The project is where learning-by-doing takes place, as kids find things to learn, to do, to make, and to explore. Each year 4-H members enroll in at least one project lasting from eight weeks to year-round, depending on how the leader structures the project or how involved a member becomes.
Some projects meet once a week; others meet once or twice a month. These meetings guide the members in gaining the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and habits needed to complete their work successfully.
Project record book forms are available to 4-H members free of charge, but there may be additional costs to participate in some projects (this is definitely the case for most animal science projects).
The California 4-H program offers a wide variety of projects -- so there's something fun for everyone! Several of the projects listed will be offered at a club near you, but it really depends upon whether an adult volunteer is available to lead them.
To demonstrate their success at different levels of understanding the projects, the members are assessed using the Proficiency tests.
- Avian Embryology
- Bee Keeping
- Cattle (Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, and Veal Calves)
- Cavies (Guinea Pigs)
- Dog Care & Training
- Entomology
- Exotic Birds
- Goats (Angora Goats, Dairy Goats, and Market Goats)
- Pygmy Goats
- Horses & Ponies
- Livestock Judging
- Llamas
- Pets & Small Animals
- Poultry & Game Birds
- Rabbits
- Service Animals (Guide Dogs and Assistance Dogs)
- Sheep
- Swine (Pigs)
- Therapeutic Animals
- Veterinary Science
- Aerospace, Rocketry & Aviation
- Automotive Science
- ATV Safety
- Bicycles
- Computer Science
- Electricity & Electronics
- General Engineering
- Small Engines
- Tractors & Farm Machinery
- Welding & Metal Work
- Woodworking
Family & Consumer Science Projects 
- Child Development & Care
- Clothing & Textiles
- Consumer Education
- Fashion Revue (Modeling)
- Foods & Nutrition (Cooking, Baking, etc.)
- Food Preservation (Canning, Food Dehydration, etc.)
- Home & Personal Management
- Home Arts & Furnishings
- Parenting & Childhood Education
- Cake Decorating
- Camping & Outdoor Adventure
- Candy Making
- Creative Arts, Crafts & Hobbies
- Crocheting
- Knitting
- Cultural Arts & Family Heritage
- Flower Arranging
- Graphic Arts
- Health & Physical Fitness
- Individual & Group Sports
- Lapidary
- Leathercraft
- Magic
- Needlepoint
- Photography
- Quilting
- Recreation
- Shooting Sports & Gun Safety
- Wool & Spinning
- Field Crops & Management
- Horticulture
- Forestry & Christmas Trees
- Fruits, Nuts & Berries
- Indoor & Mini Gardens
- Ornamental Horticulture
- Vegetable Gardens & Crops
- Climatology
- Energy Management
- Marine Biology
- Oceanography
- Soil & Water Conservation
- Wildlife
- Career Exploration
- Citizenship
- Communications
- Community Pride
- Economics & Marketing
- Leadership