Money Smarts

Michelle Keenan (who works in the financial industry) shared her knowledge with us tonight and taught us how to be "money smart". She covered needs vs. wants, goals, setting budgets, the difference between credit card, debit cards, and cash, and how to write a check.

Ansley must be dreaming about her goal of having Taylor Swift's shoes one day. (Just kidding- she proudly informed us that she has no interest in shoes, and I glanced under the table and found she was indeed shoe-less. Ha ha!)

Michelle gets bonus points for working engaging math problems into the activity!

Harry Potter's Pedigree Chart

We had a nice activity discussing Family History that included a discussion of Harry Potter's and Charlie Bucket's pedigree charts. The girls had many interesting things to share from their family histories. Don't worry- what gets shared at AD, stays at AD. :)

They were able to make their own family trees and laminate them. We had several girls remarking on family names being used for their own and siblings' names.

Harry Potter's Family Tree [SPOILERS!!!]

Christmas Party!

Corey hosted a Christmas Party. The girls made a craft (a lovely glittery sign), and then we got serious with treats and games (Name that Christmas Carol, Apples to Apples, Telestrations, Santa Do you Love me?, pass the belgian chocolate with spoons, and a basement dance party).

Name that Christmas Carol (photo by Lori B.)

Pass the Belgian chocolate with spoons (photo by Danielle J.)

Art in Nature and Nature in Art

We visited the Peabody Essex Museum with the emphasis of exploring the relationship between art and nature.

The Strandbeesten are here! It was amazing to see these large kinetic beach sculptures in action.

Stickworks- a commissioned outdoor exhibit made entirely of tree saplings

Each girl wanted a turn standing in the rainbow made from a beam of sunlight hitting the upper walkway glass just right

Scale! One of the exhibits we visited

Inside Stickworks

The "beach" at the bottom of the photograph was made with millions of toothpicks

Nature and art in fashion. We have some budding models. Or mannequins.

Food Drive Road Trip

Our Food Drive was a smashing success. We collected over 20 bags of food from ward members. And we had so much fun "road tripping" together with music, games, and snacks. The food we collected will be donated to the Arlington Food Pantry to help those residents of Arlington who are in need of food assistance.

A Circle of Gratitude

“This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” -Psalms 118:23, 24

Corey led us in a lovely lesson and craft on Gratitude and Sisterhood and then we collected leaves for our wreaths and enjoyed the impossibly warm November day. We came back in, assembled the leafy wreaths, and then said a fond farewell to Bryn on this her 12th birthday, punctuated with cupcakes.

Attendance: Bryn, Olivia, Megan, Claire, Ellie, Ansley, and Alice

We've been Chestertoned

Thanks to the generosity of Brother Chesterton, the girls enjoyed an afternoon on the town.

We ate lunch at Henrietta's Table where they started by sampling Crab Corn Chowder, Cod Cakes with tartar relish, fresh veggies, arugula, and fancy breads. We were so impressed by their manners and their willingness to try new things. The entrees ranged from Yankee pot roast (the runaway favorite) to macaroni and cheese to ham and cheese sandwiches to Corey's glorious chicken pot pie. We polished off the meal with desserts- many chocolate bread puddings and apple strudels were served. Cailee, Claire, and Olivia broke the mold with sorbet, oatmeal cake, and pumpkin cheesecake (respectively).

We marched over to the florist shop where the girls were enveloped in the smells and sights of tropical and local flowers, each bringing home a lovely bouquet. Bro. Chesterton made sure that they each got a red rose to give to their parents to tell them that they loved them.

With their hands full of flowers and to-go bags, we stumbled toward Burdick's chocolate shop where they were gifted with pastries, hot chocolate, and other chocolate confections. We left Harvard Square quite late in the day (sorry!!!), and returned to our homes happy and not very hungry for dinner.

 Attendance: Brinley, Bryn, Aubrey, Olivia, Brooklyn, Claire, Mackenzie, Ansley, and Cailee