Jan 15 2012

Temples: Preparing to Go to the Temple

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Table of Contents

Preparing to Go to the Temple

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 ” Doctrine and Covenants 94–97″

  • Invite a young person from your ward or branch who has been to the temple to share his or her experience and tell the children what they can do to prepare for the temple.
  • Use the article “Your Path to the Temple” (in Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [special issue of the Ensign or Liahona, Oct. 2010], 72–75) to help the children understand what happens inside temples and how they can prepare. Consider giving each child a section of the article to read and letting them share what they learn.
  • Share the video “Two Apostles Lead a Virtual Tour of the Rome Italy Temple” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), and invite the children to share how they feel about going to the temple someday.

To help those preparing to enter the temple, you could review the videos, photos, and instruction found at temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Liahona October 2010 “Your Path to the Temple” What happens inside the temple, the temple recommend, preparing now to enter the temple.

Friend December 2023 “Preparing for More Covenants”

Liahona October 2021 “Teaching Your Children to Love the Temple” Below are some simple ideas to help our children learn to love the temple as they prepare to make and keep covenants there.

For 3–7-year-olds:

  • Display a picture of the temple in your home.
  • Talk together about the temple.
  • Where possible, visit the temple grounds, touch the temple, or view temple photos online.
  • Draw or build a model of your temple with readily available materials such as stones and mud, clay, play dough, or blocks. Later, do it again for a different temple.
  • Engage in family activities provided on FamilySearch.org/discovery.
  • Act out meaningful family stories or make traditional family recipes. Explain the importance of knowing about our ancestors.

For 8–11-year-olds:

  • As a family, regularly read and discuss together the temple recommend interview questions. Encourage your children to be worthy of a recommend regardless of when they will be able to attend.
  • Teach about the power, protection, and importance of keeping covenants and promises.4
  • Review together information and videos at temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, like the virtual tour of the Rome Italy Temple.
  • Share personal temple experiences or stories from family members, including extended family.
  • As your child turns 10 or 11, create a simple calendar to count down the days, weeks, or months until they can enter the temple.
  • Discuss together the scripture story of the Savior in the temple at age 12 (see Luke 2:42–51).
  • Create a plan to prepare for your child’s first visit to the temple. Where possible, make it a family event. To help your child feel more comfortable, include talking about the practical aspects of temple baptisms and confirmations, such as what to wear to and in the temple, where they will enter the baptistry, who will help them, how baptisms and confirmations are performed, and the order of what will happen inside.
  • Learn to do family history work and prepare family names to take to the temple.

Friend July 2022 “How Can I Get Ready for the Temple?”

Friend May 2023 “How Can I Get Ready for the Temple?” By Elder Quentin L. Cook

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 21–23; Mark 11; Luke 19–20; John 12”

  • Invite one or more youth to come to class and talk about how they have prepared to enter the temple. If they have been to the temple, ask them to talk about how they felt when they were there.

  • Cut a picture of a temple into puzzle pieces, and give each child one piece. Ask the children to write on the back of their puzzle piece one thing they can do to prepare to enter the temple. As each child shares an idea, add his or her piece to the puzzle.

Friend October 2021 “Build a Temple” Cut along the dotted lines to make a puzzle of what the Bangkok Thailand Temple will look like.

  • On the board, write the following:  can help me prepare to serve in the temple. Invite the children to suggest ways to complete this sentence. Some ideas might include “Keeping my baptismal covenants” or “The Holy Ghost.”

Friend October 2021 “Bright Idea” Look forward to the temple! Many blessings are waiting for you there.

As we take time to share our experiences with our children, talk about the power and protection that come from keeping covenants, teach them the importance of the temple, testify of how we feel inside its walls, and share stories of our ancestors, we can foster in them a love for the temple in their earliest years. As you teach your children to love and prepare for the temple, you will be giving them one of the greatest gifts you can—a knowledge that families are forever and a desire to make and keep covenants that will unite their family for eternity.

Friend October 2021 “Loving the Temple” When he was a boy, President Ezra Taft Benson knew the temple was important. You too can learn to love the temple now. You too can learn to love the temple now. Some of you have pictures of temples in your homes. Many of you can visit temple grounds. Some may even be able to attend open houses when temples are built. (See more about family work in temples at article.)

Invite a member of the bishopric or a youth in your ward to share some things the children can do to prepare to enter the temple. Ask the children to add their ideas. Invite them to make a goal to go to the temple someday. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 14–16” )

March 2002 Friend “A House of God” Cut out the temple, fold the sides up on the dotted lines, and glue the tabs to the insides of the walls to form a box. Cut out the scripture reference bricks. They mention some things you can do now to build your life so that you will be worthy to enter the temple. Place the bricks in the temple box. Have a child choose a brick from the box, read it out loud, and tell how they could live that principle. Have the child glue the brick to the outside of the temple. When you have read and attached all the bricks, the temple will be complete and you will have a reminder of what you can do to be prepared to enter the temple. (Could make a copy for each child and the children could glue their matching brick to their temple as it is discussed.)

Friend October 2002 “Signs for Temple Preparation” If you can follow the signs that tell you how to prepare to go to the temple, they will lead you through the maze to the temple. Signs that tell you to break the commandments will not lead you to the temple.

Friend March 2019  Put a picture of the temple in your room. Find someone in your family tree who hasn’t been baptized yet. Talk about the temple with someone who has been inside.

Friend July 2021 “For Older Kids” If you can’t go inside the temple yet, you can visit the temple grounds to sit, think, or read scriptures. If you don’t live near a temple, draw a picture of one and hang it up!

Friend November 2023 “Akoni Prepares for the Temple”

Friend October 2025 “A Chat with Azahara about the Temple” Azahara is an 11-year-old from Spain. She answered some questions about her first time going to the temple and how she prepared.

To help those preparing to enter the temple, you could review the videos, photos, and instruction found at temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Temple Recommend

Friend March 2024 “What Is a Temple Recommend?” The year you turn 12, you can meet with your bishop or branch president for a temple interview. If you both feel you are ready and worthy, he will give you a temple recommend. This piece of paper shows that you are worthy to go inside the temple.

Friend December 2023 “Together Always”

Friend October 2021 “A Holy Place” The words are on every temple. “Holiness to the Lord” reminds us that we need to be worthy to go inside. Ways to prepare to go to the temple.

To enter the temple, we need “clean hands, and a pure heart.”

PSALM 24 David testifies, The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, he who has clean hands and a pure heart will ascend unto the hill of the Lord, and the Lord of Hosts is the King of Glory.

Psalm 24:3–4

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46” As the children look forward to entering the temple someday, help them understand that they can prepare by becoming spiritually clean through the Savior’s Atonement.

  • Show the children a picture of a temple. Invite them to read Psalm 24:3 and find words that remind them of the temple. Then read together verse 4 to learn who can enter the temple (define any unfamiliar words). How do our hands get physically dirty? How do our hands and hearts get spiritually dirty? How do we clean our hands physically? How does the Savior help us clean our hands and hearts spiritually? (If it is helpful, explain that “hands” in this verse can represent our actions and “heart” can represent our desires.)

