2009 LDS Primary Themed Activity Day Ideas

Image courtest creative commons license flickr.com by the justified sinner 8/2008

Our Primary colors are one, two, three-

Red, yellow, and blue.

Each one has a message for you and me.

Each is a symbol true!

Red is for courage to do what is right,

Yellow for service from morning till night.

Blue is for truth in our thought and our deed.

We will be happy when this is our creed.

Our Primary Colors Children's Songbook pg. 258

The following are basic ideas for Primary Activity Days based on the monthly outline themes.

Not to be confused with Activity Day Girls- this is for everyone! If you have any questions about a specific idea and need a little more, feel free to email me.

February - I came to earth as part of a family.

* Families all over the world luncheon. Have about 7 different (more or less on depending on how many are in your primary of course) stations, each focusing on a different area of the world featuring that cuisine. Some sit at tables, some sit on the floor. Some families use forks, others chopsticks. We came to earth to be part of a family and the earth is filled with many different families. This activity takes the time to focus on unity of families throughout the world... and the importance of eating together!

* Our Getting to Know You Ward Family Ice Cream Social. Not everyone has a happy home and family to live with. But we do have another family who would do anything to help us, the ward family! Have representatives from the Bishopric, Relief Society, Young Mens, Young Womens (and primary!), High Priests, Elders Quorum... etc. Am I forgetting anyone?? come! Let them share some of their responsibilities and things they do to help primary children. Have anyone come actually. I love it when the elderly get to interact with the children. Make sure all the adults answer one important question- why do you love our ward family?

March- Family Members have important responsibilities.

* Family Job Fair. Have booths set up for fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, pets, aunts.... you get the point? Everyone that's part of a family!!! Have fliers for all the booths with informed adult (or young women/young men) attendants who can answer questions and give a little presentation on what they do as that member of the family. You could have clipboards (I'm thinking cardboard with a clothespin glue-gunned on) for the children as they walk around to take notes and add their fliers to.

* Family Responsibility Olympics. Separate into groups. Have games based on family responsibilities and healthy snacks. Such games could include daddy's lawnmower and weeding race- run up and down the grass area wheel barrow style then dig through a trash bag of shredded yellow paper for tiny paper flowers. Or Mommy's dish washing triumph- set up a bunch of water tubs, see how many dishes can be washed and dried. Etc. Try to make it not so much a competition, but hand out medals to everyone for cooperation and working together.

April- Jesus Christ made it possible for me to live with my Heavenly Father again.

* I am the Resurrection and the Life. Have different role play stations where children can dress up and act out scenes from the life of Christ. Corresponding songs can be sung at stations also! You could video tape the children at different stations and come together to watch their marvelous acting skills and enjoy popcorn after. BUT PLEASE!! I AM NOT SURE IF THERE IS CHURCH POLICY SAYING WE CAN'T VIDEO TAPE CHILDREN!!! SO CHECK ON THAT!!!

* The Real Meaning of Easter. Click here for an activity we did last year based on Christ.

May- Baptism and confirmation are ordinances that bless my family.

* Water Activity Day. Based on good weather, have slip and slides, sprinklers, etc. Discuss the importance of water and it's significance pertaining to baptism. I know. It's a stretch.

* Baptism Books. Have the children put together books to help them remember their baptism day.

June- Faith, prayer, repentance and forgiveness strengthen me and my family.

* Physical Fitness Activities. Divide rooms into fitness stations. One room could include Repentacize- step aerobics. Another room Reach for Forgiveness- chin ups, small weights, arm exercises. Constant Prayer Room... jump roping for 10 minutes. See the correlation between these things strengthening us and also the physical activities strengthening us. Invite families to come too! Make sweat headbands for everyone. Have a room on nutrition and what we put into our bodies, include the idea of nourishing the soul through faith, prayer, etc.

July- I will strengthen my family.

* Dr. Feel TV Show. And no, I don't watch Dr.Phil, but from what I hear he's OK. Set up with cardboard cameras, lighting, a stage... etc. Have the children participate as Dr. Feel and guests on the show. Have the host ask questions on strengthening the family. Perhaps the guests could include scripture families. Feel free to open up questions from the audience. Have commercial breaks and children come up to do so... picture a little girl sad, then a brother comes up and gives her a band aid- they hold up a box of band aids, smile and say Love band aids heal our family!

August- Temple blessings unite families.

* Temple trip time!!!

* Family History Workshop. Do family tree crafts, journal entries, invite the ward family history specialist, etc.

September - Prophets teach me how to strengthen my family.

* General Conference Mania. Have a variety of TV game show games based off the teachings of the prophets. E.G. Jeopardy - categories: name that apostle, families are for..., love is spoken here, Tabernacle Trivia. Another game could be prophet pyramid. Or Family Feud Not So Feuding.

* Latter Day Prophets are Number One! Have people from the ward come dressed up as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Pres. Hinckley... etc. Have them share, as the prophet, quotes on importance of family and stories of their own lives and families.

October- "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" teaches me about families.

* A Family Carnival. We know from the proclamation that a family is CENTRAL to Heavenly Father's plan. Have carnival style games where the family is the center of the game. Like darts- family is the bulls eye, pin happiness on the family, family picture booth, find the forever family in the haystack, bobbing for apples- if it weren't for the partaking of forbidden fruit we wouldn't have families!! Etc.

November- My family and I can serve others.

* Go out and serve!!! Invite families to participate in a service activity!!

* Veteran's Day is November 11. What a wonderful opportunity to invite some of your local veterans to a lunch and primary program of sorts. The children could serve the food to them, sing, dance, do a skit....

December- My family is blessed when we remember Jesus Christ.

* Make family home evening kits based off the devotionals from here.

If you teach Primary, you might want to invest in this...

This is an institute of religion manual that you can buy or read online here. This is one of the most helpful and wonderful books ever written!!! Yes!!! Three exclamation marks my friends!!!

!!!
Doctrines of the Gospel Religion 430 and 431 published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah.
!!!

I am teaching the second week, this upcoming beautiful Sunday, and will highly quote and base questions off of the teachings found in chapter 6 of this diamond here!!!

Sticks and Stones

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Chad Fust March 2007

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Another dear sister (Laura) of mine has raised an important question:
"Do you have any suggestions on what to do when children are completely disrespectful or mean to other children? As a presidency we want to maintain a positive environment as we address this issue but feel that it needs to be addressed as there has been problems both in and outside primary. We have about 120 children between junior and senior primary."

I am going to outline pages 84-87 of Teaching No Greater Call in response. Every single word was written from the source quoted.

