YW's Lesson: Personal Records (Man 1, Lesson 19)

This is my lesson plan for YW's Manual 1, Lesson 19: Personal Records

*download by clicking on the downward arrow

I followed the lesson in the manual pretty closely, but adjusted/spruced up a few things...including the presentation of the LONG story (because let's face it...there's no way that my girls would have paid attention long enough to internalize the meaning...even though it's an incredibly touching story)

So, I printed up the "journal" and taped the entries into a blank journal I had... the girls got down on the floor and took turn reading the entries (as if they were the boy and girl in the story, reading the journal on the floor of the farmhouse attic...) 

I was so proud of all of them after the story...they had been thinking about their assigned question and all gave thoughtful answers (since they were prepared to answer, being given the question BEFORE the story). 

Here's the Journal Text that you can cut out and tape into a journal.  (I chose a font that is readable, yet script-like for added effect)



Here are the quotes and question slips I used in the lesson:

It was fast Sunday, so no treats this week... my girls are sweet enough as it is, anyway... so mini pencils were perfect to go along with the lesson!

You can download the JPEG image of the handout below (I printed them in the 3.5 x 5" size - 4 to a page)

...and that was the last YW lesson I will give in my ward in Boston. Sad day for me! :(  I'm kinda hoping I get called to YWs again in Texas. I think maybe I just never grew up so I feel most comfortable in YWs....that's gotta be it. :)

YW's Humor Happy Hour

This week, I planned an activity for our YW centered around humor... (this could also work for FHE)

I had two goals in mind for my "Humor Happy Hour": 

1. I wanted to teach/remind about using humor in positive, uplifting ways.

2. I wanted to let loose and laugh a little with our girls!

We started with reading this handout I created:

*journal card design by Tracie Stroud Designs*

We discussed that briefly and shared a couple of personal experiences, and then we got laughing!

We did a few different things:

1. MadLibs - I had found a few free ones on google though and just used those instead of buying a MadLib book. 

2. Jeff Dunham & Achmed - This is a YouTube Video (and our churchhouse blocks youtube, so we weren't actually able to watch it, but there is a CLEAN version HERE

3. Brian Regan - He is a comedian that I just love. I had the girls listen to the "Stupid in School" clip from "Brian Regan Live". I have the CD so I just ripped it onto my phone... (In that clip, there is one word that I just held my finger over the speaker and silenced it) ;) 

4. Laffy Taffys & Snickers - we snacked throughout and told the jokes from our Laffy Taffy wrappers

5. Laughing Contest - this was a HOOT! Simple. everyone just starts laughing...last one laughing wins. (I would walk around and laugh really goofily right in the girls' faces and that would get them rolling even more..)

Fun night! 

You can download the Humor Happy Hour Handout HERE!

Mint Mugs for YW Leaders

My counselors in Young Women have been such a blessing and continue to help the program run smoothly week after week. I learn so much from them and have been thinking lately about how much I appreciate their support and encourage"mint".... 

I gathered inspiration from Beneath My Heart Blog and created these

Mint Mugs.

the mint goodness inside:

Keebler Jumbo Fudge Mint Stick

Ghirardelli Mint Squares

Pearson's Mint Patties

Andes Mints

Lifesavers Wintogreen

Spearmint Gum

Mint 3 Musketeers - fun size

Here is a printable of some blank tags for you to use! Enjoy! 

*click the downward arrow to download!

For our Favorite "chicks" - YW Easter Treat

I love treating our girls for each holiday!

Conveniently, one of my girls mentioned to me a few weeks ago that they are "not too old for stuffed animals". When I saw these little stuffed Peeps chicks, even I couldn't resist them! (....nor the sugary ones) 

I found a boxed set with the marshmallow chicks and stuffed chicks at Burlington Coat Factory (just today...)

If you have a large YW group these might be a little too pricey to get for each girl, but how about just giving a sleeve of the marshmallow chicks along with the tag? 


I've got the tag as a printable for you! Download it below:

Don't "Cheet" Yourself - YW General Conference Lesson

I have always taught a General Conference themed lesson the week before conference to get the girls geared up and minds focused on the importance of it... This year, I planned a lesson based around CHEETOS. Yup, you read right. Cheetos.  I found this fun idea for a conference treat over at Sugardoodle, my FAVORITE site for all things YW. (The idea was originally from Ondrea Slade) and I developed it into the following lesson.  

