The Ordinary Adventures of a Primary Chorister

Christmas Flipcharts

2011-11-28T19:48:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone!
Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!
Feliz Navidad!

Here's the flip charts I have for Christmas:

When Joseph Went to Bethlehem

Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus

Take a look at what the flip charts look like here.
Have fun!

Bridgette

P.S. Cub Master is, in fact, fun. :)

Two Words:

2011-11-11T12:55:00.001-08:00

Cub. Master.
Or is it one big word? CUBMASTER. See?! I don't even know and I am a little freaked out about it.

Seriously?

Anyway, I'll be sustained Sunday and I don't know where to begin.

I know I have to go to the scout website and get certified or trained or something. I know I have to organize and conduct the monthly pack meetings. Other than that, I am really scared. I called the previous cub master to get the scoop, but her home phone has been disconnected. I emailed her...hope she checks it soon.

Help? Pleeeeaaase feel free to leave me any ideas. I am going to need them!

It's Been Fun!

2011-10-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

It really really has.

Best. Calling. Ever.

I was released today, just before our Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation began.

And then, the children sang better than I have ever heard them sing before. Awesome.

I have had a few requests for a 2012 Primary Music Schedule. Instead, I have created a generic sort of schedule:

Primary Music Schedule.pdf

The first page of the document is completely generic. Print of as many of this page as you need for the whole year, then fill in the Months, Monthly Themes, Dates, and all the songs.

Or, you can print the 12 additional pages that have the Month header already included, as well as the Prelude, Welcome, Birthday, Wiggle songs already filled in:

For months that have a 5th Sunday you will want to print an extra of either of the forms to add on an extra week.

I hope you will forgive any typos or inconsistencies. Also, if you have Microsoft Office Publisher (the program I used to create the schedule) and you would like to have my template so you can re-arrange it the way you want it, email me at bridgettepatterson@gmail.com and I will send you the editable Publisher file. After all, I'm still here. :)

Thanks to all of you for sharing so much love.
Have Fun!

How to Get Clip Art: Tutorial

2011-10-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Before I begin, I want to be clear about the Church’s policies on using art from church magazines for flip charts. Is it okay? I think in most cases it’s just fine. The statement below is taken from:

Handbook 2: Administering the Church 21. 1. 12:

Can I copy pictures from Church magazines?

Pictures in Church publications may usually be copied for noncommercial Church, home, and family use. However, they may not be copied for commercial purposes without specific written permission from the IPO. If a picture is restricted from being copied, words such as “may not be copied” will appear in the credits for the image.

Secondly, keep in mind that I am a PC and Windows Vista user. Other Windows operating system versions might vary slightly from Vista.

Mac user? Rats. I Wish I could help you more.

My favorite places to search for images for my flip charts are Gospel Art Book found here and the older version, Gospel Art Picture Kit found here. I have found that using these images brings a special spirit of reverence to the music I am teaching, even more so than when I have found images from church magazines. But I do enjoy very much finding creative work from The Ensign, The New Era, and The Friend magazines.

I also have found beautiful art images at the artwork section of joesphsmith.net which is an extension of lds.org. What I love about this site is that when you find a picture you like, if it's legal to download, there is a floppy disk icon below the picture. If it's not legal to copy it, the icon is not there. That makes it easy to distinguish.

First in this tutorial I will explain how to download and save a file from the

Gospel Art Book and

Gospel Art Picture Kit found at lds.org. Then I will explain how to download images from church magazines PDF's that are also available at lds.org.

Download Images from the Gospel Art Book and Gospel Art Picture Kit

1. Click here: Gospel Art Book and click on "Old Testament" (I have highlighted "Old Testament" below.)

(Click to view full screen.)

2. Now you will see all the pictures available in Old Testament category.

Pick any picture you want to save in your clip art file, and click once on the title. I chose (101) Adam and Eve.

3. On the image of Adam and Eve, give it a right click of the mouse. A drop down list will appear. Click on "Save Image As". Now a new window will open.

The purpose of this window is to ask you where you want to save this image. Lets assume you have created a special clip art folder on your desktop. Click on the word "Desktop" on the left column. The right column will then show all the folders, files and programs on your desktop. In the right side column, find your clip art file and double click on it to open it in the window.

4. Now, assuming you have nothing in your clip art folder yet, the right column will be blank. It's time to name your clip art picture. In the small white space below the columns, it says "File Name". Type in a name for the clip art image here. You can choose any name you want, but I name my files something like this: "Adam and Eve 101 GAPK" I use the "Adam and Eve" part, because in a search later on, (if I am looking for pictures of Adam and Eve) it will be easily found. I added 101 GAPK to identify where the picture is originally found. (Its #101 in the Gospel Art Picture Kit.)

5. After you have identified where to save it, and given the image a name, click "Save". That's it! If you go to your desktop and click on your clip art folder, the picture will be inside. Open it and take a look. You can now copy and paste or drag that image into another program to create a flip chart. The image has been saved as a jpeg file, which is the same kind of file as the photographs you might have stored on your computer.

For the new Gospel Art Book its basically the same procedure as above. EXCEPT....you will need to click on "View" first. When you do a larger image will open. THEN you can right click on the image and select "Save Image As", following the steps above. If you don't click on "View", and you right click on the small image, the small image will actually be saved. You want it to be large, so always click "View" first.

Another option, instead of hitting the "View" button, is to hit the "Download" button. A window will appear asking "Do you want to open or save this file?" If you choose open, it will open it for you in your picture viewer. From your picture viewer you can save it to your clip art file. If you choose "Save", it will download it into your "Downloads" file. Simply open your "Downloads" folder and copy and paste (or drag) the image into your clip art file. I prefer the "Save Image As" procedure, it's just a little simpler for me.

Download Images from

Church Magazines

Step One - Get Adobe Reader:

Make sure you have Adobe Reader installed. If you already have Adobe Reader on your computer, go to step two.

If you don't have Adobe Reader on your computer, click here to download and install it. (No worries, it's free, and you are going to download it from the official Adobe website, so there won't be any pesky viruses or additional programs tagging along.)

When you open this page, find the red and white button that says "Get Adobe Reader" and click on it to start your download:

Next you will see a page with a big gold button that says "Download Now". Click it. Follow the instructions on the next page that appears to complete the download and installation.
Now you are ready for Step Two.

Step Two - Download a Church Magazine:

1.Click here to go to the lds.org Church Magazines.

2. Click on whichever magazine you want to browse through or get a picture from. I am clicking on "The Friend", then on the left column click on either "Current issue" or "Other Issues". If you clicked on "Other Issues", choose and click on any issue to browse through or choose an image from.

Your screen should look like this with whatever magazine you have chosen:

3. The top row displays the issue you have chosen. For me it is, "August 2011". On that row go to the far right column where it says "Download". Click once on "Download".

Now a drop down list will appear, giving you the option to download "Audio" or "Text". Click on Text.

A PDF version of the magazine will now open. (It might take a few seconds.) Your screen will look something like this:

At the top left of the page find the floppy disk icon. I have circled it here with a yellow highlight. Click on the floppy disk Icon.

Now a window will pop open. This window wants you to identify where you want to save this magazine (in PDF format) on your computer.

I have Windows Vista, so if you have a different version of Windows this might look a little different, but the idea is the same...you will figure it out if you explore a little.

File Name: this is at the bottom of the open window, and I have circled it with a yellow highlight. This little box contains the default name of the PDF magazine you are about to save to your computer. You can change this to whatever you want to call it. I generally change this to something like this, "2011 August Friend" so I can identify it easily later on.

Save In: Find where you want to save the PDF of the church magazine. It's easiest to save it on your desktop for now. Later you can create a folder to collect church magazines in, or just delete it when you are finished. (I have a file on my desktop called "Church Magazines" where I like to save mine.)

Click on Save and the window will close. Close the PDF you just downloaded, and go to your desktop (or wherever you saved the PDF) and open the now saved PDF.

Step Three - Grab the Clip Art

This is what you should see (the cover of whichever magazine you have downloaded) once you open the saved magazine:

Across the top is a button bar. On that button bar there is an arrow up and an arrow down. These arrows will take you to each page of the magazine. Take a look through the magazine until you find an image you want to save. Remember, if any image says, "Do Not Copy"....then don't.

I have found a great playground scene on page 6.

Click on Edit. I have highlighted it in yellow on the top left corner of my page. A drop down list appears, and in that drop down list should be a camera icon that says "Take a Snapshot". Click on that.

Older versions of Adobe Reader might be different. If you do not see a camera icon or "Take a Snapshot" under the Edit menu drop down list, explore the other drop down lists available, or look for a camera icon on any toolbar. When you have located the camera icon, click on it.

When the camera icon is clicked on, a "+" symbol should appear where your mouse pointer was. Drop and drag the + over the area you want to capture, then let go. A message should appear telling you "The selected area has been copied."

Paste the image into any program you are using to create a flip chart. It's that simple!

If you have a program that allows to to save the image as a jpeg file, like Microsoft Office Publisher or Adobe Photo Shop, you might choose to collect lots of images in a file for later use.

Have Fun!

Ultimate Name That Tune

2011-10-21T01:36:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is our ward's Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation! Wahoo! Here's the fun activity I have been dreaming up all week for after the program:

This idea for this game came from an old game show called

Face the Music.

It's a great and entertaining clip to watch, and really fun to play along, too! My version of Ultimate Name That Tune is taken from the middle part of the game show, where three competing contestants are given a category, such as "Person". Next they listen to a song. The song, or song title, contains a clue about the person they are hoping to guess. If they know the song they hit the buzzer and try to guess who the person is, based on the theme of the song they just guessed. If they don't guess the person correctly then they go to song number two, which gives another clue about the person. The group of three contestants gets four song-clues to try to guess the correct person.

So here is my version of the same game:

Ultimate Name That Tune!

Ultimate Name That Tune game cards displayed on the white/chalk board.

Objective:

To guess and then sing the Ultimate Tunes, which are the 7 songs associated with each of the 7 clue cards. The Ultimate Tunes are listed on the back of the clue cards, followed by 4-6 hint songs that contain clues about the Ultimate Tune.

