More ideas - Grab Bag

Be Still Moment Ideas
Encourage them to separate -- no talking
Have a basket or box with a variety of Church/Inspiration books (Way to Be, Letter from Marjorie Hinckley, Stand for Something, etc.) or other Church/Inspirational literature (Ensigns, New Eras, Friends, etc.) available for the girls to read and write their thoughts in their journals.
Find an article that fits with the day’s theme or ones that you feel inspired would be beneficial for your girls to read and ponder each day
Have a parent write a letter of appreciation and love for her daughter as a surprise and give it to her to read in a Be Still Moment.
Find a scripture or series of verses for your girls to read and ponder.
Create a “Be still moments journal” for your girls with thoughts or quotes for each day and a place to write down her thoughts.
Perhaps you could bring new copies of the Book of Mormon and have each girl write her testimony in one to give to a friend—or send them to the missionaries to give to investigators.


Ward Time Ideas
Human Knot - A group size of 10 to15 is ideal, but 20 is possible. Have the group form a circle, extending their hands. Tell them to grab a hand from across the circle. Have the group untangle themselves without letting go of each other's hands.

Mealtime Mania - Tie hands together at the wrist, left hand to right hand, sitting in a circle and eating as a tribe. You have to work together to eat.

Great Lap Sit - All group members form a circle, shoulder to shoulder, facing in. Then have the group turn to their left, and they will be looking at the back of the person in front of them. Now have the group take steps into the center of the circle until the circle is as tight as it can be. On the count of three have the group sit. The group together holds the weight of each individual. After that is accomplished, have the group take steps while still in the "sitting" position. Have the group begin with either their inside or outside foot. Count the steps so they can continue to improve. The group can walk either forward or backward.

Attitude Labels - Place a label on the forehead of each participant. By talking to the other participants at the conference each person will need to determine what their label says. Some examples are: ignore me, agree with me, laugh at me, tease me, compliment me, tell me I look nice, talk quickly to me, flirt with me, wink at me, interrupt me, smile at me, don't talk to me. Have a great time.

Race for the Rainbow - Give each team a plastic bag as well as a piece of paper containing a written list of all of the colors of the rainbow (Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). Each team has to find at least one object in nature (or anything outside) that matches each color of the rainbow. For example: A red apple, orange leaf, yellow weed (dandelion), etc. For each object they find they have to place it in their plastic bags. The first team to find objects that match each color of the rainbow is the winner. (Each item found can only count for one color.)

Hula Hoop Relay - For this race, you'll need even numbered teams and a hula hoop for each team. Begin by creating a course-a straight line to a goal (a chair or trash can, for instance) and back, or create a slalom-type trail around obstacles. When the race begins, the first player from each team rolls the team's hoop (using his hand or a stick) along the entire course before returning to the starting line and passing the hoop to the next player. The race continues until all of the players on one team complete the course.

Who's the Leader? - The object of this game is to find out who is the leader of the group. One player, the guesser, goes around the corner of the house while the remaining players sit in a circle and select a leader (quietly). The leader then initiates a series of motions-hand movements, claps, foot stomps and so on-which the other players copy. The guesser is then called back to watch the group. The leader must change the movements every 5 to 20 seconds. The followers try not to give away the leader with their eyes. The guesser gets three tries to identify the right person.

Trust Fall - One at a time each member of the group must fall into the arms of the rest of the group. Each member can fall from a standing position, off a chair, or from any other higher stable base. Make sure the strongest members of the group are in the middle of the catching group. Have the catching group stand shoulder to shoulder in two lines facing each other. They need to stand the width of the falling person apart, arms extended with palms up, each arm alternating with the arms of those of group members on the opposite side of the line.

Inventor's Machine - Divide into groups of three. In three minutes, each group needs to create a machine out of all the people in their group where only two feet and two hands may touch the ground. No two machines can be alike. Race to a finish line.

Arrange In Order - Blindfold each team member or have them close their eyes. Without speaking, have the team members arrange themselves according to height, or even more challenging by birth date.

