July 2016 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps & Ideas

Reno Nevada Temple (from lds.org)

Monthly Theme: The Temple is a House of God
Monthly Scripture: “Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally” “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” paragraph 3

Week 1 God has commanded His people to build temples.

* The temple is a place where Heavenly Father can teach, guide, and bless us. What else do we know about temples? See if you can brainstorm a list of 25 temple facts- write them on the chalkboard. Need help? Prepare scriptures, quotes to hand out to groups and give them a couple minutes to read. Come back to your brainstorm!
     Have the children use a piece of paper to brainstorm a design for the temple. Imagine they were in charge of the building plans, what would it look like? Have them share and end with your testimony of temples.

* Have 2 children come up front and shake hands. Have them introduce and MEET each other, "Hi, I'm Mary." or "Hello, I'm Jake." Have a few sets of children shake hands and do this. On the last set have them hold up their joined hands.
      "Temples are the most sacred place on earth-a place where earth and heaven meet." (Gospel Topics Temple, LDS.org) Temples are like the joined hands that connect heaven and earth. Just like you can feel the other persons hand right now, so when you go to the temple you can feel heaven- peace and happiness that is very deep.
      Have a  very small laminated picture of a temple that could fit in the palm of a child's hand. Invite 5 children up front to hold out their hands in a fist. Send one child out of the room. Put the picture in one of the 5 children's hand. Invite the primary friend back in the room to shake hands with the person they think has the picture. Have questions, scriptures, and songs prepared to ask/read/or sing in between each round of your heaven meets earth game! Yes, that means that the 5 friends up there are heavenly!!

* HERE is an excellent sharing time from The Friend, ready to go.

*  Have a large picture of a temple cut into squares. On the back of the squares have questions, scriptures, and songs about how God has commanded us to build temples. Invite a child to choose a square, answer the question, then build the temple on the chalkboard up front. (Like a puzzle activity)
     Bring in some play dough for each child to build a temple if there is time leftover.

Week 2 Families are blessed through sacred temple ordinances.

* "As I think of temples, my thoughts turn to the many blessings we receive therein. As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world. Inside this sacred sanctuary, we find beauty and order. There is rest for our souls and a respite from the cares of our lives." President Monson (April 2015 General Conference Blessings of the Temple)
     Have a picture of a temple with a cut by the door, so that it opens when bended. What are the words President Monson used to describe the blessings of the temple? (Beauty, Order, rest, respite, chance to not be distracted or confused) Write down the words on a popsicle stick and invite a child to come up front and read the words and place them through the temple door.
     Depending on the number of your primary, prepare about 5-10 popsicle sticks per primary friend. On the popsicle stick you will write 2 words to describe the blessings of temples, one on each end. (I would stick to about 8 words total- peace, happiness, beauty, order, rest, eternal life, knowledge, comfort) After you pass out the popsicle sticks, have them get in small groups and play dominoes with their popsicle sticks. They match words then build off the word that wasn't used on the popsicle stick and go in a circle taking turns. First person to run out of sticks get's the luck award! (What's the luck award? You saying they got the luck award. Everyone who plays and learns and has fun with good manners is a winner!)
       Families are blessed through sacred temple covenants!

* TEMPLE Showdown!!! Bring in a good 20-30 pictures of temples that children might recognize. Invite 2 children up front, standing facing each other, and have them tap (NOT BANG) the table when you show a picture of the temple IF THEY CAN NAME THAT TEMPLE!
    Assure the children that this is difficult seeing as there are over 140 temples on earth! You could even do a round with teachers, try to stump them! In between each round, have questions, songs, and scriptures to read about the temple for the children. (And when I say songs, the whole primary sings a song about temples)

* Invite a family who was sealed in the temple to share a little bit about how it has blessed their family. Have them show some pictures of their special day and bear testimony.

* In the October 2000 Friend (HERE is the link) Rachelle F.A. Dow writes a beautiful poem entitled What Lasts?:

 

"Ice cream melts,

Flowers wilt,

The leaves of autumn fall.

