Family Home Evenings

Family Activity Night

Family Home Evenings — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:48:13 +0000

Family Activity Night Ideas~ Family Home Evening

Here are several great activity ideas for you to do with your family (couples, too) for a Family Activity Night.

1. Cooking Class: Host a cooking class with your children (of all ages) and give each family member a responsibility in creating dinner and dessert. Teach how to measure, cook with the stove/oven safely, setting the table and of course, the clean-up!

2. Cake Decorating: Prior to this family night, bake a small cake for each family member to decorate. Gather all the decorating tools and icing and go over different decorating methods. Afterwards, have everyone try out their new skills by decorating their own cakes. Instead of having a number of cakes at your home, take some to your neighbors and share the goodies.

3. Service Coupons: Gather computer paper, markers, scissors and any other craft items you want to use for this project. Have every person write/create service coupons for different things that each of them can do for others in the family, friends or neighbors. You can put these in a jar and have others pick out of the jar for items of service that will be performed for them and that they will perform for others.

Look for more ideas to come soon….

Have a great Family Night!

Easter Traditions & Christ’s last week

Family Home Evenings — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Easter Traditions~

Why do we have the Easter traditions that we generally all participate in year-after-year? Where did these traditions start and what do they symbolize?

For Family Home Evening tonight we are going to discuss and learn about the Easter Traditions in preparation for Easter weekend. We will also learn about the events of this week.

Opening Song: “I Believe in Christ” Hymn #134

For Little Ones: We suggest the very simple lesson for little ones in the nursery manual, Behold Your Little Ones. Here is the link for the Easter lesson.

Christ’s last week of His mortal ministry: Excerpts from Church leaders on the events of this last week.

Palm Sunday~ Palm Sunday is the anniversary of that momentous occasion nearly two thousand years ago when Jesus of Nazareth, the very Son of God himself, began the ultimate declaration of his divinity and entered the holy city of Jerusalem as the promised Messiah that he was.

Riding on a young donkey in fulfillment of Zechariah’s ancient prophecy (see Zech. 9:9), he approached the temple on a path that the jubilant crowd lined for him with palm leaves, flowering branches, and some of their own garments, thus carpeting the way properly for the passing of a king. He was their king; these were his subjects. “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they shouted. “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matt. 21:9.)

Of course, that path so lovingly lined was soon to lead to an upper room and then to Gethsemane. (“Jesus, The Very Thought of Thee”, President Howard W. Hunter, Ensign: May 1993)

Passover & Last Supper (Tuesday)~

It began with the Paschal supper, or the Passover meal. Jesus made preparations for this meal in “a large upper room.” (Luke 22:12.) This Passover would officially close the requirement of animal sacrifices.

As Jesus and the Twelve Apostles entered the guest chamber in the upper room, the roasted lamb, unleavened cakes, bitter herbs, and dish with vinegar were prepared and ready.

Jesus presided at this meal. That was significant because as the One who took the place of the family patriarch, He made a last symbolic sacrifice in preparation for the real sacrifice that He later offered. He understood this; the Apostles did not. By celebrating the Passover feast, He gave His endorsement to all those similitude, signs, and tokens of the past millennia that had prefigured His great sacrifice.

Significant, too, is the fact that the Son of God commenced His earthly ministry with an ordinance—baptism—and ended His ministry with an ordinance—the sacrament. Both bore record of His death, burial, and resurrection. (“Remembering the Savior’s Atonement”, Elder David B. Haight, Ensign, April 1988)

Atonement (Garden of Gethsemane)~

For children: Garden of Gethsemane story

Elder James E. Talmage

“Christ’s agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause. … It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing. No other man, however great his powers of physical or mental endurance, could have suffered so; for his human organism would have succumbed, and syncope would have produced unconsciousness and welcome oblivion. In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors that Satan, ‘the prince of this world’ could inflict. …

“In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world” (Jesus the Christ, 613).

