Synergy of the Mind project--examples

Wow!  Check out this amazing site!  Talk about capturing the vision of exposing our children to great ideas in a joyful, hands on way!

Khan Academy Discovery Lab

They have some great ideas for synergy of the mind projects!  Their enthusiasm is contagious and inspiring. I was especially thinking of our young men.  Think of what they would come up with when they had these great ideas thrown at them :).

Geo-Conquest "journeyman level" ideas

One mentor, Lisa, put together this outline of basic info per each continent:

Geo-Genius Map Requirements
**Please draw an outline of the continent and include the following for each:
Map Requirements:
Europe:
All countries (except smaller ones like Andorra, San Marino, etc.)
Capitals of each country (It is not necessary to include capitals for the small Balkan countries.)
Also, please include the following cities Belfast, Edinburgh, Zurich, Geneva, The Vatican, Florence, Sarajevo, St. Petersburg, and Venice.
The following rivers: The Seine, Rhine, Danube, Thames, Volga.
Other water ways: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea, Black See, North Sea, and Baltic Sea
Other Geographic features: Alps, Pyrenees, Urals, and Balkan Mountains
Asia:
All countries
Following cities: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Bagdad, Istanbul, Tehran, Islamabad, Karachi, Kabul, Calcutta (Kolkata), Bombay (Mumbai), Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing (Peking), Shanghai, Manila, Tokyo, Jakarta.
Following Geographical areas: Siberia, Manchuria, Arabian Desert, Sinai Peninsula, and Gobi Desert.
The following Rivers: Mekong River, Indus, Ganges, Tigris, Euphrates, Huang He (Yellow), and Yangtze.
Other Waterways: Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea.
Other Geographic features: Himalayas, Arctic Circle, and Mt Everest
Oceania:
Countries: Australia and New Zealand (For these countries include their capitals as well as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Auckland.)
Geographic areas: Micronesia, Polynesia, Melanesia
Waterways: Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Coral Sea
South America:
All countries and capitals
Following Geographical areas: Andes Mountains, Amazon rainforest
The following rivers and oceans: Amazon River, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

North America, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands
All the countries in North and Central America with their capitals
Caribbean Islands, the following countries and their capitals: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Haiti
Following Cities: Salt Lake City, Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, and Boston.
Following Geographical features: Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains
Following waterways: Great Salt Lake, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Panama Canal, Mississippi River, and the Bering Sea

Release forms

Here is a standard form we have used in the past that Marni updated for this year:

Release Form 2013-2014

Geography resources

Blank maps:
"As I'm trying to memorize the countries in Europe because I am going to to beat all of you in our blank map game ;-D  I found some good blank maps that you can print in order to quiz yourself.  The first one has the oceans and lakes filled in so it's nice for memorizing the countries without all of the extra blank spaces that get confusing:

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/eur_countrynl.pdf 

This next one only has the outlines so the water isn't darker than the rest of the map.  This one might help you quiz yourself on the lakes and seas as well as the countries:

http://www.freeworldmaps.net/printable/europe/europe_outline.pdf 

Remember, you can also fill in rivers, mountain ranges and other features that interest you."

Inspiring clips

Derek Redmond Barcelona '92 Olympics "You Raise Me Up"

Newsletter samples

April 2012

Medieval feast

The two groups that were operating last year did this as a combined event and the feedback I got was that it was fantastic! Thanks, Genevieve and youth volunteers!

They came dressed up, had a dance with it as part of the entertainment, and had this document to help them both come dressed up and create their own family shield. (https://docs.google.com/file/d/16BqrljyLoHH8X71I4GmjYPzURDZKeJPUPLg1qqBjWDptZzlEwjYVl7xt9S-t/edit?usp=sharing)

"Thank you for signing up for food.  We filled every assignment!  Just remember, we decided to provide spoons and napkins, but medieval feast goers would have brought their own knives!  Also, we will have plates (sorry feast-planners, I have caved on this one...) 