Willow in the Wind - This is a trust-promoting activity. Divide into groups of seven to eleven. Each group sits in its own circle, with one person standing in the middle. Crossing his arms on his chest, this person leans in any direction, remaining fairly stiff. The people in the circle cushion his fall, then push him another direction. After a few minutes the facilitator chooses another person for the middle.

I Need Help! - Tie the ends of a sturdy string in a big circle. Have all the participants inside the circle, blindfolded. Have the participants hold onto the string at all times. Tell the group, after you walk around the circle once, you will make an exit. They are to locate the exit and exit the circle. Tell the participants they can ask for help at any time. The trick is that you do not make an exit. See how long it takes the participants to ask for help. Afterwards, reinforce that it is okay to ask for help and to trust those that want to help you.
Fruit Basket - Have the entire group sit in a large circle. They should be sitting close enough to close all of the gaps. One person should stand in the middle of the circle. This person is IT. IT calls out a statement that will distinguish certain members of the group like "everyone wearing green socks." Then everyone that was wearing green socks would get up and run to another spot in the circle that someone had vacated. You can not slide to an empty place next to you. Get up and move. IT also tries to get to an empty space. The last person to be standing is the new IT. At the end of the game bring everyone that has been IT more than once to the center of the circle. They need to perform! One of our favorites is "I'm a Little Teapot" with actions. Also try "Popcorn Popping".

Human Bingo - Have Bingo cards for each person. Have the participants get names of other participants and write them in each square. Instead of the caller calling "B5," they will be calling "Emily Smith." Five in a row wins! You can also combine the Find a Person Who. . . game with Person Bingo by having characteristics in each square and finding the right person to match each characteristic. When a participant gets five squares in a row filled in, he or she wins.

Two Truths and a Lie - Each person tells two true things about him- or herself and one lie. The others try to figure out which "fact" is the lie.

Candy Share - Pass around a bag of little candies (M&M's work great) and have each person take a few. DON'T LET THEM EAT ANY YET!!! In turn, each person has to tell one thing about him- or herself for every candy taken. After their turn, they can eat the candy. (VARIATION: Give each color a category and have the participants share things related to that color. For example: red = tell something about your family, green = tell something that you did over the summer, blue = tell about a pet you have, yellow = tell what you like to do in your spare time. Or Young Women Value related….)

LAMANITE/NEPHITE FIGHT - Tie contrasting color balloons on the ankles of the youth. Everyone tries to stomp the contrasting balloon and pop it.

NEW ERA BOWL - We all read the New Era in depth and came prepared to answer questions. We divided up into four teams (we have over 25 girls). You could do however many you needed. We sat as teams across the table from the other team with a buzzer in the middle of the table. (we used the buzzer from the game Taboo. It is really sensitive and works well) The MC read questions such as "from the article , what did the boy need to do before going to school." The questions had to be really specific so that you had to read the article. After answering four questions at that table, the winning team then went over to "the hot spot" where they chose someone to sit in the chair. The other team members would then stand behind and hold up either yes or no cards according to how they think the person in the hot spot would personally answer the questions (4 of them) These questions were just for fun and not from the magazine, such as" Have you ever been caught with your zipper down in school?" The people behind the hot spot would either answer yes or no and the team would then score according how many they got right. The scoring is up to you, but we did it such as 2 points for the New Era questions and 1 point for the hot spot questions. The team could actually score 12 points total in that round. It was great and got the girls to read their magazines.

Friendship Fudge - As you sing songs or talk or visit, you could pass around "Friendship Fudge". Mix in a gallon ziplock bag. 4 cups powdered sugar; 3 ounces softened cream cheese; 1/2 cup softened margarine; 1/2 cup cocoa; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1/2 chopped nuts Mix ingredients together by squeezing the bag and passing it around the group. discuss friendship, teamwork, commitment, service, etc. The possibilities are endless. When is is mixed together. roll it into a log and slice and serve. (May need extra powdered sugar or eat with spoons out of the bag.)