For the Strength of Youth “Ascend into the Hill of the Lord”

Friend November 2022 “I Can Do What’s Right”

Recommend Interview

  • Review with the children the requirements to receive a temple recommend (see Russell M. Nelson, “Closing Remarks,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 120–22; or invite a member of the bishopric to discuss these requirements with the class). Invite the children to choose one thing they feel inspired to do to prepare to be worthy to enter the temple.

Friend September 2019 “What’s on Your Mind? The questions the Bishop or Branch President will ask during the temple recommend interview.

Friend October 2021 “Getting a Temple Recommend” s

Friend August 2016

Friend August 2016

Friend October 2021 “Ready for the Temple” Ajan will be turning twelve soon, but he lives far from a temple. Their ministering brother explained that he doesn’t get to go to the temple very often either, but his recommend reminds him to always be ready to go inside. Ajan wants to get a recommend and be ready too.

Friend September 2021 “For Older Kids” Temple Prep Tip: Even if you live far away from the temple, you can still get a temple recommend in January of the year you turn 12! Talk to a parent or leader about the temple recommend questions. What can you do now to prepare to get your recommend?

Friend September 2021 “For Older Kids”

Temple Prep Tip Even if you live far away from the temple, you can still get a temple recommend in January of the year you turn 12! Talk to a parent or leader about the temple recommend questions. What can you do now to prepare to get your recommend?

Friend October 2021 “Temple Countdown” You can receive your temple recommend in January of the year you turn 12! Follow these steps to find out how many years, months, and days you have until you can get yours.

Friend September 2021 “For Older Kids”

Temple Prep Tip: Even if you live far away from the temple, you can still get a temple recommend in January of the year you turn 12! Talk to a parent or leader about the temple recommend questions. What can you do now to prepare to get your recommend?

Practice Feeling the Holy Ghost

Friend July 2022 “For Older Kids”

First time to the Temple

Friend November 2024 “Tips for Your First Temple Trip”

Friend May 2023 “Answers about the Temple”

Friend July 2015

Friend October 2017 “Temple Trip Tips” List the things you would do under each of the below signs.

5 Tips for Your First Temple Visit

• Talk to a parent or teachers about what to expect.
• Look at pictures of the rooms inside the temple.
• Make an appointment with your bishop to get your recommend. He’ll talk with you about your testimony and about keeping the commandments.
• Find out about your own ancestors. If possible, find an ancestor you could be baptized for! Visit FamilySearch.org to learn more.
• Pray for the Holy Ghost to be with you. Then enjoy your first visit to the temple.

Friend October 2021 “My First Temple Trip” Elena’s step by step first visit to the temple to do baptisms for the dead.

Friend May 2023 “Temple Baptisms”

Friend November 2020 “Going Inside God’s House” Rachel was nervous about going to the temple for the first time to do baptisms. She said a prayer to feel more calm, and all the things she had worried about ended up being fine.

Friend May 2023 “Jimena’s Temple Miracle” Jimena and her parents were going to do baptisms in the temple for their ancestors, but Jimena was nervous because she wore an insulin pump to stay healthy. She took it off before going in the font and was blessed not to get sick while doing the baptisms.

Friend September 2019 “Peace in the Temple” Jose is a little nervous about his first time going to the temple. His grandmother assures him that there would be people there to help him the whole time. When he gets to the temple all his worries seemed to melt away. Everything was quiet and calm. He felt peace.

[unitegallery Sept2019]

Friend October 2017 “Finding Lydia” Lydia isn’t excited to be graduating from Primary and going to Young Women’s, but she becomes more excited when her mother finds some family names for her to do baptisms for in the temple, and one is named Lydia.

Friend July 2016 “Abraham Abraham” A boy does baptisms at the temple for the first time and learns its importance.

image

For additional lesson ideas see Temple, Resources for Teaching Children: Temples, & Resources for Teaching Children: Nauvoo, Illinois

Friend January 2017 “For Older Kids” See yourself in the temple

Friend January 2017
  • Invite one child to read Doctrine and Covenants 88:68 aloud and another to read verse 74. Ask the children to listen for a phrase that is in both of these verses. How do we “sanctify” ourselves? (If needed, help the children look up “Sanctification” in the Guide to the Scriptures.) Draw a picture of a heart, a hand, and a foot on the board. Help the children think of what it might mean to “purify” and “cleanse” our hearts, hands, and feet. How does the Savior help us do this? How can we use our hearts, hands, and feet to become more like Jesus?
  • Explain that the Lord wanted His people to be sanctified before they could go into the temple. Consider inviting a young man or young woman who has a temple recommend to visit the class. Invite him or her to show the children what a recommend looks like, discuss what they do to live worthy of it, and share why it’s important to have a temple recommend even if we don’t live close to a temple.
  • Write on the board Do and Don’t. Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 88:119–26 and list things the Lord wanted the Saints to do or not do to prepare to learn in the temple. They could look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary. Invite the children to choose something that they will start doing or something they will stop doing.

Friend November 2022 “Get Ready for the Temple!” Kids tell how they are preparing to go to the temple and what they expect. (See images at link.)

Friend September 2022 “For Older Kids” Practice keeping things clean

Friend October 2021 “Ready for the Temple” Ajan will be turning twelve soon, but he lives far from a temple. Their ministering brother explained that he doesn’t get to go to the temple very often either, but his recommend reminds him to always be ready to go inside. Ajan wants to get a recommend and be ready too.

Friend April 2017 “Prepare for the Temple Every Day” Sister Joy Jones prepared all her life to go to the temple.

Friend July 2022 “The Sweetest Goal” David can’t wait to go to the Dubai Temple when it is built. He was preparing by praying, reading the scriptures, and trying to follow Jesus. He tells his Aunt Ana about the temple and wants to invite her and his friends to come see it when it’s done.

Jan 5 2012

As a Child of God

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I changed this activity a little. I realized I needed to break the song down a little bit more to help the children learn it easier. To do this I cut strips in the colored cover pages. The top and bottom strips cover the words, and the middle strip covers the picture. I had the children cover the words of the page of the matching color on the wheel, and then choose a picture to cover on another page.  If the wheel landed on a picture that had the words covered already, the child covered the picture and chose words on another page to cover. I had the children sing the song every time after they did this.

This helped the children because they still had the picture to help remind them of the words. Eventually everything was covered, but it helped the children learn it in smaller bites. I used this method in Junior and Senior Primary and it worked perfectly each time. I am using this for the second week too when I teach the second and third verse. On the third week I will use the big wheel and all the verses. I will have them cover a whole page at a time and choose another page to cover too because they should know the song by then.

If you use this method you will have to use tape along the edge of the two pages to hold them together instead of tying them together. Tape each strip on individually so you can open and close each strip individually. You will also have to put magnets on the front edge of each strip.

