CA Rainbow Girls

The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls in California

Menu

3 Steps to Balancing Family, Friends, and School

By

By: Elise S.

Being a teenager can be challenging, especially when it comes to balancing your life. Finding a proper balance between school, friends, and family takes practice and time while adding extracurricular activities, personal well-being, and possibly a part-time job can seem monumental. Here are a few things you can do to help you not only survive, but thrive as you attempt to balance your life as a teen:

1. Prioritize. One of the first things to do is to set your priorities. This not only gets you started on the right path, but once you have a solid sense of your priorities, making decisions about how you spend your time will be easier, and everything will fall into place.

Make a list of the commitments in your life and group them into categories. For example: work, school (classes, SAT Prep), extracurricular (sports, IORG, student council), family, faith (youth group, church, daily devotionals), friends (social activities, book club). 

Next put them in order of importance. This is one of the most difficult steps because it feels like you’re saying some things don’t matter. That’s not what prioritizing does; it’s really all about putting things in order of importance. While that might sound like an easy task, it is something that should be done with intentionality and probably some help from a wise family member or friend. 

There are some critical questions to ask yourself when taking on this task. When you are looking at what you want your future to be, who and what will get you there? Will your family help and encourage you? Will your education be important to your career? Will your friends contribute to getting you to where you want to go? Will the extracurricular club or group help further you as a person or look good on a resume? Should you take on an internship or job so you have some experience in your field? By looking at what you want to do in the future and analyzing what is going to get you there, you can prioritize and balance the things that are going on in your life.

Using the example above, prioritization in a teenager’s life could look something like this:

1. Faith (For strength and foundation)
2. Family (For support)
3. School (For learning & exploring)
4. Extracurricular activities (For application building and growth)
5. Friends (For fun and support)
6. Work (For experience and money)

Of course, everyone will have a different set of activities to prioritize, but the most important things to remember are to tailor it to yourself and understand why you are prioritizing it the way you are. For a great way to approach prioritizing, take a look at this video by author and educator, Steven Covey: https://tinyurl.com/y9h599c3

2. Have a Schedule. Another important step to balancing life is to keep a schedule. Not just a school schedule but also for things like family nights, work, events, and calls with friends. Making a schedule doesn’t have to be limiting and rigid. In fact, every schedule should include down-time and time for self-care. The schedule should be in writing, and in a place you can access it. There are many online tools for scheduling that you can access right from your smartphone, like ZenDay – Calendar + Reminders, Any.do, and Fantastical – Calendar & Tasks, or you could just use a simple appointment calendar.

Whatever you do, keep it close and respect it.

3. Be Flexible. Finally, you should remember to allow for flexibility in your scheduling and be willing to revisit your priorities. There will be times when family has to be your top priority, and times when school is going to take the top spot. As long as you remember priorities, your schedule will align with what’s most important. 

Remember the wise person who helped you come up with your priorities in the first place? Keep in touch and meet up to discuss how everything is going. Sometimes priorities shift in importance. Don’t be afraid to change your priorities if needed.

Taking these three steps will make a big difference in balancing your life. And maybe, having broken them down into steps, this task is not as challenging as it may have seemed in the beginning. Once you go through the process of prioritizing things, making a schedule, and keeping flexibility in mind, you will be that much closer to achieving balance in your life and succeeding in whatever comes your way.

13 Apps and Sites to Help You Conquer This School Year

By

This year has been full of challenges, but luckily there are many resources to help students and educators through it. We have compiled a list of 13 sites and smartphone applications that can help with organizing, editing, and studying.

Forest

Having trouble focusing? Forest helps you stay off your phone while doing schoolwork. When you set a designated amount of time, the app plants a tree to help you stay on task. If you exit the app to go on social media or play a mobile game before the designated time is reached, the tree will die. While there are no real-life repercussions for that tree’s demise, it is still effective in guilt-tripping the user into concentrating on their work. Plus, the virtual coins earned in-app go towards planting trees in real life! You can download it here: www.forestapp.cc/

Any.do

Any.do is an app that helps people stay organized, in or out of school. Sometimes, to get started on a project, it really helps to see all of your tasks organized in a big to-do list. This app allows tasks to be sorted by priority, organized into smaller subgroups, and shared with others. The sharing feature can be particularly useful in a group project. It includes a calendar that can display scheduled reminders as well. This app can be downloaded at www.any.do/.

