Author Archives: Camilla

Apr 26 2011

Teach Me to Walk in the Light – Mother’s Day Song

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Teach Me to Walk in the Light (3rd verse)

Mother’s Day

Last year I used the last verse of “Teach Me to Walk in the Light”  and the song “Teacher/Mother Do You Love Me”  for the Mother’s Day Primary songs in sacrament meeting. I exchanged the word “guidance“  for the word “mothers” in this verse to help it go with the Mother’s Day theme.

Preparation

  • Print the song pages. Cut out the four word cards and attach them to Popsicle sticks. Cut out the words “songs of delight” and tape it to the front of a hymn book.

 

Presentation

Explain that the verse starts out like a prayer.

  • Who are we talking to when we pray? (Heavenly Father) After we address our Heavenly Father what do we do in our prayers? (We thank him.) So the song starts out with “Father in Heaven we thank thee this day.” (Put this song page on the board.)

 

Point out that we use the same type of prayer language in this verse as we do in our prayers. Ask if anyone can identify the special word we used to address Heavenly Father. (Thee)

  • What are we going to thank Heavenly Father for in this song? Hint- who will we be singing this song to? (For our loving mothers.) Ask the children if they remember the part in the chorus of “Mother Do You Love Me” were it talks about a mother’s example and teachings helping show them the way to be like Jesus. Explain that in this song we are thanking Heavenly Father for loving mothers who show us the way. So the next part of the song is “For loving mothers to show us the way”. (Put this song page on the board.)
  • What are we going to do to show are gratitude for our mothers this next week in sacrament meeting? (We are singing to them.) We also show are gratitude to our Heavenly Father for all he does for us by singing songs each Sunday that honor and praise him.
  • How does Heavenly Father feel when we sing these songs to him? (delighted)  The next part of the song is “grateful we praise thee with songs of delight”. (Put this song page on the board.)

 

In the song “Mother Do You Love Me” it talks about our Savior’s love lighting the path home. The Savior shows us the way back to our Heavenly Father. In “Teach Me to Walk in the Light” we end with saying “gladly, gladly we’ll walk in the light”. Which means we will gladly do the things Jesus has taught us to do. (Put this song page on the board.)

Have the children sing the verse. (You may wish break it down and sing a line at a time with junior Primary.)

Memorizing the Verse

To help the children remember the words, have a few volunteers act it out.

“Father in Heaven we thank thee this day” – Have a child kneel as if praying. (You may wish to put two chairs together so the child can kneel on the chairs and be seen easier.)

“For loving mothers to show us the way” – Have a mother hug her child and show the child the way by pointing to a picture of Jesus.

“Grateful we praise thee with songs of delight” – Have a child hold a hymn book with the words “songs of delight” taped to the cover.

Gladly, gladly we’ll walk in the light” – Have a child hold a flashlight or lantern and then walk in the light it casts. Explain that the light of a flashlight shows us the way to go in the dark. The words “walk in the light” means doing the things Jesus has taught because he shows us the way to our heavenly home.

Temporarily take the song pages off the board, and show the children the individual word cards. Have the children tell which acted out part each word card goes with. Review the words to each part as the word cards are placed. Have the actor hold up their word card during their part.

Put the song pages back on the board and have the children sing the verse again. Point to specific actors as the children sing their part.

Remove a song page and the child acting out that part, and sing the verse again. Continue removing pages and actors until the verse is memorized.

Apr 22 2011

Easter Song Review

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Easter or Holiday Song Review

Note: This activity can be used for any holiday by using appropriate candy and basket decorations.

Preparation

  • Items needed: a clear candy jar, several bags of cheap jelly beans, a bag of larger sized candy eggs, plastic gloves, a basket, a brick of floral foam, Easter grass, Popsicle sticks, and a glue gun. Optional: ribbon and bows.
  • Print and cut out the activity cards  and Easter eggs. Glue or tape a number to the back of each activity card. Write a song title on the back of each Easter egg. Glue the Popsicle sticks to the bottom of each card and egg. Hot glue the floral foam to the bottom of the basket. Cover the foam with the Easter grass. Stick the Popsicle stick cards and eggs into the foam.  If needed, decorate the basket with ribbon and bows.
  • With a Sharpie, number sixteen large candy eggs one through sixteen. Pour the jelly beans into the candy jar. Mix the large eggs into the jelly beans.

