AHG Leader Resource Guide Fall 2012 Featuring Joining Award, Dawn of Our Country & Family Helper Badges. In This Issue P. 76-77 Activities Badge HelpsP. 35-64 Games Girl Leadership Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 1 Peter 5:2-4 Editor, Rachael Culpepper & Melanie Reid To submit content for future Resource Guides, please visit the AHG Leader Site, or email [email protected]. P. 77-78 P. 27-34 Hot Topic P. 15-16 Outdoors P. 21-26 Patriotism P. 17-20 Seasonal P. 65-75 Service P. 12-14 P. 79 Snacks Social Development P. 8-11 Spiritual Development P. 3-7 AHG N at i o n a l Leadership Conference Cincinnati в”‚ Ohio November 8-10, 2012 Save The Date C C C C Connect Challenge Care Celebrate The following brief devotions are from faithgirlz.com. This website is written by the authors of the Faithgirlz book series from Zonderkidz. The series is described as: Faithgirlz is a collection of books, Bibles and resources designed to provide transformational Christian experiences for tween girls. Faithgirlz encourages honest tween-girl empowerment by providing engaging, relevant, high-quality offerings, helping tween girls understand their world, learn biblical teachings, become closer to God, and to grow into Godly teenagers. Faithgirlz offers excellent content and contributions from leading Christian tween writers and spokespeople including Nancy Rue, Melody Carlson, Kristi Holl, and more. others out. YouвЂ™d be much smarter, in fact, to seek out sensible people and ask for guidance. DonвЂ™t let your pride trick you into thinking you already know everything. Assume that you donвЂ™t, and be open to learning from other (hopefully wiser) people in your life. Do two things. First, listen when others share their thoughts with you. Since you already know what YOU know, you wonвЂ™t learn anything by doing all the talking. Learning only increases when you listen. Second, if you have a decision to make (вЂњShould I quit band?вЂќвЂњShould I go to that movie?вЂќ), seek out sensible, godly people and ask their advice. Want to put yourself on the fast track to learning? Zip your lip, sharpen your ears, and become wise! Growing up isnвЂ™t easy. With so much to learn and discover sometimes deciding who you are is the biggest challenge of all. Faithgirlz can help. Our entertaining and inspiring stories will help you better understand GodвЂ™s love and promise for you. Discover the вЂњBeauty of BelievingвЂќ that you are a child of God and that He has a good and perfect will for your life. So what are you waiting for? Let your faith shine through in all that you do. Join in, and become a Faithgirl today! People Pleasing Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me, because I know you donвЂ™t have GodвЂ™s love within you. John 5:41вЂ“42 (NLT) Faithgirlz! devotionals connect with girlz in their own language and speak to the everyday lives of girlz today. This custom line of devotionals uses visually interesting, illustrated pages and bite-sized lessons and fun facts to help girlz discover the Bible in their own, special way. NicoleвЂ™s youth group at church was having a lockin Friday night. Nicole had a starring role in the eveningвЂ™s opening skit, and she looked forward to it. That is, until Kaylie invited her to a skating party for the same night. Kaylie was the most popular girl in NicoleвЂ™s grade and rarely spoke to Nicole. Now sheвЂ™d been invited to a party with KaylieвЂ™s friends! Nicole desperately wanted to go. What would Kaylie think of her if she turned down a party invitation to go to church? Nicole hedged and said sheвЂ™d let Kaylie know the next day. That night, Nicole wrestled with her emotions. She wanted Kaylie to like her, but sheвЂ™d promised to be in the skit at the lock-in. She knew without even praying that God wouldnвЂ™t approve if she skipped the lock-in in favor of pleasing Kaylie. It was hard turning down the party invitation, but in the end, pleasing God mattered more to Nicole. Anybody Listening? вЂњA wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.вЂќ вЂ”Proverbs 1:5 (NKJV) A sensible, perceptive, and wise girl will listen and pay attention. By doing so, sheвЂ™ll acquire greater and deeper learning. A girl who wants the ability to make good judgments and decisions will search out sensible guidance and advice. When youвЂ™re excited to share something with your family or best friend, do you do all the talking? Do you вЂњtune outвЂќ anything others might say because youвЂ™re so focused on your own speech? Then you are missing an opportunity to grow and learn. When a teacher or parent tries to correct you about something, do you pay attention and consider what is said? Or are you content to simply appear as if youвЂ™re listening, while you wait for them to finish and go away. Again, youвЂ™ve missed a chance to get smarter. Proverbs says you should do the opposite of tuning Spiritual Devotion - Development Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Jesus was often criticized, but the approval of people meant nothing to him. His unwavering confidence in GodвЂ™s approval set him free from human opinion. It can also free you from the trap of вЂњpeople pleasing.вЂќ Jesus had some hard words of warning on this subject: вЂњNo wonder you canвЂ™t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you donвЂ™t care about the honor that comes from God aloneвЂќ (John 5:44 NLT). If you live to earn the rewards that come from pleasing people, you create a trap for yourself. No matter what you do, not everyone will approve of you. Even your best friends wonвЂ™t be pleased with you all the time. If, instead, you concentrate on receiving GodвЂ™s approval, you can live free from the trap of human opinion. 3 The Focus on the Family website (www.fotf.org) offers a number of great resources for teaching girls about the Creed attributes. The following is from their Character Crew series: (www.focusonthefamily. com/parenting/spiritual_growth_for_kids/character_crew/ respect.aspx) Respect Showing consideration and regard for yourself, others and the world around you. Discuss the benefits of treating others in the same way you would like to be treated. Help your child understand that all people have value and therefore should be treated with respect. People show respect in many ways. They speak and act kindly, avoid insults, cruel comments and rude language. They are courteous and considerate to family members and treat others fairly, regardless of race, sex, age or ethnic group. They demonstrate respect for people who do not share their beliefs, likes, and dislikes. American writer James Baldwin once said, "Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." Children learn respect (or disrespect) from how we treat them and others. They reflect back everything we, as parents, say and do. When we give children the same respect we demand, we are modeling this important character trait. Remember, how we teach them is what we teach them. From Focusonthefamily.com. Copyright В© 2004, Focus on the Family. Used by permission. Activities: Listen to this Adventures in Odyssey episode (Relatively Annoying) with your family. Audio available by searching "Relatively Annoying" on main FOTF site, or at http://www.focusonthefamily.com/popups/ media_player.aspx?MediaId={54825C26-720047BF-9AC3-AB24DAA598DC}&FAMILYTYPE=null Quick Sum: Alex T. Jefferson has a good life; he only wishes it didn't have to end this way. He doesn't think he's strong enough to survive a week at Grandpa's house! It's bad enough that his grandparents serve disgusting food and talk about death all the time. But then Grandpa takes away Alex's video game вЂ” his only source of entertainment! Fast Ask: - Why didn't Alex respect his grandparents at the beginning of the show? How should he have acted differently? Spiritual Creed Resources - Respect Development Leader Packet - Fall 2012 - At the end, Alex said he understood his grandparents a little better. What allowed him to understand them more? How can knowing people better help us develop a deeper friendship with them? - Read Leviticus 19:32. If Alex had read and obeyed this verse, how would he have acted differently? Based on the Adventures in Odyssey episode, "Relatively Annoying." From Focusonthefamily.com. Copyright В© 2004, Focus on the Family. Used by permission. Friendly Dinner Ages - 4-7 This activity teaches that everyone is different, special and should receive respect. Gather - blank paper place mats (You can purchase them or make them out of poster board.) - markers - clear contact paper Go - Give every family member a place mat. Have each person write his or her name in the center and draw a picture of something he likes or that represents him. - Once everyone has personalized a place mat, pass the place mats to other family members. Around the edge of each person's place mat, the other people should write something special about that person as well as something worthy of respect. - Carefully coat each place mat with contact paper. Use these place mats at dinner. While eating, ask each person to share what she wrote about the others. From Focusonthefamily.com. Copyright В© 2004, Focus on the Family. Used by permission. 4 7 8 9 0 V E U 1 H T A 2 C B R 3 L S I 4 M N D 5 Y W K 6 O F G 7,3 7,6 7,0 8,0 8,0 9,1 7,2 7,1 7,6 8,1 7,1 8,0 9,2 7,3 9,3 9,5 8,0 8,2 9,2 7,6 8,1 7,1 8,0 9,2 8,3 9,1 8,4 9,4 8,3 9,3 8,3 8,1 8,0 9,2 8,3 9,6 9,3 7,0 8,0 8,0 9,1 7,2 7,1 7,6 8,1 7,1 8,0 9,2 7,4 7,6 9,2 8,0 7,1 7,6 8,4 7,6 9,2 8,1 7,1 9,1 8,4 Additional Resources for Respect: Spiritual Growing Respect Ages - 8-12 Have your children use the letter graph to complete the puzzle and find out how God wants them to treat others. Development Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Adventures in Odyssey Life Lessons Volume #11: Respect Your kids will love this engaging collection of character-shaping audio stories. It's all about respect as up and coming performance artist Aubrey learns to accept that her parents' embarrassing overreacting is just their way of showing they care. Alex learns a new appreciation for his grandparents after enduring quite a dreaded week with them. And imaginative, impulsive Lawrence will be leaving orthodontic care to the professionals from now on! CD also includes a PDF of both the student text and teacher's guide. Contains 3 Episodes: * 'Relatively Annoying' * 'Subject Yourself' * 'Potlucks and Poetry' http://family.christianbook.com 7,5 7,6 9,0 8,5 9,1 8,4 8,1 8,6 7,6 9,2 7,5 7,6 9,0 9,2 8,3 8,0 7,3 7,0 8,0 8,3 Answer: "Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you want for yourselves" (Romans 12:10, NCV). From Focusonthefamily.com. Copyright В© 2004, Focus on the Family. Used by permission. 5 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be - (Psalm 139:14-15, NIV). Friend to Friend It was my first day of teaching second grade. While standing at the classroom door, greeting parents and children, I felt a tug on my skirt. I looked down into the beautiful blue eyes of Sammy, one of my new students. His mother, who was standing beside Sammy, looked at me and said, вЂњI guess youвЂ™ve heard about Sammy. Good luck!вЂќ As she walked away, Sammy said, вЂњSheвЂ™s right. IвЂ™m dumb and mean and canвЂ™t read or write.вЂќ Lisa was a tall, blonde and beautiful young woman with zero self-confidence. Lisa was the family joke because she was always dropping things or falling on the stairs. вЂњKlutzвЂќ became her nickname at home and quickly caught on in the youth group and church where her father was the pastor. A young wife and mother sobbed out her confession that she had just ended an affair, вЂњHe made me feel important and special.вЂќ A talented singer and pianist, she vowed to never again sing or play because she was damaged goods. I often hear and see the same prison described by women living in the grip of failure and defeat for one reason or another. I want to share some good news with you. God can set you free to be all He created you to be. A healthy self-image is not rooted in pride, and it does not exalt self above others. In Romans 12:3, Paul clearly says, вЂњDo not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.вЂќ Be realistic in your opinion of yourself. Success comes when we learn to accept GodвЂ™s evaluation instead of our own, when we give Him permission to make us what He created us to be and when we begin to understand who we are in His eyes. How? LetвЂ™s look at six steps we can take to understand who we are in the eyes of God. Step one: Check the label. I love a good sale, donвЂ™t you? In fact, I am tempted to think that a 75% off tag may very well be a sign from God. However, I have learned that you can save money in the long run if you check the label. Let me explain. We needed a new sofa. It had to be a certain color and style and cost a certain amount. I headed for the nearest furniture outlet, where I narrowed my selection down to two sofas. Both were on sale and both would work in our home. I saw the salesman coming. Before he could say a word, I asked, вЂњWhich one of these sofas would you tell your wife to buy?вЂќ The man immediately pointed to one of the sofas and said, вЂњDefinitely that one.вЂќ When I asked why he had chosen that particular sofa, he replied, вЂњCheck the label. The one I chose was made by a company known for its quality work. The other sofa is a cheap imitation.вЂќ Spiritual Leadership Devotion - In His Eyes By: Mary Southerland Development Leader Packet - Fall 2012 We can judge a productвЂ™s potential and value by looking at the one who created it. You are valuable simply because you were created by the hand of God. His design of you and His plan for your life is second to none. To cower or crawl in inferiority is to say to God, вЂњYou made a mistake when you made me.вЂќ God doesnвЂ™t make mistakes, girlfriend. He never has to say вЂњOops!вЂќ You were created in His likeness. You are valuable to God. God knows your name and loves you. You are His masterpiece and have been validated by God Himself. Step two: Embrace the plan. While painting in the city park, an artist spotted a beggar sitting across the path from where he was working. Thinking of GodвЂ™s handiwork in every human being, the artist painted the man as he imagined he could be and then called the beggar to see the painting. вЂњIs that me?вЂ™ the beggar asked. вЂњThat is the way I see you,вЂќ replied the artist. The beggar stared at the painting. With tears in his eyes he said, вЂњIf thatвЂ™s the man you see in me, then thatвЂ™s the man I will be!вЂќ God created you in response to a unique plan He has for your life. As you read the Bible and obey His truth, that plan will unfold. Step three: Be yourself. We should always be looking for something new to learn, an area where we can grow and changes that need to be made. Sit down with your mate or close friend and ask for a realistic evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses. Constantly search for gifts and abilities on which you can work. DonвЂ™t be afraid of change. It is a sign of life and growth. Change what needs to be changed, accept what you cannot change and quit whining about it! DonвЂ™t waste another minute trying 6 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 to be someone you were never created to be. Stop questioning GodвЂ™s design for your life. When an old man from the mountains of North Carolina was asked how he created such extraordinary wooden carvings of dogs, he replied, вЂњWell, I just take my knife and a piece of wood and carve away everything that doesnвЂ™t look like a dog.вЂќ Learning to see your-self through the eyes of God is like вЂњcarving awayвЂќ everything that is not part of the original design вЂ“ GodвЂ™s plan вЂ“ and then learning how to accept what remains. Step four: Guard your mind. We are bombarded on all sides by the media, family and friends, co-workers and even enemies who have a certain identity they want to assign to us. We have a choice. No one makes us feel inferior without our permission. We will become what we allow our heart and mind to dwell on. An old adage says it well: вЂњYou canвЂ™t keep a bird from flying over your head but you can keep it from building a nest in your hair.вЂќ It is impossible to avoid destructive thinking entirely. We will be tempted. We will have negative thoughts and temptations, but we do not have to allow them to dwell in our minds. God has given us a вЂњgarbage disposalвЂќ for the mind. Philippians 4:8 вЂњFinally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.вЂќ We once lived in Miami, Florida, a place where ships come from all over world. However, before a ship is allowed to dock, an inspection team goes aboard with one assignment. Find every bit of contamination on board that ship. If contamination of any kind is found, the ship must be quarantined until it is cleaned up and inspected again. The ship is then allowed to dock. We need to control our thought life in the same way. Step five: Control your tongue. Our words either build up or tear down. Scripture tells us not to curse others because they are made in the image of God. So are we. As a mom, I constantly warned our children about the danger of critical words. I wanted them to learn how to encourage others with their words as well as have a healthy picture of who they are. One day, while standing in front my bathroom mirror, I began berating myself for something I had done. I didnвЂ™t see our son who was quietly standing in our bedroom door where he could hear every word I said. вЂњMom, who are you talking to?вЂќ he asked. I sheepishly replied, вЂњI was talking to myself.вЂќ He thought for a moment and then offered a convicting observation, вЂњBoy, if I talked like that, IвЂ™d be in big trouble!вЂќ I was immediately reminded of the words in Psalm 141:3: вЂњSet a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.вЂќ Words are like seeds. What we plant will grow. If we sow destructive, critical words, we will reap a life that is negative and critical, but if we sow words of truth, we will reap a life of peace and purpose, knowing who we are in His eyes. Step six: Be Patient Weeds spring up overnight but it takes years for a mighty oak to grow. Today, you can take the first step toward gaining a new perspective of who you are in Christ. Our Father says it this way in Philippians 1:6, вЂњAnd I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.вЂќ LetвЂ™s Pray Lord, I want to know You more and learn to see myself as You see me. Please help me recognize and guard against anything or anyone who would chip away at Your truth working in my life. I believe You love me and cherish me as Your daughter. Help me to walk in that value and worth and then lead others to do the same. I praise You for validating my very existence as part of Your heartвЂ™s plan. I love You, Father. In JesusвЂ™ name, Amen. Now ItвЂ™s Your Turn Read the verses of Scripture and answer the questions listed below. Ephesians 2:10. How does this verse of Scripture emphasize the fact that you and I were created in response to GodвЂ™s plan, not as an afterthought or as an accident? Psalm 8:3-5. How do these verses line up with the way you see yourself right now? What one immediate change do you need to make in order to see yourself the way God sees you? Jeremiah 29:11. Are you living a life plan that gives you hope and a future? Is it the right plan? Here is your assignment for the week. Read Psalm 139 at least one time every day. In your journal, write each verse in your own words. At the end of the week, set aside time to celebrate who you are in Christ. Have a praise party вЂ“ just you and God вЂ“ or invite a few girlfriends to join you in celebrating how special you are to Him. From http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/girlfriends/. You can subscribe for daily devotions at crosswalk.com. 7 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Social Development - A Princes For Your Am s erican HeParty Event ritage Gir ls VeggieTa lesвЂ™ is always The Penniless Prin with you вЂ“ no mat cess DVD teac worth is hes girls ter wha not abo T Social Penniless Princess Party To go along with this fun-filled show, VeggieTales has worked with AHG to create a guide on planning a Troop Princess Party! A Princess Party featuring the NEW Penniless Princess DVD is a great way to share the faith, service and fun that is AHG with the girls in your community. Consider making a Princess Party part of your TroopвЂ™s recruitment plans! Development NEW Veggie Tales Movie bonus features. Plus, a special tour of London with the popular French Peas characters, a hilarious look at the history of the Teddy Bear, a discussion guide for parents, behind the scenes clips and other bonus features. 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(Sara reme the Amer treatment mber Penniless r to ican from the PrincessвЂќ she would be brave and her s her promise DVD. to title never be fatherвЂ™s promise herвЂ¦no alone becau matter that se God what!) is alway s with A Troop Mee ting A Princes s Party Eve nt American Heritage Girls has once again partnered with VeggieTales in promoting their upcoming release, The Penniless Princess: GodвЂ™s Little Girl. Being released on August 11, 2012, VeggieTalesвЂ™ The Penniless Princess DVD teaches girls that God is always with you вЂ“ no matter what! It reminds girls that true worth is not about what you have, but what is in your heart. Whatever is true, honorable, pure and lovely... practice these things.вЂќ вЂ“ Philippians 4:8 The DVDвЂ™s story is based on the childrenвЂ™s book A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and helps to teach an important lesson about knowing your own true worth and trusting God, no matter what happens in life. Sweet Sara Crewe has everything a little girl could want - a loving family, lots of friends, and a closet full of frilly dresses! But when life takes a turn and Sara goes from riches to rags, will she realize that her true worth lies not in what she has, but what she has in her heart? Find out this Summer in this inspiring new story from VeggieTales that reminds kids who they are in God's eyes. VeggieTales: The Penniless Princess вЂ” GodвЂ™s Little Girl includes plenty of engaging and fun music fit for families, including the all-new Silly Song вЂњBest Friends ForeverвЂќ and the featured song вЂњNo Matter What,вЂќ both in sing-along versions in the DVD indicia are likenesse s and other r names, VEGGIET ALESВ®, characte ment, LLC. Entertain Big Idea В© 2012 Penniless Princess DVD, Patch Program & Event Kit August 11, 2012 Release Date tradema rks of and copyrigh ted by Big Idea Entertain ment, LLC. All rights reserved . Ideas for Video Disc ussion Que stions You can find a copy of the Princess Party Event Guide at www.ahgonline.org/veggietales or by visiting the Leader portal of the AHG Website. In addition to offering this free resource, Veggie Tales is offering a special Penniless Princess Event Kit for only $19.99, including: вЂў Event DVD (with full show) вЂў Event Guide вЂў 2 Event Posters вЂў 20 Balloons вЂў 10 Mini-Event Posters вЂў 50 Kids Activity Posters вЂў 200 Stickers and More! Celebrate this lesson in True Worth with your Penniless Princess Event Kit! Visit VeggieTales.com to order your Event Kit today! *Event Kits begin shipping June 11th - DVD in stores August 11th! Troops planning a Princess Party can also order special event patches from VeggieTales.com. Add a craft for a fun twist. Make these crowns fit for a princess: Fairy Crown Transform a cardboard tube into a fanciful tiara thatвЂ™ll inspire magical play. Step 1 - Decoupage a paper towel tube with colorful tissue paper* and let it dry. 8 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 bunches of olympic-colored balloons and the scene is set. Olympic colors (blue, yellow, black, green and red) can be repeated in the tablecloths, napkins, cups, etc. that may be used for refreshments. Social Development Step 2 - Flatten the tube, then make alternating cuts into the sides, almost all the way through, as shown. Step 3 - Unп¬‚atten the tube and gently stretch it apart to create connected rings. Tape the ends of the tube together. Step 4 - With tacky glue add glitter, sequins, feathers, and pom-poms. You can use a decoupage medium, such as Mod Podge, or a solution of equal parts tacky glue and water. Brush it onto the tube, one section at a time, cover with pieces of tissue paper, and brush the top with more glue. From Family Fun Magazine, August 2012 edition Father-Daughter Olympics Make your "stadium" festive and put your guests in the Olympic spirit by creating several flag garlands to swag around the yard. To start, reference the Olympic Official Website (http://www.london2012.com/) to find out which countries are competing. To get detailed photos of their flags, visit the World Flag Database (http://www.flags.net/). Gather several sheets of colored cardstock, paper glue, scissors, circle and star punches, and a paper trimmer. With the 2012 Summer Olympics fresh on our minds, it's a great time to plan some Father-Daughter fun with your own Troop Olympics. Girls will surely have lots of fun and exciting ideas to make this time with their Dad memorable, but here are a few ideas to get them started: Invitation: Print invitations with CALLING ALL Olympians! Join us for AHG Troop ____'s FatherDaughter Olympic Games! Date: Opening ceremonies commence: 2:00 p.m. Closing ceremonies conclude: 6:30 p.m. Hosting Country: (event location). Come ready to compete! Glue a few Fruit Loops at the top for Olympic Rings and they're ready to be delivered! Decorations: Using an old twin bed sheet, or a roll of