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!

June 2011 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com byjlk Nov. 2009

Monthly Theme: The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel Make It Possible for Me to Live with God Again.

Monthly Scripture: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:4).

Week 1 Faith in Jesus Christ leads us to love Him, trust Him, and keep His commandments.

* Whip out your Faith in God books! In it, it says, "An important part of faith in God is keeping your baptismal covenant and staying spiritually strong. To help you develop faith and resist temptation, do the following things:

• Pray daily to Heavenly Father.
• Read the scriptures regularly.
• Keep the commandments and live “My Gospel Standards” (see back cover).
• Honor your parents and be kind to your family.
• Pay your tithing and attend tithing settlement.
• Attend sacrament meetings and Primary regularly. "
Play a game of charades, acting out these things that our Faith in God books encourage us to do to build our faith! Under the learning and living the gospel section of the book, it has an activity to complete, "Tell a story from the Book of Mormon that teaches about faith in Jesus Christ. Share your testimony of the Savior." Have the children divide into small groups or pairs and do so!

* Bring in a fruit by the foot. Can we just eat this? If someone says yes, try stuffing it in your mouth with the wrapper. Doesn't work. What do you have to do to eat it? Unwrap it, unroll it, break it into pieces or roll around your finger or wad it into a ball, then of course throw out the trash.... Faith isn't just something that happens and bam, sweetness and yumminess! You have to work on faith. You have to open up your heart to faith, just like we opened the wrapper.... and you have to unravel it and work on it. Along the way of faith you will find love, trust and a desire to keep the commandments. Try to somehow hang the fruit by the foot up on the board. At the end of it, have a picture of Christ. Have the children brainstorm different ways to strengthen their faith and write it on the board, getting closer and closer to Christ. Ask the children if they can think of any stories from the scriptures that have faithful people in it. Always close your lesson with your brief testimony of what you have taught.

* I know I'm going to have some whack job tell me this idea is nuts, but here's what I have to say- If you don't like it, don't use it. I pray over everything I write, but I am not a prophet nor claim to be one. I don't have inspiration about what exactly you should do to teach your group of spectacular children. :) With that said, get out the transformer toys!! This will catch the children's attention. What do transformers do? They change from big hairy robots into cars. It almost seems impossible that a robot as tall as a building could change into a small little Camero, but it does. We know transformers aren't real. It's just a movie. But what we'll talk about today is very real. It is something that helps to change a person too.... does anyone have any ideas?? What helps change us?? (Remember, be supportive of all ideas given, even if it's not what you are looking for. For example, someone might say Baptism... to which you can reply, "You are absolutely right! Baptism does change people, what are some other ideas?") In general conference last year, Elder Scott said, "When faith is properly understood and used, it has dramatically far-reaching effects. Such faith can transform an individual’s life..." Then have questions, scriptures (Look at such examples like Alma the younger and Paul), and songs about faith attached to about 10 different transformer toys. Let the children come up and choose one. End with this quote by Elder Hales, "The first step to finding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is to let His word—spoken by the mouth of His servants, the prophets—touch your heart. But it is not enough merely to let those words wash over you, as if they alone could transform you. We must do our part. Or as the Savior Himself said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” In other words, hearing requires an active effort. “Faith without works is dead.”

* Watch part of Finding Faith in Christ, HERE is a link to it. The whole video is 30 minutes. It's a really good one. I especially like the beginning, because Jesus just wakes up and calms the storm... He doesn't complain, or say give me 5 more minutes, He just up and does it.

* Here is a Bible Crossword Puzzle (from The Friend) of people of great faith.

* Here is a great sharing time from the Friend focusing on Alma 32:21.

Week 2 Repentance brings forgiveness.

* Pass out some hearts to the children and let them make a quick note to the Bishop. Have them bring up to a box. Tell the children you are going to wrap it now. Do a really bad job, put the bow on your head!! Is this gift wrap worthy to be given to the Bishop? He deserves better right? And so it is with us and Heavenly Father. We don't want our lives to be messy and full of sin, we want to be neat and clean when we present ourselves to him.... and the way to do this is by repentance!! Read 3 Nephi 27:19 "And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." Have a child unwrap the messy paper. Have 6 pictures of people in the scriptures who were good examples of repentance and forgiveness... invite a child to come up and tell the story, then help wrap a part of the present. And of course, have a couple children deliver the present to the Bishop after church!

* Have a child come up to the front and hold a "Can Not Enter" sign. Tell the primary you are going to whisper a special word in their ear. Happiness, heaven, and progress is to the right side of them. They can't let anybody past them unless they come up with that special word. Invite a few children to come up and say a word. Each time the child holding the sign can say, Sorry, that's not the word.
"Every principle and ordinance of the gospel of Jesus Christ is significant and important in contributing to the progress, happiness, and eternal life of man; but there is none more essential to the salvation of the human family than the divine and eternally operative principle, repentance. Without it, no one can be saved. Without it, no one can even progress." (President David O. McKay, Man may know for Himself: Teachings of President David O. McKay, 43)

* Never underestimate children. You can ask them hard questions and often be edified by their wisdom.
Why do we need to repent? Why can't we just repent right before we die? Why can't we repent after we die and just make sure someone has our name to do temple work for us? What does it take, what do we need to do to repent?

A quote I've often used to show how important our bodies truly are is this, "It is my judgement that any man or woman can do more to conform to the laws of God in one year in this life than they could in ten years when they are dead. The spirit only can repent and change, and then the battle has to go forward with the flesh afterwards. It is much easier to overcome and serve the Lord when both flesh and spirit are combined as one. This is the time when men are more pliable and susceptible. When clay is pliable, it is much easier to change than when it gets hard and sets." (Elder Ballard, in Bryant Hinckley's Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin Joseph Ballard, 241) Give the children some play dough and let them create something for a few minutes.Then invite some children forward to share their creation and say something they know about repentance.

* "God is good. He is eager to forgive. He wants us to perfect ourselves and maintain control of ourselves. He does not want Satan and others to control our lives." (Spencer W.Kimball, The Gospel of Repentance, Ensign, Oct. 1982, 2) Have a picture of a remote control car cut into a 8 pieces. On the pieces have 8 questions, songs and scriptures having to do with repentance. As the children take down pieces of the controlled car, have the words "I WILL REPENT!!!" written, so it will be slowly revealed.

* Here is a rollerbox story about repentance you can prepare and share from the Friend.

* Here is the story of Miriam and her process of repentance. You could easily have a few children act it out. I always like to use fruit leather as edible leper spots.

Week 3 When I am baptized, I make a covenant with God.

(These have been recycled from a previous post)

*What is a covenant? A binding agreement or promise between God and a person or group of people.