"As President Hinckley observed, little problems will inevitably occur. Whether you are teaching in the home or at church, your lessons may at times be disrupted by the behavior of those you teach. In your efforts to help those who become disruptive, remember that you should not simply try to correct inappropriate behavior or make sure everyone is quiet; you should help learners become better disciples of the Savior. The following information will help you handle disruptions in a Christlike way.

1. Remember the worth of souls.
2. Seek to understand those you teach.
*consider all possible reasons for their behavior
3. Evaluate your own efforts.
* When those you teach behave disruptively, it is easy to focus on their conduct and fail to review your own.
* In your efforts to solve problems with disruptions, first consider whether the real source of the problem is something you are doing.
4. Evaluate your motives.
* Only those who are motivated by love will have a positive, powerful influence on those they teach. Pray to be filled with Christlike love toward every person you teach, especially those who sometimes behave inappropriately.
5. Help all class members contribute to a learning atmosphere.
* In a learning atmosphere, we (1) edify each other through our participation, (2) love and help each other, and (3) desire to search for truth together. Quote page 77.
*Elder Henry B. Eyering relates to the love we should feel when we meet to learn the gospel: " Our Heavenly Father wants our hearts to be knit together. That union in love is not simply an ideal, It is a necessity." Quote page 77.
* To teach family members or class members to contribute to a learning atmosphere, consider conducting a discussion using the following suggestions:

- Express your feelings about the gospel, and explain that you want to help others learn gospel truths.

-Discuss the responsibility we have to help one another learn the gospel.

- Talk about the importance of participating in lessons.

- Ask those present to suggest things they can do to help create a learning atmosphere. Quote page 78.

6. Respond in simple ways to occasional disturbances.

7. Make special efforts to help those who persistently cause disruptions.

*If someone is seriously disrupting the learning of others, you should neither ignore the problem nor act in an unkind way.

* D&C 121:41-44 In applying this counsel, it is helpful to understand the words betimes and sharpness. Betimes means promptly or in good time. In this passage, sharpness refers to the need to give clear, well-defined instructions.

*You should be gentle and meek when giving correction. note that reproving should be done only "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost" and should be followed by an increase of love.

* The following suggestions may help you if someone you teach becomes persistently disruptive.

- Speak privately with the person. You should do so tactfully and with love.

Describe the conduct that is disruptive while at the

same time making clear that you love and respect the person.

Ask for the person's support, and try to find solutions together.

Then do all you can to show increased love.

- Seek help from others. Your leaders want to help you with your teaching challenges. You can benefit from their ideas and assistance.

For example, they might ask someone to help with certain activities or sit

next to a child who is misbehaving.

If a child or youth has a pattern of disruptive behavior, seek the help of his or her parents.

If the person causing the disruptions has special needs, learn

what you can do to help him or her learn more effectively and behave more

appropriately.

-Be patient. Remember change takes time. Be consistently positive in your approach to the person. Do not be discouraged in he or she has a negative attitude in class."

Being mean and using unkind words is disruptive. Very much so and should not EVER be tolerated in your safe and loving primary environment. I feel strongly prompted not to share anything else except for what I have outlined from Teaching No Greater Call. Each primary is different and Heavenly Father will help you to know what to do for His little ones in your care.

On that same, but completely different note, I wish to just state why I do not do full outlines of sharing times. I did when I first started this blog, but now I don't. I feel strongly prompted that I shouldn't have detailed lesson plans on this site. When Elder Packer gave the challenge to use blogs in a Christlike manner to share the gospel, I prayed and prayed. I decided I'd do my very best to help little ones come closer to Christ. It's my only desire. I have a harder time having a pure love for adults and freely admit my grievous fault. But with children, there has never been a single one that I haven't adored. Primary fills my heart and soul.

Loving The Scriptures

GAK 326

Janarah is a sister of mine. I don't know her but she left me a comment (in bold) and if we were having a conversation, the italicized words would be my response. She had a good question that I'd thought I'd share.

Hi, I just found your blog. Hooray! You are just amazing. You're amazing Janarah! I love your exotic name. You have been blessed with a great talent. Thank you for sharing it with everyone. You are kind. All these thoughts are from our Father above. There have been countless times that I consider miracles where I've been lead to certain scriptures or an analogy pops up that just makes really good sense. I believe there are walls of water around us, not necessarily like those of the ancient children of Israel, but the miraculous power of God is very close. I do have a question for you. Sorry Janarah, am I rambling? I tend to do that. I am in the primary presidency. We have the hardest time getting our Sr. Primary to open their scriptures and look something up. Most of the time they complain that they have to get them out and then a lot of them have a really hard time finding the scripture. We have tried to make it into a chase, but the younger ones don't have any chance at all to get it. Do you have any great motivating ideas?

I don't know about great... but here are some thoughts. And it's not directed specifically at you my sister Janarah, but in general to all of us serving in Primary.

1. Are you reading your scriptures daily? We as teachers need to be in top spiritual condition because we are teaching His precious ones. When we have the spirit with us, Primary will go smoother and the fastest way to invite the spirit in your life is to consistently read the scriptures. Plus how can we encourage them to be excited about the scriptures if we aren't.

2. Bring up the Savior. Ask the question, with a little sigh, I wonder how Jesus feels right now when we complain about our scriptures? (If there is a picture of Christ, stand close to it and look at it. Then look at the children.) We don't need to spend 10 minutes lecturing the children and turning primary into a you're-not-being-reverent fest. If you say that question out loud it should take you a whole 10 seconds. Little reminders go a long way and can make a big difference! Another one could include, Our primary is a place where we come to feel the spirit. When we don't show love for our scriptures or murmur about them do you think the spirit wants to be with us? Again, if you say it out loud it should take maybe 12 seconds. You don't need to give them the evil eye or single them out and embarrass them. Little reminders go a long way.

3. How are you asking them to take out their scriptures? If there is a problem may I suggest rewording your questions. Instead of, "Please turn to Hebrews 12:12. What does this scripture mean?" try "Christina, please take Jacob's hand and raise it in the air. Ok! Hold it there! Have I got a scripture for you, let's go to Hebrews... where's that at? Right! The New Testament in the Bible, which is bigger than the Book of Mormon. Chapter 12, Verse 12. Who feels comfortable reading that? Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down.... hmmmm. Does this mean we need to always have our hands lifted in the air? Thanks Christina and Jacob for your help and Hannah for reading." It's a little bit more enthusiastic. You've got a visual and movement to go along with it. And it's different from the norm. So... try rewording. Also are you asking for a 10 verse scriputre? Think about length. Just think about it.

4. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. You can never get too much of a good thing. Ask where the book of Matthew is found? Hold up the Bible and the Book of Mormon to show the difference of size. We look at the top of the page to find the books and chapters. There is an index at the beginning! Then have the children repeat ways back to you on how to find scriptures? Do this often! Repetition! Some children aren't going to learn this at home, don't assume anything. Learn together the songs in the primary children's songbook p.114, p.116, and p.119.

5. Write the scripture on the board and spell it out loud as you do so. E-C-C-L-E-S-E-A-S-T-E-S, wow! That's a mouthful and a lot of letters! Most 8-11 year olds have a hard time pronouncing let alone knowing how to spell something which would in turn make it harder to look up.

6. Encourage the children to HELP EACH OTHER. Once you've found it, how many others can you help? Teachers aren't glued to their chairs either. Getting up improves circulation. Even the pianist can help! Let's find the scripture! And then of course, let them know how proud you are to see them helping each other. Ask, Do you think our Savior is smiling right now because of your kindness? I fear our children don't hear enough how truly wonderful they are.

7. Is your environment safe? Is primary a time where children can be honest and themselves? Is it OK for the children to make reading mistakes in your primary... or is there snickering from other children? Are teachers constantly correcting them as they read? Because that is a total killjoy. You need to make sure Primary is a place where children feel safe. A place where they can read and be happy. Some children really don't feel comfortable reading.

Don't force them.

Let them read without interrupting them.

If they look to you for help, help them.

If they make a mistake, is it really that big of a deal?

If it's a short scripture they could all read it together! This is called choral reading.

Give them 1 minute to read it to themselves... it doesn't always have to be read out loud!

And of course thank them and tell them great job when they are finished! Don't forget!!

Create that place where the spirit can thrive. Where children are comfortable reading.

8. Have visuals... yes, even for senior sharing time. We're going to take a deeper look at the journey of Lehi's family in the wilderness. Hold up a Gospel Art Kit 301. Picture yourself riding a camel! It might sound like fun, but let's go to the first book of Nephi... right in the front of what? the bible? Right! Almost! First book in the Book of Mormon. Chapter 17. Verse 4. Frank, thanks for reading it for us! 8 years!!!! On a camel!! Let's take a vote, raise your hand if you think you could travel for 8 years on a camel!! Visuals can help the scriptures be more real.(Hold up the picture again... close where they can actually see)

9. Don't ask for volunteers. Call on people politely. Choose your readers carefully... which means you have to know your children, so get to know them! I'm not saying always choose the good readers, but help build the confidence of those who aren't as strong with smaller scriptures. And thank them with words and plenty of smiles.

10. When starting your lesson express how happy you are everyone brought their scriptures. And be genuine about it. The best lesson I've ever facilitated was when I felt prompted to completely drop the lesson and ask them to take out their scriptures and inform them they would be teaching each other and myself. I asked them one thing. Prove to me and to each other that God is real. You can use your scriptures or hymn books. I gave them a good 5 minutes to look whatever they wanted up. Some didn't know where to start. We looked at the topical guides. I called on children I knew would be ready, some still needed more time. They quickly caught on to the idea that hymns have scriptures that go along with them. It really was beyond words. After the lesson, I was bearing testimony and every single child still had their heads buried in the scriptures searching for more. That was one of the happiest moments in my life. I felt so very close to the Savior.

Let us never underestimate the power of the scriptures. Please know these are just personal opinions. I'm not an expert. If you pray to Heavenly Father He will answer... much much much times infinity better than I ever could. Still it is my hope that these words can be food for thought.

Much love to you Sister Janarah and all you wonderful Primary workers out there striving to make the world a better place, one child at a time!

There are 56 children staring at me. What do I do?

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Milton CJ, Norway 9/2007

There are 56 children staring at me. What do I do?

I hope this isn't blasphemous to relate the franchise McDonald's to the church. Please, bare with me.

We know that the key to a franchise is everything the same. Ray Kroc, one of the founders of McDonald's has said, "We have found out... that we cannot trust some people who are nonconformists. We will make conformists out of them in a hurry... The organization cannot trust the individual; the individual must trust the organization." From Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser p.5

Point Sofia? Really? Are you getting there? Yes! I love our church! We trust explicitly in our church, because it is Christ's church. But He in return trusts us. A church of laymen. How very exceptional. Which brings me to my question...

There are 56 children staring at me. What do I do?

~ I guess I should mention that it's sharing time. They've already been sitting for an hour. And 1 kid is picking his nose and wiping it under his chair. ~

1. Don't panic. Really. Don't panic. They feed off fear. Besides, you've prayed at least 3 times about the lesson you prepared on Tuesday... God is with you!! Thank you Alma 26:12. (Did you notice how I ever so subtlety weaved in the importance of you praying over the lesson multiple times and preparing it in a timely manner - not the night before. Cough. Cough.)

2. Be enthusiastic. I'm not saying bounce off the wall and shake a tambourine... they feed off hyperactivity. But the gospel is exciting! Find a balance between enthusiasm and peacefulness where the spirit can be felt.

3. Let the children know YOU EXPECT THEM TO PLEASE RAISE THEIR HANDS. If you are in a primary with 5 or more children, then they need to raise their hand. They feed off chaos. State: I only call on those raising their hand. Or. God's house is a house of order, we raise our hands to be respectful of others, Heavenly Father and His house. Or. Thank you so much for remembering to raise your hand! Or. I will call on Lila because she is raising her hand so reverently. Yes, kids get excited and you don't want to kill their happiness... but you need to create an environment where the spirit can be felt. (Again, I might be too suave... but did you notice how I weaved in lots of pleases and thank you's... if you want manners, you've got to give manners!)

4. ~ Teach. Don't talk at them. Teach. Let the children SHARE their ideas. Teach. Have you lost them... are there now 4 nose pickers wiping on the chairs? Regroup. Change. Sing a song. Stretch. Back down to 1 picker? Continue and Teach. ~ They feed off boredom. Long thought I couldn't figure out how to condense. My apologies. I have found some people get up there and kind of just stand, look at their paper, shuffle their feet, clear their throat, say "I lost my place. Hold on" 3 minutes later.... more standing. Be bold. Be brave. Teach the lesson. Confidence. God has called you and He loves you.

5. Evaluate the lesson afterwards. What worked? What didn't work? And most importantly, did you feel the spirit and were the children given the opportunity to come closer to Christ? In the primary outline they provide a sharing time planning sheet... at the end is... drum roll please.... a spot for "Evaluation: Did we accomplish what we wanted to have happen? How could we improve?" We are our own worst critics, so make sure you give yourself at least 4 positive thoughts on what went right.. before calling the Young Men's President for a service project: scraping off green crusties for those primary room chairs.Really. You are fantastic. The lesson probably went spectacular!!