You will need:

7 sheets white card stock.
Magnets or tape to hold game cards on the white/chalk board.
Ultimate Name That Tune.pdf
Dry erase markers and eraser, or chalk and eraser.

Instructions:

Open the above PDF. Select print, but make sure you have your printer set up to print on both sides of the card stock, then go ahead and print the cards. Print a second copy of the even pages on regular paper for your own reference, as you will be handing the card stock prints to your pianist to use.
Display the game cards on the white/chalk board randomly, using magnets or tape. Save room on the white board for drawing your clues.

To Play:

I plan on starting with the youngest class. Ask the teacher to send a reverent child to the front to choose a category card from the white/chalk board. Give the category card to your pianist without letting anyone see the song or clues printed on the back. *Note that the correct clue word from each song is underlined on the backs of the clue cards. Sometimes it won't be the exact word that is in the song, but very close. Such as "House" instead of "Home".

Lets say it's the three year old's class, and a child from that class has picked the "Family" game card. Tell all the children that Sister So-and-So's three year old class gets to try to guess which primary song is about "Family", by listening to and guessing clues within other songs played on the piano.

Tell the pianist that the three year olds are ready to Name That Tune! Have the pianist play the first song on the clue card list, until the three year old class can guess the tune. When they have guessed it (or you have helped them guess it), tell them what the clue is from that song, and draw a simple picture of the clue on the white board. If the clue is "house", draw a simple stick house, and write the word "house" under it. Then have the pianist play the next tune containing a clue. When that song is guessed, tell the children what the clue from that song is, and draw a simple figure representing that clue on the white/chalk board next to the house. Put a big "+" symbol between the two drawings so that the children will understand that the clues need to be added up to make a song title. Do this with all the clues until you have enough pictures (with words) on the board for them to put them all together and guess what song you will all be singing. As soon as they guess the Ultimate Tune, go ahead and sing it, even if they have not heard all of the clue songs on the list.

Be very flexible and easy going with this game. Of course, the three year old's will need lots of help, and they will raise their hands even if they don't have any idea what the song is. That's okay, play along with them! Give them lots of hints! If someone from an older class guesses the clue song, or the Ultimate Tune, that's okay too. Be sure to smile, and praise every effort. Have fun singing the Ultimate Tune when they finally put all the clues together and guess it. All the other classes will be very excited to try to guess the clues and Ultimate Tune right along with each class as they take their turns. If someone from another class shouts out the answer, ask the class guessing if they heard it and if they think it's correct.

As you move on to the next game card and an older class, repeat the process. But as the children are able, let them guess what the clue from a song title might be without so much help. With the Sr. Primary you might not want to draw at all. Just have them guess which word in the song or title is the clue, and then have them keep track of all the clues in their head (or on their fingers). You might say something like this:

"So the category is 'Obedience'. You have already guessed the clues, 'Plates', 'Book of Mormon', and 'Commandments'. Do you know what the song is yet? No? Okay, Sister Pianist, play the last clue song."

If the children have all the clues but still cannot guess the Ultimate Tune, have the pianist play the Ultimate Tune on the piano until the children finally guess it, then sing it!

Another option would be to divide the room into two teams, instead of classes, or go boys/girls. You could have one child from each team come to the front to compete with each other, like in the Face the Music game show clip. In that case, use a desk bell or buzzer, or fly swatters for each child to slam on the table if they know an answer. Whatever you decide to do...

...Have fun!

Nightmare-ish

2011-10-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was.

The Sunday-before-the-Sacrament-Meeting-Presentation-rehearsal, was, in fact, what nightmares are made of. Now I am not placing blame on anyone, but you know, sometimes, that's just how it happens. We just Keep Calm and Carry On.

We'll have another rehearsal this coming Saturday morning, and our Presentation is the next day. I just know it will be wonderful, heavenly, majestic in comparison to this past Sunday's...uh...thing.

And that's all I am going to say about that.

Okay, one more thing.

The 3 year old class on the front row....I am still laughing over! They sat there so reverently and still during the entire two hour sharing time rehearsal! About 10 minutes before it was time to go, one of the little girls started whimpering. She was absolutely worn out, and she just wanted her mommy. Her teacher picked her up and held her. Eventually, when the little angel could not control her choked-up sobs any longer, her kind teacher took her to her momma in Relief Society. And the other three year old angels - seriously, I have never seen anything like it! They were sitting there like zombies, frozen, eyes glazed over. I can't believe how good they were. Bless their little hearts.

Looking forward to Sunday. I have a fun idea for my Singing Time after the Sacrament Meeting Presentation.

Seeking Guitar Chords

2011-10-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

*****GREAT NEWS!*****

Natalie Jensen from Utah has kindly responded with sheet music from lds.org, to which she has over-layed the guitar chords for If I Listen With My Heart. Here is the PDF of her adaptation:

If I Listen With My Heart for the Guitar.pdf

Thank you so much Natalie! Your gift is greatly appreciated!

(I wish I could hug you!)

What's going on, you ask? Here's my post from earlier today:

Hey All You Lovelies and Gents,

Robert, a new primary chorister from the Epsom Ward, Crawley Stake, in the UK is hoping to find
guitar chords
for If I Listen with My Heart.

If you have them, or if you have the ability to create them, message me at bridgettepatterson@gmail.com, and I'll put you in contact with Robert.

If we can come up with the guitar chords I'll post them here if anyone shows interest. :) Comment if you'd like to see them posted.

Thanks!

Primay Pyramid II

2011-10-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I am being given both singing and sharing times to rehearse the music for our Sacrament Meeting Presentation. (40 minutes with Jr. Primary and 40 minutes with Sr. Primary.) Next week we will be rehearsing the entire program in the chapel, and the following Saturday I believe there will be a Primary Activity Day where we will have a complete run through again before the Presentation the next day.

So for this week's 40 minute rehearsals I'll be doing an adaption of Primary Pyramid.

My original idea for Primary Pyramid is here, so you might want to read about it first.

Primary Pyramid II

I am going to post a pyramid on the white/chalk board, and it will look like this:

Click to open and print the PDF of the above pyramid:

Program Perfect II.pdf

Open and print the pdf. You will need 10 sheets of cardstock. You will need to change your printer settings to print on both sides of the paper, or have it print all the odd pages first, then flip them all over, reinsert the paper into the printer and print the even sides.

To Play:

Each point card has an attribute printed on the opposite side. The idea is that each point card card represents a song. (A song that you will assign, so you will want to make a list of songs in the order you want to sing them. I plan on doing the easiest songs for the lowest points, and the most difficult songs for the highest points.) Under each card there is an attribute, or way to sing the song, and the attribute must be performed perfectly before the song can be "passed off". Each attribute is expected to be performed perfectly on each additional song, as well.

Start with the 10 point card and flip it over to see the attribute, then sing the song you have assigned as the 10 point song. If the attribute is sung to your liking, tell the children they have passed it off and give them 10 points! (Tally points on the white/chalk board). After the 10 point song is passed off, move on to the 15 point song, and so on. However, if the 15 point song is not sung with the same perfection as the 10 AND the 15 attributes, erase their 10 points off of the chalk/white board and "bump" them down to the 10 point song and attribute, and they have to try to pass it off over again before moving up to the 15 point song again. I plan on only "bumping" down one point value when they don't pass off combined attributes, instead of to the very beginning.

Another example: Say you are singing If I Listen with my Heart for the 50 point song (No talking through-out entire song -including piano), and the children have just passed off Praise to the Man as their 25 point song (Start together, stay together, finish together). If there is a point at which the children don't start, stay, or finish together while singing If I listen with My Heart (even though it was the attribute of the previous song), stop them at wherever the mistake was made in the song and explain what the problem was. Then go back to Praise to the Man and sing it over to re-pass it off again before moving on to If I listen with My Heart again.

The last attribute (1000 points) is to make a Program Perfect recording of the last song, so don't forget to bring a recording device!

Complicated? Might be. I might have to adapt it in the middle of my music time if it's not working well, or if we are using too much time.

Adapt it to your own needs, especially if you don't have the 40 minutes that I do for this activity, or if there are just too many bumps in every song, just try to have the children do each attribute perfectly for the song you are singing, instead of bumping them back.

Have fun!

Possibly the Cutest Idea Ever

2011-10-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Right? I mean, how simple and adorable is that!?

I can't wait to try it. If you try it I hope you will share your comments on how it worked in your ward.

To see the original idea, how to use it, and for more clever ideas from the same source, click here.

BTW, I saw this on Pinterest. Is Pinterest sucking anyone else's brains besides mine? Sheesh! Love it!

Get the Bugs Out!

2011-09-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

The primary counselor over music, Sister Siddoway, called me this week and said that the Bishop had one concern with our Sacrament Meeting Presentation script. It's the song Scripture Power. Bishop Allred does not feel that the way that the children are used to singing Scripture Power ~ is appropriate for Sacrament Meeting. So we need to either tone the song down (make it more reverent and appropriate for Sacrament Meeting), or remove the song from the program (if the children can not sing it without toning it down).

The way the children are used to singing it is full of aNiMaTiOn and with much energy. I think it's probably their favorite song, and I love how every single child is engaged in singing, showing their real or imaginary scriptures high in the air when we do sing it.

The way Sister Siddoway explained it was that the children should not look and sound like "a bunch of Holy Rollers" while singing it. Okay, I am trying to keep a straight face while typing this. but I just can't. I'm about to burst out laughing. And Sister Siddoway and I did laugh about it together on the phone when she called. It was just her perfect explanation that set a mental picture for me. The only thing left out of my mental picture was tambourines and flowers for everyone's hair....oh....wait...

...it's all there now! Oh, imagine that.

So I told her of course, yes, most definitely we can tone the song down to make it appropriate for Sacrament Meeting. Bishop Allred is absolutely correct. We want to teach the children that the spirit of reverence is very, very important in Sacrament Meeting.

Because it is.

Tomorrow I'll be playing a little game called:

Get the Bugs Out

to work on, not only toning down Scripture Power, but also to work on other parts of different program songs that need a little polishing.