Jan 4 2012

Lesson 15 – Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah

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Lesson 15
Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah

Preparation
• Items needed: a variety of fishing lures with hooks (or you can use the provided pictures of fishing lures), a nut in a shell placed in a small paper bag, chalk and eraser, a paper towel, a dry erase marker, tape or magnets, and two page protectors.
• Print and cut apart the scripture story visual aids. (The scripture story visual aids are from chapter twenty-two of Book of Mormon Stories. ) Also print and cut out the activity visual aids. Put the picture of the fishing pole and the picture of the children in the page protectors.

Attention Activity
Show the children the fishing lures (or the picture of fishing lures), and ask the children if they know what the items are used for.

Explain to the children that fishing lures are designed to attract and catch fish. Some lures are sparkly and shiny and some look like food (like bugs or small fish), but they are all traps. The lures are always attached to a hook. (Show the children the hooks.) When a fish takes the lure or bait they become hooked and can’t get away. Their lives are destroyed and they are devoured.

Satan also uses lures. His lures are appealing to people, and they are meant to entice us to sin. Many times we don’t see the danger or harm in his lures, and then we take the bait. When we take the bait and allow the hook to be set, then we’re caught. In today’s lesson we will learn about some of Satan’s lures and the destruction and damage that his traps can cause.

Scripture Story
Tell the following story using the scripture story visual aids.

As King Mosiah grew old he needed to decide who would replace him as king. His sons were the rightful heirs, but none of them wished to be king. They desired to go on a mission to the Lamanites and teach them the gospel. Instead of having a king, King Mosiah recommended to the people that they set up a system of judges. He gave them many reasons why judges would be better than having a king. The people were convinced of the truth of King Mosiah’s words, and they elected judges. Alma the younger was appointed to be the first chief judge in the land. He was also the leader over the church. His father had grown old and had conferred the leadership upon him. Alma the younger had become a strong and righteous leader in the church.

There was peace in the land for awhile. The members of the church were righteous and they prospered for a time, but then the members began to be lifted up in pride because of their riches.

• How does Satan try to lure people to sin because of riches?

o He tries to get people to think they were better than others because of their riches.
o He tries to get people to be selfish and not use their riches to help others.
o He tries to get people to think they received their riches because of their own ingenuity and not through the blessings of the Lord.
o He tries to tempt people to spend all their time seeking after riches instead of spending their time doing good things for others.

When Alma saw the problems that were occurring in the church, he selected a righteous man to take his place as chief judge. He then went among the people to preach the word of God. He wanted to help them remember their duty, and he wanted to expose Satan’s traps. After he got the church in Zarahemla in order, he began to travel to other cities to preach the word of God. One of the cities he went to was called Ammonihah. Satan had a great hold on the hearts of the people in Ammonihah, and they would not listen to Alma.

The people in Ammonihah had once been obedient members of the church, but they had allowed themselves to be influenced by the teachings of Nehor. Nehor was a Nephite that introduced priestcraft to the people. Priestcraft is when men preach to get gain and the praise of the world. They teach false and enticing things to attract people to follow them. The followers of Nehor taught that God redeems all men, and that he will give everyone eternal life regardless of what they do on the earth.

• Why do you think this type of preaching appealed to people? It meant that people could give into temptation because according to Nehor they could sin and still be saved. The people of Ammonihah allowed Satan to lure them with this false doctrine, and his hook and hold on them was great because of their desire for sin.

The people of Ammonihah reviled against Alma and cast him out of their city because the things he preached were in opposition to what they wanted to do.

Alma was very sorrowful because of the wickedness of the people of Ammonihah. As he travelled towards another city, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel told him to return to the city of Ammonihah. He was to preach to them and warn them that if they did not repent they would be destroyed.

• Do you think it would be hard to go back to a place where you had been treated cruelly? How did Alma react when he heard the news he needed to go back? (Read Alma 8:18) Alma returned speedily to Ammonihah.

• Why did Alma speedily return? He was always obedient to the Lord’s commandments, and he wanted to help the people of Ammonihah. He knew that if they did not repent they would be destroyed, and they would also suffer eternal consequences because of their sins.

When Alma entered into the city of Ammonihah, he was hungry because he had fasted many days for the people. He saw a man and asked him for food. The man said he knew that Alma was a prophet of God. The man had seen an angel in a vision, and the angel told him to receive Alma into his house. The man’s name was Amulek. He fed and took care of Alma at his house for many days.

• What might have taken place during the many days Alma stayed with Amulek? Amulek was probably being taught by Alma.

The Lord told Alma that Amulek also needed to preach and warn the people to repent. Amulek was a wealthy man with high standing in the community. He had many friends and family. He knew the ways of the Lord but had hardened his heart against them until the angel appeared to him. When the people heard Amulek’s story and heard him preach, they were astonished because there was more than one witness against them.

  • Ask the children if they think having more than one witness helped strengthen Alma’s message. Illustrate this concept by doing the following object lesson:

Object Lesson

Reach into the bag you brought and grab the nut. Show the children your closed hand. Explain to the children that there is something in your hand that can be eaten, but the thing that can be eaten has never been touched by human hands. Ask the children if they believe you. Show one of the children what is in your hand without letting anyone else see it. Have that child verify to the class that your statement is true. Ask the class if they believe you now. Show the class the shell covered nut.

• Point out that having more than one witness helped the children believe what you had told them.

Alma and Amulek warned the people that if they did not repent they would be utterly destroyed by the Lamanites. (Read Alma 9:18)

In Ammonihah many kinds of sins were being committed, including greed and corruption in the system of judges. The judges and lawyers often stirred up the people to rioting, disturbances, and all manner of wickedness because they were paid according to the amount of time they worked. They stirred up the people against Alma and Amulek so they might get more employ and more money. A man named Zeezrom was one of their most cunning lawyers. He, and other lawyers, tried to trick Alma and Amulek into saying contradictory things. Alma and Amulek had the spirit with them so they knew the thoughts of those trying to deceive them, and they could not be tricked.

Zeezrom was convinced of the power of God because Alma and Amulek had the power to know his thoughts and intents. Alma and Amulek talked to the people about the judgments of God after death. They told the people that they would be judged according to their works, words, and thoughts. After hearing Alma’s and Amulek’s preaching’s, Zeezrom began to tremble because of his guilt.

Activity
• Zeezrom was guilty of many sins. What kind of sins does Satan try to get people to commit? To use profanity, watch bad movies, disobey parents, cheat, steal, lie, listen to bad music, dress immodestly, use drugs, drink alcohol, to smoke, etc.

Explain to the children that Satan uses lures to try to get people to commit these sins. Put the tackle box on the board and the cut out cards of the lures below the tackle box. Put the fishing pole on the board, and have a child write one of the sins on the fishing line with the dry erase marker. Have the child then choose one of the lures that Satan might use to entice someone to commit that sin.

Tell the children that just as fishing lures are not what they appear to be, Satan’s lures are deceitful and false. They are lies meant to entice people into his traps so he can capture and hook them. (Discuss the ways that the lure is a lie.)