Also, any more entertainers?  Please sign up below:

FOOD: According to my count we have 91 people attending (that's 15 families).  We have 30 spots below to fill so if we each sign up for at least 2 food assignments we should be alright.
Beef or potato stew (any kind that you want!  Just bring it in a crock pot, if you have one, so we can keep it warm.)
Apples (10 each)
Cheese (large block, each cut up into about 80 little cubes)
Wassail (about 1 gallon, delivered in a crock pot) (check recipe below)
Raisin Custard Tarts or other Dessert (18 each, check recipe below)

"Trenchers" = homemade whole wheat bread (5 large loaves each, each loaf cut into 8 big slices.)
Recipes
Wassail: (There are two recipes to choose from...) 1 gallon apple cider 27 whole cloves
8 cinnamon sticks 1 quart pineapple juice 1 can (6 ounce) frozen  orange juice concentrate Mix all ingredients in a large crock pot and simmer. Serve hot.
OR...... ½ gallon cranberry juice cocktail ½ gallon water
18 oz thawed lemonade 1 cup sugar
a spice packet - (4 cinnamon sticks, 1 TBSP whole cloves in a cheesecloth bag)

Book of Mormon scriptures to memorize

Marni: Just heard about this website, bookofmormondiscovery.com.  Looking around they have a set of 24 scriptures "every kid should know."  Looking through them, there are some really good ones I wouldn't have thought to have mine memorize.  Thought I would pass it on in case any fit in for next year's Vanguard, or for your family.

http://www.bookofmormondiscovery.com/pdf/24%20Scriptures%20Every%20Kid%20Should%20Know.pdf

Fellowship of the Unashamed

 We memorized this one year...it was awesome!

"Fellowship of the Unashamed" with memorizing help

Periodic Table

Videos about each element

From Suzanne:
"I have a thing for periodic tables!  That doesn't mean I know them very well, I just really like them. :)

Here's a cool one.  If you mouse over an element, it'll show you a bigger pic, give you a description, and tell you some facts.

http://periodictable.com/

Check out Mendelevium and Americium.  Fun stuff!"

Mystery of the Periodic Table [Kindle Edition]

Benjamin Wiker (Author), Jeanne Bendick (Illustrator)

Leads the reader on a delightful and absorbing journey through the ages, on the trail of the elements of the Periodic Table as we know them today. He introduces the young reader to people like Von Helmont, Boyle, Stahl, Priestly, Cavendish, Lavoisier, and many others, all incredibly diverse in personality and approach, who have laid the groundwork for a search that is still unfolding to this day. The first part of Wiker's witty and solidly instructive presentation is most suitable to middle school age, while the later chapters are designed for ages 12-13 and up, with a final chapter somewhat more advanced.

Constitution at a glance

Constitution at a glance

Bridge challenge

Supplies

2 pieces of paper

4 paper clips

4 safety pins

4 popsicle sticks

6 bendable straws

appx. 22 in. of masking tape

50-100 pennies

 

The way they did it was that the bridge had to be at least 22 in. long to qualify.  They used math cubes as the support beams on each end to measure every bridge (to make sure it was long enough).  Only the edges of the bridge could touch the support beams, and no part of the bridge could touch the table. 

Life and the Pursuit of Happiness

What does it take to have life?  It is one of the basic "rights" our founding fathers claimed everyone should possess.

What did they mean by "the pursuit of happiness"?  What truths can we learn--from history, from others, from our own lives--about what makes a meaningful life?  How can we effectively "pursue happiness"?

The following are some quotes and resources that you can use to explore this concept on your own, teach to others, or add to as you come across other things.  They are in no particular order of importance to me.  I included them here, rather than on the resource blog, for clarification of this concept.

"When we accept duties willingly and faithfully, we find happiness.  Those who make happiness the chief objective of life are bound to fail, for happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself.  Happiness comes form doing one's duty and knowing that his life is in harmony wiith God an His commandments..."  (Joseph B. Wirthlin)

Books:
"Charlie's Monument"
"Carry On, Mr. Bowditch"
"The Secret Garden"
"The Door in the Wall"

Movies:
"The Ultimate Gift"

Scriptures and poems may be found on the "Poem" list post.

Children's books (one of my favorite teaching mediums):
"The Sugar Child" by Monique De.Varennes- an incredible book about a girl made of sugar (kind of like the idea of the gingerbread man) and her parents, knowing that any kind of bad weather or crying will make her sugar melt, protects her from the weather and from grief.  However, it turns out that it is by crying for the sickness of a friend, that the girl find out that her tears do indeed melt the sugar away and transform her into a real girl.  A powerful parable about how a meaningful life and one full of happiness is not found in protecting us from sorrow or pain, but from experiencing the good and the sad... "A time to weep, a time to mourn..." Eccles. 3:1-8 

Article by Marlin K Jensen: http://www.lds.org/new-era/1999/08/how-to-be-happy?lang=eng

Motherhood as a mission

This is an important article to review as we challenge our youth to find their missions (thanks, Marni, for the link!):

What’s My Mission?