Play Wheel of Covenants! Bring in a spinner with different values and earn points as a primary! Phrases to be solved: (Take out 2-3 words or have them fill in the word or guess a letter….) Have pictures to accompany the phrases once solved!
Take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ
Stand as a witness for God
Keep the Commandments
The Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands
Enter into the Kingdom of God
Have children come up at the end and hold the pictures. Bear testimony if we do these things like take upon us the name of Jesus, keep the commandments and stand as a witness for God by being baptized then He will keep up His part of the covenant and bless us with the Holy Ghost and let us enter into His kingdom.

* Bring in a large blue shower curtain (Dollar store!) or large piece of blue butcher paper or old blue sheet. Have tape!!, glue sticks, coloring crayons and plenty of sheets of paper. Make a primary mural depicting the story of Alma and the Waters of Mormon! (Mosiah 18) Show GAK picture 309 and BRIEFLY tell the story of what happened there. Invite the children to share what they know about the story. Children can draw people being baptized, Alma, plants, flowers, clouds…. Invite older children to find out…. Things We Covenant: and Things Heavenly Father Covenants when We are Baptized: (Gospel Principles outlines these perfectly… have them write down and add to the mural!) And voila! You have a great visual to use for other lessons on baptism!!

*Here is a great resource with ideas from Cheryl Esplin! The kids could do the mazes together in partners for Senior Sharing time.

*Here is a flannel board baptism story from the friend magazine.

* Here is a wonderful roller box presentation on covenants with additional ideas from Ann Jamison from the friend magazine.

* Here is a super duper board game you can enlarge and play called “Keeping My Baptismal Covenants” by Jennifer Rose and Beth M. Whittaker.

Week 4 The Holy Ghost comforts and guides me.

* "The gift of the Holy Ghost operates equally with men, women, and even little children. It is within this wondrous gift and power that the spiritual remedy to any problem can be found. 'And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned' (Alma 32:23)." Boyd K. Packer, "Prayer and Promptings," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 45

Have a first aid kit. Invite the children to come up and choose items from the kit that have questions, songs and scriptures about the Holy Ghost on them.

* Have the word “Holy Ghost” written in about 10 different languages on the board.
“In every language, the Spirit of God—the Holy Ghost—guides, or can guide, every member of the Church.” Boyd K. Packer, "The Cloven Tongues of Fire,” Ensign, May 2000, 7

Have a globe with small numbers attached. Invite a child to come up and spin the globe, using their finger to stop it. Have the numbers correspond to questions, songs and scriptures having to do with the Holy Ghost.

* Hold up a blankie. Does anyone have a special blankie that they love, that gives them happiness and comfort? After Jesus was crucified, the apostles were very sad. Do you think Heavenly Father dropped blankies from the sky to help them feel better? Read John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

* Has anyone ever stayed at a hotel when they've gone on vacation? What was it like? There is a hotel called The Comfort Inn... do you think if you stayed there forever you would have comfort forever? Maybe, maybe not. There is only one real way to have comfort all the time, and that is by having the Holy Ghost with you. He is the true comforter!!  Have a hotel drawn on the board with the words, The Holy Ghost Comforter Inn. Have different pieces of furniture the children can add to the hotel with questions, scriptures and songs about the Holy Ghost.

Book of Mormon Reader's Theater/ Mini-Musical

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Travis S. 2008

The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ

By Sofia Lykes

(Feel free to use and distribute in church or private family setting. Please just don't sell to a publishing company as your own work because it's like big hair bangs of the 80's... Just. Plain. Wrong.)

Characters
Narrator 1                Narrator 2
Teacher                    Student 1, 2, 3 ( A couple more to sit around, even though they don’t talk)
Joseph Smith            Moroni

Props
Book of Mormon
Simple Costumes
Picture of Christ
Chair for the Teacher with children sitting around him/her - remember, no backs to the audience though!

****

(With piano playing softly in the background Book of Mormon Stories CS 118)

Narrator 1: In 82 different languages, the Book of Mormon can be understood. In 82 different languages, the Book of Mormon testifies that Jesus is the Christ.

Narrator 2: Over 150 million Books of Mormon have been printed since Joseph Smith translated it. 150 million chances have been given to others as a testimony that Jesus is the Christ.

(Piano stops)

Teacher: Hello class! I’m so glad you all could make it to church! Today we will be learning about the Book of Mormon. Can someone please read from the Introduction of the Book of Mormon! Thanks!

Student 1: “The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture”

Student 2: “The book was written by many ancient prophets”

Student 3: “The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.”

Teacher: Thank you students! Let's all sing about Jesus coming to the Nephites in the song This is My Beloved Son.

(Primary Sings Verse 2 of This is My Beloved Son CS 76)

Narrator 1: Ancient Prophets were faithful in writing down the words of the Lord.

Narrator 2: Joseph Smith was faithful in translating the words of the Lord.

Joseph Smith: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

Student 1: I am so grateful for all the work of Nephi, Jacob, Alma and many others who shared their life and knowledge with us.

Student 2: I know! Where would we be if we didn’t have the Book of Mormon?

Student 3: Joseph Smith was a true servant to Father in heaven. We are very blessed because he was a humble person willing to do whatever God asked him to do.

Teacher: Being obedient is a principle that is taught a lot in the Book of Mormon. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of doing everything Heavenly Father asks.

Student 1: I want to be obedient and do His will too! Teacher, can we please sing a song about following God’s plan because I sure do love to sing!!

Teacher: Of course!

(Primary Sings I Will Follow God’s Plan CS 164)

Narrator 1: There is so much to learn from the Book of Mormon. Family and teachers can tell us all about it!

Narrator 2: We need to read our scriptures every day! Others can tell us all about Christ, but we need to learn for ourselves who He is.

(Piano plays softly in the background while Moroni speaks Search Ponder and Pray CS 109)

Moroni: “ Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”

(Piano stops)

Teacher: In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.


** All quotes are taken directly from the Book of Mormon Introduction and Moroni 10:3-5. Also, the beginning # facts are from HERE, a newsroom release from LDS.org.

TIPS

Choose your readers carefully!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go over what a good reader does (before starting)- speaks clearly and loudly!! Especially because in this reader's theater the piano will be playing while you speak, and everyone needs to hear what you are saying!!!

Have the primary listen carefully because the teacher will be asking for help and singing!!

You can invite children from the audience to hold up props or pictures for the songs you sing in the reader's theater. Then they can sit back down.

Have fun!!

Resurrection Eggs

Image courtesy creative commons image license flickr.com by kanspice 2000

You can buy these online for $14 or make them for $1 or less. There are lots of ideas out there, but this was the first one I googled and liked from teachkidsthebible.com. (I don't support or endorse this website, I know nothing about it, just citing where I got the info) This is a great activity for FHE or to give as simple gifts to a special child.

First, number your plastic eggs with permanent marker. Then fill with the items listed and hide. Let children find and go over the story of Jesus and His resurrection.

Egg Number 1

Message: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people waved palm branches.

