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!

October 2015 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem by Minerva Teichert

Monthly Theme: The Mission of the Church is to Invite All to Come unto Christ.
Monthly Scripture: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” Moroni 10:32

Week 1 Following the prophet will help us come unto Christ.

* HERE is a good video (from lds.org) for OLDER kids. I think it would be a little too scary for younger children. It's based off THIS talk, which is excellent!!!

* "Have you ever had the experience of driving around and around the streets of a city with the driver saying, “I know where it is; I’m sure I can find it”? Finally, in frustration, he stops and asks someone for directions. How much easier it is to find our way when we follow the directions of someone who knows how to locate our destination... Is there a voice that will always give us clear directions to find our way in today’s troubled world? The answer is yes. That voice is the voice of the living prophet and apostles." Follow the Prophet New Era Sept. 2001 Elder M. Russell Ballard
     Arrange 4 chairs (That's all you need, unless you want to add 2 more and make a van.) and make a pretend car! Have a few simple dress up items as primary friends go for their ride. Have a question that children will need to answer once they are in the car. Then have a simple set of directions for them to follow afterwards. For example, What have the prophets told us to do when it comes to scriptures? (Answers: Read them often, study them, read them as families, memorize them) Then the directions could be: Pat your head 5 times, wiggle your elbows like a chicken and make a fake sneeze. Great!! You are so good at following directions!!! When we follow the direction of the prophets it will help us be closer to Christ! I would make about 10-12 questions and sets of directions. You could even have some short quotes for the children to read while they are driving from latter day prophets.
     More examples of questions could include:
What do the prophets say about commandments? (Who are some prophets that gave us commandments from God?)
Where do prophets go and who is their message for?
What are some feelings you have had when you've listened to a prophet speak?
Why do you choose to follow the words of the prophets?
What have the prophets told us about the word of wisdom?
    Elder Ballard says, "I make you a promise. It’s a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living prophet and the apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray."

* HERE is a good matching activity from The Friend about the blessings that come from following the words of the prophet. You could find larger pictures at the library and put the "teachings" on papers hidden throughout the room. A child finds a "teaching", reads it, then puts it next to the picture that it matched.

* This idea is from Oct. 2004 The Friend by Sister Sheila E. Wilson,
      " Post a picture of the prophet in the center of a large poster. Ask the children to name things the prophet has told us the Savior wants us to do; then write the answers on the poster (for example, pray, read scriptures, be kind). While you sing “We Listen to a Prophet’s Voice” (Hymns, no. 22), allow the children to come up and write their initials next to things they will do during the week. Let them trace their shoes on a piece of paper and write or draw what they will do this week to follow the prophet. Younger children could sing “Quickly I’ll Obey” (p. 197) and adapt the first words to “When the prophet tells me.”

* Here is a little mini-book based off what President Uchtdorf has said about following the prophet. HERE is the direct link to the message. Children can illustrate each page, cut, then staple on the left hand side. Pens are good for drawing, THEN children can color with crayons!! After children are done, share a few of their beautiful illustrations! For fast finishers (sunbeams) you can have 2 adults with Gospel Art Books. Have the adults go through pictures and see if the children can name the prophet and some things they taught us.

Week 2 Sharing the gospel helps others come unto Christ.

* Have 5 stations in the room. At each station invite a return missionary to share some pictures from their mission and spend 2 minutes telling the children the best part of their mission and why they loved it. They could show the children on a map where they served and say something in a different language if they learned another language!
     Have the children rotate in groups to all the stations. Bear your testimony at the end that sharing the gospel helps others come unto Christ.

* HERE is an excellent resource from The Friend! Great reminder of how Lehi wanted to share the fruit in his dream and how we can do the same!

* “Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord’s vineyard to bring souls unto Him.” President Thomas S. Monson, “Welcome to Conference,” Ensign Nov. 2013
     Bring in a large bunch of grapes. Invite your lovely piano player to come up front and sit in a chair. Have a vine drawn on the chalkboard with paper leaves attached to it. On the leaves have questions, scriptures or songs having to do with missionary work on it. Invite a primary friend to choose a leaf and answer the question. After they share their brilliant answer, have them toss 3 grapes and try to get it in the primary pianist mouth!