craft paper, girls can create a banner welcoming the athletes. Hang this at your entrance, along with a few For each flag, cut a piece of cardstock measuring four inches by eleven inches. Fold the cardstock in half (the long way) and crease. Cut stripes or bands, punch circles or stars to decorate your flags. Once youвЂ™ve made all of your flags, cut a length of bakers twine and hang the creased end of each flag over the twine. Stick a piece of double sided tape between the two layers of the flag to secure. http://www2.fiskars.com/Activities/Crafting/Articles/BackYard-Olympics Event Set-Up: Consider marking each event with a large sign (hammered into the ground for outside events, or hung on the wall for indoor). You will likely also want a clipboard (for recording results) and a whistle/ stopwatch/measuring tape for the judge. Pre-event activities: As the pairs/teams arrive, assign each a competitor number. This will assist with result keeping, etc. Numbers/country flags can be included in a participant lanyard for an extra bit of "official" fun. www2.fiskars.com/Activities/Crafting/Articles/Back-Yard-Olympics 9 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Designated girl leaders can lead the group in stretching exercises while you wait for all participants to arrive. Father-Daughter pairs/teams can then be provided materials to create a team name & flag. Once all pairs/teams have created their flag, you're ready for the opening ceremony. Choose an older girl to be the torch barer (carrying a tiki-torch or the like) and have all teams line up behind her. Be sure to follow all appropriate fire-safety measures. Play the Olympic theme song as teams walk through your opening ceremony area carrying their team flags. Conclude your parade with the U.S. National Anthem and a brief discussion on any pertinent rules and/or schedules for the day. Now, let the games begin! Events: The number of events you choose will depend largely on the number of participants and the length of your activity. Large groups will likely want to have a round robin type format so not all pairs are starting at the same event and/or have a number of relay events. Some ideas include: The Discus Throw: allow participants to throw Frisbees for 2 minutes into hula hoops, each hoop worth a predetermined number of points. Record total points for each team on clipboard. The Bubble Gum Bubble Blow: each girl chewed 2 pieces of bubble gum, then attempted to blow a big bubble. Each girl's biggest bubble was measured and recorded (in centimeters), and then these measurements were added up to determine the team total. The Croquet Ball Shot Put: each girl threw the ball 3 times. The ground was marked with spray paint ahead of time to help make the measuring easier. Each throw was recorded, and then the furthest of the 3 was used in the team total. Synchronized Snack Toss Divide players into teams of two. Start a one-minute timer. Pairs must get a shower cap onto one teammate's head and cover the cap with shaving cream. Then the capless teammate, standing behind a tape or rope line a few feet away, tries to throw cheese puffs into the shaving cream. The team gets a point for every puff still on the cap when the minute is up. http://www.parents.com/fun/parties/ideas/olympics-partygames-ideas/?page=3 Refreshments: A large container of water and/or Gatorade-type drink is a must for thirsty athletes. In addition, you may want to have a refueling station set up in the middle of the "stadium" for participants to visit and grab a snack during event changes - granola bars, fruit snacks, string cheese, go-gurts might be on the menu. You can also get creative with some of these fun treats: Twizzlers wrapped in Patriotic Ribbon (hot glued in the back): Olympic torches, made with ice cream cones and popcorn. asmallsnippet.blogspot.com Olympic ring bagels Ingredients - 2 .5 bagels sliced in two and toasted - Blueberries - Blackberries - Strawberries - Pineapple (or bananas) - Green grapes - Cream Cheese Method Toast the sliced bagels, smear them with cream cheese and arrange your toppings, Healthy and fit for an Olympic athlete. http://babybudgeting.co.uk/how-to-make-olympic-ringbagels/ 10 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Award ceremony: After everyone has finished their events and had time to enjoy refreshments eating gather teams for the awards/medal ceremony. Invite gold, silver, and bronze medal winners for each event atop the podium, as well as your all around medal winners. Additional awards can be given to best sportsmanship, team spirit, etc. join the ends together with a couple of staples. Cut two more 1.5 x 12 inch strips from green card stock and glue them inside to line the crown and cover the staples. fiskarscraft.typepad.com Many party stores carry medals, or have your girls create their own unique medals ahead of time. Winners can also be presented laurel crowns. In ancient Greece, laurel crowns were presented to the Olympic victors. This paper version would be perfect to crown the big winners of your Father-Daughter Olympics. Use your paper trimmer to cut two strips of green cardstock measuring 1.5 inches by 12 inches. Overlap the ends and staple together to create one long strip. Use your XL Circle Punch to punch out your вЂњlaurel leavesвЂќ from two 12 x 12 sheets of textured or twotoned green cardstock. Fold each circle in half, and make a crease in the bottom half of each circle. One by one, staple the creased end of leaves to the strip, working your way towards the end. When the strip is completely covered with leaves, 11 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Service AHG's National Day of Service Save the 3rd Saturday in September each year for an AHG's National Day of Service event with your American Heritage Girls Troop! Join AHG Troops and families across the nation and girls across the globe serving in their communities, Charters, churches and charities! Visit www.ahgonline.org/ndsresources for information to equip your Troop to express your FAITH, give SERVICE and have lots of FUN! The following resources are available: - Participation Form - Save the Date Flyer - Press Release Template - YouTube NDS Promo Video - Public Service Announcement: MP3 and script - National Day of Service Patches 3 Easy Steps to Participating! Plan вЂў Save the date in your programming year - Troops are encouraged to plan an event for the third Saturday of September вЂў Discover a need in your Charter, community and local charities вЂў Pray with your AHG Troop Board, Charter Representative and the girls to decide who your Troop can serve and how to make an impact. Struggling to find a project? Check out the Service pages for ideas (www.ahgonline.org/service). вЂў Utilize the Free to B A Blessing Patch Program Communicate вЂў Communicate the National Day of Service. Tell your Charter, your Troop, the community using the tools available from AHG (www.ahgonline. org/ndsresources) - Press Release template - YouTube video - Public Service Announcement - A PSA is a public service announcement. A radio station can use this MP3 or prefer to read the script to promote your event. You may also use these in social media formats such as websites, blogs, podcasts. Service Save the Date! AHG's First Annual National Day of Service September 15, 2012 as part of your celebration (available at www. ahgonline.org/FBAB). The MP3 is 30 seconds. The script is 15 seconds. - MP3 File - Script вЂў Share your plans with AHG, Inc. and other AHG members at www.ahgonline.org/nds. вЂў Invite the local media (newspapers, radio, TV stations) to your service event вЂў Post your event on Social Media, Facebook, Blogs, Websites, Church websites and community bulletins. **Remember to Follow the Social Media Guidelines for safe use of Social Media** Celebrate the AHG National Day of Service вЂў Serve in your community вЂў Take pictures, videos вЂў Use Press Release Template to share your event with the local media, your Charter and on Social Media (Include pictures and video) вЂў Share the successes of the day on Social Media, such as the AHG, Inc Facebook page вЂў Use these keywords on Twitter: #AHGserves #Serve #AmericanHeritageGirls #FaithServiceFun вЂў Order your Troops National Day of Service Patches from the AHG Attic Mark your calendars and start talking with your Troop and family about how you can join in the fun and impact your community on this very special day! Visit www.ahgonline.org/nds for more information. 12 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Free to B. a Blessing Patch Program Now Available! No matter what your age. No matter where you live. No matter what your background. God wrote a story just for you. It's true. There never has been, or will be, a story just like yours; Jeremiah 29:11 promises it's a story of hope and purpose. More than that, Ephesians 3:20 says God can do more with your story than ALL you can imagine. All you can imagine! So imagine this: How do you think God is calling you to tell your story? How can you use your unique gifts and interests to serve others? Because that's where true joy and purpose live - in being the light God calls us to be in Matthew 5:16. This is the nutshell summary of the new Free to B. a Blessing Program developed by Frieda B., LLC for AHG. Based on the children's picture book Frieda B. Herself about a freckle-faced girl who believes she is free to be what she dreams she can be, the FBAB program guides girls of all ages through the process of identifying, exploring and dreaming about their own God-given story... ultimately using it to B. a Blessing to others. A perfect pairing for the 1st Annual AHG National Day of Service on September 15th! To learn more, access all FBAB program resources, and order patches, visit ahgonline/FBAB or FriedaB. com/AHG. Dream Big... Believe... B. a Blessing. Operation Christmas Child Troops will be receiving an informational packet in mid-August, sent to your Charter Organization, about how you can participate in Operation Christmas Child вЂ“ the worldвЂ™s largest Christmas project. Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to 2012 marks an important milestone for Operation Christmas Child as we surpass reaching 100 million children with GodвЂ™s love since the start of the project in 1993. These shoe boxes have been packed, shipped, and delivered to needy children who are victims of war, poverty, disease and natural disaster. People of all ages can be involved in this simple, hands-on missionвЂ™s project while focusing on the true meaning of ChristmasвЂ”Jesus Christ. Service New from AHG and Frieda B.: the Free to B. a Blessing Program! children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of GodвЂ™s love. AHG was blessed to hear from one of the millions of shoe box recipients at last yearвЂ™s Convention - Oksana from Russia. The OCC website offers a number of resources for Troops interested in serving. Beginning in September, you can access the OCC website, type in your zip code, and find your closest drop-off location. In addition, you can find general information about the project, instructions on filling a shoe box, as well as a number of stories about children who have received the shoe box gifts and participated in the follow-up discipleship program, The Greatest Journey. There are a number of free promotional resources available that you may find helpful in sharing this project with your Troop families, Charter Organization or community. Patches for OCC participation will also be available on the website. National Collection Week is November 12-19 Though collection week is not until November, itвЂ™s not too early to start planning your project. The actual packing of the shoe boxes is the easiest part of the process. You will need to plan ahead in order to collect the items to fill the boxes. Members of the Charter Organization and members of your local community will often be very supportive in securing the resources necessary to fill the shoe boxes. How to Pack a Shoe Box 1. SHOE BOX Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required. Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift. 2. BOY OR GIRL? Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the childвЂ™s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 1014. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label from the OCC website. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box. 13 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 3. FILL WITH GIFTS Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child. Use the gift ideas provided on the bottom of this page. 5. DROP OFF Place a rubber band around each closed shoe box and drop off at the Collection Center nearest you during our collection week in mid-November. If you do not have a collection site in your community, you can also send your shoe box gift to: SamaritanвЂ™s Purse Operation Christmas Child 801 Bamboo Road Boone, NC 28607 By partnering with Operation Christmas Child, you and your Troop can help bring a smile to a childвЂ™s face and, more importantly, share the good news of Jesus with a child who may not otherwise hear about our Savior! Service 4. INCLUDE YOUR DONATION Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can give online by using our EZ GIVE option, or you can write a check to SamaritanвЂ™s Purse (note вЂњOCCвЂќ on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combine donation. If you use the EZ GIVE option, you can follow your box to its destination country! You will receive an email during the holiday season about where your gift was delivered. toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans First Aid Kits With the new school year also comes the start of many youth sports leagues. Consider collecting items to create first aid kits that can be used at local sports fields. A great companion project for Units working on their Emergency Preparedness Plan. Contact you local YMCA, CYO or community sports leagues to see what their needs might be. Girls can then host collection days at a local store, Troop meetings, or even after church service on Sundays. GIFT IDEAS Toys: small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A SketchВ®, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), SlinkyВ®, etc. School Supplies: pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc. Hygiene Items: toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc. Other: Hard candy and lollipops (please double bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps; sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries) A Personal Note: In a separate envelope, you may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address, the child may write back.) DO NOT INCLUDE: Used or damaged items; war-related items such as 14 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Hot Topic - Brave With Pixar's new movie out, you may have girls abuzz with the topic of being "brave." The movie and our culture has its definition of the character trait, but how does bravery fit into a Christian worldview? Your friends at SUSIE magazine offer their thoughts in July's Mom's Blog: she can do it. She can be afraid and do the hard thing anyway. And you can remind her of Scriptures like these: вЂў "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV). вЂў "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9 NIV). A teenage girl trying to find her identity. Parents who donвЂ™t seem to "get" her. Siblings who seem to come from another planet. Expectations for her future that she has no desire to meet. While that could be the story of many teenage girls, itвЂ™s also the starting place for PixarвЂ™sВ® newest movie, Brave. The heroine, Merida, has to be brave enough to defy cultural expectations and strike out on her own. Bravery is needed to deal with the typical stuff of hero tales-hardship, enemies and magic. But she also has to be brave enough to deal with the consequences of her actions and to mend broken relationships. And that can be harder than facing angry bears. What is your daughter facing that calls for bravery? What does she need courage to do? вЂў End an unhealthy relationship? вЂў Stand up to peer pressure? вЂў Try something sheвЂ™s never done before? вЂў Persevere through a difficult situation? вЂў Move on to the next life stage? вЂў Speak her mind? вЂў Reach out to someone new? Someone once said that being brave isnвЂ™t about not being afraid. ItвЂ™s being afraid and doing the hard thing anyway. The movie trailer for Brave said this: "Brave journeys are never taken alone." Whatever challenge your daughter is facingвЂ”big or smallвЂ”she needs you on the journey. You canвЂ™t take it for her, but you can be there loving her, encouraging her, listening to her, and telling her that yes, Hot Topic вЂў "David also said to Solomon his son, вЂ™Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finishedвЂ™ " (1 Chronicles 28:20 NIV). If youвЂ™d like some additional words of encouragement for your daughter, you can find these books through the "Shop" tab at SUSIEMag. com: The Brave: Conquering the Fears That Hold You Back by Hayley DiMarco, Michael DiMarco Your teens are afraid of ... being themselves, being left out and getting lost in the crowd. They crave acceptance and spend their time reacting to the fear of not fitting in. The DiMarcos equip adolescents with "five smooth stones" to slay selfimage giantsвЂ”and help them embrace the "me" theyвЂ™re supposed to be! Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex Harris, Brett Harris Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact. Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes and stories of teens in action. This isnвЂ™t a book, but this pewter Fear Not I.D. Tag can serve as a daily reminder of GodвЂ™s promise to never leave us. In His Strength, Dawn Mundy SUSIE Moms Writer July SUSIE MomвЂ™s Newsletter 15 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 If you liked this Teen Topic, check out DawnвЂ™s SUSIE Moms blog under the Moms tab on SUSIEmag.com. Each topic is presented through the lens of a Christian worldview, and the brand overall encourages girls to engage actively in their faith. In addition, SUSIE Magazine publishes a free monthly Teen Topics enewsletter for moms and youth workers along with a monthly momsвЂ™ blog, created by SUSIE Moms writer, Dawn Mundy. Subscribe to both the magazine and newsletter at susiemagazine.com. В©2011 Premier Studios. Hot Topic SUSIE Magazine is a monthly print magazine and optional online community for Christian teen girls aged 13-18. Each issue is filled with information about all the topics that teen girls love most вЂ” faith, fashion, faith, family, relationships, music, sports, hobbies and more. 16 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Patriotism - VeteranвЂ™s Day вЂ“ Sunday, November 11, 2012 Monday, November 12, 2012 вЂ“ Observed date With Veteran's Day around the corner, take some time this fall to explain to your girls about the VFW. Your local VFW post may be a great place to start. The VFW has a number of education programs that not only help teach youth about veterans, but also flag etiquette, etc. One such program is VFW in the Classroom The VFW strives to thank our nationвЂ™s educators yearround by arming them with helpful resources and visits to local classrooms. Loving America and all it stands for is what we do best. Let us help you educate our future leaders. When called upon to participate in a classroom lesson, a member would prepare a brief introduction, a main presentation and a Q&A session. Depending on the lesson, a veteran may bring appropriate memorabilia, uniforms, photographs and other relevant material. Many of these resources and visits can work well in the Troop setting as well. Visit www.vfw.org/oms/findpost.aspx to find your local post OR www.vfw.org/Contacts/VFW-State-Department-and-DistrictWebsites/ to contact State and District Offices. A number of flag education tools are available on the VFW website - www.vfw.org/Community/Flag-Education/. A wonderful resource for the Our Flag badge. The VFW has a kids' site which offers a number of fun facts, activities and more. Here's a taste of what is available at www.vfw.org/ & www.va.gov/kids/. Did you know this about veterans? Of the 25 million living veterans, most (75 percent) served during a war or an official period of hostility. Who is a Veteran? From a 2003 speech given at the National Young Leaders conference in Washington, DC. "They are men and women who, for many reasons, donned the uniform of our country to stand between freedom and tyranny; to take up the sword of justice in defense of the liberties we hold dear; to preserve peace and to calm the winds of war. But as much as they may differ by gender, race, age, national origin, or profession, they share a common love for our great nation; a love great enough to put their very lives on the line, if need be, to guarantee the way of life we enjoy today, and to secure that way of life for tomorrow's generations. The title вЂњveteranвЂќ must be earned. It is a title endowed by a grateful nation on citizens whose shoulders were broad enough to carry the weight of our common defense. It is a title that speaks of courage and sacrifice in the face of mortal danger. It is a title that speaks of compassion and heartbreak in the wake of the terrible cost of war. And it is a title that speaks of love of country, and of a belief in AmericaвЂ™s goodness, and our strength. Patriotism VFW members are "living history" and can provide students with insight into the great sacrifices our service members make to maintain freedom for all of us. Your mothers and fathers, your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, your neighbors, the shop owners in your community, your teachers, your favorite athlete, a Hollywood star, and your political leaders... each one could be a veteran. In each of AmericaвЂ™s struggles, heroes in uniform emerged to inspire and spur us on to victory. Our veteransвЂ™ steadfast resolve to stand and fight for the American way of life is a constant reminder that the righteousness of our destiny overarches the anguish of our losses. AmericaвЂ™s servicemen and women, who became our nationвЂ™s veterans when they set their uniforms aside and resumed their civilian lives, distinguished themselves through their willingness to risk life and limb in defense of the freedoms we all cherish. Those who have served our nation in uniform are the best people our society has to offer. We owe them our full support, and our sincerest thanks. AmericaвЂ™s veterans did not shrink from battle; they did not yield to fear; they did not abandon their cause. All too often they paid the ultimate price. By their example of courage under fire, they raised up a new nation, inspired by the dignity of the common man -- a nation blessed with heroes and heroesвЂ™ dreams. That is leadership of the highest quality. That is AmericaвЂ™s leadership legacy." 17 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 VA Motto LincolnвЂ™s words became the VA motto in 1959 with the words, вЂњTo care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphan.вЂќ President Lincoln stated the governmentвЂ™s duty to care for those who are hurt or died defending our Country. the President of the United States. President LincolnвЂ™s words have stood the test of time. This reminds us to care for those hurt in our nationвЂ™s defense and the families of those killed in its service. The eagle represents the United States. VA History 1789 вЂ“ A law was passed to give money to soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War. 1862 вЂ“ President Lincoln started national cemeteries. This was to honor the many Union dead from the Civil War. 1865 вЂ“ President Lincoln gave his second inaugural speech. He asked Congress вЂњto care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.вЂќ This became VAвЂ™s motto. 1912 вЂ“ A new law called the Sherwood Act was passed. This gave pensions (money) to veterans of the Mexican and Civil Wars when they turned 62, even if they were not sick or disabled. 1930 вЂ“ President Hoover signed a bill creating the Veterans Administration (VA). 1940 вЂ“ Congress created a law to help World War II veterans find jobs when they came home from war. 1944 вЂ“ A lot of people were hurt and killed in World War II. This left many families in need. On June 22, 1944, President Roosevelt signed the GI Bill of Rights. This helped veterans go to college and buy a home. 1946 вЂ“ More hospitals were built to take care of veterans. VA was able to train and hire good doctors. VA also started research that has helped all of us. 1973 вЂ“ The Army gave 82 cemeteries to the Veterans Administration. VA makes sure that veterans and family members have a respectful burial place forever. 1988 вЂ“ Congress made VA a Cabinet Department. This means that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs meets with VA Seal Here is a picture of the VA Seal. The circle of 5 stars above the eagle stands for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The flags in the eagle's claws show America's history from 13 colonies to 50 states. The gold cord is a symbol for those who died while serving our country. The eagle is holding the cord to keep the memory of those veterans alive. What the VA does for Veterans The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is very proud of its noble and sacred mission to serve veterans by providing them with a great variety of benefits and opportunities. What do we do for our veterans? We offer many services and benefits to meet veteransвЂ™ needs: Patriotism 1861 вЂ“ The Civil War broke out. The number of Union veterans grew from 80,000 to 2 million! 