Passage: Matthew 21:1-11.

Item: A small plastic leaf or a piece of a palm branch or a blade of grass.

Egg Number 2

Message: Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet.

Passage: John 12:2-8.

Item: Cotton ball with perfume on it.

Egg Number 3

Message: Jesus ate the Last Supper with His disciples.

Passage: Matthew 26:17-19.

Item: A small piece of cracker to represent the passover bread.

Egg Number 4

Message: Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

Passage: Matthew 27:3.

Item: Three dimes

Egg Number 5

Message: Jesus carried His cross.

Passage: John 19:17.

Item: A toothpick that is cut and glued in the form of a cross. (Or twist a pipecleaner)

Egg Number 6

Message: Soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus' head.

Passage: John 19:2.

Item: A small thorny branch or a single large thorn

Egg Number 7

Message: Soldiers parted Jesus' garments and cast lots for His coat.

Passage: John 19:23.

Item: Miniature dice

Egg Number 8

Message: Jesus was nailed to a cross and pierced in His side.

Passage: John 19:18,37 and John 20:25-29.

Item: A nail or push pin

Egg Number 9

Message: They gave Jesus vinegar mixed with gall on a sponge to drink.

Passage: Matthew 27:34.

Item: A q-tip or small sponge

Egg Number 10

Message: Spices to prepare Jesus for burial.

Passage: John 19:40.

Item: a few whole cloves or other whole spices. (I used a tea bag)

Egg Number 11

Message: The stone covering Jesus' tomb was rolled away.

Passage: John 20:1.

Item: A small rock.

Egg Number 12

Message: The tomb is empty. He has risen!

Passage: Luke 24:6.

Item: Nothing

May LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Image Courtesy Creative Commons License Flickr.com by themanfromutah June 2006

Monthly Theme: The Church of Jesus Christ Has Been Restored.
Monthly Scripture: “I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other— This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! ”  Joseph Smith—History 1:17

Week 1 The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored.

* What does the dictionary define restored as? Ask a child to come and help you demonstrate. Give them a book or a toy. Now have them give it back and return it to you. Key words: "Give back and Return". Now have the child hold a picture of the earth. Have a sign that says "TRUTH". Have the child with the earth picture hold the truth sign, then you take it away. (Apostasy!!) Return the truth or restore it back.

* Have a large basket of rocks. On the rocks attach questions, songs, and scriptures having to do with Joseph Smith, the 6th Article of Faith and the Restoration. Try to have the children come up and choose rocks that get bigger in size.

"The restored gospel is the kingdom of God on earth, the stone cut out of the mountain without hands that would become a great mountain and fill the whole earth, as seen by Daniel (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45). It is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which was organized 6 April 1830 in preparation for the Second Coming of the Savior." (Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manuel pg. 61)

* Have a few guests come to sharing time dressed up as ancient apostles who prophesied and foretold of the Restoration of the gospel in the dispensation of the fulness of times. (Such examples could include Isaiah 29:14, Peter Acts 3, Micah 4:2, Daniel 2:44, Paul Ephesians 1:10)

* "God knows the end from the beginning and is the author of the grand design of human history. He directed the affairs of history so that America was appropriately fertile soil for the seed of the restored gospel to be planted and tended by His chosen seer, Joseph Smith." (Church History in the Fulness of Times Student Manuel pg. 12)

Go through the events that led up to the Restoration backwards!!! God knows everything whether its the beginning or the end. Have a piece of tape from the back of the room to the front. Have envelopes evenly spaced on the side of the tape. Choose a child to start from the back of the room and walk backwards to the front, but they stop at an envelope. Have them open the envelope which has different events that led up to the Restoration. Of course have pictures also to correspond with the envelopes.

A timeline could include the following: (Again taken from the Church History in the Fulness of Times Student Manuel pg.1)
34-100 Apostles lead New Testament Church
60-70 Peter and Paul Martyred
1300-1500 European Renaissance (Exploration/Sailing, Religious Art, Martin Luther translates Bible into German making it easier for more people to read)
1438 Gutenberg refined movable type
1492 Columbus made first voyage to Americas
1620 Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth
1775 American Revolutionary War (Freedom of Worship!)
1789 American Constitution established
1790-1830 2nd Great Awakening (A religious revival in America that was big on missionary work!)
April 6, 1830 The Church is Restored!!

* Here is a roller box idea from the Friend.

Week 2 Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration.

* Joseph Smith and Restoration Jeopardy!!
Categories and ?'s :
He was  a child too!!
100 When Joseph was small (7 years old) he had to have surgery on this part of his body. He wouldn't drink alcohol to ease the pain and held his father's hand while enduring the hurt. His leg
200 What month was Joseph Smith born? December (right before Christmas, the 23rd!)
300 How many brothers and sisters did Joseph have? 10
400 What was the name of Joseph's mother? Lucy
500 True or False: Joseph had to work hard as a child on the family farm. True!

The Early Church
100 Sing the 6th Article of Faith Song
200 After the church was organized on April 6, a miracle happened! The Prophet Joseph met a man named Newel who was possessed of a devil. Acting on Newel's faith as well as his own, Joseph cast out the devil in this name? Jesus Christ
300 At the first conference of the church, the sustained leaders by doing what we do today. What do we do? We raise our right hand to the square in support.
400 Emma Smith, Joseph's wife was called "An Elect Lady" of the Lord. She was commanded to do something special and put together this book. A hint: It's often green! The first hymn book.
500 True or False: When Brigham Young was introduced to the church he immediately joined. False!! He studied and pondered the church for 2 years before joining.

Truth Restored!100 Read 2 Nephi 3:24
200 True or False: The church started in 1830. False!! The church started with Adam and was restored many times, including the last dispensation with Joseph Smith.
300 Sing the Priesthood is Restored (CS pg. 89)
400 Name a witness of the Book of Mormon. Answers can include the 8 witnesses from the beginning of the Book of Mormon, to prophets to even children who have a testimony it's true.
500 True or False: All truth has been revealed!! False: Much truth has been revealed, but there is a lot more that is yet to come!

Final Jeopardy Question: What is something you've learned about Joseph Smith or the Restoration?

* A good talk to read and personally study in preparation for this week's sharing time is Joseph Smith- Prophet of the Restoration by Tad Callister.

* Who was the greatest prophet sent to earth?  
"The scriptures record that throughout history, on occasions of exceptional importance, God the Father’s voice has been heard. On repeated occasions Jesus Christ has personally appeared to select individuals. Yet there is only one supernal, singular instance of which we have knowledge that God the Father Himself appeared in person. This was done with His precious Holy Son, Jesus Christ, to an audience of one. That one was young Joseph Smith Jr., an extraordinary spirit prepared before the foundation of the earth. He would become the greatest prophet sent to earth." Truth Restored, Richard G. Scott, October 2005 General Conference

* Divide into small groups. Give each group a story about Joseph Smith (a teacher can read it to them) and have them draw a picture to share with the primary along with a brief summary of the story.

