7.13.2012

GIRLS CAMP 2012: Arise & Shine Prezzies

Something I learned while working with YW in Eastern Idaho is when Girls Camp comes up, MAKE A HUGE DEAL OUT OF IT!  This was not only something we applied to our Wednesday nights leading up to & prepping for camp, with skits & songs.  This also went into the little details, including daily gifts or prezzies for each and every girl who attended camp.  Even if they chose to go literally with only 24 hrs left before heading to camp.  Those girls were accounted for.  No girl felt left out - that was our biggest focus.  Our secondary focus was to uplift the girls in a fun way, just to keep the spiritual fuel going in the cutest ways possible.

As Girls Camp goes, it's a hoot, for the YW campers as well as the leaders.  However, there are not enough girls to justify taking every single leader who wants to go along as well.  So our ward's Camp Director went with the girls & camped all week with them.  The rest of us leaders who were left at home mapped out a schedule of which nights whichever leaders could make it up, to at least be a small part of the experience (albeit, being part of the silly roll-call ditties, or just to take pictures of our girls having fun, and of course Stake Night aka Testimony Night).  Due to some of the leaders' circumstances (work or small children), not all of us were able to make it.  So, prezzies were a way of letting each girl know she mattered, even to leaders who couldn't make it.  We divvied up the days, and each leader made a prezzy with an inspiration quote &/or scripture + a trinket that coincided with the "message" on it.  (One year even, the message of the day was about experimenting upon the word like with a seed - ALMA 32:27-28 - so the saying had something to do with faith getting us past the most important "velvet rope"... and there was a seed laminated into the window of a faux backstage pass on a lanyard.  So cute & so fun!)

That was then, and this is now.  Different girls, different Stake, different Ward, different YW presidency.  All those differences aside, this year there were less leaders ASKED to participate as we've found our stake situation to be less immense than it was 2 summers ago (since then our Stake was split in two, and last year's Girls Camp was replaced with the Trek).  With not all of us going again, plus the girls are camping by years instead of by wards, it got me thinking back to what I learned in Idaho.  Therefore, I proposed the daily-prezzy idea to our YW President, and she thought that was a great plan.  As she would be one of the 4th year tent moms, she had her hands full.  Therefore I volunteered to take the prezzies project on for our YW leaders so it was less stress of coordinating when & how they'd get to camp + another thing she'd have to scramble for.

Here's the inspiration for this year, as the Stake kept the camp theme closely tied with the 2012 Mutual theme - they selected: Arise & Shine. 

Great theme!  Makes me want to pour a big bowl of Raisin Bran & gobble it up on my deck while watching our glorious sun rise in the morning.  (Doesn't that make you just FEEL happy?!)  But I digress.

When I came home from church that Sunday I felt so impressed that each day needed to have a word to zero-in on.  Basically to break the theme down one word at a time, one day at a time.  Perhaps to open the girls' eyes a little wider so they can better see the vastness of the Gospel.

You guessed it, Day one = Arise.
(Mini-bottle of bubbles from party supply section.)

Day two = And.
(Mild-mannered rubber-bands bound two pieces of Trident Layers gum in Sweet Cherry + Island Lime flavors.)

Day three = Shine.
(Glow bracelets were located in the fickle dollar bin & the party supply sections.)

Day four had me flustered since there were only 3 words to the camp theme.  Yet, the answer came within 24 hrs, and all the pieces for the prezzies fell into place like dominoes.  Day four = Forth.  That last day is the day they leave camp.  For them to be on a week's worth of spiritual high, I felt impressed that it was crucial for day four to be a call to action.  Plus it completed the phrase from the scripture that IS 2012's Mutual theme - D&C 115:15 reads, "Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations."  Plus, 'forth' is a perfectly-suited call-to-action kinda word.  It's an invitation to take what they've learned this week and allow it to help propel them forward, like their feet.
(Crazy novelty socks located in dollar bin section.)

All supplies were picked up at the local Target store, and after all is tabulated & calculated the total per girl for the whole 4 days' worth of prezzies was $1.66!  (Considering the packages' quantities, there was enough to reasonably include the 4 YW leaders from our ward who are at camp, including our one sister in the Stake leaders tent.  Worked out perfectly!)

Interested in using these ideas to do something grand in the prezzies style?  Go for it!  If you'd like to use the printables, the PDF's are available below.  And just because I put socks with Day 4 doesn't mean that you won't have a better gift to pair with the handout.  Do what you feel inspired to do.  Lol, knock your socks off, if needs be! 

Since there are 4 to a series, you'll need one sheet per girl (simple math skills here is all).  Also, I find it easiest to send the sheets through the cutter clock-wise on the cutting guides.  But that's my overly systematic OCD brain talking there.  :)  Enjoy!

Arise and Shine - DAYS 1thru4 - 3pt5x5in - 4perPG

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Raisin bran, scriptures, girl's camp....what could ever make anyone happier than THAT???

I'm so impressed by what you put together to help the girls feel special and have reminders of the spirit they feel at camp.

I still have handouts from yw camp tucked into my scriptures (6 years later!)

Jenny Lynn said...

My girls just got back from a fabulous week of girls camp. They were happy, tired, ready to sleep in their own rooms, and shower.

Our theme was "Cheer UP" and done by the ward.

I like what you did with yours. I love Target...that is where we bought our secret sister gifts.

mCat said...

Good job on the prezzies. I always admire the creativity that you come up with.

And, I have never heard of camping by years...... how odd. But, I guess what ever works for each stake is what should happen!

Sarah | Cable Car Couture said...

LKP, this is truly impressive! I have never been one of those people who produces impressive things as a handout. Except probably once when I was an EFY Counselor and I made some nice bookmarks.

Sarah
Cable Car Couture

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing. I love this and I totally wanted to use it, but shouldn't Day 3 be Matthew 5:16 (not 5:6)? "Let your light so shine..."?

LKP said...

Yes, Anonymous, looks like I forgot the 1. Good things those girls didn't hold it against me. ;)

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