Popcorn Making & Media Viewing {Activity Day}

At our last Activity Day Girl get together we made lots of yummy popcorn.  But first we talked about appropriate  media viewing because our favorite place to eat popcorn is the movie theater or watching a movie at home!

I started off by asking the girls if their family had media viewing guidelines.  I didn’t ask them what they were but I wanted to make sure they all knew where their parents stood on appropriate media.  I talked about how family’s guidelines may be different but it was important to know what their family guidelines were and to follow them.

We then discussed some strategies we could use when we were put in a situation where media was being viewed that did not go along with our family guidelines such as at a friend’s house, a party etc.  I assured them that if this hadn’t happened to them yet it WOULD!

I started out by telling them that they all had a tool they could use to help them in knowing if something was appropriate or if it wasn’t.  I shared with them this quote by Elder David Bednar:

“The standard is clear.  If something we think, see, hear or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing or doing that thing.  If that which is intended to entertain, for example, alienates us from the Holy Spirit, then certainly that type of entertainment is not for us.  Because the Spirit cannot abide that which is vulgar, crude or immodest, then clearly such things are not for us….”

I encouraged the girls to always  listen for the Spirit so that they would know when something was inappropriate and should be avoided.

I then shared with them some personal experiences I had had.  One was several years ago at the holidays.  We have a family tradition of going to see a movie during the holiday break when all our kids are home from school.  This particular time we went to see a movie which was very popular at the time, getting rave reviews in the news and with others and was rated PG-13.  We paid a lot of money to go to the movie,  there were 7 of us as Logan had a girlfriend visiting.  The movie theater was packed. Within the first five minutes of the movie we all began to feel uncomfortable.  The Spirit was letting us know that we shouldn’t be there.  So in front of a packed movie theater, the seven of us got up and left.

I then shared a note with them that I had recently found when cleaning out my daughter’s room (she is now graduated from college and a teacher).  Even though my daughter had never given me this note, it was addressed to me, so I felt I could read it!  In this note she shared with me that she had gone with some friends over to another friend’s house to “hang out.”  They began watching a movie and my daughter said she felt uncomfortable watching it.  She told her friends she was tired and went into the other room and fell asleep on the couch.  She also mentioned that next time she would encourage her friends more to choose another movie.

I shared with my Activity Day girls that they should never be afraid or embarrassed to stand up for their standards and sometimes removing yourself from the situation is the best option.  Call your mom!  She will be happy to come pick you up.

We then made popcorn!  I shared with the girls three different ways to make popcorn.  They were all familiar with microwave popcorn of course but we also made some in the air popper and the old fashioned way -on the stove top!

We used three different recipes.

We made this yummy Cookies & Cream White Chocolate Popcorn that I found here.  We popped the popcorn in the airpopper and then covered the popcorn in white chocolate and then sprinkled it with crushed Oreo cookies!

We spread it out onto wax paper to let it dry.

The second batch was Kettle Corn which we did on the stove top.  

And the third one was the recipe I shared yesterday – our family’s favorite Caramel Corn!!  We popped the popcorn in the airpopper and then did the rest in the microwave.  The girls thought the method was awesome and couldn’t believe the whole thing was done in the microwave!!

I then showed them how to drizzle it with melted white chocolate using a fork.

They couldn’t wait for it to set up to start eating it!  When I asked the girls which of the three was their favorite, this was their response!  It was unanimous.

The Caramel Corn was the clear winner!!!  We then enjoyed the popcorn for our snack.

They then filled up some cute popcorn bags I had left over from the Wedding Carnival so they could take some home.  I did hear from one mother that the popcorn was taken directly to their room and hidden so they wouldn’t have to share!