COURAGEOUS SUNDAY!

It is time to start teaching Nephi's Courage.  Most of our kids already know this song so we were able to spend only one day on it.  We called it COURAGEOUS SUNDAY.  On the chalk board I listed the following things:

Sing a Solo
Quote and Article of Faith
Conduct a verse of the song
Read a Scripture
Bear your testimony
Act out what we are singing
Escort a teacher around the room while we song
Dance to the song

I read the list aloud and talked about how these things take courage for us to do.  We then talked about the great courage that Nephi had to do the things that he was asked to do by the Lord.  For courageous Sunday, I was going to see who had courage to do some of these things.

We began by singing the chorus of the song.  I then drew a name out of the jar and asked, "Do you feel courageous today?"  I emphasized that it was ok if they didn't.  If they did, they got to pick one of the things to do.  Then that item was erased.  If they chose something that involved music, we would do that on the next part of the song.

Next we sang the first verse (if someone for instance picked to dance, this is when they would do it.)

After we sang I chose another name and asked again, "Do you feel courageous today?"  I did have several kids say that they weren't feeling courageous today and that was OK!  I put there name back in the jar so that they would still be chosen on another day.

We continued to do this until we had got through all the courageous deeds, or ran out of time.  I broke up the singing as follows.

Chorus
COURAGE TEST
Verse1
COURAGE TEST
Chorus
COURAGE TEST
Verse 2
COURAGE TEST
Chorus
COURAGE TEST
first half of verse 3
COURAGE TEST
second half of verse 3
COURAGE TEST
chorus
 COURAGE TEST
Then we ended by singing the entire song.

I had so many kids come up to me after wards that had not been picked who said they had courage!  They wanted to do one of the tasks for me!  it was amazing to see the response that i got out of this activity!  They learned much more than the words to a song.

Heart Attack!

Time for a day of review!  We did a good old fashioned heart-attack!  I decorated the board with a lot of small cut out hearts that were taped on.  Then I had some larger hearts with the following written on them:
Bradycardia
Atrial Fibrillation
Arrthymia
Murmur
Palpitations

THe point was that each song had an issue that needed to be fixed.  If they sang the song and fixed that "heart" issue, they could take 4-5 of the smaller hearts and give a teacher a Heart-Attack!!  When they gave teachers a heart attack they would stick the hearts on the teacher.  Our Sunbeam teacher ended up with hearts on his eyeglasses, nose and chin.  He looked so funny and the kids loved it.  He left it on during the ENTIRE singing time!!  Here is how I used each condition:

Bradycardia - heart beating too slow.  In our song when I am baptized we sing so slow and quiet that I sometimes feel sleepy.  Challenge was to speed up a touch and sing with more enthusiasm.

Atrial Fibrillation - very rapid heart beat.  In the song We'll Bring The World His Truth we sing the song so rapid that I sometimes can't understand each word.  If we want listeners to feel the spirit they must understand what we are saying.  Challenge was to slow down but still sing with the same power.

Arthymia - irregular heart beat.  When we sing As A Child of God, the chorus has more volume and enthusiasm than the verses.  Challenge was to even the song out, great volume and power throughout the entire songs.

Murmur - occasional beats cannot be detected or are skipped.  When we sing Choose the Right a lot of the words in the third verse are mumbled or skipped.  Challenge was to sing every word clearly!

Palpitations - racing heart beat.  When we sing Beautiful Savior we sing much too fast. This song is so beautiful.  Challenge is to slow it down!

Obviously you would need to adapt these to your songs and the things that you would like to work on in each song.  After the kids met the challenge, I drew a name out of the jar.  That child got to give a teacher a heart attack!  Sometimes I drew two kids and they each took 3 hearts.  It was a BIG hit and the teachers all left their hearts on with pride!

Mom's Shoes-A-Palloosa!

Oh how I love Mother's Day!  This activity is going to be AWESOME!  I have already called in my mom helpers and everything is ready to go!  I thought I would post it early in case anyone else wanted to use it next week!

