You are my hands...

We had a fantastic Activity Day a few weeks ago. First, we told the story of the statue of Christ as told by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s April 2010 Conference talk You Are My hands and had a brief discussion on what the story meant and how we can become the hands of Jesus Christ.

Our Activity is based on the following Activity from the Faith in God Book: “Learn about and practice good nutrition, good health, and good grooming, including modest dress.” Since we discussed using our hands for good, we decided this would be a good activity to teach the girls how to properly care for their hands and nails… manicures!

Here’s what you need:

• Nail Polish Remover
• Cotton Balls
• Nail Clipper
• Emery Board
• Hand Lotion
• Soap
• Water
• Bowl or container to soak hands
• Hand Towel
• 2 Washcloths
• Nail Polish (optional)
• Nail Brush (optional)

Items like nail polish remover, cotton balls, hand lotion, emery boards & soap can be provided pretty inexpensively. You can ask the girls to bring a small Tupperware container, nail clippers, 2 washcloths, a hand towel and some nail polish that they already have at home (although I found that the nail polish ended up being a total mess and took more time than we actually had). That makes this activity $7 or less:

• Nail Polish Remover - $1
• Emery Boards - $1
• Cotton Balls - $1
• Hand Lotion - $3 (or less)
• Soap - $1

If your budget permits, you could consider putting together manicure kits for the girls. I was able to put together these individual kits for about $2.50 each and the girls loved them! Here’s what I included in a small Ziploc baggie:  

• Lotion – Bath & Body Works - $1
• Emery Boards - Walmart - $.88 for 10
• Nail Polish Remover Pads – Minimus.biz - $.05/each
• Nail Clippers – Walmart - $.49/each
• Nail Brushes – Amazon.com - $.59/each

I also provided hand soap, tupperware containers and nail polish, but those items were not included in the kits. Here’s how we did our manicures:

1. Set up. Lay out a hand towel and gather the following materials: Cotton Balls, Nail Polish Remover, Nail Clippers, an Emery Board, Lotion, Soap, Small Bowl or container to soak hands, 2 Washcloths, Nail Polish (optional), Nail Brush (optional).
2. Clean up. Use nail polish remover to get rid of old nail polish. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and if you have a nail brush, use it to get all of the gunk out from under your nails. Sing the “Happy Birthday” Song twice to get your hands really clean.
3. Trim down. Use nail clippers to trim your nails straight across. Don’t cut your nails too short… make sure you only cut the white part of your nail. Cutting them too short will hurt and may cause bleeding.
4. Shape up. Use an emery board to shape your nail into an oval shape. Use the emery board in one direction… never back and forth.
5. Soak down. Fill a small container or bowl with warm water and a little bit of soap. Soak your hands for about 5 minutes. When you’re done, dry your hands on the hand towel.
6. Moisten up. Squirt a dollop of lotion onto your hands. Massage the lotion into your hands until the most of location is absorbed. Dampen two washcloths in warm water. Wrap each of your hands in a washcloth and relax for 2-3 minutes.
7. Push down. Gently psuh your cuticles down off your fingernails using one of your damp washcloths. Don't push too hard... just enough to make them look nice.

That’s it! You’re done…

…unless you’d like to paint your nails. If so, here are some tips:

• Use nail polish sparingly… a little goes a long way.
• Start painting at the base of your nail and go up.
• Make sure you give your nails plenty of time to dry.
• Have a friend paint your nails, it’s always easier to paint someone else’s nails than your own. You can take turns. 

Download printable instructions for handouts