* Here is an idea from the Friend with an early church for the children to make.

Week 3 The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.

* Click HERE for a Reader's Theater.

Week 4 The Priesthood has been restored.



* Here is an awesome sharing time from the Friend. You could easily attach questions, scriptures and songs about the priesthood to the puzzle pictures and have the children come to the front to answer and put together.

* Here is an awesome diorama idea from the Friend. You'd need lots of shoe boxes!! But it would be fun and memorable for the children!

* Here is a crossword puzzle about the priesthood. (Scroll past the bug search and find)

* Here is a sharing time on how the priesthood blesses our lives with a flannel board story.
* In my humble opinion, a lot of children don't understand what the priesthood is. Let every child draw a short fact about the priesthood from a brown paper bag. Have the room set up with 2 lines of chairs facing each other. Have younger children sit on one side and older children on the other. Each child may tell his/her fact to his/her partner and talk about it for 30 seconds. Then the younger children get up and move one chair to the right while the older ones stay seated. Repeat! Have pictures to go along with some of the facts. For senior sharing time, see if they can come up with their own facts to share about the priesthood! A good reference is HERE, Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual Chapter 25.

* Play musical chairs reverently. Have them in a circle with #'s taped to the back. It's actually more like a cake walk where you draw numbers and whoever is sitting on that number gets to answer a question or read a scripture about the priesthood.... don't take away chairs! Have them sing songs about the priesthood as they walk around the circle.

* Good scripture to know in case you're ever in the Bible belt and some "friend" wants to tell you there is absolutely no biblical scriptural fact to support the concept of the Melchizedek priesthood. Psalms 110:4, "The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek" Am I in any way suggesting you argue back and be cantankerous? Absolutely not. I'm not even saying to stress the words FOR EVER, hence why I didn't use bold or italics on those extremely obvious words. A simple "Boo-Yah" will do.

Praise to the Man Song Helps (Verses 1 &3)

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by origamidon June 2004

Hymns #27

Can we get any more difficult and harder words in a song? The following is a list from the song that are just plain big words. I'm not a pessimist in any way shape or form, but a little bit of reality does seep in now and again. Most 4 year olds are not going to remember the definitions to these words.

communed

seer

dispensation

extol

revere

ascended

traitors

tyrants

vain

mingling

conquer

So what's the solution?? Only the Big Man knows. Ask Him. Sometimes it's not necessarily the words, but the feeling you get when you sing. So ask the children what they feel when you all sing.

A couple thoughts:

*Get a giant beach ball. Invite a child to come to the front and every time there is a big word they hold up the ball. Children in the primary can also hold up a big pretend ball. Enunciate and stress and sing a little slower on the big words. Do you ever notice we mumble? Articulate and help the children with proper pronunciation.

* You can have the junior primary hum the tune while the older children sing.

* Challenge the children and offer a small reward to anyone who can recite or sing the words by memory. Perhaps the reward could be the choir director coming in and giving them a music note with the words, "Note-able Singing Leader" that can pin or stick to their clothes. If anyone forgets a word, look to the note-able leaders for help!

* The melody reminds me of a parade. Invite 3 children to hold up pictures of Joseph Smith and 3 children to hold streamers or something of sort and march around the room as everyone sings. Parades usually are to celebrate something and this song celebrates Joseph Smith!

* Sometimes hero's get a medal of honor. Make a giant medal on a piece of posterboard with Joseph Smith written on it. Invite children who are singing boldly to come up to the front and add a little decoration to the medal -whether it's coloring or stickers. Also, you can sing a phrase leaving out a word and whoever can sing that word gets to come up and decorate.

* There's something about the priesthood singing. Invite a young men's quorum (Perhaps the 14 year olds??)  in to sing this song and introduce it to the children. Joseph Smith was 14 when he received the First Vision. Invite any of the young men to share their testimonies about Joseph Smith or singing.

Tracing Paper FHE

Image courtesy Might Art Demos.

Topic: Jesus set the perfect example for me to follow.

Introduction Activity: Hold up the movie Peter Pan. What songs are in this movie? Sing Following the Leader, stress the words, "Wherever he may go..." It's a nice song, but it depends on the leader. A bad leader could take you somewhere not safe. Now sing the song, "Come Follow Me." Jesus is our perfect leader and will never lead us astray.

Activity: Take different black and white coloring images of the savior, just search the friend archives online. Next put a piece of tracing paper (You can get a pad with 30 sheets for $1.60 at Michael's with a 40% off coupon) over the image.

Talk about tracing and following the lines. You need to do it carefully, not scattered. Just like when we follow Christ, we need to be exact- read our scriptures daily, go to church often, pray always.... not randomly here and there. Would it be hard to trace with a black piece of construction paper? The gospel of Jesus Christ makes it easier and clearer for us to follow the Savior.

Take turns tracing the image as a family. Each person gets 10 seconds to trace and has to share a favorite story about the Savior or a way to follow Him.

Scripture: John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

End with Jesus is our perfect leader. He's NEVER going to lead us astray. He set the perfect example for us to follow. He is our shepherd who loves us. Bear testimonies.

It's that Time Again!!

Did you miss April 6th? Celebrating the day the church was organized? Don't feel bad, I missed it too! But tomorrow is close enough so I know what I'm doing for Family Home Evening!!

Click to see!!
http://sofiasprimaryideas.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-6th-restoration-party.html

Adapting Regular Teaching Ideas to Fit Gospel Teaching

Image courtesy The Mailbox.Com teaching site

This is an activity where children learning the different value and combinations of coins place real coins on the different sections of the umbrella.

How could we adapt this to teach different gospel principles? Let's challenge your brain because in all honesty watching Shedding for the Wedding isn't. (I am really entertained that there is a Wiki page for that)

My thoughts:

* At the top of each umbrella have the titles of different books of scriptures. Have the children write in the different sections of the umbrella the books within that book. (E.G. BOOK OF MORMON - 1 Nephi, 2 Nephi, Jacob, Enos... do you know your song??) There is safety from the storm in reading our scriptures.

* We have general conference in the spring.  At the top of each umbrella, have a picture of an apostle. Then have different facts about that apostle. Quiz each other and try to guess what apostle's umbrella you have.

* Scripture mastery as a family!! Make a giant umbrella on posterboard. At the top put what book you'll focus on. Then divide it into sections and list the different scripture mastery scripture references as well as a short summary of the scripture. Have children draw a picture next to it. (E.G. BOOK OF MORMON- Alma 37:35 Learn Wisdom in Thy Youth, then lil' Mo draws a picture of a child reading the Bible)

* Have a topic on each umbrella. Use the topical guide to find different references, then share. Or family members can just share a story from the scriptures that relates. Write down each family member's thoughts on the different sections of the umbrella. I would use umbrellas with words that relate to umbrellas, like safety, shelter, protect, wind, storm, sanctuary, rain, water...