I have printed these bugs out on a sheet of magnetic printer paper:

Here is the same "Bugs PDF" if you would like to print them:

Bugs.pdf

The bugs look a little fuzzy when you open the PDF, but they actually print just fine. The quality is not the best, but quite useable. You can find magnetic printer paper at Wal-Mart, or any office supply store. I just happened to have some from another project, so that's what I used, but it's not absolutely vital that you do. You could use plain paper or cardstock and either one would work just fine.

After I printed them on the magnetic printer paper, I cut out each bug, and they look like this:

Now you need to write out or print a list of "bugs" that are problem areas for the songs you are doing. Here's mine:

Scripture Power - sing with reverence that is appropriate for Sacrament Meeting.
If I listen With My Heart - Sing out ALL the words in each verse just as clearly as on the Chorus.
I Will Follow God's Plan for Me - Sing the first phrase of the song all together and clearly.
Praise to the Man - Memorize the words to the second verse and sing as clearly as the first verse and chorus.
Reverence is Love - Sing more reverently but fervently (with energy).
I Love to See the Temple - point out differences and likenesses of first and second verse. Sometimes the children sing the phrases of the first verse in the second verse.
The Lord Gave Me a Temple - Review second verse and try to sing without visual aids.
Practice standing up and sitting down all together.

Now, write corresponding number on the back of 8 bugs. I am going to choose a great big bug for problem #1, as it is a bigger problem that we need to work on. For smaller problems I'll write the corresponding number on a smaller bug.

Last thing you will need is a fly swatter! I bought these at my local dollar store:

I will explain that the Sacrament Meeting Presentation is right around the corner, and that we only have three more Sundays to make sure the songs we have been learning all year are just the way we want them to be. Then I'll say something like this: "You know, sometimes when I am on my computer or using my phone, something bad happens and it shuts down. It's called "crashing". It happens because of a "bug". Not a real bug though. A "bug" like that just means that there is something wrong with the program or app I was using, and it needs to be fixed or corrected to make it work right. People who make computer apps and programs work very hard to fix things over and over again, to make sure they work well on everyone's computer or phone without crashing. They call it, getting the bugs out. Today, we are working on a program of our own! The Primary Sacrament Meeting Program! We have some "bugs" in some of the songs we are singing for the program, and we need to get them out so that our songs will be just right for the Sacrament Meeting Presentation! Lets Get the Bugs Out!!!

To Play:

Place all the magnetic bugs on the whiteboard, chalk board, or other magnetic surface. If your bugs are not magnetic, tape them on the whiteboard, or just spread them out on the floor or table.
Choose a child to come to the front and swat one of the bugs.
Pick up the bug that the child chose to swat, and see if there is a number on the back. If there is a number, explain the "bug" to the children, and how they can fix it. Sing the song (verse or chorus) that corresponds with the number once or twice in the correct way. Be sure to praise the children for doing it correctly. If there is no number, the child returns to his or her seat and another child is chosen to come up and see if they can swat a bug that is a "problem" bug.
Keep going until all the bugs are out!

Have fun!

Primary Idol

2011-09-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will be gone,again. My 12th grandchild, Cambria Camille Thurman, is receiving her name and blessing, so I will be in my daughter's ward in Rigby, Idaho.

Cambria and me a few minutes after her birth.

However, I have an activity already prepared for my singing time. The idea came from Holly Allen, who contributed the idea a couple of weeks ago on my YOUR Ideas page. I have asked my former primary presidency to fill in for me as chorister, and act as three judges. Here's the idea:

(NOT my former primary presidency, hahaha.)

From Hollie Allen: One thing that I love to do to get ready for the program is bring in American Idol judges. I usually have the presidency or some of the teachers come up to the front of the room to be the judges. I give each judge a whiteboard, marker, and an eraser (laminated paper will work well of you don't have whiteboards). Then I tell the kids that we have 3 surprise judges today and they have come to judge their singing. I also inform them that one of the judges is a big stickler and that they have to sing really well to get a good score from that judge. Then I tell them that they have to get all 9's or above to pass off the song. (sometimes the tough judge will give them an 8.9 but they still have to sing it again) :) Then when they pass off the song, they get a new song to sing to the judges and so forth. My kids love it and it really keeps their attention. I hope this is helpful!

I asked one of the presidency members, Erin, to act as the "host" to get things rolling and explain how the judging will work. She's even got three white boards and offered to bring them. I can't wait to hear how it turns out! Thanks to Gina, Hydee and Erin for taking over for me tomorrow!

Have fun!

Review Fun

2011-09-10T09:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am going to be recycling another idea that I came up with last year called:

I Need a Vacation!

This was a really fun activity and worked much better than I expected it to. I can't wait!

Have fun!

Brilliance

2011-09-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

*Yawn* *Yawn!* I am soooo tired.

It's been a long week for me. If you are up late looking for primary singing time ideas later than 10:00 PM on a Saturday night (church starts for me at 9:00 AM), then you are probably just as tired as I am! Maybe more so.

4th Sunday tomorrow.....it's the last week and the last chance I have to really solidify The Lord Gave Me a Temple before we start reviewing ALL the program songs for five weeks solid. So I think I am going to do a repeat of Singing Bee.

It's easy. It's fun.

Lazy?

Eh.

More like B r i l l i a n t.

Have fun!

Truth or Consequenses 2011 Program Review Edition

2011-08-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Ward Conference tomorrow!

We are going to play an updated version of Truth or Consequences (click here to go to my original post last October). We will play it the same way, but with trivia questions relating to all the program songs for 2011.

Here is the PDF with trivia questions for the 2011songs:

Truth or Consequences for 2011 Song Review.pdf

Click on the above link to open the file. Print the first three pages first (I did mine on cardstock), then flip the pages over so you can print pages 4-6 on the back side of the cards. Page 7 is a list of the songs and questions.
Keep in mind I have two additional songs, (The Iron Rod and Scripture Power), as well as the two songs that were songs of choice (Reverence is Love and The 4th Article of Faith). Your songs may be different so you'll want to add your own trivia questions to replace mine.

Have Fun!

YOUR Ideas

2011-08-21T01:24:00.000-07:00

I love your ideas! If you would like to submit an idea for anything related to primary music, or read some brilliant ideas others have come up with, click here!
(There's also a link at the top of the page.)

Teacher Appreciation Day!

2011-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

It always makes me happy when the get-down-dirty-nitty-gritty teaching part of a song is done, and it's a great feeling when you know the children have learned it well. I always look forward to the next week, which is this week, because it means fun!

I plan on beginning having the children sing The Lord Gave Me a Temple, both verses, one time through. I'll remind the children before we sing that they will need to pay close attention to the words and phrases of the song, so that their class can score lots of points in the game we will be playing. With this activity the children will sing The Lord Gave Me a Temple at least 6 times through, and never realize it will be to help them with memorization. Awesome!

Teacher Appreciation Day!

I'll explain it something like this:

"Boys and girls, there is someone very special in your class, someone you need to thank for all the hard work they do. That's why, today in singing time, we are going to celebrate 'Teacher Appreciation Day'! This means that we are going to let our teachers have a little bit of fun. But it's your job to sing super well, singing all the words, and everyone in the class should be singing their hearts out! I'll choose the class with the hardest working singers to send their teacher to the front for a fun challenge where they can earn points for the class!" {Remember, these are invisible points, and they don't mean a thing. LOL}

"I will show you what challenge can be your teacher's, before we start to sing each time. There are 6 challenges in all. Here's the first one:"

"It's a basketball shoot-out! We will sing The Lord Gave Me a Temple, and I will choose a class who is singing their very best to send their teacher to the front. If your class is chosen, your teacher will have the opportunity to shoot hoops for exactly 60 seconds! Every basket made equals 2 points that your class gets to keep! Forever! Okay, here we go..."

After the first teacher finishes the first challenge, shout out how many points that class has earned, then show your props for the next challenge. I am going to give each class a turn for their teacher to do a challenge.

So, now you will need to choose 6 or seven challenges to go along with Teacher Appreciation Day (one for each class). I am using challenges that are easy for me, with props I have handy.

The first idea, above, is the wooden basketball shoot. I bought this at a holiday craft fair several years ago.

Dice on a Plank: give the teacher a wide Popsicle stick or tongue depressor, and tell them to put it in their mouth. Next they get to stack as many dice on the tongue depressor as they can. Give them 10 points (or whatever) for each dice that gets stacked without falling down within 60 seconds. Here's some pictures of my family doing this game:

So easy, even my Grandpa Conover can do it!

My niece, Annalei. She won, actually!

Golf Putting: I actually have one of these, too. My husband won it as part of a health challenge at work. So I'll give each teacher 5 points (or whatever I decide, ha!) for every hole in one within 60 seconds:

Cookie on the Forehead: Have the teacher sit in a chair and face the children. Tilt his or head back and place a cookie on their forehead. Tell them they have 60 seconds to get it in their mouth using only their facial muscles. I'll give them 12 points for each cookie within 60 seconds. Here's my sister, Heather, with a demonstration:

Bobblehead: attach a pedometer to a headband, and secure the headband to the teacher's head. Make sure the pedometer is set to zero. Start timing (60 seconds) and have the teacher begin bobbing his/her head up and down in order to gain "steps." Give the teacher and class one point for every step measured on the pedometer after one minute. Note: My pedometer, my ancient one from about 8 years ago, wouldn't work when I tried this at home. So instead, I downloaded a free app for my Android phone. It works great!

Paddle Balance: give the teacher a ping pong ball and paddle. Have him/her balance the ball on the paddle. Give them a point for every second the ball is continuously balanced on the paddle without falling. Maybe give them a practice try, first?

There are a whole lot of fun ideas here at the Minute to Win It website, or just make up your own. Be sure to list any brilliant ideas you have in the comments field!

Have fun!