Sunsets fade,

Seasons change,

And children don’t stay small.

Balloons pop,

Snowfalls stop—

Do summers last? Never!

Weekends fly,

Today will die,

But …

FAMILIES

ARE

FOREVER!"

 

I would gather pictures to illustrate this WONDERFUL poem (ice cream, flower, leaves, sunset... etc.) and then have a picture of a temple on the back. Let a child pick one picture from the poem, then turn over the picture and answer a question or read a scripture or have the primary sing a song- having to do with temples and forever families.

Some examples of questions might include:
Has The Lord commanded that temples be built always, or just in latter days? Can you name some people that built temples in ancient times? (Nephi, Solomon, Children of Israel)

What do we need to do in our families to be worthy to go to the temple?

How can we prepare now to go to the temple?
What are some feelings you have when you are at the temple grounds?

Why do you think people wear white inside the temple?

What is something you would like to do with your forever family in the resurrection?

Week 3 The pioneers worked hard and sacrificed to build temples.

* HERE is an excellent read from The Friend on modern day pioneers and how they sacrifice too to build temples! There is a temple matching to a map activity too.

* President Hinckley said, “Whether you are among the posterity of the pioneers or whether you were baptized only yesterday, each is the beneficiary of their great undertaking.” True to the Faith Ensign, May 1997
    

 

I took a little car and added some popsicle sticks, paper, and string to make a portable wagon. Have different stations for the children to drive the wagon to and learn about the pioneers and all they did to help us have temples!

 

* Railroad Spelling Bee- HERE is an article from The Friend with some games pioneer children played. Play a round of the game and then have the children gather around you on the floor while you tell a short pioneer story of sacrifice and faith (with a picture) in a pioneer bonnet.

 

* I once saw another ward do a really neat idea where they turned off the lights and had a paper campfire with paper wooden logs. They invited the children to sit round the fire and shared stories of the pioneers and sang pioneer songs. It was very reverent and looked like a wonderful learning opportunity! 

 

* HERE is a fun step by step instruction from The Friend on how to draw pioneer pictures. Pass out some paper to the children. Find 3 stories on pioneer sacrifice, (HERE, HERE this one is a little graphic for little children, HERE are a few GREAT VIDEOS from lds.org media library). Teach them how to draw 1 pioneer pictures (practice at home first if you think you need to!) and then share with them the story of sacrifice. If there is time leftover you can make these fun treats found HERE. (Marshmallow wagons!)

 

* For senior primary, handout THIS worksheet and see who can get the most right!! Just like the wagon got the pioneers to the west, the pioneers got us to the temple through their sacrifice to build them!!

 

Week 4 I can prepare to be worthy to go to the temple.

* Start off your lesson with the following quote, "Preparation also includes qualification for a temple recommend. Our Redeemer requires that His temples be protected from desecration. No unclean thing may enter His hallowed house.Yet anyone is welcome who prepares well. Each person applying for a recommend will be interviewed by a judge in Israel—the bishop—and by a stake president. They hold keys of priesthood authority and the responsibility to help us know when our preparation and timing are appropriate to enter the temple. Their interviews will assess several vital issues. They will ask if we obey the law of tithing, if we keep the Word of Wisdom, and if we sustain the authorities of the Church. They will ask if we are honest, if we are morally clean, and if we honor the power of procreation as a sacred trust from our Creator.
      Why are these issues so crucial? Because they are spiritual separators. They help to determine if we truly live as children of the covenant." Elder Russel M. Nelson Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings April 2001 General Conference
      Play a game of 2 choices. It's a walking game, so everyone will need to use quiet feet and silent mouths. It's pretty simple, you name 2 things and the primary friends move to the side of the room that they choose. For example blue on left, red on right. After about 10 choices, have the children sit down in their seats. Have the children talk about what are good choices to prepare for the temple with their primary friend seated next to them. After a minute, have a few children share what they talked about.
       Close with just having the children raise their hand on the choice they think is best as you go back to the quote you read. These are choices an apostle and prophet of God has told us to help us if we want to go to the temple.
Pay Tithing, Buy a Boat
Follow Word of Wisdom, Smoke Cigarettes
Tell stories that aren't true, Be Honest
Make fun of our leaders and teachers, Help and Support our Bishop
Choose Light, Choose Darkness

