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!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
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;
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;
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;
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!!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Truth or Consequences
This was adapted from the Ordinary Adventures of a Primary Chorister. I have used it SO many times and it is always a BIG hit! It is adapted from the 50's and 60's game show. It is perfect for reviewing songs! I like to use it when I have the whole time in primary on fifth Sundays.
It basically goes like this; I draw a child's name out of my choosing jar. They get to pick a teacher to CHALLENGE. Each contestant is given a question that relates to the song. If you get your question right you receive a point for your team (kids vs. teachers). If you get it wrong, you have a consequence. What is great is they way the questions are, the kids NEVER get it wrong! So the teachers do all of the consequences. The kids LOVE to see their teacher's up front. Our primary has GREAT, FUN, and ENTHUSIASTIC teachers who love to participate!
QUESTIONS: (The first one is for the kid, the second for the teacher)
For the song CHOOSE THE RIGHT:
1) What abbreviation for Choose the Right do we use? (CTR)
2) What was the first CTR ring made of and how much did it cost? (Nickel and Platinum, $.35)
For the song BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR:
1) What is one thing in this song that is "fair:? (sunshine, moonlight, Jesus, meadows, woodlands)
2) This is a Silesian folk song, who wrote it? (Anon.)
For the song PRAISE TO THE MAN:
1) Where did Joseph Smith go to pray? (Sacred Grove)
2) On what day of the week was the church organized? (A Tuesday)
For the song ARMY OF HELAMAN:
1) Who teaches you truth? (goodly parents, mother, father)
2) Janice Kapp Perry wrote this song, in what year as she born? (1938)
For the song SCRIPTURE POWER:
1) Name someone from the Book of Mormon?
2) How many verses are in Mosiah chapter 15? (31)
For the song AS A CHILD OF GOD:
1) What power did we come to earth with? (Power to choose)
2) How many babies are born in the USA every day? (11,000)
It is obviously rigged so that the child's question is SUPER easy and the adults question is SUPER hard. That is what makes it so much fun! Now for the consequences. They need to do these as everyone sings the song.
1) Wear a sombrero and shake maracas
2) Blow bubbles
3) Hula Hoop
4) Wear grass skirt and lei and do the hula
5) Keep two inflated balloons in the air by hitting them lightly
6) March around like the leader of a parade
This is a very fun, energetic activity. It's a great way to reward the kids for working so hard learning all of these program songs!
It basically goes like this; I draw a child's name out of my choosing jar. They get to pick a teacher to CHALLENGE. Each contestant is given a question that relates to the song. If you get your question right you receive a point for your team (kids vs. teachers). If you get it wrong, you have a consequence. What is great is they way the questions are, the kids NEVER get it wrong! So the teachers do all of the consequences. The kids LOVE to see their teacher's up front. Our primary has GREAT, FUN, and ENTHUSIASTIC teachers who love to participate!
QUESTIONS: (The first one is for the kid, the second for the teacher)
For the song CHOOSE THE RIGHT:
1) What abbreviation for Choose the Right do we use? (CTR)
2) What was the first CTR ring made of and how much did it cost? (Nickel and Platinum, $.35)
For the song BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR:
1) What is one thing in this song that is "fair:? (sunshine, moonlight, Jesus, meadows, woodlands)
2) This is a Silesian folk song, who wrote it? (Anon.)
For the song PRAISE TO THE MAN:
1) Where did Joseph Smith go to pray? (Sacred Grove)
2) On what day of the week was the church organized? (A Tuesday)
For the song ARMY OF HELAMAN:
1) Who teaches you truth? (goodly parents, mother, father)
2) Janice Kapp Perry wrote this song, in what year as she born? (1938)
For the song SCRIPTURE POWER:
1) Name someone from the Book of Mormon?
2) How many verses are in Mosiah chapter 15? (31)
For the song AS A CHILD OF GOD:
1) What power did we come to earth with? (Power to choose)
2) How many babies are born in the USA every day? (11,000)
It is obviously rigged so that the child's question is SUPER easy and the adults question is SUPER hard. That is what makes it so much fun! Now for the consequences. They need to do these as everyone sings the song.