* I really liked this story and thought I'd share.
     "While in Argentina recently, I encouraged members to invite someone to church before this general conference. An eight-year-old by the name of Joshua listened and invited his best friend and his friend’s family to an open house at their ward in Buenos Aires. Let me read from a letter I just received that explained Joshua’s invitation and his faithful follow-up:

      “Every few minutes [Joshua] would run out to the gate to see if they were coming. He said that he knew they would [come].

      “The evening wore on and Joshua’s friend did not come, but Joshua did not give up. He faithfully checked the front gate every few minutes. It was time to start putting things away when Joshua started to jump up and down announcing, ‘They are here! They are here!’ I looked up to see an entire family approaching the church. Joshua ran out to greet them and hugged his friend. They all came in and seemed to enjoy the open house very much. They took some pamphlets and spent lots of time getting acquainted with some new friends. It was great to see the faith of this little boy and to know that Primary children can be missionaries too.”  

       It is my testimony that as we work together, seeking the one, inviting, and following up with trust and faith, the Lord will smile upon us and hundreds of thousands of God’s children will find purpose and peace in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." (Following Up by Elder M. Russell Ballard April 2014 General Conference)

* HERE is a great list of MANY things you can do to be a missionary. If you print them on a small strip of paper, each child can have a strip and go around the room and quietly share the way they can be a missionary.

* HERE is a great short video!!!

Week 3 We come unto Christ by repenting when we make a mistake.

* Repentance Reporters!!! Extra!! Extra!!! Read all about it!!!
    Today, our primary friends have become repentance reporters. All around the room have short quotes about repentance and pictures of examples from the scriptures who repented. Invite the reporters to walk quietly around the room for a couple minutes and then be ready to share some things they learned. We'll be working together to write our newspaper report.
     Have a large poster board up front and invite an older primary friend to write down what our reporters learned about repentance. Have it titled, "We come unto Christ by repenting when we make a mistake."

* Bring in some nice, soft salt dough for the children to play with and have.
"Like malleable clay in the hands of a skilled potter, the brokenhearted can be molded and shaped in the hands of the Master. A broken heart and a contrite spirit are also preconditions to repentance." October 2007 A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit by Elder Bruce D. Porter
     Play a game of "15 seconds". You will be asking a question about repentance (or having someone read a quote or scripture), then primary friends will have 15 seconds to make a work of art out of their salt dough. Invite a few children up front to share their creation. Would it work if the dough was hard and brittle? Have about 10-12 questions and play that many rounds.

* Divide into groups and give each group a small bag filled with items. Invite them to create a little skit to perform for the primary using the items in the bag. The message of their skit has to be about repentance!! Give the groups 1-2 minutes to figure out what they will do, then have them act it out for the rest of the primary.

Week 4 Temple work helps me and my family come unto Christ.

* “But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples … and going forth and receiving all the ordinances … in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead … ; and herein is the chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah” Teachings: Joseph Smith, 472–73
     Build a LONG primary chain. Have small strips of paper that you can tape to make links. Have questions about temple work and invite a child up front to answer the question by writing on a link (or you can write for them if needed). On one end of the chain you could have a picture of a family, on the end of the chain have a picture of Jesus. Not only does temple work bind families together, but it helps us to come closer to Christ.

* " I now invite the attention of the young women, young men, and children of the rising generation as I emphasize the importance of the Spirit of Elijah in your lives today. My message is intended for the entire Church in general—but for you in particular.

     Many of you may think family history work is to be performed primarily by older people. But I know of no age limit described in the scriptures or guidelines announced by Church leaders restricting this important service to mature adults. You are sons and daughters of God, children of the covenant, and builders of the kingdom. You need not wait until you reach an arbitrary age to fulfill your responsibility to assist in the work of salvation for the human family." The Hearts of the Children Elder Bednar Oct. 2011 General Conference

     Invite your ward family history specialist in. Have them talk to the children about what a family tree is and how to help with indexing! It does NOT need to be anything in depth, but could be an excellent way to get children excited about helping out with the work! (Elder Bednar also says in his address,"Parents and leaders, please help your children and youth to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. But do not overly program this endeavor or provide too much detailed information or training. Invite young people to explore, to experiment, and to learn for themselves.")

 

* Invite a few adults who serve in the temple and a couple youth (if possible) to have a panel discussion. The week before, see if you can have the children put a question they might have about the temple on an index card. (The reason for the time is that sometimes it's hard to think of good questions right on the spot!) Go through the questions or add some that you know would start a good conversation. Have a primary friend read a question and let the panel share their answers.