A thought from Primary 4 Manuel:

"Show the children an umbrella (or pretend to have an umbrella) and a Book of Mormon. Ask how the two items might be similar. Help the children understand that an umbrella will not protect us from rain unless we open it and stand under it. Similarly, the Book of Mormon cannot increase our faith in Jesus Christ until we open it, prayerfully study it, and live its teachings."

A thought from General Conference 1999:

"The word righteousness is a most interesting and unique word. It is an umbrella word that spreads out and covers all the attributes of God. A person, then, who is righteous is Godly or Godlike." William R. Bradford
So then, under the umbrella write all the words that are attributes of God.

An umbrella is something to be creative with... it even says so in the friend HERE!!

Just take 2 minutes... see what you can think of. Our minds are meant to be used.

"But I'm not creative" you might say.

Get over it.

Try.

I am a tiger mother blogger who won't let you have any water or food until you come up with an idea.

Ok. I'm sorry. I will give you water.

And crackers.

I guess I'm not as tiger as I thought.

How can you use paper umbrellas to teach gospel principles?

There's no right or wrong answer!!

Feel free to share in comments.

April 2011 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by angelofsweetbitter2009 March 2009

Monthly Theme: Jesus Christ Is My Savior and Redeemer.
Monthly Scripture: “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved,by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” Articles of Faith 1:3

Week 1 Jesus Christ was chosen to be our Savior.

* Have a lock and at least 10 different keys, 1 of course being able to fit and open the lock. Have questions, songs and scriptures having to do with the premortal world corresponding to the keys. Invite a child to come up and choose a key and answer the question or read the scripture (if it's a song, sing it all together). Explain that the lock is our happiness... what is the key that will give us happiness?? Whip out of your pocket the key that fits the lock and point to a picture of the Savior, invite a child to open the lock.

"When the great War in Heaven was fought, Lucifer, the son of the morning, came forth with a plan that was rejected. The Father of us all, with love for us, His children, offered a better plan under which we would have freedom to choose the course of our lives. His Firstborn Son, our Elder Brother, was the KEY to that plan." (Gordon B. Hinckley, in Conference Report, Apr. 2002, 107)

* Which make better pets- cats or dogs? Write CATS vs. DOGS and list on the chalk board the different ideas children come up with. Is there really a right answer to which one makes a better pet? Not really. But there was an important choice in the premortal world that did have a right answer!!

"There were no neutrals in the war in heaven. All took sides wither with Christ or with Satan. Every man had his agency there..." (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:65-66)

Break into small groups and have the children draw or write down something they know about the premortal world. Then gather back together and invite them up to share their thoughts one at a time.

* Have little lambs hidden throughout the room. Have questions about the Savior and the premortal world on them. Have the following scripture written on the chalk board-

1 Peter 1:19-20 "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you"

Invite children to find the lambs and answer the questions.

* Can anyone remember the first thing they ate as a baby besides milk? Can anyone remember the first night they came home from the hospital as a baby? Can anyone remember choosing Christ in the premortal world?

" Because we do not recall the first few years of early childhood does not mean that we didn't exist, that we didn't play, laugh, and interact with family and friends. So it is with our premortal estate!!" (Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, pg. 13)

* Have 2 colors of straws-red and blue. Have about 12 children come up to choose a straw. (Let's see if I'm competent mathematically. I dropped out of Calculus and got a C in Stats.... so no guarantees) Have 4 straws blue. Have the children separate according to color. This is to demonstrate that 1/3 of the host of heaven chose to follow Satan and 2/3 chose to follow Christ in the premortal world. How sad for the 1/3 that didn't get bodies and exist unhappy and miserable!! And how sad for us too, because they were our brothers and sisters!!

Week 2 Jesus Christ is the perfect example for me.

(Recycled from a previous post)

* Have a thin piece of masking tape for a child to walk across without touching any other part of the floor and then have them squeeze in between two chairs to finish. 2 Nephi 31:9, 16 " And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them"

* FOR SENIOR PRIMARY! In the topical guide are 19 scripture references to Jesus Christ as our Exemplar. Hide the references and scriptures throughout the room and have the children work together to make matches!

* Have the children come up with different things they can do this week to be more like the Savior. Then have them go to Relief Society or Priesthood (or both) and sing I'm trying to be like Jesus (Children's Songbook p.78-79) and give their parents their papers.

* Bring in a mirror and a lipstick for a child to write with. Have them come up with words that have to do with how Jesus lived. (For example- love, kindness, charity, humble, helpful, nice, giving) Let them write a couple words on the mirror and then look at the reflection as you hold a picture of Christ behind them.

Alma 5:14 "And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

As we follow the example of our Savior, we will reflect His goodness.

* Bring in a lantern. 3 Nephi 18:16 "And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you."

Who would really want to go into a dark forest without a lantern? Not me! I still sleep with a night light! Break into groups and give the children strips of yellow paper. Have them come up with different rays/ways that Jesus taught us how to live by example. (For example- Be forgiving. Jesus forgave those that crucified Him. or Be bold. Jesus cleansed the temple.)

*Bring in a sewing pattern and something you have created from the pattern. D&C 52:14 "I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived.” Create a pattern on the board with different colored paper. Children earn the paper by singing songs, reading scriptures and answering questions based on the week's theme.

Food for thought: "When I looked for a definition of pattern, I found it had a Latin origin derived from pater or father, one who served as a model or pattern to be emulated. Our Savior Jesus Christ set the pattern and asked us to follow him. Nephi asks, “Can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?” 2 Nephi 31:10" Janette C. Hales, “A Pattern of Righteousness,” Ensign, May 1991, 83

Week 3 Through the Atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved.

Recycled from a previous post)

* SING the 3rd Article of Faith song. Have the children use their arms to raise or lower as they sing the notes. Notice how the ending of the song they must raise their arms, just like the Atonement will raise and save us in the end after all we can do!* "No doctrine in the gospel is more important than the Atonement of Jesus Christ. If the gospel were compared to a wheel, the Atonement would be the hub and all other doctrines would be the spokes emanating from the hub." (Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual , pg. 22) Draw a picture of this on the chalk board to illustrate.

* Pass out a sheet of blank paper and some crayons. Invite the children to draw or write whatever they feel as you sing them a song. Sing Hymn #193 I Stand All Amazed. (Or have a special guest come in and sing) Invite children to finish and share their work while the piano player quietly plays the song. In between children coming up to the front and sharing, read scriptures having to do with the Atonement like 2 Nephi 9:21, Mosiah 3:7, Matthew 26:39, etc.* Have a few items on a table for a child to buy. Give them 5 tickets. All items for sale cost 100 tickets. Can they buy the items with 5? Lo siento cuate... sorry man, it's a no go! This is called falling short. And likewise we, by ourselves, will never do or have enough tickets to get into heaven.

