January 2017 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps & Ideas

Image NASA Hubble Crab Nebula

"This supernova remnant contains a strong pulsar wind nebula that is not visible to the naked eye but it can be viewed by using binoculars on a clear night. The pulsar situated at the center of the nebula is the celestial object that remains after the supernova, spinning at a rate of around 30 times per second."

Monthly Theme: Agency is the Gift to Choose for Ourselves
Monthly Scripture: “Wherefore, men are free … to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men” 2 Nephi 2:27

Weeks 1 and 2 Agency is the gift to choose for ourselves.

* "Consider how we use our time in the choices we make." Elder Dallin H. Oaks Good, Better, Best Bring in a portable clock with an alarm. Invite a primary friend to leave the room while you set the alarm for two minutes and have someone hide it. The friend will then come in and try to answer a question about agency and find the clock before the alarm goes off!!

* HERE is a really great video to show the children. I could definitely see some younger children getting scared, so pray about it. You could even just bring in a picture of a scorpion and tell the story. Have a pair of shoes and a pair of flip flops up front. Have some different case scenarios. Invite a primary friend up front to hear the scenario and then stand by the pair of shoes depending on the choice made in the scenario- good at shoes, bad at flip flops.
   Some examples of case scenarios could be:
   John was watching TV. A show came on that was not appropriate and had swearing. He shut it off and decided to go write in his journal.
   Kate was skating outside. She was not supposed go past her neighbor's house. Since there wasn't anyone on the street she went to the end of the block. No one saw her.
    Mike broke his mom's lamp. He didn't want to get in trouble, so when she asked if he knew what happened, he shook his head.

* HERE is a Friend article that talks about a basketball player who made a good choice. "Decide right NOW!" says President Monson! We can make the choice beforehand to do what's right ALWAYS!! Have a basked and 3 balls. Mark 3 spots on the carpet each getting closer to the basket. N for the first spot. O for the second. W for the third. A child will come up front and answer a question or read a scripture about agency, then get 3 balls to throw at each spot. What if a child doesn't get the ball in? That's OK. It's a tricky game!! Just get up nice and close and toss 'em in!! Try to do this at home and see how your family does!!

* Have 7 small wrapped boxes with a letter in each box- F R E E D O M. Mix them up. Divide the primary into 7 groups and have talk about an experiences where they made a good choices. Have one person speak for the group and share a story about where good agency was used. Have that person unwrap a box. Once all the groups have shared and the letters up front, invite the primary to try to figure out the word. Agency is the gift to choose for ourselves!
     2 Nephi 2:27 "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

* "Your choices are the mirror of your self-control. They will lead you to your eternal destination if they are made with divine direction and control."
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf On The Wings of Eagles Liahona July 2006
    Have everyone find a partner. Have one child do some simple actions and the primary friend sits across from them and tries to mirror what they do!! Have them imagine a mirror in between their hands and try to move as the other person does.
    Like President Uctdorf said, our choices are the mirror of our self control.... what our hearts are made of! Today we are going to talk about agency but during the lesson I'm going to repeat that quote and when I do, you have 10 seconds to find a partner and mirror each other!! If we do this quickly and reverently, we can play the game many times!!
   Have some quotes, scriptures, and questions prepared about agency. Can anyone recite the quote by memory at the end of sharing time and who said it??

Week 3 In the premortal life, I chose to follow God’s plan.

* HERE is an awesome video about a scientist who believes in the premortal existence! Excellent visuals and scriptures!!
    Have children design artwork about what they picture the premortal life to have been like. Ask some to share their work and details about what did happen during the premortal existence.

* Today we have some very special guests in primary. They have some very big questions and I told them I know the most brilliant children who can answer those questions. Introduce the children to 5 stuffed animals who have a question attached to them.
   We are going to divide into 5 groups and pass 1 stuffed animal to each group. Someone will read the question and then you can all take turns to answer the special guest's question. After a minute or so we will rotate the guests between the groups.
     The questions each stuffed animal has is:
Who is Heavenly Father?
Where did we come from?
What is the meaning/purpose of life?
What am I supposed to do with my life?
What is the plan of salvation? (This stuffed animal comes with a dry erase board and marker for anyone who would like to draw it out!)
     It may seem silly that stuffed animals would ask these questions, but in real life, many people don't know the answers. They ask these questions and it's up to us to help spread knowledge and truth!

* Arrange children as parts of the plan of salvation up front. Have large signs (with pictures if possible) to label the different parts and invite primary friends to figure out who represents what in the plan of salvation. Once one is figured out, hand that child his/her sign... what do we know about the premortal world? Earth life? Paradise and Prison? The final judgment... etc. You can line up 11 kids like this picture.

