Life is O'erflowing With Beautiful Things

Program season is almost over, and it's time to start singing for the holidays!  Because Thanksgiving is a somewhat neglected holiday, I love that this song was published in the Friend a few years ago.

{side note:

In our family, we bring out the Christmas music the day after Halloween.  We suffer through November, eagerly anticipating Thanksgiving so we can put up our trees and decorations!  We have two running jokes...

1. when the question comes up 'why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?' we say, 'if we didn't have Thanksgiving, how would we know when to put up the tree?!'
2.  right around turkey time, we jokingly say 'it's too bad we have to celebrate Thanksgiving halfway through Christmas!'

end side note}

All joking aside, I do love Thanksgiving!  Here is a flipchart for Life is O'erflowing With Beautiful Things.  If you haven't considered this song, you should.  It's simple, beautiful, and in line with My Heavenly Father Loves Me, and you can't go wrong singing about creation in all it's splendor.

Happy November!  I hope you spend at least a few minutes considering all of the blessings that we are given every day.  Life truly is overflowing.

Pin It Now!

To Grandpa, From Little One

I've been thinking about Father's Day next week, and remembered a poem I wrote for my dad shortly after my son was born.  It was a very special time, and I wanted my dad to know how much I loved and appreciated his example and leadership in my life.  I found the poem recently, and I thought I'd share it with you.  I know it's not primary-related, but I feel like I should post it anyway, I don't know why.  So here goes...

There have been quiet moments
When Grandpa holds me tight,
And tells me that he loves me
And kisses me goodnight.

But there are other moments
I don't think he understands
When I look into his Grandpa eyes
And see another man.

I see he talks with kindness
And loves his family
Just like someone from long ago
That lived in Galilee.

My Grandpa tries his hardest
To be honest, true, and good.
To be a good example,
Like Priesthood holders should.

He guides our growing family
With wisdom and with love.
He counsels those he cares for most
With guidance from above.

He works amazing miracles,
Healing sick - the blind can see.
When he lays his hands upon our heads
And blesses you and me.

He has a way about him
That calms a troubled soul.
His words are wise and chosen
As he helps define our role.

Now it may seem that I am young
And haven't seen much yet.
But though I'm small I see it all
Through eyes still innocent.

I'm proud to bear the name
Of two righteous sons of God,
My grandpa and my Brother
And follow the steps they trod.

For God so loved the world,
He sent His Son so great.
In hopes that his example
We would try and emulate.

And since it's been a short time
Since I walked and talked with Him,
I recognize this righteous man
And love and honor him.

So, Grandpa, when you hold me
And catch my quiet glance,
Remember, your grandson see His image
In your countenance.

A very sincere Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful men in our lives and the lives of our children.

Love,
Pin It Now!

Lucky vs. Blessed

Have you ever caught yourself saying how lucky you are?  I do all the time.  I think sometimes I (we) give more credit to luck than we do to the tender mercies and blessings of our Heavenly Father.  So, with that in mind, I think it would be fun to use the idea of luck vs. blessings.

Visuals:
If you want, bring a few lucky charms...fortune cookie, rabbit's foot, horseshoe, socks, 4-leaf clover, penny, box of Lucky Charms cereal, etc.  Explain that some people think that these items can bring luck.  Assign each lucky charm one of the following "luckys."

Attach a word strip to each lucky charm with the following statements and songs.  If you would like, also create a larger word strip that replaces the word lucky with the word blessed.  (i.e. We are blessed to have agency.)

We are lucky to be alive.                                
I Will Follow God's Plan #164

We are lucky to live in a beautiful world.        
My Heavenly Father Loves Me #228

We are lucky to be members of the Church.  
I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ #77

We are lucky to have bodies.                        
Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes #275

We are lucky that summer is coming!            
Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime #245

We are lucky to have a prophet.                    
We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet Hymn #19

We are lucky to have families.                        
Families Can Be Together Forever #188

We are lucky to have temples.                        
I Love to See the Temple #95

We are lucky to have missionaries.                  
I Hope They Call Me on a Mission #169

We are lucky to have agency.                          
Choose the Right

We are lucky to have the scriptures.                
Scripture Power

Have a child pick a lucky charm and sing the attached song.  At the end of the song, explain that Heavenly Father intentionally blessed us with our bodies, our families, our temples, etc.  Attach the word strip to the board that says "We are blessed ..."  At the end of singing time, bear testimony that Heavenly Father has blessed us and continues to bless us every day.

Pin It Now!

New Year's Singing Time

Are you ready to jump into the new year?  Are you starting As a Child of God?  Or are you still in relaxing mode?  If you are planning on incorporating a New Year's activity this Sunday, here's an idea for you.  It's simple and can be done in just a few minutes.