I'm starting the lesson by giving each girl the lesson's handout...instead of at the end! (Changing things up is always good!)

Just a lunchbag size bag of cheetos with my tag:

Then, the lesson proceeds:

Q: Why would not listening to general conference be considered cheating?
     Allow girls to think on this....and answer if they can.

[discussion prompts]:

·         Think about cheating at school. It's against the rules, right? Why?
School is there to help us learn...cheating gets around learning.

·         What are the downsides to cheating?
not learning; if you get caught, you’re in trouble.

So, let's compare cheating at school to cheating at General Conference. We are instructed to listen to prophets and apostles so we can learn about the gospel. If we “cheat” by not listening to conference.... not only are we held accountable for those things taught in conference, we also cheat ourselves out of great blessings that come from living in ways taught by the prophets and confirmed to us by the Spirit during conference. We are risking our salvation by not taking the messages of the Lord's prophets and apostles into our heart and applying them to our life.

To help us not "cheet" on this weekend's General Conference, we’re going to study up on some things we should know about General Conference.

[Each girl will be given a quote to read and all girls will be given this "No-Cheeting Guide to General Conference" to fill out when each quote is read]:

*the answer guide is included in the free download at the end of the post*

For the conclusion of the lesson, I will ask the girls to bring out their Personal Progress books and find which values they still need experiences for (specifically the optional "create-your-own" experiences).

I will ask them to choose at least 2 of the below experiences to complete during General Conference.

Finally, as I have done in year's past, I will give them the General Conference Youth Notebook designed by Melanie of Sugardoodle! You can download the packet for free HERE!

It helps the youth pay attention and gives a "notepage" for each speaker with prompts, puzzles, pictures, and other fun stuff to keep their focus on conference! 

And that wraps up my lesson...

Download Lesson Pack HERE.

(contains a zipped folder. includes the lesson text, cheetos bag tag, "no-cheeting guide", and Personal Progress experience idea list)

Happy General Conference!

YW Welcome Bags

Whenever a new girl came into YW's, I remember feeling scattered and rushed to gather all the supplies, order a necklace, etc. so that she'd have some sort of welcome bag. 

So, we had our YW Class presidency put these together so we'd have a bunch on hand for when new girls enter YW's from primary or for convert baptisms. The YW Class president presents these on the first Sunday they are in YW's or at their baptism....

Inside:

YW Logo Necklace and chain
Strength of Youth Phamplet
Personal Progress Book
Personal Progress Journal
YW Theme Card
Chocolate
Yellow "Courage" Bracelet (which all our girls have from NB)

Now, it's one less thing "to-do" when I hear about a YW convert baptism or a new girl entering on her birthday.

You can download the tags we used by clicking and then saving:

YW Lesson: Honoring Your Parents

I'm posting this in hopes that some of you are still in the works of planning this young women lesson!
This is for Manual 1, Lesson 9: Honoring Your Parents.

I changed up the lesson from the manual a bit (a little rearranging, a few additions, a few subtractions...to best apply to my young women!) and created some handouts to help:

The lesson lists 11 ways for the girls to improve their relationship with their parents. This is a handout for them to fill out along with the chalkboard list. (My teaching degree and experience taught me that having students write things down in addition to seeing them visually helps them remember/apply what is being taught).

If you'd rather give your girls a filled out version, I will include that in the download pack as well.

Design Credit:
“Family Silhouette” courtesy of Kathy Ladle at The Latest Scoop, Too.  http://thelatestscooptoo.blogspot.com

Rustic Paper - courtesy of farfarhill.blogspot.com

At the end of my lesson, after a great quote about being true to your parents, I will have each girl fill out this Parent Award Certificate to present to their parents (one for each parent).

And finally, a handout and treat for each girl to take home!

I'll give each girl a handout and then pass around this pale of tootsie rolls so they can each grab a handful....

(JPEG file, use printer settings to print 4 per page, at 3.5" x 5" each)

The download pack for this lesson includes:

*My lesson text
*To Do List Handout (blank & filled)

*Parent Award Certificate
*Tootsie Roll Handout 

Download HERE (4Shared) or HERE (GoogleDocs)

YW New Beginnings - Real Heros: Women with Values

Last night was our 2012 New Beginnings...