Week 4 Jesus Christ created the earth as a place where I can learn to choose the right.

* Have 10 different places from all over the world. Make 2 of each picture and turn it into a matching game. Invite a primary friend to come up and try to find a match. Jesus Christ organized/created the earth as a place where I can learn to choose the right. If they make a match they can share an example of a time when they chose the right or a story of another person who chose the right!

* Creation Charades
Adam & Eve, Tree of Life, Water, Land, Mountains, River, flowers, sun and moon, elephant, wolf
   Invite 1 child to pick a creation charade to act out and have the primary guess. Before they choose the charade though, they can tell the primary something that is a good choice to make or do. Some children might even want to do their own ideas for creation charades... just have them whisper it to you first to make sure it's appropriate.

* Bring in a large cardboard box with a top. Ask your primary pianist to come sit inside it and shut the top. Ask her if she thinks this would be a good place to learn to choose the right. Could she make a lot of choices in there? Probably not. Aren't we glad Jesus didn't create  boxes for us to live and dwell in!!! He created this beautiful earth as a place where we can learn to choose the right!! Have everyone offer a round of reverent applause for our stunning demonstration from our stunning primary pianist.
    Have 15 different questions/scriptures about the creation and agency written on the box. Invite a child to choose one question and answer it, or scripture and read it, then they can take a marker and make a checkmark by it! (Choose a different color for junior primary and senior primary)
     Boxes?? Boring!! Earth?? We are so blessed!! Let's make good choices always to show our appreciation for all The Lord has given us!

Easy Nursery Games

This is a list of games that are easy to play with toddlers.

1. Red Light, Green Light
2. Bean Bag Toss in a Basket
3. Stations with cones & picture instructions- Jump, jog in place, clap, kick, wiggle. Lead all the children to each cone and do it along with them.
4. Puppet Switch- Have 2 baskets with puppets in each one. (go through the puppets and figure out what the puppets would say, like ribbit for a frog or moo for a cow) When I say switch, they bring back their puppet and get a new one.
5. 4 squares with colors
6. Balancing on Tape on the Floor
7. Red Rover, Red Rover, Send ________ (name of nursery friend) right over!! (no breaking through hands, just coming to join hands and swing them)
8. Teddy Bear Hunt- During the walk, another leader can hide 3 bears or even a CTR ring like The Friend. Who can find them??
9. 3 of These Things Belong Together (post to come soon)
10. Limbo

Nursery Leader!!

Ella, my 2 year old.

Her face basically summarizes how I felt when I was first called to be Nursery Leader.

Just keepin' it real.

In August our Sparks Stake split because of new growth. We didn't move, but we were reorganized into a new ward. We love it!! Tons of awesome people. I was in Relief Society as a teacher for 3 months. I was worried about how I would do teaching adults, but I enjoyed it.

And then..... drumroll.... back to primary!! I gotta say, I did cry when they called me to Nursery. And not out of joy (collective gasp). This year has been the hardest year of my life. I'm hoping one day that I can write about my experience, but it's still ongoing. A tad too fresh still. All I can say is that loving a person with depression is a whole different level of life. Hence the hard day, hence the tears.

But, of course I accepted. God is the only way I live. And as I prayed for direction, it was quick to come. I knew that once I was organized that all would be well.

So, to the drawing board, prayerfully I went!! It helps that my mom owned her own preschool for 20 years.

Here is the Nursery Schedule I've used one week and will probably tweak as needed. Everything went by super fast!!!

2:15- 2:30 Gathering Activity of play dough & puzzles.
    Welcome in all little friends by name.

2:30 - 2:40 Attendance & Books
   We sing to the tune of Here We are Together -Here we are in Nursery, Nursery, Nursery, Here we are in Nursery with all our friends... there's Ella, and then we sing everyone's names including the adults in the room.
   Children will be able to put a happy face by their picture to show they are here. Who is missing? Review names of friends.
    I bring in 4 books, short and simple!! Always read with pages facing towards children and don't be afraid to move around so all the children can see. You can spread out a blanket or have carpet pads for friends to sit on.

2:40 - 3:00 Free Time with toys & clean up

3:00- 3:15 Healthy Snack
    Prayer.
    Count how many friends are at the snack table. Encourage good manners, please and thank you!  
    I'm hoping to get parent participation and get some good fruits and veggies (no carrots!) going.
   Once a month I'm going to try "Chefs in Training", having them stir some fruit and yogurt or spoon hummus on a wrap then roll. We'll see, the possibility of fun is there.