Calvary & The

Crucifixion(Friday)~

Elder James E. Talmage

“It seems, that in addition to the fearful suffering incident to crucifixion, the agony of Gethsemane had recurred, intensified beyond human power to endure. In that bitterest hour the dying Christ was alone, alone in most terrible reality. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consummated in all its fulness, the Father seems to have withdrawn the support of His immediate Presence, leaving to the Savior of men the glory of complete victory over the forces of sin and death. …

“The period of faintness, the conception of utter forsakenness soon passed, and the natural cravings of the body reasserted themselves. The maddening thirst, which constituted one of the worst of the crucifixion agonies, wrung from the Savior’s lips His one recorded utterance expressive of physical suffering. ‘I thirst’ [John 19:28], He said. One of those who stood by, whether Roman or Jew, disciple or skeptic, we are not told, hastily saturated a sponge with vinegar, a vessel of which was at hand, and having fastened the sponge to the end of a reed, or stalk of hyssop, pressed it to the Lord’s fevered lips. …

“Fully realizing that He was no longer forsaken, but that His atoning sacrifice had been accepted by the Father, and that His mission in the flesh had been carried to glorious consummation, He exclaimed in a loud voice of holy triumph: ‘It is finished’ [John 19:30]. In reverence, resignation, and relief, He addressed the Father saying: ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit’ [Luke 23:46]. He bowed His head, and voluntarily gave up His life.

“Jesus the Christ was dead. His life had not been taken from Him except as He had willed to permit. Sweet and welcome as would have been the relief of death in any of the earlier stages of His suffering from Gethsemane to the cross, He lived until all things were accomplished as had been appointed” (Jesus the Christ, 661–62).

Resurrection Sunday~

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985)

“Only a God could bring about this miracle of resurrection. As a teacher of righteousness, Jesus could inspire souls to goodness; as a prophet, he could foreshadow the future; as an intelligent leader of men, he could organize a church; and as a possessor and magnifier of the priesthood, he could heal the sick, give sight to the blind, even raise other dead; but only as a God could he raise himself from the tomb, overcome death permanently, and bring incorruption in place of corruption, and replace mortality with immortality. …

“No human hands had been at work to remove the sealed door nor to resuscitate nor restore. No magician nor sorcerer had invaded the precincts to work his cures; not even the priesthood, exercised by another, had been brought in use to heal, but the God who had purposefully and intentionally laid down his life had, by the power of his godhead, taken up his life again. … The spirit which had been by him commended to his Father in Heaven from the cross, and which, according to his later reports, had been to the spirit world, had returned and, ignoring the impenetrable walls of the sepulcher, had entered the place, re-entered the body, had caused the stone door to be rolled away, and walked in life again, with his body changed to immortality, incorruptible—his every faculty keen and alert.

“Unexplainable? Yes! And not understandable—but incontestable. More than 500 unimpeachable witnesses had contact with him. They walked with him, talked with him, ate with him, felt the flesh of his body and saw the wounds in his side and feet and hands; discussed with him the program which had been common to them, and him; and, by many infallible proofs knew and testified that he was risen, and that that last and most dreaded enemy, death, had been overcome. …

“And so we bear testimony that the being who created the earth and its contents, who made numerous appearances upon the earth prior to his birth in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is resurrected and immortal, and that this great boon of resurrection and immortality becomes now, through our Redeemer, the heritage of mankind” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 17–18).

Easter Traditions Trivia~
The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. The symbol originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshiped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit.

The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to America. It was widely ignored by other Christians until shortly after the Civil War. In fact, Easter itself was not widely celebrated in America until after that time.

The Easter Egg

As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, theEaster egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.

From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers. Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs — those made of plastic or chocolate candy.

(From http://wilstar.com/holidays/easter.htm)

Activity~ Dye Easter eggs and have a Easter egg hunt.

Treat~

Easter cup cakes

Makes 24 (1 cupcake) servings.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 package (18 1/4 ounces) white cake mix

1 container (16 ounces) vanilla frosting

Flaked coconut (about 1 cup for each desired color)

McCormick® Assorted Food Colors and Egg Dye or McCormick® Assorted NEON! Food Colors and Egg Dye

Candies for decorating, such as jelly beans or gum drops (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on package for cupcakes. Cool on wire racks. Frost cupcakes.

2. Place coconut in large resealable plastic bag. Squeeze food color into coconut (use 5 to 6 drops desired food color to 1 cup coconut). Shake until color is evenly distributed.

3. Sprinkle frosted cupcakes with tinted coconut. Decorate as desired with candies.

Our last thoughts: We hope that you have enjoyed the selection of talks and other works for this lesson on Easter week.

Be sure to check out all the links for the excerpts for more on the incredible talks on these great events. All that we posted, doesn’t even give these sacred topics justice.

Challenge yourself, family or FHE groups/wards to study these topics throughout this week in preparation for Easter Sunday.

Share your thoughts with us by leaving comments below.

photo: Associatedcontent.com

General Conference Review Family Home Evening

Family Home Evenings — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 02:10:00 +0000

“General Conference Review Family Home Evening”

Purpose: To reinforce some of the topics that each person learned from watching/attending General Conference.

