Sunday, November 27, 2011

Singing Directory - Review

You can use this Singing Directory to review songs for the primary program or just for fun at the end of the year.

You can create create numbers with instructions on the back like I did or you you can simply write the numbers/words on the board and erase.  The instructions in parenthesis ( ) indicate who will be singing or how the song will be sung.

1 Ring Who Will Sing!
(Wearing White)
When I Am Baptized

2 Dial For Style!
(Sign Language or Actions)
Book Of Mormon Stories

3 Call In The Chorus
(Sing Chorus First)
Praise to the Man

4 Hold For Harmony
(Children Sing 1st verse, Teachers Sing 2nd verse, 3rd verse all together)
A Child's Prayer

5 Phone A Prophet
(Girls sing words, Boys Sing Be True, Be True)
Stand For The Right

911 Fix The Song!
(Fix what is missing in the picture)
There Was Starlight On The Hillside

*69 From Memory
(Sing with your eyes closed)
I Love To See The Temple

411 Get More Info.
Book of Mormon Stories:  After becoming totally blind at the age of forty-two, Elizabeth F. Bates determined that she would not let her blindness prevent her from learning and doing all she could.  After losing her sight, she eared two bachelor's degrees and two master's degrees from the University of Utah and invented a code that allows the blind to compose music on a typewriter.

Eighteen years after completely losing her sight, she was reflecting on her love of the Book of Mormon and of the United States; capturing those feelings, she wrote the words and music to "Book of Mormon Stories."  Her simple and memorable song consisted of two verses that are often sung with accompanying hand gestures.

In 1988, the song was used throughout the Church for the Priary sacrament meeting presentation, themed on the Book of Mormon.  The program showcased six additional verses written by Nancy K. Daines Carter that detailed specific people from the Book of Mormon, including Alma, Abinadi, Ammon, the Stripling Warriors, and Samuel the Lamanite.  Sister Carter's additional verses culminate in the appearance of the Savior to the Nephites at the temple in Bountiful.  Her verses follow the original two-verse song in the Children's Songbook. 
(courtesy Favorite song for LDS Children illustrated Edition pp 9)

0 Operator Needs Assistance
(Have a child lead the song, fast or slow)
I Will Follow God's Plan

Redial for the Remix
(Sing the AP Version)
Head Shoulders Knees and Toes

Phlanges, Larinx, Cranium, Ear Canal
Cranium, Ear Canal, Cranium Ear Canal
Phlanges, Larinx, Cranium, Ear Canal
Deltoid, Sternum, Patella, Femur

Press # for a Round
(Sing in a Round)
Youv've Had A Birthday

Singing Directory



Phone on Chalkboard
Remove symbols as the children choose them


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

I'll Follow Him In Faith


Scatter footsteps on the floor in in front of the room.

Ask for ten volunteers to come up and choose one footstep each. 
Give the last two the CTR Ring - Prop and the Picture of Christ.

Sing: I'll Follow Him in Faith (first verse)

Place the CTR Ring and the Picture of Christ in the appropriate places. 
The ask the children to put their footsteps in the right order.

1. gospel truth - footstep

2. early youth - footstep

3. share my light - footstep

    CTR Ring - prop

4. testify of Him - footstep 

5. simple faith - footstep

6. pray... strength - footstep

7. do His work - footstep

8. gladly serve - footstep

Picture of Christ

Sing it as many times as it take to get them in the right order. 
Who ever has the Picture of Christ when the song ends
ask them to share one way we can follow Him In Faith? 

Bear testimony that if we follow in his footsteps and
exercise our faith in Him we will return to our Father in Heaven.

note: all pictures on the footsteps were taken from The Friend magazines. http://lds.org/friend?lang=eng



Remember Him

Invite one child to the front and ask him/her to
sit very tall in a chair without moving a muscle.
 Keep silent and time him/her for 30 seconds to
see if he/she can sit perfectly still.

Tell the children: It is hard to sit perfectly still
when you don't have something to think about. 
Listen as I sing, and tell me, who we can
think about as we sit very still?  (Jesus)

Sing: To Think About Jesus  71

Tell the children:  While we are sitting in Sacrament Meeting or in Primary,
we can think about things Jesus would want us to do.

Write on the board: Jesus Wants Me To....
Set up eight chairs in the front of the room. 
Call on eight children to sit in the chairs. 
Give each child one picture or prop(s) per song.
Then sing the songs and see if the children can figure out
what Jesus wants them to do.  Write the answers on the board.