I hope that answers the question. It can all be so overwhelming. But Jesus Christ lives. We aren't all wearing polos, ghastly visors (Sorry. I really have a problem with visors. They are discriminatory towards bald people.) and flipping burgers... Cookie cutter models of an organization that is cautiously eyeing us from the corner. We are individuals whom the Lord has suffered so greatly for. Individuals whom He trusts. I'll end with truth. Glorious and hopeful truth. D&C 6: 32-37

" 32 Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them—even so am I in the midst of you.
33 Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.
34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.
35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.
36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
37 Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen. "

More Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas January 2009

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by artmakesmesmile July 2008

Week 2 I lived with heavenly Father before I came to earth.

* What did heaven look like before we came to earth? Give the children 5-7 minutes to quickly draw what they think the pre existence was like. Invite some children up to share their ideas.

"In a premortal council at which we were all present, [the Savior] led the forces of good against those of Satan and his followers in a battle for the souls of men that began before this world was formed. That conflict continues today. We were all on the side of Jesus then. We are on the side of Jesus today." Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Christians in Belief and Action," Ensign, Nov. 1996, 71

* Gather together some of the primary children's baby pictures. Read D&C 138:55-56. These are pictures of God's noble and great ones. Can you remember the premortal existence? Can you remember being a baby? Just because we can't remember doesn't mean it didn't happen. Invite children to come up and choose pictures. Have questions prepared on the pre exsitence for them to answer as they come up, then they can guess who the baby picture is of! End with Jeremiah 1:5. Bear testimony that we did indeed live with Heavenly Father before we came to earth. We were great then and we need to do our best to be great now!!

* Number off the children in your primary 1-2-3. Ask all the 1's to go in the corner. Is that a pretty big chunk of the primary? How would you feel if you never got to see these primary friends again? Please be careful who YOU ask this question to. We want to keep it positive. Satan himself was our brother, yet he chose to rebel against Father. How do you feel about that? We know that all the people in primary chose to follow Jesus Christ's plan, but how do we know this? Ask all the 1's, 2's and 3's to raise their hand... we all have hands! We all have bodies!

* Have different words written on the chalkboard having to do with our premortal existence (e.g. Christ, Lucifer, Plan, War, Spirits, Heavenly Father, choice, angels - include pictures for younger children to visualize by the words) Ask the children to come up with sentences including these words from the board and share with the primary. You could even divide into groups and divvy out the words.

Week 3 I am created in the image of God. My body is a temple.

If I was teaching week 3 I'd stick straight to the outline idea! It's really fantastic!

*Have a picture of a hamster. Has anyone ever had a class pet before? Who does the pet belong to? How do you take care of it? Would you ever feed the hamster something rotten that would make him sick? Would you ever take a pen and draw on it? Why? Have a coat. This is your best friends coat and they are going to let you borrow it. How would you treat it? Now hold up a mirror. We have something even more precious that Heavenly Father has created and given us. How do we take care of what we see in the mirror?

David Bednar has said, "Interestingly, I have heard many people, both outside and inside the Church, declare, “It’s my body and I can do to it what I want.” The correct doctrinal response to such a statement is quite simple. No, your body is not your own; it is on loan from God. As we read in 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 [1 Cor. 3:16–17]:
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
The choices we make about the use of our personal temples will affect us throughout all eternity." “ 'Ye Are the Temple of God’,” Ensign, Sep 2001, 14

* Have a picture of a temple and a boy and girl displayed at the top of the board. On the left hand side a little lower have the following words written "What We Take into Our Temple", "What We Put on Our Temple", "What We Do to Our Temple" and " What We Do with Our Temple". These quotes are from Eldar Bednar's talk 'Ye Are the Temple of God’,” Ensign, Sep 2001, 14. Have the children fill in the blanks under the pictures (kind of like you're making a chart). (E.G. We take into the temple white clothes, temple recommend, reverence, a humble spirit ready to learn. We take into our body temples good food, clean music and ideas from books, sunshine, vitamins, exercise, happy movies. We put the finest materials on our temples, beautiful plants and trees...etc. Review the talk to get more specifics!!) I would also have a picture of Elder Bednar to show the children where the material for the lesson came from.

* For this idea, think the game "concentration". Have a large poster board of an outline of a body cut into different pieces. Underneath a picture of the temple and the words I was created in the image of God. My body is a temple. Children can come up and choose a piece of the body and answer a question, read a scripture or sing a song all pertaining to the theme. As the pieces come off they can guess what is underneath.

Week 4 The family is ordained of God and is central to His plan.

Reader's Theatre HERE

Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas for January 2009

Diagram from Lesson 1: The Temple Teaches about the Great Plan of Salvation,” Endowed from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual, 1

I am a spirit child of Heavenly Father.
“All of you are children of the most High” (Psalm 82:6).

Week 1 Heavenly Father loves me and has a plan for me.

* Have a small box of Lincoln logs. Invite a child to come up and build a house. Ask them questions like, why don’t you put the green roof sticks on the bottom? Why do you put long logs on the bottom and shorter ones on the side? How will you make room for windows? How long will it take you to finish? Thank the child and ask if anyone has ever built a real home or knows what goes into building a real home? Show a picture of a real house. Do they just stop by home depot with $100 and window shop for things that look good or do you think they make a list of supplies they need? When you build a real home do you need a plan? What is a plan? What is Heavenly Father’s plan for me?At the end of the lesson, come back to the idea that you are grateful Heavenly Father took the time to carefully think out each piece of our lives (hold up Lincoln logs). He didn’t throw us together and hope for the best, but He perfectly designed (hold up a picture of the real home) a plan that would bring us happiness.

* Invite a child to come up that can read. Have 6 strips of paper of things they need to do. For example brush teeth, do homework, help neighbor mow lawn, play a board game with my sister, put away dishes/finish chores, spend time with Fish the family dog. Ask them how they would plan their day and to put the paper in the order they would feel is best for the day. Why wouldn’t they help their neighbor mow the lawn at the end of the day when it’s dark? Why would they do homework before playing? Is it good to have a plan for your day, why? What about having a plan for life? What might that include? Hold up a diagram of the plan of salvation and ask, who’s plan do you think this could be?
At the end of the lesson, come back to the idea that we can make plans to help our day go smoother. Heavenly Father has created the ultimate plan that gives happiness to each day and we should follow it with all our hearts.