Hymn: “Teach me to Walk in the Light”

Scripture: Doctrine & Covenants 19:23

Lesson: Twice each year we are able to gather as a world-wide church and listen to the prophet of the Lord and his Holy Apostles. In each conference session we are filled with knowledge, help and inspiration to make better choices, live better lives, be kinder people and to be true followers of Christ.

We have been taught to study the teachings of the church leaders often. They are indeed our living scriptures today. We are likewise counseled to continually to study from the ancient prophets in the Holy Bible, Book of Mormon and of course the latter-day revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.

The teachings and principles that we learn during conference help each of us in our day. How are we taking these teachings into our lives? Who are these men and women giving these talks?

Activity:

1– Take a few minutes and talk about some of the things that were taught in this past conference that stuck out to you. If you didn’t have the opportunity to view conference, choose a session and talk online here! Each session (including Relief Society General/Young Women meeting and the Priesthood session) are all available online.

2- Name all those in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. If available, use or print individual photos of each leader, then write their names on other pieces of paper, tear individually and play a name/face matching game.

3- Write down 2-3 goals that you want to improve on from something you learned during General Conference. Post these goals somewhere where you can see them every day. Remember– it’s not a goal if it isn’t written down— it’s just a thought.

Treat:

Eyeball Cupcakes

Family Home Evening Announcement:

We are excited to be releasing our lessons in Spanish! Please look for the link in the group section! We look forward to adding more languages soon!!

**Be sure to follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook!!!

180th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
172nd Annual General Conference Mormon Latter-Day Saint LDS April 2002 (CDs) (172nd Annual General Conference April 2002)

Gratitude for Trees, Plants, Flowers

Family Home Evenings — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Song:“For the Beauty of the Earth”

Lesson: Depending on where we all live, winter months may be winding down. For some, Spring has started to show as blossoms begin to fill the empty branches. The beginning of new life in flowers, trees and animals can be witnessed all over the world.

Heavenly Father wanted there to be beauty on Earth for all of His children to enjoy and to use in various ways. On the 3rd day of Creation, Jesus created all the plants, trees and flowers that we enjoy.

Trees provide us with so many things from; supplying oxygen, giving us shade in the hot summer months, homes for birds to build nests to house and protect their babies, fruits, wood to build and warm homes, make paper and so many other uses. It also provides beauty for all to enjoy.

Plants and flowers also have their own ways in which they not only provide splendor, but also help us have food, show love in sharing flowers with others and so on.

We should remember to thank Heavenly Father for all that he has provided for us, including our natural resources– trees, plants and flowers.

Activity:

Little ones- tweens: Get small plastic cups, planting soil and seeds to create your own small garden. Find items that are easy to grow to help the experience of growing be successful and memorable.

Allow the child(ren) to pour the dirt into the cups. Pour the seeds into their hands and explain how these small seeds can grow up to be big trees, beautiful flowers and plants. Help them sow their seeds in their cups. Maintain your new garden according to the directions on your seed packets.

Teens/Single-Adult Wards/FHE Groups:

Plan a service opportunity for someone in your area or ward. Find a way to rake leaves, plant flowers, trim bushes/hedges or plant a tree. You can also gather flowers to take to nursing homes and surprise random people. You’re sure to make someone’s day!

If you have a botanical garden in your area, plan a visit.

Treats: Fruit kabobs. Use the fruit to also teach how the seeds are apart of the continual pattern of life. Explain that seeds found in the fruits help to grow the trees that produce the fruit for us to enjoy!

Time Capsule Series: Family Photos

Family Home Evenings — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:57:00 +0000

Time Capsule Series: Family Photos

Purpose: The Time Capsule series helps families contribute items once a month that will provide a lifetime full of memories. This month we focus on sharing visual memories of the family.

Song: “Here We Are Together”

Scripture:

Lesson:There are countless visuals of families throughout our church; from photos, sayings, signs and vinyl lettering in homes– but, what visuals of your family can you leave to look back on?

Elder Henry B. Eyring painted a powerful visual when he shared this story in the Oct. 2009 General Conference:

“In many of our homes, there are the words “Our Family Can Be Together Forever.” There is a gravestone near my home of a mother and grandmother. She and her husband were sealed in the temple of God to each other and to their posterity for time and all eternity. The inscription on the gravestone reads, “Please, no empty chairs.” She asked for that inscription because she knew that whether the family will be together depends on the choices each family member makes. The word “please” is there because neither God nor she can compel another to choose happiness. And there is Satan, who wants misery, not happiness, in families in this life and in the next.” - Elder Henry B. Eyring, “Our Perfect Example.”