1998 вЂ“ All eligible veterans could now enroll in VAвЂ™s health care system. HEALTH CARE BENEFITS The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is responsible for providing high-quality, efficient and accessible health care to veterans in the largest health care system in the United States. In addition to its medical care mission, VHA is the nation's largest provider of graduate medical education and a major contributor to medical and scientific research. VHA also provides emergency medical preparedness and disaster response. Medical Benefits VA has hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, domiciliaries and readjustment counseling centers all over the country just for veterans. VA provides veterans a broad range of medical, surgical, psychiatric, and rehabilitative care. VETERANS BENEFITS The Veterans Benefits Administration helps veterans, as well as their families, in many ways by providing them with numerous benefits and 18 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 services. Disability Compensation and Pension Benefits VA pays money to a veteran because of injuries or diseases that happened while he or she was in the military. This is called disability compensation. The monthly amount of compensation depends upon how disabled the veteran is and the number of dependent family members the veteran has. In some circumstances, veterans not getting compensation may receive a pension and other financial benefits that they have earned with honor. Education Benefits These benefits allow many veterans and those in the military to continue their education, to learn new professions and to have successful careers. Educational programs help veterans pay for their vocational or college education or take classes and tests needed to move up in their current jobs. This fun craft can serve as a gift for local Veteran's or a great reminder to the girls of all they've learned. Making Clay Beads You can buy this clay at most craft stores. It doesnвЂ™t dry out and will not harden unless baked. It is easy to work with and comes in all sorts of colors. Polymer clay really is a ton of fun! Patriotism Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services VA plays a very active role in helping veterans who have been injured or became ill during their military service to return to work and live healthy and enjoyable lives. VA Life Insurance Programs In 1917, VA began providing life insurance during World War I. Today, VA provides over $750 billion in coverage to millions of veterans, men and women of the military, and their families. VA wants service members and veterans to know that they can get life insurance even if they are hurt or injured in the line of duty. Home Loan Benefits Created in 1944 as a way for the United States to say вЂњThank youвЂќ to the Armed Forces men and women who have served their country. Since then this loan guaranty program has helped a lot of veterans buy a home. The author mixed some of the colors to come up with вЂњArmyвЂќ colors, but any armed forces color combos, or even red, white and blue would work. BURIAL BENEFITS The National Cemetery Administration, established during the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln, provides veterans with a final resting place and lasting memorials that honor their service to our Nation. This benefit includes free burial in a national cemetery, a headstone or marker, perpetual care of the gravesite, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate sent to immediate families honoring the veteranвЂ™s service. Military honors for the veteran at the time of the funeral may be provided by the Department of Defense. Certain family members are also eligible for burial in a national cemetery, as well as money for funeral expenses and plot allowances. Take little pieces from three of the colors and mixed them together. Next, roll them in your hands to make little balls. 19 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Toothpicks work perfectly to make holes. You can also spread some cheer and say "thank you" with adorable homemade cards. Have girls create their cards and hand deliver to the local VFW Post or VA Hospital this Veteran's Day. Patriotism When using multiple colors that wonвЂ™t be all squished (for the flag, for instance) together you can use this bake and bond glue. Like the clay, it will not harden until baked. Homemade Cards Once you are finished making the beads put them on an oven-safe plate and bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. Let them cool completely before stringing them together. Activity adapted from notjustahousewife.net. 20 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Outdoors - U.S. SportsmenвЂ™s Alliance FoundationвЂ™s (USSAF) Trailblazer Adventure Program The USSAF Trailblazer Adventure Program introduces youth and their families to outdoor activities such as shooting, fishing, hunting, and trapping. More than 1.3 million youth and their families have participated in a Trailblazer program since its inception in 2001. The USSAF Trailblazer Adventure Program staff will be working with AHG Troops across the country to introduce them to the enjoyment of the outdoors and the connection between American sportsmen and women and conservation. USSAF will be working with AHG to develop outdoor programs (including a Shooting Sports Badge slated for 2015 release) and create leadership opportunities for girls. USSAF will also teach outdoor training workshops at AHG's 2012 National Leadership Conference. USSAF Trailblazer Events The Trailblazer Adventure Program is an exciting oneday program that serves as an all-around introduction to the thrill of outdoor sports and the importance of conservation. Usually hosted at a Boy Scout camp or similar facility, Trailblazer Adventure Day features a variety of activities, demonstrations, and orientation sessions designed to show kids and their families what the outdoor lifestyle is all about. All activities are conducted under the supervision of experienced Trail Depending on resources available at your facility, Trailblazer Adventure Day activities may include: fishing, target shooting, boating orientation, archery, wildlife identification, and many more exciting outdoor related activities! The Trailblazer Adventure Program does not charge a fee for the services provided. Finally, the Trailblazer Adventure Program supplies most of the needed equipment to run an event and can even assist in securing other equipment resources if needed. How will the Trailblazer Program benefit my Troop? The Trailblazer Adventure Program is an exciting opportunity for all troops, as well as a great recruitment tool. Trailblazer gives todayвЂ™s youth an opportunity they might otherwise miss: the chance to experience the wonders of nature firsthand, with expert guidance from experienced sportsmen. With unique activities such as archery, target shooting, and fishing and more, trailblazer is often a first time experience for many young girls and boys who do not have the resources to participate in such activities. Trailblazer is also a proud partner with the Boy Scouts of America, and works closely with them for most Trailblazer events. American Heritage Girl Troops can use this as an opportunity to hold joint Trailblazer events with both AHG and BSA, to introduce young men and women to the great outdoors at the same time. Outdoors The U.S. SportsmenвЂ™s Alliance FoundationвЂ™s (USSAF) Trailblazer Adventure Program and the American Heritage Girls (AHG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 16, 2012. Under this new agreement, all current and potential members of AHG nationwide will have an opportunity to experience the excitement of outdoor adventures including shooting sports, archery, fishing, and a host of other hands-on outdoor related activities. Guides, with the utmost emphasis on safety. Your Troop can also benefit from holding a Trailblazer Adventure Day because it will allow for networking opportunity with some of the potential outside organizations and groups for future badge work events and more! How do I plan a Trailblazer Adventure Day? Do you have an upcoming summer camp? Are you having an AHG event with a large number of attendees? Are you looking for a new twist for a recruitment event? If you answered вЂњyesвЂќ to any of this questions please contact the U.S. SportsmenвЂ™s Alliance Foundation to find out more about the Trailblazer Adventure Program and how we can work with you to bring the excitement of the outdoor lifestyle to your next American Heritage Girl event. If you would like to hold a Trailblazer Adventure Day, contact the U.S. SportsmenвЂ™s Alliance Foundation at (614) 888-4868 or [email protected]. Visit our website at www.trailblazeradventure.org. 21 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 leaf mask with free mask download Activity adapted from 5OrangePotatoes. com/blog Celebrate the fall foliage with these great masks!. You need: * Pressed leaves- use leaves that have been pressed for about 24-48 hours, they are still quite flexible at this stage and lay nicely * Glue Solution- 2 parts glue, 1 part water (or use Modge Podge) * Mask template printed/traced on cardstock * crayons * scissors * hole punch and yarn for the masks that tie around the head * glue gun and a stick for the type of mask you hold Girls might choose to create a leafy mask, like the one above, or go for a more nature/animal inspired mask, below. Outdoors These masks are as easy as 1-2-3! Cut out the mask, color, and glue on the leaves. Preserve the masks by covering the leaves with the glue solution or Modge Podge. 22 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 вЂў I вЂў 23 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Geocaching вЂ“ High Tech Treasure Hunting! WhatвЂ™s your favorite hobby? Using satellite gps technology to find plastic boxes of trinkets in the woods! Geocaching is a fun family or small group hobby that can be experienced in urban or rural settings. ItвЂ™s getting easier to geocache with apps that can be placed on smart phones. Of course, the old reliable hand-held gps are more affordable than ever. Some sort of global positioning system device, a geocaching moniker, a log in to the geocaching.com website and a sense of adventureвЂ¦.thatвЂ™s all you need. But how can geocaching help you to learn about history? State and National Parks around the country are combining the fun of geocaching with the fun of history and the wonder of the outdoors. Following is an example of the type of adventure you can have. A list of parks with geocaching challenges is at the end. Here's an example of Georgia's program: So now everybody can "Get Out. Get Dirty. And Get Fit"В® in a Georgia State Historic Site today! Start your search and locate one or all caches using a handвЂ“held GPS unit. In this game, 13 caches are multi-caches and 1 is a puzzle cache. A multi-cache involves visiting two or more stages (locations) within the park or historic site, the final location being a physical container. There are many variations, but on the Georgia History Trail, you must answer questions at each stage to determine the 4-digit lock combination for the final cache. Geocache containers are sealed ammo boxes labeled as a Georgia State Parks & Historic Site geocache. No GPS? No problem. To play, stop by the Visitor Center for a list of clues. After you find a cache and correctly open the combination lock, log your name and comments inside the cache. Take a History Trail Trading Card (one per person/team please) and trade a trinket of equal or greater value. There are 5 History Groups: Native Americans ~ 4 trading cards Forts ~ 3 trading cards Historic Homes ~ 2 trading cards Plantations ~ 3 trading cards Museums/Battlefields ~ 2 trading cards Outdoors Play Our Game With New Surprises! Sleuth across the Peach State as you visit 14 historic sites, solving clues along the way. Only by answering questions about GeorgiaвЂ™s history will you be able to open the combination lock to each cache. Inside, youвЂ™ll find collector cards that you can trade with friends or turn in for custom pathtags. Our new game can be played with or without a GPS device. are listed on GeorgiaStateParks.org. With trading cards, you can collect one or collect them all. You can even trade with your friends. Collect all trading cards in your History Group, turn them in to the Visitor Center and receive a custom pathtag. Collect all 5 pathtags to complete the set. Please follow Leave No Trace guidelines вЂ“ GeorgiaStateParks.org/LeaveNoTrace Log back into www.geocaching.com to tell of your experience and brag about your find! HOW TO PLAY Go to www.geocaching.com, create a log-in and find GPS coordinates and more information for the 14 Georgia State Parks History Trail locations. To get started, pick your favorite participating historic site or historic state park. Remember that hours of operation and admission fees vary at all locations. Many sites are open only a few days each week. You must visit when the site is open to the public, and admission fees are required. Details 24 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Sites: Native American: Chief Vann House State Historic Site Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site Kolomoki Mounds State Historic Park New Echota Cherokee Capital State Historic Site Forts: Fort King George State Historic Site Fort McAllister State Historic Park Fort Morris State Historic Site Historic Homes: A.H. Stephens State Historic Park Roosevelt's Little White House State Historic Site Plantations: Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site Wormsloe State State Historic Site Museums & Battlefields: Dahlonega Gold Museum State Historic Site Picketts Mill Battlefield State Historic Site Outdoors SAMPLE QUESTION To get the combination to each cache, youвЂ™ll need to answer questions along the way. HereвЂ™s a sample from Kolomoki Mounds Historic Park in Blakely. How to play: This is a 4-stage multi cache. You must visit each stage posted in the additional waypoint section below. At each stage you will gather a part of the 4-digit combination that unlocks the ammo can placed at the posted coordinates. (Inside the visitors center. Admission fee required.) The cache is only available during museum hours: Sunday-Wednesday 8 a.m. вЂ“ 5 p.m. and Thursday-Saturday 9 .a.m вЂ“ 5 p.m. Closed Christmas, Thanksgiving and New YearвЂ™s Day. You will need 45 minutes to an hour to visit all the stages and open the cache. Paper and pen will prove useful as you gather information for the combination. This cache will be visited by new geocachers, so please do not leave trackables. Stage 1 - How many letters are in the first word of the second sentence on the historical marker? This number = A Stage 2 - How many log lined burials were in the original mound at this site? This number = B. Stage 3 - How tall is this mound? This number = C. Stage 4 - Read the historic marker on the exterior wall at the entrance of the visitor center. What is the last digit in the year that this marker was placed? This number = D. * The combination for the lock is ABCD. 25 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Additional parks with Geocaching History and Visit the Parks Challenges include: Minnesota: http://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/ptgkeygeocache.htm Georgia: http://gastateparks.org/Geocaching/History-Trail http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=a2f17b3da9f7-4d4d-8783-f27eead947e5 and location online. Anyone with a GPS device can then try to locate the geocache. Easy Steps to Geocaching 1. Register for a free membership at www.geocaching. com. 2. Click вЂњHide & Seek a Cache.вЂќ 3. Enter your postal code and click вЂњsearch.вЂќ D.C., Maryland, Virginia: http://www.nps.gov/stsp/geotrail.htm 4. Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name. Be sure to note any hints or tips given by the hider and fellow cachers. Chesapeake Bay Area: http://www.smithtrail.net/things-to-do/geocaching.aspx 5. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS Device. Arkansas: http://www.nps.gov/fosm/planyourvisit/geocaching.htm 6. Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache. Indiana: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=1168efae17a8-4425-8e86-ea8d440ca133 7. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location. South Carolina: http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=f330a7ff-d2464fe7-886e-420f2b94726c Alabama: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=bca28c5ece1f-4309-a40e-b022b5b6b57c New Hampshire: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=3596c5bc6e3f-44c8-8ede-57de231072cd Virginia: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=5a47c65b41cb-4dec-8156-d05238f92ed9 West Virginia: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=367c64638987-4da2-8c3b-1fa3048af161 South Dakota: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=b2ea5b78ddd1-470f-9750-de685c86b8b2 Getting Started with Geocaching Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocacheвЂ™s existence Before You Go вЂў Find a geocache that will meet your immediate goals. Are you looking for a difficult hike or an easy adventure? Learn How to Find a Geocache вЂў If youвЂ™re headed out on the trail, pack any needed supplies such as water, food and extra clothing. Bring both a map and a compass. Check geocache terrain and difficulty ratings. вЂў For safety, let someone know where you are going. вЂў Do not forget your GPS and extra batteries. Get Out and Play вЂў Mark your car as a waypoint to ensure your safe return. вЂў Be mindful of the environment, practice Cache In Trash Out. вЂў Bring friends and family with you; sharing the experience can be very rewarding. Pets are usually welcome, too! вЂў Remember that distances can be deceiving. A geocache can take longer to find depending on trails, rivers and other obstacles. Share Your Experience вЂў If you take something from the geocache, leave something of equal or greater value. вЂў Write about your experience in the geocache logbook. вЂў Place your geocaching stories and photos online. Outdoors Louisiana: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=eb40f4aa97de-4c06-8187-5745b97b19a4 8. Share your geocaching stories and photos online. 26 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Girl LeadershipThough some of the activities may be geared to a specific age group, the principles can be applied to any girl. You are encouraged to adapt activities to meet the developmental stage of your girls. A Message from Lead Like Jesus: Faith and business. Jesus and parenting Personal and Professional. Servant and Leader Even seeing those words paired together makes people uneasy. Our sophisticated culture encourages us to draw lines and keep our spiritual life separate from the rest of our lives. Faith is for Sundays or family gatherings. Right? At Lead Like Jesus, we believe that leadership is about influence вЂ“ influencing the thinking, behavior and development of others вЂ“ and we all influence others all of the time вЂ“ sometimes for good and sometimes not. Since we are going to influence (or lead) others, we believe that it only makes sense to follow the model of the greatest leader вЂ“ Jesus of Nazareth. He offers a leadership perspective that is radically different than what youвЂ™ve been doing. It has stood the test of time вЂ“ 2000 years is a great track record! Be different to make a difference in your life and the lives of those you touch. Change your world вЂ“ one life at a time! A Leadership Encounter is a two-day workshop in a collegial environment with a trained facilitator and others to Lead Like Jesus. Packed with actionoriented learning and reflection, the workshop closely examines Jesus as a leader and a model while equipping participants to lead as He led. Whether you seek a relevant and effective model for day-today leadership or want to learn more about leadership skills, you will be challenged like never before to look at Jesus in a new and life changing way. Throughout the two day event, you will not only discover your own personal barriers to effective leadership and the power of the heart, head, hands, and habits of leading like Jesus. What can you expect from a Leadership Encounter? вЂў To learn how to apply the powerful and practical leadership principles of Jesus to real life challenges вЂў To explore your own personal leadership motivation, thinking, behavior and habits in light of the mandate to Lead Like Jesus вЂў To find an effective and practical way to live your faith at work, at home, and in all your relationships вЂў To create a positive leadership legacy for those who will follow in your footsteps вЂў To be challenged to develop a personal next step and long-range plan to integrate Lead Like Jesus into all elements of your leadership activity If you enjoy the following study, you won't want to miss LLJ at NLC2012! Visit www.ahgonline.org/nlc2012 to learn more or to register. Girl Leadership This study that you will engage in is part of a 6-week group study highlighting the heart (motivation), head (belief), hands (behavior) and habits (disciplines) of leadership as modeled by Jesus in His interactions with the disciples. Each unit in this study is similar in structure with content from Lead Like Jesus: Lessons for Everyone from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time, memory verses, prayers, activities and opportunities for you to write your own plan. Lead Like Jesus will be presenting a training at this year's National Leadership Conference in Cincinnati! Though the following activity is geared toward adults, you will see that is can easily be translated to Teen terms (ie. boss = teacher/parents, coworkers = peers/friends, etc.) For more information about other resources, events and opportunities to change your leadership, visit www.LeadLikeJesus.com. В© 2008 The Center for Faithwalk Leadership dba LeadLikeJesus 27 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 week two day two | 2 How do we edGe God out? Quote for Today 2 When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.2 John Ruskin What GodвЂ™s Word Says Girl Leadership Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, вЂњI need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?вЂќ Jesus replied, вЂњLet it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.вЂќ Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, вЂњThis is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.вЂќ (Matt. 3:13вЂ“17) Pause and Reflect вЂў Whatdoesthepassageaboverevealabouttheheartofaservantleader? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ вЂў HowcanyoubecomemorelikeJesusinyourapproachtoleadership? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ A Prayer for Today Perfect Example, Selfless One, You showed me how to live and lead as a servant and yet it seems so difficult, so hard to do. Patiently walk with me as I demonstrate for others the qualities of servant leadership, so that they, too, might learn to walk in them. In JesusвЂ™s Name, Amen! Week Two ~ Day Two В© 2008 The Center for Faithwalk Leadership dba LeadLikeJesus 43 28 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 TodayвЂ™s Topic How do we edGe God out? How do you define вЂњego?вЂќ We toss around the word referring to how important a person believes he or she is. LetвЂ™s be really honestвЂ”some people apparently overestimate how much the rest of us need them on the planet. Think about it for a moment. What do the following actions say about a personвЂ™s attitude toward himself or herself? вЂўUsingtheemergencylanetobypasstrafficcongestion. вЂўTakingaweekвЂ™sgroceryshoppingthroughthe6 Items or Less express check-out. вЂўParkingontopoftheFire Lane вЂ“ No Parking markings for a quick trip to the ATM. вЂўUsingoneвЂ™spositionandinfluenceforpersonalgain. You get the picture. There never has been anyone who deserved to think more highly of Himself than Jesus. Yet Scripture shows a humility and servant attitude that was uncommon in His day and remains uncommon today. Jesus could have demanded respect, honor, and social accolades, but He refused to lead by fear and intimidation. Look Inside Today we want to help you check yourself on the third test of servant leadership: Test 3: Control Girl Leadership Do you let God be the Leader and you the servant? The term leader (or leaders) is mentioned only six times in the King James Version of the Bible, while servant (or servants) is mentioned more than nine hundred times. That very fact underlines the truth that forms our third test: God is not looking for leaders but for servants who will let Him be their Leader. When God approached Abraham, He had the plan and Abraham was to carry it out according to GodвЂ™s promise. When God approached Moses, He provided leadership for the shy, withdrawn man. When God approached David, it was not to ask him to lead but to ask him to serve using his harp, slingshot, and sword. When God was the Leader, things worked out well for the men above. Well, of course, that means things worked according to GodвЂ™s plan. However, replacing GodвЂ™s leadership with self-directed leadership led to chaos. Edging God Out, or EGO, always has disastrous consequences. If we want life to work out, we must recognize that it is all about God, not us. What Is Your Leadership EGO? In this study, weвЂ™re not talking about a psychological term; weвЂ™re talking about an issue of the heart. Here are two ways to define the EGO difference of self-serving and servant leaders. 