I Sing; You Sing

2011-08-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I used my The Lord Gave Me a Temple flip chart and I taught both junior and senior primaries the first verse, only. I played a game with them that is one I do frequently when teaching an unfamiliar song, and I'll be doing exactly the same thing this Sunday with the second verse. It's a game I call:

I Sing; You Sing

I begin by singing the entire song to them, showing them the pages to the flip chart as I go. Then I go back to the beginning, and show the picture and phrase from the first page, and explain the phrase or any big words. Next I point to myself and say the complete phrase (or half of it) and have them repeat it back to me, sometimes, twice. They know that they always have to say it exactly as I have. If they don't, I wave my arms big and cut them off and say something like "Waaaiiiiittttt-a-minnnnnuuut! Whaaat was thaaaat?!......." (in a silly voice, of course!). I tell them to try again, and I point to myself and repeat the process. Sometimes I mix it up and enunciate one word or say the first part of the phrase normally, then the next part really fast. I just try to be creative and expressive.

Next I point to myself and sing the phrase the way it is supposed to be sung, without the piano, afterwhich I point to the children, and they sing it exactly as I have. Then I point to myself and sing the phrase again in an unexpected style of voice (old woman, western, very softly, powerfully, etc.), and then point to them and they would have to sing the phrase the very same way, again, perfectly and precisely copying my style. They know I'll stop them and make them start over if it's not done "my" way, hehe. After I feel each phrase is mastered, I point to myself and sing it in my very best voice, then point to them, and they do the same. I repeat the process with each page and/or phrase, and after they have mastered that page/phrase, I'll start at the beginning of the flip chart/song, and with the piano, sing up to the point we have just learned.

After doing this with the first verse last Sunday, I brought out these "Sing Like A..." disks from Divine Secrets of a Primary Chorister. I flipped the disks upside down so no one could see the selection, then had a child come up and randomly choose one. I'd say something like,
"Oh....I sure hope this one is a good one, and won't embarrass me!"
or
"I sure hope this one is not CraZy!"

It was really funny, especially doing the "Sing like a goat", where the kids used their fingers to vibrate their vocal chords to sound like a goat while singing.

Inappropriate for this song? I suppose only you can answer that for your primary. As for ours, it was a great way to capture the attention of the children and we had a great time. We enjoyed reverence and fun together.

Have fun!

The Lord Gave Me a Temple

2011-08-06T02:52:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

Here's my flip chart for August's song:

The Lord Gave Me a Temple.pdf

Open the pdf and print it on both sides of 9 sheets white card stock. Laminate, trim, and bind on the left side.
When finished it will look something like this:

Front page:

Two page spreads:

Have fun!

Cleverness by Divine Secrets

2011-07-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Gone again this Sunday! Going to my home town in beautiful Emery County, Utah for a family reunion. Maybe I'll sneak in on the primary in my home ward, too.

If you are struggling for something to do this week, I would like to suggest one of my favorite things.

Divine Secrets of a Primary Chorister is one of the blogs that has inspired me. After following her blog I decided to do my own, and if you haven't noticed, I loved her blog name so much I patterned mine after hers.

She has created these fantastic cards for:

her game called "Sing Like A..."
and for Do As I'm Doing

They are so clever and so much fun! The kids love them. I love them. So click on the links and follow her instructions for downloading them. Then cut them out and laminate them. I've used my sets now for a couple of years.

{ecaysis you are brilliant! Thank you!}

Have Fun!

Pioneer Cattle Drive

2011-07-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to do something really fun for Pioneer Day, especially since Pioneer Day falls on Sunday this year. I wanted to do something different than reviewing all our program songs, "pioneer style". Something new and refreshing! Something where the children can move around a little, and just have fun singing. Hey, the pioneers had fun, too!

This activity, however, just might get me released early. I can hear it now...You won't believe what that CrAzY Sister Patterson did in primary today... LOL! Oh, well. I was told last Sunday that my days are numbered. Four weeks ago we had a changing of the primary presidency. I have been the chorister for four years (this will be my 5th program!), and the new counselor over me wanted me to know last Sunday that I'll be released after this year's program, and hoped I didn't mind staying in that long. I wanted to cry. Now I have to mourn over leaving the children for three more long months! It's going to be hard for me.

Any-hooooo...*wiping away the tears*

Pioneer Cattle Drive

Quickly review these songs (or songs of your choice). I plan on having my pianist play through the song while I speak the words, then have the children join in and sing with me the second time through.

The Handcart Song
Pioneer Children Sang as they Walked
The Oxcart
Little Pioneer Children
To Be a Pioneer

Prepare a strip of paper for each class to read to themselves. On these strips of paper are specific instructions for each class. Randomly hand each class a slip of paper and give them about 30 seconds to group together in their classes and figure out what they are supposed to do. If they are not sure, have the teacher send a runner up to you for clarification, and the runner can go back to their class to explain it.

On the strips of paper:

Whenever the word "Pioneer" or "Pioneers" is sung in a song, exclaim in an inside church voice, "YeeeeeeHaaaaaw!" and swing your pretend lasso.
Whenever the word Handcart, Oxcart, or Cart is sung, cry out mournfully and dramatically, "OOOOOHHHHH!"
Whenever Sister Patterson (me) says "OK", stand up and curtsey (girls) or bow (boys).*
Whenever anyone in the room curtseys or bows, clap to the rhythm of the song 16 times.
Whenever another class exclaims "YeeeeeeHaaaaaw!", turn to them, put your finger to your lips and loudly "SHHHHHHHHH!" them.
When anyone cries out mournfully, "OOOOOHHHHH!", stand up, wag your finger and say "Noooo whining!"
Whenever there's "marching" or "walking" (actions or words) in a song, stand up and freeze like a marching statue until that part of the song has past, then sit down.
For the Primary Presidency: Whenever a song is sung slowly, "Moo-ooo" like a herd of cattle.**

After the classes have had a chance to talk about their instructions together, call them to order and explain that you will now be singing all the pioneer songs you have already rehearsed again, but this time, each class must follow the specific instructions they were given on their slips of paper, during the songs. "Ready then? OK!"

When you are finished singing all the songs, ask the children if they can guess what everyone else's actions were, and why they did them.

I plan on passing out hymn books and closing this activity with the song, Come Come Ye Saints.

*As the chorister, be sure to say "OK" plenty of times!
**Don't forget to slow down some of the quick songs in the middle, so you can get some extra mooing from the Primary Presidency in!

Have fun!

I'm Going There Someday...

2011-07-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

This week I wanted to stress to the primary children the importance preparing to go to the temple right now, so I created this game based on this graphic found on pages 74-75 of the October 2010 Ensign, shown below. (I also used this graphic in my I Love to See the Temple flip chart.)

Yes, too tiny to see what the words say, but that's okay. I've added them to my game and you will be able to read them there. This is what my game board looks like:

(The bluish/gray background represents a chalk board.)

I created a PDF of the game board if you would like to print it for yourself.

I'm Going There Someday.pdf

You will need 15 sheets of plain white paper or card stock. Print the PDF and cut out each page. The game board tiles are meant to be cut out in groups, so cut out the sets of 4 and 2 (shapes) on each page as groups, not individual shapes. (Cut out the grouped shapes on the outer edges, not in between.)

Cut around the black lines of the pictures/phrases. (These are the phrases that are in the first picture above from the October 2010 Ensign, pages 74-75.) Fold the "phrase" backwards along the solid line that separates the phrase from the picture, so it is hidden when placed on the game board.

Arrange your game board on a white/chalk board, using tape or magnets to secure. (The black dots on the game board shown above represent magnets holding the picture in place, and also indicate which game board piece the image rests on.)

I have made very simple and uncomplicated rules for this game. Feel free to mix it up a little if you want something different.

Don't forget the game piece and dice. I will be using a fancy magnet for my game piece and only one die.

How to Play:

With your fancy magnet game piece on the beginning tile, have a child roll the die. The first image (of Jesus Christ) is on the 6th tile, so if they roll a three, have them roll again until the game piece lands on, or just passes the first image. Show the first image, and unfold the hidden phrase. Explain why we must have faith in Jesus Christ to prepare to go to the temple.

Sing The Fourth Article of Faith.

Call a new child to come to the front and roll the die, and repeat the process for the next picture.

Here is a list of the pictures, and the songs that I'll be doing with this game. If other songs fit your primary better, change them to whatever works best for you!

Faith in Jesus Christ. (Picture of Jesus Christ), Sing The Fourth Article of Faith
Pray to gain a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. (Picture of girl praying), sing Praise to the Man. (Because Joseph Smith prayed to know which church was true.)
Obey the Commandments. (Picture of tithing money), Sing I will Follow God's Plan for Me.
Learn to be reverent, because the temple is a very reverent place. (Picture of reverent girl), sing Reverence is Love.
Be baptized and keep your baptismal covenants. (Picture of girl getting baptized), sing When Jesus Christ was Baptized.
After you are baptized and confirmed, always strive to have the Holy Ghost with you, and repent when you make a wrong decision. (Picture of children taking the sacrament), sing If I listen with My Heart (because the third verse talks about listening to the Holy Ghost).

Keep rolling the die until you reach the temple image, then sing I love to see the Temple.

Have fun!

Just Dropping In!

2011-07-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

After getting such wonderful ideas from a primary chorister I dropped in on earlier on my vacation to Utah, I was excited to pop in on another! My next visit was to another primary in West Jordan, Utah with chorister Jill Taylor.

Hi Jill!

Jill and I talked for a little while between her singing times, and I felt strongly that if we lived closer we'd become great friends. She even let me go into nursery with her, which was very wonderful. I don't see a whole lot of posts about nursery, or maybe I don't pay as much attention to them as I should. But Jill had some fun ideas that really inspired me to put more effort into nursery.

The first thing Jill said when I told her I was a visiting chorister, was that she doesn't sing, and is not musical, and she was not sure why they put her in as the chorister. Well! It was obvious to me why she was called....she has such affection for the children, and they followed her in singing as if her fists were full of candy. She loves the children and they love her in return. It's as simple as that.

Jill began by teaching both verses of I Love to See the Temple using pictures from a flip chart. They sang the first verse, and then she went back and explained what the different phrases meant, involving the children and asking them questions, too. She listened for the phrases that needed work, and had the children sing those phrases through until they knew the words better. She repeated the same process on the second verse. This is exactly what I will be doing this Sunday as I teach the same song.