Can you picture your family sitting around the dinner table? Perhaps there was one evening when someone was ill and their chair was empty. How did that feel not having them there?

Can you visualize other moments in your family? What about family vacations, trips to the park or zoo, family water gun fights or even birthday parties?!

Our time on earth is short, our time with our families even shorter. As children grow, leave home and start their own families, we want to capture as many moments as possible.

Activity:Get a camera and get ready to take some photos! You can also go through old photos to include in the time capsule.

Photo shoot Ideas~

Back-to-School Model Show:You can have the child(ren) dress up in their back-to-school clothes and take photos. This can be an annual event and great memories to share as you look back on over the years. Children change tremendously year-to-year, what a great tradition to have yearly.

Family Photos~ Find a place outside or create a backdrop in your home for new family photos. You can invite another family to join you, take their photos while they help you take yours. Be sure to take photos of individuals, parents and children. These can be used for your time capsule as well as for upcoming holiday cards.

Back then photos~ Sift through your old photos, find copies of pictures you want to include in your time capsule. Write a note about each of the pictures, what was going on, who was in the photo and so on.

Church Video:

Treat:

Berry Orange Sorbet

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed raspberries or blackberries

1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the water and all of the sugar. Bring the liquid to a simmer and continue simmering it for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool.
Put the berries and the remaining 1/4 cup of water into the bowl of a food processor and puree them for 30 seconds. Strain the puree to remove the seeds.
In a pitcher, stir together the cooked syrup, the orange and lemon juices, and the seedless berry puree. Pour the mixture into two ice-cube trays and freeze until firm (generally 6 or more hours). A pitcher or a mixing bowl with a spout will make filling the ice-cube trays easier and neater.
When you’re ready to serve the sorbet, chill serving dishes in the freezer and briefly chill your food processor bowl and blade as well. Then transfer the fruit cubes to the food processor and pulse them, in short bursts, to make a smooth sorbet. Spoon the sorbet into the chilled dishes and serve immediately. Makes about 6 servings.

Progressive Story Writing Activity

Family Home Evenings — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:25:35 +0000

Family Night Activity: Progressive Story Writing Activity

Supplies Needed:

Notebook paper

Pencils/Pens

Timer

Get Started:

Give everyone a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Have everyone gather in a circle or around a table. Assign each person a different category to start writing a story on– comedy, mystery and so on, until everyone has their own category to start writing.

Set the timer for three minutes and everyone writes on their topic. After the three minutes is up, switch papers to the right. Re-set the timer for another three minutes and everyone continues to write on the storyline they’ve received.

Continue this until everyone has rotated the stories completely.

Gather all the stories and read them aloud.

Love At Home

Family Home Evenings — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:03:00 +0000

Song: Love One Another

Scripture: John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

Items needed:

Write a letter to each family member and explain to them why they are important and special. Leave the letter in a place where they will find it on the day of your FHE lesson.
Make a chart that says Love One Another–see below how to make chart

Adapted from Family Home Evening Resource book:

If Jesus Came to Visit Us

How would it feel if Jesus were to come and visit our home?
Would we want to change the way we act with each other?
What would Jesus think if He came into our home?

Jesus would be unhappy if we were being unkind and unloving towards our family members. He cares so much about us that he wants us to feel the love He and Heavenly Father have for us. We can feel that love in our families.

Inviting the Spirit of the Lord into Our Home

Ask how the letters to each family member made them feel.

When we show love and appreciation it brings a good spirit into our home. This is how our Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to feel. The family in the central unit of the Lord’s plan for us.

Love One Another Chart

Make a chart by drawing a heart in the middle of the paper with rays around it.
Next make lines below the heart to write names on.
In the middle of the heart, write “Our Family”

Each time you see a family member show love put id down on the chart. The deed goes onto the rays and you can write the name on the list below. Challenge each family member to help fill all the rays by the next FHE.

Basic Etiquette Rules for Every Family Member

Family Home Evenings — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:40:21 +0000

Purpose: It is important to teach and practice basic manners (etiquette) to show respect and kindness to one another.

Lesson:

Etiquette differs from various regions of the United States as well as different parts of the world– each culture has it’s own acceptable forms of etiquette or mannerisms that they follow to show respect.

In Japan, they bow to greet one another, where in the U.S., we shake hands. In Kenya, you have to ask to take pictures of people; however, in other countries you can snap photos and videos of complete strangers.