Calendly

If you ever have trouble scheduling a meeting time for a group project, Calendy is the app for you. It offers a free plan that allows you to compare the gaps in your schedule with the rest of your group easily, without the back and forth emails or text messages. Organizing a time for a Zoom meeting has never been easier! This site is found at calendly.com/.

Kanban Flow

Similarly to Any.do, Kanban Flow helps users create to-do lists and visualize tasks. The difference is that Kanban Flow is much more group-oriented. The multi-user oriented to-do lists help greatly with keeping your group on schedule and productive. Kanban flow also allows you to limit the number of tasks you have in progress to help prevent burnout or procrastinating on assignments. Tasks can also be sorted into subtasks, allowing everyone in the group to closely track the progress made. This can be accessed through the app or site and is found here: kanbanflow.com/.

Hemingway Editor

If you ever need an editor in a crunch, Hemingway Editor is the site or you. This site grades your writing for readability and shows how you can improve it. Among other features, it displays the amount of time it takes to read the inputted text, which can be useful when giving a presentation or speech. Hemingway Editor also suggests simpler words or phrases in the place of more complex ones for ease of readability. It also displays the amount of adverbs and phrases in the passive voice inputted. You can try it here: www.hemingwayapp.com/.

Quizlet

 Quizlet is a site made up of user-made flashcards on almost any topic. You can create your own flashcards or browse their selection for any you find useful. Quizlet allows users to create folders of related flashcards, so if you’re studying for a unit test, the feature can come in handy. Teachers can also create classes with flashcard sets that they want to share with the class. This makes it easy to share study resources and materials. Within sets, there are different ways to learn. You can study with classic flashcards, write them out, test for spelling accuracy, and take a test. If you’re looking for a more fun-based approach, there are two minigames you can use to study! The first is a simple matching game where you drag topics onto their definitions. The other is an asteroid game where you must type in the term or definition before an asteroid with the corresponding term hits a planet. Quizlet has both an app and a site, which can be found here: quizlet.com/.

GoConqr

If you are a visual learner, GoConqr can help you. It provides many tools, such as mind maps, flash cards, slides, notes, flowcharts, and quizzes for a multitude of classes. It boasts a library of 25 million learning resources created by over 8 million users. GoConqr also allows users to create private study groups to share materials within. You can also join a public group to share topics and engage with other students and educators. You can access GoConqr at www.goconqr.com/.

Evernote

Evernote is an organizational app that allows you to take notes, make lists, and create reminders. The app allows you to type notes, add attachments, clip web pages, or record memos, all in one place. All of your notes can be organized by tags, and searched for based on content. It also allows the user to scan in documents or handwritten notes. You can download the app here: evernote.com/.

Offtime

Do you have a difficult time preventing procrastination? Offtime tracks usage of your phone and apps so you can see just how long you spend procrastinating throughout the day. It also allows you to block incoming calls, texts and notifications for set periods of time to prevent needless distraction, and can restrict you from accessing certain apps to distract yourself. The app is accessible through offtime.app/.

OverDrive

This app allows users to access millions of books– and all you need is a library card! The app includes free ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines, all accessible from a free app. Some of the notable authors in their collection include Emily Brontë, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Ernest Hemmingway. Not only can this help find resources for your AP Lit class, but you can also accomplish some reading in your free time! You can download the app here: www.overdrive.com/. 

Photomath

Stumped on your algebra homework? Photomath allows users to snap a picture of any math problem and provides step-by-step instructions on how to solve it. The instructions are easy to read and help you understand the process. Some problems even have multiple methods to solving a problem, so you’re free to pick the method most comprehensible to you. The app also has a calculator and graphing function for ease of access. The app is accessible here: www.overdrive.com/.

Desmos

Like Photomath, Desmos offers a calculator and graphing utility. Unlike Photomath, Desmos doesn’t provide all of the solutions to your math problems, so you might want to use it if you don’t want to succumb to the temptation of the answers at your fingertips. In addition, Desmos also offers a matrix calculator, a geometry tool, and test practice. Teachers can also utilize it in the classroom through fun and interactive activities. Desmos’ graphing calculator is truly a thing of beauty. Not only can you graph those pesky trig functions, but you can also create art by limiting your functions. There are countless examples on their website, so be sure to check them out! There is both a site and an app, and you can find them at www.desmos.com/.