Next Jill had a clear glass vase with about 8 small American flags in it. Crinkled inside the vase were torn pieces of red and blue paper, just for some color. Each flag had the name of a review song on it. She chose a reverent child to come to the front and choose a flag, and when they sang the song the child got to lead the song using that flag. It was so cute! The kids loved it!

I have about 30 medium sized flags I bought at Deseret Industries last winter. I was able to talk the store manager into selling them to me for 10 cents each, which was a small miracle! I mean, this was a first for me! Now I have just the thing to do with them. I think I may have an entire class come to the front to wave/lead the flags.

Jill used visual aids for nursery, and again, the little ones were completely focused on her. She had a flip chart for "Wheels on the Bus", which is one I use too, although mine is an older version. (Mine is from the book, Music Fun For Tots by Pam Carity and Marsha Nawrocki, published by Church Mouse Publications and distributed by Deseret Book. I bought it about 22 years ago at Deseret Book.)

Jill also had some really cute-sy stars printed on yellow card stock, laminated, and adhered to tongue depressors. She used these to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" giving one to each child to hold and wave during the song. For sure, I have got to make some for my nursery kiddos!

Thanks Jill for your clever ideas! Thanks for letting me tag along in nursery, too. I had a blast!

Somewhere in West Jordan, Utah

2011-07-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Because I have been out of town, I was able to attend Primary in two separate wards in the past two weeks. Both were fabulous. Both were somewhere in West Jordan, Utah, and both had some great ideas I want to share with you.

The ideas presented in this post are from the chorister who's name I didn't write down. She was fantastic! (If it was YOU please forgive me and comment with your name so I can give you proper credit.) I will share what I learned from the second chorister, Jill Taylor, in my next post.

The first thing I noticed about our Unknown Chorister was how well organized she was, how well she used her time, and how she never missed a beat:

She asked the children if they knew what the Declaration of Independence was, and she explained it a little to them. Then she had a teacher come to the front and tell about the following:

“That We May Be Redeemed” by Harold I. Hopkinson

Founding Fathers

"We know the signers of the sacred Declaration of Independence and the Founding Fathers, with George Washington at their head, have made appearance in holy places. Apostle Wilford Woodruff was president of the St. George Temple at the time of their appearance and testified that the founders of our republic declared this to him: 'We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God.' (Journal of Discourses, 19:229.)

"Later, after he became President of the Church, President Woodruff declared that 'those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits, not wicked men. General Washington and all the men who labored for the purpose were inspired of the Lord.' (Conference Report, April 1898, p. 89.)"

Ezra Taft Benson, "Our Priceless Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 1976, 34

The Declaration of Independence

"The Declaration of Independence . . . is much more than a political document. It constitutes a spiritual manifesto—revelation, if you will—declaring not for this nation only, but for all nations, the source of man's rights. Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet, foresaw over 2,300 years ago that this event would transpire. The colonies he saw would break with Great Britain and that 'the power of the Lord was with [the colonists],' that they 'were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations' (1 Nephi 13:16, 19).

"The Declaration of Independence was to set forth the moral justification of a rebellion against a long-recognized political tradition—the divine right of kings. At issue was the fundamental question of whether men's rights were God-given or whether these rights were to be dispensed by governments to their subjects. This document proclaimed that all men have certain inalienable rights. In other words, these rights came from God."

Ezra Taft Benson, "Our Priceless Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 1976, 33

(I am not sure about the exact quotes she used, but it was very close to these articles.)

Then she had everyone sing, I love to See the Temple one time through.

Next, she put up a flag representing the 13 original US colonies. She explained that each color on the flag symbolized something, and she asked the children if they knew what they symbolized. She had prepared in advance three jars with a little vinegar water in them, and three spoons with a dab of food color on two of the spoons (one remained white, so no food color) and then covered the spoons with baking soda. To guess each color's meaning, she stirred the spoonful of baking soda into a jar of shallow vinegar water. It foamed all up and then revealed either red, clear (white), or blue. She explained the patriotic symbolism for each color, and she had them sing each song after each color was revealed:

Red: Courage, Nephi's Courage
White: Liberty, Book of Mormon Stories (especially the 2nd verse)
Blue: Loyalty, I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus

To wrap it up she explained a little bit about how Francis Scott Key came to write the Star Spangled Banner, and then had the children use hymn books to sing it.

She commented to me after that she had gotten many of her ideas for that day from sugardoodle.net. I, for one, am extremely grateful to have a resource like Sugardoodle, as I know many of you are. We are truly blessed to live in this day and age of technology. So thanks to Melanie at Sugardoodle, and a big Hooray! to all the contributing choristers there, too!

Thank you, Unknown Chorister from West Jordan! It was so much fun to visit. You are awesome! The children in your primary love you and I can tell they look forward to your singing time each week. I can't wait to use your ideas!

I Love to See the Temple

2011-07-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hey I'm back! {Sort of.} I am technically "camping" in the mountains around Island Park, Idaho. Shhh...don't tell anyone I am home for a day, Okay?

Here's my flip chart for:

I Love to See the Temple.pdf
It is meant to be printed, laminated, and bound on the left side so as to be in booklet form. When you view pages 8 and 9 please envision them side by side. (You can actually set Adobe to be viewed side by side.)

More to come....

Primary Pyramid

2011-06-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

I will be out of town for the two weeks following this Sunday. So this Sunday I'll be doing a review of all the Program songs we have learned so far, as if it was the last week of the month.

I was feeling uncomfortable about doing a lot of Father's Day stuff during my singing time this year on Father's Day, because of a little family in my ward that lost their daddy about a year ago. I learned that the family I was concerned about is going to be out of town this weekend, so I feel more at ease asking some fathers to participate in this game. So if you do this activity, you can adapt it to fit with or without dads.

It's called ......*drum roll*......

Primary Pyramid

The name comes from the famous game show, $25,000 Pyramid. You can watch it on YouTube if you are not familiar with it. I have created my own simple version of the game:

*Disclaimer*

First let me apologize if you had to get your reading glasses to read this disclaimer. The small font is

simply for the dramatic effect I hoped to create. Now on to the REAL disclaimer:

My version of this game is specifically created to review songs learned from January through June of 2011. I have two songs that may be different from what you are learning, as we have been instructed to choose our own songs for the months of April and June. You should be able to easily adapt this game to any set of songs. Just get creative! Use your computer or draw your own game set. It will be fabulous!

Prep:

You'll need a way to keep track of time. I am going to use my 30 second sand timer.
Set up two chairs at the front of the room. The chairs should face each other.
Open and print this PDF on card-stock or plain paper. ( I think card stock would be best, but plain paper will be okay, too.) Primary Pyramid.pdf The first page is a key to what song each symbol represents. Don't let the children see this page, it's just for you to refer to. After the first page, all the even pages have a symbol on them, representing a primary song. The odd pages are the playing cards to go along with the song symbol it follows. Cut the playing cards out along the solid lines and put each set in an envelope, making sure you know which song goes with each envelope (maybe write it lightly in pencil or use abbreviations). Save the even pages for your white/chalk board display.
Using the even pages, set up the white/chalk board like this:

The symbols are in no particular order. Scramble them if you want to. (The Pharaoh is probably the weirdest one there. I thought I'd throw the kids off a little. Pharaoh represents the "kings" in the song Praise to the Man.)

To Play:
Two contestants come to the front and sit in the chairs. (A dad and child, a teacher and child, or two children.) Ask them to choose one of the symbols on the pyramid on the board to start the game. Explain that each symbol represents a primary song learned this year.

After they have made their choice, show them the stack of cards that goes with the symbol they selected, (without letting them see the picture clues on the cards, of course.) Explain that one of them will be the "clue giver", and describe the word on the card to their partner, "the guesser". YOU will set the 30 second timer, and hold up the cards for the audience and the "clue giver" to see, so the "guesser" will not be able to see the cards. If the "guesser" guesses a card correctly, they move on to the next card (you'll flip to the next card). The goal is to try to guess 7 clues in 30 seconds, for 7 points. There are 8 clues so they can have one "pass" without risking losing their 7 points. After the round is finished, give them an extra 10 points if they can name the song the clues were all about. If they can not guess, let the children in the "audience" guess what it is, as you show them all the clue cards.

Have all the children sing the song, then choose two more contestants for the next round. Continue until all 6 songs have been sung.

You might want to explain the relevance of some of the clues. For example, I have a TV as one of my clues. I'll explain that we watch a television screen to see a broadcast or dvd of the living prophet at General Conference time. I have a phone as one of my clues to illustrate the word "commune".

Have fun!

*Update*

Here is a second version of the game that replaces Reverence is Love with Scripture Power:
Primary Pyramid II.pdf

Afterthoughts: Alrighty then. This was a really fun activity for the kids. But it gave me a little bit of stress, LOL. Mostly because:

the 30 second timer seemed like it was 5 seconds long! I ended up turning it over three or four times and then just tossing it aside.
some of the clue words were just too big for the Junior Primary, so I would suggest for Jr. Primary that you cut it down to 3 easy words per song to guess (and no timer). With the 3 and four year olds, (luckily) a presidency member helped them while I ran the flash cards.
in Junior Primary I think we spent too much time guessing the words and not enough time singing. After all, it is called "singing time", hehe. So again, cut it down to 3 words for Junior Primary.
the Junior Primary had a hard time guessing what the song was from just the clue cards. My pianist played a little bit of the song and then they were able to get it.

What I did like about it was:

for Senior Primary it was much less stressful and the kids and dads picked up the game much quicker.
the Dads were awesome!
the song/picture key was invaluable to me AND my pianist. So print and an extra one for your pianist.
one of the girls in Senior Primary came up to me after church and said she hoped we could play Primary Pyramid more often. Golden words. :)
the kids knew all the songs well so I was not stressed about having to really hammer any of the songs over and over.
it was fun!

Program Perfect!

2011-06-12T00:17:00.000-07:00

Our song for June is The Fourth Article of Faith. The children did so well last week learning it, so I am only going to have them sing through it once or twice this week. Afterwards we will be working on our Father's Day Sacrament Meeting presentation song, Teach Me to Walk in the Light. I have decided to ask the Bishopric to sing the second verse for the Father's Day Sacrament Meeting performance. *cough-cough* I'll let you know how that goes. LOL

*Update* The Bishop said YES! YeeHaw! (I am so grateful!)

