11/28 Bake Sale @ Tractor Supply

On Saturday, November 28th NKOA had it's first bake sale at Tractor Supply on Lisbon Street in Lewiston. We had a very profitable day despite the cold and wind. To see some photos from that day click here. Good job NKOA!

11/20 4-H Achievement Night

Several NKOA families joined together with other 4-H groups in Androscoggin-Sagadahoc counties for the 2008-2009 4-H Achievement Night on November 20th. We enjoyed tacos and other potluck fare; watched individual members recieve awards; and enjoyed a county-wide 4-H slide show (we had one photo included). Since 2009-2010 is our first year as a group we did not recieve any awards but we now know we have lots to look forward to for next year's Achievement Night. We can't wait until next year when our members get a chance to shine!

11/18 Rockin' T Equine Rescue

On November 18th, NKOA had a great day doing community service at Rockin' T Equine Rescue in Lisbon Falls. We learned first hand about the horses and the mission of Rockin' T Equine Rescue. Our members worked hard to clean up a pony paddock and stall. We got an opportunity to pet some miniature ponies and even visited with some elks next door to the stable.

Many horse rescue farms in Maine are closing due to lack of funds. Rockin' T Equine Rescue is one of very few left in our state. They could really use your financial support.

Make a Donation to Rockin' T Equine Rescue

Your donation helps to feed and maintain the health and safety of the horses. Your donation is tax deductible under the 510(c)(3) IRS tax codes.

Photos from Rockin' T Equine Rescue

Click here to see photos from our Cleanup Day 11/18/09 at Rockin' T Equine Rescue.
Reminder; when you are finished viewing the pictures and would like to return to the blog, click - LINKS - in the left hand side bar & choose RETURN TO BLOG.

Barker Mill Trail Cleanup 11/11/09

On November 11th, NKOA enjoyed a beautiful fall day along the banks of the Androscoggin River cleaning up the Barker Mill Trail in Auburn. The Barker Mill Trail is located off of Mill Street in Auburn and is a trail that is in need of a lot of TLC. Right at the trail head there was an old abandoned mattress and lots of trash and debris. Although we didn't have a way to remove the mattress we quickly go to work picking up trash and bottles along our way. Once we got past the trash we discovered that we had a tremendous challenge on our hands...prickly growth and fallen trees and limbs! Luckily we came prepared with various hand tools which the children showed great maturity in using.

During our two hours at the Barker Mill Trail we got a lot of clean up done. Parents and children raked and cut prickly growth. Ehric's dad came with his chain saw and cut down a lot of the trees that were blocking the trail. We were very proud of the work we got done that day, but there is still so much more to be done on the 2 mile trail. We are hoping to do another group clean up in the late Spring, however, if any of you would like to work on this trail with your families we encourage this! Thank you to all the families who were able to attend that day!

If you would like to locate other trails in the Lewiston-Auburn area please visit L/A Trails website.

Click here to see photos of the Barker Mill Cleanup on 11/11/09.

4-H Achievement Night!!

Mark your calendars...Friday 11/20 is 4-H Achievement Night!!

Potluck, Awards, Auctions, Fun, etc..

Come Celebrate with your fellow NKOA members!

Contact Tamra or Valerie For More Information!

Upcoming Bake Sales!

There are two bake sales coming up this month. Baked good donations are needed for both sales.

11/20- Lisbon Credit Union is holding a bake sale to benefit our county's 4-H program. Donations can be dropped off on 11/19 there or the morning of 11/20.

FMI: Ashley Webber, Member Service Rep
325 Lisbon St, P.O. Box 878
Lisbon, ME. 04250
(207) 353-4144 x103
a.webber@lisboncu.org

11/28 NKOA's 1st Bake Sale--We are having our first bake sale!!

11am-1pm at Tractor Supply on Lisbon Street in Lewiston.

Donations needed!!

We will let you know more ASAP.

Recipe for Lip Balm

During our meeting on 11/4/2009 we spent time in the kitchen making lip balm. It is a very simple process and can easily be made at home!