* "I pray that each of us will honor the Savior and make any necessary changes to see ourselves in His sacred temples." Elder Quentin L. Cook See Yourself in the Temple April 2016 General Conference
      Bring in 2 large mirrors if you can and a picture of the temple. Face the mirrors so that when a child looks in it they will see a going on forever image. Invite the wonderful primary pianist to play I love to see the temple as you quietly invite a primary friend to hold the temple picture and look in the mirror. Have a few children do this! After the music stops, ask the children how they felt. We will be resurrected and live forever, we are all guaranteed that when we came to earth to be tested and get a body. But eternal life with Heavenly Father, Heavenly Mother, Jesus & our loved ones is something we must work and prepare for!! As we prepare for the temple, we prepare for eternal life.
      Have slips of paper with things children can act out to prepare for the temple. Temple Prep Charades! Just remember, no shouting out answers, please raise hands if you know!!

* HERE is a beautiful visual of temple rooms (from The Friend) and what we do inside. Is the temple secret?? NO!! It's sacred. What do the children think this means?
     Play 4 corners, and in each corner have a different temple picture. As reverent music is played, children use their quiet feet to choose a temple/corner. When the music stops, they must be in a corner or they have to sit down. You can draw a name of the temple out of the bag, those primary friends in that corner must sit down. When you are down to about 10 children, ask them to name something they can do to prepare to go to the temple. Continue with the game and keep playing until only one person is left!

Reverence Idea for Pioneer Songs

I have a cricket and seagull puppet and briefly told THIS story from The Friend. An interesting tidbit (that isn't in the story) are that the seagulls would eat so many crickets that they would throw up and then keep on eating! (Church History in The Fullness of Times Manual)

My daughter came up with a list of 7 interesting facts about crickets.

1. Crickets eat their own dead.

2. In Brazil, singing crickets means rain!

3. Crickets star in a lot of Disney movies.

4. Only male crickets sing.

5. Crickets do bite.

What are the other facts? I can't remember. Thank you senile self.

I brought in about 10 of these little crickets to visit our friends in primary. I was hoping they would sing for us, but those sneaky lil' guys wouldn't make a single chirp!

However, it was great because if we were getting too rowdy I'd hold up the crickets and it was completely silent as we waited to hear something! After about 5-10 seconds of listening and quiet, I'd transition us into our next song.

The children loved it and I invited any friends to come after church and find me if they wanted to see the crickets up close and longer. It was suggested by the children that next time we cover them up and perhaps they'd sing in the dark for us!

Pioneer Song Ideas

Here is a lovely article from The Friend, A Quilt That Tells A Story. It says, "Did you know that you can “read” a quilt? Pioneer quilters used patterns instead of words to tell stories."

You could either use the beautiful visual from this article and cut out the different squares OR make your own quilting squares (on paper) for the primary children to choose. Of course, you have a song assigned to that square and have them guess the story of the pattern. You won't have time for all these songs so perhaps only choose 8-10!!

Here is a list of the details of the above quilt and in ( ) a song you could sing:

Log Cabin—four cornerstones of the gospel: Jesus Christ, the restoration of the gospel, the Book of Mormon, and the priesthood (The Golden Plates CS pg.86)

Four Winds—the scriptures, which show us which way to go to return to Heavenly Father

(Search, Ponder & Pray CS pg.109)

Sunbeam—the glorious love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (Jesus Wants Me for A Sunbeam CS pg. 60)

Beautiful Star—becoming beautiful in mind and spirit by living the gospel and developing talents

(I Am Like A Star CS pg. 163)

Eight-Pointed Star—the covenants we make at baptism (When I Am Baptized CS pg.103)

Friendship Star—our love for others, which grows as we live the gospel (As I Have Loved You Hymns #308)

