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!