New Beginnings: Donut Forget Personal Progress

Donuts are always a good idea. ALWAYS.

I recently used my love of donuts as a theme for New Beginnings for my church girls. New Beginnings focuses on Personal Progress. I had seen an idea while perusing pinterest using donuts, but for Young Women in Excellence. I loved the idea of using the play on word of donut with "don't". So away I went planning.

Once I had the idea of using donuts as the theme the rest came together really easily. I used the donuts as decorations and in the talk I gave about personal progress.

We chose bright and fun colors for the evening. We started by handing out these invites, which I made using PicMonkey. You might notice that the nights tag line is different on the invites then it was on the chalkboard for that night. Basically, I just remembered wrong. HA.  Either way, the tag line works. And I don't think anyone noticed my faux pas. While these invites are adorable, they weren't the best part.

The real show stopper was the peg wall of donuts in the value colors. Can you say dreamy much?

The idea of a peg wall of donuts is not a new one. Pinterest is full of images of peg wall donuts. However, since it was New Beginnings I figured donuts in the value colors were a must. We worked with a local bakery, and they NAILED the colors. The wall of donuts was not only decorations, but it was also part of the dessert for the night (and breakfast for my boys the next morning). The first donuts to go were understandably the gold ones.

Aren't those shimmery, metallic gold donuts magical? The bakery glazed them in a golden yellow and then brushed on the gold powder.

Before I get to what we did for the program let me talk about the other donut details. I put donuts on the straws for the milk we served.

I also made two donut cakes. The donut-shaped pan made it a breeze. I used a boxed vanilla cake mix. I frosted it with buttercream frosting and used homemade marshmallow fondant for the "icing".

I copied the image of the donut from the invitation to the cake and the paper donuts used as decorations.

Now, for the program.

We started with an explanation of personal progress from our secretary (also over personal progress). She read from the personal progress book and shared why we do personal progress.

Next I talked about personal progress in reference to making donuts. The theme was Sweet is the Reward of personal progress. We compared the sweet reward of making donuts and doing personal progress. I used a recipe that had eight ingredients and gave each ingredient a value.

Milk---Faith
Sugar---Divine Nature
Yeast---Individual Worth
Butter---Knowledge
Eggs--Choice and Accountability
Flour---Good Works
Salt---Integrity
Glaze--Virtue

I had eight Value Bakers. They each had pre-assigned parts and little half aprons that I made from fabric the color of each value. I talked about just as donuts need specific ingredients to turn out, there are specific attributes, characteristics, and principles that we should develop to help us achieve the sweetest reward, eternal life.

Here are the parts I handed to the girls. I printed them out, cut them into strips and then gave them to eight different girls.

Download HERE

We "made" donuts. I called up each value baker one at a time. Prior I printed out clip art pictures of each ingredient and cut them out. I had already given each value her coordinating "ingredient". I would call up the ingredient and the value baker would come up with the picture of her ingredient. She put the ingredient in a bowl I had and then said her part.

After each value, I talked about the importance of that specific value. You could also have girls share and experience with that value. After the whole donut theme and that donut wall, these little value baker aprons were my favorite.

Especially since they were on some of my beautiful girls.

This night was so fun, and relatively easy (setting aside the sewing of the aprons and the making of the donut wall). I certainly hope that my girls donut forget about personal progress and that you donut forget about this idea the next time you are planning a New Beginnings.

You Drive Me Bananas Valentine

Contrary to much public opinion, my children like the banana flavored Runts. In fact, my youngest really likes them. So add that to the fact that PicMonkey had this ADORABLE monkey face overlay and I really couldn't help myself. I just had to design this banana classroom valentine.

It is a simple tag that can be attached to a small bag of banana candy. Did you know that you can buy bags of just the banana Runts? Well you can. Huzzah! I bought the bag of banana candy, and thank heavens there were enough for small fingers to steal some while we were assembling them.

They really are simple and perfectly sweet. My itty bitty is so excited to had these out at preschool.

Download the printable. Print on cardstock. Cut and attach to a small treat bag of banana candy. Easy as pie...a banana pie. Sorry, I had to. I obviously have a problem. Seriously though, these will come together so fast and are sure to be a hit. Remember, even if you don't like the banana flavored candy (insert hand raising here), most kids do.

