Though it can be hard to find a spark of creativity in the dull depths of winter, magic was made at the Oshkosh Public Library’s most recent children’s event. On Jan. 17, families gathered at the OPL to make whimsical wizard hats and wands. The kids started off with the wands, wrapping air dry clay around a stick, then continued by crafting fascinating wizard’s hats. By wrapping big sheets of paper over their heads, stapling, and cutting to size, the perfect wizard gear was made.

Arianna Buhring, the organizer of this event, provided the majority of the supplies used through the 4-H organization. Her job involves contacting different libraries and Boys and Girls’ clubs to bring 4-H to the local youth. 4-H is the nation's largest youth department and empowerment organization, teaching grades 5K - 12 important life skills including leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, and communication. The organization also creates more opportunities for education. Its members have a history of being two times more likely to plan for college, get higher grades in school, and it raises girls that are more likely to pursue science careers over their peers.

Buhring, who has been involved in the program for nine years, helps to provide unique experiences to kids that she didn’t have herself growing up.

“Bringing different events that I didn’t see as a youth is very cool,” she said.

One of the goals of 4-H is to show kids the importance of fostering real-world skills and connections through hands-on activities. The members learn by doing, linking together raw information to real life situations.

Annette, one of the parents at the event, enjoys the activities 4-H holds in Oshkosh because of how much it brings the community together.

“It’s very nice to have a place to meet up with different families, especially during the cold winter times,” she said.

Parents attending the event sat down with their kids to create the fun wizard hats and wands, appreciating the club and what they were able to do over the weekend. With the chilly Wisconsin weather, parents won’t typically take a walk in the park with their youngster. However, coming down to the Oshkosh Public Library and making fun crafts to take home is an alternative that most parents can vouch for.

The children's creativity shines through while participating in wizard hat making, having complete creative freedom with supplies. Some cut out stars and others perfected designs with Crayola markers. Not many would do this without clubs such as 4-H.

4-H is very active with their events, with a potion making event being planned after the Wizard Hats and Wand Making. It was part of a larger activity series based around magic and wizardry. 4-H has a huge list of projects for this year that range from topics such as STEM, expressive arts, animal science, and more. They’re also planning another event in Oshkosh in March, which is window restoration. No matter what is coming up next, Buhring is always looking forward to another event.

“It’s extremely cool to be able to share these unique events with the kids and then get to say ‘okay, so next week we get to do potions,’” she said.

Another major goal of 4-H is to bring more opportunities to those who don’t have access to activities that help them express their more creative sides. Buhring explained that the usual club meetings create a safe space for the children where they can be unique to themselves.

“A lot of kids don’t have access to materials like this at home,” she said. “And so for them it’s very important to have a space that’s a safe space for them to come and create and be unique themselves.”

by Sophia Mazza and Hazel Nuon

Published February 9, 2026

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue IV

Wizardly creations shed light on magic of 4-H community involvement (Copy)