My Modest Fashion Collection

This was an activity that I did in May, Just as the weather was getting warmer to remind the girls to dress modestly, but really it can be done any time of year. For this activity, download My Modest Fashion Collection file via Google Docs:
My Modest Fashion Collection

Materials Needed for Activity:

1. A copy of “My Modest Fashion Collection” for each girl (4 Pages total)
2. Tracing Paper
3. Scissors
4. Crayons, pens
5. Yarn
6. Scrap Fabric, ribbon, buttons
7. Glue
8. Wiggly Eyes (optional)

Activity

First, read through the first page of the Modest Fashion Collection with the girls. I had the girls take turns reading each paragraph. We discussed big words and concepts to make sure that the girls understood modesty. I also had the girls highlight key words that they should incorporate into their fashion designs.

Next, start designing modest outfits! The Collection has 3 different looks: Swimming Suit, Casual wear and Sunday best.

The tracing paper allows the girls to draw outfits on top of the paper “models,” and then use them as patterns for cutting their fabric. They used small pieces of ribbon to create accessories like belts.

• We used yarn to create fun hairstyles. My girls were so creative and came up with pony tails and braids!
• Use glue to adhere the outfits and hair to the models. I used Aleeene's Orginal All-Purpose Tacky Glue
• Many of the girls used crayons to color the skin and give their paper models faces.

Suggestion: Remind the girls where the knees are; my girls seemed to overlook that detail on the paper models.

Note: This activity actually took a bit longer than I expected. The girls were only able to finish 1 or two outfits. I sent my girls home with extra fabric scaps to finish their outfits.

Journals

I love the fall… the colors start to change, kids go back to school and there is a general excitement in the air. Another thing I love about fall… school supplies go on sale! I found these composition books on sale at Target for 25 cents each!
I decided I really couldn’t beat this deal, so I stocked up and decided that we would have an Activity Day on Journals. I based our craft on this demonstration on eHow.com.

I purchased some girly scrapbook paper at hobby lobby when it was 50% off. Then, I gathered up all of my extra stickers, buttons, and markers. I also made name labels to for the girls to add to the front of their journals (download the PDF doc below).

We started the Activity with a 15 minute discussion/devotional about journals. We asked the girls if any of them kept a journal, why we should keep a journal and things they can write in their journals. We also shared a couple of personal stories about blessing from keeping a journal. My co-leader talked to the girls about Joseph Smith and how he recorded his history. She read verses 11 – 19 from Joseph Smith History, and then bore her testimony about how she was so happy that Joseph Smith wrote those things down so that she could have a testimony of the true church.

Then we got to work on our journals! Here are a few pictures how ours turned out.

 

To download my Journal Labels via Google Docs, click the link below. These should be printed on Avery 5164 Labels.

Journal Labels

Happy Birthday, Girls!

I have not been very good about keeping up with birthdays this year, so to kick off the beginning of the school year, I decided to have a big birthday party to celebrate all of the girls. The story from the August 2010 Friend “Birthday Standards” served as the theme for this fun activity.

First, I mailed Invitations to each of the girls will the following text:

You’re Invited to an Activity Days Birthday Party!

Join us at the church on from

We will be celebrating someone very special!

Please RSVP

I greeted each of the girls at the door and we gathered in the foyer. When all of the girls arrived, I read the story Birthday Standards.

I gave each of the girls a birthday crown (Purchased at hobby Lobby $2.49 for 6) to wear to the party. I told them that the crown should remind them that they are daughters of our heavenly father and should never be afraid to stand up for what is right, no matter the occasion. Then, I brought them into our activity room where I had the party all set up.

Piñata Craft
Like I mentioned before, I used the story from the friend as my theme. I wanted to make sure we had a piñata, so I came up with this fun and mess-free version that would allow the girls to take home their own personal piñata.

Supplies:

• 8 oz Styrofoam cups (purchased at grocery store $.99 for 125)
• Masking Tape
• Individually-wrapped candies (I purchased a HUGE value pack with Nerds, Laffy Taffy, Gobstoppers & Sweat tarts for $8.99 and had a ton left over)
• Crepe-paper streamers, assortment of colors (purchased at Hobby Lobby for $.99 a roll)
• Elmer’s Glue
• Ribbon
• Pen

Directions: 

1. Stuff a Styrofoam cup full of candy. This is the bottom of your piñata.
2. With a second Styrofoam cup, use a pen to poke two holes near the bottom of the cup. Take a 15” length of ribbon and thread so that both ends of the ribbon are inside the cup. Tie a secure square knot inside the cup. This is the top of your piñata

3. Place the openings of the top and bottom piñata together. Use masking tape to secure them together

4. Take a small length of a crepe-paper streamer, just enough to wrap around the piñata once. Cut slits about ¾ of the way to the top. Place a small line of glue along the top and wrap around the piñata. Continue with this step until the entire piñata is decorated. This can be done with as little as 6 rows, but you can add as many as you want to make it fuller. 

5. Ruffle up each of the rows of crepe-paper to make the piñata look fuller.
6. To finish off the top, take a 4” length of crepe-paper streamer and fold it in half. Cut slits almost to the fold. Crinkle the folded end together and glue to the top of your piñata. Make at least 4 for the best coverage.  

Your final pinata should look something like this:

**Tip: I completed steps 1-3 at home so the girls would be surprised at the treats that come out. Save a lot of time and let the girls complete the fun part!

Here are the pinatas that the girls put together. They had so much fun!

Other details at our Party:  

• Gift for each of the Girls: I took a cue from the story and purchased stationary notecards for each of the girls and wrapped each set with a purple ribbon. I was able to pull this off relatively inexpensively by purchasing a package of 4 sets of cards from Hobby Lobby and separating out the sets. With a 40% off coupon, I paid $4.19 for this set making each gift a little over $1.00/girl.

• Cupcakes
• Music (think children’s song book or other appropriate music)