 

* HERE is a beautiful Mormon Message on temples.

11 Year Old LDS Temple Preparation Book

My beautiful daughter Christina is turning 11 at the end of the month. I wanted to organize something for her to have as she prepares for her first temple experience in a year. This is very simple and I plan on printing it on cardstock and binding it for her.

All information was found from lds.org and is quoted. All images were attributed except for the cover photo of the Reno, NV temple from lds.org.

It is a little lengthy (23 pages) but I'm hoping that it can be a keepsake for her. With the pdf format, you should be able to choose which pages you want to print!

Please do not use for commercial purposes!! Enjoy!!

June 2014 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

For more pictures with quotes from General Conference click HERE

Monthly Theme: Priesthood Ordinances and Temple Work Bless My Family
Monthly Scripture: "Whatsoever shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" Matthew 18:18

Week 1 Priesthood ordinances bless and strengthen my family.

*HERE is a lovely and simple felt board story (from The Friend, by Karen Lofgreen) about the priesthood and how it blessed the life of one family.

* Write in large letters on the chalkboard, "MINE IS A HOME WHERE EVERY HOUR, IS BLESSED BY THE STRENGTH OF PRIESTHOOD POWER". (CS 190 Love is Spoken Here)
Have a 8-10 paper clocks hidden throughout the room. Choose a reverent child to look for a clock while your pianist reverently plays that song. Have different stories, scriptures, and questions about priesthood ordinances for each clock. After they answer the question or share the story, they get to play a game to see if they can beat the clock! Have about 10 plastic cups and see if a child can stack them in a pyramid in less than a minute. For older children, try 30 seconds.
Some questions could include:
What are some examples of priesthood ordinances?
Why do you think Heavenly Father gave men the priesthood?
Can you remember a family in the scriptures who were blessed by the priesthood?
How does it make you feel knowing that one day you might have the priesthood?(For a boy)
How does it make you feel knowing that you can ask any righteous man in our ward to give you a blessing from heaven? (For a girl)

* President Brigham Young taught, “The Priesthood … is [the] perfect order and system of government, and this alone can deliver the human family from all the evils which now afflict its members, and insure them happiness and felicity hereafter.” Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe (1954), 130.
Have about 6 children come up front and make a line. Then have them mix their order and sit down. Talk about a priesthood ordinance, show a picture, ask a few questions to the children. After, have another child come up front and try to put the 6 children in the original order they were in! Do this several times!!
Priesthood Ordinances to talk about:          

Baptism & Conferring of the gift of the Holy Ghost; also called confirmation

Conferring of the priesthood (for male members)

Temple endowment

Temple marriage and sealing for time and eternity

Blessing of the Sacrament          

Blessing and naming of children          

Blessing of the sick          

Special blessings          

Patriarchal blessing

D&C 132:8 "Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion." The Priesthood helps make sure our homes have order and happiness! Priesthood ordinances bless and strengthen families!

* Invite a few different people in to Primary to share "short" stories of how priesthood ordinances have blessed or strengthened their family! You could even invite the Elders Quorum President in to talk to the children about Home Teachers. Sometimes there is no priesthood in the home, and Heavenly Father knows that! But He always will provide a way for His beloved children to be blessed by the priesthood.

* HERE is one of the most beautiful stories ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's called The Right Key by Doris Monson (The Friend March 2000)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this story because it makes a great point at the end!!! Do you have children in your primary who don't have the priesthood in their home?? We want to be sensitive and make sure they feel good at church. This story can do that!!
Share the story and then divide the primary into groups. Give each group a picture of a key with a priesthood ordinance written on it and a scripture to look up. Have them come up with a time where someone in the group or their family has been blessed by that priesthood ordinance. After 5 minutes, have someone from each group come to the front to share what they talked about in their group.

Week 2 Temples make it possible for families to be together forever.

* This was such a fun story from Conference:
        " Later, as I was about to graduate from the university, I fell in love with a beautiful young woman named Jeanene Watkins. I thought she was beginning to have some deep feelings for me also. One night when we were talking about the future, she carefully wove into the discussion a statement that changed my life forever. She said, “When I marry, it will be to a faithful returned missionary in the temple.”

         I hadn’t thought much about a mission before then. That night my motivation to consider missionary service changed dramatically. I went home, and I could think of nothing else. I was awake all night long. I was completely distracted from my studies the next day. After many prayers I made the decision to meet with my bishop and begin my missionary application.