(invite: formatted to 4x6 and printed as a photo)
(credit for PU hero girl: DesigZbydede)

We chose this theme for New Beginnings because we wanted the girls to gain a deeper understanding of their divine roles and the values (YW values) which will help them fulfill those roles ...and we looked to select women from the scriptures and church history as our examples and heros.

Each YW chose a woman from this set (from RealHeroPosters) to study.

Based on the woman they chose, each girl completed a two week study about their Hero. This was a "Scripture Hero Book" free download from The Redheaded Hostess! (Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! I just LOVE her!)

update: The Redheaded Hostess updated the packet for download HERE
She also sells an even newer version in a pre-printed Journal form HERE

We purchased the whole set of cards and each girl kept the card for their hero. There is a spot to tape it in the booklet so they can refer back to it.

The Scripture Hero Book is a fun workbook that contains a day-by-day study of their hero, principles of the gospel, how their hero would act in situations that the girls face today, and an application of how to become more like their scripture hero.

We simply downloaded the booklet from The Redheaded Hostess and had them printed at kinkos for each of our girls. We put them in a protected soft binder as shown.

The 2 Week Study

- Each leader was assigned to 1 or 2 girls to check up by phone every other day or so to see if the girls were keeping up with the study (remember, everyday for two weeks is a new assignment). This was a really great opportunity to get some one-on-one time with each girl to assess their learning, get to know them better, and see how their testimony was developing. Each leader fulfilled the assignment along with the girl she was assigned to.

- It ended being drug out a little longer than 2 weeks, as the girls couldn't keep up with their other school work and activities. We started the project 4 weeks before New Beginnings to be sure we'd have a buffer period. Good thing we did.

- This fulfilled a 10 Hour Value Project for each young women! It could be used for a few different values, but we chose Divine Nature.

- Once they completed the project, and before New Beginnings, we gave each girl this little sheet to fill out (so when it came time to present their hero, they wouldn't ramble or not know what to say!)



New Beginnings Program

Display

*11 x 17 Posters of each YW Value Hero Poster (again from RealHeroPosters) along with each
corresponding value below. (the girls pointed to their hero when it was their turn to speak).

Program Outline

YW President Talk:

This is something you'll need to cater to your exact program, but these were my comments:

This has been really wonderful to work with the young women on this Hero Project. It was certainly not an easy task for the girls--each day brought 1-2 pages of reading, answering questions, and thinking about their scripture hero for two weeks. And I know they are now probably the leading experts on those women in the scriptures... I am so proud of these girls. As leaders, we feel so blessed to be able to be in their presence so often.

We chose this theme for New Beginnings because we wanted the girls to gain a deeper understanding of their divine roles and the values which will help them fulfill those roles. And we looked to select women from the scriptures and church history as our examples and heros. Each of those women studied exemplified our young women values.

I was able to study Rebekah, alongside Danielle... and I grew particularly fond of this woman from the scriptures. I'm sure Rebekah never dreamed of the tremendous impact she would have on the world while simply but surely following promptings to give water to the man at the well. It was through this act of good works that she was led to be the wife of Isaac. Her and Isaac were parents to Jacob, or Israel....the father of the 12 tribes. Her individual worth was tremendous and she played a great role in helping to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenenant... Because of her righteousness, she was in the right place, at the right time. And we can certainly look to her as one of our heros!

The other women studied accomplished different, but equally divine roles. Young Women: you, like them, have divine roles to fulfill and you can look to women like these for help and inspiration... They are real heros, women with values. You can follow in the footsteps of these women who, with courage and faith, fulfilled their divine roles amidst trials and struggles of their own.

We want you to know, however, that Real heros are not only found in the scriptures. They can be found in your home, in your ward, at your school, in everyday life. Real heros make you want to be better than you are. Real heros lead you closer to the Savior. Real Heros help you realize that YOU are part of a bigger picture. You are His Daughter....

Slideshow:

Right after my talk, we had a powerpoint slideshow with pictures of our girls from activities, girls camp, trek, etc. taken this last year. We put it to the EFY Song, "I am His Daughter" which is incredibly beautiful and touching! This is the song if you want to listen:

At the end, we gave each girl her hero poster to take home...

and a yellow COURAGE bracelet...since it takes courage to live righteously like our Heroes!


Refreshments were simple, but perfect! Two of the counselors made these darling cupcakes in young women value colors and a punch.

