lesson 32/ Manual 1

Lesson 32 ~ Personal Purity through Self discipline

Brother Holland's talk on Personal Purity covers the "why's" and would be a great addition to this lesson. I know it always helped me understand a principle when I knew the why behind it.

I would begin my lesson with this video. 

HERE is the link to YouTube for the video. 

This is the video that they shared at our girls camp and i LOVED it!!! So cute and makes such a good point. 

You can then do the same thing for the girls so they get a first hand experience of what it feels like to wait for something better. Then at the end of the lesson have the cupcake wrapped in a box like in the video. Also attach a quote from the lesson or use  "when we exercise self control, we will receive "sweet" rewards".

And so my theme for the lesson would be cupcakes. 

You can find the cupcake boxes at either Hobby Lobby or I believe Michael's or you can find them online 

This one can be found here

And this one can be found here

I love this Mormon add. How many times do we rationalize things so that we don't feel guilty. 

This Mormon ad reminds me of a story I've heard but can't give credit for because I can't remember where exactly I heard it. Anyway the story goes that there was a family, and in this family there were some teens. One day they wanted to go see this movie and their dad asked them what it was about and if it was appropriate. They told him about the movie, how the best actors were in this movie and how the plot was amazing and that there was maybe a little of "this" (swearing) and a little of "that" (sex) in the movie and that it wasn't that big of a deal. So they dad said well let me think about it and I'll get back to you. Well to teach his children an important lesson he made a batch of brownies. He followed the recipe but added just a little bit of dog poo in it. He then met with his kid again and said that if they would eat this brownie he would let them see the movie. He told them about how he used the best chocolate in it and that it was baked perfectly but it may have a little bit of dog poo in it. 

What a great illustration of how just a little of anything inappropriate can ruin some thing and that you would never put something like that in your body. 

I would also put cupcakes on my quotes and stories I would have the girls read. I've seen cupcake shaped lip gloss in the $ section at Michael's that would be cute as well. 

Have a great lesson

Lesson 31/Manual 1

Group Activities: A basis for wise dating

Oh the joys of dating. There were some good ideas out there on where to go with this lesson. My favorite and the one I'm going to base this lesson on was "Try all the flavors before you decide on your favorite" which I found here.

Of course I plan so much better when I have a theme within my lesson. So ice cream it is!!

How do we know what we like in a guy if we only date one? We need to have lots of different experiences with dating and the best way to experience more than one guy is to group date. We may realize we like our ice cream a little nutty and are kind of bored with plain vanilla. : )

I loved this quote from Robert. D. Hales: “Friends are people who make it easier to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.”¹ Date young men who make you want to be a better person. “Be your best self” so you can be a good influence to those you date. 

Those are the kind of people you want to date, friends. 

This came from a great talk by the YW general pres. on advice to YW on dating. Would be a great 

addition to the lesson. 

Something else that I would address in this lesson is "hanging out" and how that is different from dating  

but that we still need to be careful and sometimes avoid it. This talk by Brad Wilcox would be a great 

reference for teaching this.

Ok for a little treat to go with my quotes and scriptures you could do those ice cream cone pop up toys. 

You push that button on the side and the ice cream pops off, do you remember those?  I bet you could 

find something like this at the dollar store.

or if you're feeling really creative you could do these cake pop ice cream cones. Make cake pops and cut the tips off of sugar cones, dip your cake ball in pink chocolate melts let set, drizzle chocolate melts over top and add a pink or red candy "cherry" on top. 

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Or you could make ice cream cone suckers. I found this mold on Amazon for $1.70

some brown chocolate melts for the cone and any or many color melts for the ice cream. Cute!!

For a hand out I would do the cupcakes in a cone. 

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Here are instructions on how to make them by Betty Crocker.

Maybe even make them a Neapolitan ice cream cupcake by mixing three different batters

can't find where I got this image from originally, sorry

Then of course you want to package them up cute. I loved the dipped cones as well as the cute bow. 