"Each of us lives on a kind of spiritual credit. One day the account will be closed, a settlement demanded. However casually we may view it now, when that day comes and the foreclosure is imminent, we will look around in restless agony for someone, anyone, to help us. And by eternal law, mercy cannot be extended save there be one who is both willing and able to assume our debt and pay the price and arrange the terms for our redemption... But know this: Truth, glorious truth, proclaims there is such a Mediator. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and me, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Tim. 2:5)" (Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 1977, 55-56)

* Here is a lesson on the Atonement from the Primary 3: Choose the Right B manual.

* Here is a lesson on the Atonement from the Primary 7: New Testament manual.

* Flip through a magazine. Let children rip out a picture of a random person and stand in front holding the picture. Have them come up 2 at a time to do this. Can these strangers and random people be saved? HOW? Invite a child to recite the 3rd article of faith, emphasize ALL MANKIND.* 3 Nephi 27:19 "And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end."

Have a demonstration on how to get something clean... like having a white shirt and removing stains with a bleach pen. (Do it at home first to make sure it will work!!) Let the children use the pen to remove the stains as they answer questions, sing songs and read scriptures having to do with the atonement.

* Have the pianist play Hymn #339 My Country, 'Tis of Thee. What price was paid for our freedom here in this country? How many wars have we had? How much blood has been shed for us to live the way we do? Encourage children to look for special hats of Veterans and thank them for their service to our country. Invite some Young Men in to talk about the importance of showing respect for the flag.Even a greater blood was shed for our freedom. Display a picture of Christ in Gethsemane. Even greater reverence and respect should be shown for The Merciful One who has saved us.

Have an American flag. When we see our flag, we show reverence and think about what our great country means to us. Have popsicle sticks with white paper attached. Let the children create flags to help remember the Atonement of Christ. Have them share with their families and put in a spot where it will help them remember throughout the week of Jesus and His sacrifice to save us. As we sometimes stop and stand during the raising of the American flag... do so at home every time you walk by your flag and take the moment to thank Heavenly Father in silent prayer for our Redeemer. And for other countries, please tailor to your wonderful country's flag!

Week 4 Jesus Christ was resurrected and I will be too.

(Recycled from a previous post)

* Bring in a tank of helium and 10-12 balloons. Check with priesthood on this! We don't want to blow up any church buildings, so make sure to get pre-approval. Have a list of 10-12 total questions, songs and scriptures having to do with the Resurrection. Can a balloon rise without helium? So we can't rise without Jesus Christ!! As the children answer questions, sing or read scriptures, invite them to the front, blow up the balloon and let the child let go of it so all can see it rise.

Alma 11:41 "...For behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works."

* Click HERE and scroll down to the week 3 ideas.

* Divide into groups and give each group 10 verses each in Luke chapter 24. Have a picture of the resurrected Christ on the black board, draw lines from it as the children share what this chapter teaches us about the resurrection, and briefly summarize their thought and write it down. Ideas might include:

"Jesus Christ is a resurrected being who is able to vanish and reappear, walk, reason, stand, speak, ask questions, respond, read the mind of others, command and instruct from the scriptures.... Jesus also has a tangible body of flesh and bones that can be seen and felt by others and that can eat the food of mortals." (Jay Parry & Donald Parry, Understanding Death and the Resurrection, pg.243)

So out of all these ideas what do you look forward to most as a resurrected being?

* Have a picture of a sign "Dead End". What does this mean? Have a plastic toy bulldozer. How is Jesus Christ like a bulldozer? To some it may seem like when we die, there is no where else to go. But we know that there is more beyond the grave and Jesus has cleared the way because of His atonement and resurrection! Have the bulldozer run over the dead end sign!

* A WONDERFUL short video to show "Sunday will Come", click HERE!!

* A wonderful idea from Cheryl Esplin, Jesus Christ Is My Savior,” Friend, Apr 2009, 10–12 "Beforehand and with approval of the bishop or branch president, invite a member who has experienced the death of a loved one to bear testimony of what the Resurrection means to him or her.

Put the following GAK pictures in a pile in the following order with 227 on top: GAK 227 (Jesus Praying in Gethsemane), GAK 228 (The Betrayal of Jesus), GAK 230 (The Crucifixion), GAK 231 (Burial of Jesus), GAK 233 (Mary and the Resurrected Lord), GAK 234 (Jesus Shows His Wounds), and GAK 316 (Jesus Teaching in the Western Hemisphere).

While the pianist plays “Beautiful Savior” (pp. 62–63), have the children pass around a small stone. Tell them it is symbolic of the stone rolled in front of the opening of Christ’s tomb. When the music stops, have the child holding the stone take the picture from the top of the pile and tell about it or choose someone to help. Continue for each picture, pausing after GAK 234 to sing the second verse of “On a Golden Springtime” (p. 88) and to read Luke 24:39 in unison.

Have the children feel their hands to help them understand that after Jesus was resurrected, the Apostles could feel His hands just as the children can feel their own hands. Continue with the rest of the pictures. Teach that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, everyone who has ever lived on the earth will be resurrected. Have the invited guest bear testimony. Sing “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” (p. 64). At the end of the third verse, have the children stand when singing the words “Oh yes! And so shall I!”

President Monson Jeopardy- Fun FHE

I recieved President Monson's Biography- To The Rescue, for Christmas and just started reading it. I'm not a big biography fan and often times find them really dry, but for some odd reason, I've been really enjoying this book. With that said, I've used that book to fill information for the Jeopardy game. (FYI- The biography is by Heidi S. Swinton)

Jeopardy Categories:
Childhood Dreams
Family & Friends
Work, Work, Work
“Whether by My mouth or the Mouth of My Servants, It is the same...”



Childhood Dreams
100 President Monson had 2 little pets, that he gave away to help a starving family. What type of animals were these pets? (bunnies)

200 Our prophet grew up in Salt Lake City, UT near something that made a lot of noise!! Often this loud thing brought homeless people to their neighborhood. President Monson’s family always helped those strangers by feeding them. What was the loud thing they lived by? (A railroad track)

300 When President Monson was a little boy his father and him would do something special for their Uncle who was crippled. His father would carry the uncle and President Monson would always give up his seat so his uncle could see better. He always said that His dad didn’t read him the story of the good Samaritan, he showed him. What did they do for their Uncle? (Go for rides in the family car)

400 He loved this instrument very much as a little boy. He joined a Marching Corps but didn’t know how to play the instrument so he’d just pretend!! One time a child in front of him said, “You’re blowing way out of key!” President Monson replied, “No I’m not!!! I’m not even blowing!!” He received the instrument for Christmas and still doesn’t know how to play. (Bugle)

Family and Friends
100 President Monson found a mangy dog wandering in a park. It belonged to a local sheep herder. The owner told Tommy that he wouldn’t want that dog, it was part coyote. Tommy did want the dog, but the owner wouldn't give him us. Tommy settled on another that his Uncle gave him. This dog had been left in the desert and was very sick. It had a cast on one leg, a splint on another and a broken tail. Tommy loved it and they were best friends from the moment they met. What did he name his dog? (Duke)

200 President Monson had an older sister he liked to play pranks on! One day his teenage sister Marge and a couple of her friends were lying out in the warm sun by a river. He and a friend hid some live frogs in mud balls and dropped them on the stomachs of the sleeping girls. There were some teenage boys also with the girls, when the girls started screaming, what did the boys do? (They picked up the girls and tossed them in the river calling, “Swim or sink!”)