44 Lead Like Jesus Study Guide В© 2008 The Center for Faithwalk Leadership dba LeadLikeJesus 29 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 For Self-Serving Leaders: EGO: Edging God Out or For Servant Leaders: EGO: Exalting God Only It doesnвЂ™t get much simpler than that. LetвЂ™s take another look at the Scripture passage with which we began todayвЂ™s reading. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, вЂњI need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?вЂќ Jesus replied, вЂњLet it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.вЂќ Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, вЂњThis is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.вЂќ (Matt. 3:13вЂ“17) Jesus demonstrated two very significant attributes of servant leadership in His interaction with His cousin, John the Baptist. (1) He validated and affirmed John in his ministry, and (2) He didnвЂ™t ask His follower to do anything He wasnвЂ™t willing to do. Servant leaders never ask anyone to do something they arenвЂ™t willing to do themselves! Look Inside Look at the EGO diagram below. At the top are three ways we edge God out. Today we will take a closer look at each of these three attitudes. Edging God Out as вЂў Whom I worship вЂў My source of security and self-worth вЂў My audience, my ultimate authority and my judge Pride An overly high opinion of yourself, exaggerated esteem of self, haughtiness, arrogance вЂњThinking more of and about yourself than you should.вЂќ Romans 12:3 P RI DE FE A Fear Promoting Self вЂў Boasting вЂў Taking all of the credit вЂў Showing off вЂў Doing all the talking вЂў Demanding all the attention R An insecure view of the future producing self-protection. вЂњThe Fear of man is a trap вЂ¦.вЂќ Proverbs 29:25 Protecting Self вЂў Hiding behind position вЂў Withholding information вЂў Intimidating others вЂў Hoarding control and revenues вЂў Discouraging honest feedback Always separates man from God, other people, and himself or herself Always compares with others and is never happy Always distorts the truth into a false sense of security or fear В© 2008 The Center for Faithwalk Leadership dba LeadLikeJesus Week Two ~ Day Two 45 30 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 1. You Edge God Out When You Put Something Else in GodвЂ™s Place as the Object of Your Worship. Your priority is your god; itвЂ™s that simple. Whenever anything becomes more important to you than God, you are in effect bowing to it, adoring it, or giving yourself to it. In short, you worship it. This can take many forms. It might be an object such as money, a house, a car, or a business. It might be a desire for power, recognition, or appreciation. It might be a habit that edges God outвЂ”running, watching television or movies, eating, or sleeping. HereвЂ™s the tough part. From the list below, circle any attitude, action, or possession that could potentially become a life-focus for you. Be honest! Money Cars Clothes Desire for power Appreciation Popularity Running Reading Eating or Cooking Working on your house Work Boating Public recognition Fame Success Gardening Watching television/movies Sleeping вЂўWhatdoyouneedtodotokeepyourattitudetowardthesethingsincheck? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ вЂў Considerforamomenthowyoumakeleadershipdecisions.Fromthelistbelow,circle anything that might become more important to you than God: Your bossвЂ™s opinion Influence of fellow workers Your money involved Fear of failure Potential promotion Showing up coworkers Power, recognition, appreciation, moneyвЂ”whatever it is, itвЂ™s not worth it if it takes the place of your worship of God. Paul had the following words for the Philippians: вЂњFor we who worship God in the Spirit вЂ¦ put no confidence in human effort. Instead, we boast about what Christ Jesus has done for usвЂќ (Phil. 3:3 NLT). 2. You Edge God Out When You Rely on Other Sources for Your Security and Sufficiency. One of the greatest temptations is to rely on yourself instead of on God until you are at your witвЂ™s end. When you trust in something other than the unconditional love of God, other than in His care for you, you edge God out. When you put your security in other thingsвЂ”your intellect, your position, your business contacts, your talent, anythingвЂ”you are counting on the temporal instead of the eternal. вЂњTrust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straightвЂќ (Prov 3:5вЂ“6). 46 Lead Like Jesus Study Guide В© 2008 The Center for Faithwalk Leadership dba LeadLikeJesus 31 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 вЂў Sometimesyourelyonotherthingsorotherpeopletogetyououtoftrouble.Checkany of the items below that you have ever relied on as your security: _____ Money _____ Business contacts _____ Experience _____ Intellect _____ Education _____ Position вЂў Circleanyoftheaboveitemsonwhichyouarenowrelying. Anything you count on instead of God is temporal rather than eternal. Your security should be in the unconditional love of God and in His care for you. вЂњCast all your anxiety on him because he cares for youвЂќ (1 Pet. 5:7). 3. You Edge God Out When You Put Others in His Place as Your Primary Audience. If your self-worth or security is based on what others think, then you donвЂ™t have much security. In Robert S. McGeeвЂ™s The Search for Significance, we learn that if the devil could get you to buy into a formula for self-worth, it would be: Your self-worth = your performance + the opinions of others. If you constantly base your self-worth on your performance or the opinions of others, youвЂ™re always going to be chasing an elusive, frustrating fantasy. All the world is a stage and God is the audience of One. вЂњWhatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for menвЂќ (Col. 3:23). Not only is God the Audience you are to please, He is the Judge of all the earth. He determines your destiny. How many businessmen or even church leaders thought they were getting away with devious deals only to discover that God makes known from the housetops the secrets that were whispered in the closet! Your character is revealed when no one is watching. But there is a catchвЂ”God is always watching! He is your perpetual audience of one . . . the One you honor above all. вЂў ReadMatthew4:1-11andlistthewaysJesusresistedthetemptationtoEdgeGodOut. ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Week Two ~ Day Two В© 2008 The Center for Faithwalk Leadership dba LeadLikeJesus 47 32 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 It is easy to concentrate too much on the physical hardships of JesusвЂ™s fasting experience in the wilderness and miss the profound spiritual conditioning for servant leadership that took place. Jesus faced three of the most universal and powerful temptations a leader can face: 1. Instant gratification 2. Recognition and applause 3. Improper use of and lust for power Because Jesus faced these temptations from the spiritual perspective, He was able to overcome them. Too many leaders negate the power of God when they face worldly temptations. In every season of leadership you enter, you will be faced with temptations. The quality of your service will be a direct result of your spiritual preparation. Look Inside List a few examples of how you have faced the following temptations: вЂў Instantself-gratification: ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ вЂў Recognitionandapplauseofothers: ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ вЂў Improperuseofyourpowerandinfluence ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Notice that Jesus used His knowledge of GodвЂ™s Word to confront and defeat SatanвЂ™s temptations. This is one example of the importance of memorizing Scripture. Key Concepts вЂў Theheartsofself-servingleadersEdgeGodOutbyputtingsomethinginGodвЂ™splaceas the object of their worship, trusting in something else for their security and self-worth and valuing someone elseвЂ™s opinion more than GodвЂ™s. вЂў WhenyouEdgeGodOut,youendupputtingyourfaithandtrustinpeopleandthings that are always at risk and are never a hundred percent reliable. вЂў SatanвЂ™sformulaforself-worthisthatself-worthistheproductofwhatyouhave,what you do, and what other people think of you. If you adopt this formula, you will live an always-anxious, always-unfulfilled life and lead others to do the same. 48 Lead Like Jesus Study Guide В© 2008 The Center for Faithwalk Leadership dba LeadLikeJesus 33 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 A Point to Ponder Edging God Out is usually not a violent act of the will. It is the subtle movement over time of self onto the throne of your life, through little acts of pride and fear. What choices will you make today that may give you a sense who is on the throne of your life? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Next Steps вЂў Today,whatdoyouthinkwillbeyourgreatesttemptationtoEdgeGodOutandactlike a self-serving leader? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ вЂў Howwillyoudealwiththetemptation? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ вЂў Whatarethedangersofgivingin? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ вЂў WhatarethebenefitsofresistingthetemptationthroughGodвЂ™spower? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Tomorrow we will ask you to describe any situation in which you were tempted to be a self-serving leader and how you handled the temptation. Week Two ~ Day Two В© 2008 The Center for Faithwalk Leadership dba LeadLikeJesus 49 34 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Badge Helps Joining AwardPage 56 of Girl Handbook The Joining Award is the first award that an American Heritage Girl should earn. The requirements for this award allow girls to become familiar with the AHG program and its foundations. New Troops can easily earn the Joining Award as a group or Unit. It is a great way for a new Troop to begin their AHG adventure together. For established Troops, new girls can earn this award on their own, or some Troops like to bring together a group of new girls to work on the requirements together. For information on this award or for specific requirements, refer to page 56 of the Girl Handbook. Resources and ideas for helping girls earn the Joining Award can be found in the Resource section of the AHG Leader Site at: www.ahgonline.org/joiningaward. Family Helper The Complete Family Helper Badge can be found on page 129 of Girl Handbook Requirement 2 See Chart on following page. Requirement 7 See Chart on following page. See Chart on following page. Requirement 13 Barney said it! вЂњClean up. Clean up. Everybody do their share!вЂќ And heвЂ™s right. We, who belong to families, need to pitch in with the chores. Here are some tips to help making the chores easier. Wash Windows: When everyone became eco-friendly with window washing, switched to vinegar and still had streaks, what they didnвЂ™t realize was that the old cleaners had left a waxy residue behind. You can take care of that by adding a little liquid soap to your solution. A favorite concoction is to combine 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar, and up to 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap or detergent in a spray bottle. ThatвЂ™s all there is to Wash the Car: Wash Tools: First, never wash in direct sunlight. Pick a shady spot. Second itвЂ™s very important to choose tools that are gentle on the paint, yet still effective at removing contamination. As a rule of thumb, sponges and mitts that are plush or have a deep nap are better than flat weave towels or dense sponges. For example, a Natural Sea Sponge has numerous deep compartments where dirt and debris can accumulate. The natural fibers themselves will not scratch the paint and they will essentially pull contamination into the spongeвЂ™s openings, away from the paint. Always use the softer side of the sponge for washing. Rinse new sea sponges thoroughly before use to remove any shell fragments or sand. Another option is a Sheepskin Wash Mitt. Sheepskin is extremely soft and plush. The fibers are gentle on the paint while the nap is deep enough to accommodate loose dirt and sand so they do not rub against the vehicle. Because sheepskin is natural, it does not last as long as a Microfiber mitt. However, for luxurious softness, you canвЂ™t beat the texture of sheepskin. Micro-chenille wash mitts are another paint-safe option. MicrofiberвЂ™s combination of polyester and polyamide make it capable of scrubbing the paint without scratching or swirling. It traps dirt and grit within the fibers rather than leaving them on the surface of your vehicle. Be sure to rinse the mitt frequently to release these particles. Proper Washing: 1. Wash the wheels and tires first. If you splash wheel cleaners or dirt onto your vehicle, you can simply wash it off as you wash your vehicle. Use a cleaner that is safe for all wheels: waterbased and has no corrosive chemicals, which is safer for coated wheels and rubber. Agitate with a wheel brush to clean wheels without scratching. Wash each wheel and tire one at a time and rinse thoroughly before moving on to the next one. NOW EMPTY AND RINSE ALL CLEANING MATERIALS and your wash bucket.. Badge Helps Requirement 8 it. (Make sure to label the bottle and keep it out of the reach of children.) 35 Water House Plants Load/Unload dishwasher Wash and/or dry dishes Take Out Trash Set the Table Dust Furniture Make Bed Week Two Water House Plants Load/Unload dishwasher Wash and/or dry dishes Take Out Trash Set the Table Dust Furniture Make Bed Week One Sunday Monday Family Helper Badge Requirement 2 Tuesday Wednesday Parent Signature Thursday Friday Saturday Water House Plants Load/Unload dishwasher Wash and/or dry dishes Take Out Trash Dust Furniture Set the Table Make Bed Week Three Water House Plants Load/Unload dishwasher Wash and/or dry dishes Take Out Trash Set the Table Dust Furniture Make Bed Week Two Carry In/Put Away Groceries Pack Lunches Polish Furniture Change Bedsheets Sort/Fold Laundry Vacuum/sweep Floor Clean the Bathroom Week One Sunday Monday Family Helper Badge Requirement 7 Tuesday Wednesday Parent Signature Thursday Friday Saturday Dust (1x per week) Vaccum (1x per week) Make Bed Put Away Toys, Games, etc Pick Up Clothes Week Three Dust (1x per week) Vaccum (1x per week) Put Away Toys, Games, etc Make Bed Pick Up Clothes Week Two Dust (1x per week) Vaccum (1x per week) Put Away Toys, Games, etc Make Bed Pick Up Clothes Week One Sunday Monday Family Helper Badge Requirement 8 Tuesday Wednesday Parent Signature Thursday Friday Saturday Leader Packet - Fall 2012 2. Now youвЂ™re ready to wash. LetвЂ™s start with clean water and a freshly rinsed container and a wash mitt or sponge. ItвЂ™s important to use a car wash that is rich in lubricants. The purpose of the car wash is to remove contaminants and lubricate them so they do not scratch the paint as they slide off the vehicle. Dish detergents are not ideal because they remove protective coatings. 3. How do you prevent swirl marks? Use two buckets. Fill one bucket with soapy water and fill the other with clean water. Each time youвЂ™re ready to reload your sponge with soapy water, dip it in the clean water first, to rinse out the grit and contamination youвЂ™ve just removed from your vehicle. Then dip it in the soapy water and continue washing. 4. Always rinse your vehicle thoroughly before you begin washing in order to remove loose debris. Then begin washing at the top of the vehicle. Wash down the vehicle as opposed to front to back. Remember that the lower panels are dirtiest. You want to clean the windows and the upper panels before cleaning the lower half of the vehicle so that you donвЂ™t transfer grit to the top half of the vehicle. Rinse and reload your sponge often to prevent cross-contamination. Rinse your vehicle frequently as you work, especially in hot weather. 5. When rinsing, you donвЂ™t have to blast your car clean with the water hose. Free-flowing water (no nozzle) will allow the water to sheet off of your vehicle for a more thorough rinsing. Drying: Never skip drying! Drying your vehicle after washing is necessary to prevent water spots. Water spots are caused by mineral deposits that etch the outline of a drop of water into your vehicleвЂ™s paint. All water has minerals, whether itвЂ™s from the hose or the sky. As the water evaporates, the minerals remain on the surface and they will eventually, invariably create water spots. You can dry your vehicle in a variety of ways, but you want to make sure you do it quickly. The fastest way to If you use a squeegee you may still need to use a towel to wipe away drips from around windows and mirrors. Use a large 2 microfiber towel that is manufactured with a waffle-weave texture. This weave increases the surface area so the towel can absorb more water. It can absorb 7 times its own weight in moisture, and itвЂ™s completely nonabrasive. Microfiber towels come in a number of sizes and they can be altered for a specific purpose. Microfiber is more absorbent than terry cloth or chamois, and it lasts longer. Terry cloth towels are not recommended because the fibers can become matted and hard after repeated uses. They shed lint. They increase the chance of swirls. Compared to microfiber, they are not as absorbent and they donвЂ™t last as long. Never use bath towels that have been discarded from the house. They are probably not soft or paint safe. You may also use a genuine or synthetic chamois. Drying Tips 1. Dry the windows and mirrors first. 2. Use a large microfiber towel to remove the majority of water from your vehicle. Go back over the vehicle with a smaller towel to catch any water the large towel may have missed. This quick two-step process will leave your vehicle bone-dry and ready for wax. Badge Helps For stubborn spots, like bugs or tar, use a bug and tar sponge to gently remove sticky contaminants without scratching. To soften the sponge, soak it in warm water for 3 minutes. Always use it with soapy water to lubricate the sponge. If you choose to use a spot cleaner, spray it on before washing and reapply wax to the treated area after youвЂ™ve dried the vehicle. remove excess water is with a вЂњpaint-safeвЂќ squeegee that pull 80% of the water off the surface of your vehicle. They are made of soft, medical-grade silicone so they will not scratch your paint or glass. Use the blade on the windows first, since water spots are most noticeable there. 3. Once the outside is dry, wipe down all your door jambs. Open the trunk and hood to wipe the jambs. 4. Dry your wheels using a towel or chamois that is designated just for this purpose. DonвЂ™t use this towel on your paint to avoid cross-contamination. You may also use this towel to wipe off surfaces under the hood. Wash this towel before you use it again. http://www.autogeek.net/exterior.html 39 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Wax the car: 1. Avoid evaporation of your wax product. Always wax the vehicle in a garage or very shaded area. 2. Apply dry. Applying wax to a wet vehicle will make the wax smear. 3. Thinner is the Winner. Wax jobs utilizing the thinnest coats are often the ones that capture the greatest color and depth. Instead of applying one heavy coat, lay multiple thin coats on top of each other after the previous one has cured. It is actually possible to create spectacular layers of reflective transparency. 4. Spot Treatment. You may sometimes notice an uneven difference in your wax job. Detail sprays are available to remedy common problems like streaks and smears without having to re-wax the whole car. 5. Finish the job. Remove wax gently without leaving behind lint using a microfiber detailing cloth. http://www.superiorcarcare.net/how-to-wax-your-car.html Shampoo a carpet: There are few things more unsightly in an otherwise beautiful home than filthy carpets. Unfortunately, carpets get dirty quite often, much to the dismay of their owners. Dirty carpet can make even the most immaculate of homes seem less than clean, but there is something that can be done about it. While most people donвЂ™t know how to shampoo a carpet, doing so is much easier than it might look, and can save a lot of money and hassle that would otherwise be involved with hiring a professional. While the task of learning to shampoo a carpet may seem a bit intimidating, it is not very difficult. Preparing the Carpet Before proceeding to shampoo a carpet, it is extremely important that the carpet be vacuumed thoroughly. It may be a good idea to remove the old vacuum bag and replace it with a new one to ensure that all dirt and debris can be removed. Next, take some time to locate those areas on the carpet that get a higher amount of traffic than others and treat them with a pre-spray or cleaner specifically designed for highly soiled areas. These can bring some life back into trampled carpet fibers and aid in maximizing the Shampooing the Carpet Allow the spot pre-treater to do its job; this will take about 30 minutes or so. The actual shampooing process is not difficult. Begin shampooing in the furthest corner of the room and pull the machine towards you while pressing the shampoo release button, do not soak the carpet. Then go over the same area again to remove as much moisture from the rug as possible. You may have to repeat this process more than once depending on how dirty the carpet is. These instructions will vary from machine to machine, but thoroughly laid out instructions are always included with the carpet cleaner, whether it is a rental or one you have purchased. After shampooing, it is best to let the carpet dry overnight. When carpet is wet, it is much more apt to pick up dirt and stains than when it is dry, so allowing it to fully dry before walking on it is important. http://www.geyservac.com/facts/how-to-shampoo-carpet. html Cleaning an oven: Cleaning an oven naturally is actually quite simple and you can have great success with the following techniques that require nothing more than some eco-friendly solutions and some elbow grease. Lemon and other citrus oils are great natural degreasers, and you can clean your ovenвЂ” especially convection ovensвЂ”with just two lemons and a little effort. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juices into the baking dish. Place whatвЂ™s left of the lemons in the dish as well. Fill the dish about 1/3 full of water, place it in the oven, and bake at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes. If the buildup is really bad, you can try leaving it in for a bit longer. The water and lemon juice will heat up and the vapors will cling to the grime, loosening it and helping it come clean. Remove the dish and let the oven cool. After the oven has cooled off, use a scouring pad to scrub away whatвЂ™s left of the grime; have a silicone spatula handy for removing bigger chunks. Use the lemon water as a rinse aid when cleaning down the inside of the stove. Keep sponging with the lemon water until clean and then use a towel to dry it off. Be aware that the oven emits smoke when this happens, so be sure to turn on the oven fan and open a window. The second technique, which is good for any type of oven, involves vinegar and baking soda. Simply spray vinegar all over the inside of the oven. Follow Badge Helps Get a Carpet Cleaner The first and most important step when shampooing carpets is to actually obtain the cleaner. In order to shampoo a carpet, a specialized machine is needed to do the job. Most hardware stores and grocery stores have carpet cleaners available for rent. cleaning process. 40 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 that with an even sprinkling of baking soda and allow for the mixture to bubble and fizz. Leave the mixture to sit for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how many former Christmas dinners are still clinging to the walls of the oven. Then use a scouring sponge to scrub the walls and bottom of the oven to remove the grime and build up. Vinegar is a great degreaser, so try rinsing the sponge in vinegar to maintain its grease cutting abilities during your scrubbing. You can rinse the oven by sponging clean water on the walls and bottom, this way no chemicals are required to achieve a clean oven. or in the sink. I know many freezers have drain plugs, but if it's not plumbed to a drain it's not gonna help you. Step Four: Hurry Up and Wait Generally at this stage you wait for the ice to melt and keep mopping up the water. If you donвЂ™t have a lot of ice buildup this is certainly the easiest method to defrosting. Help It Along Cleaning is easy with caustic materials but it takes out Too much ice and not enough time? There are four the elbow grease factor. However, for a safe and effective ways to speed up the defrosting process. clean, we should be opting for chemical-free techniques 1. Hot Water Method so that we can keep our families and the environment Take a pan and fill it with water, get it nice and safe while weвЂ™re handling that most unwanted of chores. hot on the stove or use a bowl in the microwave. http://www.naturallysavvy.com/cleaning-green/cleanPlace the hot water inside the freezer and close your-oven-without-toxic-chemicals the door. After about 5 minutes remove the pan or bowl and reheat then put it back in the freezer. Defrost a freezer: Continue until ice is melted. Step One: Remove Food I personally hate the hot water method of Use another freezer if you can or store your food in a defrosting the freezer. I find that the ice under the cooler. hot water melts first and the pan or bowl sticks to If itвЂ™s a cold winter day put the food outside, where no the ice as it cools off. ItвЂ™s annoying to come back wildlife can get to it. This is a great time to take inventory every 5 minutes and it doesnвЂ™t seem to help the of what you have. ice melt that much faster. If your thawing a unit inside of a fridge then remove the food from the fridge too. If your fridge has a different door and separate controls allowing you to turn off the freezer while leaving the fridge running itвЂ™s safe to leave food in the fridge. However, you might not have a fan that you can angle properly and if youвЂ™re thawing a unit above a refrigerator it might not be worth the effort. 