May 2013 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps & Ideas

 

Monthly Theme: Prophets Teach Us to Live The Restored Gospel
Monthly Scripture: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7

 

Weeks 1 and 2 The living prophet leads the Church under the direction of Jesus Christ.

* HERE is a fun sharing time from The Friend (By Sister Sydney Reynolds) with a craft for children to make. It's a prophet hanging mobile! I also really liked her idea to help memorize the scripture, "To help the children memorize Amos 3:7, write the scripture and the reference across nine sheets of paper. On the reverse side of each paper, attach a picture of a prophet. Post the papers so the scripture reads correctly. Have the children repeat it once or twice. Then turn over the papers in random order, one or two at a time, and continue repeating the scripture until it is memorized and all the prophets are “revealed.” Share your own testimony that the Lord does reveal His will to the prophets."

* Another SUPER sharing time from The Friend HERE by Sister Vicki Matsumori. You could start your lesson with a child trying to push open the door to primary. Could they get in? Only if they pulled right? Then go into the story she shares. There is a really fun tube thing to make that younger children would love.

* I'm pretty partial to Jeopardy games. I'm also pretty partial to President Monson. Hence fun times HERE and HERE.

* We have a little girl in our primary who wants to become a movie director. Bring in a church film. Has anyone seen this movie? What are the credits at the end? Does anyone know the difference between a movie producer and a movie director? Basically, a movie producer is in charge of and directs EVERYTHING but will always need help dealing with the actors/people. That's where the director comes in. A movie director guides the actors under the producers supervision.
How does this compare to Jesus Christ and prophets? Make a paper action sign and have the children act out charades of different things or stories that were taught during our last conference!

* This is a reader's theater for one of my very favorite scripture stories. It's meant for Senior Sharing Time ONLY. It's meant for good readers!! I would definitely recommend handing out parts the week before so children can practice and have a set of extra scripts highlighted & stapled in case they forget to bring back their script. You will need a script for yourself to guide them in case they lose their spot. Is this a lot of paper and work on your part? Yes. Will is be worth it? Pray about it and decide. If the readers are fluent, it should only take 13-15 minutes tops. If you decide to do costumes, think SIMPLE. This is Primary, not Broadway. Please do not use for commercial purposes. Feel free to adapt for Family Home Evening!!! If you would like a PDF file of it, please email me and I'll get back to you as quickly as I can.

Jacob Chapter 5 Reader's Theater by chulbakera

Week 3 Prophets teach me to pay tithing.

* HERE is a spot the difference set of pictures of how tithing is used in the church. Tape each picture to random chairs and invite children to come up 4 at a time if they have ways that tithing helps missionary work. Have them work together to see who has the different picture. Ask that friend to answer a couple questions about tithing or read a scripture about tithing. Now ask the 4 children to come up front who have pictures about how tithing helps temple work... etc.

* For this you will need a real ADULT friend to help you. Have them by a primary window with a small bag. In the bag you will have 5 stories for the children to break into groups and read. Sit by that window in the primary room that is slightly open. Tell the primary children Hello!! I'm so glad it's spring. You know, I've been thinking a lot about tithing lately. Did you know there is a scripture, in Malachi 3:10, that says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Really stress the last part of the scripture. After you read the last line, have your adult friend open up the window and toss in the bag! Act surprised! Oh my?!?! What is this?? Let's find out how the Lord opens the windows of heaven and blesses us as we pay tithing. Break into the groups and hand out
THESE 5 STORIES. Teachers can read the stories in the groups. Have the children briefly share after what they've learned with the whole primary after. Bear testimony and share a personal experience of how tithing has blessed your own life.

* HERE are some great questions about tithing with matching scriptures to find the answer, from The Friend. For each question the children get right, they can earn a tithing dollar. Break down the dollars into dimes (you could even draw it on the board) and have a child color the dimes you would need to pay tithing on the amount you earned.

* Bring each child in primary a large envelope. Have them decorate it and invite them to save their tithing money in at home. Or HERE'S a kind of cool elephant for the Senior Primary to put together, from The Friend.

* HERE is a really cool visual of tithing money from around the world!! You could start off your lesson by bringing in a globe and having a child softly spin it. Have them put their pointer on the globe until it stops. Where are they pointing? Are people in that country commanded to pay tithing? Have another child come up and do the same. Everyone, no matter where you are, is commanded to pay a full and honest tithe. Have the visual of the money and make up questions, scriptures and songs about tithing on the back. Invite a child to come up front and choose a tithing money from a place in the world. Can they guess where it is from? Then answer the question or read the scripture that it says to do on the back.

* HERE is a great sharing time idea from The Friend by Karen Ashton. I really like the idea of taking children around the church to see the different parts of the church. Is it possible to reverently take the children on a tour to see where tithing helps in the building of our churches? Sure! Have teachers take children in groups of 10-15 to one area, like the kitchen or library or cultural hall. Set your behavior expectations clearly... we walk reverently and quietly. When everyone returns, have the children share in the whole group of primary where they visited and how tithing has blessed us at our meeting house.