Joseph’s Coat—preparing for the priesthood, which was restored through Joseph Smith, a descendant of Joseph in the Old Testament (On A Golden Springtime Verse 3 CS pg. 88)

Love Ring—preparing to receive temple covenants someday (I Love To See The Temple CS pg.95)

Country Hearts—Primary teachers, who love and teach children to choose the right (Choose The Right Hymns #239)

Rising Sun—praising the Lord by singing Primary songs from morning till night. (Singing A Song is Fun To Do CS pg.253)

Jack in the Pulpit—giving talks and sharing testimonies in Primary (I Know My Father Lives pg.5) 

Jacob’s Ladder—learning the gospel one step at a time (I Am A Child of God CS pg.2)

Hands All around the Block—learning to serve others (When We're Helping CS pg.198)

Tree of Life—our faith in Heavenly Father, which grows as we keep the commandments (Keep The Commandments Hymns #303)

Steps to the Altar—being worthy for temple blessings (Families Can Be Together Forever CS pg.188)

King’s Crown—being worthy to be ordained to the priesthood (A Young Man Prepared CS pg. 166)

Hands with Hearts—building God’s kingdom with willing hearts and helping hands (A Happy Helper CS pg. 197)

LDS Pioneer Song Ideas

To Be A Pioneer- Illustrated and ready to use as a visual. Hooray for The Friend!

A pioneer adventure! This is just a little twist on Kathleen's AWESOME idea found HERE. Instead of a roller box, I printed out coloring pages of the different ways to sing. I'll be making a mini-pioneer singing adventure on the primary floor. The coloring pages will stand by paper clipping it to a plastic cup. I hot glued some popsicle sticks & paper to an old bus toy along with a string. Children can take turns pulling the wagon to our different adventure spots.

LDS Pioneer Song Helps & Ideas

Covered Wagons (CS #221)

These were made out of foam, hot glue & popsicle sticks.

We'll be learning the first 2 verses!

The Oxcart (CS #219)

At Costco, you can get large sheets of cardboard FOR FREE.

You just have to dig under the toilet paper. I know that sounds wrong. But really, I find the best quality cardboard under the toilet paper piles.

Oh the many uses we've found for them!!

Here's our ox. Did you know baby oxen are called steers until they are 3?

Also, they pierce the ox's nose to help direct them.

Supposedly it doesn't hurt them.

Cough. Cough.

Anyways, you can have 4 chairs in wagon formation behind the ox.

Invite a few "Positive Pioneers" to dress up in simple pioneer outfits and sit in the wagon.

They will look for good singers who are singing, then switch places and costumes with those singers for the next song.

Simple pioneer outfits could include hats, aprons and vests.

"I can't draw!!!" you might say.

Yes, you can.

If I can, you can.

God helped inspire people to invent erasers for a reason.

Click HERE for a 35 second youtube tutorial! It might even make a fun FHE.

July 2011 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

A picture I took from our recent vacation to the motherland aka California-

San Diego Temple

Monthly Theme: The Temple Is a House of God.

Monthly Scripture: “Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally” The Family: A Proclamation to the World, paragraph 3

Week 1  God has commanded His people to build temples.

* D&C 88: 119 "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."

Divide into groups. Give each group an outline of a house and a word from the above scripture, e.g. fasting, faith, learning, glory, order. Have them draw a picture of what that word means or for older primary, have them list scriptures that can explain the term. Have them discuss and be ready to share with the whole primary how each of these words have to do with temples.

* D&C 97:15 "And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it;"

Bring in a construction hat and tool belt. Heavenly Father has commanded us to build temples. How do we build them? There is an article from the Ensign, Worthy to Enter By Elder Daryl H. Garn, where he talks about what is expected of the workers who actually build temples.

Have about 6 signs numbered 1-6 throughout the room. On the back of the paper, have a part of the Houston Temple (Just like they will be putting together a puzzle) All quotes come from the above talk. Choose a child to wear the hat and tool belt and choose a number. Read to them the following and have them answer a question to see what's on the back, and then build the temple picture. Tell the children that what we will be learning comes from a general authority who went to Houston to see how that temple would be built. He asked a lot of questions to the construction supervisor and this is what he learned.

