March Week 4

Today was a singing scavenger hunt review. I had quotes from President Monson posted around the room. I took the idea from the Children Sing blog. I looked for "singers" to read the next clue. The riddles were easy, but they still liked them anyway. Here they are: 1 - Here is where you go to play a tune - a tool which is a primary boon (piano) 2 - When the weather is fair, you can open this to let in air (window) 3- If it dark and you feel a fright, here is where you go to turn on the light (light switch) 4 - This helps people hear - whether they sit far or near (podium/microphone) 5 - This has two legs but cannot walk. We write on it but not with chalk (whiteboard) 6 - This object needs no label. You'll find the next clue under the item that rhymes with Mabel (table) 7- If you left yours at home and feel like nerd, here is where you can borrow a copy of the Good Word (scripture stand)

February Week 4

Monthly Theme: The Scriptures Teach of Heavenly Father's Plan
Weekly Theme: I Will Follow God's Plan

I Will Follow God's Plan p. 164
Play word king/word king in both Junior Primary and Senior Primary. We have been working on this song with pictures, so we can easily use in both primaries.

How to play:
Hold a picture above a child's head. Tell the primary not to sing that word. Then, the child listens as the primary sings and tries to figure out which is their word

Seventh Article of Faith
Do balloon challenge with SP from last week. For SP, use a melody map illustrating the note steps "in the gift of tongues, prophecy" and see if they can match it to the correct place in the song

One in a Million
SP - draw the song

JP beat dance - chicken dance

If I Listen with My Heart
Lights on/off game

February Week 3

February theme: The Scriptures Teach of Heavenly Father's Plan

Week 3 theme: Families are central to Heavenly Father's Plan

Review I Will Follow God's Plan by playing the fly swatter game. Use the pictures we've been working with to play the game. (who is the leader might be a fun one to try next week)

Work on One in a Million - the song in the February 2011 Friend. Emphasize that there are about 1 million in Primary world wide. However - each child is unique and Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us. Share parts of the children's book "How Much is a Million" to illustrate the concept of how many a million is.

Work on the timing of this song - talk about staccato.

Work on the seventh article of faith. - Play a minute to win it game - have four balloons and have two kids see if they can tap the balloons and keep them off the ground while we sing

Plan for February Week 2

Monthly Theme: The Scriptures Teach Of Heavenly Father's Plan

Weekly Theme: Jesus Christ created the earth for me

Review: I Will Follow God's Plan for Me p. 164

Junior Primary and Senior Primary:
Unscramble
Scramble the pictures from last week and challenge the children to put the pictures in the correct order while singing the song.

Stand Up/Sit Down - in Junior Primary have the children stand when then sing "I, me or my" and then sit the next time they sing one of those words. Continue to follow this pattern

Musical Chairs - in Senior Primary -leave an empty chair on each end of a row. Have the children slide over to the left on "I, me or my" and then over a chair to the right when they sing one of the words again - they will be going back and forth quite a lot during the song.

Seventh Article of Faith p. 126
tap out the pattern lap palm palm (hit lap on the strong beat), ask which words are held longest (tongues, so, forth) - discuss what the words mean

If I listen with my Heart - review with the flashlight game. Dim the lights. As the children sing spotlight one child and then another - those two children trade places. Continue in the same fashion as the song is sung

Plan for February Week 1

Monthly Theme: The Scriptures Teach of Heavenly Father's Plan

Week Theme: Heavenly Father has a plan for me.

Program Song: I Will Follow God's Plan for Me

Attention Getter - Show a map - ask what it is used for. Talk about other kinds of plans - recipes, blue prints, etc.

Show the plan of Salvation. Talk to the children about how Heavenly Father's plan for all His children is to encourage them to return to Him. In addition, Heavenly Father has unique and individual plans for each of us.

Introduce the Song by playing Hidden Pictures (link to an explanation of the game).

For Junior Primary
Break down the song into two parts for the game.
Part I:
My life is a gift (picture of a present)
My life has a plan (picture of a map)
My life has a purpose, in heaven it began (picture of people dressed in white)
My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth (picture of earth)
And seek for God's light (picture of flashlight)
To direct me from birth (picture of baby)

After covering the above, have the children "find" the pictures and put them in order
Part II:
I will follow God's plan for me (picture of footprints)
Holding fast to his word and his love (two pictures -one of the scriptures one of a heart)
I will work (girl washing dishes)
And I will pray (child praying)
I will always walk in his way (child walking)
Then I will be happy on earth (picture of happy face)
And in my home above (picture of house)

For senior primary, do the whole song at once.