Week 4 Prophets teach me to live The Word of Wisdom.
 

* Who here has ever had people over for a meeting at their house? What would you think if that person spit all over your floor? YUCK! Yet, that is what happened to Joseph and Emma Smith.
Share THIS story with the children and see what brought about the revelation of The Word of Wisdom.

* HERE is a Word of Wisdom crossword puzzle from The Friend.

* Hold up a picture of a temple and invite a child to come up front. How are a temple and this child alike? Our bodies are temples, sacred and in need of being kept clean! HERE is a sharing time from The Friend that talks about our bodies as temples. Have 7 numbered pieces of paper. Invite 7 children to come up front and walk around in a circle while you sing The Word of Wisdom CS #154. When the music stops, draw a number and have the child standing on that number answer the question about The Word of Wisdom.

* If you have a doctor in the ward, invite them to come in and BRIEFLY share some interesting facts about how the Word of Wisdom helps our bodies.

* Divide into groups and have 4 different stations around the room. Good for My Body. Bad for My Body. Work, Rest & Exercise. Promised Blessings. Have an adult at each station. Have scriptures or quotes for each station. At the Good for My Body station the groups can play a game of Pictionary. They draw from a bag good things for us to eat or drink, then draw on a white board and the group guesses. At the Bad for My Body station you can have a "Toss it! It's trash!" game where you have pictures of harmful substances they can wad up and throw in a garbage. It's definitely better in the garbage than in our bodies! At the Work, Rest & Exercise station they can make a brainstorm list of all their favorite physical activities, then pantomime each activity. At the Promised Blessings stations have the blessings covered up by question marks. Invite the children to guess what the blessings might be, then find out by reading. Each station should only be about 3 minutes long. Gather as a whole group at the end and ask children to share something interesting they learned about The Word of Wisdom.

* In preparation for your lesson, THIS Ensign article is an interesting read because it talks about what the "pulse" was that Daniel ate and how similar the things we are asked to keep in food storage are.

Happy Earth Day! What we're doing tonight for FHE!

If I could be a vegetarian hippy with a flower in my hair, I would totally go for it. It's just that I can't do the barefoot bit. I enjoy my flip flops. Which to some may be pretty much barefoot, but it's not. Even if there is snow on the ground... it's still not barefoot.

Psalms 33:5-9

" The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast."

To celebrate our mother earth we're going to do the following:

HERE is a great FREE bingo game by Jason's Online Classroom on TPT!! You have to have an account, but it's free and easy to set up.

HERE is a link to make simple origami seed pots out of newspaper. Some ink in newspaper isn't environmentally friendly. Just rub it to see if ink comes off on your finger, if not you should be safe!
We're going to fill them up with dirt and seeds.

Then we've baked our cupcakes....

Finally, we're going to set up a table on the corner of our street and give out free seeds and cupcakes and teach earth day songs to whoever wants to learn.

HERE are the earth day songs, again free on TPT. We especially like (sung to the tune of Frere Jaques)

We recycle!
We recycle!

Yes, we do!
Yes, we do!

Caring for our planet!
Caring for our planet!
You should too!
You should too!

Give Said the Little Stream - Song Help and Idea

 

I'm so excited for spring songs!!

 

1. Take some paper and whip out your black marker.

 

2. Draw a stream, a cloud with raindrops & find a picture of Jesus from The Friend to cut out.

 

3. Hot glue on popsicle sticks. Hot glue wiggly eyes onto your stream, cloud & raindrops. Let the children hold/wave while you sing!

 

Fun! And simple!

April 2013 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps & Ideas

I love this book!!

Monthly Theme: Jesus Christ Restored His Church in the Latter Days.
Monthly Scripture: "I have sent forth the fullness of my gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph"
D&C 35:17

Week 1 After Jesus Christ and His Apostles died, gospel truths were lost.

*   Bring in a plastic bag with a few tiny pieces of bread, a water bottle with only a little left and A Friend Magazine with only the front and back cover. On the board have 3 words written- famine, drought, apostasy. Invite 3 children to come up front and choose an item, then stand by the word on the board it matches. Have them explain the meanings of the words. What do all 3 words have to do with each other?
     Amos 8:11-12 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."
    Draw a simple picture of a person with a big belly. We are commanded to nourish our spirits, so let's pretend this is our spirit. What are things we can do to feed our spirit? What are some gospel principles that help our spirit grow? Write the children's answers in the belly. Does this spirit look like it's been through a famine or a drought? But if we take all these things away (erase all the words in the belly), that's what the apostasy was, then what do we get? Draw a stick figure. Who's glad The Church was restored?!?!

