Master Singers!

Singing Time Motivation

Last year, I did this activity the summer before the Primary Program.  It really motivated the children to work hard at singing and learning the songs.  What I liked most about it, was it reached the older boys who do not like to sing and are too 'cool' to sing.  Everything is Awesome!

Introduction:  
Give 10 kids a Lego (any kind, but all the same size).  Have them come to the front and build a pyramid.  After they finish ask them, "Did you need all 10 of the legos to build this pyramid? Yes! Did you know that there's a job at Lego.  It's called a Master Builder.  These people know everything about Legos.  They know the different parts and they design so that everything they build is strong and the best.  Well, we are going to become Master Singers.  We have to work hard so that each song for the program is strong and our best.  When we Master a song, I will fill the tube up with Lego Candy. But knowing the words to the song will only fill the tube up half way.  What else makes a song strong?  How do we need to sing in order to be Master Singers?" Have the children answer: volume, feeling, smiles, etc. "And just like we need all the legos to make a pyramid, we need everyone singing in order to Master a song.  Everyone is important.  Everyone. When we Master all the songs, then you guys get to share all the Lego Candy in the tubes.  Let's get to work!"

Materials:
*Foam Board
*Slip ties (Put two around each bottle: top and bottom.)
*Bottles (I just looked for the skinniest and cheapest at Walmart.  These were some brand of lemonade.  I wanted them to all fit on one board.) Put them on the board upside down and cut the bottoms 3/4 off to put candy in but so it flaps down.
*Lego Candy (Candy Blox, I found mine at WinCo, but I've seen them several places)
*Markers to decorate
*String (I ended up attaching a string to the back so it would stand on an easel at church.  It got pretty heavy with all the candy but still held strong with the string.)

Fun Singing Time

Being a 5th Sunday and since the children worked so hard all month on If I Listen With My Heart, this will be a more relaxed, fun activity week.

Date:  January 31, 2016

Opening Song: Search, Ponder, Pray p. 109 CS  (also have this for Ooh and Aah prelude)

Talk, Scripture, Theme, etc.

Visitor Song: Hello Song p.260 CS

Birthday Song: Your Happy Birthday p.283 CS

Singing Time

There are a lot of games like this one on Pinterest and I read a lot before making my own.  I've never done this activity before, and my primary children can be a little rambunctious so I'm a little nervous to see how this goes.  My back-up plan is to practice singing I love to See the Temple in Russian, or bring some flip charts for future songs to get a head start on them.  But a lot of posts said this is a "no-fail" activity, so I'm crossing my fingers.  

Materials:
*Ooh and Aah sign (for prelude)
*Plastic cups (I used 12)
*Elmer's Glue
*Rubber bands (as many as you have cups)
*Tissue Paper
*Foam Board (You can use poster board as well)
*Cards that have different ways to sing. I printed mine from this great blog: Primary Singing Time Ideas

On the back of each card (I only used 12) I wrote down the songs and page numbers of ones that would work good with each category:

Plug Your Nose:  I Hope They Call Me on a Mission p.169, You've Had a Birthday p.285

Eyes Wide Open:  He Sent His Son p.34, I Love to See the Temple p.95, The Oxcart p.219

One Big Breath: Listen, Listen p.107, The 1st Article of Faith p.122, When We're Helping p.198, Fun to Do p.253

Stop/Go:  Tell Me the Stories of Jesus p.57, Called to Serve p.174, Give, Said the Little Stream p.236

Stomp to the Rhythm: The Church of Jesus Christ p.77, Follow the Prophet p.110, The Iron Rod p.274 HYMNS, We'll Bring the World His Truth p.172

Lights Out:  A Child's Prayer p.12, Stars Were Gleaming p.37, I Am Like a Star p.163

Every Other Word: Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam p.60, Hello Song p.260

Sticky Arms & Legs: I Need My Heavenly Father p.18, To Think About Jesus p.71

Sing Backwards: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes p.275, Once There Was a Snowman p.249, Wise Man, Foolish Man p.281

Hold Your Tongue:  Rain is Falling All Around p.241, We're All Together Again p.259

A Capella:  Love One Another p.136, Popcorn Popping p.242, Do As I'm Doing p.276

Eyes Shut: I am a Child of God p.2, Faith p.96, If You're Happy p.266

How to Make the Punch Board

To make the cups evenly spaced on the board, with room at the top for the Title, I drew a graph on the back of the foam board with 3 evenly spaced marks length wise and 4 evenly spaced marks width wise. Then I punched a pencil hole where the lines met, so I could know where to glue the cup on the other side.