1) Wear a sombrero and shake maracas
2) Blow bubbles
3) Hula Hoop
4) Wear grass skirt and lei and do the hula
5) Keep two inflated balloons in the air by hitting them lightly
6) March around like the leader of a parade
This is a very fun, energetic activity. It's a great way to reward the kids for working so hard learning all of these program songs!
MUSICAL CHAIRS
This was a new, fun idea we used in Senior Primary. They sometimes get tired of sitting and I felt they are old enough to be able to move around a bit without losing focus. Note: I did NOT use this in Junior primary.
I made seven cards that were folded like tents and sitting on the front table. We then would sing a verse, chorus or entire song in order to earn the chance to draw a card. I used this to review all of the songs that we have learned thus far this year. What ever was on the card is what we had to do before we sang the next song. It was fun. The kids really liked moving around to a new seat. Here were the movements:
1) Move two chairs to your right (if you are at the end of the row, go to the other end of the row)
2) If you have ever gone to General Conference, switch chairs with someone else who has also gone.
3) Teachers move 6 chairs to the left. If there was a child in that seat they had to shift to make room for the teacher.
4) If you have ever sang at someone's baptism, switch seats with someone else who also has.
5) Move so everyone is sitting boy-girl.
6) If you have ever given a Book of Mormon to someone, switch seats with someone else who has. (I was so thrilled to see how many children stood up!!)
7) Teachers trade places with another teacher.
Having the movement was really fun and they sang great!
I made seven cards that were folded like tents and sitting on the front table. We then would sing a verse, chorus or entire song in order to earn the chance to draw a card. I used this to review all of the songs that we have learned thus far this year. What ever was on the card is what we had to do before we sang the next song. It was fun. The kids really liked moving around to a new seat. Here were the movements:
1) Move two chairs to your right (if you are at the end of the row, go to the other end of the row)
2) If you have ever gone to General Conference, switch chairs with someone else who has also gone.
3) Teachers move 6 chairs to the left. If there was a child in that seat they had to shift to make room for the teacher.
4) If you have ever sang at someone's baptism, switch seats with someone else who also has.
5) Move so everyone is sitting boy-girl.
6) If you have ever given a Book of Mormon to someone, switch seats with someone else who has. (I was so thrilled to see how many children stood up!!)
7) Teachers trade places with another teacher.
Having the movement was really fun and they sang great!
Does our Singing MEASURE UP?
I adapted this idea years ago and cannot remember where the original idea came from. But I use it often in Junior primary.
The idea is that we are going to "measure" how well we have learned our newest song. I use a very large flower vase. With a marker I mark a line near the top. I have then also have a pitcher filled with water. What is so fun about this is I use food coloring to color the water. You can use a color that matches the song. This time we were singing Beautiful Savior, so I used green to represent all the beautiful things he has created (meadows, woodlands, flowers, etc).
I broke the song up into sections. Aster we sang a section I would rate how well they sang it. I then chose a child to come pour colored water into the vase a bit. (I would just tell them when to stop). This continues until the vase is almost full. Then to reach our goal we stand up and sing the song through in it's entirety. I ask them before if they think they are going to make it to the top. The suspense is so cute and they get so excited! Of course they always make it to the top. What's great is they really earn it!
The idea is that we are going to "measure" how well we have learned our newest song. I use a very large flower vase. With a marker I mark a line near the top. I have then also have a pitcher filled with water. What is so fun about this is I use food coloring to color the water. You can use a color that matches the song. This time we were singing Beautiful Savior, so I used green to represent all the beautiful things he has created (meadows, woodlands, flowers, etc).
I broke the song up into sections. Aster we sang a section I would rate how well they sang it. I then chose a child to come pour colored water into the vase a bit. (I would just tell them when to stop). This continues until the vase is almost full. Then to reach our goal we stand up and sing the song through in it's entirety. I ask them before if they think they are going to make it to the top. The suspense is so cute and they get so excited! Of course they always make it to the top. What's great is they really earn it!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Remote Control Singing
So I saw several versions of using this concept in singing time. I didn't want to have just a larger version of a remote control because I couldn't figure out how to push the buttons and conduct. So I modified it a bit. We did it today and the kids LOVED it! Especially Junior Primary, for them it was a big hit!