*   Invite a primary friend up front and blindfold them. Make sure they can't see! Would it be OK to leave them blindfolded the rest of primary? What about the rest of the day? What about the rest of their lives? Ask the friend how they feel... or how they would feel to be blind for a long time? Darkness is not fun. I still sleep with a night light!!! Did you know that the earth was covered in darkness for a really long time? Does that mean that there wasn't sunshine?
     "The Holy Priesthood had been withdrawn from the earth. The power of godliness was no longer present in the Christian Church. Thus there was a complete falling away from the gospel which had been established by the Son of Man. The Church lay in darkness, and the darkness enveloped the earth. This spiritual darkness continued for hundreds and hundreds of years” (Milton R. Hunter, “The Missionary Assignment,” Improvement Era, Dec. 1951, 920).
     Have a mini-white board/ dry erase board. Invite primary friends to come up front, one at a time, and share a gospel principle, something that Jesus taught. Have them write down the principle or you write it for them, then have them cover the word with a black cloth. The black cloth is what the apostasy was. When Joseph Smith restored Christ's church, there was light again! Have the child take off the cloth. Repeat a few times with different children and the principles they come up with.

* Come up to the front of the room really frazzled. Tell the children that you have lost something. This is just horrible!!! Pull your hair, sigh, put your hand on your head... you are so sad! You are so confused... you just don't know what to do. See if anyone will volunteer to help you. If not, ask if there is anyone who thinks they can help. Invite one primary friend up. Have a small picture of Joseph Smith on some string they can wear around their neck. In the room, have a small shoe box with a picture of a church building on the outside. On the inside have things that represent gospel principles, or things Christ taught while on earth. Once the primary friend has found the item, give them a big hug!! Hooray!!! It's no longer lost!!!
      “This is not a continuous church, nor is it one that has been reformed or redeemed. It has been restored after it was lost. It was lost—the gospel with its powers and blessings—sometime after the Savior’s crucifixion and the loss of his apostles. The laws were changed, the ordinances were changed, and the everlasting covenant was broken that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to his people in those days. There was a long period of centuries when the gospel was not available to people on this earth, because it had been changed” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 423).
     Invite friends to come up and pick an item from the box and talk about what it might mean. After you go through all the items write APOSTASY on the board and ask the children to tell their neighbors what they learned today about that word. Tell them they get 100 points if they go home and tell their family what the word means!!!! (If they ask you what points will get them, tell them it's knowledge points and the more knowledge points you have the more awesome a missionary you'll be!!!)

* Who here likes to do puzzles? Have a simple 10 piece puzzle for someone to do... except have 3 pieces missing. Is the puzzle complete?
       "In many ways the gospel of Jesus Christ is like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. When Joseph Smith came on the scene, perhaps 100 pieces were in place. Then Joseph Smith came along and put many of the other 900 pieces in place so that people could say, “Oh, now I understand where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going.” As for Joseph Smith’s role in the Restoration, the Lord defined it clearly: “This generation shall have my word through you” (D&C 5:10)." Tad R. Callister Ensign October 2009 Joseph Smith- Prophet of the Restoration
    Invite the children to draw a picture of a gospel truth restored. Have them cut it into a few pieces to take home and work with a family member to put it back together again. See if they can trick the family member and have a missing piece! Then they can explain to their family member how it's like the restoration of the gospel!!

Week 2 Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith.

* HERE is a great video!! It's a little long though... 20 minutes. At the 10 minute mark it starts with James 1:5, so if you wanted to show the kids, that might be a good place to start!!

*   Sing the song Hinges. (CS page 277) What happens if we didn't have hinges? Have the children look at a door. What would happen to the door if it didn't have it's hinges? It'd fall down and crash right?!?
    President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “This glorious First Vision … was the parting of the curtain to open this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. Nothing on which we base our doctrine, nothing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration. I submit that if Joseph Smith talked with God the Father and His Beloved Son, then all else of which he spoke is true. This is the hinge on which turns the gate that leads to the path of salvation and eternal life.”
(Ensign, Nov. 1998, p. 71)
     A hinge holds things together and helps it move along. Having a testimony of Joseph Smith's First Vision is very important!! Without it, we might crack!! Without it, we might fall down like a door without hinges for support!!
    If possible, bring in a hinge. Have the primary children pass it around to Restoration piano music. When it stops, the person can answer a question or read a scripture having to do with the restoration.
Reverence tip: I might be nuts, but it seems to me that children don't sing while passing along items. Also, the way chairs are set up, there is confusion on the ends of the aisles. Solution? Possibly. Invite about 6-8 primary friends up front to stand in a circle. Primary friends who are willing to pass reverently and respectfully while everyone sings. That way you are losing fewer voices. You're getting lots of children out of their chairs and everyone is less confused.

From Previous Posts:
* HERE is a link to the lds.org where you can find different artistic depictions of The First Vision. (Make sure to scroll down) They are beautiful!  Have the children draw their own artwork of that glorious event and share!

* HERE is a link for cutouts that children can color to retell for Family Home Evening about Joseph Smith's First Vision.

* President Uchtdorf shares his testimony of Joseph Smith and personal story when he was a boy. Click Here to read. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The First Vision,” Friend, Jun 2008, 2–3) Share the story and take the above picture from the Nursery Manual. With a pen, draw slanted lines to make it into a mosaic like stained glass. Make a copy for each child and have them color with lots of different colors and answer the questions in the magazine article.

