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4-H Record Books and Portfolios

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Record Keeping for Club Members

Every 4-Her should keep a Record Book and turn it in every year. Not only is it a component of the
NJ 4-H Member in Good Standing Policy (PDF), but record keeping is a life skill that is critical for
college and job readiness!

Exciting news from Gloucester County 4-H! We’ve launched a new way for members to keep track of their projects through our portfolio pilot program. These portfolios can be used instead of traditional record books. Don’t worry—both options will be accepted, so members can choose the style that suits them best.

Traditional 4-H Record books can be found here: https://nj4h.rutgers.edu/recordbooks/

− Please use the Record Book Evaluation Sheet (PDF) as a reference and when turning in your completed book at
the end of the 4-H year, include dividers between each section.

4-H Record Portfolio (Pilot Program)

Record Portfolio Instructions for 4-H Members: A completed record book portfolio should include all
of the below components:

  1. Summary Record (PDF) – All of your activities (4-H and other) throughout the year are recorded here as
    well as highlights of your projects (communications, awards, activities, etc.)
  2. 4-H Story (Sample 4-H Stories (PDF)) – As the final page of your Summary Record, there is space to write
    a story about your 4-H experience last year. Add additional pages as needed and be creative! You
    can summarize your year, talk about what you learned from your favorite project, or show how 4-H
    changed you.
  3. Project Records – You should have one project record per project/species. For
    member’s in more than one club, you can select your primary club from the above list and add an
    additional project record for each project area using the below:
    ⮚ Dog Project Record (2MB PDF)
    ⮚ Horse Project Record (PDF) (Horse, Pony, VSE)
    ⮚ Livestock Record (PDF) (Beef, Dairy, Goat, Sheep, Swine)
    ⮚ Small Animal Project Record (825k PDF) (Rabbit, Cavy, Small Animal, Herpetology)
    ⮚ General Project Record (1MB PDF) – for all non-animal projects like Arts & Crafts, Food, and Leadership.
  4. Project Pictures – You can include up to 4 additional pages of project pictures. Keep in mind that
    we are looking for 4-H in action!

− Please use the Record Portfolio Score Sheet (554k PDF) as a reference and when turning in your completed book at the end of
the 4-H year, include dividers between each section and project.