*Bring in a 3-D book and pair of 3-D glasses. Ask a child to come up and look at the book and tell them what they see. Now put on the glasses. Is that pretty cool?
President Eyring has said:
“You can think of the plan of salvation as a set of eyes (hold up the 3-D glasses) that allow you to see what the natural eye does not see” (Mission Presidents’ Seminar, June 2000, 2). Is it pretty exciting to know where we have come from, where we are going and what our purpose here on earth is? The plan of salvation helps us see life as the happy and wonderful thing it is!
On the same note, with a little variation: Bring in a pair of glasses. Have a child come up and put them on for 5 seconds. Can they see? Is it blurry? Is it clear?“Some of us at one time or another let the pressures of life or the false teachings of men cloud our vision, but when we see with clarity, the difference between the plan of God and that of Satan is unmistakable” (Richard G. Scott, Ensign, Nov. 1981, 11)

*Margaret Lifferth in the January 2005 Friend had a wonderful sharing time idea. There is a visual with key words about Heavenly Fathers plan. You can cut these out and put on the black board. Write the scriptures on the board also. Start by looking up Moses 1:39. Then look up the scriptures and match them to the key words of the different parts of Heavenly Father’s plan.

“We lived in heaven with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ before we were born.

(See Abr. 3:22–26)

An earth was created.

(See Moses 2:1–3:3)

Adam and Eve and the Fall were a part of Heavenly Father’s plan.

(See Moses 4:6–5:12)

Jesus Christ came to earth. He is our Savior; He overcame the Fall. Because of Him, we can live again.

(See Abr. 3:27–28)

Coming to a family is part of Heavenly Father’s plan.

(See paragraphs 1–4 of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102.)

I would just put up the whole proclamation, they should have these in the library.

We will all die, and because of Jesus Christ, we will all be resurrected.

(See Alma 11:42–45)

When we follow the example of Jesus Christ, we can inherit the celestial kingdom.

(See D&C 76:50–70)”

* Thomas S. Monson, “Which Road Will You Travel?,” Ensign, Mar 1991, 2

Have copies of this talk for the SENIOR sharing time. Divide them into groups. Highlight different parts of the talk for them to read and discuss. Then have 1 child come up to summarize what they read or read a quote that the group enjoyed.

* From the D&C and Church History Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 19: The Plan of Salvation, Purpose, 105

" Display the small pieces of the picture that you have brought to class, but do not display the picture.Tell class members that these small pieces are part of a bigger picture. Invite them to briefly guess what is in the picture. Then display the picture, putting the small pieces in place.
Point out that although the small pieces are important, they would have little meaning if they were not part of the big picture. Explain that experiences we have, decisions we make, and truths we learn are like small pieces of a big picture. They have less meaning if they are not put in the context of a bigger picture: the plan of salvation. A knowledge of the plan of salvation can help us make righteous decisions, find joy in mortality, and prepare for eternal life. This lesson discusses the plan of salvation.

The plan of salvation is “one of heaven’s best gifts to mankind.”
Write on the chalkboard Heavenly Father’s Plan of ___________________.

Ask class members to complete the phrase. Encourage them to think of as many answers from the scriptures as they can. Write their responses on the chalkboard. After a minute or two, share any of the following answers that they have not mentioned:
Salvation (Alma 24:14; Alma 42:5; Moses 6:62)
Restoration (Alma 41:2)
Happiness (Alma 42:8, Alma 42:16)
Mercy (Alma 42:15, Alma 42:31)
Redemption (Jacob 6:8; Alma 12:25–33)

• What do these words teach about Heavenly Father’s plan?
• The prophet Alma referred to Heavenly Father’s plan as “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8). How can the plan of salvation bring us happiness?

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “The great plan of salvation…be regarded as one of heaven’s best gifts to mankind” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 68). What can we do to give the plan of salvation “our strict attention”?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More December 2008 Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

WEEK 4 Because I know that I am a child of God and that Jesus Christ is my Savior, I will . . .

* Bring up a couple chairs to the front. Have a picture of a family and put out a little rug. Make it a cozy setting. Explain to the children that we are having a pretend family home evening. You have 2 friends from school who wanted to come to FHE. They aren't members. The lesson you are going to be giving is " Because I know that I am a child of God and that Jesus Christ is my Savior, I will . . ." Have them split into small groups and come up with a 2 minute thought and scripture that they can present in front of the primary.

* For the Senior Sharing Time ONLY. In Preach my gospel, page 126 there is an attribute activity. Start off by reading Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-28, "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." Explain that we are all children of God,

* Have 2 cans in the front labeled WILL and WON'T. Also have a bag. Give the children some strips of paper. Have them write things they will do and things they won't do because they know they are children of Heavenly Father and that Jesus is our Savior. (Teachers or older children can help younger children by writing for them) Have them put all their strips of paper in the bag. Have a child come up and choose a strip of paper when everyone is done. Read the strip EXCEPT for the word will or won't. Have the primary then decide if it's something we will do or won't do and put into the correct can accordingly.

* Bring a back pack and introduce it as your new year's back pack. Have 2009 taped to it. All year you've been learning in primary that we are children of God and that Jesus is our Savior. You've packed a bag for the new year with lots of things you could do. Now you need the primary children's help to decide what is the most important things to take and actually DO in the new year. (You can have things inside like a video game, scriptures, a picture of someone praying, tickets to a basketball game on a Sunday, a dustpan to help clean the church, a pass along card, a picture of the temple, a picture of a couch potato, a modest dress... etc.) Ask the children what are other things they can do?

December 2008 Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

GAK 201

December Theme: I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His restored gospel.
December Scripture: "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies." 2 Nephi 25:26

Week 1 The prophets foretold Jesus Christ would come to earth.

* Have a nativity displayed. Tape a small scripture or question to each piece of the nativity regarding what the prophets prophesied of Jesus' birth. Let the children come up and pick a piece. You could also tape on some Christmas songs.

* Draw a large clock on the blackboard. At the top of the clock on the 12 hide a picture of Christ's birth- put a piece of paper over it with a ? mark. (GAK 201) Have 11 scriptures and questions based on what prophets have foretold about "the time" having to do when Jesus Christ would come to earth.