1- "Contractors are told that there is to be no graffiti on the walls of the temple. Often, workers at construction sites will write inappropriate things on the walls. Brother Rowley shared an incident he had experienced a few days previously. He had noticed some inappropriate words written on a wall of the temple and reminded the contractor of their agreement. The following day, he noticed that the words had been painted over. He went to the contractor again and told him that the offensive words were still on the wall of the temple and needed to be removed. The next morning, the paint and the words were sanded off the temple wall." Now ask your primary friend- Why is it important that there is no graffiti in the temple?

2- "Contractors are told that all the rooms in the temple will be finished and painted. That day in the temple, every room was painted white. Even the storage rooms and mechanical rooms were white. There were no dark places in the temple." Why do you think the color white is so important in the temple?
3- "How blessed we are to have temples! The holy temple is “the place of [the Lord’s] throne” on the earth (Ezekiel 43:7). President Gordon B. Hinckley has told Church members: “Until you have received the sacred [temple] ordinances of the gospel, you have not received all of the wonderful blessings which this Church has to offer. The great and crowning blessings of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are those blessings which come to us in the house of the Lord." How is the temple the Lord's throne?
And thank you very much, you are lovable and capable. You can come up with 3 other quotes and questions from the article :) Si? Si!!

* On the chalk board have a picture of the temple and the week's theme written, "God has commanded His people to build temples."
Have 5 chairs up front. Invite 5 children to come up and play Reverent Chairs. Each chair will be numbered and they will walk around the chairs while the primary sings songs having to do with commandments (Look up commandments in the topics section in the back of the Children's Songbook, there are about 10) Once the music stops, they sit in a chair. Have another primary friend come up and draw from a hat a number and from another hat a question having to do with temples. The person sitting in that number chair gets to answer the question and if they need help, they can choose another number to help them. After each question, choose another 5 friends to come up.

* Um, yeah.... This is another GREAT one from the Friend by Judy Edwards. Click HERE.

Week 2 Families are blessed through sacred temple ordinances.

* Sing My Eternal Family as a primary. How does a person build their family? Could we build a family if we didn't have temple ordinances? Have a bag of dress up clothes and build a family in primary! Choose children one at a time to come up front and represent mom, dad, brother, sister, grandma, etc. To earn clothes for dad the primary will have to answer a couple questions or read a scripture about temples. Next, we move on to mom, to earn clothes we'll have to sing I Love to See the Temple.... You'll need to come up with other questions and scriptures for the rest of the family members. Have each family member stay in the front as you build them. Have a picture of the temple on the chalkboard and end your lesson by singing My Eternal Family one more time.

* I LOVE this sharing time from the Friend. Click HERE. I would definitely use the gum drop idea and just tweak it by having a primary friend come to the front and name 2 or 3 things about temples or how to have eternal families to earn a gumdrop temple to place on a map. Read Pat's introduction about the hymn- The Spirit of God and then end your lesson by having the children sing it.

* Play Mystery Families. You'll need to get about 10 different pictures of different primary friend's families at the temple. When you call the families on the phone, ask them to share with you a special experience they've had at the temple, or just some thoughts they have on the temple (for your clues for the sharing time). Have the pictures covered with something with a big question mark. Tell the children today we're going to learn about temples and how they bless families. We have some pictures of some mystery families and you're going to share some clues with the primary to see if they can guess who that family is!

* Sing Families Can Be Together Forever (CS 188) Have an 11X17 piece of paper for each of the children. Use an 8 1/2 X 11 for them to draw a picture of their family.  Then have a smaller picture of a local temple in your area (you can actually have a photo made for about 8-10 cents each). Have the children glue their family picture and temple picture on the larger sheet of paper. Then have a small square of paper to put under the temple picture where they can write (or a teacher can write for them) something they know to be true about temples. It will be a masterpiece they can hang in their home to remind their families the importance of temples and blessings!!