The children learned Teach Me to Walk in the Light last year, so all we need to do is polish it! We will be playing:

Program Perfect!

You will need:

Sand timer, game timer, kitchen timer, or any other kind of timer.
Tape recorder or other device to make an audio recording (I am using my Smart Phone).
These: Program Perfect Level-Challenge Cards.pdf. Open and print on one page of white or colored card stock, printing on both sides of the card stock. Cut out each Level card.

Front and back sides of the cards:

To Play:

Display the cards, front side out, on the white board. Explain that you want them to really polish this song for Sacrament Meeting next week, but that you will take it one level at a time. Turn over level card 1 and explain the challenge.

The idea is that the children have to pass off one level before moving on to the next. If, as a group, they do not pass any level (either because it was not sung well, or because the level challenge was not done properly), they must go back to the previous level and pass it off again before moving on to the next. I plan on stopping mid-song when I can see a level will not be passed off, and immediately going back to the previous challenge.

For level one, set the timer to a predetermined amount of time, (unless it's a sand timer, just turn it over) and attempt to sing the song before the timer goes off or the sand runs out. You could even have a child try to conduct the song to see if they can help everyone pass the challenge.

For level 5, have the children sing their very best, as if they are doing it for their parents, as you record them.

Proceed through each level, and at the end of level 5, play back the recording of the children singing.

Have fun!

Afterthoughts:
This activity went very well! I was amazed at how the Jr. Primary zipped right through all the challenges without having to repeat any of them! Naturally I thought it would be too easy when it was Sr. Primary's turn. However, I had to stop Sr. Primary mid-turn when they were holding up one foot because one child began hopping all over, and then several others followed. I guess hopping on one foot has sort of a viral effect. Who knew? Then I made the Sr. kids do verse three only on the every other word challenge. I saw some of them losing their places and it made me crack up and lose my place, resulting in all of us having to go down one level. It was incredibly fun.

Tip: One thing that really helped us all on the every other word challenge was covering our mouths with our hand when the words were silent.

Invisible Points

2011-06-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun game that worked really well with teaching The Fourth Article of Faith, but could apply to almost any song.

I divided the room into four groups and I explained that everyone would sing the first phrase of the song: (We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are). Then I assigned each group one of the phrases of the song.

I told the first group to sing: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And, I told this group if they would ALL hold up one finger the whole time they sang thier phrase, I would give each of them 10 points. (Remember these are invisible points and don't mean a thing, LOL.) We practiced it once or twice, and then I invited everyone to sing from the beginning, with only the first group singing their part, and ending the song there. Naturally they earned the 10 points!
Next I told the second group to sing: second, repentance and practiced it a couple of times. I told them that it was time to add them to the song and instructed that everyone would sing the first phrase, group one would sing their part, and then group two would add their part, and end the song there. If group two would all sing holding up two fingers the entire time, AND if they could sing better than group one (which encouraged group one to continue to sing their best) I would give them 20 points! (And from group one I heard..."Awwww! 20 points!")
Next I told group three to sing third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and practiced it a couple of times. I told them that it was time to add them to the song and instructed that everyone would sing the first phrase, group one would sing their part, group two would sing their part, and then group three would add their part, and we would end the song there. If group three would all sing holding up three fingers the entire time, AND if they could sing better than group one and two, I would give them 25 points!
I did the same as above for group four, only increasing the points to an unheard amount of 45 points!

Seriously, they were wild about this.

Next, we did it all again, except I shifted the parts, so group two now sang the first part and held up one finger, group three the second holding up two fingers, etc. We sang until each group had done each part.

Somewhere about the middle of the game I began whispering the point value to each group, so the other groups would not hear. After they sang, I announced to the entire group how many points that particular (beaming!) group had just earned. This made the the children absolutely giddy!

At the very end, the last group to sing phrase four was group one. I had just given the group before them 100 points for a job well done. One of the girls from group one whispered, "Could you give us infinity points if we do it just right?" and I whispered back, "Okay, but only if it is your very, very best!"

And it was.

We finished by having everyone sing the entire song together, and I promised infinity points for everyone (just to even up the score, haha) if they would all hold up their fingers and sing their very best!

I wonder what they have done with all those points this week!

Have fun!

Sensitivity

2011-06-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

Take a moment to answer the poll on the top left.

I have been struggling this week with what to do for a fun activity for Father's Day Sunday, as well as what to have the children sing in Sacrament meeting on Father's Day. Almost one year ago three siblings in my primary lost their father. He was captured by swift water in a river in the wilderness of Alaska, and his body was never found. It has been so difficult for their mother to understand why. It still breaks my heart to see the pain in their faces.

After a lot of thought and prayer, I have decided that for Sacrament Meeting on Father's Day, we will go with "Teach Me to Walk in the Light", instead of the traditional father's day songs. Now I just need to find a dad/teacher/parents to sing the second verse.

What do you think? Comments and insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Bridgette

The Fourth Article of Faith: Week One

2011-06-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

Click here to view and download my flip chart for The Fourth Article of Faith.

To introduce this song I am going to show the second page in my flip chart, the picture of Joseph Smith:

Then I'll begin a discussion that will go something like this:

The Articles of Faith were written by Joseph Smith, after he was asked by a man named John Wentworth, an editor of a newspaper called the Chicago Democrat, to tell about ‘the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-Day Saints'. (Articles of Faith, L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference, April 1998) Now the Articles of Faith are part of our scriptures in the Pearl of Great Price. When we want to share the Gospel with others, we can always rely on the Articles of Faith to clearly relate our beliefs. The Fourth Article of Faith teaches us about the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel.

Show the first two pages of the flip chart and sing the first phrase to the children: "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are"

Tell the children you want to play "I Sing, You Sing". When you point to yourself, only you sing. When you point to the children, they echo what you just sang. They have to sing it exactly the pitch, tempo, and style that you did.

You (normal voice): We believe

Children: We believe

You (loudly): We believe

Children: We believe

You (softly): We believe that the first

Children: We believe that the first

You (slowly): We believe that the first

Children: We believe that the first

You (normal): principles and ordinances

Children: principles and ordinances

You (western): principles and ordinances

Children: principles and ordinances

You (one octave higher): principles and ordinances of the Gospel

Children: principles and ordinances of the Gospel

You: (normal): We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

Children: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

You: (very fast): We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

Children: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

You: (normal): We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

Children: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

Wonderful! Now you know the first part of the song! But what does it mean?

(Point to the word principle on the flip chart.) What is a principle? Is it the person in charge at school? Well, yes and no. That would be 'principal'. It sounds exactly the same, but it means something different. A principle is a truth that serves as the foundation of the Gospel. A foundation is the bottom or the base of something. Without a foundation, your house would fall down! The Gospel has to have a foundation too, or it would fall apart.

What is an ordinance? It is a sacred formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood. Some ordinances are required to live with our Heavenly Father in the Celestial Kingdom. They are called saving ordinances. They include baptism, confirmation, temple endowments, and temple marriage. With each of these ordinances we make covenants with the Lord. (Reference at lds.org)

So, in The Fourth Article of Faith, there are two principles, and two ordinances that are the foundation of the Gospel:

Listen as I sing about the two pricnciples, and you tell me what they are:

(Point to the correlating pages in the flip chart)

You sing: First Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, Repentance.

Who can tell me the first two principles?

Does a testimony begin with faith in Jesus Christ?

I want you to notice that there is a difference between "faith" and "faith in Jesus Christ". It doesn't say, "First faith" and then stop. It says "First Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."

Does a testimony increase through repentance?

Now listen for the two ordinances:

You sing: Third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. Fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Who can tell me what the two ordinances are?

What comes first: Baptism? Or laying on of hands?

What is another word we use for "Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost? (Confirmed)

Play "You Sing, I Sing" to reinforce the phrases of the song, then sing the entire song through once or twice before ending.

Have fun!

The Fourth Article of Faith

2011-06-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Our primary has chosen to do The Fourth Article of Faith for June's song, which goes along with the theme perfectly.

Here's my flip chart for The Fourth Article of Faith:

The Fourth Article of Faith.pdf

Title Page:

Two page spreads:

Flip Chart Instructions:

The Fourth Article of Faith.pdf
Open the pdf and print it on 6 pieces of white card stock, printing on both sides of the card stock. Laminate* each page, put the pages in order, then bind the flip chart on the left side.

*With the permission of the primary presidency, I take my flip charts to a local print and copy store to have the lamination and binding done. My ward has an account set up there so I charge it to my ward, (otherwise I would submit a receipt to the ward clerk for reimbursement) and turn the receipt over to the primary counselor over music the following Sunday.

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

I am leaving town this weekend, so I won't be posting an activity. I'm going to the Patterson Family Reunion in the Boise, Idaho area. I'll be attending a Boise ward, so maybe if it's yours I'll pop in on you, see what you are doing!

My presidency has chosen The Fourth Article of Faith for our June song, which goes perfectly with June's theme:
The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel Make it Possible for me to Live with God Again

I love the Articles of Faith songs, it's such a fantastic way to teach memorization. I am looking forward to it!

Check back next week for a flip chart for The Fourth Article of Faith.

Praise to the Man Week Three: Word Nerd

2011-05-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I am hoping the following activity will allow a lot more repetitive singing of Praise to the Man, plus continue to focus on learning the words and their meaning. Its a little game I call:

Word Nerd

You will need:

Word strips. You can use the word strips from my last post, or use this revised list of words from Praise to the Man: PTTM Word Nerd.pdf. Print the words on white or colored paper or card stock and then cut them out. Divide the word strips into three piles: verse 1, verse 3, and chorus.
Tape for the back of the word strips.
3 pairs of nerdy glasses. Buy them cheaply from thrift stores or just use some old glasses you might have lying around. Put tape or a band-aid on the bridge.

To Play:
Ask the children if they are ready for a test! Tell them it's time to sing Praise to the Man, and that they will need to pay special attention to all the words in the song because you will be giving the Word Nerd Test afterward.