Jeanene never asked me to serve a mission for her. She loved me enough to share her conviction and then gave me the opportunity to work out the direction of my own life. We both served missions and later were sealed in the temple. Jeanene’s courage and commitment to her faith have made all the difference in our lives together. I am certain we would not have found the happiness we enjoy without her strong faith in the principle" Elder Richard G. Scott (HERE is the full talk, April 2014)

        Have a picture of a temple on the chalkboard. Draw about 8-10 steps leading up to the temple. We need to set the worthy goal of going to the temple so that our families can be forever!! Have the children come up with steps/things we need to do to get to the temple. Have pictures and scriptures to go along with those steps too!

* 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?

 

* HERE is THE BEST story!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! Definitely a good one for sharing time or family home evening!!! Before reading the story (with lots of enthusiasm), have a canning jar to show the children. Have a bunch of red pom poms too. Ask the children, what does jam have to do with the temple? This story has some great ideas to answer that question!!
     After you read the story, play a game of toss the berry into the jar- the pom poms being the berries. Different jars could be worth different points. Work together and see how many points you can get!! But in order to toss a berry, you have to answer a question or read a scripture about temples and/or families.

* HERE (July 2011 The Temple is a House of God) is a fun look and find about families that are getting ready to go to the temple. Make copies and divide the children into pairs or groups of 3. Have them do the activity and come up with 1 thing they'd like to share with the primary about temples.

* I have a HUGE list of ideas under the label to the left - Temples. It's a lot of scrolling, but there are plenty of ideas if you are willing to look. The one with the fake camera picture made me chuckle. 10 points for you if you can find that idea!!

Week 3 I can prepare now to be worthy to enter the temple.

* HERE is a bingo like game from The Friend. If it had visuals it'd be perfect. It might just be my browser, but I don't see pictures. However, that doesn't mean you can't make your own version on power point. How do you play bingo with 100 kids? Give each class a board and have them take turns putting on a marker.

* HERE is a beautiful temple box children can make!! It also has ways they can prepare to go to the temple to put inside their creation.

* HERE is another game from The Friend. Excellent for Junior Primary! I like how in the story it talks about even if your family isn't sealed, someday you can go to the temple!

* HERE is a story about a preparing for the temple by being kind in our family. Share the story with the children. Sometimes telling it in your own words will help the children pay better attention. In the story the little girl decides to share her crayons and help her brother with a puzzle. Have hidden crayons and puzzle pieces throughout the room and invite children to find one while you sing I love to See the Temple. When they find one, have them share a way they can prepare to be worthy to go to the temple.

Week 4 Family history work connects me to my ancestors.

 

* Invite your ward Family History specialist to come in and talk with the children! Or even a Young Woman or Young Man who like to do family file work. Have them talk a little about why they enjoy it and share their testimony.

 

* HERE is a Family History ABC game. AWESOME!!!! The Friend really does make life so easy!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL WHO DO WHAT YOU DO FOR THE FRIEND MAGAZINE!!!!!!!
HERE are the pictures to go along with the game, just look on the left for Family History ABC's... click, and then since it's a PDF file, you'll have to click the arrow on the bar to 25 to get that page also. The bar at the top will look like this

 

 

* HERE is another blessed link from The Friend with a Family History Scripture Word Find. I bet the Senior Primary would love to do this!! You could have them race and see who could find the most words in 2 minutes!! Then have another sheet of paper (graphing paper works nicely so it's neat and tidy) where they make a word find with names from their own family history!!

* HERE Elder Bednar talks about WHY family history is important. Have a pair of silly glasses that the children can wear to "seek after" (as Joseph Smith said!!!) the reasons that Elder Bednar gives. There are 8 after you read the first one to the children, although one is technically an invitation. You can put his sentences on hearts and hide them throughout the room.

October 2012 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Priesthood Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Photo Dean March 2012

Monthly Theme: Blessings of the Priesthood are available to all.
Monthly Scripture: "And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord" D&C 84:35

* Really great tip from the outline: Be sensitive to the family situations of the children. Emphasize that the priesthood blesses everyone, regardless of gender, and that children who do not have a priest-hood holder in their home can be blessed through home teachers, extended family, and Church leaders.

Week 1 Worthy young men receive the priesthood when they are 12.