1. Help Me Dear Father  99
(Forgive Others, Repent)
Display: Gethsemane 62175

2. When I Am Baptized  103
(Be Baptized)
Display: The Baptism of Jesus 62133

3.  I Believe In Being Honest  149
(Be Honest, Keep My Word, Tell The Truth, Defend Right)
Display: CTR Ring - prop
I drew my version of CTR ring on white Poster Board and
colored it with markers.Laminate the front for long term use.

I added a band of poster board on the back to create a ring to wear.

4. Keep The Commandments  146
(Keep The Commandments)
Display:  The 10 Commandments Written In Stone - prop
I used scrapbook paper that looked like stone and glued in onto cardboard.

5. Love One Another 136
(Love One Another)
Display: Christ And The Children 62467

6. Search Ponder And Pray  109
(Search the Scriptures, Pray)
Display: Scriptures and the Picture Prayer 62218

7. Follow The Prophet  110
(Follow The Prophet)
Display: Picture of President Monson

8. I Love To See The Temple  95
(Prepare To Go To The Temple)
Display: Picture of a Temple

Show the children all of the things they can think about
when they need to sit very still.  

Sing: To Think About Jesus  71  

Suggestions for the Opening Song in Primary - The Third Article of Faith 12
Suggestion for the Closing song in Primary - He Sent His Son  34

Sunday, November 20, 2011

I Am Thankful For My Feathers - Thanksgiving Singing Time

List of Items you need.
1 small box with lid
1 package of colorful feathers (approximately 20 feathers)
Clay you bake in oven

Create a paper turkey by using scrapbook paper or other decorative paper. 


Use a small box with a lid, glue paper turkey to lid
Turn the box upside down and glue bottom edge of lid to box.

Mold a feather stand out of clay that you can bake in your oven. 
Stick all of your feathers in the clay to create holes for the feathers. 
Remove Feathers from clay stand
Bake the clay according to Manufacture recommendations.

Place feather holder on top of the box.

  Now you are ready for singing time.

Tell the children that poor Tom Turkey is not sure what he is thankful for.
Let's help him remember to be thankful for his feathers.

Give out colored feathers to children that are being reverent.

Call up one color of feather at a time, ask the children holding the feathers
to share something that they are thankful for and place the feather(s) in the holder.

Songs to Sing for Turkey feathers

Turquoise: For Thy Bounteous Blessings 21
We are thankful for eternal families and our testimony of the gospel
in our lives, it blesses us everyday

Pink: For Health and Strength 21
We are thankful for guidance from our prophet to live happy and healthy.

Red: Autumn Day 247
We are thankful for nature and for the earth God created for us.

Orange: Fun To Do 253
We are thankful for music and for the fun things
we can do with our family and friends

Yellow: Thanks To Our Father 20
We are thankful for our Heavenly Father
who knows and loves each one of us.

Purple: Reverence Is Love 31
We are thankful for Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for us.

Green: Do As I Am Doing 276 
We are thankful for our parents and teachers who help us to obey.

Dark Blue: Hinges 277 
We are thankful for our bodies.

You can choose almost any song in the Children's Songbook for this activity,
you can be thankful for everything.
 

I choose the closing song I Love To See The Temple
because we should be especially thankful for Eternal Families.

Happy Thanksgiving and have gratitude
in your heart for all that God has given us.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Stand For the Right - I Can Make Good Decisions

Prepare a walking stick with the words "choice" writting on one end
and "consequence" written on the other end.

Sing: Stand For The Right  159

-Display a walking stick for everyone to see.

- Say to the children, "This is a walking stick"

- Say to the children, "When I am walking or hiking on uneven ground,
the walking stick provides safety and stability so I don't fall down.

Sing: Stand For The Right   159

- Ask a volunteer to pick up the walking stick and examine it.

- Point out the words "choice" and "consequence."  Tell them that when you pick up one end of the stick you automatically pick up the other end.

-  Ask if someone would like to share a choice that they have made whether it be good or bad. Write  the choice on the board and also the consequence if it was good or bad.

Sing: Stand For The Right  159
Repeat a couple of x's as time allows.

- Heavenly Father has given us the agency to make our own choices. 
This is part of the plan of happiness. 

Read: 2 Nephi 25-27

Sing: Stand For The Right   159
- If we make poor choices we can repent, because Jesus atoned for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemeny and we can be forgiven.

Sing: Jesus Has Risen  70

-The prophet gives us council to help us make good choices so we can have
good consequences or in other words that we might have joy. 
In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Books in the Book Of Mormon - Scripture Code

Teach The Books in the Book of Mormon  page 119, using the Scripture Code

First, write the code on the board and ask the children if they can figure out what it is.