If you have them around your house, gather up different time-pieces.  Examples could be: a wrist watch, an alarm clock, an hourglass (or game timer), a pocket watch, an egg timer or kitchen timer, etc.  If you don't have very many, you can print these graphics of different types of clocks.

Write down several "resolutions" on paper and attach them to the clocks, or write them down on the back of the printed graphic.  Sing a song that relates to that resolution.  Here are a few I came up with:

We can be kind and helpful to others by doing good deeds.
I Have Two Little Hands, p. 272

We can try to be more like Jesus every day.
I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus, p. 78

You can show gratitude to Heavenly Father.
My Heavenly Father Loves Me, p. 228

We can choose to be happy. {this one would be great for the hourglass!}
Smiles, p. 267

We can bear our testimony more.
I Know That Jesus Lives, from the Friend

We can follow God's plan.
I Will Follow God's Plan, p. 164

We can listen more closely to the Holy Ghost.
Listen, Listen, p. 107

Choose any song you would like, every song can have a resolution for it.

Talk about how the new year helps us reflect on how we spend our time, and what choices we can make to be better.  Use this activity to sing some fun songs, think about how we can improve, and incorporate the new theme.

May 2012 be filled with great singing time ideas, inspiring testimonies, heartfelt music, and lots of fun and laughter.  Happy New Year everyone!
Pin It Now!

Father, We Thank Thee for the Night

This song is a gem that was originally published in "More Songs for Children," the supplement book to the old primary songbook, "Sing With Me."  It's now in the Children's Songbook, page 8.  I remember singing it when I was in primary, and it would be a great song to sing during Thanksgiving time and throughout the year!

I've created a simple flipchart here.

It does have all the words, which I usually only do for songs that don't necessarily need to be memorized.  This way, whenever you want to sing it, the kids can sing along without the awkward silences while trying to remember the words!

Pin It Now!

Trick or Treat

Halloween is just around the corner!  To be honest, I have NO idea what I even did last year for Halloween.  Was I even there that week?  It's all a blur.  Anyway, I'm loving the ideas that are floating around out there in primary-blog-land, and thought I'd share a super-simple idea.  The concept of a Trick-or-Treat singing time isn't new, and there's a lot of ways you can do it.  So here are a few:

• Make a cube, coin, or grab-bag with strips of paper.  Half of the papers (or cube sides) say TRICK, and the other half say TREAT.
• For the TRICKs, have trivia, riddles, or physical challenges.
• For the TREATs, have fun ways to sing, a small treat (like candy corn or skittles), or a fun activity that's not the norm.
• If you're still reviewing for the program, reward them for singing well by letting a child roll the cube for a TRICK or TREAT.
• If you're done with the program and are working on new songs or just plain ol' fun songs, incorporate songs into the challenges.  For example, scramble a song title for a trick and once they unscramble it you sing that song.  For a treat, let them sing a favorite Christmas or Mother's Day song.  
• For a treat, let the kids wrap you up like a mummy or dress you up like a pirate or '80's teen-queen!  Last year for a different activity, I let the kids put makeup on me and it was hilarious!  They loved it!

There are so many ways to incorporate this fun holiday into your singing time and still maintain structure and even a little bit of reverence!

Here are a few Halloween riddles for you, if you're interested in them. I figured if I did the search I could share the results :)

Happy Halloween!

What do ghost’s wear when their eye sight is failing?
Spook-ticles

Why do skeletons always catch a cold?
They get chilled to the bone.

What is a vampire's favorite fruit?
Neck-tarines

Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?

He didn’t have the guts.

What do skeletons say before dinner?

Bone appétit!

What do ghosts serve for dessert?

I Scream

What do birds sing on Halloween?

Twick or Tweet

What is a mummies favorite kind of music?

Wrap

What do you call a witch that lives on the beach?

A sand-witch

Why don’t vampires have any friends?

Because they’re a pain in the neck!

What was the witch’s favorite subject at school?

Spelling

What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?

Frostbite

How do you make a skeleton laugh?

Tickle its funnybone!

Where do vampires eat their lunch?

In the casketeria

Pin It Now!

Pioneer Day Idea #2

Okay, so here's something that I've wanted to do since last year:

I would love to use blackout curtains (I got permission to purchase some, but never did) to make the room really dark.  Then, using some pieces of firewood, some white Christmas lights and some red/orange fabric, make an indoor "campfire."  You could make the fire as elaborate as possible...(I wonder if I have a little fan...?)  Put all of the chairs away and have the kids sit on the ground around the fire and have a fireside sing-along.  We have some musicians in our ward, so it would be really cool to have someone bring a guitar and/or a fiddle to play some pioneer tunes.  I would love to have one of the men in our ward sing "Come, Come Ye Saints" a capella or with a violin, just to bring in a reverent spirit.  If you don't have access to instruments, you could always download songs onto your iPod/mp3 player/smartphone/etc.