• When a person decides to commit a sin how do they become hooked? Their thoughts may dwell on the sin. They may want to try it again. Each time they do the sin it becomes easier to keep doing it. It then becomes a habit and a regular part of their life. They are hooked, and if they try to pull away it can be physically and emotionally difficult and painful.

Satan wants people to get caught and hooked in his traps so he can destroy their lives.

• In what ways does sin destroy and damage lives? ( (Put the picture of the children on the board next to the fishing pole. With the dry erase marker, have the child write a way that the sin might damage or destroy someone’s life on the picture of the children.) Answers may include: People may not trust them anymore. They lose the guidance, safety, and protection of the Holy Ghost. They may hurt those they care about with their actions and words; their relationships become broken and damaged. Their bodies can become damaged if it is a Word of Wisdom problem. They may end up having their freedoms taken away, such as being put in prison. They will lose the opportunity for eternal life unless they repent.

Erase the sin on the fishing line and have another child write a different sin on the line, choose a matching lure, discuss how the lure is a lie, and then write a consequence on the picture of the children. Continue in this way until all the children have had a turn, or all the lures have been used.

Conclusion
Sin always causes misery and unhappiness, and Satan wants us to believe that once we are caught by his lures and hooks there is no way to escape. But the Lord has provided a way we can escape: it is called repentance, and it may be painful and difficult. Imagine how a fish feels having a hook removed from its mouth. It can be very painful. But imagine how the fish feels if it is set free, back into the water. Removing the hook of sin from our lives may be difficult, but the wonderful feeling of being free from its destructive hold is worth the effort. But it is better if we never allow ourselves to be caught in the first place.

• What do we learn from the story of Alma concerning ways to prevent being caught in Satan’s traps?

o Alma preached the word of God to help expose the traps of Satan to the people. We need to learn the word of God by reading the scriptures and listening to the prophet so we can see and avoid the traps of Satan.
o When the wicked lawyers of Ammonihah tried to trick and tempt Alma and Amulek, the Holy Ghost warned and helped them and Alma and Amulek were not deceived. We need to seek for and listen to the guidance of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will warn us of danger.

Bear testimony that God provides guidance and help, but we need to seek for and follow His direction in order to avoid the destructive traps that are set by Satan.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week: Alma 8:8–32, Alma 10:31-32, Alma11:20-25, and Alma 12:1-7

Dec 29 2011

As a Child of God: Song

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As a Child of God – Song

Preparation

  • Items needed: ribbon or yarn, 16 page protectors, magnets, two brads, and one of each the following colors of cardstock  – red, orange, blue, green, yellow, purple, brown, pink.
  • Print the song pages. Cut out the boy and glue him next to the arrow sign on the first page. Put the song pages into page protectors. Also put the colored cardstock into page protectors. Using pieces of ribbon or yarn tied through the page protector holes, attach one colored cardstock to the top of each song page. (Be sure to put brown, green, yellow and orange on the first verse to match the small choosing wheel.) Using glue or double-sided tape, attach strong magnets to the back of each song page. Then attach one magnet to the front of each colored cardstock page.
  • Print the choosing wheels onto cardstock. Cut out each of the blank wheels. Cut open the window boxes on the dotted lines with an exacto knife. Center each blank wheel over the top of its matching color dot wheel. Poke a hole with a pin through the center dot all the way through both wheels. Push a brad through the hole and spread out the brad arms in the back – not too tightly. Note: colored squares can be glued over the dots to match available paper.
  • EXTRA: Here is another choosing wheel for those who want to break the lessons up into three weeks. This wheel would be for the second and third verses and would be used the second week. The final week would use the large wheel and all the verses.

 

Presentation
This song is about two things. It tells us that good choices bless and strengthen our families, and the chorus reminds us that we have the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help us make good choices.

Week One
Put the song pages of the first verse on the board with the cardstock pages covering them. Uncover each song page as you discuss it.  (I have included discussion suggestions for each song line.)

 “I came to earth with power to choose.” – This means we were given free agency to decide what we will do on earth.

“Good choices bless me and my family too.” – Ask the children what choices would bless them and their family and why.

Have the pianist play the first two lines so the children can hear how they sound, then have them sing those lines.

“As a child of God I receive special light.” – This part of the song is the chorus and we sing this with each verse. It talks about a way we can receive help to know which choices are good and which choices are not good. (Ask the children to tell you what light they think the line is talking about, explain that it is a guiding light.)

“The Holy Ghost helps me to know what is right.” – In what ways does the Holy Ghost communicate with us and help us know which choices are right. (Through good feelings, thoughts, or we may even hear a still small voice.)

Have the pianist play the chorus lines so the children can hear how they sound, then have them sing those lines.  Then have the children sing all four lines of the first verse.

Memorizing Activity
Using the small wheel, do the following activity to help the children memorize the first verse. Put the wheel on the board and show the children that there are four different colored spots on the wheel. Have a child spin the wheel and open the window to show which color it landed on. That child covers up the song page with the matching colored cardstock. Sing the song again. Have another child spin the wheel. If it lands on the same color as before, they have to uncover that song line. If it lands on another color they have to cover up that one. Explain that the object of the game is to get every song line page covered up. (After singing the song for the first two spins they only have to sing the song every two spins after that.)

Adapted version of the memorizing activity.

Week Two
The following week put all the song pages on the board. Put each verse in a column and the chorus under the columns. Discuss the lines from the second and third verse, then sing the verses. Afterwards play the memorizing game using the large wheel and all the song pages. Use the same rules as the week before, except add some choices to the game. After they close or open the color that the wheel landed on, they also get to choose another color (or the color they landed on) to close. The object once again is to get all the pages closed.

“I feel so safe and happy because”– Have the children look at the picture. Ask if they think the child looks safe and happy in his father’s arms. Ask why they think the child feels safe and happy. (Because his father protects, takes care of, and loves him.)

 “Such feelings of peace come from family love.”– Point out that the picture of the family and heart remind them of the words family love. Also point out that we feel peace in our home when it is filled with actions that demonstrate our love for each other. What actions might disrupt peace in a home? (Fighting and bickering, selfishness, not helping each other, etc.) Remind the children that the Holy Ghost can help them make good choices in their families, and then review the chorus.

“In my own home I’ll happily serve.” – Why do you think people happily serve in their homes? Because they know that their service helps promote the feelings of love, peace, and joy in their homes.

 “I’ll strengthen my family by my good works” – What good works can we do to help strengthen our family? (Ask what the boy in the picture is doing and how that helps strengthen his family.)

NEW: I added to this idea to make it more effective. See “As a Child of God”  in the song list.

Personal Note: This site  http://mypianolesson.blogspot.com/was the inspiration for this activity. Thank you!