I traced each cup on the hole prick so I could glue it centered.  My see-through cups came in handy.  Good thing I saved them from Christmas time :-)

I glued the bottom of the cups down with Elmer's Glue.  Look at that cute little foot! :-)  The kids were great little helpers...actually, I ended up waiting for nap time to finish.

While the cups were drying, I cut the tissue paper (also saved from Christmas) into circles.  One Pinterest post said this makes it look neater.

After you put the cards with the different ways to sing in each of the cups, over them with tissue paper and a rubber band.

I added a title that I drew on scratch paper and glued it to the stop.  You could just write straight on the board or whatever.

My boys enjoyed testing it out.  Here's what's best:  Place it against a flat surface/wall.  Tell them to punch in the middle of the cup so they don't hit the cup and it comes off the board and you have to re-glue it...
Sometimes the tissue paper doesn't break and it gets pushed in the cup and the rubber band goes on their hand.  I figured if this happens, that'll be just fine.  The tissue tends to break better when the rubber band is really tight, but I have all different sizes of rubber bands so some I can't get tight.

Closing Song:  If I Listen With My Heart (Outline for Sharing Time 2016)

This is the punching board after Senior primary...what I thought might happen, did.  Oh well.  

Giant Pop-Up Book of Mormon Tutorial

This is my first tutorial, like ever.  So go easy on me, but I'd love to hear how I can improve for my future tutorials.  I already know one: TAKE PICTURES AS I GO, right?  Ah! I'm beating myself up for not taking pictures, but I'm pretty sure my kids had my phone at the time, haha. :)
K, here it goes:

Giant Book of Mormon Tutorial

Materials: 
2 black foam boards (Dollar Tree, $1 each)
2 white foam boards (Dollar Tree, $1 each)

2-3 regular white poster board (Dollar Tree, 2/$1)

Gold chalk marker (Got mine at a discount Craft warehouse) Any marker that shows up on          black will work.  You can even use acrylic paint.

Clear Packaging tape (Dollar Tree, $1)

Black electrical tape (Dollar Tree, $1)

String

Gospel Art Pictures

Watercolors

Pastels

Step 1:  Tape the two white foam boards together

Place the two white foam boards next to each other flat on the ground.  Tape with clear packaging tape on the seam at 180 degrees.  

SIDE NOTE: An easy option would be to do one big pop-up with the entire scene drawn or taped on it.

Step 2:  The Pop-Ups: Pyramid, Mountains, and People 

Before I cut the regular poster board, I did a mini pop-up book with scratch paper to figure out the mechanics of it all.  I learned that every pop-up needs to be aligned on the center crease and the angles from that crease need to be congruent.  I’ll try to explain better with pictures.  

The Pyramid

This took some experimenting.  if it doesn’t quite fit right, just fold the book and then mark where you need to tape or cut the pyramid to make it fold better.  Sorry I don’t have specific measurements, but the diagram shows which sides need to be equal lengths to each other.  (I’m kind of a math nerd that likes to “eye” things.  Oxymoron, I know)  The pyramid doesn't have a back, just 3 sides so the mountains can fold into it. 

Mountains

Cut any shape and they don’t have to be equal lengths coming from the fold but still congruent angles. 

After I taped the Pyramid and Mountains, I watercolored the entire scene/book before I put on the people pop-ups.  I did the mountains using black, green, and blue. I did the pyramid blue. Let it dry.

People

Cut out of the Gospel Art book.  If they aren’t on card-stock, then glue to card-stock.  These will be tied or glued to the center pyramid since they around on the crease. Wherever they are place (somewhere in front of the pyramid), they need to be taped at 90 degrees or perpendicular on the front of the picture and flat or 180 degrees on the backside.  The string can be tied on through a pin hole on the people and then the pyramid, Make sure it is tied tight.  Some people are taped directly to the front of the Pyramid at 90 degrees.  I just taped them and hoped for the best when I closed the book.  

