Printable Georgetown Photo Scavenger Hunt

In the summertime, it's fun to mix things up and have a mutual activity that we wouldn't normally be able to do on a school night.  My Laurels decided that an excursion to Georgetown would be just the ticket for our last summer mutual before our stake's family friendly month kicked in.  We'd explore a little together, then get a treat.    I researched at length to find a pre-made scavenger hunt that we could use as our framework for exploring,  but all I could find were hunts created by tour companies that charged for them.  So I decided to create one myself and share it here on the blog....easily printable and totally free!    Perfect for youth groups, families, and tourists!    

We  just had a great time just exploring Georgetown together, but  for larger groups you could split into teams and add a competitive element to it.   Either way, this would  make for a fun family home evening activity for YSAs or families with older kids in the DC area.      Have fun!    

Georgetown Photo Scavenger Hunt by Lara Goold

#ShareGoodness YW activity

We recently had a very fun mutual night activity that the young women really enjoyed.  They made "Share Goodness" posters for all the young men in our ward, where on each poster was a picture of the young man surrounded by sincere compliments that the young women had written.   They made 27 posters and presented them at the end of church the following Sunday.   

We kept the activity a total secret beforehand, so that the girls had no idea what we were doing and thereby couldn't accidentally ruin the surprise for the boys.    

We completed the following prep work beforehand:

1.  Bought white posterboard, half sheet per boy

2.  got a bunch of colored sharpies

3.  Took and/or collected pictures of all the boys (I took some at mutual, collected some from Facebook, and others from parents)

4.  cut the posterboards in half

 At mutual, we first watched this video:    

Then we introduced the activity by telling them that we were going to "Share Goodness" with the Young Men by making them each a #sharegoodness poster.    We talked about how to think of sincere and specific compliments that would build them up.  We emphasized that they should not focus on physical or frivolous compliments, such as clothing or looks, but on character traits and talents.   Essentially we asked them to think of the kind of compliments they would most like to hear. 

Here is my son's poster:    

We had the Beehives make the Deacons' posters, the Mia Maids made the Teachers', and the Laurels made the Priests'.   On each poster, they hot glued on the picture, wrote the boy's name on top, and then wrote "#sharegoodness" on the bottom.    Then  with different colored sharpies, they went around the room and wrote compliments on each poster.   

To  add variety, we regathered together as a group for the last 15-minutes, so that everyone could write on anyone else's  poster from another age group.    I then took the posters home and, with the help of my daughters and husband, filled in a few compliments on those that needed a little something extra.    For instance, one boy's poster was filled with compliments all about his humor and little else.  I wanted to make sure that he had a few more that would be more meaningful.  Additionally there was one boy that doesn't come often and the girls were less sure what to write on his, so we filled his in with a few more of our own.   

 It was a joy to see the young men's faces when we presented them their posters and I had a couple of young men's parents let me know how meaningful it was to their boys.     

All in all, it was a very rewarding experience for the young women and they definitely felt the joy of sharing goodness and building others up,  and that in and of itself is reward enough.   However, I won't lie.  I think a lot of them are secretly hoping the boys will return the favor someday.   

Self Defense YW Activity

Recently we arranged for our local police department to come do a self-defense presentation for our Young Women.  They were booked several months out, so we had to plan it pretty far out.   We had about 20 girls show up and it ended up being a HUGE hit.    The instructors gave them lots of instruction on how to stay safe in the first place, then on what to do if anyone ever did try to hurt them.   They were allowed to practice moves and encouraged to be vocal while they practiced.   I learned a lot myself and I think it ended up being a very successful (and helpful) activity.  Below you will find some written notes on basic safety/self-defense.    

#1 TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS 

       *Don't fall for people saying they need your help.  It's not just a trick to lure kids away; many perpetrators also use this tactic on adults as well.   Always say you're calling 911 for them (and get away).    

       * Most crimes are committed by someone you know, so TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS if something feels off

#2 Be aware of your surroundings 

        *Don't get distracted by texts, phone calls, etc. (especially in parking garages, parking lots, and along trails/sidewalks) 

        *Pay attention to who and what's going on around you, especially when you're outside by yourself (day or night) 

  

#3  Use your voice

        *If something doesn't seem right, start making noise

        *Don't just scream without purpose, be specific and loud (even if you think no one else is around)

        *Say things like, "Get away from me."  "I don't know you"   "I'm calling 911"   "Stay back."