Download HERE

Make sure to also go and check out my PL-IZZA Be Mine Valentine classroom valentine from yesterday. There is also a list of some of my other classroom valentine ideas.

PL-IZZA Be My Valentine

Classroom Valentine's are kind of a big deal at our house. I have said this before, but every year I think I am out of new ideas. In fact, I was pretty close to just using an old idea or one of the meeeellions of cute ideas on Pinterest. Then out of no where-okay not really no where since I have been obsessing about an idea all day every day. Anyway, I came up with this pizza valentine idea.

Seriously, "PL-IZZA be my valentine", I still giggle when I say it. Just ask my husband. I giggle and he rolls his eyes at my adorableness. These are my favorite for sure this year, if not of all the ones I have done. In fact, like I said on Instagram (@larissa_anotherday), I liked them so much I am making two of my kids use them.

I ordered these cute efrutti gummy pizzas (they came in a box of 48, just perfect for two of my kids to use).

Here is the available print off. Seriously, I know they might be "cheesy", but anything pizza is always a good idea. Oh gosh. I think I am so funny. Some one has too. Click on the link to download the file. Print off on cardstock. Last, attach a gummy pizza.

Download HERE

This is a great gender neutral valentine. Which is a big deal around these parts because boys don't approve of unicorns, hearts, and any thing too cutesy (unless they are being ironic). Look for my next classroom valentine idea tomorrow.

Also, be sure to look at my other classroom valentine ideas.

O-Fishally The Best

So Cool

Soda the Best

Love You Like A Love Song

All That and a Bag of Chips

Funny Valentine

Outta This World

Bubble Gum

Minecraft Be Mine

2017 LDS Youth Theme Posters

With the new year, comes a new spiritual theme for LDS Youth. The 2017 LDS youth theme for this year is the scripture James 1:5-6.

I work with some amazing young ladies, so I get to learn and work on the theme each year. Every year the theme is based on a scripture. For the whole year we spend time memorizing and focusing on activities that represent this theme.

So to start the year off right, I am teaching a lesson about asking and praying to your Father in Heaven for answers. I made the above poster to help with the memorization of the full scripture reference. I also made a simplified poster inspired by this moving VIDEO  introducing the theme.

I am really excited about this theme and the reminder it is that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father who wants to hear from us. He wants to know our questions. He wants to answer us. He is there for us.

Both of these printables can be downloaded as posters. I will only be printing off the full scripture as a poster. I will be using the simplified image as cards that they can put in their scriptures, hang up in a locker, or put on their mirror.

I put together a printable with this smaller option. I suggest printing them on cardstock.

Download 2017 Youth Theme Poster HERE
Download 2017 Youth Theme Simple Poster HERE
Download 2017 Youth Theme Simple cards HERE

Happy New Year. I hope you find these printable useful and that they help inspire your youth.

Teacher Christmas Gift- Lunch Elf

Yesterday I posted on Instagram (@larissa_anotherday) about my Christmas teacher gift and I have had several people ask for the printable. So I decided to post about it and offer the printable.

This is an easy Christmas teacher gift, AND word on the street is that teachers LOVE it. Bring your favorite teachers lunch for a Christmas present. I have learned that one of the things that stress teachers out is having to figure out what is for lunch. I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to deal with it either.

So the Christmas Lunch Elf to the rescue.

Here is the run down.

First find out what their favorite lunch restaurant is (or just pick an sandwich type place). Then download and print off these Teacher Christmas Lunch Elf printable.

DOWNLOAD HERE

After you print out the Tag, print off a lunch menu from their restaurant and attach it to the back. One year I went to a sandwich place that had paper order forms already. This year I went online and was able to print off one for one restaurant, but I had to make one for the other restaurant.

I drop off the order form the day before early, so that I can get it back that afternoon. I am kind of lucky because the school secretary lives by me so she just brings them to me. Then the next day I go and pick up the lunches, add in a dessert and drink, and then I take it to them. 

This really is such an EASY teacher Christmas gift. The only planning is making sure restaurants are open in time to get the teachers their lunch, since often teachers have earlier lunches.

Now you are all set. This really is a teacher Christmas gift that can be given every year.