You will need oil, beeswax, and a container to pour your lip balm into ~ that's it! Use any kind of oil that you want, you can blend several together or use just one! Examples are; olive, soybean, canola, sunflower, etc...

The recipe is a 4 to 1 ratio;

If you use 4oz oil use 1oz beeswax.
If you use 8oz oil use 2oz beeswax. (this will make a lot of balm!)

On low heat melt your beeswax into your oil blend, add essential or fragrance oil if you would like to scent it, and then pour into your containers.

That's it! Enjoy!

November 4th Meeting

On November 4th we had a lot of fun with all the rocks we collected at Mt Apatite.

Here is a recap of some of our activities:

Make an Inuksuk
Check out Mary Wallace's Book 'The Inuksuk Book' to learn about how the Inuit used rocks to leave impressions upon the land.

Build your own Inuksuk:

Ranger Rick-Make an Inuksuk




Wearable Rock Crafts
We took inspiration from the following sources to make headbands and necklaces

Crystal Necklaces and Princess Headbands

Rock Necklaces

Nature Inspired Art

Our members had fun using their rocks, colored clay, branches, and googly eyes to make rock creatures.

Taking inspiration from a book about Henry Moore, a sculpter, who got his inspirations from items from nature (rocks, bones, wood, etc), members could sketch their rocks on paper and then make their drawing come alive with clay.

Rock Identification
Given assorted Rock guide books, members could research their rocks
Once identified, it is a good idea to label the underside of your rock or mineral with the following information:
Your initials, the date you found the item, the name of the item, and where you found it.

Studying Rocks & Minerals

If you are interested in studying rocks and minerals further here are a bunch of websites and videos to get you started. Have fun!

The Dynamic Earth
Information on gems and minerals, with maps, close-up photos and slideshows. (Click on "Multimedia Version", then on "Gems and Minerals" or "GeoGallery".)

Virtual Quarry Interactive
View rock samples with a virtual microscope then see fossils found in limestone. (Click on "Young Geologist" to see the fossils.)

Rock Hounds
Slide show on how to collect rocks safely, with online quizzes. (Click on "Rock Hound Collection Safety" and to test your knowledge of rocks, click on "Discover Earth's Treasures".)

Earth Our World in Motion
A fun introduction to Earth science, with lots of ideas for things to do.

Mineral Matters
Games to test your mineral knowledge, and useful information on starting a collection. (Click on "Mine Games".)

Geo Mysteries
Find out more about rocks by solving some "geomysteries".

Tour the rock cycle
Join Rocky on his amazing journey around the rock cycle.

Rocky's rock cycle games
Test your knowledge of the rock cycle with fun games.

Geologic Time
Find out more about the different periods of geologic time.

Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems.
Carnegie Musuem of Natural History's Collection

Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom (click on "Gallery").
Minerals A-Z, Gallery, etc

Bill Nye the Science Guy- Rocks & Soils Videos
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Photos ~ Mt. Apatite Field Day

Click here to view pictures from our 10/28/09 field day hike at Mt. Apatite.

Reminder; when you are finished viewing the pictures and would like to return to the blog, click - LINKS - in the left hand side bar & choose RETURN TO BLOG.

Mt. Apatite Hike & Rock Hunt

Mt. Apatite holds a bounty of natural beauty; foliage, trails, and an abundance of crystals and minerals!

We enjoyed hiking up the mountain with the ledges and boulders surrounding us loaded with geological wonders! This impressive old tree was one of the first things we explored; it took 16 4H members standing side by side to make it around this tree! We still need to go back and measure for its age!

We spent time sorting through one of the many quarries, with the kids pounding away and collecting rocks. Most had collected many rocks before they even reached the quarries!

Capri (pictured here), found several larger stones that were absolutely beautiful! By the time she was finished, her aunt's backpack weighed a ton!

Ehric found this crystal, he was thrilled and had a wonderful story to share about it!

The afternoon went by very quickly as usual; the weather held out for us which was a great relief!

Look forward to heading back to Mt. Apatite again to explore other quarries buried deeper up the mountain!