I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Idea 2

Beehive Messages is so talented! I love this idea, I don't know if I will make flags for each child however. I think I will make a few to be held up front as we talk about being part of a 'family' and 'team', just as we belong to the Church!

I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Idea 1

I found this online, it is not my work. This is one of the best flipcharts I have ever seen......really excited to use this tomorrow as each picture can be discussed.

On a Golden Springtime, verse 2

For the 2nd Verse I took images of:

• 
  
  Flowers (for Spring)
• 
  
  Christ at the Tomb (Jesus Christ awoke, and left the tomb where he had lain)
• 
  
  Rubber Band (the bands of death he broke)
• 
  
  World (awake, awake O sleeping world)
• 
  
  Lighbulb (look upward to the light)
• 
  
  2nd Coming pic (for now all men may live again, look upward to the light

I had children come up to hold the pictures in a random order. As I read each line, they put the picture (and the children holding them:) in order. Then we sing!

Happy Conference!

I hope you enjoy Conference! Here is a packet to print out for kiddo's or YOU!

PS This is NOT my work, the author is listed on the front page:)

2010 April General Conference Packet

On a Golden Springtime, verse 1

I found this gem by Laurie McBride for the first verse of "On a Golden Springtime". It is a terrific idea for Junior Primary and she reported that even the 11 year old boys exclaimed "cool" by the time she was done!

You will need the following materials to make the puppet:

• 2 pieces brown felt, cut out together in the shape of a seed
• 1 black marker
• 1 plastic sunflower (or any flower you've got on hand)
• 1 Green thread, or strip of felt
• Hot Glue

1. Sew the brown felt pieces together with the flower sewn in at the top. Leave the bottom open for your hand to get in.
2. Hot glue the Green thread/felt from the flower down to the opening of the puppet, like a stem. You may also want to glue the flower as well, to bolster the seam.
3. Fold inside out and draw a "sleeping" face on one side and an "awake" face on the other

On a golden springtime...... just hold up the asleep side of the seed with your right hand

Underneath the ground..... move the seed below my left arm- which I held parallel to the floor as to represent the ground.

A tiny seedling lay asleep until the sun shone down... I turned my hand 90 degrees so that now the seed was sideways and looked like it was sleeping.

Awake, awake oh little seed, push upward to the light.... the seed slowly goes upright again and moves upward towards the parallel arm.

The day is bright with all your might push upward to the light..... Have the happy face side of the mitten exposed now and have it "grow" up from under the "ground" and once completely above the parallel arm/ground I used both hands to start turning the "mitten" inside-out and therefore expose the sunflower which has been hidden up until this point. This gives the "illusion" that a flower is growing from the seed and it looks like it is on a mound of dirt when the mitten is inside-out.

April 2010 Plan

April gets cut a bit with Conference, so I'm hitting "On a Golden Springtime" this upcoming week. I'll let you know my plans soon!

April 2010

Little Seeds Lie Fast Asleep

Last minute idea for Spring! I don't know how your Sunbeams are, but mine are getting a little rambunctious these days. So......

I am wearing an apron with gardening gloves and hat tomorrow. Then I'll ask all my Sunbeams to come up front "in a row". I'll talk about seeds and how it's planting season, so I need them to be the best little seeds they can! Have them huddle down like baby seeds in the ground and sing the song while spraying them with a water sprayer. They will love a little mist!

Just a fun wiggle song to learn about Springtime!

Singing Time Spinner

"Follow the Prophet" is going really well. I have been visiting each class for (literally) 2 minutes each to go over their verse with them. The teachers are so funny when I come in and ask if I may take a couple minutes....they are more than happy to have someone "mix it up" a little for a break. I did combine the Sunbeams and 4 year olds for the 1st verse, and the 11 years I comined with the 10's. I did this because we will only have one 11 year old left by the time the Program runs around. This way each of the verses sound stronger.

That being said, I am planning a review game again this week. They had a great time last week and with so many songs up in the air right now (New Reverence, Jan & Feb Program, Article of Faith and Mother's Day) I am taking advantage of some "fun" time.

This Spin Game can be done a couple of ways. You can make a huge poster-sized spinner, Game Show style. So fun for the kids to all see and watch the spinner. I am choosing to use a game spinner (from Chutes & Ladders, but any game spinner would work) and paste the results on the board. This way I can keep bringing the game back with different fun ideas to do while singing. It keeps it a little more customizable for future use.