For example:
1.What is prophecy?
“For prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:19–21
Put up a picture of a mouth

2. Who does God speak to us through?
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7
Put up a picture of Pres. Monson

3. Who did Nephi see after the Tree of Life?
Virgin Mary
Etc. Now work in questions and visuals having to do with Christ and His earthly birth

* Bring in a farmers almanac or a picture of it.
"Weather prediction has always been a major feature of the Farmers’ Almanac. The Almanac Publishing Company claims readers of the Farmers’ Almanac have attributed an 80 to 85 percent accuracy rate to the publication’s annual forecasts. Scientific studies of these claims have shown them to be false. On average the Almanac's predictions are no better than chance.
Predictions for each edition are made as far as two years in advance. The Farmers’ Almanac publishers are highly secretive about the method used to make its predictions, only stating publicly that it is a “top secret mathematical and astronomical formula, that relies on sunspot activity, tidal action, planetary position and many other factors.” The identity of the Farmers’ Almanac weather forecaster is also a secret. The Almanac’s forecaster is referred to by the pseudonym “Caleb Weatherbee.” (This info is courtesy Wikipedia)

Would it be nice to know the weather every single day? Why? We will never know what the weather will bring but we have something that is a lot more exact and 100% accurate... that is the messages of the prophets.

"There isn’t any other way in this world that we can know the mind and the will of the Lord as intelligently and assuredly as we can know it through the holy prophets."
LeGrand Richards, “Prophets and Prophecy,” Ensign, Nov 1975, 50

And from Adam, they have all testified of one thing. What is that one thing? Jesus Christ.
“And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19–21

* Make a reverent music video of Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus - #36 Children's Songbook. Divide the primary into different groups. Assign them lines in the song to draw pictures of. Play Christmas music while they work and make sure the children know to be softer than the music. Attach the pictures together with tape to make a rollerbox. Have the kids sing while you move it. On the bottom of the box you could put BYU TV. (Go blue!)

On that same thought pattern, you could assign different scriptures of prophets who foretold the coming of Christ and ask the groups to put together roller box pictures of the story and come up to tell it. So basically the materials you'll need are scriptures, crayons, plenty of paper, tape, some paper towel rolls and a cardboard box with a hole cut out in front... perhaps some paperclips too to hold the rolls on the side.

Week 2 The prophecies were fulfilled. Jesus Christ was born and the righteous rejoiced.

* Have 2 children come up. Ask one to be the sun and the other the earth. Ask them to show the primary what happens in space between these 2 things. (The earth child will walk in a circle around the sun) Read Helaman 12:15 "And thus, according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun. "

Next have a child come up as a great lake. Ask them to show what happens during a drought. (They should crumble to the ground) Read Helaman 12: 16 And behold, also, if he say unto the waters of the great deep—Be thou dried up—it is done."

Have another child come up and ask them to stand by the light switch. Have them turn off the light and then show us the first thing God did that we see in the scriptures. (Turn on the light.)

Read Genesis 1:3 "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."

What our Father and Elder Brother Jesus say is truth and will always come to pass. Alma 37:16 reads "...For God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words." Prophets foretold of Jesus Christ being born and His birth happened as sure as there is light, as sure as we move around the sun, as sure as water dries up in the summer.

* Make a graph of Christmas hymns. Sing the songs and have children put up smiley faces for the number of times you can count the song referencing joy, happiness and rejoicing.

* Make a Samuel the Lamanite matching game. For example on one card you could have Samuel prophesied Helaman 13:6 "the Lord Jesus Christ, who surely shall come into the world, and shall suffer many things and shall be slain for his people. " - the matching card would then be a picture of the nativity.

On another card Samuel prophesied Helaman 13: 9 "And four hundred years shall not pass away before I will cause that they shall be smitten; yea, I will visit them with the sword and with famine and with pestilence." - the matching card could be a picture of Moroni burying the plates as he witnessed the destruction of his people.

Opinionated tid-bit: For the Junior primary about 6 matches (12 cards) is more than sufficient for a 15 minute period of time. Too many cards, too many choices and nothing gets matched! Also, I NEVER divide the primary into teams. (Disclaimer: I'm not saying it's wrong to do so!!! AGAIN Personal OPINION!!!) The reason I do not divide is because of that, it's a division and on principle I think being united is better than being divided. Working together as a primary to achieve a goal promotes unity and discourages unneeded competition in God's house. Just think about it. Mull it over.

Week 3 Jesus Christ restored His gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

* Make a timeline of events that happened during the restoration. Have children draw out pictures (out of a bag) and properly sequence them on the chalkboard. I would start the events at the time Jesus Christ walked on earth, died and was resurrected. You could end with a current picture of the first presidency or a local temple. The following are events and dates found from Church History in the Fullness of Times Manuel (Religion 341 through 343):

34-100 AD Apostles lead New Testament church

60-70 Peter and Paul martyred

Apostasy

1620 Pilgrims arrive in Plymouth

Jan. 24 1796 Joseph Smith Sr. marries Lucy Mack

1812-13 7 year old Joseph Smith suffered complications from typhoid fever and was operated on

(He didn't use any alcohol to numb the pain)

Spring 1820 14 year old Joseph saw the Father and the Son in the sacred grove

Sept 21-22 1823 First appearances of Moroni to Joseph Smith

May 1829 John the baptist restored the Aaronic priesthood

May-June 1829 Peter, James and John restored the Melchizedek Priesthood

Fall 1829-Winter 1830 Book of Mormon Printed in Palmyra

1836 1st Temple dedicated Kirtland Ohio where priesthood keys were restored

1844 Joseph and Hyrum died martyrs in Carthage

* Have a picture of the Savior and Joseph Smith within a venn diagram on the board. Make sure the section for similarities in the middle is larger than the differences section. Ask the children to come up with as many similarities and differences as they can between Jesus and Joseph. Emphasize how Jesus is our Savior, we worship Heavenly Father and Him ONLY. But we highly reverence our beloved prophet Joseph because he helped bring back the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Read 2 Nephi 3:7-11

* Read Doctrine and Covenants 122: 5-9

Ask the children what they know and can share about Joseph Smith. Have the children write thank you notes to Joseph Smith. Ask them to name specifics. ("Because he was nice" is not specific, ask "how was he nice", "He spent a lot of time translating the plates" Voila.) We obviously can't give these notes to Joseph Smith but the children can take them home and put them in a journal. Encourage the children to pray and take time that night to feel the spirit bear witness that Joseph Smith did indeed restore the gospel of Christ.

November 2008 Sharing Time Helps for Week 3

For weeks 1,2 and 4 scroll on down folks!

Week 3 Heavenly Father loves all His children.

Here are a couple Reader's Theatres I've written. But before, some tips for a smooth experience:

* choose your readers carefully!!!!, remember most Sunbeams can't read so don't get upset if you hand them the part and they're holding it upside down looking at you oddly

* Have plenty of scripts!! At least one for each part. Highlight the parts according to each script so it's easier for the children to follow and know when they're speaking.