* 3 cheers for Diane Nichols!! She shares Grrrrrrrrrrrreat activities found here!!! (Diane Nichols, “Sharing Time: Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration,” Friend, Jul 2001, 14) Especially love this quote/idea from her, "Display a bouquet of four artificial flowers and one real flower. Ask how the flowers are different from one another. Point out that the main difference is that only one is a true flower. Explain that though there are many churches in the world today, only one of them is the true Church of Jesus Christ."

Week 3 Priesthood authority was restored by heavenly messengers.

* THIS is a really good link to read. We often talk about the Keys of the Priesthood, but we need to know how to explain them. The first 2 paragraphs do that wonderfully!

* Have everyone hold up their hands. What are some things we do with hands? When children say ideas, have everyone act out with their hands. Tell them you are going to recite the 5th article of faith and leave out a word (leave out HANDS). By the raise of hand, someone can tell you what word is missing. Show them pictures of Joseph Smith receiving the Aaronic & Melchizedek... where are there hands placed? Have the children trace outlines of their hands and write or draw pictures of ways the priesthood blesses their lives. Have a few share afterwards.
 

* Has anyone ever gotten a special package before? Ask the children, "What does Heavenly Father use as His FedEx or UPS truck? If He wants to send something really special, how will He do it?" There are a myriad of answers, praise the children for whatever answers they give. Tell them, one way is by sending Heavenly Messengers.    “The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent.” Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, 157
        Here are some "heavenly" UPS trucks. Fold them in half so only the truck is showing. Ask what Heavenly Messenger brought the Aaronic Priesthood? Flip it to show the Gospel Art Book Image.
Ask questions and read scriptures about each Priesthood. If there is time remaining, get a UPS box (are they even free? if not, just make one) and invite children to write down ways The Priesthood blesses them. Read a few afterwards and share your testimony.

Priesthood by Heavenly Messengers by chulbakera

Week 4 Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and restored gospel truths.

* Bring in a copy of the Book of Mormon in a different language. To go from English to a different language takes a lot of work!!
     "The Church contracts capable, experienced member translators who are fluent in English as well as their native tongue who possess integrity and high moral character so that the spirit of inspiration will guide their work.as in Joseph Smith’s day, the ability to translate holy writ today is a spiritual gift from God. Unlike Joseph’s day, however, many of our modern translators utilize computers and word processors, lexicons and encyclopedias to help and guide them in their sacred assignment. The modern work is extensive, and each step must be critically analyzed by Church translation experts. Yet, even with the most competent member translators and advanced technology available, the entire process, from beginning to publication, requires approximately four years.
     Now contrast the translation of the Book of Mormon by young Joseph Smith."
The Translation Miracle of The Book of Mormon by Robert K. Dellenbach Ensign April 1995... A MUST READ FOR THIS WEEK!!!!!
    The time for Joseph translating— was at an estimated average rate of eight of our printed pages per day! The total translation time was about 65 working days. (See “How long did it take Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon?” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 47.)
    In your special Book of Mormon, that's in a different language, have bookmarks that the children can choose. On the bookmarks have questions, scriptures and songs have to do with Joseph Smith and the translation of the week's theme.

* Did Joseph Smith write the Book of Mormon? Who wrote the Book of Mormon? It's important to understand the meaning of translate. Invite a member of the ward to come in and share their testimony in a different language. Have another person translate what they said. The Book of Mormon was translated from reformed Egyptian to English. We don't know exactly "how" the translation happened, but that is not nearly as important as that it happened!

* Who here can read a chapter book, stop somewhere in the middle and know exactly where they left off without reading a little before or after on the page? It's pretty hard to do!!
   "Emma Smith said of the inspired process: “After meals, or after interruptions, [Joseph] would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him” (“Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” Saints’ Herald, 1 Oct. 1879, 290). One who has dictated and been interrupted must usually resume by inquiring, “Now, where were we?” Not so with the Prophet! " (By The Gift and Power of God by Elder Neal A. Maxwell Ensign January 1997)
    The translation was definitely a marvelous work and wonder!

* HERE is a great link with pictures from the history of the translation and printing of the Book of Mormon. Not to mention a good read.

LDS Scripture Reading Chart - Easter ABC's The Savior's Resurrection

What a wonderful time of the year!! My children really enjoyed reading THIS CHART from The Friend during the Christmas season. I saw THIS great Easter Scripture fill in, also from The Friend but was looking for an actual chart. So I made one. This is for personal/family use only, please do not use for commercial purposes. If you don't have a scribd.com account, I'd be more than happy to email you a PDF version.

lbumpasl (at) aol (dot) com

 

                       Happy Reading!!!

 

 

Easter ABC's, An LDS Scripture Find Chart

A little bit of "Luck"?? ... Some LDS thoughts for St. Patrick's Day

 

Take your pick of the following to plan a Family Home Evening or come up with Singing Time Ideas!!

* Little Lucky Moments a great poem by Annalise Kunzelman from the New Era.