 

Dec 14 2011

Article of Faith: Songs

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Article of Faith Song Reviews

Article of Faith Song Review

Our Primary children have been learning the Articles of Faith this year by singing one a month as the opening song. I do a review activity every six months. For the December review I attached balloons to the Article of Faith numbers. I attached the numbered balloons to the left side of the board with magnets on the back of them.  I had pictures with key words for those Articles of Faith on the right side of the board. It was a matching activity. I used a sticky fingers and had a child flip it at the balloons (sticky fingers stick really well to balloons). For whichever number it stuck to they had to find the matching key word and picture. The song could be played as a reminder, or they could choose a card in the pockets behind the numbers. Each card contained a part of that Article of Faith written on it. They could read the card to help remind them of which Article of Faith it was. Once they guessed correctly I looked for a child who could quote the Article of Faith. That child got the next turn with the sticky fingers. But first we sang that Article of Faith song before making another match.

Articles of Faith key words and pictures from the January 1994 Friend magazine insert

Article of Faith numbers

Sticky Fingers can be found at Dollar Tree, in the Walmart party favor section, or on Amazon.

The balloons could be attached to the numbers by punching a hole in the bottom of the number and then pushing the tied end of the balloon through the hole from the back to the front.

Oct 13 2011

Lesson 13 – The People of Alma and the People of King Limhi

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Lesson 13
The People of Alma and the People of King Limhi

Preparation
• Print a copy of the scripture story word strips. Cut the large word strip sets apart on the dotted lines. At the end of each word strip is a letter and a number. Put each word strip with matching letters and numbers into a large Ziploc bag or large envelope. There are four sets, so you will have four bags of word strips by the time you are done.  Mix up the strips in each bag.  Label the outside of each bag with which story it is and what set it is, “Limhi’s People” L-1 or L2, or “Alma’s People” A-1, A-2.
• Items needed: four rolls of tape, a diamond jewellery item and a piece of coal (or the picture of a diamond and a piece of coal).

Attention Activity
Show the children the diamond and the coal. Explain that a long time ago the diamond started out as a piece of coal. The coal was deep in the earth, and extreme heat and pressure was applied to the coal. After a long period of time the coal transformed into valuable diamond stone. Inform the children that in today’s lesson they will learn how adversity, hardship, and difficulty can apply pressure in life and help refine us and change us. They will examine how two groups of people grew stronger and better because of adversity.

Scripture Story Activity
Divide the children into four groups. Give each group a bag of word strips and a roll of tape. Tell the children they have some mixed up strips of paper in their bag. Each bag of word strips tell half of a scripture story. Their job is to put the papers in the right order on the wall. Have the groups with the story strips about Limhi’s people put their word strips in order on the far left side of the wall. Have the groups with story strips about Alma’s people put their word strips in order on the far right side of the wall. When each group has finished putting their word strips in order, have them sit down. Tell them you are going to read each story, and they can check and see if their strips are in the correct order. Have somebody from their group fix any mistakes as you read. Start with Limhi’s group and read the story from the small word strip pages. After each group’s story has been read, and all the word strips have been fixed, ask the following questions.

• Who were both groups of people in bondage to? The Lamanites

• Why were they brought into bondage? Because of their wickedness.

The prophet Abinadi had warned the people to repent or they would suffer bondage and affliction. Two years after that warning they still had not repented. Abinadi told them bondage would come upon them, and if they still didn’t repent after being put into bondage, they would be destroyed. Even though Alma and his people had repented before being put into bondage, their repentance occurred after Abinadi’s second visit. They did not repent soon enough to escape the prophesied bondage and affliction. The Lord tested their faith while they were in bondage.

Activity
Compare the differences between what happened to Limhi’s people and what happened to Alma’s people by having the children look for the answers to the following questions in their story’s word strips. When they find the correct word strip, have them each move it to the middle of the wall so the two can be compared.

How did the Lamanites treat each group of people they had in bondage?
Limhi’s People – “The Lamanites would smite the people on their cheeks, and they put heavy burdens upon their backs and drove them like animals.”
Alma’s People –“The Lamanites began to persecute them and put tasks upon them and taskmasters over them.”

What did each group of people do when they were first put under heavy bondage?
Limhi’s People – “The people went forth against the Lamanites in battle to drive them out of their land.” (Limhi’s people tried to use their own strength to get out of bondage.)
Alma’s People – “Great were their afflictions and they did cry mightily unto God.” (Alma’s people turned to the Lord for help.)

• What were the results of Limhi’s people’s several attempts to fight against the Lamanites to try and free themselves? They were not successful, and many people were killed.

• Why could they not deliver themselves from the bondage? Have the children read Abinadi’s prophecy found in Mosiah 11:23 to find the answer. Point out that it says only the Lord could deliver them.

When did each group of people humble themselves and turn to the Lord for help?
Limhi’s People – “They went again a third time to battle and suffered in like manner. They then did humble themselves and submitted to the bondage and did cry unto God to deliver them out of their afflictions.” (Limhi’s people were not humble until after they were compelled to be humbled.)
Alma’s People – “They began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the Lamanite’s hearts and that they would spare them.” (Alma’s people were humble and relied on Lord from the beginning.)

• Why did Limhi’s people finally humble themselves? Because they could not deliver themselves, and they knew they needed help.

When did the Lord hear each group’s prayers?
Limhi’s People – “The Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities.”
Alma’s People – “The Lord softened the Lamanites hearts and they spared their lives.” (From the very beginning the Lord helped them.)

• Why was Heavenly Father slow to hear the cries of Limhi’s people? Because of their iniquities, and because they had been slow to turn to him.

• Why did the Lord bless Alma’s people quicker? Because Alma’s people had repented of their sins, and they had turned their hearts to the Lord.

How did the Lord help each group of people with their burdens?
Limhi’s People – “He did eventually begin to hear their cries, and He did soften the hearts of the Lamanites, and the Lamanites did ease their burdens.”
Alma’s People – “Alma and his people did pour out their hearts unto God in their thoughts. The Lord did strengthen them that they could bear the burdens with ease.”

How did the Lord help each group of people escape from the Lamanites?
Limhi’s People – “Gideon set forth a plan. The Lamanite guards at the back wall of the city were drunk at night. Gideon proposed that they pass by the guards at the back wall when they were drunken and asleep.”
Alma’s People – “The Lord did cause a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites in the morning time, and Alma and his people did depart into the wilderness.”

• Which escape was miraculous? Alma’s people, but both groups had the Lords help being delivered from bondage.

Conclusion
• How were Limhi’s people like the coal at first? Their thoughts and actions were dark and unrefined.

• How did they become like the diamonds? The heat and pressure of adversity made them realize they needed the Lord’s help in their lives. They changed and became humble, obedient, prayerful, and faithful.

• How did the adversity affect Alma’s people? They became stronger in their faith in the Lord, and they developed other Christ like characteristics such as patience.

Sometimes the Lord allows us to suffer adversity, even when we are keeping the commandments, because adversity can refine us and help us develop characteristics of great value and worth.

