CARROLL COUNTY JUNIOR 4-H RECORD BOOKS GUIDELINES
Assemble your 4-H Record Book as follows: Use this list as your checklist as you work. Pay careful
attention to the items. Follow these exactly so the leaders who judge the Record Books will be able
to evaluate your book more accurately.
Carroll County 4-H recognition awards are based on 4-H Record Books and Project Record
Completions and these awards are presented at our annual Achievement Program in the spring.
That is why 4-H Educators and leaders encourage members to complete and turn in their records.
GENERAL INFORMATION
A. Use the standard 4-H Cover. The cover measures 8½" x 11" and is available from the
County 4-H Office.
B. Do not use plastic covers over the pages in any section. Plastic covers cause a glare,
making it difficult to read the print.
C. Do not number the pages.
D. Print or write in ink or you may use a typewriter or a computer to prepare your record
book. Neat and legible records are a must. You may handwrite or print your story. All
forms in your record book should be completed by the 4-H’er, whether typed or written!!
E. Use all plain white standard 8½" x 11" paper. Use a piece of lined paper, under the plain
white sheet, if you need lines to follow in writing a neat-looking 4-H Story.
F. Screen all records to delete duplication of materials or information.
G. Only one 4-H Record Book, including all your current 4-H projects, needs to be entered by
each member.
H. Records are judged mainly on project achievements of the club member, leadership
development, participation and growth and development in personal, community and civic
responsibilities (citizenship). You can only be judged on what you include in your 4-H
Record Book, so make it complete!
I.
To make completing your Record Book easier, here is a hint: Keep a separate diary/calendar
type book to list all project work and events attended, including the dates. This material can
then be transferred to the record forms.
J. A separate Memory Book is the place to keep souvenir materials - ribbons, programs, and
correspondence. These things should not be submitted with your Record Book. Any of
these items submitted by members will be removed from the Record Book before judging.
K. Leaders and parents – please DO NOT WRITE in a child’s Record Book. If you notice
something is missing, or is incorrect – please write your comments on a post-it note and attach
to the youth’s book.
RECORD BOOK ORDER
Photograph - Page one in Record Book
A photograph of just you (head and shoulders only) should be mounted on a separate
piece of plain, white paper. Use rubber cement to mount. Black and white or color pictures are
both acceptable. Under the picture, print in ink or type your complete name, age (as of January 1 of
the current year), address, state, zip code, club and county. Never write on the front or back of
pictures. Your picture page should look like this:
[PHOTO]
Jane Doe
10
1122 Main Street
Our Town
Maryland
21222
Our Town 4-H Club
Carroll County
Table of Contents - Page two in Record Book
The Table of Contents should look like the one below. Projects may be listed below the
Project Records heading, as shown in this example. Tabbed sections for your record are
() noted.
Table of Contents

Junior Member’s Report
Form (4-H 48)