One of the great problems I see among the youth (and that I personally experienced) is the phenomena I will call split personality. Growing up I was repeatedly asked, "What did I want to be when I grow up?" I learned by first or second grade that any answer was acceptable except for one, I should not say, "mother." I learned how to answer other questions asked like, "How was the world created?" I also learned I was supposed to give the answer, "mother" at church and home. Thus I had a set of answers for school and a completely different set of answers to the same questions at home and church. This may eventually lead us to become a totally different person in each situation. I see this "split personality"manifested among the youth at a whole new level than even I experienced. Satan is ramping up his game well!

I have talked regularly to my children about being the same person no matter where they are. However, within the Leadership Education circles I am starting to see the split personality creeping in among the "leaders." Recently I listened to several seminars and read a book that all are promoting this. In the TJEd world it is called, "Finding Your Mission." Youth are encouraged to seek out finding what their "mission" is. Often it is not expected to be discovered until the youth are a little older, but an ongoing fascination exists in that it is all the talk while the youth are in scholar phase. One seminar I listed to said, "Nothing will be more satisfying in your life than figuring out what your mission is and then having the courage to fulfill it."

You may be wondering why I see a problem in this. It is simple. We have already had our missions revealed to us. We are to be mothers and fathers. Of course I know in the TJEd world that they encourage motherhood. I appreciate that, it is certainly different than public education, BUT, motherhood is still considered a side note. In the book I recently read the woman (who is a high profiled TJEd leader) cried to her husband that wasn't she created for something more that to change poopy diapers and clean up vomit? When was she going to be able to embrace her mission? Her husband lovingly told her, that he was sure it would be soon.

I fear these statements convey to our youth that there is something more to life than parenthood. It would seem that being a mother is just one of the things you do in this life. Somehow, you must be defined by something else though. This would be a potentially lifelong dedication to a "mission." I believe this is misleading. Consider this:

• Heavenly Father chooses to be called Father.
• His work and His Glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. This means ongoing parenting.
• Keeping our First Estate enabled us to have bodies and procreate.
• Godhood is Eternal Parenthood.
• If we qualify for Exaltation we will be granted the ability to have a "continuation of seed."
• Those not qualifying for Exaltation will be impotent, even those obtaining the lower two degrees of the Celestial Kingdom will be denied the right of continuation of seed.

Simply put eternal lives is about parenting forever. Why not embrace mortality and strive in every way to submit to this high and noble calling? A calling so noble that that is what our Heavenly Father does. When we choose to place lesser value on this holy calling we will lose power in our lives.

The noise of this world is LOUD. It is hard to hear the voice of the Father calling us to this high calling. Satan, the father of lies, is louder than God, telling us we were made for something more or better. It takes great faith to turn off the tantalizing noise of the world and tune into the sweet, still small voice of the Spirit. I have come to personally know for myself that great blessings come from turning off the noise. I am hearkening to the voice of the Lord and I am just beginning to have a glimpse of His wonderful and majestic plan. It is more holy and more awe inspiring than anything that Satan can counterfeit.

Perhaps along the way many of us will do great things. I suspect we will. We are the last laborers in the vineyard. We were saved and reserved because we were the best of the best. I simply say that in all our doing we must make sure that being mother remains our priority AND we teach this to our children.

There are times when we will literally parent 24/7. Then there will come a time that we will have more "time" on our hands. Perhaps at this stage we may ask, "How can I help build the kingdom?" "How can I further work on my parenting skills, which really comes down to bringing souls to Christ?" I would suggest that Relief Society and focusing on the Three Fold Mission of the Church would provide untold service opportunities.

As I have extra time I have sought out my faithful Relief Society Presidents through the years and asked for extra assignments. It is through the Relief Society (which is under the Priesthood) that my surplus of time and talents are dedicated. Through the years I have been given many extra opportunities to serve in this way.  I have learned that "there are chances for good all around." My talents are used to build the kingdom, but it hasn't come in the way I have often wanted. It has come as I have worked under the direction of my husband and within the ward.  There is more than enough to do in my family and ward to fill my time and build the kingdom. I am simply saying I don't need to go "find a mission," I simply need to live my mission already given to me. "There is work enough to do ere the sun goes down," and Zion needs to be built. We further that cause by submitting to our role of mother/nurturer. We further the work of the Father by striving to be mothers who also partake in the Father's work to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

So in a nutshell perhaps we could change the message to our youth to be, "Nothing with be more satisfying in your life than realizing that your mission is to be a mom/dad and then having the courage to reject Babylon's message that there is something more important than fulfilling your family roles."

Get-to-know-you games and forms

Games:


Forms for "spotlights":

Marni's "Vanguard Youth Getting to Know You" form