Share an example and bear testimony of how Heavenly Father blessed you or your family during a time of adversity.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week – Mosiah 21:5–16, 22:1-16, 23:1-5, 23:25-30, 23:36-37, 24:9–25

Sep 6 2011

Lesson 10: King Benjamin

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Lesson 10
King Benjamin

Preparation

  • Print one copy of the large crossword puzzle and clues from pdf or word and cut out each clue and title. (Or print one copy of the smaller Crossword Puzzle and Clues per child and one copy of the section titles pdf or word.) The crossword puzzle is from the Friend, September 2000, Funstuff.
  •  Items needed: pencils, a marker, a Book of Mormon for each child, magnets or tape, and the Gospel Art Picture “King Benjamin Addresses His People”.

Scripture Story Introduction

Briefly review the previous week’s lesson. Explain that after Enos died, the records of the people were passed down from generation to generation. The Nephites had many battles with the Lamanites through the generations. The Lord warned a Nephite named Mosiah to flee out of the land with as many as would listen to the voice of the Lord. The people fled until they came to a land called the Land of Zarahemla. They discovered a people there called the people of Zarahemla (or Mulekites). The people of Zarahemla had been brought by the hand of the Lord to the promised land. They had come out of Jerusalem at the time King Zedekiah of Judah was carried away captive into Babylon. The Mulekite’s language and religious beliefs had become altered because they had brought no records with them. Mosiah had them taught his language. The people of Zarahemla and the people of Mosiah united. Mosiah was appointed their king.

After King Mosiah died, his son King Benjamin ruled. King Benjamin was a righteous king. King Benjamin ruled the people for many years. When he became old, he called his people together to speak to them and to confer the kingdom upon his son Mosiah. (Display the picture of King Benjamin addressing his people.)

Scripture Story Activity
Hand out a crossword puzzle, crossword puzzle clues (or use the enlarged version of the clues and puzzle and post them on the board when indicated in the lesson),  pencil, and a Book of Mormon to each child. Explain to the children that as they do the crossword puzzle they will learn more about King Benjamin and about his final address to his people.

Instructions: Attach the section title to the board (go in the order given) and read it to the class; also read any explanation that goes with it. Either post the enlarged version of the clues below it (one at a time and in the order given), or have a volunteer read out loud the crossword puzzle clue from their own list. Have a child try to guess what the missing word might be. Direct all the children to look up the scripture reference to see if the guess is correct. Have someone read the whole scripture out loud. Have the children fill in their crossword puzzle space with the correct answer, or have the class fill out the bigger version together on the board. Afterwards, read any further explanations that are given about the answer in the sections below.

King Benjamin called the people together to speak to them before he died.

King Benjamin was getting old and knew that he would die soon. He needed to confer the kingdom upon one of his sons, and he wished to speak to the people before he died. He had his son Mosiah gather the people together.

7 Down) LAND

3 Across) TEMPLE

The temple was of great spiritual consequence to the people, so it was a significant place for King Benjamin to teach and instruct the people.

12 Down) TOWER

The multitude was so great that King Benjamin had a tower built so they could hear his words.

20 Diagonally Up) WRITTEN

Many of the people still could not hear his words as he spoke from the tower, so he had his words written down and sent among the people.

What kind of man was King Benjamin?

We learn more about the kind of man and leader King Benjamin was as he begins his address to his people.

1 Across) LABORED

King Benjamin did not seek for the people’s gold or silver. He labored to serve them. He was a righteous leader.

21 Diagonally Down) COMMANDMENT

5 Across) WICKEDNESS

11 Down) PEACE

There was a serious war between the Lamanites and the Nephites, and King Benjamin was instrumental in driving the Lamanites out of the land. He also taught the Nephites to keep the commandments, and he would not suffer that they commit any manner of wickedness. Because of these things, he established peace in the land.

What are some of the things King Benjamin taught the people during his address?

19 Diagonally Down) ANOTHER

2 Across) SERVICE

Heavenly Father loves his children. When we serve others, we are helping the Lord love and care for his children. The Lord has done much for us, and we can show our love and gratitude to Heavenly Father by serving his children.

6 Across) UNPROFITABLE

The word unprofitable means running at a loss. Everything we have–including our life–our Heavenly Father has given us. The only thing we can give to God in return is our obedience. But when we are obedient, he blesses us and we are indebted to him again. We can never repay our Heavenly Father for the blessings he bestows upon us.

13 Down) HEAVENLY

8 Down) KEEP

4 Across) PROSPERED

22 Diagonally Up) CONTENTIONS

15 Down) SALVATION

An angel had appeared to King Benjamin and had told him of the Savior’s coming in great detail, including of His death and resurrection. Jesus Christ suffered and died for us that we might repent of our sins and live with Heavenly Father again.

9 Down) NAME

When each of us is born into a family, we receive a family name. Ask the children to tell what their family name is.

When we are baptized and become members of the church, we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ.  Because of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, he is the father of our spiritual rebirth and we become his sons and daughters.

Ask the children what characteristics they inherited from their parents. Tell them we can also become like Christ through our covenant to keep His commandments.

Tell the children to read the scripture in this clue again, and then tell why it is important for us to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. (There is no other name or way where salvation can be attained.)

How did the people respond to King Benjamin’s words?

10 Down) SINS

The people of King Benjamin recognized the need for power beyond their own to overcome their sinful condition. They prayed for mercy and asked Heavenly Father to apply the atoning blood of Christ so they could be forgiven of their sins.

16 Down) REMISSION

17 Down) EVIL

The people experienced a mighty change of heart. They had no more disposition to do evil. They had a desire to convert their lives to the things of God.

14 Down) COVENANT

18 Down) SOUL

• When do we make this kind of covenant? (When we are baptized.)  King Benjamin’s people had been baptized; they were members of the church. When King Benjamin spoke to his people, they gained a greater understanding of the gospel and the atonement. They were touched by the Spirit and had a mighty change of heart.  We must also listen to the prophet, study, learn, and gain understanding so we can experience a mighty change of heart and renew and strengthen our commitment to take upon us the name of Christ.

Conclusion
• How did the people of Zarahemla respond to the call to gather to the temple to hear the words of their prophet and king?

• How do we respond to the call to hear the words of the living prophet? Do we eagerly take advantage of those opportunities to hear and read his words?

• When do we have the opportunity to hear the prophet’s words? During General Conference that is held in October and April.

• Where can we read the prophet’s words? Show the children a copy of the Friend magazine and explain that there is a message from the prophet, or one of his counselors, at the beginning of each magazine. We can also read their words in other church magazines.

We need to listen to and obey the living prophet’s words just as King Benjamin’s people listened to and obeyed his words. As we do this, our hearts can change, and we will have no more disposition to do evil but to do good continually.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week: Mosiah 2:1–41 and Mosiah 5:1-8

Aug 18 2011

Review – The Lord Gave Me a Temple

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Review – The Lord Gave Me a Temple – Giant Game Board

Preparation

  • Print another set of the following pictures from the original post for how to teach this song: heaven, earth, and celestial glory scenes. Print the larger version of the boy figures, and cut out each one (the words are to use as a visual aid for the song line “claim blessings promised me”).
  • Items needed: 24 papers, tape, sticky tack, the word pages for both verses (from the original set of visual aids).