* Give them a few minutes to look over their part, sing some songs while doing so.

* Bring in SIMPLE props or costumes. I was thinking round circles of paper with cotton balls glued on to make a little sheep hat? Just go easy, you want their attention focused on the message and doctrine of the play

* Have a script for yourself to follow to help prompt. Be familiar with it so you can direct the children in what they need to do, especially the non-speaking parts.

* Pace yourself. You only have 15ish minutes, don't try to squeeze too much in too little time.

* Ask the review questions after the play

* Some preventative preparation: Pray, pray, pray... and pray some more that it will go smoothly and that the spirit will be there (throughout the week before)

On a side note, all quoted items are from the scriptures, hymnbook, prophets themselves and referenced at the end. So what Joseph Smith says is what he's actually said before and same with President Monson.

Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd

By Sofia Lykes

Parts:
Narrator 1 and 2
Shepherd
Sheep 1 and 2
Nonspeaking- 4 or 5 other sheep, 2 friends/neighbors, 1 person posed as mountain dividing shepherd from sheep??

Narrator 1: Dear to the heart of the Shepherd, Dear are the sheep of his fold; Dear is the love that he gives them, Dearer than silver or gold.

Shepherd: Hmmmmmmm…. Would I rather have a million dollars or my sheep? That’s easy!! My precious sheep. I love them so!!

Narrator 1: Dear to the heart of the Shepherd, Dear are his “other” lost sheep;Over the mountains he follows, Over the waters so deep.

Sheep 1: Baaaaa. What does dear to the heart mean? You keep saying it over and over and over? Baaaa.

Narrator 1: Dear to the heart means that the Shepherd loves his sheep very much.

Shepherd: I love them so much I’d follow them over the high mountains and deep waters.

Sheep 1: Baaaaa. Well, what if the mountain was steep and dangerous and the water freezing cold. Would you follow and search for me then?

Shepherd: Luke Chapter 15 verses 4 through 7 answers your question perfectly. Come closer little sheep and we will read it together.

Narrator 2: “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

Narrator 1: “ And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

Sheep 2: Baaa. That’s really deep.

Shepherd: See, the Good Shepherd is seeking, Seeking the lambs that are lost,Bringing them in with rejoicing, Saved at such infinite cost.

Questions to ponder/ask: What infinite cost were we all bought with? What does this play teach us about God’s love for all His children? How can we be under-shepherds?

References: Dear to the Heart of the Children Hymn 221

Heavenly Father's Love Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
By Sofia Lykes

Parts:
Narrator 1 and 2
Joseph Smith
President Monson
Non speaking-3 Mob members, Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, Willard Richards

Narrator 1: Sometimes I wish I could have lived in ancient Egypt. I wish I could have seen Moses part the red sea. Heavenly Father must have loved them a lot to make such a miracle happen.

Narrator 2: I know! That would have been awesome!

Joseph Smith: “Souls are as precious in the sight of God as they ever were.”

Narrator 1: But I’ve never had a huge miracle in my life before.

Narrator 2: Hey, Joseph Smith is right! Remember the scripture 1 Ne. 10: 18 “ For he (Heavenly Father) is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” We may not have walls of water around us, but we can see the miracle of God’s love around us!

President Monson: "I think one of the sweetest lessons taught by the Prophet, and yet one of the saddest, occurred close to the time of his death. He was required to leave his plan and vision of the Rocky Mountains and give himself up to face a court of supposed justice. These are his words:”

Joseph Smith: “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men' (D&C 135:4).”

President Monson: “There was to be one great final lesson before his mortal life ended. He was incarcerated in Carthage Jail with his brother Hyrum, with John Taylor, and with Willard Richards. The angry mob stormed the jail; they came up the stairway, blasphemous in their cursing, heavily armed, and began to fire at will. Hyrum was hit and died. John Taylor took several balls of fire within his bosom. The Prophet Joseph, with his pistol in hand, was attempting to defend his life and that of his brethren, and yet he could tell from the pounding on the door that this mob would storm that door and would kill John Taylor and Willard Richards in an attempt to kill him.

And so his last great act here upon the earth was to leave the door and lead Willard Richards to safety, throw the gun on the floor, and go to the window, that they might see him, that the attention of this ruthless mob might be focused upon him rather than the others. Joseph Smith gave his life. Willard Richards was spared, and John Taylor recovered from his wounds.

Narrator 2: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). The Prophet Joseph Smith taught us love--by example.

Narrator 1: Joseph Smith knew the importance and truth of God’s love for each one of us.

President Monson: “With all the strength of my soul I testify that our Heavenly Father loves each one of us. He hears the prayers of humble hearts; He hears our cries for help. . . . His Son, our Savior and Redeemer, speaks to each of us today: 'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him' (Revelation 3:20).
"Will we listen for that knock? Will we hear that voice? Will we open that door to the Lord, that we may receive the help He is so ready to provide? I pray that we will."

Questions to ponder/ask: If God loves us, why do bad things sometimes happen still? What has happened in my life to know Heavenly Father loves me?

References:
Thomas S. Monson, "Mrs. Patton--the Story Continues," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 24
Thomas S. Monson, "By Example," New Era, Dec. 2005, 8
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith P. 76-77

Miscellaneous Finds on Gratitude

The church website has THE BEST resources!! In case you don't have the time, here are some links to stories, FHE's, Friend Articles on Gratitude.

31106, Family Home Evening Resource Book, Lesson Ideas, Gratitude, 192

"I am overwhelmed with feelings of thanksgiving. I feel so richly blessed of the Lord. I think no man has been blessed so richly as I have been blessed. I cannot understand it..." Gordon B. Hinkley
Want more, click here.

Elizabeth Ricks, “Two Little Words,” Friend, Nov 2007, 14–16
* Gratitude Journal Idea included

Pat Graham, “Sharing Time: Gratitude for God’s Creations,” Friend, Jul 1984, 37
* Pioneers who gave thanks

Margaret Lifferth, “Sharing Time: I Am Grateful for Many Things,” Friend, Dec 2005, 17
* When you scroll down, look at the Sharing Time Ideas 1 and 4, excellent!!

Elizabeth Ricks, “Sharing Time: Magnificent Promises,” Friend, Nov 2006, 14–16
* WOW! WOW! WOW! Thanks Sister Ricks!!

William Schlegl, “Thankfulness,” Friend, Nov 2008, 21
* A fun brain teaser for a primary newsletter.

