Friday Flashback - Recreation and the World of Nature

"Yea, all things which come of the earth... are made for the benefit and use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;... to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul." (D&C 59:18-19)

Here's our next installment in the areas of focus from the 1977 Personal Progress manual (with the Swiss Miss maid with the gorgeous periwinkle eyes). In this one,

"An ideal Latter-day Saint young woman rejoices in being young and alive in a world filled with wonder and beauty. She seeks recreation that lifts her spirit and gives vigor to her body. She appreciates and helps preserve the beauties of nature that surround her."

Goal categories:

Enjoying Physical Fitness: Read & observe the principles of the Word of Wisdom, eat well balanced meals and avoid overeating, skipping meals and snacking [Jeans here - these days, healthy snacks are a major part of good nutrition, do you think this really meant snacking was bad, or just that unhealthy snacks were bad?], set up a daily physical exercise program, get the proper amount of rest, attend a "program or clinic" to learn additional physical fitness skills, organize a "content between friends" on who can "walk, jog, swim or bicycle" farthest in a given time [Why not call this a "race"?], participate in a class bike hike with healthful snacks during the stops, plan & participate in a night of activities like folk or square dancing, rhythmic gymnastics [Yes, it says that], or relays.

Participating in Outdoor Home Experiences: Plant & care for a vegetable garden, plant trees, shrubs, grass or flowers and care for them and share the experience with others, plant window boxes or porch gardens or in-home containers, weed your own garden or that of a neighbor or someone who needs help, plant a window box or container garden for someone else.

Enjoying Recreational Activities: Choose some activity (a sport, or a "quiet activity like chess") and make it part of your regular schedule, plan and participate in a family recreational activity, invite friends to your home for a "moon-watching party, a flower garden funfest, or a bird watcher's breakfast."

Enjoying Animals: care for and train an animal, participate in preparing animals for a fair or show, plan an afternoon of bird watching, maintain an "attractive aquarium."

Enjoying Sports: practice good sportsmanship & develop good friendships through teamwork, conduct & manage a class sports event, learn to referee, try a new sport (a long list follows, from archery to bowling to squash to orienteering), organize a sports appreciation night with a "specialist" to explain "rules and strategies" of a sport, organize a sports clinic for young women and their mothers, become a knowledgeable sports spectator and learn to appreciate the accomplishments of others.

Learning More About Nature: study astronomy and read the creation accounts in scriptures, take a child on a neighborhood nature walk, learn about conservation & be a good example, pitch a tent with your class & learn "preassigned camping skills," achieve an extra level of campcrafter certification, be an instructor/specialist at a camp clinic, learn outdoor firebuilding and cooking methods, learn about outdoor first aid, sanitation, clothing & care of camp equipment, learn about local edible plants, plan a family campout that involves everyone, study plants/trees/insects/water/birds/fish or rocks, go on an overnight backpacking hike with friends or family members, plan a campfire supper with a testimony mtg or a sunrise testimony meeting + breakfast.

Develop Life Preservation Skills: learn to tell directions outdoors without a compass, plan and take a hike using a map/compass/trail markings, learn how to find food & water in nature, learn how to use items in nature for shelter or protection, learn and demonstrate rescue signals and how to maintain a proper mental attitude in a crisis.

Appreciating God's Creations: Closely observe a bird nest, spider web, ant hill, beehive honeycomb, or beaver dam and learn to appreciate its beauty, become aware of God's creations with all your senses e.g. feel a stone from a stream, smell the inside of a cave, watch a bird soar, watch sea foam against a rock, study snow crystals; Visit a wildlife refuge or zoo and study the animals' grace and beauty, visit a botanical garden or national forest to feel nature's quiet beauty, watch the sunrise or sunset for an entire week.

Jeans here: Some observations. I notice how many of these headings are about the sheer enjoyment of nature and physical recreation. Also I notice a phrase that I've seen in all of these areas of focus, "plan and participate." It's not enough just to plan, the activity has to be cool/fun enough that you yourself want to take part! Also the "survival skills" piece strikes me as particularly useful or interesting for some reason - it's not just Boy Scouts that we want to be able to have a clue and a cool head if they get lost or stranded in the wilderness.