Get the Bugs Out – Song Review

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I used this activity to review the primary program songs. It was meant to emphasize that we were working on getting the bugs out of the songs (getting rid of and fixing any problems).

Preparation

  • Items needed: 1 poster board, eleven sheets of cardstock, plastic bugs (spiders, flies, and beetles), double-sided removable tape, magnets, eight wide mouth jars, Metamucil, food coloring, a cookie sheet, a container of soapy water, and a towel.
  • Using a black marker, divide a poster into squares – nine squares across and seven down. Each square should be a little under three and an eighth inches on each side.
  • Print and cut out the bug squares. Glue the bugs onto the poster, making sure to put each set of three bugs in a row. (Here is a copy of Microsoft Word bug squares in case you need to change the bug types.)
  • Print the cover squares onto cardstock and cut them out. Using double-sided removable tape, place each cover square on a poster square. Put the letters spelling “Get the Bugs Out” in the middle of the poster.
  • Change the song titles to whatever songs you are working on and then print and cut them out.
  • Make some colored jars of slime – red, yellow, dark blue, light blue, green, purple, pink, and orange. The recipe can be found here. Put three bugs in each wide mouth jar – a spider, fly, and beetle.  Put a different colored slime in each a jar and tape the matching colored song titles to the jar lids.  (The slime will stay good for several weeks if stored in the fridge.)

Presentation

Put the poster on the board using strong magnets.

To play this game the children take turns taking off the top cover cards on the poster. When a child finds a bug, that child gets to judge whatever the bug represents such as: Spiders – Words, Beetles – Projection, Flies – Presentation. The color of the bug on the poster determines what song they are judging. When the child thinks the song is free of problems in the area they are judging they get to reach into the song jar and pull out the bug they uncovered on the poster. Afterwards they wash their hands in the soapy water and dry them on the towel.

Be sure to place a cookie sheet under the jar  to catch any drips as the bug is removed. Also push up the sleeves on the child if needed.

When the children find three bugs in a row they get to do a fun activity song as a reward. We did the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” with these visual aids. I put magnets on the back of each picture and put the pictures on a metal cookie sheet. The child who pulled the third bug out of the jar got to mix up the pictures in each column. The children had a blast trying to do the new order. They sang the song one time for every three in a row they got. I started off with the pictures in two columns, the first part of the song in one column and the second in the other column. After doing the song a few times that way, I then let the children take pictures from either column and mix them.

 I did this activity for primary music time for four weeks (until we had finished reviewing all the songs) and the kids never got tired of it. They loved it!

Note: The inspiration for this idea came from other music websites that posted ideas for the theme of getting the bugs out of the songs. Thank you for sharing your ideas!


Primary Program Song Review Activity

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This is a punch board activity. I placed ingredients for making rice Krispy treats in each hole. I had a teacher and a child determine how well the children sang each song. When the children got the presentation, projection, and knowledge of the words perfect, a child got to punch out the tissue covering the hole and get an ingredient out. When all the ingredients were collected the treat was made and distributed.

Preparation

  • Items needed: a large foam board-32X40 (these can be found at Hobby Lobby), double-sided permanent and non-permanent tape,  bright yellow gift tissue paper, paper lunch bags, clear packaging tape, ingredients for rice Krispy treats (recipe found below), small Ziploc baggies, and an exacto knife.
  • Print the target halves. You will need to print two halves for each target needed. Cut out the yellow part and one line of the red on the targets. Tape or glue each half of the targets together. Type, print, and cut out song labels for each song you are reviewing. Place the targets and song labels on the foam board to see placement. Trace the middle holes of each target onto the foam board. Cut out each hole on the foam board with an exacto knife.
  • Cut a couple of inches off the top of each paper lunch bag. Cut each corner about two inches straight down. Crease and fold the four flaps out so each bag will sit on a hole. Tape the flaps down with the clear packaging tape.
  • Put a rice crispy treat ingredient in each hole. Cut squares of yellow tissue a little bigger than each hole. Tape each tissue to the front of a hole. I used the double-sided permanent tape for this part.
  • Place the targets over the holes and tape them to the punch board with double sided tape. (Tape them lightly so you can reuse this activity and remove the targets to put new tissue on the holes.) Tape the song titles above each target.
  • Print the remaining target punch board visual aids. Cut out the “Right on Target” title and the target grading scale labels. You will also need to print a half a target for the grading scale. Attach each item to its place on the foam board. Cut out the arrows. Attach non-permanent double sided tape to the back of each arrow.

 You may wish to make two punch boards – one for junior primary and one for senior.

Presentation

I showed the punch board to the children and explained that there was an ingredient in each hole to make something. I told them they had to guess what we were making as each ingredient was revealed. I explained that in order to get the ingredients out of the holes they had to sing each song perfect and get a bullseye. I showed them the arrows marked presentation, words, and projection and explained that I was going to have a teacher judge them on projection (how loudly they sang, but not yelling) how well they knew the words to the song. I also explained that I was going to have a child judge them on presentation. The child would be watching to make sure everyone was singing, that the children were all watching me while singing, and also watching to see if the children were sitting up in their chairs and not fidgeting or playing around while singing.

