Back to School
The second thing is a BACK TO SCHOOL activity we are planning to do using the
“Survival Kit for camp leaders” offered on the list a while ago. We will have the girls pull the items with the notes attached, out of a backpack and read the note, then they can keep the item. We will also discuss “other” items in their bag such as integrity, good works, knowledge, etc. and how they can use these values every day at school. Here are some of the ideas for school items-thanks to list members for their ideas previously posted:
A TOOTHPICK to remind you to pick the good qualities in everyone including yourself.
A RUBBERBAND to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but they will work out.
A BANDAID to remind you to heal hurt feelings, either yours or somebody else’s.
A ERASER to remind you that everyone makes mistakes. Be forgiving.
A CANDY KISS to remind you that everyone needs a compliment each day.
A STICK of GUM to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.
A PENNY to remind you to count your blessings every day.
A MINT to remind you that we think you’re worth a mint.
A BOOK OF MORMON in a lunchbag: Feast on HIS word. OR Decide ahead of time what’s for lunch.
BAG of CHIPS: Turn to prayer when the “chips” are down.
COMPASS (the kind with pencil in them to draw a circle): Full circle always brings you home again. OR The eternal circle of life.
Pkg. of PAPER: Don’t forget to record your day in you journal.
PENCIL/LEAD: Be lead by the Spirit.
RULER: Stay on the straight and narrow.
PE-CHEE folder: Have a peachy keen attitude.
PAPER CLIP: Clip yourself to good friends and invite others to clip to you.
SCISSORS: Cut out your bad habits.
PAPER PUNCH: Don’t punch holes in anyone else’s day.
GLUESTICK: Stick to your standards/testimony.
CRAYONS or COLORED PENCILS: Try different things in your life- color your life.
PENCIL SHARPENER: Sharpen your skills, not your tongue.
KEY CHAIN: You hold the keys to your success.
BOOK COVER: Cover yourself from others unkind actions.
BOOK LIGHT/LAMP: Let Christ be the Light that leads your way.
we did it as a poster. It has a nice border and font, and includes 21 items. We copied it on to white speckled cardstock and put 1″ magnet strips on each corner and will encourage our YW to put it in their lockers. It could be used just as it is printed out, or embellished with any number of “doo-dads”. We put little things on all of the items (list follows), but it looked almost over-done, took more time than we thought, and was slightly pricey – sometimes less is more (most of the items could be found around the house, and we were REALLY lucky to find a couple of things on clearance). We are also handing out a copy of “The Study Prayer” and candies with little quotes printed on bright colored paper.
Back to School Survival Kit –
August 26, 2001
· Pennies – Now you have the “cents” to see how valuable & special you are. (two shiny pennies)
· Paper Clips – Clip yourself to good friends & invite others to clip to you. (four colorful paper clips connected, cut slits in top corners of box, attach)
· Ruler – Stay on the straight & narrow. (2″ piece of yellow measuring tape, cut on the 1/2″ marks)
· Toothpick – Pick the good qualities in everyone including yourself. Let “The Son” be the light that guides your way. (we wanted a small picture of the Savior, but had to settle for a sun sticker)
· Safety Pin – Sometimes just a simple thing can help you hold it all together.
· Rubber band – Be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but they will work out.
· Crayon – Color your life with good opportunities – try different things. (1/2 crayon)
· Band-Aid – Heal hurt feelings; either yours or someone else’s. (“mini” size band aid)
· Eraser – Everyone makes mistakes. Be forgiving. (pencil-top eraser, cut in half)
· Sponge – Soak up all the knowledge you can. cosmetic sponges cut into small pieces)
· Key Chain – You hold the keys to your success. (2″ of ball chain with a charm of skeleton keys on a ring – clearance!)
· Cotton Ball – Be full of warm feelings and kind words. (very small piece of cotton
· Star – You are one of God’s stars. ~*~ Shine ~*~(sticker)
· Tape – Stick to your standards and testimony. (masking tape, about 1 1/2″x1/4″)
· String – Tie up any loose ends. (crochet thread tied with loop in one end, two loose ends)
· Calculator – Count your blessings every day. (handwritten – 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004…)
· Bow – Friendship ties hearts together. (pre-made from fabric store)
· Marble – For those days you are sure you’ve lost all yours.
· Smiling – It not only increases your face value, it’s contagious.
(two smile stickers)
· Stone – Rough times help to smooth, refine & polish. (small polished rocks sold in the gardening department)
· “Be Grateful, Be Smart, Be Clean, Be True, Be Humble, Be Prayerful” – President Gordon B. Hinckley –
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THE STUDY PRAYER
Now I lay me down to study,
I pray the Lord I won’t go nutty.
If I should fail to learn this junk,
I pray the Lord I will not flunk.
But if I do don’t pity me at all,
Just lay my bones down in the study hall.
Tell my teacher I did my best,
Then pile my books upon my chest.
And when I lay me down to rest,
I pray I’ll pass tomorrow’s test.
If I should die before I wake,
That’s one less test I’ll have to take.
===================================
Knowledge Activity Ideas
This is from the website:
http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/ywc/activities/ywtheme.htm
June-Knowledge
Learn how to conduct music for church. Practice by offering to be the chorister for young women meetings, baptisms, or substituting for the sacrament meeting chorister.
Learn about Homemaking. Learn how to uplift others in the home. Learn about taking care of babies and children. Learn about decorating a home.
Learn about Housekeeping. Learn to clean a kitchen from top to bottom.