Todoist

Todoist is an organizational app that helps you prioritize and categorize your to-do list. There is a feature that allows you to earn karma and streaks for completed tasks, so if your productivity is reward-based, this is the app for you! Todoist can also be synched with your Google Calendar and you can share your tasks with others. Plus you can look back and see where you are spending the most of your time! More information on Todoist can be found at todoist.com/.

We hope that these apps and sites help you stay on track for this school year!

How To Be Of Service During COVID-19

By

By Hope C.

COVID-19 has created an unusual atmosphere for everyone. Many of our usual activities aren’t safe to participate in right now, but social distancing does not have to stop us from giving back to our communities! Whether you’re just looking for a productive way to kill time, want to do good in the world, or need service hours for your college applications, virtual volunteering will be perfect for you.

Work Around Your Schedule

In typical times, it can be hard to find the time to volunteer while being busy with school, work, or other activities. The idea of adding yet another venture into your schedule can feel overwhelming. While in this pandemic, most people have been able to find more free time, making this the perfect opportunity for acts of service. Pull out your calendar and think about how much time you are able and willing to give. Are you planning to take lead on a brand new project or help others who have already started?

Reach Out to Senior Citizens

Quarantine and social distancing have resulted in feelings of isolation and loneliness for countless people. Some of those affected most by this are the eldest members of our communities. They are at a higher risk for COVID and are likely yearning for connection in these uncertain times. Make phone/facetime calls, send cards, or make small gifts/care packages to send to senior citizens. You could also reach out to a local care home or nursing facility and ask how you can help. It can be as simple as playing virtual chess, checkers, or bingo. These are all simple and take little effort, but can bring such joy to others

Cheer Up Essential Workers

Along with senior citizens, essential workers will be touched by your kindness. Many are making cards, signs, care packages, and posters to thank the health care workers who are working to keep us safe. Similarly to this, you can do these things for other essential workers. Think about the people in your community that are putting their health at risk while going to work each day. Choose any one, whether it is a firefighter, nurse, or grocery clerk.

Join a Service Organization

There are plenty of service groups that are still meeting virtually! Look into what you have near you. The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is an amazing youth group centering around leadership, service, and sisterhood. More information can be found at https://gocarainbow.org. There are other groups as well such as Girl Scouts, 4H, and church youth groups. See what is right for you and available in your community

Be a Tutor

Try out virtually tutoring younger students. Is there a class or subject that you excel at and enjoy? Chances are, there’s someone who would love your help with their learning. Schools are reopening and your academic skills could boost someone’s grades as well as their confidence. If you know younger students, you can reach out to them personally or go straight to local schools and teachers who can set you up with the students that will benefit from your help.

Make Blankets or Teddy Bears

Many hospitals and fire stations have the option to pick up teddy bears that are pre-sewn to be stuffed and donated. You can sew, crochet, or knit your own as well! Donate them and bring a smile to a child’s face. In addition, you could make blankets to donate. If you’re not great at needlework, there’s nothing to worry about. Tie blankets are just as comfy and they couldn’t be easier to make! You can donate these to somewhere local like a hospital, animal shelter, or to the homeless. You can also send them to organizations such as the Painted Turtle: a free camp for children with serious medical conditions. They even have easy to understand directions here: https://www.thepaintedturtle.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/fleece_blanket_flyer.pdf?1556639876.

Donate Extra Items

With the extra time COVID has gifted to you, you can get organized while giving back! Clean out your closet and dresser drawers. You probably have plenty that you have outgrown or no longer wear. Throw them in the wash and donate them to someone in need! There are plenty of well-known options such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill, but there are also local nonprofits in every community. Do your research and donate your clothing, toys, books, etc. to whatever you see as the best fit.

Make A Change

Create or sign petitions for changes that you believe in. Take on issues that are global or local and use sites such as https://www.change.org. You can also make calls and send emails to communicate with mayors, governors, and other leaders. Spread the word and fight for what you believe in!

Acts of Service

People now are in need of service and kindness more than ever, and as simple as these things seem, you can truly make an impact on the world. This is just a small list including only a few of the numerous ways you can make a difference. Think outside of the box and don’t give yourself limits when it comes to acts of service. No matter the reason that you have decided to volunteer, you are about to make people’s lives a little brighter!

