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.

Dec 12 2010

The Shepherd’s Carol

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“The Shepherd’s Carol” Pg. 40 Children’s Songbook


This week I taught the children my favorite Christmas song from the Children’s Songbook, “The Shepherd’s Carol”. I use the Children’s Songbook music Cd’s for accompaniment when teaching this song because the introduction is beautiful (it’s bells or chimes). They also use different instruments for each part during the round, which makes it easier to hear the different parts.

Items Needed: Children’s Songbook music Cd’s, a Cd player, fabric items to make headdresses for Mary and Joseph (fabric, towels, scarves, etc.), a baby doll wrapped tightly in a blanket, a crown, a hymn book with the word praises on the cover, a gift package with hearts on the outside of it, a copy of the words for each child in Senior Primary, and a picture of Jesus in Gethsemane with the words “Our Savior” attached to it .

Senior Primary – I gave Senior Primary the words to the song to start them off, because I knew that once they sang the song a couple of times they would love it and be excited to learn it. We sang it through once without doing the rounds. Then I divided the children into four groups. I asked the pianist to lead one group, and I had a couple of other people lead the other parts (they were leaders or teachers who knew how to lead music). I gave them each a copy of the song so they would have the words and music. 

We started the CD and sang the song from the beginning (singing through once and then singing the parts). It was beautiful. The kids loved it too. (I have had kids clap after they sing this song because it sounds so beautiful, and they are proud of their singing.) I let the children choose if they wanted to do it again. They wanted to do it again, and again, and again. We actually ran out of time before I could help them memorize it. 

 Junior and Senior Primary – (I started junior Primary as this point.) (Use the piano for this part.) I chose two children to dress up as Mary and Joseph, and I had Mary sit on a chair and hold the baby. Joseph stood behind her. I gave Joseph the crown to hold. I told Junior Primary the words of the first two lines, and then we sang that much. Then I added another child holding the picture and another holding the hymn book. I had those children stand to the right of Mary and Joseph. I told the children the chorus and we sang that much, and then we sang the whole first verse including chorus. Then I added another child who was holding the gift box. I had that child stand to the left of Mary and Joseph. We then learned the next two lines.

Do the following actions as the children sing the song to help them remember the words.   

 Mary, Mary hush see the child. (Point to Mary, then put one finger on your lips, then point to your eyes, and then point to the baby.) 

Joseph, Joseph look see how mild. (Point to Joseph, then to your eyes, and then to the baby.)

This is Jesus; (Have Mary hold up the baby)

This is our King.   (Have Joseph hold the crown over the baby’s head)

This is our Savior; (Have a child hold up the picture of Jesus in Gethsemane with the words “Our Savior” attached to it.)

 His praises we sing. (Have the child that is holding the hymn book, hold it up and open it.)

All God’s children come to adore. (Have the child that is holding the hymn book and the child that is holding the picture, come close to Mary and Joseph and look at the baby and smile.)

Bringing gifts of love evermore. (Have the child who is holding the gift hold it out to the baby, or they can hold it up high for everyone to see.)

Repeat the chorus. 

Have the children sing the song several times as the children that are holding props do their parts. Touch their heads when it is their turn to do their part. After Junior Primary learns the song, have all the people holding props sit down. Have the children sing the song again to see if they can still remember the words. If they can sing it, and you have time, you can try to do the rounds with them. (Or if you want to make sure and have time to do the rounds, give the words to the readers in Junior primary at the beginning, and have the non-readers acting out (or watching) the parts. When doing the rounds have the non-readers be part one. This makes things less confusing for them. You will need to direct the acting and singing of the non-readers.)

Note: The Children’s Songbook music Cd’s can be found in the meetinghouse library, or you can copy the song from the church website onto a Cd.

Nov 30 2010

Missionary #1

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Why Share the Gospel –  Activity

Preparation
• Items needed: A gift bag or gift box, paper and pencils, scriptures

Attention Activity
Show the family the gift bag/box. Hand out a paper and pencil to each person. Have the family members write down what they think would be the greatest gift they could give to someone. Collect the papers and put them in the gift bag/box. Pull out one response at a time, and read and discuss the responses. (Make sure to point out the positive of each person’s response, such as fun, needed, useful, long lasting, etc)

Scripture
Have the family look up and read D&C 14:7 – “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”

God has given us many wonderful things on this earth, but according to this scripture the gift of eternal life is better than anything we could ever receive on earth. Eternal life (or exaltation) is to live in God’s presence and live the kind of life He has.

We can not give someone eternal life, but we can share something with others that will help them get on the path towards gaining eternal life.

• What do you think that is? The gospel (The gospel is all the doctrines, laws, and ordinances needed to gain eternal life.)