If there is still some time, play the game suggested in the February 2011 Friend. Put the pictures on a tray. Have one child leave the room. Have the kids decide which picture to take off the tray. Have the child come back into the room and see if he/she can figure out which picture is missing.

My Plan for January week 4

January Theme: The Scriptures are the Word of God

Week 4 - I can know the Scriptures are True

Junior Primary
If I Listen with My Heart
Play the game "hot/cold" to review. I have hearts that can snap shut. We'll use the hearts to hide and seek. Inside the hearts will be discovery questions (also from the Children Sing blog) to ask about each verse of the song. Depending on the time frame of the day, we may sing each verse twice, so I'd have 1-2 questions for them to think about while singing

We'll start with the questions for verse 1. As the kids sing, they can be thinking of the answers to:
What two things would I have liked to do with the Savior? walk with him and listen to his words
What can I do to hear the words of the Savior? Search the scriptures
What word is on the highest note (question for SP only) peace/and

Verse 2 questions:
Who speaks the words that Christ would say? the prophet
What two words describe how the prophet teaches us to live? righteousness and peace

Verse 3 questions:
What does the Holy Ghost teach me? truth and right
What word describes how the Holy Ghost speaks to me? quiet
Besides teaching, what else does the Holy Ghost do? comforts, testifies of Christ

Ninth Article of Faith - this time, blindfold the teacher and see if they can tell if there class is singing (pick two classes to sing at a time)

same review songs as last week, perhaps if time, introduce Did Jesus Really Live Again p. 64
Show pictures (Burial of Jesus) and Mary and the Resurrected Lord). Play "When you hear"
verse 1 - When you hear what day Jesus came - hold up your fingers that represents the day
When you hear whose name he called - stand up

verse 2 - When you hear who Jesus came to, put your hands on your knees
when you hear the things he ate, put your hands on your head

verse 3- When you hear where the nail prints were, put your hands on your shoulders
When you hear what kind of wound was in his side, fold your arms

Wiggle songs for JP: Hinges p 277, Do as I'm Doing p. 276

My Plan for January week 3

January Theme: The Scriptures are the Word of God

Week 3 - The words of Christ will tell us all things we should do

Junior Primary:
If I Listen with My Heart - verse 3
Attention getter:
Print and show the Bright Idea from the Friend March 2010 page 27 - Our Father in Heaven is only a prayer away, and the Holy Ghost is within whispering distance. Discuss the ways we can hear/feel the Holy Ghost.

Wind wands - post directions for the wind wands - we can do actions as we learn the third verse. (my ideas for wands: overhead circle 4x, circle the floor 4x, snake to the right, snap!, overhead circle 4x, circle the floor 4x, snake to the left, snap!, circle right 4x, circle left 4x , figure eight 4x, snap! circle right 4x, circle left 4x, snake left, snake right, snap!
Review first and second verses

The Ninth Article of Faith p. 128 - Play Don't Eat Pete to review - Our grid will only be 3 x 3, I'll put up a poster with muffin cups taped to each square to hold the ski - sing song until Pete is found, use skittles, give everyone a small bag of skittles at the end (I imagine we'll play 3 times). I really like the Don't Eat Pete game board found here, and I'll probably use the graphics from it

Wiggle/Review Songs
Jesus Wants Me for A Sunbeam p. 60
Roll Your Hands p. 274
Our Door is Always Open p. 254
Have a Very Happy Birthday p. 284

Senior Primary:
If I Listen with My Heart - verse 3
Attention getter:
Same as Junior Primary

Verse Three - write each word on a heart - post the words in mixed up order and have the kids switch the words two at a time until the song is in the proper order. This is based on the teaching method - Song Scramble - found on one of my all time favorite blogs - The Children Sing.

After the song is in order, blindfold one of the children. Pick 5-6 kids to sing. Have the child who was blindfolded see if he/she can name some of the singers. Do this to review the first two verses as well. This is a neat idea - not mine, but I can't remember whom to attribute the idea to

The Ninth Article of Faith p. 128 - same activity as JP

Review Songs:
Our Door is Always Open p. 254
Have a Very Happy Birthday p. 284
Jesus is My True Light

Sharing Time: The Iron Rod chorus
Use actions:
Hold to the rod, the iron rod (have the kids hug their scriptures)
'Tis strong (make muscles), and bright (hand over eyes as if looking out on a sunny day), and true (sign for the word)
The iron rod is the word of God (hold scriptures again)
'Twill safely guide us through (sign for through)