3. Blow Dryer Defrosting MethodвЂ”DonвЂ™t Try it. ItвЂ™s too dangerous to mix a dryer and all that water! Step Three: Get Towels and a Bucket Towels can go into the freezer on the bottom and on shelves to help absorb the ice that defrosts. Also put towels on the floor tucked against the freezer because water is likely to drip to the floor. 4. Scrapper Method Scraping the ice is probably the most common way of speeding up the process of defrosting the freezer. But we have to make sure to do it safely. And that, my friend, means no sharp objects. Use the bucket to ring the towels. Or if you have a lot of ice melting grab a clean mop too. There are two reasons for this. First you could hurt yourself. Second you can scrape or puncture the cabinet of your freezer. Well, it doesnвЂ™t sound like a big deal, puncturing the stuff behind the freezer cabinet could cause a leak and make your whole freezer useless. ItвЂ™s not worth the risk. I use the mop to keep the floor around the freezer dry and rags to sop up the water on the bottom shelf. If your unit has a tray under it, as commonly found in older refrigerators with freezers on top, make sure to keep emptying the tray as the ice melts. Dump it in the bucket Badge Helps Step Two: Turn Off Power DonвЂ™t even try defrosting a freezer with it running, itвЂ™s a drain on electricity and on you (believe me, I've tried because I didn't want to unpack the fridge). So turn off the power, unplug it and get ready to roll up your sleeves. Now you can leave the door open. 2. Fan Method Set up a fan outside the freezer with the freezer door propped open so that air circulates faster. More air flow will help the ice to melt faster. A dull object, like a plastic spatula or spoon, 41 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 works better. Think of it less as вЂ�scrappingвЂ™ and more as вЂ�assistingвЂ™ large chucks of ice to come out before they melt. Step Four: Clean It Use a mild detergent or 3 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart of water to gently clean the freezer while itвЂ™s already empty. remainder of the refrigerator. 2. Remove Shelves and Drawers--Take out all removable drawers and shelves and set them aside. Drawers and shelves that are made of metal or plastic can actually be washed with hot water and dish soap right away, but glass and ceramic pieces need to gradually warm up to room temperature before being washed with hot water to prevent cracking and breaking. Washing them in a clean bathtub works! 3. Wipe Down Refrigerator Interior--Use a clean cloth with hot water and a mild detergent like dish soap. Work from top to bottom to prevent dripping on surfaces that are already clean. Tough stuck on spills Step Five: Turn It On and Let It Cool may need a plastic, non-abrasive scrubber. Another Make sure the freezer is dry or youвЂ™ll be starting to build option is to lay a warm wet cloth over the spilled area up ice again before there's even food inside. Turn the for a few minutes. The spilled area will be softer and freezer on, set the ideal freezer temperature for your easier to wipe away. Rinse cloths thoroughly and/or needs, between 0F and -10F. use multiple cloths to insure cleanliness. Pay special attention to the bottom crevices and back of the I would wait about an hour before adding food that is still refrigerator where spills tend to migrate. Finally wipe frozen, longer for refrigerator temperature food. down the interior doors. And do not rub oil over your freezer like some sites suggest, because over time even at cold temperature that oil will go rancid. Step Five: Repack Frozen Foods in Good Condition Check the foods you have before returning them to the freezer. Anything too old or freezer burnt should be tossed out. Any meat that has thawed needs to be cooked before it can be frozen again. Learn more about how to refreeze food if you're not sure. 4. Clean Shelves and Drawers--Now that your shelves and drawers have had time to warm up gradually, take a few moments and clean and dry them thoroughly. Be careful, especially when handling slippery glass shelving. Dishwashing gloves may be helpful to prevent breakage. Put like items together so they are easy to find. There's a method to organizing your freezer contents. 5. Dry Interior--Using a clean dry cloth or towel wipe down the interior of the refrigerator to make sure it is completely dry. Don't forget to dry the interior doors as well. http://www.favoritefreezerfoods.com/defrost-freezer.html 6. Replace the Food--Put the food back into the refrigerator. Now is also a good time to wipe off any jars or containers of food that may need it, like a sticky jelly jar or a crusty salad dressing lid. Take care to use clean cloths when working with your food jars and dry them thoroughly as well. 7. Clean Out the Freezer--Use the same methods listed above to clean out a freezer. The great thing about freezers is that they rarely have spills and need Clean out the refrigerator: A refrigerator is the hub of our kitchen. We depend on to be scrubbed out much less often. You may need to it to safely store all of our perishable foods until we're only check for and remove expired food. If the freezer ready to use them. Unfortunately the refrigerator takes a does require more thorough cleaning, you can use the lot of abuse. We stuff it full. We forget about leftovers. We same methods used in the refrigerator. leave spills until they've crystallized. Then we complain 8. Clean the Outside--Starting from the top, wipe when there's even the slightest unpleasant odor. Find out down and clean the exterior of the refrigerator using all the steps you need to know to clean your refrigerator. hot/warm water and a mild dish soap. If you have a 1. Remove the Food--Toss any old or expired food into stainless steel refrigerator, you'll need to use a soft the trash. Remove the food that is still good to a cooler non-scratching rag, and vinegar or a window cleaner with ice to keep it safe and cold while you clean the to keep the surface shiny. Don't forget to clean the rubber gasket seal around the edges of the door using Badge Helps While we are on the topic there is a myth to dispel. Myth: Frost in a freezer contributes to freezer burn on your food. Truth: Frost in the freezer usually means there is an air leak. However, foods that are properly wrapped in moisture-vapor proof freezer materials will not develop freezer burn simply because the freezer doesnвЂ™t seal properly. 42 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 dish soap and warm water. Dirt and grime can collect here and cause the seal to crack. To dust, use a soft clean cloth or chemically treated dust cloth and tilt the slats as above. 9. SeasonallyCheck the Drip Pan--Some refrigerator models have a removable drip pan that collects the condensation from the refrigerator. Remove the grill from the bottom front of your refrigerator and use a flashlight to locate the drip pan. It will be on top of condenser coils. Drip pans can become moldy and gross over time, so wear gloves and be prepared. Remove the drip pan and clean thoroughly before replacing. You may need to use bleach. When in doubt refer to the manufacturer's instructions and follow them. Dry and replace the drip pan and front grill. To wash, use a damp cloth or sponge and mild detergent. Use warm or cold water - NOT hot water. Tilt the slats as above. Protect the floor or sill from excess water. The blind can also be taken down, placed in a bath tub of mild soapy water, then rinsed clean, wiped dry, or allowed to dry completely in the open air. Vacuum the Refrigerator Coils--Unplug the refrigerator and move it out from the wall carefully and slowly. For models with the coils on the back of the refrigerator, use the brush attachment to vacuum the coils. Some side by side and built-in models may have coils located behind a vent on the top, bottom or back of the refrigerator. Some models even have vents screwed on over the coils. On these models, you'll need to use a long narrow crevice attachment for your vacuum cleaner. Refer to your owner's manual for assistance. Put the refrigerator back and plug it back in. Tips: 1. Wiping up spills as they occur, and throwing out old food every week, will go a long way to keeping your refrigerator clean. 2. Adding a box of baking soda can work wonder for eliminating odors in the refrigerator and freezer. This is great if you don't want your butter to taste like fajita onions. Clean the blinds: When it's time to clean your blinds and shades, even your best friend is hard to find. But there are some simple and effective ways to clean blinds and shades with minimal effort. Aluminum or Vinyl Miniblinds Use ordinary soft, clean dust cloths, chemically treated dust cloths, vacuum cleaner brush attachments, or other available ordinary household aids. The paint surface of the slats is quite smooth and dust is easily brushed off if done at regular intervals. To vacuum, use the brush dust head attachment and tilt the slats first up, then down (but not entirely exposed) to reach the entire top and bottom surfaces. Fabric Pleated Shades Most of the cellular shades, like the Hunter Douglas Duette shade, are anti-static, and they require very little cleaning. A light sweep with your vacuum cleaner brush attachment is all that is needed to keep them dust free. For a more thorough cleaning, the entire shade assembly may be gently wiped with a soft damp cloth using lukewarm (not hot) water. Take special care when handling opaque (blackout) shades to avoid creasing, and do not immerse them in water. For tough stains, spot clean with a mild detergent. Some shades, like the Graber Crystal Pleat have a "soft hand" fabric. Be very careful when trying to clean these types of shades as they tend to "pill". http://www.blinds.com/control/infopage?page=article_ mighty-tidy.html Badge Helps http://housekeeping.about.com/od/kitchen/ht/refrigerator.htm Wood Blinds Care must be taken when cleaning real wood blinds. Washing the blind is NOT recommended. Although the wood is sealed, water or even excessive dampness may cause warping or discoloration of the slats. Since the surface of the slats is smooth, dust may be easily brushed off at regular intervals using a clean soft dust cloth or a vacuum cleaner brush attachment. Clean them as described above. Clean light fixtures: Be certain electric current is turned off before cleaning. Clean metal ceiling lights with a soft cloth, moistened with a mild liquid soap solution. Wipe clean and buff with a very soft dry cloth. Under no circumstances should any metal polish be used, as its abrasive nature could damage the protective finish placed on the metal parts, especially on ceiling fan motors and blades. Wood components may be polished with a fine furniture polish, taking care to avoid getting the polish on the metal surfaces. Never wash glass shades in 43 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 an automatic dishwasher, line a sink with a towel and fill with warm water and a mild liquid soap. Wash glass with a soft cloth, rinse and wipe dry. http://www.lightingdirect.com/cleaning-light-fixtures-andceiling-fans/c1573 Vacuum upholstery: Another major area that needs the vacuum cleaner's attention is upholstered furniture, which can hold loads of dust and dust mites. Have you ever thumped your sofa cushion on a sunny day and seen what comes up into the air? This, of course, can be helped or even prevented by regular vacuuming of upholstery. (Make sure the attachment you're using is not dirty from use on the floors when you go to clean your furniture.) Before flipping the vacuum on, check between and under cushions for missing items and large stuff that may clog the vacuum. You might even find the remote! http://www.achooallergy.com/vacuum-to-reduce-allergens.asp Launder curtains: How often should you be cleaning curtains? How do you protect delicate sheers? Can you use a washing machine? Cleaning curtains doesn't have to be difficult... these tips will help. Here's How: 1. Weekly Care--For weekly care, use the upholstery brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to vacuum heavier weight curtains. For light weight curtains, an occasional shaking is more practical to protect delicate fabric. 3. Drying Curtains--Line drying or using a low setting on a clothes dryer will both work for washable curtains. Remove the curtains from the dryer before they are 100% dry. Shoot for a 95% dry removal. Over drying will set wrinkles, but removing while still slightly damp, make ironing curtains a super simple job. 4. Press and Replace--A quick ironing will be all that is needed. Replace your curtain hardware, and rehang your curtains. http://housekeeping.about.com/od/surfacefabric/ht/ curtains.htm Cut the grass: Cut your grass, not yourself Every year, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people get injured when using lawn mowers. Power lawn mowers can be dangerous even when used properly. Be proactive when it comes to safety and follow these tips to avoid injuries: вЂў Know the equipment. Read the owner's manual. Become familiar with all the safety features and don't disconnect any of them. Keep all nuts and bolts properly tightened. Never pull a walking mower. вЂў Check the lawn before mowing and wear proper clothing. Pick up any rocks or debris. Heavy shoes and long pants provide the best protection from flying debris. If you're using a reel mower, don't wear loose clothing. вЂў Protect your hearing. Doing yard work can get pretty noisy. In addition to the lawn mower, highdecibel noise comes from trimmers, edgers, and blowers. Use earplugs or earmuff-type hearing protection. Badge Helps 2. Washing Curtains--Remove all hardware from your curtains before washing. When washing curtains, be sure to check the care label first. If you're in doubt about your curtains, try spot testing a small corner with a mix of water and detergent. Most washable curtains will need to be washed in cold water with a small amount of laundry detergent. Tips: 1. Delicate lace and sheer curtains may benefit from being hand washed or machine washed inside a mesh bag. In a pinch, I've washed delicate curtains inside an old pillowcase that is tied shut tightly. This prevents fraying and damage. 2. Even the sturdiest curtain fabrics will weaken with exposure to sunlight. I'll never forget pulling a set of cotton curtains of the rod, only to have them tear apart right in my hand. Use caution with your curtains, especially if they've served your windows for an extended period of time. вЂў Keep pets and children away from the lawn as you mow. Don't let children operate a lawn mower unless they're strong enough, responsible, and understand all the operating and safety features. Even then, supervise them. Never give a young child a ride on a ride-on mower. Sudden stops, flying objects, or an excited child can spell disaster. вЂў Be careful when fueling. Stop the mower and let the engine cool for 10 minutes before fueling. Never fill the tank with the mower on the lawn. Avoid spills by using a gas can with an adequate pouring spout. Clean up spills immediately and 44 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 put the used rags in a covered metal can. (Gasolinesoaked rags are a fire hazard.) вЂў Turn off the mower. Never leave the mower running unattended, or work on a motor that is running. Turn off the power when you cross non-grass areas. вЂў Be careful on hills. Steep slopes are always dangerous because a mower can flip over or go out of control. Plant a ground cover other than turf in these areas. On gentle slopes, mow across the slope, not up and down. Use a walk-behind mower. Proper mowing is one of the most important practices in keeping your lawn healthy. Grasses are like most plants вЂ” if you clip off the growing points (for grass, it's in the crown, where the new leaves develop), the plants branch out and become denser, which in this case, turns thousands of individual grass plants into a tightly woven turf or a lawn. If you didn't mow at all, your yard would look more like a prairie than a lawn. But the mere act of mowing isn't what makes a lawn look good. Mowing height and mowing frequency determine how healthy and attractive your lawn looks. After all, cutting a lawn is stressful for the grass. The leaves make the food for the roots вЂ” and how would you like it if someone kept cutting off your food? http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/mowing-your-lawnthe-right-way.html Hand weeding is a common way to get the job done. It is a most effective technique when weeks are small, and have not had a chance to root too deeply. When hand weeding, do so when the soil is slightly moist so that roots can be loosened easily but avoid saturated soil as this can spread soil borne diseases to the plants. Use hand held weeding tools to get the job done: trowels, forked weeders, hoes and three-pronged rakes. Be cautious when weeding close to plants. Weed at the end of the season to prevent seed production and distribution. Plant cover crops to crowd out weed throughout the winter. Use drip irrigation around plants to prevent watering the weed seeds/plants. Start with transplants instead of seeds. This will give your good plants a head start over weeds that may sprout around them. http://www.gardeningchannel.com/how-to-weed-yourgarden/ Water the grass, garden or houseplants: The key to properly watering plants is all about paying attention In some cases, a sprinkler is the best option for watering a large area. However, only 40% of the water reaches the root zone. For more efficient watering, install a soaker hose early in the season, before the plants get big. Weed Prevention Prevention is your best defense against weeds. There are steps that you can take to help eradicate weeds before they get a chance to grow. Mulch is one of the easiest ways to do this. Use any organic mulching material in a three to four inch layer around your plants. This will not allow sun to get to the weed seeds and germinate them. Mulch can be used in both the flower garden and in the vegetable garden. A friend of mine once had a summer job working at one New England's premier nurseries. He told me that the nursery owner always had his new employees spend their first two weeks doing nothing but watering plants. By teaching his staff how to properly water a plant, the owner was ensuring the health and vitality of his inventory. But he also used this initiation period to find his best employees: people who paid attention. You can also use landscaping fabric or weed mats to help control weeds around plants. These items work similarly to mulch. They suppress weeds as well by blocking sun The key to properly watering plants is all about paying attention. That's because there are no hard or fast rules. Determining whether a plant needs Badge Helps Weed the garden: (Know what is a weed and whatвЂ™s a prized plant!) Weeding your garden is one of the most unpleasant gardening tasks that you may face. Because it is unpleasant, many gardeners put it off until the weeds are out of control which will just make the job more labor intensive. Weeds are unwanted in the garden because they rob your plants of nutrients needed to grow, crowd the roots, spread disease, and often encourage pests. to the soil around your plants. Mats smother weeds while still allowing water to penetrate. You can use black plastic sheeting, but will have to have a drip irrigation system underneath the plastic so that plants receive enough water. 45 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 water or not is always a judgment call. It depends on the type of plant, the type of soil, the weather and exposure, the time of year, and many other variables. Every plant in your house or garden is probably unique in its water requirements. The only way you can accurately determine if you do or don't need to water, and how much water to apply, is by assessing the needs that particular plant. Fortunately this is easy to do вЂ” even for a teenager on a hot summer day. You just need to check the soil. Get a feel for the weight of a well-watered hanging basket by lifting it. If you're working in a nursery, the right way to do this is to lift each and every pot before you water. Over time, you get to know how heavy a pot should feel if all the soil inside the pot is consistently moist. If it is, you don't water. If it's not, you water slowly until all the soil in the pot is moist and water is running out the bottom. Then you lift the pot again to check that it feels right. Watering is of no value if the water runs down the outside of the root ball, leaving the roots at the core of the plant dry. The point is to ensure that the soil at the core of the potвЂ”where the plant's roots are locatedвЂ”is thoroughly moist. This is important to remember in the greenhouse when you're watering seedlings, in the house when you're watering houseplants, in the garden when you're watering your tomatoes, and in the landscape when you're watering shrubs and trees. A few more tips and techniques for proper watering: вЂў Focus on the root zone. Remember that it's the roots that need access to water, not the leaves. Wetting the foliage is a waste of water and can promote the spread of disease. вЂў Water only when needed. Water timers are a great invention, but you should not be automatically watering your lawn and garden, regardless of the weather. Too much water can be just as damaging to plants as too little water. вЂў Water deeply and thoroughly. Lawns and annuals concentrate their roots in the top 6 inches of soil; for perennials, shrubs and trees, it's the top 12 inches. www.gardeners.com/When-toWater/8108,default,pg. html Mop a floor: Here's How: 1. Gather Supplies--Choose a mop based on your floor type. If you have a floor with a lot of texture, you'll wan the more classic white string or rag mop. If you have a smooth floor, a sponge mop will work well. 2. Prep the Floor--In order to prevent your floor from becoming a sticky, muddy mess, sweep or vacuum the floor thoroughly before ever touching the mop to the floor. This is a good time to prewash sticky or gunky spots that you notice when sweeping or vacuuming. 3. Fill Bucket or Sink--Some people prefer to use a sink instead of a bucket. At the end, you can just scrub out the sink. If the water gets too dirty, it's easy to let the water drain out, wipe down the sink, and start with fresh water. Other people prefer a bucket because it can be carried along the path of the mop and many have built in wringers. Whichever you choose, make sure you use hot water and a mopping solution appropriate for your floor type. Check the directions to be sure. Do not think that extra mopping solution will get you a cleaner floor; it will just leave a residue on your floor. Badge Helps You can't use the "lift" test to evaluate whether or not the plants in your garden or landscape need water, but you can occasionally dig down 6 or 12 inches and see what's happening down there. A soil core sampler is perfect for this job, or you can just insert a sharp spade and then pull on it back to reveal a picture of what's going on down there. If the soil contains some moisture down to a depth of 6 or 12 inches, you're in good shape. If the soil in direct contact with the roots is bone dry, it's time water! In some cases, it may take hours to get moisture down to a depth of 6-12 inches. вЂў Water in the morning. If you do get moisture on the leaves, this gives them time to dry out. It's much more difficult for plant diseases to get a foothold when the foliage is dry. вЂў Mulch everything. Mulch reduces surface runoff and slows evaporation from the soil surface. вЂў Use the right tool. When you use a sprinkler on your lawn or garden, only about 40% of the water actually reaches the root zone. Instead, try to apply water directly to the soil surface and apply it slowly so it soaks in, rather than runs off. You can do this most effectively with an open-ended hose at half-pressure, a watering can without the rose, or a soaker hose. 4. Dip and Wring Out--Dip your mop in the bucket and wring it out with a wringer or by hand. Too much water dripping from the mop can damage a floor or leave the floor with an extended drying time. 5. Mop--Mop from the top of the room to the bottom, so that you are always standing on unmopped floor. 46 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 This will prevent tracking. Mop in straight lines if you are using a sponge mop. For rag mops, mop in a figure eight shape to use the design of your mop most effectively. When you encounter tough or sticky spots, rub quickly and press down with your mop onto the floor to scrub at the spot. 6. Rinse and Wring--Rinse the mop frequently in another side of the sink, or a different bucket. Dip in the mop bucket, wring and begin mopping again. When the mopping water becomes cool or dirty, it needs to be changed. Otherwise you'll just be painting dirty water back onto your floor, and making your own work more difficult. For hard to reach corners and edges, wash with a paper towel or cleaning rag. 7. Put Away Supplies--When you've mopped every section, thoroughly rinse your mop and mop bucket and allow to dry completely. Let your floor dry completely before walking on it. Tips: 1. Special floor types may need modified cleaning care. Know what type of floor you have, and follow the manufacturerвЂ™s directions. 