Choice and Accountability Activities
We recently did an activity that I thought the girls really enjoyed. It was choice and accountability treasure hunt, but I am not sure if it is what you are looking for. The girls were put into teams and each team was give a list of 21 clues. We started the teams in different areas.(we hid the eggs outside on the chapel grounds) When they found the first area they found a plastic egg( we did this at Easter time). Placed in the egg was a slip
of paper with a question on it: something like would you rather bear your testimony or help a child with homework. The choices had colors next to them, whichever they chose, they took a piece of paper from the egg to match. We just cut or tore up small pieces of the two colors offered.
The choices of course were all good things and all things relating to PP. On the other side of the paper with the question was the clue to the next egg. When they finished each girl had 21 pieces of colored paper.
They came back into the YW room each girl was given a tally sheet with the values on
it and they were to count the number of papers for each value color. This helped the girls to see what value they were strongest in where they needed to work. The hardest thing was to convince the girls that there were not right or wrong answers, just their own personal choice. It was a real eye opener for some of the girls and they all enjoyed it.
1. Which Personal Progress goal would you be more likely to choose?
a. Work to stop criticizing and or complaining. Take blue
b. Be selective about the TV programs you watch. Take orange
2. Which PP goal would you be more likely to choose?
a. Create a poem, story, article, or work of literature that illustrates a gospel
principle. Take green
b. Be selective about the TV programs you watch. Take orange
3.
a. Tutor a friend and help her understand her school work. Take yellow
b. Intentionally be a good influence on your friends. Take purple.
4.
a. Bear your testimony. Take white
b. Talk with your grandparents or an older LDS couple about qualities needed for a
successful, happy marriage. Take blue
5.
a. Baby sit for free. Take yellow
b. Make friends with someone who needs a friend. Take red
6.
a. Apologize to and do something nice for someone you made unhappy. Take orange
b. Talk to your mother and/or other mothers about motherhood. Take blue
7.
a. Organize a family photo album. Take red
b. Participate in appropriate Sunday activities. Take orange
8.
a. Learn a new recipe. Take green
b. Give your honest opinion when someone asks. Take purple
9.
a. Read a New Era article. Take white
b. Watch a TV show on the effects of alcohol. Take green
10.
a. Help your family when asked, even if you don’t feel like it. Take orange
b. Help someone outside your family. Take yellow
11.
a. Get to bed on time. Take red
b. Stay up to finish a book report. Take green
12.
a. Forgive someone who hurt you. Take blue
b. Turn down an invitation to a party where a video of questionable content will be
shown. Take purple
13.
a. Give a family home evening lesson on a family problem. Take white
b. Give your sister a perm because she thinks her hair is ugly. Take red
14.
a. Be cheerful even when you don’t get your way. Take orange
b. Buy the more modest dress, even though it is more expensive or less in style. Take
purple
15.
a. Read the scriptures 15 minutes. Take white
b. Help a brother or sister with homework. Take yellow
16.
a. Stop an argument. Take blue
b. Talk to an adult about some question you have. Take green
17.
a. Listen to a friend talk about his or her problems. Take red
b. Write a letter to a missionary or a friend who moved. Take yellow
18.
a. Learn or create something new for the fun of it. Take green
b. Clean your room as you promised you would. Take purple
19.
a. Invite a nonmember friend to a Sunday meeting. Take white
b. Do an extra job at home without being asked. Take purple
20.
a. Sing an uplifting song to chase away a bad thought or a bad mood. Take blue
b. Try to make someone new feel welcome. Take yellow
21.
a. Admit to your dad or mom that he or she is right. Take purple
b. Pray for help to get along better with your dad or mom. Take white
Instructions for the Game of Life!
* You will need several leaders to be involved in passing out blessings, babies, M for marriages, Bishops, newspapers, pizzas, etc!
