Golden Plates

This week I've decided to have a little bit of fun and include some visual aids with PTTM.  But being the multi-tasker and multi-purposer that I am, I wanted to create a prop that would have some staying power.  So here are my "Golden Plates."  First, a quick tutorial to show you how to assemble this super easy visual aid:

1.  Start with a full poster of foam-core (I get mine at the $1 store) and cut it in half, then half again and so on until you end up with 16 rectangles approx. 5x7" each.  Don't feel like you have to cut exactly, I think the varying edges are kind of cool (and historically accurate, I'm pretty sure....teehee).

2.  Punch holes (I did 2) on the side, so you can add rings.

3.  Glue each "plate" together with a glue of your choice.  If you want your plates to open, well...you're on your own.  I was going for easy, not awesome.  Make sure the holes line up, or you'll have done all that work for nothing :)

4.  Here is what your stack of plates looks like when it's all glued together.

 5.  Spray paint your plates with gold spray paint.  Make sure to spray the sides really well, because the paint doesn't cover well on the foamy part.  But don't spray too close or too thick, because the paper will get too wet and get wrinkly (learned this lesson the hard way on a previous - failed - project).

6.  Use gold pipe cleaner to form the rings.  I didn't have gold, so I just spray-painted some black ones that I had.  You could go so far as to etch some sort of engravings on it, but that's up to you.  And that's it!

So the plan for tomorrow is simple - we'll start with "The Golden Plates" (CS #86), and I'll bring my golden plates inside a wooden box that I have.  I will pull them out and share with them the story of how the plates were found by Joseph Smith and how the experiences leading up to and as a result of that marked the opening of this, the last dispensation.  That will lead us into reviewing the first verse of PTTM, and we'll play "The Golden Plates Lay Hidden," the clever name for the hot/cold game.  That one is always a hit with our primary, and we really need the repetition with all of the big vocab in this song.

I hope all of you are having success with this amazing song.  We learned the entire first verse and chorus last week using the last two activities I posted, and it was amazing.  I was shocked that the kids were so on top of it - I had chills when we sang it all together at the end.  I know the Spirit is there when we sing every Sunday, but with certain songs, there's just something special, don't you think?  I LOVE IT!!!

Check in with us - how are things?  What's worked?  We'd all love to know!

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