coloring sheet for "My Eternal Family"

This is the little coloring sheet that I've made up to give to the Junior Primary on Sunday. If the teachers want to, they can talk about it in class and have the children color them. Then the children take them home and (cross your fingers) hopefully the parents will read it and discuss it with their children. Maybe they will even download and listen to the song that I sent to all of them in email.(I'm sending out a link at the beginning of the month with the song for that month)

mini flipcharts...

After getting some feedback from the teachers and thinking they might actually use these in the classroom, I made mini flipcharts for each class. I just made miniature copies of the charts I'm using for the song of the month.

I've gotten some good response so far so I'm hopeful that they are going to use them and it will further reinforce the songs for the children.

Along with the charts, I gave each teacher a short "letter" with some ideas of how to use the chart and in bold letters and highlighted I asked the teachers to NOT let the children have these during singing and sharing time. I also made a CD of all the songs so they could use that with it if they wanted to.

song round-up...

I was in need of an idea for Sunday to review a song when I sat down with my kiddos to watch "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and they were doing a Number Round-Up. Ah-ha! I'll do a "Song Round-Up". Then later I went to Target and just happen to find these little horses(you press a button and it neighs) and barns in the Dollar Spot. Perfect! There are lots of kids in our primary that are bonkers for horses...including one of my daughters. This should get there attention.

{Another thought....before I found the little horses and barns and Target I was thinking I would just do clipart of horses, laminate them, magnets on the back, make a big barn and do all of this on the chalkboard.}

A horse is sitting in front of each barn and there is a sign above the barn with a phrase of the song. We'll talk for just a second about how when you ride a horse they LOVE to get back to the barn, the horse will take off if you're not careful just trying to get back. So we want to help each horse get back in the barn by showing that we know all the words to the phrase.

I'm going to have one of the teachers be the Cowboy/girl(depending on the teacher obviously). We'll start by singing the song all the way through(one verse at a time though). After we are done singing, the cowboy/girl will push the button for the horses that get to go back in the barn and put them in their barns.

Then we will start going over the other phrases one at a time. When they cowboy/girl is satisfied that we know all the words, he will push the horses neighing button and put them in the barn.

The goal: Know all the words and let all the horses go back to their barns!!

I'm also planning on using this later in other ways.

For example,
Above each barn I'm going to put things like, "clear words", "blended sound", "everyone singing", etc. to help review more of the songs as it gets closer to the program.

How Firm A Foundation vs. 2

Sing (“The Wise Man and The Foolish Man” (281)
This song says that the wise man built his house upon the rock. What does that mean? Who is our rock and our foundation in our life?(show picture of Christ)
Who remembers the name of the new song we learned last week that also has?
Sing the first verse of How Firm A Foundation (hymn 85) covering up the words
which ever class seems to have remembered it the best, their teacher gets to wear a hat our of the suit case.

The next verse that we are going to learn is a little different than the first. The words sung are as if Christ is speaking TO YOU. (Turn off the lights) Close your eyes and imagine the words that I am going to sing to you. Imagine Christ being with you. Imagine him standing next to you. Imagine what he looks like, how he might put his arm around you.
Sing the third verse alone and let the children listen and imagine.

Have the four pages of the flipcharts taped to big hearts around the room. Number them 1-4. Senior primary children get to take the hearts and go put them on the bishops door.
Ask a child to go get heart #1. Show them the picture.
The first phrase says, “Fear not I am with thee”. In the scriptures it says the phrase “fear not” 97 times. The Lord does not want us to fear. He wants us to be courageous.
What does “dismayed” mean? confused. “oh be NOT dismayed”
Sing the first phrase all together.

Ask a child to go get heart #2. Show them the picture.
Jesus wants to help us out in our lives. Think about the picture you imagined in your head when I sang this song. Can you imagine Christ being there to help you.
“For I Am Thy God and will still give thee aid”
Add the second phrase all together.

Ask a child to go get heart #3. Show them the picture.
Briefly tell the story of Jairus daughter. Christ raised her to her feet and caused her to stand when everyone thought she was dead.
“I’ll strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand.”
Add the third phrase all together.

Ask a child to go get heart #4. Show them the picture.
Again in this verse we repeat a very important phrase 3 times.
“Upheld by my righteous”
Omnipotent hand
What does Omnipotent mean? All powerful.
Add the fourth phrase all together.
Use the rhythm blocks to sing the song again. Choosing those children who have been very reverent.
Meter the song with Billy who likes to blow up balloons. (use a heart balloon for valentines day.)

How Firm A Foundation vs. 1

Sing (“The Wise Man and The Foolish Man” (281) while using the visuals of the houses, wise man, foolish man, sand and rocks in the pie tins. The houses are attached to paint sticks and they are in the sand or the rocks in the pie tins. When you sing "the rain came down...." begin pouring the water onto the rocks or the sand. The sand will wash away and make the house fall. (THE KIDS LOVE THIS)

Why did the house built on the rock stand firm when the floods came?

Why did the house built on the sand fall when the floods came?

Read Helaman 5:12 "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Who should be the foundation in our lives? Christ (picture of Christ)

Sing the first phrase, “how firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord”

We are going to learn a song about building our foundation on Christ our Lord.

Share picture from wedding of you and Todd standing on the rock and the lesson that was taught and scripture that was read about us building our lives and marriage on Christ. So that has always been a favorite scripture and lesson.

Using the bricks, answer the questions attached to them and have them start to build a very small square out of the bricks. Answer the questions in order of the song and sing each phrase as you go.

1. What is a firm foundation? (a strong and immovable base that something can be built on)
2. Where do you lay the foundation? (on the bottom)
3. Sing the 1^st line.
4. Where do we find his excellent word? (scriptures, prophets)
5. How do we show faith in His excellent word? (by reading the scriptures, obeying the prophet)
6. Sing the 2^nd line.
7. How do we talk with our Heavenly Father? (prayer)
8. Listen while I sing the last two lines. How many times do we sing “Savior”?
9. What is a refuge? (a place you go for safety)
10. Who does the song say we go to for refuge?

After you have sang the song several times through, have someone come up and try to stand on the foundation (make sure it is built safely :) maybe just two layers or something like that). Bear your testimony of how the Savior is our sure foundation!"

Use the sand blocks to sing the song again.