February week 1

Monthly Theme: When we choose the right, we are blessed
Weekly Theme: Noah was blessed for choosing the right

JP -
Hymn - Choose the Right - I have a melody map similar to this one. We will discuss what they notice about the map (higher for higher notes, larger circles for notes held longer). I will then have the children post pictures on the dots where we sing choose or choice (a CTR shield), light (a lightbulb), and you/your (a picture of a child). Then, we will also see if the kids can identify the three places in the song where there are two words in a row that each get two notes - one goes up and one goes down (such as right your, mark the, and bless you).

I Pledge Myself to Love the Right p. 161 - Talk about what it means to pledge, use windwands - show the children first (arch back and forth on I pledge myself to love the right, circle on the good the fair the true, up and down on to keep my faith and honor bright, zig zag on in everything I do

Then two wiggle songs - Oh, How we love to stand p. 279, and My Hands p. 273

SP - same melody map as JP

On I pledge myself to love the right - We'll play the dictionary game. I'll have three definitions posted, and they have to figure out the words from the song that fit the definitions.

1 - to promise solemly (pledge)

2 - Free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice (fair)

3 - Honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions (honor)

Finally, we will work on Shine on p. 144 and I'll have a word jumble - they have to unscramble the words. Then, there will be certain letters circled from the words they unscrambled to figure out an overall word (whose light -- Christ)

1 - hitlg (light - with t circled)
2 - fitah (faith - with i and h circled)
3 - elrac (clear with c and r cricled)
4 - henis (shine - with s cicled)

January week 5

Monthly Theme: Agency is the Gift to Choose for Ourselves

week 5 doesn't have a theme - we are having ward conference

For Junior Primary, we will be doing a version of "build a snowman." I decided to use the "roll a snowman" I found through the site. We will do the following:

roll 1 - draw a hat (sing verse one of "As a Child of God")
roll 2 - draw a head (sing verse two of "As a Child of God")
roll 3 - draw a top body (sing verse three of "As a Child of God")
roll 4 - draw a bottom body (sing chorus of "As a Child of God")
roll 5 - draw a face (sing "Once There Was a Snowman")
roll 6 - draw a carrot nose (Sing "Hinges")

What I'll do:
I'll have a helper come up and be the person who draws (they will pick a Sunbeam helper to roll the dice) - We may end up starting several snowmen depending on the rolls

For Senior Primary -

We'll do the Tic Tac sing game for "As a Child of God" with the following clues:
I came to earth with power to choose
I came to church with power to love
Good choices bless me and my family too
Good friends bless me and my family too
I feel so safe and happy because
I feel so safe and happy today
Such feelings of peace come from family love
Such feelings of love come from family peace
In my own home
In my own house
I’ll happily serve
I’ll happily work
I’ll strengthen my family by my good works
I’ll toughen my family by my good deeds
As a Child of God I receive special light
As a Child of God I am given special light
The Holy Ghost helps me to know what is right
The Holy Ghost helps me to feel what is right

as well as some of the ideas from "Books in the Book of Mormon"

January Week 3

Monthly Theme: Agency Is the Gift to Choose for Ourselves
Weekly Theme - In the premortal Life, I chose to follow God's Plan

JP
As A Child of God - rhythm band - show quarter notes - most of the song is in this pattern, show card with dotted quarter note, eighth note, and quarter note - ask the kids to find the three places this pattern shows up in the song; pass out rhythm sticks - one group will tap out a steady quarter note beat, the other group will do quarter, quarter, rest

2nd Article of Faith - bowling - remove key words - don't sing words that were on the pins knocked down

Maze game http://lds.org/churchmagazines/FR_2010_09_22___09269_000_031.pdf
Good choices help us find happiness

I am A Child of God p. 2
The Holy Ghost p. 105
I Love to See the Temple p. 95
Hinges p . 277
Stand Up. 278

SP
As a Child of God - rhythm - right hand tap right leg - lift and tap top of right hand under left palm, right hand tap right leg, then left hand tap left leg, lift and tap top of left hand under right palm, left hand tap left leg - start patter over, when get to the chorus change to pattern right hand tap right leg - snap in the air - right hand tap right leg, switch left hand tap left leg snap in the air then left hand tap left leg

