by Sheryl Berk
Easy! Ice breakers! These are games that are aimed at getting everyone to know one another better and stimulating discussions. For example, ask each mom-daughter duo to switch partners with another mom-daughter pair, then have them team up for a game of Never Have I Ever ___, But I Have ___. The key is to make the answers funny and surprising, like “Never have I ever ridden a camel . . . but I have ridden in a hot-air balloon!”
ONCE WE HAVE OUR CLUB . . . THEN WHAT?
Start planning your meetings and choosing your books to read together. On the following pages, you’ll find an itinerary we put together if you were reading this book, Ask Emma: Frenemies.
MEETING 1
Everyone in the club reads the first half of the book (approximately chapters 1–8) prior to the meeting. The host asks one of the girls in the group to summarize what happened and what she liked most. Get the discussion going by asking questions:
•What are your favorite scenes and why?
•Which character do you relate to the most?
•Emma writes a blog about giving advice because she’s so interested in helping others. What would you write a blog about? What kind of blog would you like to read?
•Who are better advice givers, moms or friends?
•Have you ever had a fight with your BFF? What was it about, and how did you solve it?
Now it’s activity time!
DIY FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS
A matching set for each mom and daughter—and you can make them for each other.
YOU’LL NEED:
•Several different colors of embroidery floss to choose from. Each bracelet needs approximately 30 inches each of six different colors, so plan accordingly.
•Tape measure
•Scissors
•Safety pins
Measure the circumference of your wrist, then multiply that number by 5. Let’s say your wrist is about 6 inches around; you would measure 30 inches of floss in each color. Six colors will make a bracelet that’s approximately ⅓” wide—which is perfect.
Take the 6 strands and tie them all together at one end. Leave about 2 inches of “tail” above the knot. Use a safety pin to secure the strands (place the pin through the knot) to a pillow or even the leg of your jeans. This will keep it firmly in place as you braid and knot.
Separate the strands out into the order you want your pattern to be. Grab the first two colors. The strand farthest to the left is going to create your first row. You’ll be knotting it around the other strands of floss to achieve this. Let’s say your first two strands are orange and red—in that order. Create a number “4” shape with the orange (strand 1) and the red (strand 2) threads. The orange thread will be bent in an L shape over the red thread. The red thread stays straight. Now pull the tail of the orange thread through the center of the “4” to create your first knot. Hold the red thread firmly while you pull on the orange thread. As you do this, a knot will move up to the top of the red thread. Make a second knot, using the same two threads, the orange one again on top.
Now knot the orange thread (strand 1) twice over each of the other colors until your first row is complete. Remember, a stitch is made of two knots. When you’ve knotted all of the strands, the orange one will be in the far-right position.
Start the process again with the far-left strand (the red one in our example). Repeat the double-knot technique for each strand to make the next row. Your red strand (and each one after it) will end up on the right when you’re done creating the row, and you’ll start with a new color of thread every time. Continue until the bracelet is long enough to wrap around your wrist. When it is, tie the second end of the bracelet into a knot. Leave a few inches of “tail” and trim off any excess thread left over.
Now, wrap the bracelet around your mom’s (or your daughter’s) wrist, and tie the two tails together to secure.
MENU FOR YOUR MEETING
A book club always needs some tasty snacks! Keep yours “themed” to the book; let the plot inspire you. For example, Emma promises Ms. Bates she will be “Switzerland” and stay impartial so she can prove herself a worthy representative at the National Student Congress. Her mom jokes that they should have some Swiss cheese if she’s Switzerland—and she grills up a sandwich for the two of them to split.
RECIPE: MINI GRILLED SWISS SAMMYS
INGREDIENTS
•2 long French baguettes, thinly sliced (one loaf will serve about 4 people)
•1 lb. Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
•4–6 tablespoons butter
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
•Chopped fresh tomatoes
•Sundried tomatoes
•Apple slices
•Grilled onions
•Turkey or ham slices
•Bacon crumbles
With the help of an adult, use a serrated knife to slice the baguettes crosswise into small, almost round pieces. On one slice, place your cheese and toppings; place a second slice on top and set aside until you’re ready to start cooking. Continue until all the bread is used up.
With an adult’s help, melt 2–3 tablespoons of butter in a large grill pan. Place your mini sandwiches in the pan, cooking 3–4 minutes on each side until they are toasty and golden brown. You will probably need to grill more than one batch, depending on the size of your slices and your pan.
Serve immediately. Yum!
MEETING 2
The club discusses the second half of the book—focusing on Emma and Jackson’s trip to DC and their debating at the Student Congress. Again, ask one club member to sum up the action and start the discussion off with a few questions:
•Which argument do you think was the strongest and which was the weakest? What point would you have made that they didn’t?
•Have you ever had a crush on someone? How did it make you feel?
•Jax would like to be president one day. Would you like to be president? Why or why not? And if you were president of the United States, what are some things you would do or change?
•Izzy is disappointed when she comes in second at the state gymnastic competition. How would you feel if you were in her shoes? Have you ever lost at something, and how did it make you feel?
SUGGESTED ACTIVITY: GET ON YOUR FEET!
Emma proves her point about the benefit of physical education in schools by having the audience do jumping jacks. Put on some fun party tunes and have club members participate in this mini-workout challenge. Set up stations (make sure to spread out so you have enough room or take it outside in the backyard) so kids and moms can rotate. Work in teams of moms and daughters, or pit the kids against the grown-ups!
STATION 1: JUMP ROPE
Working in pairs, have one person watch the other for one minute to see how many times she can jump and not miss. Once each person has had a turn, move to the next station.
STATION 2: HULA-HOOP
Set the timer again and challenge each other to keep the hoop on your hips for a minute.
STATION 3: WATER-BOTTLE BICEP CURLS
Take a seat on the edge of a chair or couch, and hold a filled water bottle in each hand (the host provides). Start by holding the bottles down next to the sides of your legs with arms completely straight and palms facing forward. Slowly bend your elbows and curl the bottles up to your shoulders. Hold for a count of three. Now lower the bottles and make sure to straighten your arms all the way until they are next to your legs where you started. Repeat 10 times and rotate so the other person has a turn.
STATION 4: CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN
You can do this one side by side: Start in a push-up position with your arms straight, then alternate bringing one foot at a time forward toward your armpit and then extend it back out. The faster you go, the faster you “climb.” Set the timer for a minute and see how many you can do.
STATION 5: FREEZE DANCE
Have a pair operate the music while you and your mom show off your best dance moves until the music stops. Freeze in place and try not to move a muscle. Have your
DJ duo judge your performances and pick a dancing queen. Then switch jobs and have them take the dance challenge.
MENU FOR YOUR MEETING: A DIY SMOOTHIE BAR
What could be more fun—and healthy? Lay out all your ingredients and let the club members take turns choosing their faves and blending them. You can use a traditional blender or a smaller version, e.g., a Magic Bullet, to whip up your smoothies (ask club members to bring a small blender if they have them).
SUGGESTED INGREDIENTS:
•Orange juice
•Apple juice
•Plain yogurt
•Vanilla yogurt
•Ripe bananas
•Blueberries
•Strawberries
•Raspberries
•Crushed ice