I started by making my remote control buttons to be on signs that I could hold up. I did a variety of signs. We used today to review As A Child of God and Choose the Right. This is because I was out sick one Sunday and then we had Stake Conference, so it had been 3 weeks since I had last heard them sing. I thought a review would be wise, even if it put us behind schedule a bit.
Here are the signs:
PLAY:
This on is obvious. To mix it up I had them lean and move the way i hold the sign, whether its left, right up or down. That gets them in good practice of keeping their eyes on me.
FAST FORWARD:
This one was fun. We sang Choose the Right as fast as the pianist played. I emphasized to them that they were not to sing as fast as they could, but rather as fast as the piano went. It was really good practice for them to follow me and to listen carefully to the piano. When singing fast like this it is best to have the pianist only play the right hand.
REWIND:
This was not to sing the song backwards! Haha, though some kids wanted to try. Instead when I held up the sign the turned around and faced the wall. This way they couldn't see me do any of the hand signs that prompt them in the song As A Child of God. When I made a beep noise they turned back and faced me. I did this randomly throughout all three verses.
PAUSE:
After using this one I realized that a MUTE button would have made more sense. When I held up this sign they paused their singing. But the piano kept going. This one caused them to really focus and me, the piano, and the words to the song. One of my favorite ways to drill a song.
VOLUME:
Before beginning this one I always remind the children (especially the very little ones) that shouting is not singing. Also, that even when they are singing as quiet as they can, I should still be able to hear them. Then we began. As I raised the sign up the increased in volume and as I went down they decreased.
RECORD:
My favorite of today. I have never recorded the primary children singing. So I explained to them that they need to hold still while they sang and not fidget so we would record only voices. Then they sang the song to review. When they were finished I played it back for them. The senior liked it but the junior were astonished. Their little faces just lit up as they heard themselves sing. This was a great moment for them!
This turned out to be a very fun activity. I chose to pick up the signs in the order I wanted and not have a helper hold them. Sometimes the kids can make these types of activities too wild by switching the sign too quickly of too often. I decided that I was in "control" of the remote control today.
I started by making my remote control buttons to be on signs that I could hold up. I did a variety of signs. We used today to review As A Child of God and Choose the Right. This is because I was out sick one Sunday and then we had Stake Conference, so it had been 3 weeks since I had last heard them sing. I thought a review would be wise, even if it put us behind schedule a bit.
Here are the signs:
This on is obvious. To mix it up I had them lean and move the way i hold the sign, whether its left, right up or down. That gets them in good practice of keeping their eyes on me.
FAST FORWARD:
This one was fun. We sang Choose the Right as fast as the pianist played. I emphasized to them that they were not to sing as fast as they could, but rather as fast as the piano went. It was really good practice for them to follow me and to listen carefully to the piano. When singing fast like this it is best to have the pianist only play the right hand.
REWIND:
This was not to sing the song backwards! Haha, though some kids wanted to try. Instead when I held up the sign the turned around and faced the wall. This way they couldn't see me do any of the hand signs that prompt them in the song As A Child of God. When I made a beep noise they turned back and faced me. I did this randomly throughout all three verses.
PAUSE:
After using this one I realized that a MUTE button would have made more sense. When I held up this sign they paused their singing. But the piano kept going. This one caused them to really focus and me, the piano, and the words to the song. One of my favorite ways to drill a song.
VOLUME:
Before beginning this one I always remind the children (especially the very little ones) that shouting is not singing. Also, that even when they are singing as quiet as they can, I should still be able to hear them. Then we began. As I raised the sign up the increased in volume and as I went down they decreased.
My favorite of today. I have never recorded the primary children singing. So I explained to them that they need to hold still while they sang and not fidget so we would record only voices. Then they sang the song to review. When they were finished I played it back for them. The senior liked it but the junior were astonished. Their little faces just lit up as they heard themselves sing. This was a great moment for them!
This turned out to be a very fun activity. I chose to pick up the signs in the order I wanted and not have a helper hold them. Sometimes the kids can make these types of activities too wild by switching the sign too quickly of too often. I decided that I was in "control" of the remote control today.
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