Learn to prepare a nutritious, well-balanced, and economical meal for a family in a timely fashion.
Have a Physical Preparedness Night.
Learn how to make corsages and boutonieres.
Have a Doctrine and Covenants Night
Have a Book of Mormon Night
Have a Bible Night
We recently had class activities on knowledge that worked really well for personal progress. We took the girls to the library and had them study up on the constellations. We went twice and each girl found one or two that they were interested in, researched why they were named what they were and found them on star charts. Then we went out one evening to a member’s house in the country and laid in a field while each girl pointed out ‘her’ stars and told us all about them.
Another knowledge activity the girls LOVED was when we took them to a jewelry store and had the jeweler teach them all about diamonds. We set it up before hand and I must say, the jeweler we had really outdid himself. He was relaxed and fun and I’m sure the girls will think of his store first when they are buying jewelry.
Here’s a YW Combined Activity idea for the value “KNOWLEDGE”:
Using the Mormonad “Light Reading” (the one with the YW holding opened scriptures of which lumination surrounds the opened pages) as our theme for the night………we asked each YW to bring her favorite inspirational short story, poem, quote, conference talk, song lyrics, scripture story, or even a joke from a “New Era” to our activity. We sat on
quilts on the floor in a big circle and went around the room taking turns sharing our “light” reading with each other. There were giggles, tears, smiles, nods of approval and inspiration shared by all!! Testimonies and friendships grew that night!!
Life after High School
I like the fair idea, but I would have them concentrate of jobs, not college. Get them thinking about what they would like to do with their lives, as someone earlier suggested. I would also have women from your ward come and talk if possible. Find someone who has never married, someone who is divorced or widowed and has had to support her family, and also someone who has to work to help with the finances because her DH is unable to make the money necessary to support the family. Also, talk to them about dating after high school. Where are they going to meet their future husband? Do they want to marry someone they meet at McDonalds who has no future planned? How about someone they meet at the local singles club? He probably isn’t even a member! This seems to sink in a little more than the jobs thing! LOL!
I just did a search in Yahoo under +earning +potential +lifetime +degree. This isn’t where I got my stats, but gives you the same type of information:
http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/39429
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/DailyNews/career_costs_020514.html
http://www.regents.state.oh.us/mainpages/The%20Issue-Ed%20Pays.pdf
Yes, college is for learning a trade but it is also SO much more! I loved having roommates. I loved the planned college activities. I loved the FHE groups you get when you go to a church school. I loved college dances, the movies, ALL of it. College is a wonderful time with wonderful opportunities. Sometimes, girls aren’t thinking along the lines of future employment. “Sure, many woman end up supporting themselves–but that would never happen to me.” Teenagers often think in the now state. Many go to college to learn a profession, but many are afraid. Have an activity that somehow focuses on the fun parts of college. Maybe have a few presentations from fellow sister college goers from the past and present. They can present some of the funs things they learned and did while in college. Nothing like those goofy roommate pictures. Or, how about the mash potatoes slip and slide Ricks (now BYU-Idaho) had during Spud week? College is such a blast. It’s an experience I feel bad that someone would chose not to have.
Book of Mormon activity night:
Read one of President Benson’s talks on the Book of Mormon
Read the Book or Mormon all of the way through. Serve food with Book of Mormon names, like Secret Combination Punch, Chief Judge fudge, Gadianton Stew, Ishmaellow S’mores, etc. Make the table clothe look like a Title of Liberty. Dress up for the activity.
Book of Mormon Stories–take any Book of Mormon story and retell it in modern times. Tell it using youth names or hypothetical people. Use actors, if you would like. Or, do a reader’s theatre using the Book of Mormon as your script.
Watch “How Rare A Possession”
Memorize the entire Seminary Book of Mormon scriptures and have a contest on who can memorize the most. Make up stories, pictures, jokes, dances, rhymes, etc. to help you memorize the words.
Memorize the entire missionary Book of Mormon scriptures (and do the same thing as for the Seminary scriptures)
Library Scavenger Hunt
I shared here earlier for somebody. It comes from YW book PERFECT PROJECTS FOR PERSONAL PROGRESS (available at Deseret Book, Seagull, online, etc.)
Here is a copy of the list for you. (It’s cuter in the book – a handout to photocopy. Or print up in color from the CD-ROM version.) Note: the answer to question #3 is “butterflies” – a beautiful topic for young women who are learning and changing.
Good luck! Jeanni Gould
http://www.geocities.com/jeanni_gould
Library Scavenger Hunt
1. What is the earliest time the library is open? ____________
2. Write the headline from The New York Times for today:
______________________________________________________
3. Name the topic that is numbered 595.78: ____________________
4. Does your library still have those little wooden card file drawers?
Circle one: YES NO
5. Search in the computer (or card file) for the book Goodnight Moon, and write the name of the author: ______________________
6. Explore the picture book area of the library. Find and write down the title of a picture book you remember reading more than once:
______________________________________________________
7. How many copies of plays by William Shakespeare are on the shelf in the library right now? ________________
8. Is there a movie on video here in the library that you own at home?
Circle one: YES NO
9. How much does it cost to make one letter-size photocopy? _____
10. In what library section would you find a book by Isaac Asimov?
________________________________________________
11. Write down three book titles by the author L. M. Montgomery.
__________________,__________________,__________________
12. What Dewey decimal number would you look under for a book about the planet Jupiter? _______________