* HERE is a nice handout/activity children can do at home to reiterate this week's lesson. Make sure to print out the article of course as well as the cut out figures.

Week 3 The pioneers worked hard and sacrificed to build temples.

* HERE is a wonderful sharing time from the Friend entitled Pioneers and Temples by Vicki F. Matsumori

* In regards to the Kirtland temple (like the Sharing Time Outline says)... "In addition to their great personal efforts, the Saints spent from forty to sixty thousand dollars on the temple. Because they were so willing to sacrifice in building the temple, the Lord poured out great blessings upon them. From 21 January to 1 May 1836 probably more Latter-day Saints beheld visions and witnessed other unusual spiritual manifestations than during any other era in the history of the Church. Members of the Church saw heavenly messengers in at least ten different meetings, and at five of these gatherings different individuals testified that they had beheld the Savior Himself. Many experienced visions, some prophesied, and others spoke in tongues." (pg. 164 Church History in the Fullness of Times Student Manuel)

On the black board have a path of 10 squares leading to the Kirtland Temple- it could be as simple as drawing them in chalk. Have a paper pioneer you can move to each square. Read THIS, yes... all of it, and especially carefully the part "Building the Lord's House". Come up with 10 things you'd like to share with the children on the early saints and the construction of the Kirtland Temple. Have a primary friend come to the front while you share something and then answer a simple question or 2 about what you've said to move the pioneer closer to the temple...for example (Quote taken from above link)
"But the Saints were so poor, an early member recalled, that "there was not a scraper and hardly a plow that could be obtained among the Saints". Nevertheless, "unity, harmony and charity abounded to strengthen" them to fulfill the commandment to build the temple." Why do you think they needed a plow? Has there ever been a time in your life where you worked peacefully with another person that you'd like to share?

* THIS is the most awesome pioneer story ever. You could easily turn it into a felt story or have a couple children come to the front to dress up and act it out while you tell the children. I would start off asking the children if they've ever heard of a name that is a little strange. Well, you have the best story about a wonderful pioneer child named GOBO FANGO!!! But just as a side note, the article is incorrect. Gobo was a slave. He was also denied the priesthood and while I wouldn't delve into this complex subject with the primary children, I think our testimonies can be strengthened by the extreme hardships faced by early Black pioneers and their faith that was equal to that of Job's.

 

Week 4 I can prepare to be worthy to go to the temple.

*I know I said a Reader's Theater would be coming soon... but that didn't happen. Instead I went dental. I don't know whether I've been spending too much time downtown for our local Reno's festivities in Art, however, the amount of meth mouth is staggering. Also, the sheer quantity of men that wear shorts shorter than I do is disturbing. Ahh... the different flavors of life. I digress.

 We've had this game for ages and it's a favorite.

Introduction Activity (1 minute): What do we do before we go to the dentist? Meet Anastassatos Alligator. He has teeth, we have teeth. We need to take care of our teeth and prepare for the dentist! Just like the dentist, there are certain things we need to do to prepare for the temple!

Activity: Using the chalkboard, make a path/curvy line to Jesus with small marks. Have a primary friend (boy or girl) magnet you can move along the path. Using Anastassatos Alligator, count each # it takes before he chomps you. If you’re able to answer the question correctly, then you can move our primary friend closer to the picture of Jesus. Make sure to have lots of temple pictures displayed.

Questions:
*What are temples? (houses of the Lord)
*Why can’t everyone go in the temple?
*What is the most important purpose or reason we go to the temple?
(The principle purpose is to provide ordinances necessary for the children of God to enable them to return to dwell with Him)
* How have you felt when you’ve been to a temple?
* What does endowment mean?
(Gift-The endowment focuses on the Savior, His role in Heavenly Father's plan, and the personal commitment of each member to follow Him.)
* What are other temple ordinances?
* Please read Isaiah 2:2-3
* Why should you want to go to the temple?
* What is written over the doors of the temple?
(Holiness to the Lord)
* Why are temples dedicated?
* How would you explain to a friend about baptisms for the dead done in temples?
* Are the things we do in the temple secret or sacred?
* Why do you think people wear white in the temple?
* How do you feel about paying tithing and why is that important for temple worship?
*How often should we go to the temple?
*What are the best things you can do to prepare now to go to the temple?