I will use 5 mom's for Jr and 5 different mom's for SR.  When inviting the mom's to participate, make sure they are comfortable with taking off their shoes.

Here is the plan!
*    Five minutes before singing time begins I will meet my visiting mom's in the hallway and take their shoes..  These will be placed in a large bag.
*   Time for singing time!  The mom's will come in as we sing "The Dearest Names" (verse about mother).  They will then sit in chairs at the front of the room.
*   "Does anyone notice something wrong with our mom's today?"  Get the kids to notice their shoes are gone!
*   Introduce the activity as "Mom's Shoes-A-Palloosa!"  They are going to guess which shoes go to which mom!
*  For Junior I am going to place the shoes out on a table so the kids can visually see them all at the same time.  For senior I am going to keep them in the large bag.
*  I will choose a child  helper, they will come up and choose a shoe!  They will then guess which mom the shoe goes to.  If they are incorrect the shoe goes back onto the table/in the bag.  If they are right that mom gets to pick a flower from the board.  Written on the back of the flowers will be our songs to sing.
*  We will keep doing this until all the mom's have their shoes back!
*   To end the activity I will then read the following article.  I found this when my now 16 year old sin was very little.  it really touched me as a mother and thought it would fit very well in to this activity;

In His Mother’s Footsteps

By: Davida Dalton, as Told To JoEllen Johnson

It was a busy day in our Costa Mesa, California, home. But then, with ten children and one on the way, every day was a bit hectic. On this particular day, however, I was having trouble doing even routine chores-all because of one little boy.

Len, who was three at the time, was on my heels no matter where I went. Whenever I stopped to do something and turned back around, I would trip over him. Several times I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied.

“Wouldn’t you like to play on the swing set?” I asked again. But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, “Oh, that’s all right, Mommy. I’d rather be in here with you.” Then he continued to bounce happily along behind me.

After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I began to lose my patience and insisted that he go outside and play with the other children. When I asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at me with sweet green eyes and said, “Well, Mommy, in Primary my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But I can’t see him, so I I’m walking in yours.”

I gathered Len in my arms and held him close. Tears of love and humility spilled over from the prayer that grew in my heart, a prayer of thanks for the simple yet beautiful perspective of a three-year-old boy. This experience has served as a reminder to me of the vital role of a mother. While it is sobering to realize that I am a crucial link between my children and the Savior, I need to remember that since a mother is a copartner with God, I am in a position to receive guidance from one who truly cares and wants all of us to walk in Heavenly footsteps.  (April 1994, Ensign)  In His Mother's Footsteps link

I am very excited about this activity!  I always love bringing in parents to singing time and the children do as well!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!

Not your traditional Mother's Day

Next Sunday, for Mother's Day, the primary children will be singing a song in Sacrament meeting.  This is a standard practice all over the church.  However, this year, we decided to do something a bit different. 

One of our program songs this year that we chose is "We'll Bring the World His Truth".  Every time the children sing it the spirit is SO STRONG in our primary room.  So, we decided to use it as our Mother's Day Song.  This is how it is planned to go:

After the second speaker the bishop will call all the primary children to the stand.  We will have girls on the left and boys on the right. 

Then one of our 8 year old boys will read the scriptures from Alma 56 (paraphrased)
Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth;

  yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

  And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers saying: We  do not doubt our mothers knew it.

Followed by the most adorable 4 year old boy who will say: "We too have been taught by our WONDERFUL mothers."

Then we will sing our song.  The way we have taught the kids is as follows:

Verse 1:  all

Chorus:  All

Verse 2: Girls

Chorus: All

Verse 3:  Boys

Chorus: All

I wish you could hear them sing this!  When they all come in together for the choruses it reminds me of cymbals being crashed together, there is so much power in their voices.  An when the boys sing the third verse it is as if I am at an MTC.  I tear up every time!  I cannot wait until next Sunday!!