Individual Worth #7

Value experiences: Individual Worth #7
Date: October 15, 2014
Leader: Sis. Fife
Participants: Teagan, Hailey, Brittany, Ashley, Emily, Sarah, Caila, Heidi, Erin, Rachel, Kylee, Mikala, Maddy V., Hannah Y., Shanarah, Sandra, Ivy, Christa, Khasia, Kelsey, Sis. Warner

 What we did: We started out our activity by talking about our value for the month - Divine Nature. Anyone who had  the value color somewhere on them got a blue colored candy...most girls were wearing blue jeans, so each girl was able to get a candy this month! Also, any girl who had brought her Personal Progress journal got a candy pumpkin.

We read some scriptures and talked about spiritual attributes we had from our Heavenly Father. We went around the room and  shared something divine in us that was unique and individual about ourselves.

Once we were done I had tables set up with papers with each of the girls' names on them. Each girl got a colored pen and we went around and wrote on all the papers something nice about the girl it belonged to, trying to focus on her divine attributes. Leaders participated, too.

The papers had a funny little picture at the bottom that I found online and thought the girls would giggle at!

 While they were going around signing everyone's papers (there were 28 all together!!) I pulled girls to the side to take a picture for a future activity; we'll use them for Young Women in Excellence in November and then again in December. I bought value colored plastic table cloths from the dollar store and after fan folding them and stringing some yarn through them, I hung them up to be a fun and bright backdrop. (I ended up bringing it back again on Sunday to snag pictures of the girls who were missing on Wednesday!) After they had their picture taken they could have some refreshments - blue raspberry sugar cookies and a water bottle that had a saying on it - Don't 'bottle' up your potential! 'Water' your waiting for? Water your talents and watch them grow! Divine Nature 1,3,6 Individual Worth 7&3

 Accomplished at the Activity: 
        * We read Moroni 10:8-18

        * Had the Young Women and leaders write down positive qualities the Lord has given each individual girl.


Still need to do:
   * Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-12, 13

   * Read Moroni 7:12-13

   * Read D&C 46:11-26

   * List your gifts in your journal and what you can do to continually develop those talents.

   * Have a parent add something on to your paper.

Virtue #2 - Foam photo albums

Value experiences: Virtue 2
Date: September 17, 2014
Leader: Sis. Fife
Participants: Teagan, Hailey, Brittany, Ashley, Emily, Sarah, Caila, Heidi, Erin, Rachel, Kylee, Mikayla, Maddy V., Hannah Y., Shanarah, Sandra, Ivy, Christa, Khasia, Kelsey, Dansil, Sis. Warner, Sis. Hopkins

 What we did: We started out our activity by talking about virtue and about gifts of the Comforter. We read some scriptures and explained different gifts we can receive from the Holy Ghost.

Then we sat around the round tables and made foam photo albums to hold the handouts and things we get from Young Women's. We munched on garden snacks and talked and had a fun evening together. (Sorry, I forgot to snag some pictures of the activity!)

 Accomplished at the Activity: 
        * We read John 14:26-27, John 15:26, D&C 88:3-4, and D&C 121:45-46


Still need to do:
   * Read 2 Nephi 32:1-5, D&C 45:57-59

   * Write in in your journal what you have learned and write about a time that you felt the guidance of the Holy Ghost

 

 

Divine Nature #3 - Hugs and Kisses Kits

Value experiences: Divine Nature 3
Date: August 13, 2014
Leader: Sis. Fife
Participants: Teagan, Hailey, Brittany, Ashley, Emily, Sarah, Erin, Rachel, Kylee, Mikayla, Maddy V., Hannah Y., Shanarah, Sandra, Sis. Warner, and if I forgot your name here, I apologize, just let me know and I can add it to the list!