4-H Story

Project Records
 Rabbit
 Child Care

Project Pictures

News Clippings
Tabs
Place a piece of plain, white paper before each section. Tab this paper with index tabs or make a
tab of your own. These tabs should not extend past the edge of the cover. The page
should look like this:
4-H Junior Member’s Report Form (4-H 48)
Include a report form (4-H 48) listing current and previous years 4-H work. Remember when
filling out these forms that the 4-H Record Book year runs from January 1 to December 31. List all
your projects on the summary sheet and place the current year's project record sheets in the back
of the book. It will be helpful to you if you complete your project records first to have the necessary
information to complete the summary.
Tips for completing the 4-H Junior Member’s Page-By-Page Report Form –
1. Cover – 4-H Junior Member’s Report Form – In the space for calendar year and years in
4-H, add the current year to the lineup.
2. Only list an item on one page, avoid duplication.
3. If you have not completed an activity within a category (page), list year and then
“NONE”.
4. Page 3 -- 4-H Projects Carried – In the Size column, indicate the number of animals,
quantity of garden produce, garments completed, food items prepared, hours of
babysitting, or craft items made; for projects not involving specific numbers, list the
number of different activities participated in (health, safety, conservation, leadership,
bicycle, and others). If a project is incomplete, note why.
5. Page 4 – 4-H Project or Activity Exhibits – Summarize your exhibits and how well they
did in judging. Remember to list these by projects, such as all food, all clothing, and all
swine projects, in an order. In the Level column, indicate local club (L), county (C),
district (D), regional (R), state (S), or national (N).
--Example – 1999 – Sewing Box – C – Blue - $3; S – 3rd - $2
6. Page 5 – 4-H Events Attended – List all 4-H events attended. Local 4-H club
meetings also go here, and you should list how many meetings were attended. This
also includes any other 4-H event attended more than once, such as fairs, shows,
workshops, and visual presentation day.
6.a. List the number of times attended. In the Level column, indicate local club (L),
county (C), district (D), state (S), or national (N). Example – 1998 – Food – L –
6; 1999 – Clothing – L-4, 2000 – 4-H Club Meetings – L-10; 2000 – Carroll Co.
Fair – C-4
7.
Page 6 – Volunteer Leadership – List all volunteer leadership where you assisted a workshop
leader or helper, assisted with phone calls or club programs, helped younger members, were a
host or hostess, served refreshments at a club or county meeting, or assisted at a visual
presentation day, fashion revue, or county or club achievement program. List the number of
people helped. Example – 2000 – Achievement Program Narrator – 350
8.
Page 7 – Elected and Appointed Leadership – List all 4-H committees that you helped on and
club offices held. Include the club’s name. In the Level Column, indicate local club (L), county
(C), district (D), state (S), or national (N). Example – 2001 – Busy Beaver 4-H Club –
Conducted 12 meetings (12 hours) – L
9.
Page 8 – Promotional Leadership – List any way you helped promote 4-H, including working in
a booth or on a float, handing out literature, giving presentations before organizations, or writing
news stories. In the Level column, indicate local club (L), county (C), district (D), state (S), or
national (N). Example – 2001 – Radio program for National 4-H Week – wrote script and taped
three programs – D – 10,000
10. Page 9 – 4-H Demonstrations – List all 4-H demonstrations you have given, whether club,
county, community, or state. List the number of times each presentation was made. In the Level
column, indicate local club (L), county (C), district (D), state (S), or national (N) and the number
of times given. (Community is considered county). Example – 2002 – Parts Of An English
Saddle – L-2, C-1, S-1
11. Page 10 – 4-H Showmanship – Include fashion revue and, in the case of animal shows, list
Fitting and Showing and regular shows. In the Level column, indicate local club (L), county (C),
district (D), state (S), or national (N). Example – 2003 Swine Showmanship – C, S-1st, 2nd
12. Page 11 – 4-H Judging – Include events such as consumer, dairy, livestock, horse, horticulture
judging, etc. List specific areas for consumer and horticulture judging. Break down the Kind
column by species and reasons for livestock and dairy judging. In the Level column, indicate
local club (L), county (C), district (D), state (S), or national (N). Example – 2003 – Consumer
Judging – tents – C, S-1st, 3rd
13. Page 12 – Community Service – List all the community service projects in which you or your
club participated. List the number of people you helped or the number of items you made. In the
Level column, indicate local club (L), county (C), district (D), state (S), or national (N). In the
Involvement column, indicate whether you performed by yourself (Y), gave primary leadership to
a group (G), or were a member of a group (M). Example – 2000 – Nursing Home Favors – 30 –
L-M
14. Page 13 – Outstanding 4-H Recognition, Honors, and Awards Received – Include only those
received from 4-H that are not reported elsewhere such as record book awards, local achievement
program awards, top 10 – Fashion Revue, and special county fair awards … this DOES NOT
include blue, red, white awards. In the Level Column, indicate local club (L), county (C), district
(D), state (S), or national (N). Example – 2002 – Silver Tray – Junior record keeping - C
15. Page 14 -- Community, Religious, School, and Other Activities – Include activities
that you are involved in other than 4-H. In the Level column, designate community
(CO), religious (R), school (SC), or other (OT). Example – 1999 – Bushy Park
Elementary School, 4th grade chorus, band, top speller – SC; 1999 – St. John’s
Catholic Church, Jr. Choir, Sunday School, acolyte, YMCA – R; 2000 – Girl Scouts –
CO; 2001 – Band – SC
16. Page 15 – Non 4-H Classes, Activities and Workshops – include classes, activities,
and workshops you have attended that relate to your 4-H projects. (For example, a
craft fair that relates to a 4-H project, but was not 4-H planned.) Example – 2001 –
Recreation and Parks Christmas Fair – 1
17. Page 16 – Skills and Knowledge – List, by project area, important new skills and
knowledge you learn each year. Include at least one for every unit carried that year.
Example – 2000 – How to lay out a pattern and match plaids.
4-H Story
Your 4-H Story is a very important part of your 4-H record. Juniors may concentrate on a favorite
project area or give a broad overview of many projects. Try to convey how your participation in 4-H
contributed to your self-respect and concern for others and influenced you in school, use of leisure
time and career plans. Your 4-H Story is where you can expand on facts and figures by telling what
your experiences have meant to you; how it has developed/affected your confidence, your attitude,
etc. The 4-H Story adds warmth and depth to information in the summary form. It should not be a
relisting of what has been included in the Summary Record Form (4-H 48).
The following outline may help you in developing your story. It is divided into parts merely to help
you outline what you want to say about yourself. Do not identify these parts in your 4-H Story.
Part 1: Introduce yourself -- include your age, interests, parents, brothers and sisters, where you
live, where you go to school, when and why you joined 4-H.
Part 2: Tell about the project or project areas in which you are submitting your record, how 4-H
helped you learn things about this subject you didn't know before, how your project grew in size and
scope and some things you tried successfully or unsuccessfully.
Part 3: Highlight other 4-H project and activities including major learning experiences, special
interests and unusual situations you encountered.
Part 4: Explain how 4-H has helped you become a better leader and citizen, how 4-H has
increased your interest and participation in community affairs and what you have learned from
team/group efforts.
Part 5: Describe how 4-H participation has helped you to feel good about yourself, influenced your
school and career goals and your use of leisure time. Tell about your future plans and the career
you want to pursue.
Remember:

Your story is limited to six (6) typewritten or printed, double-spaced pages.

Type may be no smaller than twelve spaces to an inch; no photo copy reductions. Use 8 ½" x
11" paper with a 1 ½ " margin at top and left and 1" margin at bottom and right of each page.

Now … write your story!

Be creative, but avoid being "cutesy". Themes and gimmicks can be effective, or overdone to
the point of being a disadvantage to you.
Project Records
Only include project records for the current year! [Include completed project records as well as
those records you are planning to continue to work on in the next year.] For assistance in
completing your project records, refer to the fact sheet Completion of Project Records.
Each project area you wish to be judged in should be grouped together, with your major project
emphasis first and others following in order of importance.
For example: Food And Nutrition
Tasty Tidbits
Current Year
Computer
Computer #1 – Booting Up
Sheep
Breeding Ewe
Market Sheep
Current Year
Current Year
Current Year
Your main project area should be first!
Project Pictures
Why are Record Book pictures important?
 Helps judge know the 4-H'er
 To document the project
 Sequences show growth
 Seeing is believing
Introduction to section
 Three pages of pictures are allowed.
 Any captions must be included on these three pages.
 Only one side of the page may be used.
 Pictures may not be shingled.
 It is better to have someone else take many of the pictures … so the 4-H'er can be in them.
Picture Section
 Select a picture that shows the 4-H'er in action -- active, doing, leading with 4-H'er
prominent.
 Use clear photos
 For sequences, use a logical progression and make sure the sequence is complete.
 Show major points using as few pictures as possible.

Photo record should show member and project growth.
Placement and Arrangement
 Consider a theme or central idea for each page and a logical sequence for the pictures on
each page.
 Use space effectively -- white space is often helpful. Don't crowd.
 Organize page vertically, so book does not have to be turned sideways for viewing.
 In general, subjects in pictures should face toward center of page.
Mounting
 Avoid photo corners, white glue and cellophane tape. They allow pictures to fall off.
 Start with clean, dry hands and a clean work area.
 For best results, use a photo-mounting adhesive for mounting pictures or rubber cement
using dry mounting method.
 Mount picture on pages that fit in the record book. Make sure the paper is substantial
enough to support the picture, but flexible enough for the pages to turn easily.
 Select natural or subdued complementary colors for your picture pages.
Captions and Headlines
 Captions explain your picture. Make them neat, concise and legible. Make sure spelling,
punctuation and grammar are correct.
 Caps and lower-case letters are easier to read than all caps.
 Headlines and captions should be large enough to read easily.
 A caption may accompany each picture or captions can be grouped on the page.
 All lettering should be neat. Erase any guidelines.
Newspaper Clippings
Clippings may be folded to fit the page. If you have no clippings, include the section but make a
note ... "there are no clippings available".
Limit clippings to three (3) pages.
Underscore your name with red pen and label each clipping with the name of the newspaper, and
the date the clipping appeared in the paper. Do not shingle clippings!!!
REMINDER ...
DO NOT include correspondence in your Record Book.
THERE IS A DEADLINE for submitting your 4-H Record Book to your 4-H Club Leader.
Please check with your leader for this date so your book can be considered for county awards.
If you have problems with your record book, call your leader or the 4-H Office. Your leader can
get further help from the 4-H Office, if needed.
*****
Revised 11/05
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