300 President Monson had 2 friends who often worked together at church. One friend, Barry, had a lovely voice, the other, Jack, was hearing impaired and spoke unclear. On one Sunday, the 2 deacons needed to do this... but the white card wasn’t anywhere to be found. Barry was very embarrassed, because he usually received many compliments on the way he spoke and did this at church. Jack quickly grabbed Barry and spoke the words in his ear. Even though he wasn't as clear or his voice wasn't as "beautiful", Jack had this memorized. It was a good lesson in humility and what's most important. What were these 2 friends doing at church? (Blessing the sacrament)

400 When President Monson was ready to ask his beautiful girlfriend, Frances, to marry him... he first brought the ring home to show his family. On that night, before they went to go out, he brought Frances home for a quick minute. While there, his 4 year old brother, Scott, shouted really happy, “Tommy has a ring for you Frances!!!” Did President Monson forgive his brother for ruining the surprise? (Yes)

Work, Work, and More Work
100 “It is not the number of hours you put in, but what you put in the hours that counts.” President Monson has said. He worked very hard in college. A college education was something that was important to him. Where did he go to college and what was his favorite subject? (University of Utah and History)

200 WWII was a very scary war, and President Monson, being a healthy young man like so many others enlisted in the military. He was with his father and 44 other young men. The time had come for him to choose where in the military he wanted to serve. He was very unsure, then a thought entered his mind almost as clear as a vision... he was to ask the military recruiters what they chose. The both chose the Naval Reserve. Tommy said, “If that was good enough for you, it’s good enough for me.” Because of the choice he ended up not having to fight in battles of WWII. How long did he serve in the Naval Reserves? (1 year)

300 President Monson worked for a newspaper called the Deseret News. He was in charge of advertisements. The paper was not doing very well and he was asked to make the paper more successful. What did he do? (He did his best!! In fact he did so well many national newspapers wanted to know how to do what he did word for word!)

400 President Monson was called as a Bishop at a very young age. He had a wife and children. He often gave up one of his hobbies to work! Whether it was work, his calling, or being a husband and father... President Monson worked!! What did he often give up that he loved to work and serve others? (Fishing)

“Whether by My mouth or the Mouth of My Servants, It is the same...”
These are all quotes from President Monson
100 "_________ are everywhere to be found when priesthood callings are magnified. When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes. Whom God calls, God qualifies." (Miracles)

200 "Let us open wide the windows of our hearts, that each family member may feel welcome and 'at home.' Let us open also the doors of our very souls, that the dear ________ may enter. Remember His promise: '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)." (Christ)

300 “Be influenced by that still, small voice. Remember that one with authority placed his hands on your head at the time of your confirmation and said, 'Receive the ________.' Open your hearts, even your very souls, to the sound of that special voice that testifies of truth." (Holy Ghost)

400 "Life's journey is not traveled on a freeway devoid of obstacles, pitfalls, and snares. Rather, it is a pathway marked by forks and turnings. Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, _________ is needed: the ________ to say, 'No,' the ________to say, 'Yes,' Decisions do determine destiny. The call for _____ comes constantly to each of us. It has ever been so, and so shall it ever be."
(Courage)

Final Jeopardy Question: We are led by a living prophet today. What is something you learned about our living prophet President Thomas S. Monson?

Sunday Sharing Time Ideas for Teaching Children About Differently Abled People

Talking Silently Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Vandan Desai

"Is it not possible to look beyond the canes, the wheelchairs, the braces, and the crutches into the hearts of the people who have need of these aids? They are human beings and want only to be treated as ordinary people. They may appear different, move awkwardly, and speak haltingly, but they have the same feelings. They laugh, they cry, they know discouragement and hope. They do not want to be shunned. They want to be loved for what they are inside, without any prejudice for their impairment. Can there not be more tolerance for differences—differences in capacity, differences in body and in mind?
Those who are close to the handicapped can frequently feel the nobility of the spirits who are confined in differently shaped bodies or who have crippled minds." -James E. Faust, "The Works of God", Ensign, Nov. 1984, 54

When I was 11 years I got to hold a baby for the first time in my life. My parents struggled with fertility and I was an only child. I was at a friend's home and with 6 children it was quite different from my home. At one point I ended up in a rocker holding a precious little baby. I can clearly remember how beautiful I thought she was. I held her and she went to sleep amid so much noise and chaos. I traced her face with my finger and  was just so very grateful to be holding such an amazing blessing from God. That sweet angel had Down Syndrome. She died a few years later. Her and my son actually share the same death date (not the same year). God's timing is so interesting.

From that moment in my life, I've had a deep and profound respect for God's special children. They are perfect. They can learn. They are here to teach us. So let's love.

I feel very strongly about teaching my children the value of God's special children. In fact, so much that they both went through an "Integrated Learning Preschool" with our district. It was a program designed to have "typical" children help differently abled children adjust to a school setting. At 4 years old, my daughter was hugging a little girl in a wheelchair that couldn't talk, everyday. To learn about compassion, one must actually do it. Look for situations in which you can help enrich your children's lives by having them interact with differently abled children. It is a blessing, plain and simple.
I think THIS resource is excellent from the church website, dispelling some common myths about working with people "differently-abled".

What are some ideas on how to teach primary children more compassion, love and understanding when it comes to another who is severely handicap? (Specifically in Sharing Time)

* First off, parents need to teach their children the profound respect and love that should be shown to differently abled children. If there is a severely disabled child in primary that "scares" the other children with loud abrupt noises, invite parents in to sit with their children and reassure them that there is nothing to be scared of and that we are all God's children. We must show love! Parents can have FHE's with children and encourage card making, cookie baking for those friends they might be "scared" of. Often people just don't know what to do. You can spotlight a differently abled child in a primary newsletter- perhaps they really like being read too. You can invite others to read to the child anytime! Do they love flowers? Mention it and encourage people to stop in and bring flowers anytime... dandelions are flowers as far as I'm concerned, especially when a 3 year old picks them, it doesn't have to be a boquet from Costco. Of course, the parents of the differently abled child know best. See what they think and ask them ways the children can serve their friend!!