 What we did: 

        * We made a Hugs and Kisses Kit that has 2 weeks worth of ideas of things to do for your family member you have chosen to try working on bettering your relationship with.
             - we cut out the pages and tied them together, put a pencil and a smile reminder together, traced out hands on craft paper and attached them with string to be used as a 'hug' for one of the days (the girls were to write down a compliment or something they love about their family member on the 'hug' and then give it to that person), and assembled everything in a bag with some Hershey's Hugs and Kisses for us to use on those days when it seemed really hard to get along with our person :-)
        * We played Divine Nature 3 rounds charades with characters and words that had to do with either Divine Nature or strengthening the family


Still need to do:
   * Do things for your chosen family member for two weeks to try and improve your home life

   * Share your experiences with your parents or a leader

http://www.shannonsstudio.com/uploads/4/0/0/2/4002641/yw_2_dn_3_hugs__kisses_kit.pdf

Good Works 3 - Fear Factor - LDS Style!

Value experiences: Good Works 3

Date: July 23, 2014
Leader: Sis. Fife
Participants: Teagan, Hailey, Brittany, Ashley, Emily, Sarah, Caila, Heidi, Erin, Rachel, Kylee, Mikayla, Maddy V., Hannah Y., Shanarah, Sandra, Sis. Warner, Sis. Fritzler

 What we did: This has probably been one of my most favorite activities we've done so far! This was so much fun! We started out in the RS room talking about Good Works and bearing one another's burdens and about what drives us, our fear or our faith. I assured them that I would never do anything to them that was bad, that if they had faith in their leaders, that we would never do ask anything bad from them, everything would be okay through the game...I wanted them to know that I wasn't going to ask anything of them that was dangerous or unhealthy (unlike the real Fear Factor game!) Then we went into the gym for our Fear Factor game. I had all the stations covered with tablecloth so they couldn't guess what the challenges were going to be until we got to each one and revealed it. The girls were divided up into four teams (Spiders, Scorpions, Bees, and Roaches) I had 6 game stations set up around the gym and we went through them one by one. Three were all plays and the others only needed two girls per team. I made sure the girls knew they never had to do anything they didn't want to and could back out of any task they didn't want to do. We encouraged the girls to bear one another's burdens and comfort those who needed comfort during the challenges. (Yeah, it might have been a stretch to get it to fit in with this value, but I really wanted to do this activity with the girls!) 

The different challenges are listed below. Each girl that participated and completed the tasks below got a point for her team. If they couldn't swallow or backed out of a challenge no point was awarded.


 Accomplished at the Activity: 
        * We discussed what meant to bear one another's burdens and comfort those who stand in need of comforting.
        * We read Mosiah 18:7-10


Still need to do:
   * List in your journal three ways you can comfort others or help them bear their burdens.

   * Do the things on your list and tell a leader or family member about it and how your attitude and understanding have changed.

I had planned on doing this game outside but it ended up raining all day and night, so it was moved inside. I cancelled this challenge due to space. This was going to be a trust fall type of game.

The first challenge was The Yolk's On You. This was an all play. I had two dozen eggs and the girls didn't know which ones were cooked and which were uncooked. Any girls that wanted to came up, chose an egg, and were going to to crack them on their heads at the same time. About half came up. I had plenty of paper towels and spare towels for the girls to use and assured them that I would clean up whatever messes there were. On the count of three they all slammed their eggs on their heads and found out that I had cooked all the eggs - no one got slimed :-)

The second challenge was The Baby Food Buffet. I brought some baby food from home and took the wrappers from them so you couldn't see what they were. I brought green beans, mixed veggies, peas, and chicken. This was a challenge for two girls from each team. Each team chose one bottle of food and had to take a spoonful of it and swallow. Each girl that swallowed her baby food got a point for her team.

 Team one chose chicken, which in my opinion was the worst flavor there! I think they agreed!

The third challenge was Canine Cuisine. I made it look like two girls from each team were going to have to eat a spoonful of dog food. I had bought a dog bowl prop from the dollar store and a can of dog food, but what I actually put inside the bowl was corned beef hash...it looks and smells close enough to dog food that it was convincing to a lot of the girls!

