On Being Provident and Teaching our Children

To be provident means to plan with the future in mind.

It is not just about food storage. Living these principles prepares us to be of better service to our Father in Heaven. If the choices we make today relieve stress tomorrow or in the future, then we are much more capable of reaching out and serving those around us. 

Learning skills and getting good at doing things builds confidence which also makes us more able to serve. These principles are so important for us as adults to learn, but also for us to teach to our children. Here is a list to get you thinking about what you could do with your children to teach them some of these priniciples.

Think: Basic Skills

Perfect for Activity Days and Cub Scouts  or Young Men and Young Women

But also great for summer fun or FHE at your own home with kids or grandkids!

1. Bread making or pizza dough from scratch.

2. Make pancakes, cupcakes, cookies, or no-bake items from scratch, instead of a mix.

3. Make lasagna, manicotti, or baked ziti. Make a couple of extra batches to share with new moms in your ward that they can freeze and use when needed. Choose a different freezer meal, if desired

4.  Have a baking talent show complete with judges. Youth bring items they have baked as entries.

5. Create a recipe collection of simple, easy to make recipes that youth can take with them on missions or to college. These recipes should be from scratch using basic ingredients available in all countries. This could be something done over a few months. Each month, one or two youth could teach how to make a certain item and the class could include it in their books. These need to be main dish items, not just desserts.

6. Teach basic laundry techniques. Create a game out of seeing how quickly they can sort the clothes into loads. Teach how to do laundry at a laundry mat or in a bin full of water knowing that many will serve missions where washing machines are not available.

7. Basic sewing skills can be taught. How to sew on a button, repair a seam, hem some pants, etc. This could be done in stations at an MTC night. Include some basic cooking, cleaning, ironing, and laundry stations in the rotation.

8. Sew quilt squares together to make a humanitarian quilt or tie a quilt already put together.

9. Sew aprons out of dishtowels or scripture totes out of placemats.

10. Sew simple skirts with elastic waistbands or PJ shorts.

11. Learn basic car, bike, or home repairs.

12. Create a sample budget for meals for 1 week for 1 person. See if you can come up with nutritious meals for $30 or less. This is a good limit to set  when serving a mission or in college. It is possible!

13. Have a financial discussion showing what happens when you take out a loan or use a credit card. Perhaps invite a special speaker. Discuss creative ways to get through college without any debt and why that would be such a blessing.

14. Have a career night. Talk about what a minimum wage job will allow you to have in life. Talk about what the minimum salary is to be able to pay tithing and have a basic home, proper insurances, a reliable car, buy groceries, etc. Then invite members of your ward to talk about what they do and what the expected salaries are in their fields.

15. Build basic 72-hour kits for youth to take with them to college.

16. Put together backpacking food for high adventure. Young men can help dehydrate snacks or price check pre-made meals compared to inexpensive alternatives from the regular grocery store.

17. Repair or clean camping supplies after the big event, including seasoning the Dutch ovens.

18. Have the youth plan meals and rotate through cooking and cleaning assignments at camp. Some of them can be paired with leaders to help purchase items and stay within the budget.

Remember that it takes a little more time and planning to teach the youth these skills instead of just doing it for them, but they will be better off their whole life through because of the lessons learned!