After singing the song, the teacher and child put their arrows on the target according to the scale of ok, good, great, or perfect. We sang the song again if all the arrows weren’t on a the bullseye. When all three arrows were on the bullseye, then the child judge got to punch out the middle of the target and take out the item in the hole. When all the ingredients were collected, we made rice krispy treats. The following is the recipe I used. I had the ingredients pre-measured in baggies, except for the vanilla. I included a measuring spoon in vanilla hole. I asked a member of the primary presidency to go and melt the marshmallows and butter on the the church kitchen stove when we were about done singing.

Rice Krispie Treat Recipe:

 3 Tbsp. butter, 1/2 tsp. salt, 12 oz. marshmallows, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 6 cups of rice krispies, 1 bag of mini M&M’s

Place a large sauce pan over medium/low heat. Melt the butter and marshmallows. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.  Pour mixture into a buttered 9×13 inch pan. Using a buttered spatula, press the mixture down until it is a consistent height. Spread frosting on top and top with sprinkles.  (If you are reviewing less than eight songs, some of the non-vital ingredients can be eliminated.)

The children loved this activity and sang their hearts out in an effort to do their best and get the ingredients from each hole. I couldn’t have asked for better motivation. The children that were judges were very thorough. They loved the responsibility and took it very seriously. When I asked the child judge what the children needed to do better in order to get a bullseye, they had very helpful suggestions.


“Knock My Socks Off” Song Review

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“Knock My Socks Off”  Song Review Idea

We are currently reviewing songs for the primary program, and I used an activity called “Knock My Socks Off” to help motivate the children to sing well.  I put the above sign on the board, and the socks on the ledge of the chalkboard. I asked the children if they knew what the expression “Knock My Socks Off” meant? I told them it symbolicaly meant that when someone is so amazed by something, then that powerful emotion goes through their body and down to their feet like electricity and knocks their socks off. 

In each sock was a paper with a song title written on it. I had a child choose a sock, get the song title out, and post the title on the board. I told the children that the Primary secretary was going to hold that sock, and as they sang the song well and amazed her, then that sock would shake down until it was finally knocked completely off.

Sock Assembly Instructions

I cut out each one piece leg and foot from a piece of peach foam board (poster board would probably work too). The legs were 16 inches long from the knee to the bottom of the heel, and they were 4 inches wide. The feet were 4 inches wide, and 8 inches long (from heel to toe).  

I purchased 1/4 of a yard of flannel or fleece fabric  for each sock. I cut out the leg of the socks to be 21 inches long, seven inches wide. The foot area was 10 inches long and 5 1/2 wide. The socks were bigger than the foam leg and foot to be able to fit over the heel. I sewed the socks inside out with a 1/4 inch seam, and I rounded the edges of the heel and toe area. Then I turned them outside out and put them on the foam legs. 

Easy Method

 Instead of making the socks, use long socks, or leg warmers attached to short socks. I made the socks because I needed the different colors to match the ribbons on a reward box. The children got to cut a matching colored ribbon on the box when they sang so well that they knocked a sock off. When all the ribbons were cut, they got their reward.

I used this activity to review several songs for the primary program, but it could be used for just one or two songs by using just one or two socks and legs.  

The idea for this activity came from my friend Vickie from Arkansas. She has very clever ideas.


Primary Program Music Review

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Balloon Popping Meter Chart

This week I made a balloon meter to check if the children were ready for the Primary Program.  As the children sang a song, someone pulled the ribbon that was attached to that songs balloon. If they sang really well, the balloon would go all the way to the top and pop on a pin.  

To make the meter, I purchased a large foam board during a half price sale at Hobby Lobby. I tied different colored ribbons all the way around the board. (The ribbon that curls needs to be stretched before you tie it onto the board, or it will stretch and become loose as you do the activity. Run scissors along the ribbon a couple of times (as if you were curling it) and that should do it.)

I made long song labels for each of the different songs I was checking them on. I printed each song label onto a different colored paper. The papers matched the different ribbons. I taped each label under its matching colored ribbon. I tied a matching colored, blown up balloon to each ribbon. I had left about three inches of ribbon attached when I tied the ribbon onto the board. I used that ribbon to tie on the balloons. I pushed the balloon up against the ribbon and taped the back of the balloon up onto the ribbon so that it couldn’t move to the left or right. This allowed the needle to pierce the balloon. I took a large clip and taped a long needle to it. I taped it in such a manner that the needle could not move to the right or left.

When you put the clip onto the top of the board, above a balloon, it needs to go under the ribbon on the front and the back of the board. This allows the ribbon to freely move up and down. I asked our Primary secretary to operate the meter. She watched the children sing, and she moved the balloon up toward the needle as they sang well, and she stopped at parts they had trouble with. After they sang a song, we went over the parts they had problems with, and then we sang the song again. Our secretary moved the balloon some more as they sang well. When she felt like they knew the song well enough, she moved the ballloon to the top and it popped on the needle.   

Ribbon Wrapped Box

I had also wrapped a box of treats with the same colored ribbons I had used on the chart. Inside the box was Tootsie “Pops”. Each time the children pop a balloon they will get to cut a ribbon. When all the ribbons are cut, it means they know all the songs and are ready for the program. As a reward for all their hard work, they get the tootsie pops. The ribbon cutting activity could be used separately, and would be a great motivational activity on its own.

I got the gift wrapping idea from a friend several years ago. She may have gotten the idea off the internet from someone else. I got the balloon popping idea from a website several months ago. I looked and couldn’t find where I found it, so once again, thank you to all the people who inspire us with their great ideas.

Note: Be sure to test out the balloon meter at home before using it in Primary, to make sure it works properly and is set up correctly.