Conclusion: Just like we have to brush our teeth and floss and be consistent and constant in maintaining our dental health, we need to be diligent in our spiritual health! We need to prepare now to go to the temple!! Bear testimony.

You'll notice I didn't focus a lot on the things we need to do to prepare, which is the lesson theme. I just felt like there are a lot of basics that children don't understand about the temple. They know what they need to do, but sometimes the temple can be a little mysterious. These questions provided a basic framework. Of course, you can use whatever questions you are inspired to ask!

I also had some extra toothpaste and toothbrushes that I handed out to some reverent superstars. If you have My Gospel Standards posters to pass out to the children, that would be wonderful too!

----Pioneer Songs---- Music Teaching Helps and Ideas

( Picture From the Friend July 1984)

(Picture From the Friend July 1982)

These ideas could be used for either sharing time or a fun family home evening.

Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked p. 214 Children's Songbook (CS)

Make finger puppets where 2 holes can be cut out and fingers are used as the pioneer children's legs. As the children sing, they walk their pioneers! You can decide whether you only want them to walk on certain words or let them have fun the whole song.

Pioneer Children Were Quick to Obey p.215 CS

Find as many pictures as possible of pioneers. Plaster the wall with all the pictures. Sing a line, then see if a child can find a picture having to do with that phrase. Sing the next line, find a picture. In my head I see this as a "where's waldo" type activity. Make the pictures so it's like a collage. A pioneer search and find!!

Divide a piece of paper into a bingo type sheet. With about 12 squares have a picture in each square. The pictures (clip art) you will need are: pioneer children, wagon, fire, kneeling in prayer, pot of water (some sort of water carrier), pile of wood, no picture-the word BEST, modern day children, smiley face, path, picture of Jesus. (This is going above and beyond... but make a popsicle stick pioneer person with a picture of the child's face glued on. It's quite easy, find a clip art pattern you like. Color. Cut it out, put on popsicle stick. Use as a marker.) Use some sort of marker or they could just use their fingers to point to the picture that they sing about in the song.

Little Pioneer Children p.216-217 CS

Have the senior primary prepare this song to present to the younger primary. Use costumes and actions and props! As they learn the song invite a few of the younger primary members to be included in the act!

Westward Ho! p. 217 CS

Make a large map and at the top put Westward Ho! Add a winding trail, a large rattlesnake (for dangers are many), a wagon, different cutouts of pioneer people that are sad, mountains, grass for the prairies, big heart. And of course, I'd recommend lots of marching in place and sally ho! motions!

Also, you could use the first picture in this post and make a circle to go underneath with corresponding pictures as mentioned in the above suggestion for Westward Ho! (Like the rattlesnake, etc.) As they turn the wheel, they see the pictures in the hole. Make sure to add a brack in the middle (where the black dot is) so it turns easy.

The Oxcart p.219

Bring in a measuring tape to show how big an Ox is. See if all the kids together weighed as much as an ox. For Ox statistics see here. (scroll down a bit)


Covered Wagons p.221 (CS)

This will be noisy. Prepare yourself and the kids. (As in forewarn the kids if anyone is whacking each other with sticks or putting the plastic where they could get hurt like over the face, it's bye bye to the wagon cover) Take a plastic bag and attach a couple sticks so it's like the cover of a wagon that they can put over their heads. Not by their faces! You could arrange the chairs so there is a make shift wagon in front. Children can each get a turn in the wagon as they sing!

Whenever I Think about Pioneers p.222 (CS)

I think this would be a fun song to make a slide show presentation out of. If you could gather a bunch of pictures from any pioneer activities of the kids dressed up or doing the activities, or pictures of their parents dressed up... etc...and then use Microsoft Power Point to put it all together. Of course, you'd need a lap top to bring to church to show the kids.


Come, Come Ye Saints Here is a link from the friend magazine! Wonderful ideas!