* "Remember also that if you succeed, it isn’t because of luck. Success comes from faith and work and prayer and from constant righteous effort."
President Spencer W. Kimball Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters Ensign October 1978

* "There is real purpose in life, boys. Your Heavenly Father has helped to provide a world for you and a life for you. It can be a notable one or it can be a casual one. That is up to you, and by the time you are 12 years of age or older, much is expected of you. You are not living in the life of luck; it is a life of pluck, a life of effort and planning. "
President Spencer W. Kimball To Bear The Priesthood Worthily Ensign April 1975

* " In every prayer that children hear, there should be thankfulness expressed for God’s hand in all things, for evidences of his presence and influence. He is the God before whom man bows; to him we make acknowledgment and to none other. We live in a world dominated by the concept of “Lady Luck.” Our children too soon learn that much of their success is attributed to being lucky or to chance.

     Parental references to whim and happenstance can easily be interpreted by children to mean that God plays second fiddle. For children to feel that God is the conductor, they need to hear their parents render unto him that which is his—the very breath of life, its essence, influence, and all-pervasiveness. Parents who themselves are filled with the consciousness of God’s hand in all things will transmit this feeling to their children."

Brother Elliott Landau How to Teach the Ten Commandments to Your Children Ensign Oct. 1973

* HERE is a talk from President Monson about several different experiences he's had that some might attribute to luck, but he knows much better! Consider the Blessings indeed!

* HERE is a story from The Friend about a boy who gets a cricket to ensure their family has good luck for a year. At the end of the story, he realizes that luck isn't as important as just being a kind person.

* HERE is a story, probably not for younger kids- unless you summarize, about a woman who realizes it's sometimes not just luck... it's the Holy Ghost prompting!!

* HERE is a story of a boy in the ocean who prays for dolphins and is saved. He knew it was not luck, but The Lord.

* HERE is a great story! An excerpt says, " At the time it recalled to my memory the days when some of us as kids carried good luck charms or a rabbit’s foot in our pockets. Or, some of us back on the farm were perhaps superstitious enough to hang horseshoes on the barn door or use a hundred and one other symbols to keep off the evil eye of failure or accident.
     I remember so well the common superstition of all ball players never to step across another player’s mitt while it lay on the ground.
     Well, I would like to give you a new one in this article, one that is guaranteed to help you throughout your entire life, every month, every day, every hour, protecting you from the bad luck episodes of your life. It is guaranteed to protect your health, make you more likable in your association with people and more successful in your job. It will insure greater success in your daily work and bring you home to your dwelling place every evening with a sense of “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

* The word LUCK is not found anywhere in the scriptures.

* * Randomly this story, Palmer the Embalmer, yes. Awesome. Found HERE  in the New Era has nothing to do with luck BUT is a must read because it is entertaining. I've never seen a church published story that refers to teachers as "mutants" and school board members as "morons". It's rather refreshingly realistic. Say that 10 times fast. And please.... this is not meant to put down teachers or school board members, don't miss the message of the article.

* * Extra randomly, did you know Stephenie Meyers wrote an Ensign article. It's a really good one.
Found HERE.

If The Savior Stood Beside Me LDS Primary Song Help Ideas

 

Do we all know the following poem?

 

One night a man had a dream.

He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Scenes from his life flashed across the sky
and he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life had flashed before him,
he recalled that at the lowest and saddest times of his life
there was only one set of footprints.

Dismayed, he asked, "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
I don't understand why, when I needed you most,
you would leave me."

The Lord replied, "My precious child.
I love you and I would never leave you.

During your times of trial and suffering
when you saw only one set of footprints...

That was when I carried you."

Read the poem to the children. What do they think about it? The following are ideas to use in correlation with this poem and the song.

In D&C 78:18 The Savior says, "...Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."

* Have footprint shaped visuals with pictures to represent the words.

* Have a little box of sand with parts of the questions from the song on a piece of paper, children sing the missing part ( ):
If The Savior stood beside me, would I do.... (the things I do?)
Would I think..... (of His commandments and try harder to be true?)
Would I follow... (His example?)
Would I live.... (more righteously, if I could see the Savior standing nigh watching over me?)

* Have 1 child up front with a blindfold. Invite 3 others up. Have them sing part of the song. Invite the blindfolded child to guess who is standing beside them by their singing.

* Have a path of footprints, invite children to pick a footprint with a way to sing the song:
standing with heels touching
sing on tippy toes
stand shoulder to shoulder with a neighbor and sing
sing with hands making a wave motion on the beach
sing with fingers (pointer & middle) walking in the air together

* Have a walking stick. Invite a child to come up front and share a place they'd like to walk with Jesus and have Him stand with them. Have them lead a verse of the song with the stick.

March 2013 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps & Ideas

Gethsemane by Carl Bloch

Monthly Theme: Jesus Christ is our Savior.
Monthly Scripture: "Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world" D&C 43:34

Week 1 Jesus Christ taught the gospel and set an example for us.

*   If Jesus had a job/occupation, what would you say His job was? President Packer has said, "‘What did Jesus have as an occupation?’ There is only one answer: He was a teacher. It is He who should be our ideal. It is He who is the master teacher.” (Mine Errand from the Lord (2008), 336)
     We know Jesus is our master teacher, but what did He teach? Have a backpack filled with school supplies. If we were to go to school and were lucky enough to see our Savior up front by the blackboard, what do you think He'd say to us!! Fortunately, we have His teachings throughout the scriptures. Let children choose school supplies from the backpack with questions, scriptures and songs having to do with Jesus teaching the gospel.

