Our young women have been going to the Temple
about once a month and I record the names of the people they are baptised
for and then I type them up and give them to the young women to put in
their book of remembrances or journals. As I was typing up the names,
I thought it would be nice to type some of the names that each of the girls
have been baptised for and put them up in our room and as they are coming
in the room ask them if they know who these people are. I would then
like to do some type of activity to help them realize the importance of
staying worthy to attend the temple and how important these baptisms are.
Karan Burns
Our ward has what we call
"the value bear" He is a cute, brown bear that each month the girls
take turns dressing him in the value color! The girl that dresses our bear
also gives the value lesson (spiritual thought) for the month. The
bear then is displayed throughout the month until the next month when he
will get a new look!
The girls love it!!!
We've all done activities
like changing tires and oil in the car so the girls can learn "knowledge."
We decided to do something a little different and the girls really enjoyed
it. We have some men in our ward who love to fish and have a lake
nearby so we decided to ask them to come to an activity and share their
knowledge of fishing with the girls. They did it in short form and
them we let them fish (we held the activity at the lake) They really had
a good time and learned alot and didn't even mind cleaning the fish!
We decided to freeze them and teach them how to cook them next month.
We just had a Young Womanhood
Recognition night and did something neat for the girls. They really
liked it so I wanted to pass it along. We handed each girl a piece
of stationary (8 1/2 x 11 size) one for each girl getting the award and
asked them to write something about each girl. Some really neat letters
were written - we made binders for them and added some sheets of journal
paper so they could write down some of their memories from Young Women.
They were presented at the recognition night. (We used YW clip art
and made our own stationary - it was run off on parchment and really looked
nice)
We are going to have a book review of "As I Have Loved
You" It has been out for about one year and talks of the experiences
a Young girl had while in the concentration camps. She has only one
treasure and that is a special doll. At the end of the war, she has
lost her family and everything. She finds her nanny who had taken
care of her before the war only to find that the family jewels had been
sewn into the doll stuffing and were there for her to begin a new life.
We are going to have the mothers join us and help the girls make their
own rag dolls and for the personal progress goals they accomplish this
year, they will receive their own jewels (in the colors of the values)
to place in the pocket of their dolls.
We have presented
a different value each month and have asked different people in our ward
to present the value lesson. We have incorporated the value color
with the lesson in hopes that as they see the color in their every day
life they will recognize the value it goes with. This also has allowed
the girls to get to know some of the other sisters in Relief Society.
We have different colored table cloths for each value and also a poster
of the value statement that we recite after the theme each Sunday.
R.
Robbins - Pocatello, Idaho Each time the YW complete
a value we gave them a wooden heart painted in the value color. They
were about 1 inch in diameter. When they had the completed set the
1st four hearts are turned upside down and the last 3 are right side up
to sit on top. It's really cute and the girls loved them.
At the beginning of this year, we
bought an "electric" candle (battery-operated with a Christmas lightbulb
as the "flame") for each girl. Each month, as the new monthly value is
introduced, a bulb in the color of the value is passed out to each girl,
so she can put it on her candle and be reminded of the value!
Each month for the first seven months, make a simple quilt block for
the monthly value. Once a month for the last five months, piece together
and tie the quilts! If they are done simply, each girl can have one!
With each value having a designated color, we use that month's value
color as a table cloth and we also have little poems that tell what that
color stands for. This helps the girls think more about that month's value.
Our ward does a monthly interview with the young women, one on one,
to track their progress and encourage continued work in their personal
progress books. It also helps us to become acquainted with each girl on
a person level, and bond friendships with them.
Brenda - Lee's Summit, Missouri
In a ward I visited recently they had thoughts for the theme of
that month. On their birthday they are presented with a binder to put all
their thoughts into. The binder was nicely put together with the Young
Women's Theme on the front, with ribbons representing the different values.
In our branch of about 7 Young Women, we made signs for each value.
We painted pictures that had something to do with each value. Then we attached
a piece of string or yarn and used it for the correct month. We all had
something we were proud of.
Maggie Wittwer - Las Vegas,
New Mexico
We had a big kickoff to start the Values cyle all over again with
the theme "Aspire Higher". We used hot air balloon decorations with the
value colors (of course) and a picture of each girl on the balloon. Each
leader came into the room dressed in her corresponding color, holding baloons
of that color and a banner with that value on it (made previously by a
Laurel). Each leader talked about some of the long range goals a girl could
have for that particular value (mission, career, college degree, etc).
We told the girls that they have 2 books to help them with setting and
achieving goals...their personal progress book and the scriptures! Then
we gave them a special bookmark we had made that had "Aspire Higher" written
on one side, the 7 values written on the other side and 7 colored ribbons
coming out of the end that they could use to mark 7 scriptures at one time.
It was a big hit!
Trina Boice
- Alpharetta, Georgia
For New Beginnings we gave out a wooden doll that stood on a base
of seven hearts. Each month as the girls did their Personal Progress we
gave them clothing for their doll. We gave out slips, dresses, socks, shoes,
bonnets, Bibles, Personal Progress books, veils, value color bows for bonnets,
aprons, pantaloons and perl necklaces. This was a great motivator for the
girls.
Kristi Jolley
- Las Vegas, Nevada
Every month we have a different value as a theme. At the front
of our Young Women's Room, on the table, is a colored tablecloth and a
poster of the value. Every Fast Sunday, at the begining of the month, a
special speaker comes into Young Women's and gives a devotional on the
meaning of the value for that month.
Natalie Cook
- Logan, Utah
Keeping with the theme this year, we had a brother in the ward
make tiny handcarts that the girls assembled with the help of their fathers
for an activity night. We then purchased and had girls paint miniatures
to go into their cart: a bible painted white for faith, a candlestick,
rolling pen, etc., painted the color of the value they represent. At a
combined lesson, the hardcart idea was presented: The pioneers were allowed
only to bring their most valued possessions with them, items that would
serve them well. We also on our journey in life will have a successful
journey only if we take with us the things that are most important, our
values. It was a 35 minute presentation and this is only a synopsis, but
then the girls were challenged, starting with faith, to pass off two values
each month. Our tablecloths and activities for that month go along with
that particular value. The first Sunday of the next month the girls achieving
the goal receive the miniature to put in their handcart.
Tami Stephens
- Kaysville, Utah