* Sing I'll Walk With You (CS #140). Have children hold up a variety of pictures of children who are differently abled while you sing. Invite the children to share one way they can show love for someone who is like the one pictured. (If it's a blind person, they could talk to them and describe what Disneyland looks like. If it's a deaf person, they can learn something in sign language!! If it's a person in a wheel chair, they can sit and talk with them. Brainstorm as many ideas as you can together!!)

* Involve the severely disabled child, show the other children they are of worth and can help with lessons. Even if it's just taping a picture to their wheelchair, you can thank them for their help and smile at them!!! Let the children see your love for that child and they will follow. Watch for timing, if you ask a question and the severely disabled child makes a noise, roll with it! Thanks Aidan!! You must be trying to say Nephi and you're exactly right!!! We're so lucky to have Aidan share his thoughts with us! Of course you can't do this every time, but once in a while it might fit.

* Jude 1:32 "And of some have compassion, making a difference"
Bring in a toy car that's bent. Bring in a toy tow truck. Both are ways to get from one place to another, yet they each work differently. We are like the tow trucks and can help others whose bodies don't work like ours. Have a little road on the ground and come up with 7 different scriptures, questions and songs based on compassion and charity. Invite the children to move the car forward a little each time they answer a question, read a scripture, etc. At the end of the road have a picture of the Savior. Both cars worked together to make a difference, just like the Savior.

* Have about 7 paper hearts that graduate in size. Love is a wonderful thing. We can show a little bit of love or a huge amount of love in life. The greatest and grandest love we can have is that of charity.
Turn to the Bible Dictionary which says, "Charity. The highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ. It is never used to denote alms or deeds of benevolence, although it may be a prompting motive "

Have hearts hidden throughout the room, invite the children to find them. Have questions, songs and scriptures having to do with compassion on them. Have them order the hearts in size. At the end, perhaps you can tape the heart on a severely disabled child's wheel chair. Bear testimony that you know loving all of God's children and praying for them and helping them will make us happy. It will make our Heavenly Father happy. (Of course, speak to the differently abled child's parents first. Perhaps they don't want extra attention drawn to their child. WORK WITH PARENTS and do what is best for the child.)

* Have 7 small mystery boxes. Today we'll be talking about something very special. Something that Christ taught we should have in our lives. Invite the children to see what's under the boxes. Use 1 Corinthians 13 to fill up the boxes. For example one could have a large mountain- The Apostle Paul said "and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not.... (this??), I am nothing." Have the children guess, but don't answer right away. Another box could include a small horn. Sometimes when adults drive they get angry and honk their horn a lot. (This??)" is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil". In the end, have 7 children come up front holding the boxes, write C-H-A-R-I-T-Y (one letter per box). We've seen a couple different ways that Paul has described charity, now have the children draw pictures or write thoughts and share a couple if there is time.
1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."


If anyone has any other ideas, please please please feel free to share. This post is in response to an email I received. I hope it can be of some help.

And the winner is.........

In all honesty, I'm not really sure what a widget is. I do enjoy the rhyming possibilities of the word... fidget. Digit. Bridgette. Whatnot.

 

Supposedly, I could add a widget to the blog to show the random number generator results. But I don't know how to add it to a post. There. I admitted it. I'm slow.

 

But some things are better slow in life. A moped ride. A scoop of Rocky Road ice cream. A day on the beach. A dance to Unchained Melody.

 

However, traffic is not. Living in the Bay Area (Bless you motherland California) was heaven on earth... but the traffic and high prices drove us out. Now we enjoy blue skies, sagebrush and an abundance of people who find it acceptable to wear sweats in public.... which I'm almost there... almost.... almost... So is that a moot point? Not too law savvy. Also, rewinding the kiss scene in Bend it Like Beckham and playing it

slow-mo was not that great. The roomies and I in college tried it and it just lost it's magic.

 

I'm just trying to stall.... keep the suspense going...

 

...

 

Are you suspended? I used the dot dot dot...

 

...

 

Ok. I'll just announce it. It's not like it's a trip to Hawaii or anything. Then again, it is always fun to win something.

 

One time when we lived in DC during the hub's internship I was having a rough day. 1st pregnancy, 21 pounds lost because we didn't have a car, I had to walk everywhere and couldn't keep food down. We'd go to the movies and have to evacuate because of bomb scares.... I kid you not, that happened 5 times. There was lots of concrete. Mind you, there were a lot of great things, but one rough day after I'd experienced Lucky Charms twice for one meal I was out and about and happened to stumble upon some sort of fair. I don't remember the details, I do know that I won a free dunkin' doughnuts shirt with a cup of coffee on it. Anytime I need a pick me up, I wear that shirt. I think it's one of the only things I've won in life.

 

Not that I hope you're having a rough day, but I hope these books can be your Dunkin Doughnuts shirt......

 

#42 Cherrybaby said... One of my favorite kids books is "If you were my Bunny." It is a bedtime book involving new words to well known lullaby's. I also really like "My Friend Rabbit." I would love to win Squids to Squids. It sounds fun and I've never read it.

I'll email you STAT!!! Thanks everyone for your comments and participation!!! Hope you have a wonderful week!!!

Do you want a free book?

 

These are 2 of my very favorite books. Favorite doesn't even describe how much I love these books.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is just all about what it means to be like Christ. I don't even think it's possible for me to read it without getting teary eyed. This book is a fine addition to any family home evening talking about Charity.

Squids will be Squids by Jon Scieszka is off the wall and just my speed. I refer often to this book when teaching my own children or if asked to do anything in Relief Society. Case in point, there was an "Organize and Revitalize" type activity and out of desperation I was asked to speak on how I organize my house. Because I will tell you flat out, our play room is clean maybe 10 times a year. (I mean really, what's a play room that isn't used?) After I laughed a good 20 minutes, I whipped out this book to the story of Duck-Billed Platypus vs. Beefsnackstik. They argue who has better the better stuff (Duc- Billed is a mammal that can lay eggs, Beefsnackstik has soy ethorobate and food coloring #42, Duck-Billed has webbed feet and fur....yada yada) and finally Beefsnackstik yells out, "OH yeah! Well I have beef lips!!" The moral of the story continues on: Just because you have a lot of stuff, don't think you're so special. Hence, I tried to make the point, clean out your garages and be at peace. I also made a big push for people to relax, if the house doesn't get clean, oh well. Whip out some Bob Marley and do it later, just make sure it gets done later. But the question is, why am I not getting to the point?

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.... I'm having a giveaway and all you have to do is leave a comment with your name, contact info. and favorite book!

These are not brand new books, but they are in excellent condition. (They are hardback) I don't buy books new, I always buy used. It's not that I'm cheap, but I am.

Monday Night, I'll pick two random winners!!! Happy Books!! Woot Woot!