THE BOARD PIECES. These pieces were printed by my computer onto 8 ½ x11 white paper with a cute border and the DJ Doodlers font. I took them to a copy place and had them copied onto card stock as follows.
Game Board Square No. of Blessings
Number of Pieces Copied Color
Start Here 1
White
Read New Era 50 blessings
2 Orange
Civil Marriage -300 blessings
6 Red
Married in the Temple 300 blessings
8 White
(Be sure to place the marriage spots before the baby ones on the floor!
We taped a big M on their backs when they got married)
School Dance 0 blessings
2 Blue
Attended Scout or Rough Camp 50 blessings
2 Orange
If You Are Married, You Just Had A Baby! 100 blessings
5 Pink
If not married, no baby, no blessings
If You Are Married, You Just Had Twins! 200 blessings.
4 Pink
If not married, no baby, no blessings
(When they got babies, we gave them a baby that was printed on cardstock, cut out and stuck on a popsicle stick.)
Bishop’s Messenger 50 blessings.
4 Yellow
They had to go to the the designated Bishop (if he wasn’t there) and do whatever he said.
Shopped on Sunday! -100 blessings
2 Red
Fitness Evaluation for P.E. 0 blessings
6 Yellow
You have 1 minute to run around the board Collect Fast Offerings! 50 blessings
5 Yellow
You have 1 minute to collect 50 blessings from each ward member! (They collect from each person there, and keep them! It’s just a game…:)
Paid Your Tithing 200 blessings
2 Purple
Got Your Driver’s License 0 blessings
2 Blue
Visited Someone Sick 50 blessings
3 Orange
Forgot Your Scriptures for Class! -200 blessings (You’llLearn!)
2 Red
Say No to Drugs! 200 blessings
2 Purple
Science Project Due 0 blessings
2 Blue
Earned Eagle Scout or YW Recognition Award 300 blessings
6 White
You’re In the Bishop’s Office! 50 blessings
5 Red
(We taped a cut out graphic of a man at a desk onto the player’s back)
Read the Ensign 50 blessings
2 Orange
Recite the Scout Motto or YW Theme 100 blessings!
3 Green
Try out for Basketball and shoot 1 basket! 0 blessings
2 Blue
(Need to have a basketball for this one)
Broke the Word of Wisdom! -100 blessings
4 Red Go back 5 spaces to the Bishop’s Office! Don’t collect 50 blessings!
(Be sure and place this board piece on the floor 5 spaces after the You’re In the Bishop’s Office piece.)
Paper Route! 50 blessings
4 Yellow
You have 1 minute to deliver papers to your ward members (We had folded up newspapers to deliver. A leader collected them a few minutes later.)
Swore at a Church Basketball Game! -200 blessings
2 Red
History Exam 0 blessings
2 Blue
Spoke in Church 50 blessings
2 Orange
Sluffed School -100 blessings
2 Red
Completed Personal Progress Experience or Merit Badge 100 blessings
2 Green
Secretly Shoveled Snow for a Neighbor (You’ll be Blessed in the Next Life!) 0 blessings
2 Blue
Pizza Delivery! 50 blessings
4 Yellow
You have 1 minute to deliver pizzas to your ward members! (We printed several colored graphics of a pizza on card stock and cut them out. About 8 inches across.)
Sluffed Church! -100 blessings
2 Red
Watched General Conference 100 blessings
2 Green
Basketball game 0
2 Blue
Missed Mutual -50 blessings
2 Purple
Read Your Scriptures 200 blessings
2 Purple
Bought a New Car 0 blessings
2 Blue
Turned Down a Party 50 blessings
2 Orange
Service Project 0 blessings
2 Blue
You’ll be blessed in the next life!