* Have a small panel of some worthy priesthood holders for a question & answer session. Let the children ask them questions having to do with the priesthood. Have a small basket with questions and let children draw out questions to ask, in case they can't think of any on their own.

Questions could include:
What is the Priesthood?

What do you have to do to be worthy of the Priesthood?

How does the Priesthood make you feel?

Why do you need the Priesthood?

Who can hold the Priesthood?

Where can you use the Priesthood?

When has the Priesthood blessed your life?

 

* Briefly have the children act out the following stories about the Priesthood:

1. "As the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he found mention of baptism for the remission of sins. On May 15, 1829, he and his scribe Oliver Cowdery went into the woods to inquire of the Lord concerning baptism. As they prayed, “a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light.” This messenger was John the Baptist, the prophet who had baptized Jesus Christ centuries earlier. John the Baptist, now a resurrected being, laid his hands on Joseph and on Oliver and conferred upon each of them the Aaronic Priesthood, which had been taken from the earth during the Great Apostasy. With this authority, Joseph and Oliver were able to baptize one another. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:68-72.)"

2. Acts8:14-20

3. From General Conference (April 2012) President Monson told this story, " During World War II, in the early part of 1944, an experience involving the priesthood took place as United States marines were taking Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands and located in the Pacific Ocean about midway between Australia and Hawaii. What took place in this regard was related by a correspondent—not a member of the Church—who worked for a newspaper in Hawaii. In the 1944 newspaper article he wrote following the experience, he explained that he and other correspondents were in the second wave behind the marines at Kwajalein Atoll. As they advanced, they noticed a young marine floating face down in the water, obviously badly wounded. The shallow water around him was red with his blood. And then they noticed another marine moving toward his wounded comrade. The second marine was also wounded, with his left arm hanging helplessly by his side. He lifted up the head of the one who was floating in the water in order to keep him from drowning. In a panicky voice he called for help. The correspondents looked again at the boy he was supporting and called back, “Son, there is nothing we can do for this boy.”

“Then,” wrote the correspondent, “I saw something that I had never seen before.” This boy, badly wounded himself, made his way to the shore with the seemingly lifeless body of his fellow marine. He “put the head of his companion on his knee. … What a picture that was—these two mortally wounded boys—both … clean, wonderful-looking young men, even in their distressing situation. And the one boy bowed his head over the other and said, ‘I command you, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the priesthood, to remain alive until I can get medical help.’” The correspondent concluded his article: “The three of us [the two marines and I] are here in the hospital. The doctors don’t know [how they made it alive], but I know.” (From Willing and Worthy to Serve)

End with your testimony and this quote, again from President Monson from the above article, "Miracles are everywhere to be found when the priesthood is understood, its power is honored and used properly, and faith is exerted."

* Sister Esplin writes, "Have the children look up “Priesthood, Qualifying for” in the Topical Guide. Ask them to work in pairs to choose a scripture and find qualities that men need to qualify for the priesthood. Have them or their teachers write each quality on a piece of paper. Have the children choose a quality and tell what a Primary boy could do now to work on that quality." (Friend Feb. 2009)

Week 2 We receive the ordinances of salvation through the priesthood.

* Divide the primary into groups. Give each group 3 minutes to look up a scripture and come up with a way to act it out for the primary. Let them come up front, friends raising their hand can guess what ordinance they are acting out!
Ordinances include:
administration to the sick (James 5:14–15)
blessing the sacrament (D&C 20:77, 79)
baptism by immersion (Matt. 3:16; D&C 20:72–74)
blessing of children (D&C 20:70)
conferring the Holy Ghost (D&C 20:68; 33:15)
conferring the priesthood (D&C 84:6–16; 107:41–52)
temple ordinances (D&C 124:39)
marriage in the new and everlasting covenant (D&C 132:19–20).

* Have 8 numbered index cards on the ground in a circle. Have the wonderful primary pianist play A Young Man Prepared (pg. 166 of Children's Songbook) Invite 8 children to come up front and walk around the circle of cards while the music plays. When it stops, have them stop on the number they are closest to. Invite another primary friend to draw a number from a bag that has an ordinance (just look at the above idea for the 8 ordinances) on it. Whoever is on that number can talk about what that ordinance is or a special experience they have had with that ordinance. Have the children sit down, take out the number pulled and invite 7 more children to come up front. It will get a little funny by the time you are down to 2 numbers and then 1!