*   At 12 years old, what do the primary friends see themselves doing? Some will be in Young Womens and Young Mens. Boys will have the Aaronic Priesthood and be able to pass sacrament. You might be in 6th or 7th grade. You'll probably be a little taller.
     The earliest story we have of Jesus is when He was 12 years old. Have a few primary children act out what happened when Mary & Joseph lost Jesus and found Him teaching in the temple. Even at such a young age, the Savior "...garnered knowledge by study, and gained wisdom by prayer, thought, and effort." (Elder James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. (1916), 112) He was just a little bit older than us and was teaching wise men and women triple His age!!
     While we wont be called to teach in the temple at 12, where are other places we can teach... and do we know enough about the gospel to make a good lesson? Have a paper bag with gospel principle words in it. Let children draw out words and tell/teach the primary about that principle. Have a Gospel Art Book handy to show any pictures of stories that might come up.
Words might include faith, prayer, baptism, fasting, charity, honesty, obedience, service.... etc.

* Have a basket with seeds, weeds, a bottle of mustard, coin, oil lamp, a stuffed sheep toy, a first aid kit- anything to represent the many parables Christ taught. Ask the children what all these items have to do with each other? Ask the children- what is a parable? Divide into groups and give the children items from the basket with scriptures about that parable. Invite them to come up front afterwards and share what parable they had. If there is time left, let the children write their own modern day parable!!
HERE and HERE is some background reading on parables as you prepare your lesson.

* Bring in some pictures of people you admire and are examples to you. Briefly share why. Ask the children to share some people in their lives who are good examples. Who is the greatest example? Jesus. Just like we follow His example, we're going to play a follow the directions game!! What is important when you are following? Good listening and actually doing what is said! Start at the back of the room and come up with directions for a primary child to follow to find a picture of a story from the life of Christ.
     For example, "Take 10 steps forward, jump twice and look under the front table. What is this a picture of? Jesus getting baptized! Great!! Why should we follow that example?"
     For Senior Primary, invite them to find an example from the scriptures that we should follow in Christ's life, write down the scripture and put it somewhere in the room. Then they will have to come up with their own directions for another person to find it.
2 Nephi 31:10 "And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?"

Recycled Ideas from Previous Posts
* FOR SENIOR PRIMARY! In the topical guide are 19 scripture references to Jesus Christ as our Exemplar. Hide the references and scriptures throughout the room and have the children work together to make matches!

*   Bring in a lantern. 3 Nephi 18:16 "And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you."

     Who would really want to go into a dark forest without a lantern? Not me! I still sleep with a night light! Break into groups and give the children strips of yellow paper. Have them come up with different rays/ways that Jesus taught us how to live by example. (For example- Be forgiving. Jesus forgave those that crucified Him. or Be bold. Jesus cleansed the temple.) Have a picture of Jesus on the black board and attach the rays.

Week 2 Because of Christ’s Atonement, I can repent and live with God again.

*    Have a simple math problem on the board. 3+3= 9 9+1=10 10-5=5    Is this right? When we didn't fix the mistake, it threw the whole problem off and in the end we got the wrong answer!! Repentance is our eraser. It erases the mistake and helps us to fix the problem. It might seem easier to just ignore and keep on going, but in the end it wont be right. Have a mixture of math problems gone wrong and case studies where the children can fix the mistake.
      For example 1+4=9, they erase and fix 1+4=5... now please help me. Casey went on a walk. He was eating a granola bar and didn't have pockets to put his trash in. He didn't see any garbage cans and decided to throw the wrapper on the ground. First, what was his mistake? How can he repent? Yes! He needs to say a prayer to ask forgiveness, probably go outside and pick up trash to make recompense and then never do it again!!
     In the end show a picture of Jesus + Repentance = ?? Because of Christ's Atonement I can repent and live with God again!!

* "Repentance is the turning away from that which is low and the striving for that which is higher."
(David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, 12–13) Do we shoot a basketball towards the ground? No!! We have to aim it high for the net. Invite the children to grab 2 pieces of paper and write on it mistakes people might make. Invite them to share it, crumple it up and throw it into a garbage can on a chair. We are never going to make all our shots, but because of the Atonement of Christ and repentance hopefully in the end we can get a slam dunk of eternal life!!

*   Bring in a plant. Would this plant be OK if we watered it once today and that's it? What does a plant need? Constant nourishment!!! Just like water and soil to a plant, repentance is essential to our spirit's growth!! However, there is one other very important part... the sunlight!! The light in our lives is The Savior. Without His atonement we could never even hope to grow!
     “Repentance is indispensable to the growing life, since in all growth there is constant adjustment, taking on and sloughing off. We cannot replace a bad life with a good one by any single word or act; there must be a continuing process of replacing error and wrong-doing with truth and right-doing; of going from bad to good and from good to better.…" (Hugh B. Brown, Eternal Quest, 99, 102).
     Bring in some cups, dirt and seeds. Let the children plant their own seed to help them to remember the importance of repenting often!!