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I've made a tag you can attach to these cute cones as well as a group date idea sheet. 

download this tag here

download this sheet here

And just for something fun I found this cute "dating application" you could give to each of your girls. And in all seriousness these are some legitimate questions you should be asking. 

here's the application

*Also please let me know if you aren't able to download my printables and I will email you a copy directly. Be sure you email me by Saturday night before your lesson so I can get it to you in time, I have early church. : ) My email is on my side bar. 

Have a great lesson!

Lesson 30/Manual 1

Lesson 30 Service

So many fun things to do with this lesson. I got some great ideas from Sugardoodle, some of my favorites are: 

First was this great handout idea about doing all you "can". 

She made a label and attached it to a soup can. I would take it one step further and make that can into a treat can. I've done these cans before as a Visiting teaching treat for my ladies. 

here is the can I made

and here's where I learned to do them.

What you do is cut off the bottom of the can and empty and clean it out then refill it with treats and reseal the bottom back on. Be sure to use pop top cans and for the lesson I would find the small cans, like lunch snack size. 

The label from Sugardoodle read:

Do all the GOOD you can
By all the MEANS you can
In all the WAYS you can
To all the PEOPLE you can
At all the TIMES you can
For as LONG as you can

Helping comes in CANS not in CAN’TS
May your cupboard be filled with CANS!!

* Updated 7/26/12~ I've created a can label that should fit the small fruit cans. If it's too big just trim to fit, too small and you can back it with a solid paper first. 

you can download it here

* update~ I've added a new label because the white writing is too hard to see when you print them out. 

I also found a great little story about service from This 'n' That

The story goes: 

One day a man said to God, “God, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.

God showed the man two doors. Inside the first one, in the middle of the room, was a large round table with a large pot of stew. It smelled delicious and made the man’s mouth water, but the people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. God said, "You have seen Hell."

Behind the second door, the room appeared exactly the same. There was the large round table with the large pot of wonderful stew that made the man's mouth water. The people had the same long-handled spoons, but they were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The man said, "I don't understand."

God smiled. “It is simple,” He said, “Love only requires one skill. These people learned early to feed one another. Those who are hungry are greedy people, and they think only of themselves.

It would be cute to attach this little parable to a cute wooden spoon. I found some ideas for decorating a wooden spoon. 

                                                   Tape off the handle and paint stripes

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Just dip the handles in bright colors. 

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you could also use some ribbon and twirl it around the handle. This is a spoon I made for a Christmas treat and you could see that you could attach the story and maybe a little treat. 

A great object lesson on how we give our service, is it with a grudge or with a smile?

source

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Display nice cake. Ask who would like a piece. Sometimes no one will take a piece as they smell a rat! I'll then cut a nice piece for one of the leaders - given on the china with a nice napkin and fork. They usually tell me how tasty it is and then the girls all want a piece. I then slash a hunk of cake off ;and toss it in the paper napkin squishing it a bit and handing it over without a smile. The object is how it's how we serve not what we serve. The cake is the same cake but tasted so much better when served in a kind thoughtful, manner.

I've actually seen this done and it leaves a big impact. 

There was also this great idea of leaving a calling card after you've done an act of service.

I've made up a card you can print out and give a few to the girls to leave behind after they've done a good deed. 

you can download this card here

I also have found some great sites with ideas for service. 

This one has 52 great ideas. I would print out the list and give it to the girls with the sneaky service calling cards. 

This one was more geared toward Christmas time but you could adapt some of her ideas

I always like to break up the lesson a bit with a video so they can hear someone else testify to what it is I'm trying to teach. This is a great video by Pres. Monson that I would use. 

Definitely read the additional resources on the side bar of the lesson, so many good talks to take from. 

Hope I was helpful and please don't feel you need to do it all just take what works for you. 

Have a wonderful lesson!

*if you have trouble downloading my printables please email me at the email address on my sidebar and I would be happy to get them to you directly. : )

lesson 28/ Manual 1

 Lesson 28~ Resisting Sin

So many good object lessons to go along with this lesson. Makes me think of so many ways that Satan tries to make sin look appealing. 