Our fourth challenge was Go Fetch. We don't have pictures of this one, but it was a relay for all the girls on the teams. I had two tables set up and they had to relay race from one to the other. On the first table was a dog treat (a Slim Jim cut into 2" pieces) that they had to pick up with their mouths, run over to the second table across the gym and put it on there, and then run back and tag their waiting teammate so she could go. Most of the girls knew they were Slim Jims and not dog treats and many ate their piece once they had run their leg of the race!

The fifth challenge was where we started getting more difficult. This was Troubling Taste Testers. I had a long table set up with 6 covered foods. This was an all play again and the teams lined up (there were four girls in each team so the first player on each team came first, then the second player of each team tried the second food, and so on. Two girls from each team had to go twice since there were six foods to try) and a YW leader drew a number from a basket that determined which food that wave of girls would be asked to try. Most of the foods came from my pantry so they weren't anything really weird, but we do eat a lot of oriental foods, so the girls were weirded out by some of the foods! 

 We had pickled okra...the girls were scared of it at first, but then Kylie went back for seconds, thirds, and then tried walking off with the whole jar! Those were a hit :-)

 The squid was weird for everyone except Teagan who eats it as a snack at home. We did have some girls opt not to try this one!

 The third food was seaweed and while most girls who tried it were afraid of it at first, I had a lot of girls come up and ask for some after the challenge was over.

 The fourth food was lychees - an oriental fruit. It looks weird, like sheep eyeballs, and has a unique texture similar but are delicious! Some girls opted out of this and were sad once they saw how much the other girls enjoyed them.

 The fifth food was cooked chicken liver. This was a food that I don't keep at home and I had to buy...I'm not a liver lover and neither were any of the girls!

The last food was cooked chicken hearts. These are a snack at our house and many of the girls backed away from them.

Our last challenge was the hardest for most girls. It was our Creepy Crawlers station. I had a container that had plastic flies on the bottom and each girl who could reach in and take out one fly would get a point for her team. Crawling around on those plastic bugs were live crickets and meal worms!  This was an all play for whoever wanted to do it. It was interesting to watch the girls' reactions to this challenge. Some of the girls who had no problem trying squid or dog food or any of the other odd foods had a hard time with this challenge while others who opted not to try some of the foods picked them up with no hesitation. (Most of them had lizards or snakes at home that they fed crickets to anyways, so touching crickets was nothing new to them!)

Over all I think all the girls had a great time. This was one of a few activities that I can remember where ALL the girls stayed focused and active throughout the whole night. No one wandered off or went for water breaks. All the girls were great in supporting each other, whether you accomplished a task or backed away from one. They all cheered and chanted their support when one of them had a particularly difficult time at a task she really wanted to finish. They comforted each other well! 

I made each girl a medal of honor for participating in the activities and told them that the refreshments were whatever foods that were left that they wanted to eat! I came home with the squid, livers, hearts, and corned beef but all the rest were eaten! They loved eating the eggs, okra, lychees, seaweed, and Slim Jims!!

Virtue 1 - Snakes and Latters

Value experiences: Value experiences: Virtue 1

Date: May 21, 2014
Leader: Sis. Fife
Participants: Teagan, Kelsey, Hailey, Brittany, Madison, Ashley, Emily, Sarah, Caila, Heidi, Rachel, Kylee, Mikayla, Dansil, Maddy V., Sandra, Shanarah,  

 What we did: We started out inside the building talking briefly but seriously about chastity and virtue. What they are, what they mean to us, and why they are important.

We then went outside to the parking lot where I had drawn a giant Snakes and Ladders type game board. I had a large 4" x 4" wooden die that I made that we used. The girls lined up in birthday order and we played "Snakes and Latters" If one of the girls landed on an all play all the girls had to do  it with her. She rolled the die and whatever number she rolled corresponded to an action; singing ABC song while twirling like a ballarina, showing off best Muscle Man of the Universe pose, showing your neighbor your scariest face, etc. And if a girl landed on a spot with a question mark then she had to answer one of my multiple choice questions. I made the questions have to do with The Proclamation, quotes from the prophets about chastity and virtue, things from the sexual purity section of For the Strength of Youth, etc. The same rules applied as they do in the regular game too, if you land on the base of a ladder you climb up to the top and if you land on the head of a snake you slide down it. I put one all play and one question spot on each row and had a list of 25 questions that we could roll through if we needed that many.