From Old Favorite Jeans to New Tote Bag

By

By Colleen W.

It’s back-to-school time and we all have clothing that we loved last year that is either too small, too worn, or just out of fashion now, but we still love the piece. I am going to show you how easy it is to create a brand new tote bag from your worn-out jeans.

Supplies List:
Thread
Needle
Scissors
Marker
Old Jeans

  1. The first thing you need to do is mark where you are going to cut.  For the body of the bag, you want to draw a line as close to the crotch seam as you can. You can always go lower if you want to use the legs as a double pouch too.  Next, you will need to measure 2 handles on one of the legs about 2 ½ inches wide and 20” long.  If your leg isn’t wide enough, no worries, there is a backside to the leg and you still get 2 out of one leg.
  2. Now you’ll want to cut along those lines so that you have the body of the bag and 2 strap pieces.
  3. Next, you will turn the body of the bag inside out and stitch about a ½” from the edges of the bottom to close your bag.  While you’re at it stitch the zipper closed.  Then turn the straps right sides together and stitch along the edge to create a tube.  Carefully turn your tubes inside out so the right side is showing and your seam is hidden.
  4. Then stitch your straps where you would like on the waistband of your bag.  I chose to use the front belt loops as an attachment point, but you can put them wherever is most comfortable for you.

And there you have it, a zippy little tote bag you can use anytime!

Top Five Tips How A Youth Group Can Stay Connected During COVID-19

By

By Elise S.

Being shut in doesn’t mean we have to shut out opportunities to support one another and promote your non-profit youth group. In fact, new ideas for ways to stay connected seem to be popping up every day! Here are a few to inspire you to reach out and stay connected during the COVID-19 Pandemic!

1. Host a Facebook or Instagram Live Q&A About Your Organization

Since people are more active on social media, this is the perfect opportunity to spread the word about your youth group! You can create a Facebook and/or Instagram Live event to tell everyone why you love your organization so much. Write out an agenda for your presentation, and try to involve everyone in the group. Be sure to include a few pictures and descriptions of group activities in your presentation. To be prepared ahead of time, have everyone write out what they plan to say, as well as some fun facts about your non-profit, and some ice-breaker questions to get the conversation started. You also write out some typical questions and answers, and even invite alumni to join you and talk about how your youth group has helped them in college and careers!

2. Drive-By Parades.

Have you seen what teachers and friends have been doing for each other? They have been holding drive-by parades or “carades” for their students or friends! So, why not do the same thing with the youth members and adults! Not only is this encouraging to the members, and an excuse to get out of the house, but it is also a great publicity tool! You might even want to make posters and decorate your car to cheer up your friends (and for even more publicity)!

3. Wear your Organization Shirts and Merch on your Video Calls.

Have you ever noticed athletes and public figures wearing hats and shirts with company logos? They’re doing this to promote a company or organization they support! We can do the same thing when video calling friends (and let’s admit it, we’re spending lots of time on video calls)! A t-shirt can be a conversation starter! Who knows, you may even get to talk about it with your friends and gain a prospective member!

4. Write Letters or Make Calls to Members.

Something that makes everyone happy is getting letters! One way we can encourage each other is by sending letters to active and inactive members. Another way you can keep in touch with members and adults is by giving them a call! This is a good way to cheer up, stay connected and reconnect with alumni, inactive members, active members, and adults!

5. Have a Virtual Game Night.

Another way you can have fun and stay inside is with online games! Have a Zoom call while you play on-line games, bingo or multi-player card games so you can talk during the game! You can plan this with your youth group and invite prospective members!

And don’t forget – encourage your members to share on social media using hashtags. Choose popular hashtags for a higher chance of the general public landing on your accounts, such as #fun #kids #stayinghome. Use a hashtag generator site such as https://ritetag.com/ or https://hashtagify.me/. It’s also good to include hashtags that are member only used hashtags in your organization and/or for an event. The International Order of The Rainbow Girls California https://gocarainbow.org/ uses #caiorg and #whyitainbow. It will help keep members posts organized in one hashtag location.

By doing these 5 simple things you can boost spirits, have fun, stay connected and share about your organization! This is just a start to the activities you could host!