Sunday School- November: Spiritual and Temporal Self-Reliance - How can I prepare to be financially self-reliant?

How can I prepare to be financially self-reliant?

The Lord has blessed us with resources, and He expects us to be wise stewards over these resources. He wants us to be financially self-reliant so that we can provide for ourselves and serve others. To do this, we should pay tithes and offerings, avoid unnecessary debt, use a budget, and live within our means.

 Ask the youth to explain how certain tools can be both helpful and harmful, depending on how they are used (such as a mousetrap, hammer, or book of matches; you may want to bring one of these items as a visual aid, I am going to have several). Show the youth some money and ask them to explain the positive and negative uses of money. How can it be used to bless others and further the Lord’s work?

For the next part of the lesson I want to do some hands on learning about banking.  I found this website which has these awesome worksheets.  They come with answer keys too!  I will be teaching this lesson on Fast Sunday, so I will not be bringing treats, however, because I know we will not have time to finish all 3 activity sheets, I will offer the kids a reward during the week if they will complete them and bring them to me.  This is what I will bribe them with...

Caramel Apples

Yes, I think I will get a few of them to bring me the completed activity sheets. :)

PracticalMoneySkills Activity Sheets
Here are some screen shots of the first activity:

 And the answer keys:

 
Click on the link and check these out!  They are awesome!  My class has 14, 15, and 16 year olds.  This is a perfect age to teach these skills.  Three of my teenage daughters are in this class.  All three started working at a local ice cream store at the age of 14 and all three have their own bank accounts.  They need to learn these skills.  They know a little, so this will be a good reminder for them as well as a test to see if they remember what I have tried to teach them at home as "mom", not Sunday School teacher.
The first one is: Keeping a Running Balance.  I am going to hand out the activity sheets to the kids and ask them to try and do them.  I have a feeling that they will be a little overwhelmed at first, but I want to see how far they can get on their own.  At whatever point that is, I will help walk them through it.  When they have all completed the paper, we will go over it and correct it.  Then, depending on time, we may go on to the second set of activity sheets which are: Reading a Bank Statement. The third set is: Reconciling an Account.  (I am skipping the paper that says, "Create a Check Register")  I don't want to spend the whole class time on this activity because I want to bring it back to the great talks and quotes from our leaders on this subject.


Next I am going to give each class member a copy of the pamphlet, "All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances."  (Most bishops have a drawer full of these pamphlets, or you can get them from the distribution center online for free, or you can print them from the highlighted link in the next paragraph.)
Ask the youth what they think the First Presidency would say about managing our finances. Write their ideas on the board. Give each class member a copy of the pamphlet All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances. Read together the message from the First Presidency. What counsel does the First Presidency give regarding finances? What blessings do they promise?

We are going to play a game with this pamphlet.  I am going to ask a fill in the blank question.  The first person/team to find the answer within the pamphlet will receive a point.  At the end of the game the person/team with the most points will win a prize!  (Actually, I am a big softie and some kids read faster than others so everyone will get a prize but I can't tell them that up front!  ;) )  The prize will be a tithing envelope.  Haha!  Inside the envelope will be a "ticket" for a pizza party at my house. (Homemade pizza, of course!) They each have to earn 3 tickets in order to schedule the party.  Today they will earn 1 of the 3.  I will have activities for the next 2 times I teach to earn more tickets so we should be able to have the party in early December.

All Is Safely Gathered In Game:
1."Involve them in creating a ___________ and ________________________."
(budget, setting family financial goals )  TEACH FAMILY MEMBERS

2. "Successful family finances begin with _____________________________
______________." (the payment of an honest tithe and a generous fast offering)
PAY TITHES AND OFFERINGS

3."_______________________________ is essential to your financial security."
(Spending less than you make) AVOID DEBT

4. "__________ build a ___________ and ____________________________."
(Gradually, reserve, use it for emergencies only) BUILD A RESERVE

5. "Discipline yourself ______________________." (to live within your means)
USE A BUDGET

6. "________________ of your expenditures. (Keep a record) USE A BUDGET

7. "Save money __________________________." (to purchase what you need)
AVOID DEBT

Finally, I want to end with the following questions from the lesson outline:
Ask the youth to share what they learned today. Do they understand the importance of financial self-reliance well enough to explain it to others? Do they have any additional questions? Would it be worthwhile to spend more time on this topic?

Chicken Tortilla Soup

When I make this soup I double the recipe so that there will be leftovers.  I think it is even better the next day and it freezes really well too!  I usually leave enough in the refrigerator for me to have for lunch and the rest gets bagged into a couple of quart sized freezer bags for a quick dinner or lunch.  Just thaw it out, heat it up, fry a few tortilla strips and it's ready to go!  I found the recipe a few years ago, here and changed it just slightly.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion

3 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped

2 corn tortillas, sliced into 2 inch strips

2 - 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes

8 cups chicken stock

14 ounces of canned or frozen corn

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

3/4 Tbsp. chili powder

4 bay leaves

4 chicken breasts, grilled and shredded (or raw, see directions for cooking below)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lime 

PLUS

10-15 corn tortillas and canola oil to fry them into strips for garnish

          In a large stockpot add the olive oil and onions and cook over medium high until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.  Next add the 2 sliced corn tortillas and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2 minutes.  Add the cilantro and cook for 1 minute more.  Next add the canned tomatoes with their juice, chicken stock, cumin, chili powder and bay leaves and bring to a boil.  Reduce the  heat to a simmer and add the corn, shredded chicken, cayenne pepper and lime juice and simmer for about 10 minutes.  (You can use raw chicken, add it to the pot at this point and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender, remove from pot and shred when cool to add back in.) 