2. Choose cleansers that are safe for your floor type. http://housekeeping.about.com/od/surfacefloors/ht/ howtomop.htm Clean inside the car: You can clean up fast вЂ” and it won't require a six-man NASCAR pit crew. 2. SWIPE --Clean the dashboard, doorjambs, armrests, and steering wheel with car cleaning wipes which handle grime without harming vinyl or leather. Or use ordinary baby wipes. "They're mild enough for a baby's bottom, but still tough enough to do the job," says David Bowers, author of Dad's Own Housekeeping Book and the father of two toddlers. 3. SHAKE AND VAC --Remove and shake out the floor mats. Using a handheld vacuum, go over the seats and the floor. Treat spills and ink spots with hand sanitizer; its high alcohol content zaps stains. Slip the mats back in. 5. DOUBLE UP --Once you've emptied the laundry basket or bin, stow it in the trunk for double duty: It can hold multiple grocery bags upright for easier transfer into the house, then ferry indoor items вЂ” clothes headed to the cleaners, overdue library books вЂ” back into the car when it's time to run errands. 6. BE PREPARED --Head off trash accumulation: Fill an empty tissue box with plastic bags from the supermarket and stash it under the front seat http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaningorganizing/hell-on-wheels-jun07 Extra Cleaning Tips at: http://www.howtocleananything.com Requirement 14 Learning how to do laundry is not difficult. TodayвЂ™s fabrics, detergents and machines take most of the mystery and mistakes out of the process. Follow these basic guidelines and you will have clean clothes to wear tomorrow. 1. Check the labels. They will tell you whether an item can be machine washed. Place all clothes that are labeled вЂњwash separatelyвЂќ or вЂњhand washвЂќ into separate piles. As a novice launderer, if it says вЂњdry clean only,вЂќ believe the label and place in a bag to take to the dry cleaners. Badge Helps 1. SORT AND TOSS--Grab a garbage bag, an empty box, and a laundry basket or plastic bin. Starting from the front, work your way to the rear (don't forget to look under the seats), tossing trash into the bag. Throw anything that belongs in the house (a stray lipstick tube, say) into the box; put items that stay in the car вЂ” registration, travel games вЂ” in the basket or bin. 4. STOW TO GO --Now it's time to find a home for items in the for-the-car bin. A visor organizer is perfect for stuff you'll need on the road вЂ” sunglasses, favorite CDs. Put maps in a large Ziploc bag in the driver'sside cubby; manuals and registration documents go in the glove compartment. Use an empty pill bottle to store coins for tolls; keep it handy in a cup holder. Unclutter the backseat plastic basket or a tote bag for toys, ice scrapers, umbrellas. Put emergency car supplies like jumper cables and flares in an empty toolbox that you keep in the trunk. 2. Sort laundry by color. Whites, pastels, light gray and white background prints will go in one pile. Deep colored clothes вЂ“ black, red, navy, brown, dark gray вЂ“ go in another pile. 3. Sort each pile one more time by type of fabric. For instance, in the whites separate towels and sheets from apparel. In the dark colors, separate t-shirts and jeans from lighter weight items like blouses and dress shirts. Washing by fabric type allows you 47 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 to use different water temperatures and keeps drying cycles simple. 1. Check the tag. It should say if it can be ironed and also tell you what setting to use on the iron. 4. If there are not enough items to make up a full machine load of each type and you are in a hurry, you can wash all of each color together. Just be sure to choose the machine cycle to fit the most delicate items. 5. Select an all-purpose laundry detergent and read the directions to determine how much to use. Most recommend adding the detergent to the washer before loading to prevent residue on clothing. 6. Unless your clothing is caked with dirt and heavily stained, washing in cold water will serve your needs and prevent most laundry disasters. Always rinse in cold water вЂ“ thereвЂ™s no need for a hot or warm rinse on any fabric. 7. Check that all pockets are empty вЂ“ even tissues and paper. Remove any accessories such as belts and jewelry. Close all zippers and buttons. 2. Fill the iron's water reservoir (if it has one) with rainwater or distilled water to minimize mineral buildup on the iron and on the clothes. If you want to add a pleasant scent to your clothes, soak a few sprigs of lavender into the water before you put it into the iron. 8. Load items one at a time, making sure they are not in a wad. Do not cram the washer too full. The clothes need room to move about in the water. To protect fabric finishes and reduce the вЂњwashed outвЂќ look, turn knitted items, corduroy, textured fabric and sweatshirts inside out. 9. Bed linens and towels need to be washed at the highest recommended temperature at least every other wash to sanitize. 11. If you did not separate loads by fabric type, do it now and dry all lightweight items together and then all heavy fabric items. This will prevent shrinking and protect your clothing. Badge Helps 10. Promptly remove wet laundry from washer to lessen wrinkles and prevent mildew. Hang items to air dry or place in dryer. 3. Set the iron on the right setting. Plug it in and let it sit upright. Wait until it heats up. Many irons have a little light that will light up to show the iron is heating up and ready to start. It will go out when the iron has reached the right temperature. - If you're ironing more than one garment and they require different settings, organize the garments so that you start with the coolest setting first and work your way up. It's much faster to heat up the iron than to wait for it to cool off, and if it's not cool enough you could ruin the fabric. 12. Hang or fold each piece as it comes out of the dryer to prevent wrinkling. http://laundry.about.com/od/laundrybasics/ht/howtodolaundry. htm Requirement 17 Whether it's your first time ironing or you've been doing it since you could hold up an iron, here's an overview laced with handy tips to make wrinkle-free clothes! 48 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 4. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the ironing board. The foil will heat up so that it's almost like ironing the garment from both sides at the same time. You can also purchase a silver ironing board cover that accomplishes the same task. 5. Put the piece of clothing on the ironing board. Put it wrong side out (so that the side that touches the iron is the same side that touches your body). If the fabric is cotton or silky rayon, put the right side out instead. 8. Turn the fabric over and iron the right side. This will ensure that the right side is immaculate and any creases you accidentally create are ironed to the back, where it matters less. However, ironing both sides is optimal. If you used the aluminum foil as outlined earlier, you may not need to iron the other side. Cotton and silky rayon shouldn't be ironed on the wrong side at all. Polyester can be ironed on either or both sides; if in doubt, iron the wrong side and stop there. For delicate fabrics or those with vibrant colors you'd like to preserve, try to get all the wrinkles out by ironing the wrong side (ironing on the right side can give dark colors an unwanted sheen). 9. Hang or fold the garment immediately after ironing. Don't forget to turn off the iron and empty the water out. Leaving water in the iron for extended periods of time can cause rust to form inside. That rusty water can shoot out with the steam next time and stain your clothing. 6. Spray starch. This is optional, but will make your clothes feel more "crisp". You can make your own starch spray by completely dissolving one tablespoon of cornstarch in two cups of water. Put this solution into a clean spray bottle and lightly mist the fabric right before you iron on that spot. - acrylic knits - since they can warp when wet and warm, let the fabric cool and dry completely before moving it http://www.wikihow.com/Iron Badge Helps 7. Start ironing. Always keep the iron moving; never let it sit still over any part of the garment. If there's a stubborn wrinkle that refuses to iron out, spray some water on it and iron over with steam. Begin at the big areas and finish with the corners. Once you iron a section, move the garment away from you. If you move it towards you, it may wrinkle as you lean over it and possibly push it against the ironing board. - corduroy - hold the iron just above the garment so that the steam thoroughly penetrates the fabric, then smooth it along the ribs with your palm. - pleats - hold them in place with paper clips (just be careful that the clips don't snag or damage the fabric) - sleeves - use a sleeve board; insert the sleeve board in the sleeve so that you can iron it without creases; if you don't have a sleeve board, roll up a towel and put it snugly inside the sleeve, then iron. 49 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Badge Helps - Dawn of Our Country The complete Dawn of Our Country Badge can be found on page 95 of the Girl Handbook. Requirement 1 A dawn is a new beginning. We think of the dawn of a new day; a day that we could wake up with sunshine or storm. Our great country weathered many early days of sunshine and storm and has endured for nearly 400 years since the first settlers landed on our shores at Plymouth Rock. Cross-Sections of the Mayflower Forecastle: Where the crew's meals were cooked, and where the crew's food and supplies were kept. Cabin: The general sleeping quarters for the Mayflower's twenty or thirty other crewmembers. The crew slept in shifts. Steerage Room: This is where the pilot steered the Mayflower. Steering was done by a stick called a whip-staff that was moved back and forth to move the tiller, which in turn moves the rudder. Gun Room: This is where the powder, shot, and other supplies were stored for the ship's guns and cannons. Capstan and Windlass: Large apparatus which were Cargo Hold: This is where the Pilgrims would have stored their cargo of food, tools, and supplies during the voyage. Gun Deck: The gun deck is where the cannon were located. On merchant ships, this deck was used to hold additional cargo. In the Mayflower's case, the gun deck is where the passengers lived on the voyage to America. Badge Helps Poop House: Nothing to do with a bathroom, the poop house was the living quarters for the ship's master (Christopher Jones) and some of the higher ranking crew, perhaps master's mates John Clarke and Robert Coppin. used to lift and lower heavy cargo between the decks. The Gun Deck, sometimes referred to by the Pilgrims as "betwixt the decks" or the "tween deck," is where the Pilgrims lived for most of the voyage. They occasionally ventured to the upper deck, especially during calmer weather when they would be less likely to get in the way of the seamen and there was less danger of being swept overboard. The gun deck had about four gun ports on either side of the ship for cannon. Even though the Mayflower was a merchant ship, it needed to be able to defend itself from pirates, and needed to be prepared for the possibility of 50 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 conscription (when England was at war, the King or Queen could turn merchant ships into military vessels.) The height of the gun deck was around five and a half feet. During the voyage, the 102 Mayflower passengers lived primarily on the gun deck, or the 'tween deck. The length of the deck from stem to stern was about 80 feet, of which about 12 feet at the back belonged to the gun room and was probably off-limits to the passengers. The width at the widest part was about 24 feet. Various hatches provided access to the cargo hold below. The windlass and capstan, both used to haul heavy items by rope between the decks, also took up floor-space, as did the main mast in the middle, and the spirit sail mast in the front. Many of the families built themselves small little "cabins," simple wooden dividers nailed together, to provide a small amount of privacy. Others, especially the young single men, just took up any old spot--many found shelter within a shallop, a 30-foot sailing vessel that the Pilgrims brought with them, and which they had dismantled and stowed on the gun deck. The two month voyage, with many young men living inside of it, caused considerable damage to the shallop, and cost the Pilgrims several weeks of time to fix after they arrived. The Gun Deck Floor Plan scoffed at the passengers, "cursing them daily" and saying that he hoped to throw their dead bodies overboard and take their belongings for himself. But it turned out that this sailor would be the first to get sick and die: Passenger William Bradford wrote "it pleased God before they came half seas over, to smite this young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the first that was thrown overboard. Thus his curses light on his own head, ... for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him." Text from MayflowerHistory.com. What Happened on the Voyage The Mayflower left Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, and anchored off the tip of Cape Cod on November 11. During those two months crossing the Atlantic Ocean to America, many things happened on the Mayflower. Of the 102 passengers onboard the ship, three of them were pregnant women. One of the women, Mrs. Elizabeth Hopkins, gave birth during the voyage. Stephen and Elizabeth Hopkins named their newborn son Oceanus. The other two women would give birth shortly after arrival. The first half of the voyage was actually fairly smooth. The wind and weather were good for sailing, and they made good progress. Aside from sea-sickness, the health of the passengers was generally very good. One of the sailors, however, continually laughed and After they had sailed more than half way to America, the Mayflower began to encounter a number of bad storms, which began to make the ship very leaky, causing many of the passengers below deck to be continually cold and damp. During one of the storms, 51 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 a main beam in the middle of the ship cracked, causing some of the passengers and crew to wonder if the ship was strong enough to make all the way to America. But Master Christopher Jones felt his ship was strong, and so they fixed the main beam with a large screw, caulked the leaky decks as best they could, and continued on. During another storm, a twenty-five year old man named John Howland came up on deck, but the ship suddenly rolled and he lost his balance and fell into the cold Atlantic ocean. Luckily, he managed to grab a hold of a rope that was hanging down from one of the topsails, and held on as he sunk many feet below the surface of the water. The Mayflower's crew hauled him back up to the surface with the rope, and then grabbed him with a boathook. Wet and cold and cramped in their small quarters, some of the passengers began to develop coughs and colds. As the Mayflower finally began to approach America, one of the passengers, a young boy named William Butten, a servant to the passengers' doctor Samuel Fuller, died. William Butten died on November 6, just three days before land was sighted. so shaken up by the near disaster, that they decided to head back to Cape Cod, instead of trying to make another attempt to head south. They entered Cape Cod in the early morning of November 11, and anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor, waiting for sunrise. After the sun was up and the tide was high, they sent shore a small group of men to collect juniper wood--the living quarters on the Mayflower had no doubt become very rancid and smelly, and one of the Pilgrims highest priorities was to collect some juniper wood to burn onboard the ship, to make everything smell just a little bit better. Over the next month and a half, the Pilgrims would send out multiple exploring parties, seeking out a suitable place to build their colony. Text from MayflowerHistory.com. Additional online resources: - www.plimoth.org - http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/ kidscraftsactivitiesblog/2011/11/how-to-make-amoving-mayflower-for-thanksgiving/ Text from MayflowerHistory.com. Puppet Show Badge Helps Land Ho! On the early morning of November 9, 1620, the Mayflower's crew spotted land. It was the first land they had seen in more than two months, and signified to the Pilgrims that they were near the end of their long voyage. What a relief, and what excitement it must have been! The crew determined that the land they were seeing was Cape Cod, somewhat to the north of the Hudson River in New York where the Pilgrims intended to plant their colony. So the Mayflower turned south to head for New York (back then it was called "Northern Virginia"). But on the way, the Mayflower encountered some very treacherous seas, and nearly shipwrecked. The passengers and crew were Creating a puppet show can be great fun: from script writing, to scenery, to the puppetsвЂ¦even just being the audience. Everyone can take part. Go simple; go elaborate. Let those girlsвЂ™ imaginations fly. 52 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 http://www.easy-child-crafts.com/support-files/thanksgiving-crafts-for-children.pdf 53 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 54 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Requirement 2 George Washington is an American hero whose fame is not wholly accounted for by the record of his life. Like Lincoln, the man was infinitely greater than anything he did. A military genius, he wrested liberty from tyranny; a statesman, he helped evolve a stable government from political chaos; a patriot, he refused a crown. Wisdom, patience, tolerance, courage, consecration to the righteous cause animated his every act. Ingratitude, injustice and treachery never embittered him, but served to strengthen his character. He grew in dignity and in capacity to the need of his growing responsibility and power, but he never became arrogant and ambition and opportunity never tempted him from the narrow path of honor. Quick facts and trivia: Birthday: February 22, 1732 Birthplace: Wakefield, Virginia Place of Burial: Mount Vernon, Virginia * Only President to be elected unanimously * Only President inaugurated in 2 cities - New York and Philadelphia * Only President that did not live in the White House. He was involved in the planning of the Capitol. * Washington did his own bookkeeping and recorded every penny of expense or profit. His ledgers still exist today. * There were 13 stars on the United States flag when Washington became President in 1789. * Five states were added to the Union during Washington's presidency - North Carolina (1789), Rhode Island (1790), Vermont (1791), Kentucky (1792), and Tennessee (1796). Information adapted from www.apples4theteacher.com College or University: none Religion: Episcopalian Occupation or Profession: Planter, Surveyor, Military Military Rank: General Married: (January 6, 1759) Mrs. Martha Dandridge Custis Children: - 2 step-children - John "Jackie" Parke Custis (1754 1781) and Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis (1756 - 1773) - 2 step-grandchildren - Eleanor "Nelly" Parke Custis and George Washington "Washy" Parke Custis President number: First President of U.S. Runner Up: none Badge Helps Political Party: None (Washington opposed the idea of political parties) Crossing the Delaware River In the bitter cold of December 1776, George WashingtonвЂ™s battered army launched a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. His troops crossed the ice-choked Delaware River and ambushed the encampment on December 26th, when the soldiers were still recovering from their Christmas festivities. WashingtonвЂ™s forces took the town and captured nearly a thousand Hessian soldiers, less than an hour after they first attacked. At last, the Continental Army had won a victory. Here we see Washington as he appeared in the famous but fanciful painting by Emmanuel Leutze, done many years after the event it portrays. It is unlikely that Washington, a prudent commander, would have stood up in the bows of a boat being maneuvered across an ice-filled river. This is, however, certainly one of the most well-known depictions of Washingtonaccurate or not. Vice President: John Adams Age at Inauguration: 57 Served: 1789-1797 Number of terms: 2 Other Offices or Commissions: President of Constitutional Convention, Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief of new United States Army Died: December 14, 1799 Age at Death: 67 Painting: Emmanuel Leutze, вЂњGeorge Washington Crossing the Delaware,вЂќ 1851, Metropolitan Museum of Art. 55 Badge Helps http://www.mountvernon.org/sites/mountvernon.org/files/Crossing_the%20 Delaware%20River%20Coloring%20Sheet.pdf Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Requirement 3 Tradition tells of a chime that changed the world on July 8, 1776, with the Liberty Bell ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon. The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original Constitution. It speaks of the rights and freedoms valued by people the world over. Particularly forward thinking were Penn's ideas on religious freedom, his liberal stance on Native American rights, and his inclusion of citizens in enacting laws. The Liberty Bell gained iconic importance when abolitionists in their efforts to put an end to slavery throughout America adopted it as a symbol. As the Bell was created to commemorate the golden anniversary of Penn's Charter, the quotation "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," from Leviticus 25:10, was particularly apt. For the line in the Bible immediately preceding "proclaim liberty" is, "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year." What better way to pay homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year than with a bell proclaiming liberty? The Crack There is widespread disagreement about when the first crack appeared on the Bell. Hair-line cracks on bells were bored out to prevent expansion. However, it is agreed that the final expansion of the crack which The Philadelphia Public Ledger takes up the story in its February 26, 1846 publication: "The old Independence Bell rang its last clear note on Monday last in honor of the birthday of Washington and now hangs in the great city steeple irreparably cracked and dumb. It had been cracked before but was set in order of that day by having the edges of the fracture filed so as not to vibrate against each other ... It gave out clear notes and loud, and appeared to be in excellent condition until noon, when it received a sort of compound fracture in a zig-zag direction through one of its sides which put it completely out of tune and left it a mere wreck of what it was." The Bell as Icon The Bell achieved its iconic status when abolitionists adopted the Bell as a symbol for the movement. It was first used in this association as a frontispiece to an 1837 edition of Liberty, published by the New York Anti-Slavery Society. It was, in fact, the abolitionists who gave it the name "Liberty Bell," in reference to its inscription. It was previously called simply the "State House bell." In retrospect, it is a remarkably apt metaphor for a country literally cracked and freedom fissured for its black inhabitants. The line following "proclaim liberty" is, "It shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family." The Abolitionists understood this passage to mean that the Bible demanded all slaves and prisoners be freed every 50 years. Badge Helps Also inscribed on the Bell is the quotation, "By Order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philada." Note that the spelling of "Pennsylvania" was not at that time universally adopted. In fact, in the original Constitution, the name of the state is also spelled "Pensylvania." If you get a chance to visit the second floor of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, take a moment to look at the original maps on the wall. They, too, have the state name spelled "Pensylvania" (and the Atlantic Ocean called by the name of that day, "The Western Ocean"). The choice of the quotation was made by Quaker Isaac Norris, speaker of the Assembly. Centered on the front of the Bell are the words, "Pass and Stow / Philada / MDCCLIII." We'll get to Pass and Stow in a bit. rendered the Bell unringable was on Washington's Birthday in 1846. William Lloyd Garrison's anti-slavery publication The Liberator reprinted a Boston abolitionist pamphlet containing a poem about the Bell, entitled, The Liberty Bell, which represents the first documented use of the name, "Liberty Bell." The Bell and the Declaration of Independence In 1847, George Lippard wrote a fictional story for The Saturday Currier which told of an elderly bellman waiting in the State House steeple for the word that Congress had declared Independence. The story continues that privately he began to doubt Congress's