* HERE is a wonderful talk in The Friend by President Uchtdorf. Have a toy airplane and let a child hold it while you read what President Uchtdorf says. What is the point of safe return? What does the point of no return mean?
     "You are the captain of your life, and God has prepared a plan to bring you safely back to Him, to your divine destination. The gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ provides us at all times and at all places with the blessings of repentance and forgiveness."
     Have paper airplanes up front with questions, scriptures & songs about repentance and The Atonement for the children to come up and choose.

Recycled Idea from Previous Post
*    Pass out a sheet of blank paper and some crayons. Invite the children to draw or write whatever they feel as you sing them a song. Sing Hymn #193 I Stand All Amazed. (Or have a special guest come in and sing) Invite children to finish and share their work while the piano player quietly plays the song. In between children coming up to the front and sharing, read scriptures having to do with the Atonement like 2 Nephi 9:21, Mosiah 3:7, Matthew 26:39, etc.* Have a few items on a table for a child to buy. Give them 5 tickets. All items for sale cost 100 tickets. Can they buy the items with 5? Lo siento cuate... it's a no go! This is called falling short. And likewise we, by ourselves, will never do or have enough tickets to get into heaven.
     "Each of us lives on a kind of spiritual credit. One day the account will be closed, a settlement demanded. However casually we may view it now, when that day comes and the foreclosure is imminent, we will look around in restless agony for someone, anyone, to help us. And by eternal law, mercy cannot be extended save there be one who is both willing and able to assume our debt and pay the price and arrange the terms for our redemption... But know this: Truth, glorious truth, proclaims there is such a Mediator. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and me, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Tim. 2:5)" (President Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 1977, 55-56)

Week 3 Because Jesus Christ was resurrected, I will be too.

* He is Risen Trivia/Jeopardy Type Game by yours truly... can be easily used for Family Home Evening too!  


Recylced Ideas From Previous Posts
* Have a picture of a sign "Dead End". What does this mean? Have a plastic toy bulldozer. How is Jesus Christ like a bulldozer? To some it may seem like when we die, there is no where else to go. But we know that there is more beyond the grave and Jesus has cleared the way because of His atonement and resurrection! Have the bulldozer run over the dead end sign!

* Have a teacher or another adult come to the front to help. Tie their hands together. What does that feel like? Can they do as many things with their hands tied? Mosiah 15:20 "But behold, the bands of death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the dead; therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead." Cut the string. The teacher's hand is free now. How does that feel? The resurrection gives us hope, happy feelings and freedom!!

* Have something simple broken. Fix it with superglue. The resurrection will put the body and the spirit back together. Except it's something much stronger and more powerful than superglue because of who made it possible, Jesus Christ.

* A WONDERFUL short video to show "Sunday will Come", click HERE!!

Week 4 Jesus Christ is our Savior.

* Have a bunch of pictures of Jesus displayed throughout the room. Invite the pianist to play reverent music (Maybe I feel My Savior's Love CS#74) and let the children walk very quietly around to look at the pictures. Afterwards, have them sit and share some things they noticed and felt. Invite them to do that activity for their families and share testimonies at home about how they know Jesus is our Savior.

* Have older children write down their testimonies. This fills a Faith in God requirement.

* Invite the Bishop in to talk about how he gained his testimony of The Savior.

Recycled from Previous Posts
* Flip through a magazine. Let a couple children rip out a picture of a random person and stand in front holding the picture.  Can these strangers and random people be saved? HOW? Invite a child to recite the 3rd article of faith, emphasize ALL MANKIND.

* Foam Finger Pointer. ($1 at the Dollar Store or you can make a large one out of a grocery paper bag) Invite a child to come to the front and wear the foam finger. Sing -you can do it by yourself, invite the other adults or have the children open up page # 103 in the Hymn book and sing too! In Hymn # 103 Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer, there are some words that are repeated. Have the child wearing the foam finger point to a picture anywhere in the room that these repeated words describe. Children sitting down can also use their pointer finger when the repeated word is sung.
    What were the repeated words?
*   Have __________is my Savior and Redeemer. written on the chalk board. As children come in write their names all over the chalk board. When it's time to start, talk about some of the beautiful names on the board. Add a few more names to the list that they can think of. But what is the name that fills in the blank of our sentence?
     Read Mosiah 5:8 " ....There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives."
* Have a few children come up to the front. Have a blue towel, an airplane, a large rock... Sing Hymn # 104, Jesus, Savior, Pilot me. Have a child fly the airplane through the stormy waters (children waving towel) while holding the hand of another child who is holding a picture of Christ.
Talk about THIS story (Captain Sullenberger and US Airways Flight 1549) with the children. It even has pictures! Was he a pretty awesome Pilot? Just as that pilot saved the lives of so many people, Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer ready to lead us and pilot us to safety.
* Turn off the lights. Is anyone afraid of the dark? Has anyone had a scary experience in the dark? Joseph Smith sure did! Yet we know Jesus Christ saved Joseph Smith from the dark and that "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27:1) Turn on the lights.
* What does Savior and Redeemer mean? Those are big words!