One line from the lesson that stood out was this "“In all his evil doings, the adversary can go no further than the transgressor permits him to go,"   Which reminded me of this parable of the camel

 One day an Arab and his camel were crossing the desert. Night came and the temperature became colder. The Arab put up his tent and tied the camel to it. The Arab went to sleep.

The temperature became slightly colder and the camel asked the Arab if he (camel) could just put his nose in the tent to warm up. The Arab agreed that the camel could just put his nose in, because the tent was small and there was no room for 2. So the camel's nose became warm and after a while the temperature went down even more.
The camel asked the Arab again, if he (camel) could just put his fore legs in because they were very cold. The Arab reluctantly agreed that the camel could only put his fore legs in and no more. So the camel moved in his fore legs and they became warm. After sometime the camel asked the Arab again that he had to put in his hind legs or else he won't be able to make the journey the next morning with frozen legs. So the Arab agreed and once the camel moved his hind legs in, there was no more room in the tent for the Arab and the Arab was kicked out.

There are some great talks on the side bar for helps for this lesson, be sure to read those. 

For a treat to attach to the stories and quotes I have the girls read I would use gummy worms (part of the lure thing)

Maybe even add this small Mormon Add card

One of the object lessons I found that I really like was the onion and the apple lesson. 

dip both an apple in caramel and an onion in caramel as well as add chocolate, maybe some nuts or sprinkles, make them both look very appealing. Have a volunteer try the apple and then see if she'd be willing to try the other not knowing it's an onion. It shouldn't be hard with all the extras on the onion.  Now depending on how strong of a point you want to make you can either let them bit into it or stop them and cut into it. I would cut into it with my girls but I might let one of the young men bite it if using it to teach them. : ) ( I have brothers)

explain how it looked so appealing how Satan makes sin look so appealing and that it will only leave a bad taste in our mouth and really not be enjoyable at all. 

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If you were using this object lesson I would have a good caramel apple for each girl for a handout at the end of the lesson. 

The next object lesson I found illustrates how we should avoid sin and not play around with how close we can come to actually sinning. 

set a rat trap on table. Have a girl set it off with a pencil. Offer her the stubby one and the long one. The pencil shatters. Next, set trap on floor. Ask for volunteer to walk by it. When YW volunteers, have her take off her shoes and put on a blindfold. (Smart ones refuse; adventurous ones get talked out of it by everyone.)

source

My favorite story I found to go with this lesson was on Sugardoodle. It's a story told by Ardeth G. Kapp called The Tragedy at Rayad. I would really recommend this one. You can read it here

If using this story I would give chocolate chip cookies packaged up cute for my handout

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Another handout idea would be to make a fish hook out of a paper clip and hook on a small zip lock baggie filled with gummy worms. I've made a baggie topper you can print and attach if you'd like. 

you can download it here.

have a great lesson!!

*if you have trouble downloading any of my printables please email me at the address on my side bar and I would be happy to get them to you directly. : )

lesson 27/manual 1

Lesson 27~ Scripture Study

So many good things to go along with this lesson. 

First of course I need something to put with my quotes and scriptures that I have the girls do during the lesson. 

I love "Find Joy in the scriptures" (attach a mini Almond Joy) and it would be perfect to go on the quotes.

I found a video through Sugardoodle that I would use during the lesson. It's Elder Holland testifying of the importance of scriptures here's where you can find it.

I also found through Sugardoodle a Spiritual Directory that would be perfect for the girls to attach to the front page of their scriptures

here's where you can get it.

As for a handout I had a couple things come to mind. At the end of the lesson is a bookmark of a key for each of the girls to write down when they will study their scriptures. I would do it a little differently. I have seen old fashioned keys at craft stores in the scrapbooking section. I would use a key and attach a tag with the quote from the book mark from the lesson and a place where they could write down when they planned on  studying their scriptrues.

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I have also seen chocolate key molds that you could attach the part of the lesson that gives the steps for studying. 

image source and where you can purchase the mold

1. Pray always before you begin to read the scriptures. Slow your mind down and be free from this world. Also, pray all the while you read—as certain concepts of the gospel illuminate your soul or as you have questions. Don’t hesitate to call upon your Father.