 

Presentation

As the children sing a song that needs reviewed, have a child try and find the large Easter candy eggs in the candy jar (with one hand wearing a plastic glove). Each time an egg is found, have the child read off the number. Another child will get the numbered activity card out of the basket and show the children. The children should do the activity on the card as they continue to sing the song. When the song is sufficiently reviewed, have a child choose the next song to sing by choosing an egg from the basket, and have other children take a turn finding the eggs and the activity cards.

Apr 19 2011

Teacher/Mother Do You Love Me – Mother’s Day Song

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Teacher/Mother Do You Love Me

Mother’s Day

Last year we did two songs for the Mother’s Day sacrament meeting, and they turned out beautifully, so I thought I would share them with you. The first one we did was a modified version of “Teacher Do You Love Me”.  We changed the lines to “Mother Do You Love Me”.  I asked a mother and daughter to sing the main lines, and then I had the primary children join them in the chorus. I changed a few things, because I wanted the daughter to sing the questions and the mother to sing the answers each time before singing the chorus. I included a copy of how we adjusted the lines.

Preparation

  • Print the visual aid pages and modified music pages.
  • Print the small review flipchart onto white cardstock. Cut out the pages and stack them in the correct order. Punch a hole in the top middle of each page, and connect the pages together with a hinged metal ring or a string tied into a loop.

 

Presentation

I explained to the children that the song starts out with a child asking her mother if she will love her no matter what she does. After the mother answers, we start the chorus by singing to the mothers – “I need your love, I need your light”. (Post these song pages on the board.)

  • What does I need your light mean? A light in the darkness can help someone safely find their way, like a lighthouse does for ships. A mother’s light is her righteous example to her children. She shows her children the right way to go by her example and teachings.

 

The next part says that a mother’s righteous example and teachings will show her children how to be like Jesus. Jesus is who we are supposed to strive to be like.  (Post the song page “to show me how to be like Jesus” on the board.)

The next line is “The Savior’s love will light the path.” (Post this song page on the board.) The Savior loves us and has shown us the way to go by his example and teachings. If we follow the Savior’s example we will be led safely back to our home with our Heavenly Father. (Post the song page “to lead me safely home” on the board.)

(Have senior Primary sing the entire chorus at this point.) (Have junior Primary go over the words again, and then have them sing half of the chorus at a time.)

I tested the children to see how well they were paying attention. I took down the visual aid pages and asked the following questions:

  • What are the two things the song says we need from our mothers? (love and light)
  • Which comes first in the song? (love)
  • What will our mother’s love and light show us? ( How to be like Jesus)
  • The saviors what, will light what? (love, the path)
  • And lead me where? (safely home)  Point out that the song doesn’t just say “will lead me home”, it says “safely home”. There are many spiritual dangers that can prevent us from returning home to our Heavenly Father, but if we listen to our mothers and try to be like Jesus we will return safely home to our Father in Heaven.

 

Have the children sing the chorus again. Go over any areas they have difficulty with, and then have them sing the chorus once more. (If needed put the song pictures on the board once again, and have the children choose two at a time to take down after each time they sing the song.)

  • After the children learned the chorus, we practiced the song with the mother and daughter so the Primary children would know when they were supposed to come in. Before starting I explained that they would sing the chorus two times, each time after the mother sings. I also explained that the second time they sing the chorus, the words in the last line change slightly. Instead of singing the word me, the word becomes us. The notes of certain words are also held longer and are more drawn out at the end. (You may wish to show them how this sounds.)

 

Review

I used the small flipchart to review the song the following week. The red pages had the first half of the words to each line on them. The children had to tell me what the remaining words were to each line. I flipped the page for them to check and see if they were right.