  

#4  Stun and run

        *Back up to give yourself space and time

        *First goal is to get away--do whatever it takes (while making as much noise as possible)

  

#5  Using your tools/vulnerable locations

        *Use elbows, hand, head, knees, feet, finger, teeth...whatever you can to hurt them

        *Aim for their vulnerable parts (nose, eyes, throat, groin, feet, shins, etc)

        *If grabbed by arm, hit them as hard as possible on the arm that's holding yours, twist and pull away at the same time. 

        *If grabbed from behind, use your elbows to throw them off balance

 #6  Tell a trusted person

        *Tell a trusted person ASAP what has happened, whether the perpetrator was a stranger or someone you knew

Finding Answers in the Book of Mormon

I used this as a handout to go with the YW lesson, "Why do we need the Book of Mormon?", but it would also make a great FHE activity for older kids.     The focus of our lesson was that by reading the Book of Mormon, we can find answers to gospel questions, find comfort, and draw nearer to Christ.   I used a lot of the ideas from this site to teach.  

This was meant to be a sort of "homework" assignment, which if they filled out and sent me a picture of  completed, I would bring them a small treat the next week.   I don't usually like to resort to bribery like that, but I felt that the exercise of learning to find answers in the scriptures was valuable enough that I wanted to give them a little extra incentive to do it.   

FINDING ANSWERS IN THE BOOK OF MORMON

Easy Last Minute Youth Activity or FHE Lesson

Need an idea for a last minute youth activity or FHE lesson that doesn't take much prep work?   This activity is easy to pull off,  fun for the participants, and thought provoking enough to make it meaningful as well.

Gospel Analogy Skits

Prep:   (5 minutes) Gather about 15 random items from around the house.    Some good items might include a flashlight, bottle of aloe vera, a clock, a baby bib, a towel, a can of food, a blanket, a hat, an eraser, etc.

Divide  into groups of 2-3 people, or if doing with a small group, have individuals do it themselves.

Without giving any directions, have every group/individual come pick one of the random items.

Watch the first two minutes of this talk from Women's Conference, about the soda can analogy:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/filling-our-homes-with-light-and-truth?lang=eng

Talk for just a minute about the soda can analogy, then challenge them to find their own gospel analogy  with the object they've picked and then present it to the group as a 2-minute skit or commercial.   Emphasize that it does not need to be long.  

Give them pens, paper, and 10-15 minutes for planning.

Have them come to the front of the room and perform their skits. I highly recommend doing your own skit too.   They love watching their leaders act silly and it gives them a glimpse of how to do it!  Encourage group participation, clapping, etc….make it fun.

We got some very insightful gospel analogies and even had time to do another round, which we deemed the "speed round" because everyone only got 2 minutes to plan.

It was a great last-minute activity that was also fun and memorable!

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Here are some of the analogies we came up with:

Slinky--When you pull it too far it is weak and shapeless, but when you push it together it is strong and has a point of focus.   If we prioritize our lives well, we can be like the strong and focused slinky.

Flashlight--We can bring light to a dark world with our good examples.

Bib--When we wear the "Super Duper Handy Dandy Bib of the Gospel" we can resist the stains of the world.

Aloe vera--The gospel can bring us soothing and healing when we are feeling spiritually burned.

Clock--We sometimes get caught up in the world's timing and thinking that God is not answering our prayers, etc., but when we understand the eternal perspective of God, we know that God's timing is all we need to worry about.

Bubbles--The atonement of Christ can take away the burden of sin and help us to feel the lightness of forgiveness.

Can of pumpkin--The can doesn't look like much and neither does the pumpkin inside, but when you follow a recipe and mix it up with the right ingredients,  you can make a delicious treat.   This was compared to how our lives are and when we follow the "recipe" for living the gospel, God will bless us and make our lives so much sweeter.

First aid kit--When we are feeling hurt, we can turn to the first aid kit of the gospel and find healing for our spiritual wounds.