* “… He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 255–56).
Have the children draw a picture of a time an ordinance helped them to be happy or perhaps a picture of an ordinance in the future that might give them happiness! Have a few children come up afterwards and share!

Week 3 I can receive strengthening power through priesthood blessings.

* This is a great lesson on Elijah, found HERE. He was an excellent example of strength and power through the Priesthood.

* This is another GREAT lesson about Priesthood Blessings found HERE. (Primary 3: Choose the Right B)

* This is a great idea from the Primary 6 Manual:

Make the room as dark as possible. Then tell the children the story of a group of tourists who went into a deep, dark cave. Once inside the cave the guide turned off the lights, waited for a few minutes, and then asked each person to point in the direction of the exit. When the lights came back on, people were pointing in all different directions.
Make your classroom light again, and share the following quotation from Elder Robert D. Hales: “If the power of the priesthood were not upon the earth, the adversary would have freedom to roam and reign without restraint. There would be no gift of the Holy Ghost to direct and enlighten us; no prophets to speak in the name of the Lord; no temples where we could make sacred, eternal covenants; no authority to bless or baptize, to heal or comfort. … There would be no light, no hope—only darkness” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, p. 40; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 32).

* "The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood He created and governs the heavens and the earth. By this power the universe is kept in perfect order."
Gospel Principles Manual Chapter 13

Have pictures of space and the universe. If Heavenly Father uses the Priesthood to keep the universe in perfect order, how important is the Priesthood? Have a small spaceship of 4 chairs up front. Invite 4 primary friends to fly through space with you as we learn about the Priesthood and how we can be strengthened by priesthood blessings. Come up with questions, stories, scriptures or short quotes about priesthood blessings. Rotate each group of space cadets after each thing you teach. Keep on referring back to the fact that through the Priesthood Heavenly Father keeps the universe in perfect order.

 

Week 4 I can go to the temple to receive ordinances for my ancestors when I am older.

* HERE is a great talk by President Uchtdorf. It talks about foundation stones of temples. There is a very nice handout. You could also have the children fold a piece of paper like a fan and attach a temple at the top. On the steps (folds) you can have them write things they can do to get to the temple when they are older.

* HERE is a great search and find on preparing to go to the temple. Have a list of about 15 (total) songs, scriptures and questions having to do with the temple. When a primary friend answers a question, they can come up front and find one hidden item in the picture. Let's see if we can find all the hidden items before sharing time is over!!

* HERE is a really nice video on temples. It has beautiful images on the inside of a temple and very straightforward information. It's a little long, so you might have to cut it short. It comes from THIS site which is really educational.

* Make up a news report for the children to fill out about one of their ancestors and send it home with them to interview their family. Questions on the report could be:
1. What is an ancestor?
2. Who is an ancestor that needs temple work done?
3. What do we know about that ancestor's life?
4. Draw a picture of a temple you would like to do work for ancestors in.

August 2011 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Let me preface, I drive a Granny Car, and am proud of it. My car is a little more dilapidated than this one I found on a google search. Mine has 2 broken windows that can't roll down... because well, they won't roll back up. The air conditioning is broke and I think I'm missing a couple hubcaps. Plus some paint is coming off in the back. Really? You might be thinking... you're proud to drive your Buick Roadmaster?? Yes. Yes I am. Because I don't have a car payment, so all the money that would go to a car payment can be spent on gas.

...

Point?

I'm glad our bodies aren't cars. Sure, cars are a lot like our bodies- but in the grand scheme of things, God is and always will be smarter than Ford. Or Buick. Take your pick.

Monthly Theme: My body is a temple of God.
Monthly Scripture: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? ...The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” 1 Corinthians 3:16–17

Week 1 My body is a temple.

* Personal reading for you about this week's theme... yes you. I'm talking to you. Not your dad. Click HERE. See. Aren't you glad you read that?

* Pres. Boyd K. Packer (I heart Boyd) says, “Our physical body is the instrument of our spirit” (Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled [1991], 211). Bring in a variety of different instruments. Divide into groups and let the children come up with a song or a chant. You can give groups topics like, "How do I treat my body like a temple." or "I love my body because...." or "Bodies are like temples because...." Let them play instruments during their songs.
This would be a good time to reinforce the concept that our bodies are merely tools and only work because of our spirits. Would an instrument work on the ground all by itself? No! It needs someone to play it!!
Just like instruments can play beautiful music, our bodies can be beautiful too if we treat them as the temple they are!!