Start teaching the song using the CODE

1st Verse

BOOKS = 1 and 2nd books of Nephi
JEJO = Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni
WofM&M = Words of Mormon and Mosiah
BofM = In the Book of Mormon

2nd Verse

AH = Alma, Heleman
3-4N = 3rd, 4th Nephi
MEM = Mormon, Ether and Moroni
LTP = Learn the teachings of the prophets
BofM = In the Book of Mormon

Stand For The Right - Song Detectives

To teach the Primary Song Stand For The Right on page 159,
I decided to have the children be song detectives.

You can really play up the part by dressing in a trench coat,
having a magnifying glass and a notebook to write down clues.

Actions  The children stay seated until  they sing Be True, Be True.  
Have them fist pump in the air as they sing each Be True
Then they sit back down.  At the end of the song they stand and
do the actions for Be True and then put their hands on hips
 when they sing And stand for the right.

Explain to the children that we are Song DetectivesDetectives  always ask leading questions to solve a mystery.
We have some important questions to answer.

(You could write each question on the board in really small writing and then
have a child come up to look at the word through the magnifying glass.)

Who? 

Sing: Our prophet has some words for you.

Display a picture of President Monson 

What?

Sing: And these are the words "Be True, Be True"

- Be Strong! Be Clean! Avoid such degrading and destructive types of content at all costs wherever they may be! 
Pres. Monson Gen. Con. May 2009 Ensign

Read: Joshua 24:15 "Choose you this day who ye will serve;... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Where?

Sing: At work or at play,

- "Although our journey through mortality will at times place us in harms way, may I offer you... three suggestions which when observed and followed, will lead us to safety, the are: 1. Study diligently.  2. Pray fervently.  3. Live righteously.  If we incorporate them into our lives, however, we will have the strength to withstand the adversary.  Should we ignore them, we will be opening the door for Satan to have influence and power over us."  Pres. Monson Priesthood Session May 2009 Ensign

When?

Sing: In darkness or light.

- My counsel for all of us is to look to the lighthouse of the Lord.  There is no fog so dense, no night so dark no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue.  It beacons through the storms of life.  The lighthouse of the Lord sends forth signals readily recognized and never failing.  Pres. Monson Gen. Con. May 2010 Ensign

How?

Sing: Be True, be true,
And stand for the right.

- May you have courage.  First, the courage to refrain from judging others.  Second, the courage to be chaste and virtuous.  Third, the courage to stand firm for truth and righteousness.  Pres. Monson General YW Meeting May 2009 Ensign

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Don't Get Trapped - Word of Wisdom

Sing: The Wise Man and the Foolish Man  page 281

Tell the children to close their eyes and then say to them:
Imagine yourself standing on a very small ledge and in front of you is a bottomless pit.  When you give into Satan's lies you find yourself trapped and take steps closer to the bottomless pit.  When you follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost and follow the counsel of the Word of Wisdom you take one giant step back away from the ledge.  Everytime we make a righteous decision we get further and further away from the ledge of despair and misery.

Set 8 mouse traps ready to snap along the bottom of the chalkboard. Each mouse trap should have a number on it.  Make sure you have a pencil to snap the trap after you introduce each one of Satan's Traps.  Warning: do not let the children help with snapping the traps

Sing: The Lord Gave Me a Temple verse 1  page 153
Read: 2 Nephi 28:8-9
Trap#1: Every one is doing it!

Sing: The Lord Gave Me A Temple verse 1  page 153
Trap #2: No on will know about it!

Sing: The Lord Gave Me A Temple verse 2 line 1  page 153
Trap #3: It's only one little drink!

Sing: The Lord Gave Me A Temple verse 2 line 1   page 153
Read: 3 Nephi 6:16
Trap #4: I am not hurting anyone else!

Sing: The Lord Gave Me A Temple verse 2 line 2   page 153
Trap #5: Just this one time won't matter!

Sing: The Lord Gave Me A Temple verse 2 line 2   page 153
Trap #6: It helps me relax!

Sing: The Lord Gave Me A Temple verse 2 line 2   page 153
Trap #7: I'm just having fun!

Sing: The Lord Gave Me A Temple verse 2 line 1 & 2  page 153
Trap #8: I can stop anytime I want to!

Ask the children, Is there a way out of the bottomless pit?

Yes, through repentence and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, bit it is much more difficult than if we avoided Satan's traps in the first place.

Song: Healthy, Wealthy and Wise  page 280
Read D&C 89:18-20

Bear testimony of the peace the gospel can bring to your life.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

There Was Starlight On The Hillside - Primary Song

This week I am going to begin teaching the Christmas Song
"There Was Starlight On The Hillside"
on page 40 in the Childrens Song Book

Verse 1
Read Matthew 2:2
On a chalk board illustrate a hill with stars in the sky.