Watched an R-Rated Movie! -200 blessings
2 Red
English Final 0 blessings
2 Blue
Bore Your Testimony 200 blessings
2 Purple
Football Game 0 blessings
2 Blue
Read an Inappropriate Book -50 blessings
2 Red
Attended Your Church Meetings 50 blessings
2 Orange
Served A Mission 300 blessings
2 Pink
Didn’t Bear Your Testimony -200 blessings
2 Red
Cash In Your Blessings For Your Eternal Reward! (Last board piece in game)
1 White
The pieces are taped onto the gym floor, kind of like “following the yellow brick road.” Meaning, about a footstep apart from each other. We wound the game board all over the floor, kind of S shaped. We placed board pieces randomly, except where there had to be specific placement as noted above (i.e. go back 5 spaces to the Bishop’s Office.) Obviously Start Here is first, and Cash In Your Blessings.. is last. All the others are just random.
THE PLAYERS HAD TO WALK BESIDE THE GAME PIECES, NOT ON THEM. We told them in advance that each time the stepped on a game board piece, they lost
50 blessings.
THE “MONEY”
We made “blessings” on the computer, too. About 100 each: denominations of 50, 100, 200, 300. The words were typed into a graphic of a cloud and all were cut out! (Thank goodness for counselors!) Each player began the game with 300 blessings, 50s and 100s, because sometimes they have to give YOU blessings if they land on specific pieces.
PLAYING THE GAME
The players lined up in single file, the first person rolled the big fuzzy dice onto the floor, and walked that many spaces BESIDE the board. Then they did whatever the board piece told them to do! We kind of kept people together in groups with one set of dice, meaning the first 3-4 people would like of take turn using the dice and take their turn, then another
leader helped a second group of 3-4 with another set of dice, etc.
LANDING ON BOARD PIECES
Marriage: If they landed on a marriage, they got a huge M taped onto their backs so we could tell who got babies when they landed on the baby squares.
Babies: We gave them a “baby on a popsicle stick.” It was a CorelDraw graphic printed on white card stock, cut out, and glued to a popsicle stick. We had to make several of these cuz many got twins, and we always ran out!! We announced at the end of the game who had the most children.
Pizzas: We printed a CorelDraw graphic of a pizza onto brown card stock and cut it out (about 30 of them. Depends on the size of your ward.) The player had to quickly deliver a pizza to everyone when they landed on that square. Either a leader retrieve them afterwards or the next person to land on the pizza square picked them up instead of delivering them.
Newspapers: Same as pizza above, but with folded newspapers.
Bishops: We didn’t want the kids to think going to the Bishop’s office was a bad thing, so they got points for being “brave” enough to go for whatever it would be! (Except for the breaking of the word of wisdom square.)
0 blessing squares: Some squares we didn’t give blessings for because they were for things that youth just do, and don’t really have to really make a choice about. Somebody did question why we didn’t support “civil” activities by giving no blessings for them. Something to think about.
TALLYING THE BLESSINGS:
Since the players got or gave up blessings as they landed on each square, all we did was tally points at the end, and write them down, along with how many babies each player had. Then we made the kids all sit down on the floor while we announced who went to each “Kingdom.”
At first we just broke down the kingdoms and they were the same for each ward we went to.
BLESSINGS KINGDOM REWARD
1001 + Celestial Kingdom Snickers mini-bites
600-1000 Terrestrial Kingdom Reeses mini-bites
0-500 points Telestial Kingdom Smarties
Minus points Outer Darkness Nothing.
They had to watch everyone else eat their candy!
BUT THEN, as we went from ward to ward, the points were distributed so differently! So then we just looked at the overall scores and divided the kingdoms however we wanted just to make the game more fun. The kids loved it.
At the end of the game we stressed to the players that real life is not just a roll of the dice like this game. The kingdom they will be in will be based on decisions they make in this life, so think carefully about the choices you make!
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here’s a very easy prep but effective activity from the YW book PERFECT PROJECTS FOR PERSONAL PROGRESS.
Good luck! Jeanni
http://www.geocites.com/jeanni_gould
Choice and Accountability
VALUE EXPERIENCE
Good News?
