💡Demonstration ideas and planning worksheet

Stuck on a topic? The best demonstration is about something you already do. Scan the lists, circle three, then pick the one you could talk about for an hour.

Kitchen

• How to make a grilled cheese three ways
• Homemade tortillas from scratch
• Decorating a cupcake like a pig (or lamb, goat, steer)
• Reading a nutrition label
• Knife skills: dicing an onion safely
• No-bake energy bites
• Making butter in a jar
• Packing a healthy lunch for fair week
• Dutch-oven biscuits (campfire style, with adult help)
• How to make jerky or trail mix

Crafts and making

• Braiding a paracord bracelet or a rope halter
• Leather stamping a keychain
• Sewing on a button (or a 4-H patch on your show shirt)
• Tie-dye a shirt
• Hand-lettering a stall card
• Whittling a simple wood figure (with safety)
• Building a birdhouse from one board
• Making a duct-tape wallet
• Painting a rock or making a clay animal
• Friendship bracelets in three patterns

STEM and robotics

• How a simple circuit works: light an LED with a battery
• Building and racing a rubber-band car
• Programming a robot to follow a line (or a micro:bit to show a heartbeat)
• Making a compass with a needle and a magnet
• The science of why bread rises (yeast balloon experiment)
• How to read a weather forecast for a fair week
• Making slime and explaining polymers
• Coding a simple game in Scratch
• Water filtration with a soda bottle
• Building a catapult and explaining levers

Animals and livestock

• How to trim a goat’s hooves
• Reading a feed tag: what protein and lysine mean
• Parts of a market lamb (with a poster)
• Wholesale cuts of pork
• How to give a subcutaneous injection (on an orange)
• Setting up a show pig: driving with a whip
• How to tie a halter knot and a quick-release knot
• Building a hanging feeder from a panel and zip ties
• How to check a steer’s weight with a tape
• What FAMACHA is and how to score a sheep or goat
• How to read a Seasonal Pass or a Scrapie tag
• Making a first-aid kit for the barn
• Training a dog to sit, stay, and come
• Candling a chicken egg

Outdoors

• Tying five fishing knots
• Packing a day-hike backpack
• Building a fire lay (and putting it out safely)
• Using a map and compass
• Identifying five northern Arizona trees or birds
• Setting up a tent in five minutes
• Sharpening a pocketknife safely

Home and life skills

• Changing a bike tire
• Checking a truck’s oil and tire pressure
• Sewing a button or hemming jeans
• Folding a shirt like a store
• Making a budget for a 4-H project
• Writing a thank-you note that doesn’t sound like a robot
• How to introduce yourself and shake hands (great for buyer visits!)
• Cleaning and organizing a show box
• Basic CPR steps (with a certified adult)
• Washing a car properly

Fair and 4-H

• What the 4-H clover and motto mean
• How the Junior Livestock Sale works
• How to fill out the Expenses tab in ZSuite
• Dress code for the show ring: right vs. wrong
• Walking through fair-week check-in

Planning worksheet

Copy this into a notebook or print it. One page is all you need.

TITLE: ____________________________________________

MY HOOK (question or fact): __________________________

WHY THIS MATTERS (one sentence): _____________________

MATERIALS (in order of use):
  1. ____________   4. ____________   7. ____________
  2. ____________   5. ____________   8. ____________
  3. ____________   6. ____________   9. ____________

STEPS (what I do + what I say):
  1. _______________________________________________
  2. _______________________________________________
  3. _______________________________________________
  4. _______________________________________________
  5. _______________________________________________
  6. _______________________________________________

"ONE I MADE EARLIER" (anything that takes too long): ______

SAFETY STEP I'LL SAY OUT LOUD: _______________________

SUMMARY (two sentences): ____________________________

WHERE TO LEARN MORE: ________________________________

CLOSING LINE: "Thank you. Are there any questions?"

TIME LIMIT: _____ min    PRACTICE #1: ____ #2: ____ #3: ____

Packing checklist for demo day

• Title card / poster, and something to prop it on
• Every material from the worksheet, in a labeled box
• A tablecloth or tray to work on
• Paper towels and a small trash bag
• “One I made earlier” item
• Index card with your outline
• Neat clothes (and an apron if cooking)
• A parent’s phone to record it for your record book
• Water bottle for you

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