A child will spin and the correlating number on the board gives an action / game to do while we sing the song of their choice. If you are focusing in on certain songs, you can have them pick a song title out of a bag. Or you can also number the songs to go with a second spin.

I have included my numbered actions:
One - Sing While You TP your teacher (have the teacher stand up front while child "decorates" them)
Two- Sing Opera Style (sounds horrible, and drives me crazy....but the kids LOVE it & I get a lot of participation out of this one)
Three-Class Dance Off (have the entire class stand up front and showcase their moves)
Four- Follow the Leader (just like the song!)
Five-At the Dentist (open mouths BIG, just like when they go to the dentist. The Hygienist in me just came out:)
Six-While Standing Backwards (it's a tiny thing, but facing the back of the room is an "experiment" in sound for the children)

I hope it goes without saying to be watchful and sensitive to which songs you sing which way....use discretion to keep the Spirit in the room. That's the entire goal: keep kids enjoying Singing Time so they have more attention to feel the Spirit.

Grab Bag Review

My kids are exhausted from working so hard these last few weeks, so I thought I'd throw in a game. I am putting all of these items in a "Grab Bag". The best singers get to pick an object out of the bag and guess which song goes with it. Then we sing it!

Mirror - "I Know My Savior Loves Me"
Shoes - "Follow the Prophet"
Easter Egg - "Did Jesus Really Live Again?"
Sword - "Army of Helaman"
Globe - "He Sent His Son"
Lipgloss w/Heart Stickers - "Love Is Spoken Here"

Follow the Prophet: Verse 9

I am taking a hat with BYU/Utah on it for a child to wear "Now we're in a world where people are confused". (My husband reminded me to clarify that choosing one school over the other isn't necessarily "Following the Prophet". Oi vey.)

A second child will hold the Sunday newspaper for "if you don't believe me, go and watch the news".

The third child will hold the compass for "we can get direction all along our way"

The fourth child will hold a picture of Pres. Monson. on the last line "if we heed the Prophets, follow what they say".

Follow the Prophet: Chorus Actions

I am excited to try these actions out on Sunday. They are very fitting to the tone of the song. Perhaps I will march to the verse and then do these actions with the chorus, it might be overwhelming to do both at the same time.

Hit Right Leg on "Fol-"

Hit Left Leg on "-low"

Clap Hands on "The"

Snap Right Hand on "Pro-"

Snap Left Hand on "-phet"

Use your index finger to motion NO to the beat during "Don't Go Astray"

Follow the Prophet: Joseph Smith Verse

Joseph Smith the Prophet, Was the chosen one.

In the Sacred Grove, he saw God and His Son.

Joseph was so faithful, true in every way,

He restored the Gospel in the Latter-Days.

written by Mindy Smith

Follow the Prophet, Idea 2

Stacey, over at Beehive Messages had a great idea for helping to learn Follow the Prophet. Since it is March, to begin MARCHING behind the Prophet. What a great way to help the children understand a disciplined action to discipline their own life after the Prophet's teachings!

We will be marching to the Chorus as well as the last verse (9). I think the last verse we'll have a big picture of Pres. Monson to help us understand we are singing about our world today. I would march behind Pres. Monson any day!

Follow the Prophet

I know when to call my limits, and a 9 verse song is definitely PAST my limit! So, for this song I have decided to assign the verses out to each class. I combined the Sunbeam and CTR 4 to sing the 1st verse, CTR 5=2nd, CTR 6=3rd, CTR 7=4th, CTR 8=5th, Valiant 9=6th, Valiant 10=7th, and Valiant 11=8th.

I printed off the words here, and gave them to each class teacher to work on for 3 minutes each class time through March. During Sharing Time, I will make my rounds to hopefully work with and help each class for these 3 minutes.

We will all be singing the last verse together.

As far as performing for the Program, we will sing the 1st verse and chorus, then the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th verses (without chorus) and finish with the Chorus. I am also making poster size pictures of their prophet for each class to hold when they are singing thier verse. I will post them when they are completed!

March 2010 Plan

March 2010 Plan

To Think About Jesus

This song has gone through my head for my entire life! It is one I learned in Primary and have called on during certain experiences. It is truly powerful and brought the Spirit to our Primary the first time we sang it.

