as you thought, and you need to change your action steps. This is to be expected, so don’t worry! Recognizing when things don’t work out as you thought and being able to figure out how to do something differently shows that you are learning and growing.

Instructions for filling in the Goals form:

  • Name: Enter your first and last name.
  • Project: Enter the name of your 4-H project.
  • Club Name: Enter the name of the club. If you are in multiple clubs, this should be filled in using the club that is associated with your project.
  • 4-H Year: Enter the 4-H year you are working on this project. The 4-H year runs from October 15th through September 30th, so you should enter something like “2022-2023” in this box.
  • Age on 1/1: Enter how old you were or will be on January 1st of the current 4-H year. If you fill this out in the Fall for the current 4-H year, as recommended, ask yourself, “How old will I be this January?”
  • # of Years in Project: Write the number of years you have been working on this type of 4-H project. This may be the same as the number of years you have been in 4-H, or it may be different.
  • Project Goals Box: Depending on your project, you may have one goal or multiple goals. You may use the same Goal Setting & Project Planning sheet for multiple goals or print additional sheets if you would like to list one goal per sheet. Using multiple sheets will leave you more room to write about and reflect on each goal. Using one form to list all goals will keep them in one place. Decide which is easiest for you.

    Fall, at the start of the 4-H year, is a great time to set your project goals. Make a clear statement of each goal. Goals should really matter to you personally. They should be stated in a straightforward way and reflect goals that are realistic at this time in your life. Use positive language and state what you will do instead of what you will not do. Include a general timeframe for achieving the goal. A goal may take you the entire 4-H year, or it might be the first step in a series of goals and will be accomplished within a few weeks or months so that you can move onto another, related goal. Include your timeline in your goal statement. You can look at the R.O.A.D. M.A.P.S. sheet or Writing S.M.A.R.T. Goals sheet for help on writing your goals.
  • Mid-year Project Check-in
    During the winter months, from January through March, you are probably well into work on your project. This is an important time to think about how it is going. Add some notes about this in this area on the form. Then, adjust your goals if needed.
  • Project Reflection
    Most of the time, it is very helpful to think about what went well and what didn’t go as expected with a project. This is the area to write about what you have learned from your project and what you might do next time.

4-H Project Record Form

This form is used to track all activity related to your project throughout the year and you should be using it regularly. Each time you conduct research or gather materials related to your project, and when you create something using that research or materials, write it down on a separate line on the form. You may use as many project record sheets as you need. If you are completing a paper copy, you may print out multiple copies of the second page of the form, or you may download extra project record fillable forms from the MA 4-H website as needed. If you use extra pages, insert them in the requested order in your record book.

  • Name: Enter your first and last name.
  • Age: Enter how old you were or will be on January 1st of the current 4-H year. If you fill this out in the Fall for the current 4-H year, as recommended, ask yourself, “How old will I be this January?”
  • Project Title: Enter the name of your project.
  • 4-H Year: Enter the 4-H year you are working on this project. The 4-H year runs from October 15th through September 30th, so you should enter something like “2022-2023” in this box.
  • Check Box: Check this box and include a photo or drawing of your project in your supplemental materials at the end of your record book.
  • Date: Depending on your project, some months may be busier than others. Write the day, month and year.

Example: 10/16/2022

  • TIP: Keep a calendar to track your time and activities so it is all in one place when you sit down to update your records. A folder or envelope for receipts and other documents is also helpful.
  • Time Spent: How much time did you spend completing this activity for your project on this day? It is important to track time along the way, as you complete the project. It is very difficult to remember how much time you spent on a particular day if you do not write it down right away. Once you get in the habit of paying attention to time and writing it down, it will become a regular routine, and it is so interesting at the end of the year to know how much time you spent on your project!
  • Activity: Include a brief, detailed description of what you did. There is limited space for entering this information. Try and be brief but also detailed. With practice, most descriptions can hold a lot of information and fit into the allotted space. If, however, you had a particularly complex activity related to your project, you can use a second description box to keep your notes on this entry. If you find you need more than two spaces, think about revising what you have written to make it shorter instead of using a third description box.
  • Financial: Check this box if you either spent money on materials or classes, or if someone donated something to you for use in your project that has a monetary value. Ask yourself, did I use something in today’s project work that cost somebody money? If you check this box, you also need to enter this item on your 4-H Financial Record form. See directions for the financial form for more details.
  • Note: There may be certain activities that are more easily tracked by the week or month, and those can be written together on one line (For example, with a dog project, maybe you spent one hour every day of the month of November training your dog to “watch me”. The activity description for this would be the same, so it would be repetitive to write that activity in your project log 30 times. Therefore, you may write the date as 11/1-11/30/2022, and then describe the activity. This only works, though, in cases where the description would be exactly the same. If you only worked two weeks on training your dog to “watch me” and then spent two weeks training your dog to go to their “bed”, you would have two separate lines.)