After singing the entire song once ask, "Who is ready for the Word Nerd Test?" Invite three children (or teachers) to the front, and have them each put on a pair of nerd glasses. After they have the glasses on, tape a word strip from your verse 1 word strip pile on the front of their nerd glasses (at the top so they can still see), so the audience can see the word but they can't. The children wearing the word on their glasses will be able to see each others' words, but not their own.

Explain that as you all sing verse one, everyone will substitute the words shown on the front of the children's glasses with "loo-loo". If the three words are "Jehovah", "anointed", and "seer" then everyone would sing:
"Praise to the man who communed with loo-loo-loo, Jesus loo-loo-loo that prophet and loo. Blessed to open the last dispensation. Kings shall extol him and nations revere."

Next, the children wearing the glasses and word have to fill in the blank with the correct word, that is also on their foreheads. If you have a small primary, you could allow the children who get the answer correct to stay up front and play again. If they are incorrect they would take their seat and a new child would take their place. I have a very large primary, so I plan on having three new children for each round.

After each round is played, I will quickly remind the children what each word means. I won't be taking extra time for this, I'll just explain the definitions as I am taking the words and glasses off the children.

Continue playing as many rounds as time permits, using word strips from one of the three piles in each round.

Have fun!

Praise to the Man Week Two: Big Words

2011-05-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sing Praise to the man one time through. After the song is over excuse yourself for a moment and turn around so your back is facing the children. Quickly put on a disguise; glasses, hat, or jacket to look like a game show host. Then turn back around to face the children and continue with:

The Big Words Game Show

Game Show Host: "Good morning everyone! And welcome to this episode of Big Words! Now, to play, I'll call up a reverent contestant to choose a card from this pile of Big Words. Each card has a Big Word on the front from the song Praise to the Man,

and on the back, there are three possible answers for what the Big Word means.

The contestant picks a card, and I will read the possible three answers listed on the back.The contestant decides which of the three possible answers is correct, and rings the bell!

After ringing the bell the contestant gives his or her answer. If the contestant is correct he receives 10 points*. If the contestant is not correct, the audience can say the correct answer, and then we will sing the phrase of Praise to the Man that contains that Big Word.

Okie-dokie! Who can show me they are ready to be a contestant by being reverent?......"

Notes:

Play until you run out of words or time.
Be sure to sing the phrase of the song the word comes from after the card is played. For example: If the word was "extol", sing "Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings shall extol him and nations revere." Sing the phrase 2 or three times if you like, and remind the children to think about what the word means when they sing it.
You might opt to divide into teams; boys against girls, teachers against children, left side of the room against the right, etc. Keep score on the white board.
Leave enough time to sing Praise to the Man all the way through at the end.

You will need:

Game show host disguise: Hat, glasses, jacket, funny teeth, wig, fake mustache, etc.

A bell (or have an item they can grab, or even just have them slap their hand on the table when they know the word. I found my orange bell at DI for something like .25 or .50 cents!)
Open, print, and cut out the following PDF's:

PTTM-Big Words Wordstrips.pdf This PDF contains the game title to display at the top of the white board. It also contains word strips to display beneath the game title, to be added as each word is chosen in the game. You might wish to point to the word strip and have the children repeat the word a few times. It would be best to print these on white or colored card stock, but white or colored paper should work just as well.

PTTM -Big Words Playing Cards.pdf
This PDF contains the playing cards. It is designed to be printed on both sides of the white or colored cardstock. When you hit "print" on the PDF, a print dialog window should appear. Click on the "Properties" button, and find the option your printer gives for printing on both sides of the paper manually. Then click "OK" and then go ahead and print. All printers will be different. You might have to go to "Settings" or "Options". You could also tell your printer to print pages 1,3, 5. After those are printed, reload the paper in the printer to print the other side, and tell the printer to print pages 2, 4 6. After printing the pages, cut each card out. The word on the front should correspond with the definitions on the back of the card.

Have fun!

*I give 10 points regularly in singing time as a measure of praise: I'll randomly call out: "10 points for whoever can smile when they sing." (I give a "thumbs up" to individual children if they smile while they sing to indicate they have received the points) or "10 points for anyone who can recite the last phrase of the song from memory!" Sometimes I'll up the points to 25 or 100, and the children are even more eager to participate. The points are not real, they don't have any value, we don't keep score, and mean they absolutely nothing, but the kids love knowing they were awarded them! Sometimes they ask what they get if they received points, and I just smile and say "Points! You get 10 points! You are so awesome! Isn't that great?!" Its lots of fun.

Afterthoughts for Sunday May 15th:
I always seem to plan too much for so little time, and today was like that! I hoped to get through all the Big Words, but didn't. The idea was fun, and the kids really liked I think, but it might be a good idea to do it over two weeks, or pick and choose doing only the words that need the most explanation. Other than the time factor, things went great!

I loved this next idea so much, I think it is definitely the way to go. Thanks 3boys2girls:

3boys2girls said...: I read the comments about running out of time and thought I would let you know how we did it. I am the Primary Pres. and it was my week to do sharing time, so I worked with both of my Music leaders and we did this activity the whole time. In Sr. I introduced the song with the story of WW Phelps and then followed the same routine we did in Jr. The teachers sang this song and I went out to change into my game show disguise(the kids loved this!) and then we followed your outline. I was the host and the music leaders led each line that we sang. I believe that the music is the most important part of Primary because most of us can't remember a sharing time lesson we had but we can remember the songs!! I think the more you can coordinate the songs in Sharing Time the better. It works great for us!

How did it go for you?

M.O.M. Concentration

2011-05-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

I just sent an email to the Relief Society email list in my ward, and to the Relief Society Facebook group my ward has:

Dear Sisters,

If you have a child in Primary, please email me a fun and/or silly head-shot (shoulders and up) of you. Nothing serious or sober, please! I'll be using the photos in a Singing Time Concentration game for Primary this Sunday, Mother's Day. I'd like the children to be surprised to see a fun or silly photo of their mom!

I will also need to know your favorite primary song, so don't forget to tell me what it is when you email your picture!

Please hurry and submit your photos. I MUST HAVE THEM BY WEDNESDAY, MAY 4th.

Thanks!
Bridgette

So, if you want to play this version of Concentration this Sunday on Mother's Day, get the word out and start collecting some fun M.O.M photos!

Here's one of me I'll use as a last resort:

Oh yeah....M.O.M. stands for My Own Mom...or My, Oh, MY! or Must Obey Me.....or whatever you like! I am using "My Own Mom", for my little game of

M.O.M CONCENTRATION!

Preparation:

Collect 10 fun/silly head-shots of the mothers of primary children. I hope to get 20 (10 for Jr. and 10 for Sr.).
Print this Concentration.pdf on one side of white card stock. Print the pictures of moms you have collected on the other side of the cardstock. You will need to print each mom's face twice, so make sure to put the one face of each mom behind two random numbers, so they don't all end up side by side.
Attach the printed cardstock, number side out, on the white/chalk board, with tape or magnets. Should look something like this:

How to Play:
Ask one child at a time to choose two numbers and try to come up with a match of moms. When they do, sing that mom's favorite song.

Happy Mother's Day! Have Fun!

Good News/ Bad News

2011-04-30T00:53:00.000-07:00

The good news is that it's Stake Conference for me tomorrow. Yay! A sweet little break. No stressing over a Singing Time lesson plan.

The bad news is that I am speaking in Stake Conference.

Break over.

I'm not gonna lie....I am terrified.

Praise to the Man Week One

2011-04-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

If you have read my earlier posts you already know that it's crunch time for our Sacrament meeting Mother's Day performance on account of it being Stake Conference next Sunday in my stake. Last week after primary I learned that we would, in fact be singing in Sacrament Meeting on Mother's Day.

It's all good.

But it IS crunch time. Especially because this is Praise to the Man Week One, as well.

For the Mother's Day Sacrament Meeting performance we will sing a medley of three songs, first verse only, no fluff, no frills:

Quickly I'll Obey 197
When We're Helping 198
Mother I Love You 207

Lucky for me, I have about 10 minutes before Sharing Time begins in Junior Primary (just after Sacrament Meeting) to sing wiggle songs with the children, while the presidency is ushering and preparing for Opening Exercises, so I'll use this time to sing through all three of these songs. If I need to go through them again at the beginning of Junior Singing Time, I'll do it, but it won't take long. It'll be more like a dress rehearsal where I have them pretend they are in Sacrament Meeting.

In Senior Primary Singing Time we'll sing through the medley one time and move on.

I will ask my pianist to play the first two songs all the way through once as their introduction, but we'll use the written intro on Mother I Love You.

Praise to the Man Week One

To introduce this song I will first show this picture of William W. Phelps:

I'll explain that William knew the prophet, Joseph Smith personally, and soon after Joseph Smith was killed, or "martyred" he wrote the words to Praise to the Man to honor Joseph Smith. The feeling of this song is sort of a "joyful sadness". It's really sad, because Joseph Smith had just been killed by a viscous mob! But it's joyful because we know that just because Joseph Smith died, does not mean that the Church of Jesus Christ died. In fact, we know that death can not "conquer", or "over take" Joseph Smith ever again, and those people who killed him can never hurt him again. We are joyful because we know that Joseph is with Heavenly Father and Jesus, (or "Gods" as is says in the words of the song), working with them and planning for the future of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (adapted from Our Latter Day Hymns, Karen Lynn Davidson, Praise to the Man pp. 55-56)

On the right....over there, but at the top---------------->----^
you will see I posted a YouTube video of the song, Fantasy on a Scottish Tune. (I did not create the slideshow.) I love this version of Praise to the Man so much! I purchased the track on iTunes for .99 and at this point in my introduction I am going to play it for the children from my iPod. Not the whole song, just the first 3:20 minutes. There are three parts I will talk to the children about before I begin playing the music. Before starting the music I will say something like this:

At the very beginning I want you to notice the Scottish bagpipes. The name of tune is "Martyr", but it is sort of a copy of a tune called (say this with a resolute and brave voice and stature), "Scotland the Brave"! (Our Latter Day Hymns, Karen Lynn Davidson, Praise to the Man pp. 56) When you hear the bagpipes I want you to think about how the they make you feel.
Notice the "Regal" shift in the music. Regal is like royalty, or kings and queens! As you listen to this part, think of how it makes you feel and prepare to tell me why you think it was included in this arrangement.
The first verse and chorus. Think about what you think the words mean as I show you the pictures in my flip chart. I will be asking questions about what the words mean.