Apparently this was the last step I took pictures of...oops!  I'll try to remember to take a picture of the last step the next time... until then I have confidence that you can add the corn, chicken and lime juice without seeing photographic evidence of how!  :)

October: Becoming More Like the Savior - Comparing Gospel Truths with Familiar Objects (parables). Youth Sunday School

How did the Savior compare gospel truths to familiar objects and experiences?

Jesus Christ is the Master Teacher. He shared simple stories, parables, and real-life examples that helped those He taught understand gospel principles. We can use stories to teach like the Savior as we relate our personal experiences and relate gospel principles to the world around us.

I have decided to begin the lesson by showing the following video from lds.org: (It isn't one of the recommended videos from the outline, but it is a really good one!) We will discuss it after watching it. Here is a link to the video:
video: Parable of the Unmerciful Servant  6 minutes, 6 seconds

After the video I have a list of all of the parables the Savior taught and their scripture references printed for the youth to tape into the topical guide of their scriptures, under "parables", if they want to.  I am encouraging the kids to bring their paper scriptures to church and use them instead of their electronic versions.  I know, I'm a dreamer!  Haha!  Actually, I have full confidence that they will begin bringing their paper scriptures... Why?  Because these kids were all in YM/YW when I was also in a few years ago and they love my cooking as much as anyone else does. Yep! I am willing to bake for cooperation on this.  :) I win!! 
I printed the list from here:
http://www.rockpaperscriptures.com/parables-of-jesus/

The next part of the lesson is from the lesson outline.

"Ask each youth to think of one of his or her favorite parables and find it in the scriptures. If they need suggestions, consider sharing one of the parables suggested in this outline. Invite the youth to retell their chosen parables to the class and share why it is meaningful to them."

I am going to start by showing the kids a parable that I studied this summer.  It was the Parable of the Unjust Judge also known as the Parable of the Importunate Woman.  I did an in-depth study for my own personal questioning and I used a method that I enjoy and helps me as a visual learner.  I will explain the parable and the learning I gained from it.

After my sharing, I will have the kids pick a parable from the list I have given them to tape into their scriptures to read about and explain to the class.  They can do it individually, as a pair, or even in groups.

We will then discuss how parables work.  Relating everyday items and their uses to religious principles for teaching purposes.  Next I have a bag full of everyday items that I gathered from around my home.  Each of them will choose an item and write a parable to go with it.  I have typed up a simple paper for them to use.  I find that even a simple outline really helps!  Handing the youth, or even me, a plain, blank sheet of paper with the instructions to write about something can feel overwhelming!  A few words and lines on the paper can help get them started.
 This part of the lesson comes from the outline.
"Bring to class several everyday objects, such as soap, coins, keys, rocks, or food. Invite the youth to select an object and teach a gospel principle using that object."

  

After they have chosen an object, I will share with them my object and parable. I am going back into my archives and bringing out the Parable of the Chocolate Chip.

"In 1930, Ruth Wakefield and her husband owned an inn outside of Wakefield, Massachusetts.  Built in 1709, the old house was used as a rest stop for travelers to change their horses, pay their tolls, and get something to eat, earning it the name, "The Toll House Inn."  The Wakefields kept the tradition of providing travelers with rest and good food through the Great Depression.
     Ruth Wakefield was well known for her baking, and often made Butter Drop Do Cookies. Her recipe required baker's chocolate, which melted completely, producing a chocolate cookie.  One day in 1937, as she began making the cookies, she realized that she was out of baker's chocolate, but happened to have a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar on hand.  She chopped it into chunks and put it into the batter, expecting it to melt and disappear into the cookie, producing the familiar chocolate cookie for which she had grown famous.
  To her surprise, the chocolate chunks did not disappear, but held their individual shape, producing a creamy texture and a fabulous new taste for the entire cookie.
     These new cookies became incredibly popular.  Nestle bought the rights to the recipe and in 1939 introduced the Nestle Toll House Real Semi Sweet Chocolate Morsels.  The traditional "Chocolate Chip Cookie" was born!
     The most popular cookie of all time came about all because a bit of chocolate held its ground and didn't melt when the heat was on.
     You, too, can be the chocolate chip.  Satan knows your potential.  He is constantly trying to mix you into the world and get you to lose your individual worth.  Satan knows how to turn up the heat.  He thinks that if he does his job well you will melt under the pressure, get lost in the crowd, and lose your understanding of who you really are: a child of God.
     He will try to make you think that you can only feel good about yourself if you become part of the world and do what "everyone else" is doing.  But you can be like the wonderful chocolate chip.  Christ talks about you in the Doctrine and Covenants 132:16 "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."
  You can be the chocolate chip.  You can choose to be "in the cookie, but not of the cookie."  Just as the chocolate chip made the cookie better by retaining its true nature, you can make the world better by retaining your true nature as a follower of Christ.  You don't have to be something or someone else.  You don't have to melt into the crowd; you can be the chocolate chip!  You will get noticed for being different.  You will stand out.  That is what makes all the difference, and is what makes a chocolate chip cookie so great.  What good would it be without the chocolate chips?
Be you.  Be different.  Be better.   Be the chocolate chip!

Of course, I will bring some of my amazingly popular homemade chocolate chip cookies for them to eat!  They can eat their cookies while they think about and write their own parables.  Then we'll have them share with the class what they have written.  

I will update this post with their parables after the lesson.  I am excited to see what they come up with!  Today's youth are so smart!  These lessons are perfect for them. I can hardly wait for next Sunday.  :)