4-H Financial Record

This section helps you to see how much money you spent or possibly made on your 4-H project this year.

Instructions to complete:

  • Name: Enter your first and last name.
  • Club: Name of club you are enrolled in that is related to this project.
  • Project: Enter the title of your project.
  • Project Check Box: If you are working with an animal for your project, check whether you own your own animal, are leasing the animal from someone else, or if you are borrowing someone else’s animal. The reason we ask you to include this information is because there are different expenses related to leasing verses owning an animal. In addition, there is a box to check if you did not work with an animal for this project.
  • Date: Put the date you purchased the project item(s) or animal(s) for this 4-H year or the date you earned income from your project.
  • Description: You can list the item you purchased or sold.
  • This section also helps you keep track of what materials, supplies and equipment you purchased or used for your project and what it cost to use. You should also include costs of maintenance and repairs, entry fees for shows, and anything else related to your project that cost you or someone else money.
  • Expenses: Remember, you need to keep track of both money that comes out of your pocket for this project, as well as the value of goods and services that are donated to you. These are tracked in different columns on the form.
    • Purchase Amount - List in this column the dollar amount you personally spent on this item.
    • Materials Donation – This column is for items donated to you such as cloth, cooking supplies, craft materials and tools, or items used for your project animal (animal care products, feed, etc.). These are also considered expenses because they cost somebody money. Do your best to estimate the cost of each of these materials. If you are borrowing a tool that you return when you are done, you do not need to include it as an expense, unless you paid rent to borrow it.
  • Income: This column is for any money that you made on your project such as fair premiums, sale of crafts, clothing, or animals. Also include income if you were paid as part of your project.
  • Balance: In this column, you will keep a running total of expenses & income throughout the 4-H project year so you will know if you made or lost money on your project. It is possible to have a negative number in the balance column.
    If you have a negative number in the balance column, it means this project cost you more money than you earned completing it. Don’t worry, though! Many 4-H projects will reflect a negative balance because you may not have had money-making in mind when you chose your project. Even if you were not intending to make money on your project, it is still a good idea to learn the costs associated with your projects.


NOTE: You may develop your own system of financial record-keeping that suits your particular project (Excel spreadsheet, QuickBooks report, etc.). If this is the case, you may choose to submit those record details instead of this financial form. In this case, fill in the top information on the 4-H Financial Record form, and under the date/description area, write “see attached details”. Submit both the 4-H financial record form and your alternate financial record when you turn in your records.

4-H Animal Veterinary Care Record

If you are working with an animal, it is very important to keep track of their veterinary care. If you are leasing or borrowing an animal for your project, you may not know all the information you need in order to keep very detailed vet records though you can talk to the animal owner to see if they will share any of this information with you. The more you know, the more you can learn what is involved in properly caring for that breed of animal.

Instructions to complete

  • Name: Enter your first and last name.
  • Club: Name of club you are enrolled in that is related to this project.
  • Project: Enter the title of your project.
  • Animal Name: Enter the animal’s name here. If you are working with more than one animal for this project, use a separate veterinary care record sheet for each animal.
  • Animal Breed: Enter the breed of the animal you are working with.
  • Animal Age/Birthdate: Enter the age of the animal you are working with. If you know it’s exact birthday, enter that information as well.
  • Project Starting Weight: Enter the date you first started working with this animal and its weight at the start of your project.
  • Name and Phone Number of Veterinarian: Enter the full name and phone number of the veterinarian who provides regular care for your animal. If the animal is seen by an emergency veterinarian at some point throughout the year, note that vet’s name and phone number in the “notes” area of this form, next to the date when they were seen.
  • Project Ending Weight: Enter the date you stopped working with this animal for this 4-H project and its weight on that ending date.
  • Date: Enter the date you took your animal to the vet or called the vet with a question about your animal.
  • Weight: How much did your animal weigh on this visit to the vet? If you called rather than visited the vet on this day, try to weigh your animal yourself and enter the weight on the form.
  • Reason for Call/Visit: Very briefly sate the reason you needed to contact a veterinarian. For example, “stopped eating and drinking yesterday” or “lame in back left leg”.
  • Notes: Write down the outcomes of the call or visit, next steps you need to follow up on, or other important information, like names and phone numbers, medications, etc.