It was a fun game and we ended it after the first girl made it all the way through by having giant Otter Pops. We had a lot of girls playing and I wasn't able to get any pictures of them in action, but there are pictures below of the board that we took while we were drawing it earlier that day. The painted lined on the parking lot made it easy to draw the game board straight!

 Accomplished at the Activity: 
        * We read Moroni 9:9, Jacob 2:28, Proverbs 31:10-31, Article of Faith 13

Still need to do:
    * Read "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"
    * Read the section of sexual purity in For the Strength of Youth

Divine Nature 1, Choice and Accountability 3 & 6

Value experiences: Divine Nature 1, Choice and Accountability 3 and 6

Date: March 26, 2014
Leader: Sis. Fife
Participants: Teagan, Kelsey, Hailey, Brittany, Madison, Ashley, Emily, Sarah, Caila, Heidi, Rachel, Kylee, Mikayla, Dansil, Maddy V., Sandra, Sis. Wilde, Sis. Warner, Sis. Christensen

 What we did: We started out talking about what "Divine Nature" and "Choice and Accountability" meant. We read the book If Only I had a Green Nose by Max Lucado and talked about the spiritual significance of the story. Then were divided up into four teams and we played Divine Choice and Accountability Jenga. Each jenga piece had a question on it that was either a single play or an all play. The questions came from the three value experiences we were working on; reading the scriptures listed, explaining our standards, reading from The Proclamation, finding answers in For the Strength of Youth, etc.

The girls all had a fun time and loved the all play blocks a lot.We didn't make it through all of the Jenga blocks, so there are somethings the girls still have to do that we didn't get to tonight, but these are pretty easy value experiences to finish.


 Accomplished at the Activity:
        * We discussed what some Divine Qualities we were given from our Heavenly Father and what it meant to have divine qualities.
        * We talked about the meaning of Choice and Accountability and how no choice is too bad for us to be able to repent of
        * We read Joshua 24:15 and Alma 7:23-24
        * We read parts of The Proclamation and For the Strength of Youth


Still need to do:
     For Divine Nature 1:  
        * Read 2 Peter 1, D&C 121:45, finish reading The Proclamation
        * In your journal list some of the divine qualities we talked about and you read about in the scriptures, write how you can discover and develop these qualities

    For Choice & Accountability 3:    
        *Read 2 Nephi 2, D&C 82:2-10
        * record in your journal your understanding of agency and consequences

  For Choice & Accountability 6:
        * Study the YW theme thinking what it teaches you to do and why you are to do it.
        * list in your journal what you will do each day in regards to modesty, dating, media to stay morally clean and worthy to enter the temple.
         * record in your journal how these choices will help you remain free and happy

Good Works 6 - Service outside your Home

Value experiences: Good Works #6
Date: February 5, 2014
Leader: Sis. Hagen
Participants: Ashley, Caila, Heidi, Hailey Brittney, Rachel, Madison, Riley, Teagan, Kelsey, Arriah, Khasia, Shanarah, Emily, Sarah, Mikayla, Amber, Sandra, Sis. Hodapp, Sis. Quist, Sis. Hagen, Sis. Fife, Sis. Warner


Accomplished at the Activity:
        * We worked at the Granite Falls Food Bank organizing, re-shelving, and cleaning the food bank and sorting LOTS and LOTS of non perishables and potatoes!

Still need to do:
        * Spend at least another two hours giving service outside your family
        * Write in your journal the reactions of the people you served and possible goals for future service opportunities

Getting instructions when we first got there....

Then we started sorting...lots and lots of sorting needed to be done!

 

 A lucky few had the opportunity to scrub out the fridge and clean the bathroom.

 And then we set to sorting potatoes into 5lb bags...there were hundreds of pounds of potatoes to go through, and we put a serious dent in their pile!

 Some kids also got to put animal food into smaller bags...there are hungry animals out there too who need a little help now and then. :-)