2nd Article of Faith - bowling - remove key words - don't sing words that were on the pins knocked down

Musical mumbles - game with punch out board
Eye yam itch I’ll tough got - I am a Child of God

I Lived in Heaven (4)
Aisle heaved din have fun

The Lord Gave Me a Temple (153)
Thee lowered cave me at hem pull

The Holy Ghost (105)
Day whole egg host
(Are tour rue he turn all fur end)


I Love to see the Temple (95)
Isle huff tootsie that hem pool
Olive two seethe a temp pull
Aisle of two seethe hut temp pull


Families can be together forever (188)
Familiar scan bee two gave there foe heiferFan mill ease scan beet two gather four have her


He Sent His Son (34)
He’s sun it’s on
He’s hen ‘tis Hun

Other ideas - CTR shields in other languages
http://lds.org/friend/2003/09/sharing-time-do-what-is-right?lang=eng&query=choose+right

January Week 1 and 2

Monthly Theme: Agency is the gift to choose for ourselves
Weeks 1 & 2 Theme (we aren't meeting in Primary during week 2): Agency is the gift to choose for ourselves
Song: As A Child of God - we brought order to the pictures
Second Article of Faith - "roller coaster" with melody map
JP - Do As I'm Doing, Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
SP - Secret word (earth) - I kept the word in an envelope, we sang songs and then the kids guessed what word they all had in common - the songs we sang - As a Child of God, The Priesthood is Restored, Families can be Together Forever, I Will Follow Gods Plan -

July week 4

Monthly Theme: The Temple is a House of God
Weekly Theme: I can prepare to be worthly to go to the temple

I Love to See the Temple - play don't eat Pete to Review

Twelfth Article of Faith
Focus on the different leaders - kings, presidents, rulers (mayors, governors - those who lead local governors), and magistrates (police, judges - those who administer the law)
Ask - which of the four leaders do we sing about on the highest note? (rulers)

Review Oxcart
Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked (how many time do we sing the word walked?), Sister Bates - the composer of this song lost her eyesight as an adult. She says, "we are all pionners - none of us has been in this day before. Earlier pioneers had no automobiles, railroads, airplanes, telephones, electricity, radios, or televisio, but they sang as they walked and walked. We can sing as we walk through today, or we can be a grouch every step of the way and be miserable."

SP - Westward ho
To be a Pioneer (make a list of do's and don'ts)

July Week 2

Monthly Theme: The Temple is a House of God
Weekly theme: Families are blessed through sacred temple ordinances

I Love to See the Temple
Last week, we put together puzzles of temples in groups as we sang the first verse. After completing the puzzles, the groups shared a fact about their temple, and then something about temples in general.

This week, we did the I Love to See the Temple poster that was on Teaching LDS Children.

After reviewing the song, I closed all the windows and doors. I then sang a line of the song, and asked someone to come and open the corresponding window/door.

Twelfth Article of Faith p. 131
I showed three melody maps - one for by obeying, one for honoring, and one for sustaining the law. We sang the song a few times and tried to match the melody maps to the words

Pioneer Songs:
The Oxcart p. 219
I showed a picture and talked about what an oxcart is. As we sang the song, I had the kids slowly march in JP. In both JP and SP, I asked them to count how many times we sang "creak."

Westward Ho - we just barely sang this in SP

June Week 3

Monthly Theme: The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel Make It Possible for Me to Live with God Again

Week 3 & 4: When I am baptized, I make a covenant with God, The Holy Ghost comforts and guides me

We are not having week 4 officially, so I'll try to do both together

JP
Sing When I Hear My Father Pray - pitch lead
Sing Faith
Play Heads/Tails to review some of the songs

SP
Sing When I Hear My Father Pray - pitch lead
Sing the Fourth Article of Faith and then play 8 questions -
Idea from the Crazy Chorister Blog

Give hint - each song will have something to do with one of the first principles or ordinances of the Gospel

Faith p.96:
Faith is knowing I can return when my life ends on earth

The Holy Ghost p. 105
The Holy Spirit whispers with a still small voice

If I Listen with My Heart
He comforts me in times of need, He testifies of Christ

Repentance
I'm sorry is not always easy to say

Baptism p. 100
Jesus came to John, the Baptist, in Judea long ago