NOTE: If there were expenses for this vet visit, including an office visit fee or medications, be sure to enter those on your financial record form.

4-H Animal Weight Tracker

Many animal projects require you to keep track of your animal’s weight. This is particularly important for market animal projects, where part of the goal of the project is weight gain. You may also choose to use this form for other types of animal projects, depending on your project goals.

Instructions to complete

  • Name: Enter your first and last name.
  • Club: Name of club you are enrolled in that is related to this project.
  • Project: Enter the title of your project.
  • Animal Name: Enter the animal’s name here. If you are working with more than one animal for this project, use a separate veterinary care record sheet for each animal.
  • Animal Breed: Enter the breed of the animal you are working with.
  • Animal Age/Birthdate: Enter the age of the animal you are working with. If you know it’s exact birthday, enter that information as well.
  • Project Starting Weight: Enter the date you first started working with this animal and its weight at the start of your project.
  • Feed: Enter the amount and type of feed you give your animal each day.
  • Project Ending Weight: Enter the date you stopped working with this animal for this 4-H project and its weight on that ending date.
  • Date: Enter the date you weighed your animal.
  • Weight: How much did your animal weigh on this day?
  • Weight Change (+/-): Calculate the weight change by subtracting the previous weight from the current weight. If you get a positive number, that means the animal gained that amount of weight. If you get a negative number, it means your animal lost weight.
  • Notes: Write down information you want to remember regarding the impact of circumstances on weight gain or loss. For example, maybe your animal was ill and that would explain weight loss. Or maybe you increased their food and that prompted a larger than normal weight gain.

4-H Story

What made your 4-H year memorable? Your 4-H story is a way to let the judges know how your projects and experiences have had an impact on you or to elaborate on your experiences in more detail. It should convey what you have learned by participating in 4-H. Think about the ways 4-H has impacted you, your family, and/or others in your community. Your 4-H story should include personal reactions and feelings that could not be placed in the Summary Record or Project Record forms.

Please do not simply tell us again about all of your activities—that is what the summary and project records accomplish. Instead, be creative in writing about your 4-H Story. Find a unique way to introduce your story and capture the readers' attention. You can also have a central theme or focus on an obstacle you may have overcome throughout the year.
A great way to better understand the spirit of the 4-H story is to share yours with other 4-Hers and ask to see theirs. It is especially helpful to learn from older 4-H members by reading their stories.

Correct grammar and spelling make it easy for your reader to understand the story you are telling. Remember to check errors and ask your leader, guardian or parent, or a friend to help you find mistakes and fix them before submitting your final 4-H story.

  • Name: Enter your first and last name.
  • Project Title: Enter the name of your project.
  • 4-H Year: Enter the 4-H year you are working on this project. The 4-H year runs from October 15th through September 30th, so you should enter something like “2022-2023” in this box.
  • Club Name: Enter the name of your primary 4-H club.
  • Age on 1/1: Enter how old you were on January 1st of this 4-H year.
  • # of Years in 4-H: Enter the number of years you have been in 4-H, including this year.
  • 4-H Story Box: Write your story here. You may either print out additional sheets as needed, or, if it is easier, you may print and attach a Word document or Google document that is typed and double-spaced, using 12-point Arial or Helvetica font. If you use this alternative format, be sure to include all the information that is requested at the top of the My 4-H Story form.

NOTE: There are so many possible ways to tell your story! You may also talk with your 4-H educator if you wish to tell your story through a method other than a written essay format (examples: creating a movie or animation, audio recording, visual display). Alternate plans require approval at the regional level in advance.

Supplemental Materials

The forms included in your Record Book tell the story of your 4-H year. In addition, you are invited to submit up to five pages of additional materials to help tell this story. Think carefully about which materials belong as part of the record of your 4-H year. This could include a drawing or photograph of your project (highly recommended).

You might also choose to include additional drawings or photos. Captions describing what is happening in these pictures is very helpful for others who look at your record book and will also be helpful to you in future years when you look back at all your past record books.

If you have information relevant to your project, such as verification forms, an animal ancestry diagram, animal show record, or other items, you may choose to include those as well. In addition, if you were honored at an event or were included in a newspaper article, you might decide to include those as supplemental materials.

You are asked to limit your supplemental materials to no more than five pages. If you submit more than five pages, the records judges will only look at the first five pages.