3:15- 3:20 Lesson
    Prayer   
    5 minutes? Yup.

3:20- 3:30 Art
   We take the time to do a craft that reinforces the lesson theme or something seasonal/holiday.

3:30- 3:40 Picture Walk
   Using the rope we stop by pictures in the hall and go through High Priests class to wave. One, because the old men can't hear if we make noise, and two because grandpas (most) are just plain friendly and kind. We make sure to wave!

3:40- 3:50 Singing Time

3:50- 4:00 End with a bang!!
   We end with something extra fun like bubbles, crawl through tunnels, scarves, bean bag toss or games.
   We all wave goodbye to our friends who leave nursery and by name say, "See you next week!"


     We are at a hard time for toddlers!! Many have missed nap and are tired. I'm going to have a couple small pillows and rolls for anyone that would like quiet time. No forced naps!! Some do just like to lie down!!

   This is a really great time to work on vocal skills. Learning and using words. Not every child is going to vocalize with words right away, but it doesn't mean that we can't teach them! And, use different languages!! They are little sponges at this age!!

   There are so many opportunities to teach about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the gospel. While the lesson may be 5 minutes, nursery really is the first learning opportunity at church and should be utilized. It doesn't have to be about babysitting, surviving biting, or rabid scream sessions. Get the proper help you need and divide and conquer your time. Use moments to integrate gospel vocabulary or stories or principles throughout the entire 2 hours.

   I may have been hesitant when I accepted, but of course, the very first week I felt the spirit so strongly. These children are close to the veil. They see and talk with angels. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to serve.

Easy Christmas Family Home Evenings

I ran across some ideas the other day that I thought would be easy for any last minute Family Home Evenings or Primary Singing Times.

1. Candy Cane Fishing - Make a simple fishing line and hook (pipe cleaners work!!), put numbered candy canes in a glass, and a child fishes one out. The numbers can correspond to certain songs, or questions about The Nativity.

( From Kindergartners on the go)

 

 

2. Christmas Bells Matching Game - Have 2 sets of 12 Hershey's Kisses with numbers 1-12 written on the bottom. Sing Christmas Bells (CS 54). Each child gets one or two tries to find a set of matching numbers on the bottom of your bells. Once all the matches are made, have 12 pictures having to do with the story of Jesus' birth. Whoever has 1 tells about picture number one, and so on.

 

3. Christmas Card Puzzles-  Let the children cut up old Christmas cards into 10-12 pieces (4-5 pieces for younger children). Have them put their Christmas Puzzle in a Ziploc bag and pass to another family member. Who can put their puzzle together the fastest?? After, have each family member share a favorite memory about Christmas or something they love about the story of Jesus' birth. Switch puzzles and repeat a few times!!

 

(From 4 Kids, 2 Guinea Pigs)

 

4. Christmas is the Best! Jenga - Each family member shares their  favorite part of Christmas before they remove their block! If you have older children, you can add a small letter sticker to some blocks, so when they pull out a block with, say a T, they have to come up with a Christmas word starting with T... like treats or temple where baby Jesus was presented!

 

" Sometimes it seems that our efforts to have a perfect Christmas season are like a game of Jenga—you know, the one played with small wooden blocks that are precariously stacked up to a tower. As we try to increase the height of the tower, we pull out one wooden block before we can place it on top of the delicate structure.

     Each of those little wooden blocks is a symbol of the perfect Christmas events we so desperately want to have. We have in our minds a picture of how everything should be—the perfect tree, the perfect lights, the perfect gifts, and the perfect family events. We might even want to re-create some magical moment we remember from Christmases past, and nothing short of perfection will do.

      Sooner or later, something unpleasant occurs—the wooden blocks tumble, the drapes catch fire, the turkey burns, the sweater is the wrong size, the toys are missing batteries, the children quarrel, the pressure rises—and the picture-perfect Christmas we had imagined, the magic we had intended to create, shatters around us. As a result, the Christmas season is often a time of stress, anxiety, frustration, and perhaps even disappointment.

      But then, if we are only willing to open our hearts and minds to the spirit of Christmas, we will recognize wonderful things happening around us that will direct or redirect our attention to the sublime. It is usually something small—we read a verse of scripture; we hear a sacred carol and really listen, perhaps for the first time, to its words; or we witness a sincere expression of love. In one way or another, the Spirit touches our hearts, and we see that Christmas, in its essence, is much more sturdy and enduring than the many minor things of life we too often use to adorn it." President Uchtdorf    Of Curtains, Contentment, and Christmas 2011