Bring a stack of newpapers and news magazines, plop them down in the middle of the circle and announce: “I’m looking for bad news!”
Then ask the girls to find five separate reports of terrible events that were caused by bad decisions. Analyze the point where the wrong choices were made. Determine what actions could have been taken to prevent these tragedies. Then search for five news articles that
demonstrate examples of good decisions causing positive results.
With your family or young women group: Discuss the news articles you have found. As a group, resolve to make the kinds of choices that will prevent many tragic happenings. Invite leaders or young women to share a personal experience in which they made a wise and righteous choice.
GOALS: Understand that your decisions can have far-reaching consequences—for good or bad.
Plan now to choose the right when faced with a difficult situation.
TIME: 30–60 minutes
SUPPLIES: Newspapers and magazines
Scissors
Journal and pen, optional
Once upon a time there were five little ghosts. They were all white and the only food they were supposed to eat was cottage cheese, milk and vanilla ice cream. One Day Mama Ghost had to go to the store, and when she left she reminded her children not to eat anything while she was gone. Before long, however, one little ghost became very hungry and he looked in the refridgerator to see what he could find. There were no
cottage cheese, milk or vanilla ice cream, but he found some spinach. He decided just a little bite wouldn’t hurt just this once, and he ate it. But almost before he had finished chewing it, he turned bright green
(Hold up green ghost). The second little ghost was hungry too, and found some strawberries in a bowl. He ate just one little one and turned as RED (hold up red ghost) as could be. The third little ghost was starving
and saw some carrots. He decided to nibble just the end of one carrot, but when he had finished, he was as ORANGE as the carrots. The fourth little ghost was thirsty and discovered a glass of grape juice. He
thought just a sip would be all right. It tasted so good, but he turned purple. The fifth little ghost was so hungry he couldn’t wait until his mother came home, so he looked to see what he could find to eat. All
that was left was some almost vanilla ice cream — with just a few chocolate chips. It looked so good and tasted so yummy, but soon he was a speckled chocolate chip ghost! Just then Momma ghost came home and couldn’t believe her eyes. She called the doctor, who came right away. He put them all to bed for three days on a diet of cottage cheese, milk and vanilla ice cream. In three days they were all better, just in time
to go trick or treating for Halloween.
+++Principle to discuss: every choice we make has a consequence. We can choose whatever we want (agency), but with every choice comes the consequences.
Refreshments: Make marshmallow ghosts: cover marshmallows with peanut butter and raisins. (Or whatever you want to do with marshmallow) 🙂
We just had a C&A night. The 2nd Counselor in our RS played a game with our girls. She put up 2 poster boards side-by-side on the board. Then she covered the poster boards with post-it notes that she wrote everyday things on. Everyone then took turns removing one thing they could live without. But they had to give a reason why they could live without it. However, if there were others in the group who couldn’t live without it they would have to justify why we had to keep that particular thing. Then the girl would get to pick something else.
It was a great game. We got to discuss many things. And it was interesting what the girls would give up first compared with what the leaders would give up first. Even the differences in the age groups. There was one Beehive who goes everywhere on her bike. She didn’t think that we should give bikes up before cars. However, the girls who are driving now didn’t think twice about getting rid of the bike. But in the end we were left with what was really important. Testimony, Prophet, 12 apostles, family, scriptures, ability to see, Holy Ghost, etc.
Some of the things on the post-it notes were: The things I already put down, the ability to breathe without help, ability to hear, ability to speak, touch, conscience, car, bike, distant family, close friends, casual friends, phones and cell phones, bed, furniture, beauty products, curling iron, blow dryer, clothes, shoes, house or apartment, stove, bathroom, refrigerator, indoor plumbing, electricity, tv/dvd, cd player, books, rock concerts, entertainment idols, radio, general authorities, pets, local church leaders, state government, federal government, police, fire department. That is all I can remember. However, there are many more things you could put up.
A very simple and easy game. But one that really makes you think.