resolve. Suddenly the bellman's grandson, who was eavesdropping on the doors of 57 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Congress, yelled to him, "Ring, Grandfather! Ring!" This story so captured the imagination of people throughout the land that the Liberty Bell was forever associated with the Declaration of Independence. The truth is that the steeple was in bad condition and historians today highly doubt that the Bell actually rang in 1776. However, its association with the Declaration of Independence was fixed in the collective mythology. Bell as Symbol After the divisive Civil War, Americans sought a symbol of unity. The flag became one such symbol, and the Liberty Bell another. To help heal the wounds of the war, the Liberty Bell would travel across the country. Starting in the 1880s, the Bell traveled to cities throughout the land "proclaiming liberty" and inspiring the cause of freedom. We have prepared a photo essay of its 1915 journey to the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. A replica of the Liberty Bell, forged in 1915, was used to promote women's suffrage. It traveled the country with its clapper chained to its side, silent until women won the right to vote. On September 25, 1920, it was brought to Independence Hall and rung in ceremonies celebrating the ratification of the 19th amendment. To this day, oppressed groups come to Philadelphia to give voice to their plight, at the Liberty Bell, proclaiming their call for liberty. The bell arrived in Philadelphia on September 1, 1752, but was not hung until March 10, 1753, on which day Isaac Norris wrote, "I had the mortification to hear that it was cracked by a stroke of the clapper without any other viollence [sic] as it was hung up to try the sound." The cause of the break is thought to have been attributable either to flaws in its casting or, as they thought at the time, to its being too brittle. Two Philadelphia foundry workers named John Pass and John Stow were given the cracked bell to be melted The new bell was raised in the belfry on March 29, 1753. "Upon trial, it seems that they have added too much copper. They were so teased with the witticisms of the town that they will very soon make a second essay," wrote Isaac Norris to London agent Robert Charles. Apparently nobody was now pleased with the tone of the bell. Pass and Stow indeed tried again. They broke up the bell and recast it. On June 11, 1753, the New York Mercury reported, "Last Week was raised and fix'd in the Statehouse Steeple, the new great Bell, cast here by Pass and Stow, weighing 2080 lbs." In November, Norris wrote to Robert Charles that he was still displeased with the bell and requested that Whitechapel cast a new one. Upon the arrival of the new bell from England, it was agreed that it sounded no better than the Pass and Stow bell. So the "Liberty Bell" remained where it was in the steeple, and the new Whitechapel bell was placed in the cupola on the State House roof and attached to the clock to sound the hours. The Liberty Bell was rung to call the Assembly together and to summon people together for special announcements and events. The Liberty Bell tolled frequently. Among the more historically important occasions, it tolled when Benjamin Franklin was sent to England to address Colonial grievances, it tolled when King George III ascended to the throne in 1761, and it tolled to call together the people of Philadelphia to discuss the Sugar Act in 1764 and the Stamp Act in 1765. In 1772 a petition was sent to the Assembly stating that the people in the vicinity of the State House were "incommoded and distressed" by the constant "ringing of the great Bell in the steeple." But, tradition holds, it continued tolling for the First Continental Congress in 1774, the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 and its most resonant tolling was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned the citizenry for the reading of the Declaration of Independence produced by the Second Continental Congress. However, the steeple was in bad condition and historians today doubt the likelihood of the story. In October 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia. Weeks earlier all bells, including the Liberty Bell, were removed from the city. It was well understood that, if left, they would likely be melted down and Badge Helps History of the Bell On November 1, 1751, a letter was sent to Robert Charles, the Colonial Agent of the Province of Pennsylvania who was working in London. Signed by Isaac Norris, Thomas Leech, and Edward Warner, it represented the desires of the Assembly to purchase a bell for the State House (now Independence Hall) steeple. The bell was ordered from Whitechapel Foundry, with instructions to inscribe on it the passage from Leviticus. down and recast. They added an ounce and a half of copper to a pound of the old bell in an attempt to make the new bell less brittle. For their labors they charged slightly over 36 Pounds. 58 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 used for cannon. The Liberty Bell was removed from the city and hidden in the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which you can still visit today. Throughout the period from 1790 to 1800, when Philadelphia was the nation's capital, uses of the Bell included calling the state legislature into session, summoning voters to hand in their ballots at the State House window, and tolling to commemorate Washington's birthday and celebrate the Fourth of July. The Bell Today The Liberty Bell Center was opened in October, 2003. From the southern end, the bell is visible from the street 24 hours a day. On every Fourth of July, at 2pm Eastern time, children who are descendants of Declaration signers symbolically tap the Liberty Bell 13 times while bells across the nation also ring 13 times in honor of the patriots from the original 13 states. More about this ceremony. inch wide and 24.5 inches long. The Bell actually suffered a series of hairline cracks. The area around the crack was expanded in hopes of extending the useful life of the Bell. In the picture at right, note the hairline crack that finally rendered the bell unusable extending upward. Bell Stats вЂў circumference around the lip: 12 ft. вЂў circumference around the crown: 7 ft. 6 in. вЂў lip to crown: 3 ft. вЂў height over the crown: 2 ft. 3 in. вЂў thickness at lip: 3 in. вЂў thickness at crown: 1-1/4 in. вЂў weight (originally): 2080 lbs. вЂў length of clapper: 3 ft. 2 in. вЂў weight of clapper: 44-1/2 lbs. вЂў weight of yoke: 200 lbs. вЂў Length of visible hairline fracture: approx. 2' 4" (this and next measurement made by Park curator Bob Giannini in 1993) вЂў Length of drilled crack: approx. 2' 1/2" вЂў yoke wood: American Elm (a.k.a. slippery elm) Each year, the bell is gently tapped in honor of Martin Luther King Day. The ceremony began in 1986 at request of Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King. Liberty Bell Facts Location: Liberty Bell Center, Market Street & 6th, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania(Map of Historic Philadelphia) http://www.ushistory.org/libertybell Bell Originally Cast: Whitechapel Foundry 1752 Bell recast: Pass & Stow Philadelphia 1753 and again later that year Center opened: October, 2003 Center architect: Bernard J. Cywinski of Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson Exhibit designer: UJMN Architects + Designers (Ueland Junker McCauley Nicholson LLC) Tourism information: Daily 9am-5pm with extended hours July and August. The bell is visible 24 hours a day. 215-597-8974 Strike note: E-flat Composition: 70% copper, 25% tin, small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver Size of "Crack": The "crack" is approximately 1/2 Betsy Ross and the American Flag Betsy would often tell her children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of the fateful day when three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. This meeting occurred in her home some time late in May 1776. George Washington was then the head of the Continental Army. Robert Morris, an owner of vast amounts of land, was perhaps the wealthiest citizen in the Colonies. Colonel George Ross was a respected Philadelphian and also the uncle of her late husband, John Ross. Naturally, Betsy Ross already knew George Badge Helps Bell owned by: The City of Philadelphia (not the Park Service) Requirement 3 59 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Ross as she had married his nephew. Furthermore, Betsy was also acquainted with the great General Washington. Not only did they both worship at Christ Church in Philadelphia, but Betsy's pew was next to George and Martha Washington's pew. Her daughter recalled, "That she was previously well acquainted with Washington, and that he had often been in her house in friendly visits, as well as on business. That she had embroidered ruffles for his shirt bosoms and cuffs, and that it was partly owing to his friendship for her that she was chosen to make the flag." In June 1776, brave Betsy was a widow struggling to run her own upholstery business. Upholsterers in colonial America not only worked on furniture but did all manner of sewing work, which for some included making flags. Cut a 5-Pointed Star in One Snip George Washington's original pencil sketch for the flag indicated 6-pointed stars, a form he apparently preferred. Betsy Ross, however, recommended a 5-pointed star. When the committee protested that it was too difficult to make, she took a piece of paper, folded it deftly, and with a single snip of her scissors, produced a symmetrical fivepointed star. This seeming feat of magic so impressed her audience that they readily agreed to her suggestion. To you we pass along the secret... Take a thin piece of paper 8-1/2" x 10" (or an exact proportion thereof), fold it as indicated and cut yourself a perfect 5-pointed star. Step 2. Fold and unfold in half both ways to form creased center lines. (Note: be sure paper is still folded in half.) Step 3. Bring corner (1) right to meet the center line. Be sure to fold from the vertical crease line. Step 5. Bring corner (2) left and fold. Step 6. Bring corner (2) right until edges coincide. Then fold. Step 7. Bring right edge AC and the left edge AB together, crease, and unfold. Join points A and C, crease, and unfold. Step 8. Cut on the angle as shown in the picture (from point C, through the intersection of the fold lines from step 7, to the left edge). Then unfold the small piece. Badge Helps Step 1. Fold an 8-1/2" x 10" piece of paper in half. Step 4. Bring corner (1) left till edges coincide, then make the fold. Step 9. Marvel at your perfect (we hope!) 5-pointed star! If your star is not perfect, take a fresh piece of paper (8-1/2" x 10" вЂ” not 8-1/2" x 11") and return to step one. http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagtale.html 60 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Requirement 7 The text of the Mayflower Compact: In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together in a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620. Info adapted from http://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/ homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact Requirement 9 Preamble to Constitution We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. When creating your вЂњcommercial scriptвЂќ keep the following in mind: - Will you create a 30 second or 60 second commercial? (radio or television) - Could you expand to a 15 or 30 minute infomercial? (television) - Who is your target audience? Use language and images this audience will understand. - Can you create a вЂњhook lineвЂќ to catch the interest of your audience and make them want to listen? Badge Helps Signers of the Mayflower Compact: John Carver, Edward Tilly, Digery Priest, William Bradford, John Tilly, Thomas Williams, Edward Winslow, Francis Cooke, Gilbert Winslow, William Brewster, Thomas Rogers, Edmund Margeson, Isaac Allerton, Thomas Tinker, Peter Brown, Miles Standish, John Rigdale, Richard Bitteridge, John Alden, Edward Fuller, George Soule, Samuel Fuller, John Turner, Richard Clark, Christopher Martin, Francis Eaton, Richard Gardiner, William Mullins, James Chilton, John Allerton, William White, John Craxton, Thomas English, Richard Warren, John Billington, Edward Doten, John Howland, Moses Fletcher, Edward Leister, Stephen Hopkins, John Goodman The original document does not survive. It first appeared in MourtвЂ™s Relation, a pamphlet about the first year of settlement at Plimoth. In 1669 PlymouthвЂ™s town historian, Nathaniel Morton, reprinted the agreement in his book, New EnglandвЂ™s Memorial. Interestingly, he included a possible list of the men who signed it, even though these menвЂ™s names were not included in earlier copies of the Mayflower Compact. According to Morton, the document was signed by 41 of the male passengers вЂ“ all but one of the freemen, three of the five hired men, and two of the nine servants. Requirement 15 The plan of the city of Washington was designed in 1791 by Pierre L'Enfant, and mapped the following year; a design which remains largely in place. For nearly a century, the realization of physical changes to the original plan were gradual until the second important benchmark in the development of Washington's urban plan: the McMillan Commission and its 1901-02 recommendations. The McMillan Commission plans were implemented predominantly during the first three decades of the 20th century, and continued sporadically thereafter. For nearly 100 years, a legal height limit of 160' has preserved the broad, horizontal Baroque nature 61 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 of the city, allowing light and air to reach the pedestrian level, and resulting in a picturesque skyline pierced by steeples, domes, towers and monuments. On January 24, 1791, President George Washington announced the Congressionally-designated permanent location of the national capital, a diamond-shaped tenmile tract at the confluence of the Potomac and Eastern Branch Rivers. A survey of the area was undertaken by Andrew Ellicott and Benjamin Banneker. Forty boundary stones, laid at one-mile intervals, established the boundaries based on celestial calculations by Banneker, a self-taught astronomer of African descent and one of the few free blacks living in the vicinity. Within this 100 square mile diamond, which would become the District of Columbia, a smaller area was laid out as the city of Washington. (In 1846, one-third of the District was retroceded by Congressional action to Virginia, thus removing that portion of the original district which lay west of the Potomac River.) In March 1791,the surveyors' roles were complemented by the employment of Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant to prepare the plan. Major L'Enfant (1755-1825), a French artist and engineer who had formed a friendship with George Washington while serving in the Revolutionary War, requested the honor of designing a plan for the national capital. The fact that the area was largely undeveloped gave the city's founders the unique opportunity to create an entirely new capital city. Map of Federal City, 1797 Historical Society of Washington, DC Badge Helps After surveying the site, L'Enfant developed a Baroque plan that features ceremonial spaces and grand radial avenues, while respecting natural contours of the land. The result was a system of intersecting diagonal avenues superimposed over a grid system. The avenues radiated from the two most significant building sites that were to be occupied by houses for Congress and the President. L'Enfant specified in notes accompanying the plan that these avenues were to be wide, grand, lined with trees, and situated in a manner that would visually connect ideal topographical sites throughout the city, where important structures, monuments, and fountains were to be erected. On paper, L'Enfant shaded and numbered 15 large open spaces at the intersections of these avenues and indicated that they would be divided among the states. He specified that each reservation would feature statues and memorials to honor worthy citizens. The open spaces were as integral to the capital as the buildings to be erected around them. L'Enfant opposed selling land prematurely, refused to furnish his map to the city commissioners in time for the sale, and was reluctantly relieved of his duties by George Washington. Ellicott was then engaged to produce a map and reproduced L'Enfant's plan from his memory. In the context of the United States, a plan as grand as the 200 year old city of Washington, DC, stands alone in its magnificence and scale. But as the capital of a new nation, its position and appearance had to surpass the social, economic and cultural balance of a mere city: it was intended as the model for American city planning and a symbol of governmental power to be seen by other nations. The remarkable aspect of Washington, is that by definition of built-out blocks and unobstructed open space, the plan conceived by L'Enfant is little changed today. Info adapted from http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/ lenfant.htm & http://www.mm2c.com/mm3/features/ maps/. 62 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Requirement 16 The Bill of Rights: A Transcription The Preamble to The Bill of Rights Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New-York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine. THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution. RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz. ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution. Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the "Bill of Rights." Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Amendment III No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. Amendment IV The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable Amendment V No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. Amendment VI In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. Amendment VII In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. Amendment VIII Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Badge Helps Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Amendment IX The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Amendment X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. www.archives.gov 63 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Requirement 17 Abraham Lincoln was the second speaker on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Lincoln was preceded on the podium by the famed orator Edward Everett, who spoke to the crowd for two hours. Lincoln followed with his now immortal Gettysburg Address. On November 20, Everett wrote to Lincoln: вЂњPermit me also to express my great admiration of the thoughts expressed by you, with such eloquent simplicity & appropriateness, at the consecration of the Cemetery. I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.вЂќ great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/gettysburgaddress/Pages/ default.aspx & http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/ lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm Requirement 19 Memorize the following passage and recite it to your Unit. Ask what they think it means. Consider "dressing the part" in colonial garb. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Library of Congress President Lincoln, center, is pictured at the dedication of the Civil War cemetery in Gettysburg,Pa., Nov. 19, 1863. It is the only known photograph of Lincoln at Gettysburg. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the http://www.benjaminfranklincostumes.net/wp-content/ uploads/2010/09/ChildBenFranklinCostume.jpg & http://www.costumesupercenter.com/boys+costumeshistoric+patriotic/R884718-boys-general-georgewashington-costume.html Badge Helps The Gettysburg Address Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 64 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Seasonal- August Holidays August 1 вЂ“ Airforce Day AUGUST 2 вЂ“ FIRST LINCOLN PENNY ISSUED IN 1909 вЂў Use thickened frosting or glue and pretzel sticks to make log cabins. You can also use graham crackers. вЂў Make penny rubbings by putting a coin under a sheet of thin paper and rubbing it with the side of a crayon or pencil lead. August 3 вЂ“ National Watermelon Day Watermelon, in itвЂ™s 30 varieties, is both fruit and plant of a vine-like herb originally from southern Africa and one of the most common types of melon. The watermelon fruit has a smooth exterior rind (green and yellow) and a juicy, sweet, usually red or yellow, but sometimes orange, interior flesh. ItвЂ™s iconically associated with picnics, can be used to make salsa and smoothies, and is great for hydration on a hot summer day. This juicy fruit is also an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, and dosed with significant amounts of vitamin B6 and vitamin B1, as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium. Why not try having an Iron Chef competition in your Troop or Unit? Divide girls into teams and assign them all the same course, such as dessert (or for older girls, you may want the added challenge of an entire meal). All teams have the same amount of time to create their culinary treats, and all teams must incorporate watermelon into their dish! Invite a local chef, or culinarily-gifted Troop parent to taste the finished dishes and choose a winner. AUGUST 6 вЂ“ ODIEвЂ™S BIRTHDAY! August 10 вЂ“ SвЂ™Mores Day S'mores Nachos Ingredients - 5 soft taco size flour tortillas - 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter , melted - 12 whole cinnamon graham cracker , finely crushed - 1 1/2 cup miniature marshmallow DIRECTIONS Heat the oven to 350В° F. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Pour the butter into a shallow bowl. Place the graham cracker crumbs onto a plate. Dip the tortilla wedges into the butter. Coat with the graham cracker crumbs. Place the tortilla wedges onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown, turning the tortilla wedges over once halfway through the bake time. Place the tortilla wedges onto a platter. Top with the marshmallows. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce. Recipe Note: for a version with toasted marshmallows, use an oven-safe platter. Place the baked tortilla wedges onto the platter. Top with the marshmallows. Bake at 350В°F. until the marshmallows are lightly browned. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce. http://www.kitchendaily.com August 19 вЂ“ National Aviation Day This special day was created by a presidential proclamation by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. National Aviation Day is in honor of the birthday of aviator Orville Wright. The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were pioneer aviators in the United States. Orville was the first person to successfully fly an airplane. His first flight was December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This inaugural flight was soon to change the skies forever. The National Air Traffic Controllers have a coloring and activity book available for download from their site. These activities gives girls a glimpse into the important role Air Traffic Control plays in aviation today. Download at: http://www.natca.org/assets/ Documents/mediacenter/coloringbook.pdf Seasonal August 4 вЂ“ Coast Guard Day - 1 jar (about 10 ounces) chocolate sauce (about 1 1/4 cups), warmed AUGUST 23 вЂ“ FIRST PHOTOGRAPH OF EARTH FROM THE MOON. Taken by Lunar Orbiter in 1966 During the Lunar Orbiter missions, the first pictures of Earth as a whole were taken, beginning with Earth-rise over the lunar surface by Lunar Orbiter 65 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Honey is an natural source of energy that contains a unique mixture of glucose and fructose. Recent studies suggest that this unique mixture of sugars works best in preventing fatigue and enhancing athletic performance. All-natural honey is an effective treatment for minor abrasions and burns. A recent review of medical research documents its effectiveness as an antimicrobial agent. 1 in August, 1966. The first full picture of the whole Earth was taken by Lunar Orbiter 5 in August, 1967. See http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/symbolizingthe-green-movement. The second photo of the whole Earth was taken by Lunar Orbiter V on November 10, 1967. This photo was published by Stewart Brand in the first Whole Earth Catalog in the fall of 1968. AUGUST 31 вЂ“ NATIONAL TRAIL MIX DAY Huckleberry Trail Mix Ingredients вЂў 1 pound (4 cups) dry-roasted almonds вЂў 1 pound (4 cups) cashews вЂў 2 cups dried huckleberries or cranberries вЂў 1 1/3 cups M&M's Minis or semisweet chocolate chips вЂў 1 1/3 cups shredded coconut http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-networkkitchens/huckleberry-trail-mix-recipe/index.html September Holidays September is National Honey Month All-natural honey has been used a beauty product since the days of Cleopatra and it continues to be used today in manufactured and homemade products for skin and hair care. Honey is naturally hydrating and non-irritating. For relief of the irritating symptoms of sore throats caused by viruses, try a spoonful of honey to soothe and coat the throat. In between, keep up liquids with a steaming cup of tea sweetened with honey. Honey is an ingredient in more and more manufactured products from cereals to cough syrup. Over 200 new products containing honey have been introduced since 1998, many of which promoted honeyвЂ™s all-natural, wholesome image. How do bees make honey? When a honey bee takes nectar from a flower, she stores it in a вЂњhoney sack.