Presentation

Make a giant game board on the walls of the Primary room by starting with the heaven scene and then taping twelve papers in a horizontal row next to it. Put the earth scene at the end of the twelve papers, and then put another twelve papers in a row past the earth scene. Put the celestial glory scene as the finish.  Put sticky tack on the back of the spirit figure of the boy and put him on the heaven scene. The boy figure is the game piece, and the papers are the game spaces.

Divide the Primary into six groups, and give each group a visual aid item (from the original group of visual aids). Each visual aid should represent one line of the first verse. Give the children a few moments to think about what line their item represents and to figure out what the words are for that line.  Have the pianist play the song to help remind them.

Put the word pages on the board in order, but have them flipped over (you may also need to put cardstock over them so the kids can’t see the words through the paper). Have the group who thinks they have the first line of the verse come up and say the line. Have them check to see if they are correct by turning over the first word page. If they said all the words correctly they get to move the spirit figure three spots on the game board. If they got only one word wrong in the line, they get to move two spots. If they got more than two words wrong they still get to move one spot. Continue in this manner, having the children making matches in order and moving the game figure on the game board.

When a group gets the spirit figure to the earth scene, they get to trade the spirit body for the mortal body figure. After all the lines and visual aids have been matched for the first verse, have them sing the verse. Take off the word pages and sing it again.

Give each group a visual aid from the second verse and do the same activity. The object of the game is to get to the page marked celestial glory. If they move an average of two spots a turn, they will make it. If they don’t make it, you may want to consider doing the game again the following week and see if they do any better.

If the children make it to the celestial glory page before all the lines are matched, continue making the matches until finished. Give the final groups the option to help lead the music if they get all their words correct (use a two beat pattern). After all the matches have been made, sing the second verse.  Then sing both verses.

Aug 5 2011

Song – The Lord Gave Me a Temple

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Song – The Lord Gave Me a Temple

Preparation

  • Items needed: a flashlight, sticky tack, clear page protectors, a brown piece of cardstock, tape, magnets, and a yellow permanent marker or a piece of yellow paper.
  • Print the visual aid pictures. Place the boy figure on top of the spirit figure and hold it up to the light. Cut out around both figures so the cutouts match. Place the spirit figure on top of the brown piece of cardstock, trace, and then cut out the brown cardstock outline. Write the word “Sins” on the brown cutout.
  • Take one sheet of the page protectors and tape the boy figure to the right, bottom corner.  Cut the page protector in a rectangular shape around the boy figure to form a pocket. When done it should be sealed on the right and bottom, with an opening on the top and left side. (If you don’t have a page protector, use some other kind of clear plastic and tape together the right and bottom edges.)
  • Cut out another sheet of page protector 7 X 7½ inches. Place the boy figure under it, and using a yellow permanent marker (Sharpie) draw rays of light on the page protector around the boy figure.  If a yellow Sharpie is not available you can use a small sheet of yellow paper in place of the rays of light.
  • Cut out the temple outline around the rectangle and glue it to a heavy piece of paper.
  • Cut out around the outline of the mother and baby, the temple, the small sun, and the grave.  Cut off some of the bottom of the sun and tape it to the back of the gravestone. Attach a small magnet or piece of tape behind each figure (removable double-sided tape works great).
  • Print the first verse word pages.

 

VERSE ONE

Place the earth and heaven scenes on the board. Put the word pages in a row on top of the board as you discuss each one.

The Lord gave me a temple to live within on earth. Explain that this song isn’t talking about the temple buildings we normally think of when we hear the word temple. Ask the children what they think the song is talking about. (Our bodies) Show the picture of the boy and put it on the earth scene.

  • Why is the body considered to be a temple?  Remind the children that a temple is a place where the Spirit of God (the Holy Ghost) can dwell.  Read the scripture 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

Point to the words that say “to live within” and ask the children to explain what it means to live within your temple. (Your spirit lives within your body.) (Put the spirit figure into the clear pocket behind the boy figure.)

Once in Heaven I was spirit.  Take the spirit figure out of the body and put it on the page labeled heaven. Explain that we lived in heaven as spirits before we came to earth.

But I left my home at birth.  Take the spirit figure off the page labeled heaven, and put the picture of the mother and baby on the earth. Tell the children that when they were born, their spirit left heaven and entered into their body on earth.

I’ll make my temple brighter;   To make something brighter you would fill it with light. (Attach the top of the boy figure to the flashlight with sticky tack, and turn the flashlight on.)

  • What does the light represent? The light represents the gospel. Explain that just as light reveals things when turned on, through the gospel, truth is revealed. So in order to make our temples brighter we need to fill our lives with gospel truths, such as honesty, love, etc.

I’ll keep my spirit free.  

  • What should we keep our spirits free of? (Sin) Because sin would extinguish our desire for truth in our lives, and put out the light of the Holy Ghost within us, and bind us in darkness. (Show the dark brown cutout labeled sin and put it in front of the spirit figure. Insert the spirit and the cutout into the body to show how sin would extinguish the light from the body. Emphasize that we need to keep our spirits free from sin.)

My body is the temple my Father gave to me.  Place the boy figure on the outline of the temple, and discuss how we would treat a temple of God. We would keep it clean – uncontaminated from sin and dirt.

After discussing the song, have senior primary sing the song as you operate the visual aids. Then take off the first word page, and have a volunteer do the visual aids for that part as the primary sings the song again. (You will do the rest of the visual aids as they sing). After that take off the next two lines, and have another volunteer do that part of the visual aids. Sing the song again. Then take off the next two word pages and choose another volunteer to do the visuals for that part. By this time you will have three people helping with the visual aids. Be sure to situate them so everyone can see what they are doing.

For junior primary you may need to break the song down so they sing each part after discussing it. After you have discussed all the parts, do the above activity.

VERSE TWO

Preparation: Print the word and activity pages for the second verse. Cut out the yellow signs with their words. Put a small magnet behind each yellow sign.

Presentation

(Place the earth and celestial glory scenes on the board. Place the word pages on the top of the board as you discuss each song line.)

If I keep my body clean and pure and habit free,  (Place the boy figure on the earth scene.)

  • How do we keep our bodies clean and pure, and habit free? By being careful about what we take into our bodies and minds. We need to be selective about what we listen to, read, and watch because some things can encourage unclean thoughts and actions. Some things that are taken into the body and mind can also become habit forming and addictive.
  • What does addiction mean? Addiction is an extremely strong craving for something that can become so powerful that satisfying it becomes a top priority, which can interfere with things we should be doing. (Place the happy and sad face signs on the board across from the boy figure. Show the yellow signs one at a time and discuss if the item would or would not lead us in the direction of keeping our bodies clean, pure, and habit free. Attach each sign in a row, heading from the boy to either the happy or sad face.)