Here are some basic etiquette rules for you to discuss and follow as a family:

1. Be On Time: It is impolite to keep others waiting. If you have a tendency to be late, try setting your clocks 10-15 minutes fast to be on time.

2. Hold the Door for Women: It is polite to hold the door open for women and is even more polite when you can get to the door faster to make sure you are there before the woman to be able to open it up for her. The same type of rule applies to seats– always give up your seat to a lady, pregnant woman or the elderly.

3. Cell Phone Etiquette: Be sure to not be on a phone call when checking out at the store, in the drive-thru of a restaurant and talking while in the restroom stall. Also make sure your volume is turned to appropriate levels or off in respected areas such as libraries, concerts, movies and so forth.

4. Chewing. Be sure you don’t chew gum or food with your mouth open. It’s also impolite to chew with food in your mouth and be sure to dispose of gum in a trash can and not on the ground.

Discussion:

- What are some other rules you can follow for etiquette?

- Why is important to have manners?

Activity:

Before dinner, go over the rules to properly setting the table and practice good table manners.

Secret Server

Family Home Evenings — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:43:00 +0000

Purpose: To gain a testimony of the importance of serving, especially serving without seeking praise or recognition.

Materials:

Picture: Jesus Washing Apostles’ Feet
Clip art for the stories
1 copy of the Service Chart per person
several “You have been Served” calling cards per person

Lesson:
Attention getter:
As you are about to begin the lesson, drop a box of crayons or your papers on the ground with an exclamation such as “Oh no!” or “Oops!”. Wait and see if anyone offers to help you pick them up. If no one does, go ahead and ask for help.
Thank those who helped and explain that Heavenly Father wants us to help one another. This is called service. We can show we love our Heavenly Father by serving his children.

Display the quote on service:

“The Lord answers the prayers of the needy by prompting others to righteous deeds: God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another mortal that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.” -Spencer W. Kimball

Show the picture of Jesus washing apostles’ feet.

Jesus set the example for us when he, the greatest of all, served his disciples by washing their feet.

Summarize the story.
John 13:4-5, 12-15

Story:

The Zucchini Bandit

Helping Mom (for very young children)

Discuss the story emphasizing that the service was given in secret. * If you have a personal experience in which someone served you anonymously or you helped someone else anonymously, this would be the perfect time to share it. Testify of the importance of serving others and the blessings that come from it.

Activity/Weekly Challenge:

Secret Server Week

You are going to be a SECRET SERVER for the week. Draw family members’ names out of a hat so that everyone has someone else’s name. Don’t tell anyone whose name you have (parents will help the very young ones). Each day of the week you will perform at least one secret act of service for your Receiver. You may leave a “You Have Been Served” calling card with your Receiver’s name on it (this helps the Receiver recognize that an act of service was done in their behalf). For each day you do a special, secret act of service, you will color in a heart on the Service Chart. Have fun and shhhhhhhh Don’t give yourself away!

Dessert: Zucchini Cobbler

*ideas of small acts of secret service that can be done at home

make the bed for your receiver
set his/her place at the breakfast table
draw or color a picture
leave a favorite treat on his/her pillow
put toothpaste on his/her toothbrush
do one of his/her chores
make a favorite meal or dessert with mom or dad’s help
straighten up his/her closet
decorate his/her bedroom
leave a surprise note or treat in a lunchbox

How to Prepare for College: Tips and Ideas

Family Home Evenings — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:03:00 +0000

FHE Theme: This FHE lesson is for those families who have children preparing for college entrance. I am going to share some tips that I learned from my own college experience and from working for a university for over 6 years.

Lesson: Here are some tips on making the transition to college a little smoother for everyone involved as well as some other great information I’ve learned along the way.

Tips:

1. Attend a campus tour and also attend all the orientations you can! You will want to get the best feel for campus as you can as you make your decision. Going on a campus tour may be the deciding factor in chosing which school you’re going to attend. Make sure you attend orientations. Though it may seem “nerdy”, it’s even more nerdy when you can’t find your way around campus or to your classes.

2. Find & apply for housing a year in advance or as early as you possibly can. I was the first to attend college in my family. My mother drove me 4 hours two weeks before I was to start my college experience and neither one of us thought that housing would be an issue. It was. There was none. So, we made the long trip back home and I was now going to be a semester behind.