This idea could go several different ways, but I think it would be so fun to do something out of the ordinary, not just sitting in chairs and singing program songs.

What to do!?
Pin It Now!

Pioneer Day Idea #1

I have been toying around with a few ideas for Pioneer Day, and can't decide which one is my favorite.  Maybe a mix of them would be best.  In any event, I thought I'd put the ideas out there, in case they can spur some creativity for you!

Let's start with the more complicated of the three, shall we?

Week #1 (June 17th)
Goal:  Get our wagon stocked and ready for the trek west!

Have a covered wagon with oxen on the board, along with all of the clipart (PDF here) and (here)
The purpose of the activity is to have each of the items have a price tag, like shelves at a store.  The kids can earn "money" by singing the program songs.  Here is the list of items to "purchase" and prices:

$20.00 lantern, pail, shovel, chicken
$40 goat
$50 wheel, rifle, pots/pans, tent
$100 horse, cow
$250 barrels of food

There are also personal items:  quilt, trunk, fiddle, rocking chair, scriptures

I will have some way of choosing songs (probably written on papers, or attached to buffalo chips), and the kids can learn up to $100 per song by singing the 8 program songs we've learned so far.  The better they sing, the more they can earn.  Some of the things they choose will be freebies, meaning they can put a personal item in their wagon.

The goal is for the kids to be able to make enough money to purchase all of the supplies they will need to make the trek west, and have a few personal items in there as well.  I'll talk about how the pioneers left beautiful homes, farms, family, and friends in order to follow the prophet.  I'll share a few stories from my own family history to help them understand what a sacrifice it was to get ready for such a journey.

Week 2 (July 24th)
Goal:  Load 'em up, move 'em out, rawhide!

Our wagon is loaded, so lets get a move on!  Draw a map on the board if you're artistic, or put pictures around the room that we can move through.  The stops on the map will be as follows:

1.  Picture of Joseph Smith, sing "Praise to the Man"
2.  Picture of Brigham Young, sing "Follow the Prophet"
3.  Picture of pioneers crossing a river.  Oh, no!  Peril #1 - the wagon is too heavy!  Leave something personal behind.
4.  Picture of pioneers walking, sing "Pioneer Children Sang as they Walked"
5.  Picture of buffalo.  Yippee!  We passed a herd of bison!  Let's have a feast!
6.  Picture of pioneer ancestors, sing "Stand for the Right"
7.  Picture of pioneer burial (GAK 414).  Fever and sickness in our train, sing "Come, Come Ye Saints" 3rd verse.
8.  Picture of pioneer children, sing "Give, said the little stream"
9.  Picture of Rocky Mountains.  Yippee!  We're almost there!  Let's sing and dance!
10.  Picture of a wagon train, sing "How Firm a Foundation"
11.  Picture of broken wagon wheel.  Oh no!  Our wheel broke!  Do we have a replacement?
12.  Picture of Salt Lake Temple, sing "I Love to See the Temple"

We'll move our wagon around the room as we make our way west.  I'll say a few words of transition as we move the wagon along from song to song, if you really think about it you can see the flow of these songs.  If not, I'm alone in my world.  This activity may take an extra week, depending on how long it takes.

Argh.  As I write this, it sounds like a lot, but I think the effect could be very cool.

On the other hand, maybe I'll play it a little more simply...stay tuned for Idea #2!

Pin It Now!

Dearest Mother, I Love You

As usual, it's a little late to use this for Mother's Day next week.
As usual, I didn't feel inspired to do this song until this morning.
As usual, I frantically put this flip chart together before church and finished with only minutes to spare.
As usual, I was at church today with Saturday hair.  And mascara.
I did manage clean clothes, deoderant, and brushed teeth.
Don't judge me.  I know you've been there.

Here is the flip chart for this quick, 4-phrase song.  I put a lot of words on it (which I don't usually do), but I don't usually require the kids to memorize songs that are only sung once a year.  Of course, I encourage the kids to shout sing forte on the I LOVE YOU!! part.

I wanted to post it now, just to get a head start on 2012.  How's that for planning ahead?!
Pin It Now!

Love Is In The Air!

Aahh, Valentine's Day.  The holiday of love.  Tee-hee!  You've got to love cutesy holidays that give us an excuse to change things up a bit in singing time!  So, with love in mind, I went to Sugardoodle to see what Valentine's Day singing time ideas I could find.  I loved the simplicity of using conversation hearts!  With so many ways to use them, I figured I would just make a few so you can use them however you want!  Here is the link to the Conversation Hearts.  Use them in whatever creative ways you can think of!

{NEW} link to Blank Conversation Hearts

How are you celebrating Valentines Day in your primary? 
Pin It Now!