Unity/Inclusion Activity - Hi...Something we did once at camp had a big impact on the girls. We sent 3 girls away from the group. We gave the group these instructions...they were to stand in a circle holding hands. When the first girl returned they were to let her into the circle right away...each trying to get her to stand by them. When the 2nd girl came in they were to be indifferent...at first not let her in and then someone open their part of the circle and invite her in. When the 3rd girl came in they were in no way to let her into the circle. (The 3 that were out did not know these instructions...choose girls who have a good attitude) We then brought the girls in one by one. Then we asked each girl how she felt, and discussed those feelings. We sang Circle of Friendship from A Song of The Heart and gave out the poem: He drew a circle that shut us out Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout But love and I had the wit to win We drew a circle that brought him in.
(I forget the author, sorry)
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For the following several challenges, the leaders required that their youth bring a sit-can (which we use instead of sit-up-ons here, since Pittsburgh is so muddy in the spring) stocked with the following: 1 bandana, 1 oven mitt, 2 dishtowels, 2 fire starters, 1 pocket knife, 1 roll of toilet paper, 2 plastic garbage bags, mess kit, dunk bag, flashlight, extra batteries, waterproof matches in waterproof container, emergency phone numbers, personal first aid kit, first aid manual (optional), 6 feet of rope.

SHIPWRECK CHALLENGE - You most complete the following tasks, in any order. All the tasks must be completed before the Shipwreck Challenge is finished. You have been shipwrecked on a deserted island. Fortunately, you had the presence of mind to grab your sit can while you swam to shore. From time to time, you may hear other people on your island, but try to avoid them at all costs. They may be members of an unfriendly tribe and you don't want to accidentally start a war before you are rescued.THE BEACH - You must lash sticks together to make a signal flag so that a passing ship can rescue you. The pole of the flag must be at least 6 feet long. Your rope is approximately 6 feet long. You must stick the end of your flag in the dirt well enough that it is still standing at the end of the Shipwreck Challenge. The banner of the signal flag must be large enough to be easily seen from a distance. Your underpants are not a good choice.HOME SWEET HOME - You must build a shelter from what you find in your sit can and what you find in the area. The shelter must protect from rain and wind on at least one side and the top. Your whole tribe must be able to fit in it at one time. You may not damage nature, but you may use downed branches or other nonliving material. Your home must have a name that clearly reflects how you feel about living there.THE LAGOON - You must sharpen a stick well enough to spear a yummy "potato fish" swimming in "Bucket Lagoon" near the fire circle. While everyone knows that "potato fish" are delicious and nutritious, the water of "Bucket Lagoon" is poisonous so you may not reach into "Bucket Lagoon" with your hands or anything else. If part of you gets wet, you will become too ill to participate in the rest of this challenge. Bring your speared "potato fish" (being careful not to get wet) to your Home Sweet Home and lay it carefully on the grass until it is time for dinner. (By the way, potato fish feel no pain and are happy to be speared and eaten by shipwrecked tribes. It makes them smile and wave their little fins with satisfaction.)THE FINISH - When all of your tribe is sitting comfortably in your Home Sweet Home, admiring your lovely signal flag, and eagerly awaiting the potato fish dinner you are to have this evening, send one of your tribe to invite the troop leaders to share your abundant feast! (Note: A potato fish is an already-sprouting potato that I had at home (so as not to waste good food) on which I drew a cartoon fish with permanent magic marker. The bucket lagoon was a fire bucket filled with water with the potato fish at the bottom. Also, the reason we required garbage bags was that if it was raining heavily, we didn't want them to sacrifice their ponchos to make a shelter. This was a speed challenge, so as long as they met the conditions in the instructions they did not get extra credit for better construction, superior lashing, etc. One patrol tied bandanas together for their signal flag and one used a garbage bag -- both acceptable to meet the challenge.)
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