The second song we learned was the last verse of “Teach Me to Walk in the Light”.

Apr 11 2011

Book of Mormon Scripture Stickers

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Book of Mormon Scripture Stickers

  Set One

  Set Two

Set Three

Preparation

  • Print the scripture sticker page onto clear sticker paper which can be found at office supply stores. The sticker paper averages about a dollar a page when bought in a package of  fifteen. It can be bought cheaper in bulk at Online Labels, but these are permanent stickers and cannot be adjusted once placed.

 

Purpose

Scripture Stickers can be affixed onto scripture pages and are a reminder for the children of the scripture stories and their locations. The stickers are clear so the words of the scriptures can still be read through the sticker.

The Scripture Stickers can be cut into individual stickers and given to a child after each Book of Mormon lesson is taught so they can mark where that scripture story is located. Or they can be used as an encouragement or reward for when a child completes reading assignments. The stickers can be cut out and given to a child individually for each reading assignment finished, or given as a page when a child completes a reading chart goal (the child will then have to cut them out themselves).

If the stickers are given to the children individually, the cut out stickers can be stored in the pockets of card or photo protector sheets. With a Sharpie, label each pocket with the name of the scripture story, and then store the protector sheets in a binder.

Note: If these stickers are given out by a teacher or leader, be sure to have the children get permission from their parents before affixing the stickers into their scriptures. (It is a good idea to send a note home explaining the stickers and their purpose. Also explain in the note that you have instructed the children to get permission before they put the stickers in their scriptures.)

Source: “Book of Mormon Stories”

Mar 24 2011

Scripture Power – Verse Two

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Scripture Power – Verse Two

Preparation

  • Print and cut out the Armor of God illustrations. Also print the word pages and the armor labels.
  • Items needed: magnets or tacky putty to attach the armor pieces to the soldier figure on the chalkboard.

Presentation

Start off by telling the children about the movie clip (found in the New Testament CES videos) called “The Whole Armor of God”:

“The Whole Armor of God” starts off showing some young soldiers from ancient times who are battle weary, hot, and tired. Some of the soldiers put down their swords and take off their armor to rest by a river. Hooded, dark figures with bows and arrows sneak up on them. There is a battle, and the soldiers who took off their protective armor are injured or killed.

Remind the children that we are fighting a spiritual battle against Satan and his temptations. When we let down our guard, and don’t keep near us the things that will protect us, we become open to the fiery darts of Satan’s temptations. The second verse of “Scripture Power” talks about the protective spiritual armor we need in order to be protected from Satan’s temptations.

Show the picture of the soldier without his armor and ask the children if he is protected from attack. Put the sword in the soldier’s right hand, and inform the children that a sword is an item that was used for defense against attack. When we are spiritually attacked we need what is called “The Sword of Truth”. Write the words “The Sword of Truth” on the board. Ask what the words would become if you erased the S. (“The Word of Truth”) Explain that the words of truth found in the scriptures help us have a defense against Satan’s attacks, because knowing truth helps us recognize Satan’s deceptions and then we are not deceived. (Give an example of a scripture truth verses a deception of Satan.)

Inform the children that the first line of the second verse is – “I’ll find the sword of truth in each scripture that I learn.”  (Put this word page on the board.)

Inform the children that the next line of the verse is – “I’ll take the shield of faith from these pages that I turn.”  Put this word page on the board, and then put the shield in the soldier’s left hand.  Explain that as we obey the words found in the scriptures, we see the good results, and we gain faith and trust in God’s words.  Our faith  in God’s word  protects us against the temptation to do something that is opposite of His word.

The next line is –  “I’ll wear each vital part of the armor of the Lord.” (Put this word page on the board.)  There is a scripture in Ephesians 6:11-17 that tells about  the armor of God and what each piece represents. Each piece can be related to the things we learn and gain from the scriptures.