вЂќ When this honey sack is full, she returns to the hive, deposits the drop of nectar into the honeycomb, and evaporates the water out of the nectar by fanning her wings. Once the honey has aged, wax is used to seal it in the comb, which keeps it clean and safe. A honeybee makes 154 trips for one teaspoon of honey. A colony produces 60 to 100 pounds of honey a year. To gather a pound of honey, a bee flies a distance equal to more than three times around the world. It takes two million flowers to make one pound of honey. Seasonal Honey Facts From the National Honey Board There are approximately 300 varieties of honey in the United States. They vary from water-white fireweed to rich dark amber buckwheat. In general, lighter-colored honeys are milder in flavor while darker-colored honeys are bolder in flavor. Darker honeys also tend to have a higher mineral content and antioxidant potential. Research has shown that unlike most other sweeteners, honey contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins, minerals and trace minerals as well as antioxidants. Because of the floral sources from which honey originates, no two honeys are exactly alike in flavor or nutritional content. Since honeys may contain pollen, studies are underway to determine if eating local honey could relieve allergy symptoms. 66 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 What kinds of bees are there? There are three classes of bees: queens, workers, and drones. In a hive, there can be hundreds of drones, thousands of workers, but always just one queen. The Queen * She is the only bee able to lay eggs. * She never leaves the hive and is constantly attended by workers. * She only uses her sting against other queens. * She lays up to 2,000 eggs per day. The Worker * Workers are all sterile females. * If born during the active spring or summer months, they live for only four to five weeks; during winter, they live for a few months. * They perform many tasks in and out of the hive, including: - Gathering pollen - Making honey - Feeding the other bees - Producing beeswax - Building honeycombs - Protecting the hive The Drone * Drones are males. * Drones donвЂ™t work, canвЂ™t feed themselves, and have no stinger. * They live for only about three months. * Their only task is to mate with queens. http://www.millershoney.com/making.htm September is Library Card Sign-Up Month National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 вЂ“ Oct 15) The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988 on the approval of Public Law 100402. The Crayola website offers ideas for activities to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month: http://www.crayola.com/calendar/detail.cfm?event_ id=161&year=2008&extended=true Labor Day - September 3rd National Cheese Pizza Day- September 5th Easy Pizza Dough Prep Time: 10 Min Cook Time: 20 Min Ready In: 30 Min Original Recipe Yield 1 - 12 inch pizza crust Ingredients вЂў 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast вЂў 1 teaspoon white sugar вЂў 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F) вЂў 2 1/2 cups bread flour вЂў 2 tablespoons olive oil вЂў 1 teaspoon salt Directions 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. 2. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes. 3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving. Seasonal Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The day of Sept. 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept.18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or DГa de la Raza, which is Oct. 12, falls within this 30 day period. http://www.loc.gov/topics/hispanicheritage/ index.html http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-pizza-crust/ Grandparents Day - September 9th American Heritage GirlsвЂ™ Birthday September 13 The very first American Heritage Girls Meeting occurred 67 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 in an elementary School in West Chester, Ohio on September 13, 1995. Plan a special birthday party to celebrate this special day and the way that God has blessed AHG over the years! AHG's 1st Annual National Day of Service - September 15th International Chocolate Day вЂ“ Sept 13 Constitution Day/Citizenship Day September 17 Deaf Awareness Week September 18-24 Invite a member of the Deaf community to talk with our Troop about what it is like to be deaf. Participate in a service project benefiting this group. Saturday, September 22nd Is First Day of Autumn October Holidays October is Pastor/Clergy Appreciation Month Encourage your Troop to thank their local Pastor/ Clergy, or the Pastor/Clergy of your Charter Organization. Whether the girls send cards, bake cookies or organize a service project, October is a great time to stop and thank these individuals for dedicating their lives to the LordвЂ™s service! Columbus Day - October 10 Navy Day - October 13 Sweetest Day - October 15 Milne The history of Sweetest Day dates back to 1922 when a man by the name of Herbert Birch Kingston wanted to bring cheer to local orphans, elderly, homebound people and others he felt may feel a little вЂњforgottenвЂќ during other holidays. Kingston worked for a candy company in Cleveland, Ohio and started giving out candy to all the little вЂњsweetsвЂќ in the community. Following his initial efforts, local Make a Difference Day - October 27 National Bologna Day - October 24 How is this holiday celebrated? By eating bologna your very favorite way! Or why not try eating it a new way? Maybe fried and hot? Stacked with cheese and cut into bit size pieces and held with a fancy toothpick? What is Bologna? Bologna is an American sausage somewhat similar to the Italian mortadella. It is commonly called bologna and often pronounced and/or spelled baloney. US government regulations require American bologna to be finely ground, and without visible pieces of fat. Bologna can alternatively be made out of chicken, turkey, beef, or pork. Bologna sausage is generally made from low-value scraps (trimmings from steaks, roasts or other meat cuts.) Such may be the origin of the slang word baloney, meaning вЂњnonsense.вЂќ No more than 3.5% non-meat binders and extenders or 2% isolated soy protein may be used, and they must be listed on the ingredients label. A typical composition might be 14.5% protein, 27% fat, 68% water and 5% other ingredients. Spices and flavorings can include ground mustard, coriander, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cardamom, and red pepper or paprika, Varieties: вЂў Bologna вЂ“ In general, bologna is constitutionally much the same as hot dogs, although larger and sliced. вЂў Beef Bologna вЂ“ This is an al-beef version, usually more of a red color than its mixed-meat counterpart. вЂў Kosher Bologna вЂ“ Typically made with only beef, but sometimes made from turkey. The manufacture of this variety of bologna must be supervised by a mashgiach to be certified kosher. вЂў German Bologna вЂ“ Also known as Garlic Bologna, this sausage is typically distinguished by adding garlic to the recipe. Despite the name, bologna in Germany вЂ“where it is very common and known as Fleischwurst or LyonerвЂ”does not usually contain a noticeable amount of garlic. вЂў Lebenon BolognaвЂ”named for Lebanon County, this is the Pensylvania Dutch variety of the Seasonal Winnie-the-Pooh by AA published - October 14, 1926 candy makers in Cleveland began to continue the tradition of giving and called it вЂњThe Sweetest Day of the YearвЂќ and distributed over 10,000 boxes of candy to over 26 Cleveland area charities their first year. americangreetings.com 68 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 sausage. Distiguished by its smokey taste and dark, coarse appearance, this is one of the more extreme flavors of bologna. вЂў New Zealand Bologna вЂ“In New Zealand, bologna is actually referred to as savaloys or cheerios, and are essentially bologna meat in a red casing or other colors such as purple. вЂў South African polony вЂ“ In South Africa, bologna is referred to as polony or French polony, and is often sold in thick sausage form which can be sliced onto sandwiches. Now you know. And thatвЂ™s no baloney. Dedication of the Statue of Liberty - October 28, 1886 Pumpkin Facts: Pumpkins, which are actually fruits, not vegetables, range considerably in size. Some varieties weigh less than a pound, while giant pumpkins can grow to more than 1,000 pounds! Pumpkins are members of the gourd family, which also includes watermelons and zucchini. They are 90-percent water and also contain high concentrations of potassium and vitamin A. Pumpkins, which grow from vines, originated in Central America and were a popular crop among Native Americans. Some tribes used the seeds for food and medicine and made sleeping mats out of dried pumpkin strips. American colonists invented the pumpkin pie, but their original version used the pumpkin as the crust, not the main ingredient. They cut off pumpkin tops to make handy edible bowls, which they filled with milk, honey and spices and then cooked over a fire or hot ashes. Halloween - October 31 One obvious question about Halloween is, вЂњWhat does the word itself mean?вЂќ The name is actually a shortened version of вЂњAll HallowsвЂ™ Even,вЂќ the eve of All HallowsвЂ™ Day. вЂњHallowвЂќ is an Old English word for вЂњholy person,вЂќ and All HallowsвЂ™ Day is simply another name for All SaintsвЂ™ Day, the day Catholics commemorate all the saints. At some point, people began referring to All HallowsвЂ™ Even as вЂњHalloweвЂ™enвЂќ and then simply вЂњHalloween.вЂќ howstuffworks.com November is Military Appreciation Month Family Daylight Savings Time Ends - Nov. 4th Election Day - November 6 AHG's National Leadership Conference - November 8-10 Marine Corps Birthday November 10 Veterans Day - November 11 National Hunger and Homeless Week November 11-17 Sponsored by the National Student Campaign against Hunger and Homelessness, this week is a time for people to reflect on the issues of hunger and homelessness in both the US and the World. Currently in the U.S., 36 million people live in households that are food insecure, which means that they frequently do not have enough money to afford food or do not know from where or when their next meal is coming. Of that, 8.3 million live in households facing the worstcase scenario, where members of that household are literally hungry. Though this organization specifically targets college Seasonal In medieval times, one popular All SoulsвЂ™ Day practice was to make вЂњsoul cakes,вЂќ simple bread desserts with a currant topping. In a custom called вЂњsouling,вЂќ children would go door-to-door begging for the cakes, much like modern trick-or-treaters. For every cake a child collected, he or she would have to say a prayer for the dead relatives of the person who gave the cake. These prayers would help the relatives find their way out of purgatory and into heaven. The children even sang a soul cake song along the lines of the modern вЂњTrick-or-treat, trick-or-treat, give me something good to eat.вЂќ One version of the song went: A soul cake! A soul cake! Have mercy on all Christian souls, for A soul cake! November 69 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 campuses, take time this week to discuss these important issues. How is hunger and homelessness affecting your community? What can girls do to help? How can your Troop, Charter Partner or home church help to alleviate these problems in our country and abroad? Try to plan a project this week that begins to address the problem - volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen, host a food collection drive, help support a missionary who is actively fighting hunger in another country, etc. National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day вЂ“ November 14 is followed the next day by Pack Your Mom a Lunch Day. Anyone see something very unfair about this?!? Take a Hike Day вЂ“ November 17 Family Hiking Hit the trail with your family to bond together and make great memories. While some people think their days of hiking are вЂњon holdвЂќ once they become parents, thatвЂ™s just not the case! There are still plenty of adventures ahead for both parents and children. If youвЂ™re a hiker with young children, you donвЂ™t have to put hiking on hold until they head for college. And if youвЂ™re a parent who is new to hiking, there couldnвЂ™t be a better time to start! Spending time on the trail offers a world of opportunity for family outings and vacations. http://www.americanhiking.org/ Thanksgiving Day - November 25 American Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. This year Thanksgiving will fall on Thursday November 26, 2009. The custom of celebrating Thanksgiving, an annual celebration held after the harvest began around 1621 when the Pilgrims fulfilled a successful and bountiful harvest in the New World. In the late 1700вЂ™s a day of national Thanksgiving was proposed by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday. Seasonal Not only will your family grow closer, but you can introduce the next generation to all that trails offer for personal growth and education while making life-long family memories. One of the keys things to remember when hiking with children is that the trek no longer becomes about getting from point A to point B, but more about exploring the trail and what is on it. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts to help keep your hike kid-friendly: - Have fun and be flexible. If this is your number one goal, everyone will be happy. Remember that you are trying to introduce your family to hiking; they won't want to do it again if they donвЂ™t have fun the first time. Change your plans if things are not working out. - Give the kids some control. Let the kids set the pace and allow them to make some choices along the way. Let them decide which trail to take or where to stop for lunch. They will naturally want to explore their surroundings and examine new bugs, spider webs and birds. You could carry a few toys for them to play with out on the trail if they seem to get distracted. Better yet, see if they can make their own inventions using only things they find on the trail, such as a few rocks, sticks, leaves, etc. Just make sure to put it all back when you leave. - Bring snacks and plenty of fluids. Make sure to stop and drink frequently. Kids may be so interested in their new environment that they don't realize how thirsty they are. High energy foods and plenty of water will keep them in good spirits. Coloring Page Sources: edupics.com, homeschoolhelperonline.com, www. samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ & honkingdonkey. com 70 Hi! I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is ________________________________ and I am very glad to meet you. I am ________ years old. This is what I look like. I live in the United States of America. I live in the state of ___________________ , in the city of _______________________. If you look at the map, I live in the state that is colored in. Now if you look at a map of our world, IвЂ™ve colored the country where I live. My shoe box has taken a fantastic journey to find you! There are lots of things I like. My Favorite: A КЃ thing to drink is ____________________. color is _____________________________. food is ______________________________. thing to play is _____________________ . S % ГЃГ… When I have free time, I like to _______________________________________. I love Jesus because_________________________ ______________________________________________ ____________________________________________. My house looks like this. e h t r colotures! pic Дў In my family, I have ______ brothers ______ sisters ______ pets Вµ! I hope you like the gifts I packed for you. If you send me a letter to this address, I will write you back and we can become friends. ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Leader Packet - Fall 2012 5. Trim and style the hair as you like. Then draw on a face with fine-point permanent markers, and your completed character is ready to top a pencil. Activities Pencil Buddies FamilyFun.com Total Time Needed:1 Hour Poised for note taking, these posable writing buddies easily slip on and off a pencil top. Instructions Materials вЂў Embroidery floss вЂў Craft wire вЂў Wooden bead вЂў Foam pencil grip вЂў Pushpin вЂў Permanent markers 1. Loosely wrap embroidery floss around your palm about a dozen times to create a coil of hair. Twist a 7 1/2inch length of plastic-coated 22-gauge craft wire around the center of the hank. DIY Braided Hairband Materials: You will need a piece of stretchy material (an old t-shirt will do the trick), scissors, thread, needle and pins. 2. Thread a 6- to 8-mm round wooden bead head onto the wire ends flush to the hair. For a body, use a foam pencil grip. Poke armholes in the foam with a pushpin or the end of a paper clip. 3. Thread the wire ends down into the pencil grip and out through the armholes. Step Two. Take 3 pieces of material and pin them at the top so that the braid stays together as you make it and pin the bottom when you finish. Games & Activities 4. String two 4-mm cylindrical wooden beads (about 1/2 inch long each) onto each arm wire and shape the wire tips into loops for hands. Step One. Cut thin strips of material, if you want to make it thick you will need 15 pieces for 5 braids. 76 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 GamesWhere the Wind Blows Type: Indoor Number: Small Group (Preferably 7 people or more) to Large Group (20 + people) Age: Middle вЂ“ High School Time: 15 вЂ“ 20 minutes Summary: Great icebreaker group game- find out what people have never done before. Goal: Avoid being the last person standing. Preparation: - One person needs to start the game by standing in the middle of the circle Step Three. Once you have all 5 braids done place them one on top of the other, grab the ends and twist them. - You will need everyone to sit in chairs arranged in a circle. Step Five. Cut an extra piece of fabric, make sure itвЂ™s wide and long enough to cover the part where you sew the ends. How to Play Where the Wind Blows Game: 1. The person in the middle needs to say a sentence of something they have never done before. For example, вЂњIвЂ™ve never been in an airplaneвЂќ, вЂњI never been to a buffetвЂќ, вЂњIвЂ™ve never been the HawaiiвЂќ, вЂњIвЂ™ve never had a petвЂќ. Step Six. Sew that piece of fabric and turn it inward so that the stitches are not visible. 2. If the personвЂ™s statement applies to someone sitting in the circle, that person has to move from his or her seat and sit in a different chair. Step Four. Sew all the ends together. You are done! Time to wear it! Adapted from http://www.henryhappened.com/diy-braidedhairband-guest-mom-ana.html 3. The person in the middle will need to try to sit down. One person will remain standing. The standing person starts a new round by saying a different statement. Note: People cannot move to seats on their immediate left or right. For example, they can sit two seats away, but they cannot move to the left or right of their current chairs. Games & Activities 77 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Fruit Salad Type: Indoor Number: Small Group (more than 6 people) to Large Group (20 + people) Age: Elementary - Middle School Time: 15 - 20 minutes Summary: Good icebreaker game, especially for kids. Easy to learn and play, with little preparation. Goal: Avoid being left in the middle of the circle. Preparation: - Chairs (one chair per person) How to Play Fruit Salad: 1. Have everyone sit in a chair, arranged in a circle facing inwards. Select one person to be in the middle and remove his or her chair from the circle. 2. Explain the rules: The person in the middle needs to say something that applies to at least 2 people in the circle. For example, вЂњAnyone who has a petвЂќ, вЂњAnyone who is wearing jeansвЂќ, вЂњAnyone who has a brother or sisterвЂќ, вЂњAnyone wearing the color purpleвЂќ. If the personвЂ™s statement applies to someone sitting in the circle, that person has to move from his or her seat and sit in a different chair. If the person says "Fruit Salad", then everyone needs to move to a different chair. 3. The person in the middle tries to sit down. There'll be one person left without a chair- this person will be the next person in the middle of the circle. The standing person starts a new round by saying a different statement. Note: People cannot move to seats on their immediate left or right. For example, a person is allowed sit two seats away, but they cannot move to the left or right of their current chairs. Toilet Paper Costume Game Type: Indoor Number: Medium Group (10 - 19 people) to Large Group (20 + people) Age: Elementary вЂ“ Middle School Time: 20 - 25 minutes Summary: Use toilet paper to create most original and creative costume! Goal: Have the most creative and entertaining toilet paper costume. Preparation: - 5 rolls of masking tape - 5 rolls of toilet paper - A judge How to Play Toilet Paper Costume Game: 1. Arrange everyone into teams of about four or five. Give each team a roll of toilet paper and a roll of masking tape. 2. Each team selects a volunteer from their group. The goal of the game is to wrap the person up in the most creative and original toilet paper costume (for example: Statue of Liberty). The teams have only 10 minutes to wrap the person up using only toilet paper and masking tape. 3. After 10 minutes, tell everyone to stop. Have the teams present their costume to the judge and convince the person to choose their costume. 4. The judge will have to decide who has the best-looking costume, and is ultimately, who is the winner. http://www.greatgroupgames.com Games & Activities Variation: - You can have the teams present their costumes with a story instead of a formal presentation. The story will be graded along with the costume. 78 Leader Packet - Fall 2012 Snacks Patriotic Fruit Pops Skip the fruit bowl and grab some cookie cutters and striped straws for a fun Fourth of July dessert. Ingredients: - Watermelon - Apples - Blueberries - Straws Step 1 - Cut watermelon and apple pieces to thickness of the cookie cutter. Step 2 - Place cookie cutter on top of fruit slices and push straight down. Step 3 - Place one fruit inside of another and finish with a blueberry in the middle. Step 4 - Push the straw through all three pieces of fruit to keep it everything in place. If you have trouble pushing a paper straw through the apple portion, use a plastic straw first to create a pathway and then replace with the paper straw. Popsicle sticks will work as well. Patriotic Popcorn Patriotic Popcorn is just the thing- colorful, yummy and easy to make. Ingredients: - white melting candies - white pop corn - red nonpariels - star confetti - red m&m's Step 1 - Pop popcorn and melt white chocolate. Spread the popcorn on a cookie sheet but do not dump the whole bag out, otherwise you may have unpopped kernels in your mix. Step 2 - Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn and mix well. Step 3 - Sprinkle with the star confetti & nonparielsOnce you do this do not mix the popcorn otherwise you will coat the sprinkles and they wont be stars anymore. Step 4: Once the mix has set (this may take an hour or longer) add in your M&M's. Tip: вЂў To keep the apples from browning, lightly brush them with lime or lemon juice. Limes are preferred for the flavor and that they seem less tart. Adapted from http://www.bakersroyale.com/fruit/fourth-ofjuly-dessert-fruit-pops/ Package it in a cute for for a party like the above picture or in individual containers for gifts to give to family, friends and especially to those serving our country! 79 Snacks Adapted from bloomdesignsonline.blogspot.com/2012/05/ happy-monday-you-all-enjoyed-you.html Questions? Concerns? DonвЂ™t forget your Support Services Coordinators are available to assist you with your questions and concerns about the AHG Program. Not only do they have plenty of insight, suggestions and resources to offer, but they would also love to celebrate your Troop successes and hear about the way God is moving in your AHG ministry. Contact your Support Services Coordinator today! GREEN - Rebecca Desch 513.771.2025 Ext #127 [email protected] ORANGE вЂ“ Adam Hollingsworth 513.771.2025 Ext #130 [email protected] BLUE вЂ“ Lori Marshall 513.771.2025 Ext #107 [email protected] YELLOW - Amanda OвЂ™Dell 513.771.2025 Ext #122 [email protected] RED - Christy Johnson 513.771.2025 Ext #119 [email protected] New Troops вЂ“ Carolyn Moore 513.771.2025 Ext. 103 [email protected] DonвЂ™t forget to send your girls to the new AHG GirlsвЂ™ Site! This site is full of great resources; spiritual development, service, merit badge helps, outdoor fun, coloring pages, games and much more! The GirlsвЂ™ site is now accepting submissions, so encourage your girls to check us out and share their prayers, art and ideas! www.ahgonline.org/girls Looking for more program resources? The AHG Leader Site is bursting with great resources, including archived Leader Packets. We are also looking for your input on upcoming leader packets. Visit the Leader Site to submit an idea for the next resource packet! www.ahgonline.org/leaders DonвЂ™t forget to visit the AHG Attic Online Store to see our exciting new merchandise items! Remember to help increase AHG's buying power of PRAY publications by ordering booklets exclusively through the AHG Attic or the PRAY organization. www.ahgonline.org