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County of Sonoma

Record Books

Record Book
Sonoma County 4-H County Club Council Incentives & Recognition committee encourages all youth to participate in the record book process, as there are numerous benefits to be gained from completing a record book.  However, record books continue to remain an optional and cannot be required for membership or participation.     

If an activity outside of the 4-H program requires a 4-H project report form, or something similar, then that organization's specific rules must be followed.   

Primary Members 

Members who have not yet turned 9 years old – This year Sonoma County will be adopting the State Primary Record Book form.  This form can be found at Record Book Training and Resources in the “Primary Member” section and is available in both Word and PDF formats.  This is a simple form where even the youngest members can fill the blanks and answer the questions themselves.   This helps our younger members develop a sense of accomplishment and express themselves! 

All Primary Member record books should be turned into your club to be forwarded to the county for “judging”.  This allows these members to receive recognition in the form of comments from the All Stars as well as recognition at Achievement Night.

Junior and Senior Members

Members who are 9 years and older - There are two ways that record books can be completed.  Online or Written.

  • Online Record Book or ORB.  This is an online interface where members enter data through a series of screens and the online system formats the various forms that make up a record book like the Personal Development Report and the Annual Project Report.  Access to the ORB and resources including tutorials can be found at 4-H Record Books.

NOTE: Senior competition at State. To be eligible for State Competition, members must complete the California 4-H Quick Start Record Book Course a fun, interactive video.

  • "Paper" Record Book.  The state website has two ways that forms can be completed offered – through Word or PDF version with form fields.   The Word version allows for formatting changes while the PDF version does not.  Both versions are embedded in the Record Book Manual which is found on the state website at Record Book Training and Resources in the “Paper Forms” section.

No matter which format a member chooses to use to complete his/her Record Book – the ORB or paper – the Record Book Manual is a valuable resource to walk you through the elements to be included in your Record Book.  The county considers a minimum record book to include: 

  • Personal Development Report (PDR)
  • Annual Project Report(s) (APR)
  • 4-H Story
  • Members are encouraged to add a Collection of Work and, for senior members, three final pages that include a project summary, leadership summary and community service summary.  

Details on all these elements are in the Record Book Manual!