  • Put the helmet on the soldier, and explain that it is called the helmet of salvation. Salvation comes through Christ, so focusing our minds on Christ’s teachings (which are found in the scriptures) give us protection against unworthy thoughts.
  • Put the breastplate on the soldier, and explain that it is called the breastplate of righteousness and represents our righteous choices. As we make righteous choices our spirits grow stronger, which gives us more protection against temptation.
  • Put the girdle on the soldier, and explain that in old times people used to gird up their clothes when they were getting ready to get to work so that their clothes wouldn’t inhibit their movement. So we are to be girded with truth to protect our actions.
  • Put the feet coverings on the soldier, and explain that the feet represent goals or objectives (where you are going in life), and we are to shod our feet with the gospel of peace to guide our lives.

 

Just as each piece of a soldier’s armor protects vital parts of his body, so does each part of the armor of the God protect our vital and important spirituality.

With the armor of God on we are prepared to fight against the temptations of Satan and win. Explain that the last line in the verse is – “and fight my daily battles, and win a great reward.” (Put this word page on the board.) What is the great reward for winning the spiritual battles of life against Satan?( Eternal Life) Encourage the children to keep their protective spiritual armor on. We do this by reading the scriptures daily and striving to do the things found in them.

Sing the verse all the way through with senior Primary. (Sing each line as you put them on the board with junior primary.)

Memorizing the Verse

Have five children come up to the front and act out the words by doing the following:

Hide the paper sword in some scriptures and have a child “find” it, and then have that child point to the scriptures and then to his/her head for the part that says “I’ll find the sword of truth in each scripture that I learn”.

Give the second child some scriptures with the shield in it. Have the child “take” the shield from the scriptures and then turn the pages of the scriptures for the part that says “I’ll take the shield of faith from these pages that I turn”.

Have the third child dress up in a few pieces of armor (look online for how to make some easy costume armor and a shield) for the sentence “I’ll wear each vital part of the armor of the Lord”.

Have the fourth child hold a play spear made out of a wrapping paper tube and a triangular cut sponge stuffed in the top opening for the tip.  Write the word “temptations”  on the tube. Put some curly red ribbon coming out of the back of the spear so it represents the fiery darts of Satan. Have the third and fourth child do a simple mock battle during the words “I’ll fight my daily battles” by having the third child block the spear with the costume shield.

After the battle, have the fifth child put a medal around the neck of the child wearing the armor to act out the words “and win a great reward.  The medal can be made with foil and cardboard with the words “eternal life” written on it. Attach a large loop of ribbon to the top of the medal so it can be hung around the child’s neck. (Or a trophy could be used for the great reward with a sign attached to it that says eternal life.)

Have the primary sing the song while the five children act out the words. Take a word page off the board and have the child or children who are acting out that part sit down. Do this each time the children sing the verse. By the time all the word pages and all the actors are removed, the children should have the verse memorized.

( Angie shared the idea on sugardoodle about taking the S off the sword of truth. She got the idea from the 2005 Primary workshop.)

Mar 19 2011

Review of “Stand for the Right”

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Review – Stand for the Right

I did two reviews with this song. In the first review I made bigger versions of the pictures I had used in my original presentation. I put those bigger versions on the board in random order. I had a volunteer come up and choose the picture that comes first in the song and then tell the words that went with that picture. Then I had another volunteer choose the picture that comes next in the song and then tell the words that went with that picture. We continued in this manner until all the pictures were in order and all the words had been reviewed, and then we sang the song.

In the second review I used a Sign that said “Stand for the Right.” I had a child put up the sign, or put it down, while the children sang the song. When the sign was up, the children had to stand up, and when the sign was down, they sat down. Children love to do actions while singing. But the actions were also a reminder that the children would have times in their lives where they would have to stand for the right.

Mar 16 2011

Spring Showers – Song Choosing Review

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Spring Showers Plinko Board – Song Choosing Review

This week I am reviewing the songs we have learned so far this year. I wanted to use a spring shower theme, so I came up with a Plinko board. A child slides a rain drop (a flat floral marble) down from the top back of the Plinko board trying to get it in the slot of the song they want to sing. Whatever slot it lands in is the song the children will sing. They must try and get it into a slot of a song that hasn’t already been sung. Each child will have one try to do this.