1. Keep a paper and pencil handy while you read. This is a stimulating activity, and often goals, exciting ideas, or original thoughts will creep into a stale mind.

Go slowly! This study is not a race. No longer do you have to finish a prescribed number of chapters before you go to bed. Spend several days with a single chapter or verse. Memorize scripture and it will bloom with hidden meanings you hadn’t been cognizant of, meanings pertinent to your life today.

Ask questions as you read the scriptures. … Question and then call upon the Lord. As I questioned, the doors of my heart unfolded and left room for the Holy Ghost to dwell in me.

Stop many times during the day and ponder the single thought that you have searched out in depth. For instance, consider the truth ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ Repeat the scripture, question your every action, and keep the thought with you on a small card.

For an object lesson I would have some kind of candy on a small plate (enough for the class plus one or two more) I would have the class look at the candy, see how good it looks. Then I would shove on piece in my mouth and chew it up really quick and swallow. I would then ask if they thought I really enjoyed that? Then I would take another piece and eat it in small bites and savor every bite. Which way do you think I enjoyed the most, got the most pleasure from? Of course by taking my time and really enjoying is so much better, like reading our scriptures. Do we do it quickly to get it done or do we savor what we read? 

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Another idea for a handout is a ribbon bookmark with a key charm tied on the end that they can keep in their scriptures. 

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here's a resource on how to make ribbon bookmarks

image source and where you can purchase the charm

Have a wonderful lesson!!

Girls Camp 2012~ our camp

What an amazing week I had at Girls Camp.  I laughed, sang, cried, sang some more, and hiked.

As I've said in a previous post our theme was the general theme for the youth this year, Arise and Shine Forth. Our stake had each ward randomly draw a song title from a hat and that song title was then our ward's theme at camp. We also learned three more songs to sing as a whole group while at camp.

Each night at flag the ward in charge sang their song as part of the flag cerimony. It was wonderful to hear each ward sing their song and help bring the spirit into camp. 

Our ward's song was Lighthouse in the Night and so we went for a nautical theme. Here are a few things I did to cute up our camp site. 

I found these cute hooks at Michaels in their dollar bins. I hung quotes I had printed out on them on a couple of trees in our camp site. 

These were the girls mailboxes for their secret sister gifts. One of our camp leaders made the fence and the cans to hang on the fence. 

Another one of the camp leaders had her husband make this lighthouse to be placed at the entrance to our camp site. All the stars you see stuck to it represent an act of service one of the girls provide. Each night at flag each ward would turn in how many stars their ward had gotten for the day and we would see the grand total for the camp for the day. It was a great motivation for the girls to look for ways to help out while we were there.  And yes it actually lit up at night, very cool. : )

This is our wards flag that one of our YW designed and did. Amazing.

 The Saturday before camp actually started we headed up to set up tents and pop up covers and cots so that when we got up there on Tuesday we could get right into what they had planned. So I took the opportunity to measure off where I wanted to put the pennents and then went home that night and glued on the pre-measured twine all the fabric I had already cut out. I LOVED how it looked and so did the girls. 

This was a huge impact with little effort. I had gotten four 2yd pieces of fabric adn pinned it up inside the pop up with corsage pins and then tied it back with some cute ribbon. Will be doing this again next year for sure. 

inside that big pop up I strung more of the pennents.

I also made this banner for the front of our large pop up, unfortunately it didn't survive the wind very well. Although it did make it three days before three of the letters blew off. 

 here are the fabric streamers I did I love the effect and the pop of color it brought to our campsite. My husband said it looked like it should go in a circus tent, I can see that but it worked for this as well. 

We were blessed with sunshine all week and it was beautiful. Unfortunately we were also blessed with really strong winds. When we went back up on Tuesday we had lost a smaller pop up cover which was mangled by the wind, and a tent. The wind was so strong that it blew the tent into the campsite across the way, two cots and four storage bins included. The cots had actually ripped through the side of the tent on it's way over. Seriously crazy wind. Luckily we didn't have any more damage the rest of the week, unfortunately other wards did. 

But wind aside it was a wonderful week and I am blessed to have been able to go and experience it with the young women of our ward.