 Reminder to self:  don't take pictures in the closet...Sorry about the laundry basket :(

 
 

 

 

I added pastels to try and cover the tape that the watercolor didn’t cover. (I actually was looking on the fridge and found a bag of pastels and was like hey i’ll try this!)

The pastels started to rip the poster board because it was still a little wet, but it added a nice texture - woohoo!

 

Step 3: Front/Back Cover

Write “The Book of Mormon”on the front cover in Gold or Silver marker.  Draw two lines on the top and bottom of words.  I didn't write "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" but that would be good too.

Close the pop-up and tape the cover to the back of the first page at 180 degrees.  Do the same with the back cover.  Close all foam boards so the spine if facing you and tape it using clear tape.  Then I went over it with black electric tape. 

Here's some more pictures of the finsihed Book of Mormon!  

Good Luck!! And post your Giant Book of Mormon Pop-Up, I'd LOVE to see them!  

If I Listen with My Heart pt3

Date:  January 24, 2016

Opening Song: The Iron Rod p.274 HYMNS (also have this for Ooh and Aah prelude)

Talk, Scripture, Theme, etc.

Visitor Song: Hello Song p.260 CS

Birthday Song: Your Happy Birthday p.283 CS

This idea was adapted from the lesson found in the July 1997 Friend

Singing Time

Materials:
*Ooh and Aah sign (for prelude)
*Four brown paper lunch bags
*Four black and white pictures copied onto a transparency.  You can also draw them on regular paper with black marker and then cut them out.  I Googled 'LDS clipart','children praying silhouette', 'Jesus Christ black and white clipart' to find these images.  However the bag with TRUTH AND LIGHT was a word document.

-TAPE the overheads inside the brown paper bags-
*One very bright/strong flashlight

**Possible Handout:  I would love to give every child a tea light with it labeled the Holy Spirit and a little brown paper bag with a picture on the inside that would light up when they put their candle in it. I am going to do the paper bag for sure, but the tea lights only if I can find them cheap.
 
Introduction:  "Today we are learning the last verse of If I Listen with My Heart.  The first verse was about when Jesus was on the earth, the second was about our prophet, and lets see if you can guess what this one is about.  Let’s open the Book of Mormon to get some clues.”  Open the Giant Book of Mormon and read the passages of scripture about the Holy Ghost, but dont' read the words "Holy Ghost"
1 Nephi 10:17, 1 Nephi 11:27, 2 Nephi 26:13, Moroni 8:26

“Right! We will be singing about the Holy Ghost today.”  Show a battery tea light.  Explain how my hand would feel warm next to the fire.  Then show a flashlight simply saying I just need a brighter flame today. “We are going to pretend this light is the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost.  It feels us with warmth and we can really feel it.    

Teaching Steps:

Ist Line:  “I feel the Holy Spirit as He teaches truth and right.”  Sing the line and then have the children repeat.  Shine the light into the first paper bag.  Sing the line again and talk about examples of truth and right. Share experience of truth and right.  

2nd Line: “He comforts me in times of need…”  Sing the line and then have the children repeat.  Shine the light into the second bag.  Sing both lines and move the light to the corresponding bag.  Share experiences of comfort.

3rd Line: “He testifies of Christ.”  Sing the line then have the children repeat.  Shine the light into the third bag.  Sing all three lines.  Share experiences of gaining a testimony of Christ.

4th Line: “He speaks to me in quiet ways that fill my soul with peace”  First, talk about how a lot of times the Holy Ghost speaks to us when we pray to our Heavenly Father.  And when we say prayers, we are generally in a quiet place by our bed or by ourselves or family.  Sing the line and have the children repeat.  Shine the light in the last bag.  Share experiences of praying and feeling peace.  Sing the entire verse.  They should know the last line (And if I listen with my heart I hear the Savior’s voice) from the other verses.  

Conclusion:
Sing the entire song, all three verses.  Practice holding out the notes on the very last line.

Bear Testimony of the Power of the Holy Ghost 

Closing Song: The Holy Ghost p.105 CS