November 2008 Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Worth of a Soul by Liz Lemmon Swindle (for purchase off of LDSart.com)

NOVEMBER THEME
I am thankful to know that we are all children of God.

“Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things”
(D&C 59:7).

Week 1 "I am thankful to be a beloved child of God."

* Make a poster board picture of a well. To be "beloved" is to be deeply loved. Here is my thought and I don't know if I'm explaining it really well. At carnivals they have the go fish game where a child will take a fishing pole and throw it over a wall to get a prize. So if you get a small bucket, attach a string and throw it over the picture of the well then they can get little hearts with various scriptures, songs and questions about gratitude as an activity for sharing time.
John 4:14 "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

* Have about 5 adults come in and say something they are thankful for in a different language and the words I am a child of God. Sing I am a child of God and try to learn it in a different language. Also sing Children All Over the World. Have those 5 adults stay if possible and divide into groups. Rotate to the different adults and have the children say things they are grateful for and the adults teach them how to say it in that different language.

Psalms 19: 3,"There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."

* 1 John 4:11 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." Divide the chalkboard into 3 sections with the titles 1.Heavenly Father loves me because: 2.I love Heavenly Father because: 3.So I will do: Brainstorm all the ideas you can think of. Have children help write ideas on the chalkboard, draw pictures for the younger children and then count all the blessings named. Sing count your many blessings. Then challenge the children to go and do good things out of gratitude to their Heavenly Father.

* This idea might be a little off the wall, bear with me. Is there someone in your branch that knows how to knit? Invite them in, with all their knitting tools. Mosiah 18: 21, "And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." Have the children answer questions on gratitude, read scriptures, say nice things about each other... and as they do so, have the knitter make 2 notches for each answer (or more if it's really a good answer) Have a completed scarf or blanket to show the children. Emphasize again that when we have our hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another, great things will happen and marvelous miracles will occur. Heavenly Father loves us and we show our gratitude to Him by loving others.

Week 2 I am thankful for my body. I know my body is a temple.

* Have a piece of paper with an outline of a body on it for each child. Bring in a sheet of 10 stickers for each child. Put them into small groups of 4 or 5 with a teacher to help guide. They will choose 10 different (appropriate) parts of their body to put stickers on. Then they go around in the circle and take off one sticker at a time saying why they are grateful for that part of the body and match it to the part on the body paper they have. Then have a couple people share their answers with the whole primary. The Family Proclamation states: "All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny."

* Special Witness by Elder David A. Bednar is exceptional!!! Have a picture of a local temple (if possible, or any temple will do) and a handheld mirror. Have 4 word strips with the words:

What We Take into Our Temple
What We Put on Our Temple
What We Do to Our Temple
What We Do with Our Temple

Make small pictures to correspond to the answers given by Elder Bednar. Have the children match and discuss where the pictures belong- under the picture of the temple or by the mirror, which shows our own temple. For senior sharing time have them find scriptures with the Topical Guide to correspond to the lesson.

* My Body is a Temple Friend Magazine May 2002 pg. 18 is FABULOUS!!!! You could even use it as an attention getter (at the start of the lesson to focus everyone on the topic) by making the little body builder and saying things you are thankful for, about or because of your body, while he lifts the weight. Have the children practice flexing their gratitude muscles by saying things they are thankful for also once the little man is made!!

Week 3 Heavenly Father loves all of His children.

*See HERE for a couple reader's theatres.

Week 4 I can show respect and kindness to all of God’s children.

* Invite 2 children up to the front. Blindfold one and ask him to take the hand of the other. Tell the blindfolded child to lead the other one across the room.

D&C 19:40-41 "Or canst thou run about longer as a blind guide? Or canst thou be humble and meek, and conduct thyself wisely before me? Yea, come unto me thy Savior. Amen." What does this scripture mean to the children? Talk about being an "example".

* Have a child come to the front and write with his toes his name on a piece of paper. Have another child come up and try to write their name with a pen in their mouth (please be careful... thank you law suits...) The point: We are grateful for our arms and hands! Every part of our body was carefully designed. Not everyone has a body that works perfectly though. Why? Sing CS 140 I'll Walk With You. We are all children of God. Make a small slide show or power point with different pictures of children to the music of I'm trying to be like Jesus.

* Dramatize the following with the children: ( I would make little signs like "leper" or "palsy" for the diseased, have simple sheets to put on angel and Jesus and a blue blanket for the water) John 5: 4-9, "4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath."
Do we put our needs before others? How can we be like the angel and move the water for others? We can help heal in many different ways by showing respect and kindness.

* Have 3 ziploc bags full of jelly beans or smarties (I personally would do smarties, because you are what you eat!), different amounts in each bag though. Give them to 3 different children (Choose the children wisely). Explain that the children could keep the bags all for themselves or they could share with everyone. Brigham Young and other church leaders helped to establish the "United Order" (See Church History in the Fullness of Times Manuel pg. 402-404) Elder Cannon said this order would bring in a time, "When there shall be no rich and no poor among the Latter-day Saints, when wealth will not be a temptation; when every man will love his neighbor as he does himself; when every man and woman will labor for the good of all as much as for self"" (Church History in the Fullness of Times Manuel pg. 402) We may not be asked to start up the United Order again right now and give everything we have, but we should look for EVERY MOMENT when we can show kindness and respect to all of God's children. (D&C 92, 104)

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? The Iron Rod!!

I love FamilyFun Magazine!! At the end of the magazine is the Try This Now Section and this month's feature is "Pour Water Sideways".

Quote,

"You can defy gravity with this aqua-batic stunt. What to do:

Wet a length of yarn (ours measures about 3 feet) and tie it to the handle of a liquid measuring cup. Fill the cup approximately two-thirds full of water. Position the yarn over the spout, then place the loose end in a drinking glass. Hold the measuring cup about 1 1/2 feet from the glass and use your free hand to pull the yarn taut over the center of the glass, as shown. Beginning slowly (you may spill a little), pour the water along the yarn. When the water begins "stikcing", you can pout it more quickly. Make this trick even more drip defying by using a longer piece of yarn to see how far you can pour with no spills.

Why it Works: Water molecules like to stick together. In physics, this is called cohesion. By soaking the yarn first, you create a liquid surface for the stream of water to cling to."

I think this is a fantastic visual of how we need to cling and hold to the iron rod. First, take the measuring cup and pour it (without the string, up in the air like in the picture), the water goes all over. Then do this trick and we see how we can reach the cup or the tree of life by the word of God!! Love it!!!

1 Nephi 8: 19-20, 24, 30

19 And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.
20 And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.
24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.
30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.

1 Ne. 11: 25
25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.