It's so fun to participate in programs like these---Oh, how I LOVE serving in Young Women's!

You can download the PDF versions of the program outline and talk cheat sheets for the girls below:

YW in Excellence Program: "Standing as a Witness" Court Theme

I spent about 5 minutes just now trying to think of a clever way to introduce this... I tried to tweek the words of the intro statement from "Law and Order".... it wasn't clever at all. Lame. So you got that explanation instead.

This was our YW in Excellence Program from 2010.

...........................................

Our girls were being accused of standing as witnesses of Christ.

We put out WANTED flyers (around the church bulletin boards, in the YW room, etc.) to announce the public trial to ward members.

The girls were subpoenaed to appear in court:

Of course, we called a jury (parents and bishopric members) and they were subpoenaed, too...

(It's very similar, but has a few wording changes). The bottom portion is supposed to be torn off and returned as an RSVP.

Then, the court was called to order.

Each of my counselors took the role of either judge, prosecutor, or defense attorney, and I gave a "testimony" as the YW President.

The script lays it all out for you... (and you can download it below)

In the end, the girls got busted. Found GUILTY for standing for truth and righteousness. You know, we try SO hard as leaders to teach them, and then they go and do something like this...
it just makes us so............. proud. :)

At the end of the program, the YW sang "I Will Stand as a Witness" by Janice Kapp Perry. It's a perfect song for the program because it talks aout "testifying" of Him and standing as a "witness". The music can be purchased from the sheet music book: Let the Holy Spirit Guide.

We had practiced for weeks before...but we don't have a piano in our YW room, so I recorded myself playing so the girls could have the accompaniment when we practiced. Here's a little preview if you wanna listen: (as long as you promise not to laugh at my mistakes!)

The girls LOVED this YWIE program and still talk about it....2 years later! The script is funny and entertaining, but also gives the girls a moment to shine as the wonderful girls and followers of Christ that they are!

If you think your girls are guilty of the same crime, take 'em to trial! You can download the full script below...

(I cannot offer the other items for download because they have dates, pictures, ward name, etc....but if you're interested in a customized version just for your YWIE program, send me an email. I can offer it at low-cost. lifedesigncraft@live.com)

Court Adjourned!

YW Newsletters

If you're a YW leader, you might relate to this. I tend to get phone calls Wednesday afternoons and evenings before the YW activity, asking: "What are we doing tonight?" (the activity announcement on Sunday apparently doesn't cut it)

We started making newsletters for Young Womens last year to help our girls/their parents, the bishopric and us as leaders to keep track of activities, events, and other fun stuff (this has cut down on those Wednesday night phone calls & texts).

Although I wanted the newsletters to be creative and different each time, I didn't want to spend all sorts of time coming up with a new format each time! I created a basic template and tweek it each time with different digital papers, embellishments, and sometimes a slightly different arrangement.

Here are the last few newsletters based on the same template...

We don't have many girls, so it's not too costly for us to print them at Kinkos so each girl can have a colorful newsletter to take home.

Here's the template I created:

***PLEASE READ***
1. This is a PHOTOSHOP file. You must have Photoshop software installed on your computer in order to use this download.
2. It is a greyscale template...no pretty papers or page elements (decorations). You will need to fill in those elements (I cannot share the completed newsletters because I have downloaded (for free or purchase) those cute elements but I am not licensed to share them digitally for copyright reasons.
3. The download is a large file so I had to ZIP the file, which means you will have to unzip it. To do so, go to the location you downloaded the file. Then, right click on the file name and click "unzip" or "extract files" or something to that effect. Then it will create a new folder which is unzipped and you can open the template in photoshop.

...if you have read and understand the above, you can download the Photoshop Template HERE!

Enjoy! :)

..........................................................

Need help with your photoshop template? HERE is a basic tutorial
Need cute papers and elements? Trying downloading from one of my favorite sources: Quality DigiScraps

Angry MORMON Birds: Youth Activity

My friend and Young Women counselor, Melanie, planned this super fun combined youth activity last week.

The "kids these days" are obsessed with Angry Birds (okay who'm I kidding? kids, adults, my husband...they're all obsessed with it)... so she incorporated a Book of Mormon scripture search contest into this popular quirky game.

(The following is a quick narrative with pictures, but you can download the full game instructions and rules at the end of the post.)

She made the pigs and birds herself...homemade bean bags!

