Mid-Week Activities centered around...
Individual Worth
 

  This is an activity we did for Individual Worth Goal  #7  - Ahead of time we bought inexpensive colored gift bags. We used a die cutter and cut out millions of tags (our tag die had a hole in the top). We also purchased little rings (not the kind for fingers, but the kind for putting through holes in paper). We also cut some tags in cute patterned paper. It wasn’t necessary but I made a little label for each girl that had their name.  The night of the activity we read the scriptures together from the personal progress book. Then the girls each decorated a bag for themselves using markers. The girls and leaders used the tags to write little notes to each other. We put the notes in the bags. Each girl got a ring to bind her notes together. There were also tags for covers. They picked covers, applied labels and whala, a book of happy thoughts.  To help jazz up the activity we had a chocolate fountain.  We solicited and distributed notes from the parents previously. (LeNore Merritt / ga11132006)

Individual Worth Cake Activity - Assign each girl to bring a different ingredient. At the activity discuss how each person is important and when they aren't there they are missed.  Put the ingredients together and make the cake, even if someone is missing.   Make a cake prior to the activity (as a backup) to show them how it really would of turned out if all were present.

Cake Decorating and Individual Worth - Depending on time and resources you could ask your girls to bring a small baked cake with them.  Then have a bunch of questions about each other. Then they could turn the answers in for little bags of decorations and frosting. When they were finished with their cakes, talk with the girls about their individual worth.  Ask them if they all decorated their cakes the same?  Why or why not?  All of them are beautiful and sweet...just like them.  Cut up and serve the cakes.

One of a kind by Trisha Rogers

My Life in a Jar by Ondrea Slade

Alphabet Soup by Shelley Clines

"Each One of Us is Unique"

Goals - First we talked about how to set goals. Then each girl made a list of dreams for the future--especially the important ones--and we talked about how to make little goals to achieve them. Then we put together collages of the dreams with pictures from magazines.  They loved this!  This activity goes along with Personal Progress, Individual Worth #2.  (Idea by Carrie Lisonbee)

Have you ever had a Wilbur day?

Ladybug Luncheon
 

Self-Esteem - "I brought the girls downstairs to my television room and we had popcorn and soda and I had them watch a video of "Johnny Lingo" that the church has out on tape. I didn't tell them what they were going to watch, and asked them not to talk during the film.  Afterwards we gathered back together upstairs, and talked about what we thought the movie was about. Some had some insightful ideas, and questions about the facts of the story, and the moral to be learned.  Then we talked about self-esteem and whether or not other people influence how we feel about ourselves and what we might be able to do about that. We talked about the fact that beauty is what is inside not just the outside of ourselves. We talked about how to treat both ourselves and other people too.  Then for a concluding craft, we had small mirrors that we made fun foam frames for and decorated with sequins. So that they would be able to look at themselves and reflect on their self-esteem. It was a very successful time and the girls really seemed to enjoy it."  (Idea by Carisa Barnett)  ALSO: Here is an invitation idea from YW Connection (check out the link...it has more great ideas).
 

Santa's Lost and Found

The Sharing Time Booklet

Sock it to me

Progressive Dinner - This is an excellent idea especially with a new presidency.  Each leader has one of the dinner courses at their house.  In addition to what food is prepared, the leaders each prepare a poster with pictures of themselves.  After the leader shares the pictures the girls would play one of the leader’s favorite games.  The girls do the same at each of the leaders homes.  The leaders express their individual worth and it helps everyone grow closer.

Pretty in Pink - The leaders and class presidency plan a three-week event to help the girls learn to love each girl in the class and to make new friends within the class.  The “Pretty in Pink” kick-off is a motivational and inspiring evening where everything is done in pink.  First have the young women read two scriptures:  John 15: 9, 12 and Matthew 25:40.  Then watch the video called “The Award.”  Explain the “Pretty in Pink” program to all the girls.  The young women choose out of a pink basket a pink plastic egg that has a name of one of the girls in the class inside.  That girl would become her special friend for one week.  The girls are given a calendar of the month with ideas of things they could do together listed for each week or they cane make up their own ideas.  The only requirement is that they do something!  Give the girls a bookmark to use all month to remind them to make their new friends a part of their life.  Serve pink cake and pink raspberry frappe.  The next week at Mutual the girls choose another name.  Use a small card with the words “This week will be MOUNDS of fun with your new friend __________.”  Wrap a fun-size Mounds candy bar in pink cellophane.  The next week they choose another name.  At the end of the third week, host a “Pretty in Pink Ending Party.”  Share the scripture John 15:13 and show the video “The Last Leaf”.  Each girl should come prepared to spotlight her three new friends by telling all the things she learned about them.  Once again, all pink refreshments must be served.  It is a great bonding exercise for the whole class.

Water Olympics - Several stations are set and the youth are divided into groups and rotated into each station to play water games.  Of course the evening ends in a giant water fight.  Some examples of the stations are:  volleyball with teams holding a sheet or towel to toss the big water balloon back and forth over the net; transporting youth in a wheel barrow to a chair to a chair in a team relay race where they must pop a water balloon by sitting on it; pouring a cup of water into another cup of water over your shoulder to the person behind you without looking.  Continue this relay down the line of your team to see which team can get the most water in a bucket at the end of the line.  Other relay races are:  water balloon between the knees, water balloon toss, anything that is wet is fun!

That’s Entertainment! - Decorate with red, black and white balloons.  Make black cardboard top hats for the tables.  Serve simple appetizers and 7-up.  Show video clips that have been taken throughout the year of the young men and young women.  Choose a few categories and make Academy Awards by spray-painting kewpie dolls gold and attaching them to a wood base.

Getting to Know You - If you would like to get to know the young women better and help them get to know each other, try this one.  The young women rotate to three different rooms:  first, this room has baby pictures of the young women and everyone has to guess who they are; the second room has a young woman trivia game where you have to guess which young woman did the crazy or exciting things from stories that leaders have collected from parents and siblings; the third room has all kinds of hearts for the girls to write notes of appreciation to their leaders (or their previous leaders if this is a new presidency).  Everyone meets together at the end and tell the girls the answers to the games.

Understanding the Limitations of a Handicap - Young women rotate to different rooms where they experience or try to experience different handicaps.  1)  wheelchair obstacle course (timed while open/shut door, pick things up, write on board, etc.); 2) learn sign language—someone teaches the girls to sign a song (no one can talk in the room); 3) blindfold obstacle course—have to step up on item like the curb using a stick to guide, get around furniture, etc.); 4) race and other activities using a walker, cane, and crutches.  End the activity by having a woman who works with handicapped children talk to the girls about the value of each and every person regardless of appearance, etc.  If possible have handicapped youth there to share some experiences and answer questions.