3. Get acquainted with all the main offices, such as financial aid, registrar’s and cashiers. Also learn what each of them have available to students such as appeals, withdrawals, grade changes, deadlines, etc. All the stuff that you may need at some point. I didn’t know you could withdraw from courses and during one of my semesters, I went through a horrific ordeal that left me unable to finish the semester. Those F’s on my transcript have never been erased and taint my otherwise perfect college transcripts. It’s also a constant reminder of that semester. Don’t let that happen to you. Life happens and schools can help you out with that.

4. Read and know your course syllabus’, requirements and due dates. I would recommend reading your syllabus or assignment requirement sheet weekly and prior to starting new assignments, papers or projects. You want to make sure you do all that the instructor asks of you. Plus, this is great training for the work force when you can pay attention to details and deliever the correct product.

5. Focus on great grades for all the right reasons, but don’t be OCD about it. Of course, most employers don’t ask for a copy of your college transcripts to check out your grades. However, having great grades helps you in multiple ways; scholarships, graduating with honors (both look great on resumes) and plus, the better you know the information, the more success you’ll have in your profession. Afterall, you are PAYING for this education… get all that you can out of it. Which leads me to this remark– READ ALL YOUR TEXTBOOKS. Even if it isn’t assigned, it doesn’t hurt to have as much knowledge as possible. However, don’t be OCD about it. I was. Sometimes focusing more on getting straight A’s and forgetting to enjoy the classes I was taking. Don’t do that. You’ll have regrets like me.

6. Get involved. Whatever you like to do, there’s a club, group or organization on campus just for you. It’s a perfect way to make new friends, build your character and adds to your whole college experience. Don’t forget to attend the sports games– even if the teams are horrible. Some of my fondest memories from college are the times when I was involved on campus with this or that.

7. Work on campus. There are countless student jobs available on the majority of college campus’. It’s a great way to work around your school schedule, plus you may even find a job that allows you to work along side your mentors/professors which will help provide great references for graduate schools or employers in your field.

Last little tips: Learn to cook, clean, do laundry, iron, sew a button and all of that prior to leaving home. All those chores you *had* to do throughout your life have been stepping stones to helping you become a capable, productive young adult.

Activity: College Trivia

According to the schools your child(ren) are interested in attending, prepare some trivia facts about them to see how much they really know about the places they want to go to school. Ideas for trivia topics are: what year was it established? how many students attend the school? what is their mascot? and so on.

It would be a great way to involve the entire family on this new experience as one family member transitions from home and off to college.

Treat:

Campfire Cake

(click on the link above to take you to the recipe)

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	2 pound cakes
	2 1/2 cups chocolate frosting
	1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white frosting
	12 to 15 glazed chocolate doughnut holes
	Confectioners’ sugar
	Red and orange decorators’ gel
	Red, orange, and yellow fruit leather
	Scissors

1. With a knife, shave the square edges off the cakes to give them a log shape. Next, mix 1/4 cup of chocolate frosting into 1 cup of white to make a light tan. Place one log on a platter (a dab of frosting on the bottom will help hold it in place). Frost it with the chocolate and tan frostings as shown. To create bark and tree rings, scrape the tines of a fork across the chocolate frosting, then scratch a spiral into each tan end.

2. Pour the doughnut holes into a bowl and sprinkle them with confectioners’ sugar. Arrange 10 doughnut-hole embers in a single layer next to the frosted log, sticking them in place with frosting.

3. For the branch stub, cut a 1-inch slice from one end of the second log and trim it into a 2-inch circle; set the piece aside. Frost the bottom of the log and set it in place as shown. Use frosting to stick the stub to the second log. Create bark and rings again.

4. For flames, take a piece of fruit leather and, with the backing still in place, lightly wet half (lengthwise) of the fruit side with water. Fold it in half lengthwise and press to seal. Cut out flame shapes with scissors as shown, then remove the backing.

5. Slice 2 doughnut holes in half. Put a dollop of the remaining white frosting onto the cut surface, then set a flame on top. Squeeze decorators’ gel over the decorated doughnut holes, then set them on the platter. Use any remaining doughnut holes to fill in the gaps between the logs. Decorate them with more flames and gel, if desired.

Recipe from: FamilyFun.com

Family Home Evenings

Family Activity Night

Family Activity Night Ideas~ Family Home Evening

Easter Traditions & Christ’s last week

General Conference Review Family Home Evening

Gratitude for Trees, Plants, Flowers

Time Capsule Series: Family Photos

Progressive Story Writing Activity

Love At Home

Basic Etiquette Rules for Every Family Member

Secret Server

How to Prepare for College: Tips and Ideas

RECIPE INGREDIENTS: