I am an Activity Days leader in our ward (church congregation).  That means I get to do fun things with the 10 and 11 year old girls twice a month.  I also have 2 boys in Cub Scouts through church and have been a bit jealous of their shirts and patches, so I’ve been going over and over in my mind what I could do for our girls.  I want them to have something than they can be proud of and add to as they participate in Activity Days.

This is what I came up with:

Necklaces!

A few weeks ago we had a crafty Super Saturday at church and one of the projects was these super simple glass pendants.  I made one for Brenna and it really got the wheels in my mind turning.  I decided to make pendants for all of my Activity Day girls with this artwork that says “I am a Child of God.”  Then I stocked up on beads that matched the headings in their Faith in God books.  I’ve got blue for “Learning and Living the Gospel,” green for “Serving Others,” and purple for “Developing Talents.”  I need to get something for “Preparing for Young Women” still.  I also made some white beads from Sculpey clay and wrote the numbers 1-13 on them.  Once they can say one of the thirteen Articles of Faith perfectly without any help or hints, then they can add the corresponding number to their necklace.

We had a talent recognition night where I gave them each their necklaces.  They were so excited!  And bombarded me with Articles of Faith as fast as they could.

What do you think?  If you’re a Mormon, do the Activity Day girls in your ward get anything to commemorate their accomplishments?

We’ve been having our homeschool group book club at our house this year.  I love having activities at my house.  That way I don’t have to be anywhere on time and I don’t have to worry about my littlest person emptying someone else’s drawers and cupboards or missing her nap.  It’s definitely a win-win.

Last month Brenna picked The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  We had a really good discussion about omens in our lives and what their source is, about if there is really just one Personal Legend each person is called to fulfill, about the role of service in our lives, and lots of other things.  A few of the kids loved it and found it life changing, a few hated it.  There were strong feelings all around.

This month we talked about The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine.  My kids weren’t big fans, and because the person who had it checked out from the library didn’t return it when they were supposed to I didn’t get a chance to read it before our meeting.  That was a good thing, though, because the discussion was totally the kids.  They decided it was hard to follow where everything was located in the story, so they ended their discussion with some map drawing.

The rest of the book club schedule includes Pride and Prejudice, all three My Side of the Mountain books, and I think The Hobbit is in the mix too.  The kids pick the books and lead the discussions (with just a bit of guidance from the moms).  They range in age from 10 to 17.  Even 8 year old Logan is going to join in on the My Side of the Mountain meetings.

While the big kids were discussing, Eva was trapped in her high chair with a granola bar (among other things, but this is the photo I have).

Hunter and Ian were stationed at the drawing table.  Ian was making designs with the geometric insets I made while Hunter looked on.  Hunter did draw a bit too, but really enjoyed watching Ian work.

And showing me his Lego creations.

I am feeling so grateful for the beautifully relaxed pace of my life.  It isn’t perfect by any means.  It isn’t quiet unless it is about 11:00 at night (which it is right now as I write this).  It is peaceful in that each day flows.  My children learn and create.  We have so much time to be together and focus on those relationships.  I’m thankful to be a facilitator in the process of their growth and to witness it all unfold.

And I’m thankful that once in a while we can have other kids come into our home to passionately discuss books and collaborate on map drawing.