Sing
There was starlight on the hillside


Read Luke 2:12
Illustrate a large star

Sing
And one star bent very low

Illustrate a stable under the large star

sing
Till it passed above a stable
on that night so long ago

Verse 2
Read Luke 2:8
Illustrate shepherd's on the hill with sheep

sing
There were shepherd's on the hillside
On that night in Bethlehem

Read Luke 2:13
Illustrate an angel above the stable

sing
Heavn'ly hosts appeared, proclaiming
joyous tidings unto them.

Verse 3
Read Luke 2:12
Illustrate Jesus in the manger

sing
There was Jesus in the manger.
Born that night in Bethlehem

Read Luke 2:15-16
Illustrate the shepherds by the stable

sing
And the shepherds left the hillside
And they came to worship him.







I want to teach the words to the song and then work on parts in December to get ready for the Christmas Day Program.  I will have the girls sing the melody and the boys sing the harmony.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Keep My Temple Bright - Modesty

This was a very effective singing time.  I thought I would share it.

Song: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes  275
Sing it with actions
Sing it Fast
Then sing it to do the Modesty Test https://lds.org/new-era/2009/11/head-shoulders-knees-and-toes?lang=eng&query=modesty+test
Put your hands on your head, does your tummy show?
Put your hands on your shoulders, does your shirt gape at the arm holes, can you feel your bare shoulders?
Put your hands on your knees, does your back show or your shirt pull up?
Put your hands on your toes, is you behind covered?

Dressing modestly is important to Heavenly Father. "Your body is God's sacred creation. Respect it as a gift from God, and do not defile it in any way.  Through your dress and appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is.  You can show that you are a desciple of Chirst."  from the For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet https://lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/dress-and-appearance?lang=eng

Song: The Lord Gave Me A Temple   153
Sing once through for the children.

Display a picture of the Temple
1. Teach the first line of the song.
The Lord gave me a temple to live within on earth
Sing the first line

Draw a picture of a cloud on the board and write premortal life then display a picture of parents holding an infant next to it.
2. Teach the second line of the song
Once in heaven I was spirit but I left my home at birth
Sing the second line

3. Teach the third line of the song
I'll make my temple brighter, I'll keep my spirit free.
Close your fists and when you sing the word brighter open your hands as big as you can.
Read Matthew 5:14-16  https://lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/5?lang=eng
Sing third line with actions

Display picture of Adam and Eve
4. Teach the fourth line of the song
My body is a temple my Father gave to me
Read Moses 6:9  https://lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/6?lang=eng
Sing fourth line

Sing the whole first verse all together.

I hope that the children will remember the modesty test each time they sing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and that their body is a temple to keep clean and pure all of their life.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Reverence Begins With Me

I composed a "reverent song" for the primary kids in 2010, we had over 250 total.  Reverence was a big issue. 

Feel free to use it in your primary if your bishop gives the okay.  I am working on making a sound recording of children singing this song and submitting it to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints Music Committee.  Wish me luck.

Living The Gospel Everyday Shows My Love And Respect For God

Singing Time this week I based it on a Presidency Message by Marion G Romney http://lds.org/ensign/1982/09/reverence?lang=eng&query=respect+god and a Fifth Sunday lesson given by our Bishop a couple of years ago.


Ask the children - What is reverence?

Marion G Romney states: "reverence is a profound respect mingled with love and devotion.

Song: I Will Try To Be Reverent 28

If you have profound reverence for the Lord you love him, trust in him, pray to him, rely on him, and are inspired by him.

Song : I Will Try To Be Reverent 28

Read John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

If we love the Lord, we will serve him and keep his commandments.

Ask the children - What is the first commandment?

Read Matthew 22:37

The first commandment in the law (the law of moses), which the Savior said is the greatest of all commandments is " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart....

Ask the children - What is the second commandment?

Read Matthew 22:39
And the second commandment is like unto it "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Song: Keep the Commandments 146

A couple of years ago, our Bishop taught a Fifth Sunday lesson on reverence in church. He said that we should prepare ourselves all week to be ready to be reverent during church on Sunday.

Song: I Want To Live The Gospel (chorus only) 148

In the chapel we should come in sit down and listen to the organ play the prelude music. We should reflect on what we need to improve on before we take the sacrament.

Song: I Want To Live The Gospel (chorus only) 148

We should not bring toys or text others during sacrament meeting. We should come prepared to listen and take notes or draw pictures about what the speakers present to us.

Song: I Want To Live The Gospel (chorus only) 148

During our primary meetings, show respect for the teacher. Be prepared to listen and to learn about the gospel and participate when it is appropriate.

Song: I Want to Live The Gospel (chorus only) 148

Bear testimony that as we strive to learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ we will become more like them and be reverent when we think about them.