* LOVE LOVE LOVE this sharing time by Sister Matsumori found HERE in the Friend.

* Time to whip out some old Ensign magazines and scour for temple pictures. Have the children draw pictures of themselves and then use the pictures of temples to cut out clothing for their bodies. Or you could just have the temple and they draw arms, legs and a head coming out from it. Obviously, this is not how we look!! But our bodies are just as sacred as the Holy Temple we do ordinance work in. Have the children write a few words down on why they love their bodies/temples.
Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

* Have a bunch of different pictures of temples and people on the black board. Ask the children how all the pictures on the board are the same? They are all temples of God!! Attach scriptures, songs and questions having to do with the week's theme: My Body is a Temple, on the backs of the pictures. Let the children come up and choose a picture and then do what it says on back one at a time.

Week 2 Dressing modestly shows respect for Heavenly Father and myself.

* Word of caution. If you choose to bring in barbie dolls to teach this, it's your choice. But I'm willing to bet (It's the Nevadan in me) that at least 50% of LDS parents will not be comfortable with their lil' boys dressing a naked barbie. I would never bring in barbies personally because I just think it's odd, but to each his own. If you've prayed about it and feel good then do your thang... but be prepared, you might get a nasty talking to from some parents. I also WOULDN'T show examples of immodest clothing because I like to keep things positive. Let parents point out the saucy things in life, and teachers focus and emphasize the good. Again, this is just a word of caution.... personal ditty and opinion.

* Bring in a large laundry hamper full of modest clothes. Divide into groups and give each group a suitcase and an airplane ticket to one of the following: Canada, Hawaii, China, Russia/Siberia, etc. Write in large words on the chalkboard, "WHERE IN THE WORLD CAN WE BE MODEST?" Perhaps you can even have a map displayed. Have the children reverently choose one piece of clothing to pack in their group suitcase from the laundry hamper. No fighting over any clothes, or you won't be able to pack because then the clothes would be ripped and immodest!!! While in their groups have them come up with 3 ways to share with the Primary on how to be modest. Then have them share what they packed and why. Is it easier to be modest in a colder place than a hotter place? Have them answer the question on the board.... the answer should be EVERYWHERE in the world we can be modest!!!

* Have children make modest paper doll clothing!! For older children, they might be more into "Fashion Sketches". Have the children share their work with each other and invite the Bishop in to choose a design he really likes. Perhaps if there is someone in the ward who sews, they can turn that design into reality and give the finished product to the missionaries to give to an investigator.
* Put on a modesty Primary show! Invite reverent children (Or perhaps even a couple teachers!) to come up front and work it down a red carpet, do a turn and walk back to the front. Ham it up, have a toilet paper roll with foil balled on the end as a microphone. Wear a large hat and feather boa. Ask the children how each model is dressed modestly? You can have the pianist playing Dare to Do Right or Stand For the Right in the background as they walk. You can ask them questions like, How do you feel when you are obedient and dress modestly? Why is it important to dress modestly? How does dressing modestly show respect for Heavenly Father? Do you have to have fancy clothes to be modest? How important is cleanliness when it comes to modesty?
Question for YOU, yes you... not Rod Stewart: What if a child isn't dressed modestly? DON'T MAKE THEM FEEL BAD. Plain and simple.

* Again, bring in a bunch of old CHURCH magazines. Let the children cut and paste a "Modesty" collage on a 8 1/2 X 11 piece of paper. Have them label it with the week's theme. They can choose pictures of clothes or people who are modest and make some beautiful art for the kitchen refrigerator. It will be an excellent reminder to our family about this important gospel principle!!

* Have each letter of RESPECT on a piece of paper. On the back of each letter's paper, have a picture of a modest person. Invite the children to talk about why the person is modest and how it is respectful.
Psalms 119:6 "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments."

Week 3 Living the Word of Wisdom shows respect for my body.

* Explain that we are going to have a cooking demonstration. Invite a child to come up front and cut bananas, another one do strawberries... have another child add some yogurt and yet another child add in some grapes. (Please no sharp knives and be mindful of food allergies) Have small cups for the children to sample. Was the fruit salad cooking demonstration something that is good for our bodies?
Have the children play win-win-draw with foods and other things having to do with the Word of Wisdom that are good for our bodies. (They come up to the blackboard and draw, for example, an apple... then someone from the Primary guesses what they have drawn)

* Sister Judy Edwards wrote a simple and great sharing time found HERE. I find that the more simple, the better!! So rock on Sister Edwards and thank you.