Preparation

  • Items needed: a 20×30 inch foam board from Walmart, blue flat floral marbles, a sheet of clear plastic such as from dollar store gift basket bags (or a couple sheets of saran wrap), clear packaging tape, a small flat sponge, double-sided tape, toothpicks, and a utility razor knife.
  • To make the box, cut the foam board in half, and with the utility knife, score a two inch line down each side and across the bottom of the half sheet of foam board.  Bend the scored areas backwards so that it forms a box (the square corner pieces will have to be cut out).  Tape the corners together.
  • Print the Spring Shower Pictures.  Cut out the flowers and glue them to the bottom of the box. Print and cut out the titles of the songs you wish to review, and glue one above each flower. Cut the sponge into strips to make dividers between the flowers. Attach each sponge divider with double-sided tape. Using double-sided tape, attach some blue floral marbles to the back of the box to look like raindrops coming down on the flowers. Cover the box with clear plastic; pull the plastic tight and tape it to the outside edges or back of the box with clear packaging tape. Cut out and tape the grass to the bottom edge of the box. Cut out the clouds and attach them to the top edge of the plastic with double-sided tape. Look down the top of the Plinko box and see where there are open areas to the slots. Stick the toothpicks through the plastic and into the foam board wherever there is a clear opening. This will make it more difficult to get the marbles into the slot of choice.

 

A Plinko board could be used in lots of different ways. Send me your comments and share your ideas with others on how to use this idea in a noncompetitive way.

Feb 18 2011

Handout for “If I Listen With My Heart”

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Valena Kisner emailed me a wonderful handout she had made to go with the song “If I Listen With My Heart”. She wanted to reinforce the ideas presented in the third verse lesson, so she created a 4×6 photo representation of the stained glass window for each of the kids to take home. Click on If I Listen With My Heart handout if you would like a copy. I reduced it a little and put four of them on one page, so it can be printed onto 81/2 x11 sheets of glossy photo paper.

Thank you Valena for sharing your idea and talents with us!

Jan 29 2011

Review of “If I Listen With My Heart”

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  Review of “If I Listen With My Heart”

Senior Primary Review of the Third Verse

I printed off the two pages of the words to the third verse onto light weight paper. (You can find the words in last week’s posting.) I put a piece of light weight blue paper over the top of each page. I used double sided tape at certain points near the words so the two papers would stick together well. I pinned the two pieces of paper onto a lamp shade. When the lamp is on, the children will be able to see the words to the third verse. Tell the children that this activity is to help remind them that the light of the Holy Ghost shows and tells us the things we need to know.

Have a volunteer turn the lamp on and off (not too fast) while the children sing the song. Watch to see if the children can sing the verse when the lamp is on or off. If they have problems with any area, review the pictures and words from last week’s lesson for that part. After that, choose another volunteer to turn the lamp on and off while the children sing the verse again. Continue in this manner until you think they have the words completely memorized.

Senior and Junior Primary Review of all the Verses.

Print the lines from the verses.  Cut them out and put sticky back hook velcro on the back of each one. Put them each into an envelope.  You will need a headband. See if the hook velcro will stick to your headband. If it won’t stick, sew a piece of pad velcro on it.

Choose a volunteer who thinks they know the words to every verse. Have the volunteer put the headband around the top of their head. Have the volunteer then choose an envelope. Put the card that is in that envelope onto their headband (on their forehead) without the volunteer seeing what it is. (For junior Primary, send the volunteer outside the room while you tell the children what the words are that are on the card.)  See if the children know what verse the words are from. Tell the children they are going to sing that verse; they are to sing all the words, except for the words that are on the card. The person who has the card stuck to their head is supposed to listen, and think of the words that the children don’t sing, and then tell what words are on the card.

You could also use a headband that has a light on it for this activity. The words would have to be printed onto light weight paper. Tape it to the light and turn on the light.