We had the youth and leaders collect boxes well before the activity so we'd have a variety of sizes and shapes for setting up the structure.

We split the youth into 2 teams and had them come up with a team name. Then, the 1st team started it off with a scripture search...

They drew Book of Mormon trivia questions from a bowl and were allowed to use their scriptures to answer. They had only 3 minutes and could answer up to 5 questions (but each question had to be answered correctly before drawing a new question).

The number of questions they got right were the number of pigs/green balls they got to set-up in their box structures for the next team to try to knock over.

Next, they got to work building their structure within a marked off area (following certain rules previously established). They could use as many boxes as they wanted, make it as tall as they wanted, and put the green balls/pigs wherever they wanted as long as it was possible for them to actually fall.

While they were busy building, the other team was now answering questions, only they were accruing red balls/birds. The more they got, the more chances they had at knocking down the box structure and the green balls/pigs hidden within.

When that 3 minutes was up, it was time for the birds to knock over the pigs!

The designated shooter(s) would aim and shoot, while the rest of the team was next to the box structure telling the shooter where to aim! (sort of like "zooming in" on the real game).

We had a sling shot, but it broke half-way through, so the youth just used their hands to throw/shoot from then on. It worked just as well.

If this team knocked down all the pigs/green balls to the floor, then they'd get 2 points on the board.

That ended the round...then, it started all over...in reverse order. The previous red ball team was now the green pig team and answered questions first.

The team which had the most points on the board was the winning team. (points for each question answered correctly and any points for knocking down all the pigs)

We played until time was out and then served cookies. It was a fun activity! Thanks, Mel, for letting me share!

You can download the:

Book of Mormon Angry Birds: Prep & Rules and Trivia Questions & Answers HERE (It's a zipped file, so you'll need to unzip it/extract files on your computer first)

Heads Up:

There are TWO great giveaways going on now!

Monogrammed Silver & Pearl Necklace at Love Actually Blog (thru 1/29)
My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software HERE (thru 1/30)

YW Fundraiser & Ward Western Night

The Young Women were trying to raise money for Girls Camp (and fundraisers for Girls Camp are acceptable), so the girls and leaders put together this ward activity (which would involve more people = more money).

Ward Western Night & Auction

It was a blast... Here are all the details!

POSTER & FLYER:

We printed two of these in large poster size to go on an easel in each foyer. We also printed 4x6's as flyers/handouts/reminders for the Relief Society and Elders Quorum.

DECOR:

- An entry table with mini hay bales (from Michael's), cactus cutouts. This is where members would registration for the auction and pick up their number stick (to hold up during the auction).

- Burlap (brown, red, and tan) squares covered the round tables

- On each table: a basket lined with a red bandanna with chips in it and a salsa bowl (from Dollar Tree)

CHILI COOK-OFF:

Members signed up in advance to bring chili and then we had them register once they showed up. (so each chili was assigned a letter for people to vote after eating). We also had cornbread and honey. The YW provided lemonade. The winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd) were given prizes at the end of the night.

A soup ladle was 1st place, bottle of hot sauce was 2nd, and a jar of salsa was 3rd. The best corn bread was given a bottle of honey.

The cases of root beer were awarded to the "best linedancer" and ...something else I don't remember. :)

AUCTION:

We asked (in advance) ward members to donate items or services for the live auction. We were surprised when people who hadn't signed up for this actually brought things that night to donate. The live auction raised over $1,000 (which was enough to send our girls to Girls Camp for several years before another fundraiser was needed).

Members were given numbered sticks, which our girls made before, to help with bidding.

Ward members were very generous, which was really nice! Well, sorta. I was involved in the auction, so my husband was doing all the bidding. He bid on a cake and a platter of cookies for $65!! (I was a bit disappointed to find out that, while the treats were tasty, they were not made of gold.) haha... :)

KIDS GAMES:

The young women rallied up the kids to play some western games: 3 legged races, Pin-The-Tail-on-the-Pony, and a "Wild West Shootout" with a rubber band gun. (you can grab my printable to cover the cans over at Love Actually)

All the kids were given the same prize: a sheriff's badge (from the dollar store). They loved it!

LINE DANCING:

For one of our Wednesday night YW activities before this, we taught the YW 2 popular line dances so that they could teach ward members who wanted to participate that night.

That's it, y'all!