One night I was unable to sleep and thinking about how to teach this song effectively. I had this corny idea to make a poster with a child sitting reverently hooked to a Slinky or spring. Isn't that how our Primary Children are? Trying so hard to be reverent, but the wiggles get the best of them sometimes:) I called her "Rowdy Robin" and asked the children to help me sing reverently and turn her into "Reverent Robin". I asked the children if they ever felt like her? And that it "shouldn't be hard to sit very still", right? And "think about Jesus His cross on the hill (pointing to the pictures), etc.

She definitely got some giggles, but kept thier attention and the song was learned very quickly!

He Sent His Son, Idea 3

We did really well learning the words with Questions and Answers. This week I am going to spice it up with a game of sorts. These first 2 songs this year are so reverent it has been "serious" every week. I am going to spin the Stand Up for ?'s and Sit Down for Answers with Musical Chairs.

Everyone stands up to sing the Question, (as a member of the Presidency or myself will remove a chair). As they sing the Question they walk around the chairs and sit when the Question is over. Anyone left standing will need to sing the Answer.

You are probably worrying that they will kill each other to sit and feel it's punishment to stand? WELL, I've added one more twist. We happen to have a ton of leftover candy hearts (or anything can be used here) for anyone who sings the Answer correctly. Knowing my kids there will be some who purposely leave a chair open to get a treat:)

I'd love to hear any ideas or comments you have on this!
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He Sent His Son, Idea 2

To learn He Sent His Son in our Primary, I love the idea of using Questions and Answers.

• I will be having one side of the room hold up the Questions as we sing and the other side of the room hold up the Answers when they are sung. This should keep all the children on their toes!


• Another activity to mix it up is to have everyone stand up when the Questions are sung and sit down when the Answers are sung.

Both of these ideas are in the Sharing Time Outline 2010.

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He Sent His Son, Idea 1

This is an amazing site and Resource! I loved this idea shared in the Primary Sharing Time Outline 2010, but she has taken and made a BEAUTIFUL resource for us!
Primary Music Idea - He Sent His Son

February 2010 Plan

February 2010

Polish Basketball

No, it's not Polish Basketball like the country Poland. It's Polish Basketball as in polish the song to make it flawless! This is a fun game I started playing last year. I made word strips for each "step" of polishing a song: Notes, Words, Dynamics and Feeling. So your supply list looks like this:

• Word Strips


• basketball


• BIG pot (hoop for the ball)

To play, we start with the Notes Word Strip. Place it 2 ft or so from the pot, choose one child from each team (we did boys vs girls) who knew the notes as you sang to shoot. If they make it they get a point.

Next, put down the Words Word Strip 2 ft or so from the 1st word strip. Repeat from the new Word Strip. This was a way for kids to understand the steps to learning a song and the expectation we have for them to understand what they are singing with feeling. Not to mention the fun that's always involved with a game.

Tip: To mix it up for Sr.Primary, I let them choose where they wanted to shoot from for more or less points. Ex: if we were on the Words Word Strip round and they were scared to shoot that far, I let them shoot from the Notes Word Strip for 1/2 a point. The confident boys always wanted to take a step back for double points!

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I Know My Savior Loves Me

This is the most beautiful song, I get goose-bumps every time we sing it! I've included a run-down of how we've learned this song:

Week 1: Picture of 3 Nephi, talked about Jesus coming to children and angels surrounding them. Is that like Primary? Told story with words of the 1st verse while doing the sign language (off of lds.org). Kept repeating with the kids until we learned 1st verse....verse ONLY.

Week 2: Reviewed last week (asked who had read 3 Nephi and challenged them again to read it). Added the Chorus, the kids LOVED it.

Week 3: Earn the Light, Outline below

Week 4: Review Game (Polish Basketball-See Post)

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Earn the Light

January 2010 Plan

Last year I found this A-mazing Calendar Schedule on Sugardoodle. I just worked up my plan for January and thought I would share. It is in a Word doc so you can adjust what you need to.

Three things I love about this:
1) Knowing what you need to prepare each week
2) Stay on course for your yearly program
3) I print 3 copies: one for the Primary President, one for the Accompanist and one for me.

Let me know how this works for you, or what you are using!

Primary Singing Time Plan Jan 2010