* Have the children act out the story of Daniel refusing the King's meat. HERE are details from the story.

* Break into groups and have them pass a healthy food around as you sing The Word of Wisdom. (CS #154) When the music stops, the person holding the healthy food has to name something that is good for our bodies. For older children you can make it a little more challenging by giving them a certain letter that the healthy food has to start with.

* Have a bunch of healthy recipes and let the children make a recipe book for their family!! Make copies of the recipes and let the children draw pictures of how they think the finished food will look like.... Always make a copy or example to show them/give them some starting ideas. Display a bunch of different cook books and let the children end Primary by sharing some recipes they think would be healthy for our bodies in those books. On the chalk board you can have the words written- A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS- THE WORD OF WISDOM!!!

Week 4 Reading, watching, and listening to wholesome things keeps my mind clean.

* Break into different stations: One with books, DVD's and CD's. Have a person at each station prepare a 4 minute ditty on some of their favorites having to do with that station. Invite the children to share some of their favorites.
"Two obligations face the saints where the matter of environment is concerned: 1. To create for themselves and their families the most wholesome and edifying environment possible, so there will be less chance of any member of the family circle being lost through transgression; and 2. To rise above every unwholesome environmental situation that may be encountered during the course of this mortal probation. …"Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966], p. 229).

When we fill our minds with the good, we'll be able to do what Elder McConkie says and rise above the unwholesome!!
* Put A B C D F on the board. Why do we get grades? Elder Marvin J. Ashton has said, "We have a tendency to rate or grade others, and they do the same to us. If our perspective is proper, we use these ratings or gradings to motivate us to reach high levels of achievement and self-discipline. The whole concept of ratings enables us to set high goals and provides the challenge to us to achieve them. In spite of this inborn desire to achieve, there remains an area where the attainment of high or good ratings seems to be ignored. I speak of the growing numbers of movies, books, magazines, theatrical productions, and television programs where efforts to glorify immorality or violence have become predominant. “Rated R”...has replaced the idealism of being “Rated A.” (Ensign Nov. 1977)

Come up with different case scenarios having to do with good or bad books, movies, and music. Have children rate whether it's an A or an F. We need to be good judges of the different positions we're put into and grade wisely!!

An example of a case scenario could be: Helen is at school and is looking through the library. She notices 2 boys reading a book with a scary skull on the front. Is it a pirate book? She's asks. The boys tell her it's a book that is so scary it will give her nightmares at night.... it's not about pirates, it's just about tons of different scary things.

Another example: Perry is walking home with some friends. They are listening to some popular music from the radio on their headphones. One of the songs talks about girls in immodest swimwear. Perry feels uncomfortable, even though he's not listening to the music. What should he do?

Or: Belinda and Tim can't wait to read the magic tree house #38!! They have read #'s 1 through 37 and have learned so much. From Mummies to Dolphins, this next one promises to teach them something new!
* This is a great lesson that can be adapted from the Aaronic Priesthood manual.

* This idea is from the Old Testament: Gospel Doctrine Manual:

"Have a volunteer stand at the front of the class with his or her hands held forward. Tie a strand of thread loosely around both of the class member’s wrists. Explain that this one thread represents an unclean thought. Then have the class member break the thread by pulling his or her hands sharply outward.

• What should we do when an unclean thought enters our mind? (We should dismiss it immediately.)
Ask the class member to hold out his or her hands again. Wrap the class member’s wrists with a few strands of thread—enough to make it more difficult to break them. Then ask the class member to try to break the strands of thread. Repeat this process using enough strands of thread to make it impossible to break free.
• What happens when we allow unclean thoughts to stay in our minds?
Free the class member’s hands by cutting the thread with the scissors. Explain that part of this lesson deals with the consequences of dwelling on unclean thoughts. The lesson also discusses ways to free ourselves from unclean thoughts."

*3 Nephi 12:8 "And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Would it make sense to say if you had a clean mind, you'd have a pure heart? Perhaps even clean hands? Have a table full of eye glasses with songs, scriptures and questions having to do with the week's theme. If we keep ourselves busy with wholesome things and do what is right, we'll one day see God like the scripture says... Joseph Smith sure did!!

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!