I may in Father’s temple claim blessings promised me.   (Put the picture of the temple on the earth scene next to the boy figure.)

  • If we keep our bodies clean and pure we will be worthy to go to the temple and receive ordinances that are necessary for salvation. In the temple we can also be sealed to our families forever. (Write on the board these blessings, preferably near the temple picture.)

On resurrection morning, I’ll take my body bright. (Take off the boy figure and put the gravestone on the earth scene.)  Explain that when a person dies, their body and spirit become separated, but when they are resurrected their spirit and body come together, never to be separated again. (Put the spirit figure into the boy figure.) If we endure in righteousness to the end (meaning until death) we will be resurrected on the morning (meaning beginning) of the first resurrection. And if we are worthy to be resurrected on the morning of the first resurrection, we will receive a glorified celestial body. (Put the light rays (or yellow piece of paper) behind the boy figure.)

And in celestial glory forever live in light.  (Put the boy figure on the page marked celestial glory.) Remind the children that the celestial kingdom is compared to the glory of the sun. In celestial glory we will live forever filled with the light of truth, knowledge, happiness, love, and in the light of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Note: You may need to simplify the discussion and activity for the first line of this verse for Junior Primary. One idea would be to put all the yellow sign pictures on the board, and have the children take off the pictures of things that would not keep their bodies clean, pure and habit free. Read all the signs to the children first. After the activity, do a simplified discussion about addiction and about keeping our minds, actions, and words clean and pure.

Aug 2 2011

Lesson 6 – Nephi Builds a Ship

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Lesson 6
Nephi Builds a Ship

Preparation

  •  Items needed: two pieces of paper for each child, a medium size rock, a large seed, tape, and colored markers.
  • Print the scripture story visual aids from chapter 7 of Book of Mormon Stories. Optional: Also print the pictures concerning Bountiful from the article “Was Lehi Here?”
  • Using the paper boat instructions found in the lesson, make an example paper boat to show to the children.
  • Print one copy of the activity “Nephi Builds a Ship”  which is from the Friend March 1988, Funstuff.
  • Print one copy of the ship activity (print the ship boards onto brown paper).  Attach the sail to the ship outline by cutting off the excess paper under the mast and then gluing or taping the two together. Cut out each individual board on the ship.

 

Attention Activity
Give each child a blank piece of paper. Show the example paper boat, and tell the children you want them to make the same boat with their paper. Give them a couple of minutes to try and complete the activity. Ask if it was hard to do without instructions. Teach them how to build the boat using the following instructions.

Paper Boat Instructions
Fold the piece of paper in half, top to bottom.
Fold the top right and left corners (on the folded edge) down to the middle of the paper forming a triangle.
Fold the bottom of the paper up, against both sides, as if to make a paper hat.
Insert thumbs into the bottom opening. Grab the bottom edges and pull out to make a square.
Fold the bottom corners, points up, against both sides forming a triangle.
Once again, insert thumbs into bottom opening, and grab the bottom edges and pull out to make a square.
Fold the bottom corners, points up, against both sides forming a triangle.
For the last time, insert thumbs into bottom opening, and grab the bottom edges and pull out to make a square.
Pull out the two top triangles to create your paper boat.

Inform the children that in today’s lesson they will be learning how Nephi built a ship with the Lord’s help. The ship Nephi built was large enough to carry Nephi, his family, and their supplies across the ocean.

Scripture Story
Tell the following story using the scripture story visual aids.

After traveling in the wilderness for eight years, Nephi and his family came to an area of vegetation by the sea they called Bountiful. They called it Bountiful because it had an abundance of fruit and wild honey. After they had been there for many days, the voice of the Lord came to Nephi telling him to arise and go up to the mountain.

The Lord spoke to Nephi on the mountain. He told Nephi to construct a ship, and that He would show Nephi how to construct it. The Lord also told Nephi where to find ore so that he could construct tools.

Nephi first made a bellows. The bellows blew on the fire and increased the fires heat so he could melt the ore. With the molten ore, Nephi formed metal tools. Nephi went to the mountain often to pray, and the Lord showed him many things.

Activity- Put the Friend activity “Nephi Builds a Ship” onto a display board. Have volunteers take turns coming up and circling a tool that Nephi might have made. Point out how basic the tools were compared to the modern day tools, and discuss the difficulties of building a ship in Nephi’s time. Ask the children to explain the advantage Nephi had.- (The Lord, who knows all, taught Nephi how to construct a ship.)

When Nephi’s brothers saw that Nephi was preparing to build a ship, they began to murmur against him. They called him a fool. They didn’t believe Nephi could build a ship, and they also didn’t want to help with the labor. Nephi was sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts.

• Show the children the rock and the seed. Ask what would happen if the seed fell on the hard rock. Would it grow? Why not? What does a seed need to grow in?

Faith in God is described as being like a seed. Just as a seed needs soft, nutritious soil in order to grow, faith needs a soft and willing heart in order to grow. Laman and Lemuel’s hearts were hard, and they wouldn’t let the Lord in. The seed of faith couldn’t develop and grow in their hearts.

• Why did Laman and Lemuel harden their hearts? They did not want to listen to the Lord because the things they wanted to do were in oppostion to the commandments of the Lord.

Nephi reminded Laman and Lemuel of the many mighty miracles the Lord had performed in the time of Moses. Nephi also pointed out the miracles Laman and Lemuel had witnessed such as seeing an angel and hearing the voice of the Lord. He asked how they could be so hard in their hearts.

After Nephi had said these things, his brothers were angry with him and wanted to throw him into the sea. As they came forward to do so, Nephi told them not to touch him because he was filled with the power of God. He told them if they laid hands on him, God would smite them. Nephi told his brothers they should not murmur anymore, and they should help build the ship. He told them if the Lord has such great power to wrought so many miracles, couldn’t the Lord instruct him on how to build a ship.

Nephi’s brothers were confounded, and they did not dare touch him for many days. The Lord told Nephi to stretch forth his hand and shock them. Laman and Lemuel were shaken and believed that the Lord was with Nephi.

They helped build the ship. When it was done they could see it was a good ship

Activity
Tape the sail and the ship outline onto the display board.

• Throughout Nephi’s life, he tried to help his family members build their faith. How can we help build our own faith and our family’s faith? One way to build faith in God is to do the things He asks. When we do this our faith grows as we see the good outcome and results.

Pass out a colored marker and one or more ship boards to each child. Direct the children to think of commandments the Lord has asked us to do. Instruct them to write one commandment on the front of each ship board.

After they write down a commandment on their boards, give the children a moment to think about what the good results of keeping those commandments would be. Have the children take turns taping their boards to the ship outline, telling what commandment they chose, and what the good results of keeping that commandment would be. (Each board has a specific place on the outline. If the children are unsure where their board goes, have them try again later.)

After the ship has been built, remind the children they can be like Nephi and help build the faith of their family members through encouraging them to keep the commandments and by being a good example of keeping the commandments.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week –
1 Nephi 17:1-55 and 1 Nephi 18:1-4