Song Helps for "I lived in Heaven" (CS pg.4)

Image courtesy creative commons license on flickr.com by Moriza May 2006

**Bring in an egg and a picture of a chicken. Ask the children, what came first the chicken or the egg? There are a lot of confusing questions in life. While we don’t have the answers to all of life’s questions that make you go huh? We do have some ideas thanks to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The earth has billions of people on it, do you think those billions of people ever wonder where they came from or what their purpose is? Well we know. We lived with Heavenly Father before we came to earth and this song helps us remember the important things that happened there.

** Ask if anyone has ever lived in more than one place. Can you have more than one home? We had a home before we came to earth. What do you think it was like? How was that home different from the one you have now? Let’s learn a little more about that very special home through this song.

Verse 1
I lived in heaven a long time ago it is true
Lived there and loved there with people I know so did you
Then Heavenly Father created a beautiful plan
All about earth and eternal salvation for man.

Verse 2
Father said He needed someone who had enough love
To give His life so we all could return there above
There was another who sought for the honor divine
Jesus said Father send me and the glory be thine.

Verse 3
Jesus was chosen and as the Messiah He came
Conquering evil and death through His glorious name
Giving us hope of a wonderful life yet to be
Home in that heaven where Father is waiting for me.

Using 3 pieces of poster board (1 for each verse) draw an outline of a house on each piece.On verse one within the house you can have pictures to represent the lines for example a watch, a family photo of a deceased ancestor, blueprint, earth with 2 happy people holding hands. Same for verses 2 and 3. You can add GAK pictures also because of the size of poster board.

**Have a large packing box that is flat. Is moving a lot of work? What do you have to do when you move from one home to another? Explain that we’re going to learn a song about a different home that we had and lived at. A place we can’t really remember to well! As the children learn the words to the song they can come up and fold the box, add tape, packing materials, etc. Have a large heart to represent the love that was present in the pre-existence our first home. You can add other things to help remember lines. As they learn the song you can seal the box, if they need help re-open.

**A clever idea from: Vicki F. Matsumori, “Sharing Time: I Know God’s Plan,” Friend, Jun 2003, 33

" Song presentation: Use questions to help teach “I Lived in Heaven” (p. 4). Make a number of cards with one of the following words written on them: Who, What, When, and Where. Have the children pass the cards down the rows while the pianist plays the first line of the song. When the pianist stops playing, have the children who are holding the cards keep them. Ask them to listen while you sing, and to think of a question starting with the word they are holding that can be answered by the first line of the song.

Sing the first line, have the children with the cards ask their questions, and have the entire Primary sing the answer. E.g., “Who lived in heaven?” (“I lived in heaven.”) “What did I do?” (“I lived in heaven.”) “When did I live in heaven?” (“I lived in heaven a long time ago.”) “Where did I live?” (“I lived in heaven.”)

Repeat the process for each line, but have the children holding the cards with questions that are being answered stand and sing the answer. If a card question was not asked (line 2 probably would not have a When question, for instance), those holding that card would not stand.For the second and third verses, remove the When cards and substitute Why cards. The children with them might ask, “Why did Jesus give His life?” (“so we all could return there above”). Or, “Why was Jesus chosen?” (to conquer “evil and death through his glorious name”)."