President's Day Singing Time

 This is a SIMPLE singing time idea!!

 

Show a picture of President Washington and President Lincoln to the children. They were great men!!

President Spencer W.Kimball quoted "Boys need lots of heroes like Lincoln and Washington." (April 1975)

What you will need:
A penny and A quarter
4-5 cups that are not clear

Hide the coins under a cup and mix them up. Sing a song. Invite a friend who was singing to come up front and try to find a coin. If they do then they get to read a quote by one of these great men.

Quotes include:
George Washington Quotes

• "I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet."
• "I conceive that a knowledge of books is the basis on which all other knowledge rests."
• "Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder."
• "Doctor, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go."
• "Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth."
• "Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company."

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

• "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
• "God must love the common man, he made so many of them."
• "Everybody likes a compliment."
• "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
• "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy."
• "Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?"

Personal Reflections: AARP

*Disclaimer: After a comment I realized this post might be misconstrued in me trying to be political. I am not in any way shape or form saying that we should support or not support the AARP. 
My apologies.
 

 

Saturday I went to do a session in the temple. It was great! I was sitting by a friend from the ward.
A couple that I've known since I was a child took me through to the Celestial Room.

 

I always pray before hand so I can understand things more clearly or so that I can learn what Heavenly Father would have me learn. Within 30 seconds of the temple session, I had learned something knew. Something I've heard tons of times, but for the first time it stuck out to me.

 

And in all honesty, it may be that I'm just a weirdo.

 

Does being "alert, attentive, and reverent please" ring a bell?
AARP

Alert

Attentive

Reverent Please

 

Doesn't this apply to life really? In our day to day activities we need to make sure that spiritually we are alert for opportunities to learn and grow, attentive to matters of service & sometimes.... just a little more reverent please.

 

1. Alert for opportunities to learn and grow- First of all, how tiring is life sometimes. Literally. I go to the temple and when they dim the lights, it's not that I'm not interested or ready to have a great experience, it's just that I become lethargic and ready for a nap. Quite the opposite, in D&C 127:11 it says, "I now close my letter for the present, for the want of more time; for the enemy is on the alert..."
The enemy is alert, am I?

Alert is defined as "quick to perceive and act".

 

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane He had asked His apostles to "watch". Some synonyms for alert include Argus-eyed (Percy Jackson shout out!), attentive, awake, observant, open-eyed, vigilant, wide-awake, on guard, on one's toes, on the ball. The opposite is "asleep". And what did the apostles do, they fell asleep. In no way am I judging them!! I just look at the experience and think how asleep I am when it comes to the gospel. Case in point. I've never been able to read through Jesus the Christ. I get to chapter 2 or 3 and I just can't handle anything anymore. However, 2013 is the year. I've actually gotten to chapter 5 and after pondering the meaning of being "alert" I had a great idea of how to make the words of the book become clearer... I read them with a British accent.

 

It may be just a dumb thought or it may be a loving Heavenly Father know how ADD I am and Him trying to help me. Either way I'm hoping to be more alert for opportunities to learn and grow.

 

2. Attentive to matters of service- I don't have a facebook account. I did. But I got tired of people's whining and cat stories. Plus it was a personal time waster. I get a lot more things done now. Although, pinterest is a whole different story. Why are you even reading this? I am so long winded!

Point. A definition for attentive is "heedful of the comfort of others".

Life is full of distractions.

If we think about it though, wouldn't it be awful if Heavenly Father wasn't attentive to us? In the scriptures, there are 3 verses that use the term "attentive" to beseech The Lord to be "attentive" to their prayers.

Heavenly Father is never distracted and He never leaves us comfortless.

John 14:18 " I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

We may think we're being ignored, but we're not. Are we ignoring opportunities to push ourselves further? To serve more? Obviously, I'm not saying go start a soup kitchen. But I know for me personally, there is at least 1 thing I can add to my day to be more heedful of the comfort of others.

 

3. Reverent Please- We just finished the Percy Jackson series. We loved loved loved the books. Rick better not die before House of Hades and I heart Leo. However, I just didn't feel right about some of the phrases in the book that used the term "god", even referring to mythological figures, so you know what. We just skipped right on over those phrases and didn't take a second look.

We play music too loud in our car.

Laman & Lemuel's party boat was severely chastened when they didn't show enough reverence.

Speaking with "exceeding rudeness" they were almost drowned in the depths of the sea.

I know it's OK to play my music loud.... sometimes. But even more important is to raise the type of children that speak kindly and lovingly to one another.

How do we foster an environment of kind language?

A. Use it ourselves and set the example

B. Remind! Remind! Remind each other to speak nicely!

C. Make sure anything that will sink the ship be tossed overboard! Don't let outside influences affect the family in a negative way.

 

AARP. 

Beloved Elderly or an Acronym for Success.

Either way both very valuable.

 

I know God lives. I know He loves us. Every day we can be better.

This I bear testimony of in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.