FRG Meeting Ideas

OH, this is a good topic. What are some good ideas for FRG meetings?

Every group will be different.

I read a post where someone had a small activity for the children at each meeting. One time the children put beads on string/yarn, made individual bracelets. Some children chose Army colored beads, some chose "princess colors", and others had the full rainbow effect.

Another good idea I've seen was with a group just before they deployed. This group got some long paper rolls, extras from the local newspaper printer. Then the children laid down on the paper and were traced. Of course they decorated their tracing after getting up, added color, sparkle, even scraps of fabric. Many of the children sent their paper-person to their Soldier after they had deployed. Then when the Soldier got home they could see how much bigger their children were. Cool! A few families traced their SOLDIERS pre-deployment, then posted them at home in a place for the children to see. I would even do this w/o children in the home, very special. ;)

One meeting I went to was a book exchange. Everyone brought extra books from their home, then swapped. I can't remember if we had a certain number we were allowed to take, but there were extra books left over, anyway. That was a fun meeting.

Another meeting we attended was in a hanger. Our unit wasn't aviation, so it was neat to see some things up close and personal, something very new to most of us. There were no children at this meeting. We were just glad to be doing something different than sitting in a square room somewhere.

Why do people go to Family Readiness Group meetings? What's the point? We can get information from many other sources: vFRG, emails, newsletters phone calls, even Facebook pages.

Drama aside, I have always liked FRG meetings because of the PEOPLE. Living a military lifestyle is not easy. The bonds we make with other people can make us stronger, help enjoy the fun times and to get through the tough times. The lazy part of me would have preferred sitting on my rump in my living room, watching some brain-drain TV show. But it never failed. No matter what the overall feeling of the FRG (drama or not), I have always been blessed to have met at least one special friend with whom I've kept in touch over the years. At least one friend, sometimes many more.

We learn from other people. We share, and we grow. What are some other cool ideas you have for FRG meetings? PLEASE share your ideas here. I could use a few new ideas, too! ;)