Simple Mother's Day Activity and Not So Simple, but still doable, Mother's Day Gift

I'm pretty big on "time". I love things that encourage me to spend time with my kids. With that said, I decided on sending the kids home with a roll the dice game, flower version... "Dear Mother All Flowers Remind Me of You" (CS #202).

If you've never played a roll the dice drawing game, it's pretty simple. On the first roll, depending on what number you roll, you'll draw the center of the flower. You'll also need to see what you need to talk about depending on the number rolled! You do this 4 times until your flower is complete. Do as many flowers as you'd like together!!

We'll also have the children plant a little flower for their mother/special lady in a cup. If anyone would like a PDF of the game (courtesy expressivemonkey.com, thank you thank you!!) and the instruction handout I made, please feel free to email me. I'll try to get back to you as quickly as I can.

 

Another gift I was toying around with... but just don't have the "umph" to put together for 80+ kids is based off a quote by Elder Holland. If I had less kids or was an Activity Day Leader it might be more doable!

"Often the greatest challenge of all for a young mother is simply fatigue. Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island.

Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones."

Elder Jeffry R. Holland

Because She is A Mother April 1997

I made a coupon book, and thought that the children could make a simple relaxing sugar scrub.

 

You'd need some sort of small container, sugar, and dawn dish soap. The children could easily mix together the ingredients.

(Picture and Instructions found HERE, onegoodthingbyjillee.com, essential oil not really essential)

 

Also, a nice eye mask that that older children could make (out of duct tape!!) and add a ribbon to.

(Picture and Instructions found HERE jacolynmurphy.com)

 

Put everything together in a small plastic bag and there you have it!

FHE Idea Based off April 2014 General Conference Talk "Spiritual Whirlwinds" by Elder Neil A. Anderson

Image and whirlwind play idea from housingaforest.com found HERE

I recommend reading the full article because I guess streamers can get caught in hair!

 

For this family home evening you can go big, attach a hula hoop to a ceiling fan with a ton of streamers. Or you can go simple and have a glass bowl and blow dryer.

 

HERE is Elder Neil A. Anderson's talk from Conference.

All quotes mentioned in this post are from it!

 

Prayer

 

Story:

"Many years ago while we were visiting our family in Florida, a tornado touched down not too far from us. One woman living in a mobile home went into her bathroom for safety. The mobile home began to shake. A few moments passed. Then she heard her neighbor’s voice: “I am here in the front room.” Coming out of the bathroom, to her great astonishment, she discovered that the tornado had lifted and carried her mobile home through the air, landing it perfectly upright on the top of her neighbor’s mobile home."

 

Point of the story:

"Spiritual whirlwinds.. can uproot you from your spiritual foundations and land your spirit in places you never imagined possible, sometimes with your barely noticing that you have been moved."

 

Questions:

What are whirlwinds in our life? (temptations, challenges, tests, distractions)
What can calm these life whirlwinds? (repentance, patience)

 

Analogy:

" In nature, trees that grow up in a windy environment become stronger. As winds whip around a young sapling, forces inside the tree do two things. First, they stimulate the roots to grow faster and spread farther. Second, the forces in the tree start creating cell structures that actually make the trunk and branches thicker and more flexible to the pressure of the wind. These stronger roots and branches protect the tree from winds that are sure to return.

You are infinitely more precious to God than a tree. You are His son or His daughter. He made your spirit strong and capable of being resilient to the whirlwinds of life. The whirlwinds in your youth, like the wind against a young tree, can increase your spiritual strength, preparing you for the years ahead."

 

Activity:
If you choose to hang streamers on your fan, attach numbers to the bottom of 6-8 streamers.

Turn on the fan and let a family member try to get a streamer with a number.

Have them answer the questions, read scriptures and quotes as follows... or add your own!

 

 

If you choose to do the glass bowl and blow dryer, have 6-8 small pieces of paper numbered inside the glass bowl.

Have a family member turn on the blow dryer and point in the bowl. Have another family member try to catch a piece of paper that will go flying. Lots of papers will fly out, just have them choose one and put the rest back... or others can help pick them up too!

Have them answer the questions, read scriptures and quotes as follows... or add your own!

 

Questions, Scriptures, Song to be used for activity:

 

1. What is the foundation we should build on to be strong against the whirlwinds?
Read Helaman 5:12

 

2. If others do not believe what you do, how can you stand for the right in a loving Christ like way?

Read quote from article, "The Prophet Joseph Smith warned us to “beware of self-righteousness” and to enlarge our hearts toward all men and women until we feel “to take them upon our shoulders.” In the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no place for ridicule, bullying, or bigotry."

 

3. Sing the Wise Man & The Foolish Man (as a family)

(CS pg. 281 found HERE) but change the words a little-

The winds blew right and the winds blew left....

And the house on the sand blew away!!!!

 

4. How is the Book of Mormon a protection from whirlwinds?

What is your favorite Book of Mormon story that teaches us about Christ?

 

5. Why is going to the temple an important goal?

"The Lord has given you another way to stand firm, a spiritual gift more powerful than the whirlwinds of the adversary! He said, “Stand … in holy places, and be not moved...

Have you ever stood in the temple, dressed in white, waiting to do baptisms? How did you feel? There is a tangible feeling of holiness in the temple. The peace of the Savior subdues the swirling whirlwinds of the world. The way you feel in the temple is a pattern for how you want to feel in your life"

 

6. What can you do this week to "Treasure more completely His incomparable life and teachings"?

 

7. "Build more firmly your foundation upon the rock of your Redeemer"

Name 5 things we can do to make Christ the center of our lives.

 

8. Read John 14:18

Whirlwinds are pretty scary, but what does Heavenly Father promise us?

 

Bear Testimonies

 

Prayer

Happy Easter!!

My sweet bunny!!

Photo by Alicia Lyman

 

Hello all!! Just wanted to re-post some Easter ideas!!

 

Easter Reading Chart... you can get it HERE on scribd.com or just email me and I'll send you the pdf version.

 

 

He Is Risen Trivia Game... you can get it HERE on scribd.com or again, you can email me!

HERE is a link to see the questions better hopefully.

 

Also, an idea for a fun Easter Singing Time....

 

Easter Tree Singing Time Activity

Have child choose a numbered egg hanging from the tree. Sing a song a certain way, according to number.

Ways to Sing

1.     Sing with 2 fingers bent like bunny ears behind your head.

2.     Sing with arms out front, fingers intertwined, like you are holding a giant Easter egg

3.     Uh-oh! Spring pollen is making you sneeze! Hold your nose and sing.

4.     Cheep! Cheep! Cheep! Instead of words, sing with a cheep!

5.     Make a butterfly. Link arms with a neighbor, use the other arm to flap your wing while you sing.

6.     Hidden egg… sing loud or soft to direct friend to find an egg.

7.     Flower pointer… primary friend uses flower to point to what side of room will sing.

8.     Sing while moving your cottontail.

9.     Sing while moving a pretend basket in your hand to the rhythm of the song.

10. Have a person up front painting an Easter egg in the air with their pointer finger. Children mirror how that person paints. So if they do zigzags, so do you! If they do dots, so do you!!