So I'll play the tune, and afterwords we will take just a few seconds to discuss the answers to the questions I posed.

Next I'll go directly to the beginning of the flip chart, and I will sing the entire song through, showing the pictures from the flip chart again, while they listen (or sing along). I will be sure to sing it with all the energy and reverence that I want them to express when they sing it.

Next...time permitting, I will start at the beginning of the song and flip chart, and explain the words and phrases of each page. I don't expect to get very far, as there will be stories to tell, and because we will practice singing each page after we discuss it. With each new page learned, we will sing the song from the beginning to that point.

When there are about 2 minutes left, we will stop and sing the song from beginning to end (doing our best realizing this is just for the sake of repetition and familiarization) using the flipchart.

This is really going to be awesome!

Have fun!

Afterthought: Feeling sort of sheepish for not even mentioning that it's Easter tomorrow.

Happy Easter!

FYI and if you are wondering, I am not going to be using any Easter themes in my Singing Time tomorrow. It's okay, I know they will in Sacrament Meeting and Sharing Time, so that'll be covered, and I am too focused on lesson plan above.

Temple Covenants

2011-04-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

What blessings have you received from making and keeping your temple covenants?

Please share any thoughts.

Thanks!
Bridgette

No Stress, Nope. None.

2011-04-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in a comment in my last post that our primary had not been asked to sing on Mother's Day.

Woot! After all, Stake Conference for my stake is the week before Mother's Day this year. And, add to that, I am taking a big bite out of our May song, Praise to the Man, this Sunday. Fine with me if we don't have to stress about singing in Sacrament Meeting.

Then dear Brother Music Chairman asked me Sunday..."We still on for the Primary to sing in Sacrament Meeting on Mother's Day....and Father's Day?"

Whaaaaaa?

"Huh? What? We are singing on Mother's Day?..."

So, yes. We are signing on Mother's Day. It will be a very short (familiar, even too often sung) medley, but that's okay. The children will really shine for their moms!

Now lets see....we have this Sunday to work on Praise to the Man AND a Mother's Day medley, and then next Sunday is Stake Conference....(Sort of a day off. I get to actually be spiritually filled and fed! Yay me!) Then the next week is Mother's Day and my son's birthday who was actually born on Mother's Day...

*rrrringring*

Hold on, it's my Stake President.

President: "Hello Sister Patterson. I'm calling to extend an invitation for you to speak in Stake Conference a week from Saturday."

Whaaaaaaa?

"Twelve minutes..."

Huh?

"...The Importance of Making and Keeping Temple Covenants."

Me: "Uh...yes. Of course."

*gulp*

Riddles Review

2011-04-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

Because we are having stake conference in two weeks, and because I want to start Praise to the Man a week early (next week), and because the children have learned our April song so quickly (Reverence is Love), I am doing my End of the Month Review tomorrow. It’s a little bit of fun I am calling:

Riddles Review

Basically, each song I will be reviewing comes with a “Challenge”. We will sing the songs on my review list in order, and I will explain each song’s challenge before singing so the children can try their best to win as a class. The class that wins the challenge for the song sung gets to send their teacher to the front to answer a riddle. (Each class should get at least one turn.) The teacher will get 15 seconds to answer the riddle, at which time I will ring a bell and ~~demand~~ ask for an answer. If the teacher is able to answer the riddle (don’t worry, they won’t*), they get to choose a bag with an object in it for me to wear during singing time. If the teacher is unable to answer the riddle, or gives an incorrect answer (which is, of course, the objective), I will choose a bag containing the object that they must wear until singing time is over.

*After doing this activity in Senior Primary, and ending up wearing most of the props myself, I highly recommend much more difficult riddles! The kids were really smart and told the teachers the answers! LOL

Prep:

1. Decide which songs to review. I am using the songs we have learned for the Sacrament Meeting Program (in blue) and adding a couple of Easter songs (in purple). Each song’s challenge is attached. Here’s my list:

If I Listen with My Heart

Challenge: Class where ALL the children in the class sing.

I will Follow God’s Plan

Challenge: Class that knows all the words without looking at the flipchart.

Stand for the Right

Challenge: Class that tries their hardest even thought they might not know all the words.

Reverence is Love

Challenge: Class that sing most reverently.

Scripture Power

Challenge: Class that sings while smiling the most.

The Iron Rod

Challenge: Class that sings most energetically.

He Sent His Son

Challenge: Class that follows the chorister’s directions most exactly.

Did Jesus Really Live Again?

Challenge: Teacher sings very well and set a good example for the children.

2. Gather *silly dress-up items and put each one in large paper bags. Since I have 8 songs, I will need 8 bags. So you will need as many bags as you have songs. I am using big brown paper bags, but you could use gift bags, or empty boxes, just whatever you have.

*I try not to include gender specific items.

Here are some ideas:

Funny hat(s)
Huge toy sunglasses
Kimono
Hawaiian sarong
Wig
Snorkeling goggles
Apron
Ugly tie
Trench coat

3. Prepare a list of as many difficult riddles as you have songs. Here is my list of riddles ( I found them here ):

What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?

A towel.

You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat?

Corn on the cob

What goes up and down the stairs without moving?

A Rug.

I can run but not walk. Wherever I go, thought follows close behind. What am I?

A Nose.

What goes around the world but stays in a corner?

A Stamp.

Give me food, and I will live; give me water, and I will die. What am I?

Fire.

If you say my name I cease to exist. What am I?

Silence.

I am weightless, but you can see me. Put me in a bucket, and I'll make it lighter. What am I?

A Bucket.

Be sure to act very sorry and sympathetically when the teachers don't answer the riddles correctly. If they by some miracle (for them) do happen to answer a riddle correctly, express great chagrin in having to wear a bagged item for yourself!

Have fun!

Praise to the Man

2011-04-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

I know this is going to be my favorite song to teach this year. I have been over the top excited about it since I saw it in our 2011 Outline for Sharing Time.

This flip chart has 33 pages, but you will want to print it double-sided on white card stock, so you will actually need only 17 sheets of card stock. Click here to open and print the pdf:

Praise to the Man.pdf

After it is printed, laminate the pages and then have them bound on the left side in storybook form. They should look something like this:

This is the cover page:

These are two page views:

Have fun!

DIY Sign Language

2011-04-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

This is the second week that I'll be teaching Reverence is Love, but this activity could be applied to any song.

I'll start by using the flip chart and having everyone sing the entire song. Next, I'll pass out key words of the song, each word written on a separate slip of paper. For junior primary I'll give maybe two or three words to each class, but for senior primary I'll pass out every word of the song (but I won't have the duplicate words written more than once).

I'll explain to the children that they have 90 seconds to decide on a sign language sign for the word(s) they have been given, and I'll show them a few examples. I'll tell them that it doesn't have to be real sign language sign, but if they do know a real sign language sign and want to use it, they can!

I'll ring a bell when the 90 seconds are up. Next I'll ask the class or child to come to the front and show what their sign is, and teach it to the rest of the primary children. We will begin with the words as they appear in the song.

After a complete phrase of signs is learned, we will sing that phrase two or three times to really get it in our heads before we move on to learning sign for the next phrase.

It will be interesting to see what the children come up with!

Have fun!

Reverence is Love

2011-03-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

I made this flip chart to teach Reverence is Love.pdf this Sunday. The images below illustrate how the PDF will look when printed, laminated and bound on the left side.

Here's the cover:

And here are the inside pages:

Reverence is Love.pdf
Open and print the PDF on white cardstock. You will need 9 sheets of cardstock, and you will need to set your printer to print on both sides of the cardstock paper. Laminate each page and then bind on the left side.

Have fun!

Edvard Munch and Me

2011-03-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

....okay, that's not an singing activity...and probably more dramatic than I need to be. All week my trigeminal neuralgia has been giving me a lickin', and today, well today, not good at all. I think there might be an electrified rail road spike protruding from my face. No, not like the mote in your brother/neighbor's eye...more like the beam....yesssss, that's it; a huge metal beam attached to a live wire.

Heeeeyay....Yooohooo? Somebody wanna remove this thing...? Its really putting a hitch in my git-a-long.

Needless to say, simplicity is once again the word of the day. I am going to be doing my end of the month review tomorrow instead of next week (the last Sunday of the month) and I'll begin teaching Reverence is Love next week. I'll most likely be flying on auto-pilot tomorrow morning, so for Singing Time we'll play Who? What? How? for the review, using only the songs If I listen With My Heart, I will Follow God's Plan, and Stand for the Right.

Thanks for checking in.

Have fun!

Stand for the Right with 6 Be's

2011-03-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

I really like this video created by Heather over at The Joys of Our Life:

I especially love the beginning (Examples of Righteousness, from the April 2008 Priesthood Session),where President Monson is saying "...stand for the right..." I am going to go to my ward library and see if they have a DVD of the broadcast to play in primary. If the ward library does not have it, I'll either play the audio from my iPod (you can download it here), or I'll just read this much:

"My young friends, be strong. The philosophies of men surround us. The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that facade is heartache, unhappiness, and pain. You know what is right and what is wrong, and no disguise, however appealing, can change that. The character of transgression remains the same. If your so-called friends urge you to do anything you know to be wrong, you be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow. There is no friendship more valuable than your own clear conscience, your own moral cleanliness—and what a glorious feeling it is to know that you stand in your appointed place clean and with the confidence that you are worthy to do so."

What you will need:

Open and print this PDF:
Click Here: President Hinckley's 6 B's

This is what it looks like:
Cut out each of the small and large speech bubbles. Attach a handle to each of the large speech bubbles (paint stick, straw, wooden dowel, plastic spoon, stick from a tree...whatever you can find!).

Presentation:

Begin by showing a picture of President Monson, and telling the children, "Our Prophet has some words for you! And these are the words...." Cup your hand to your ear and wait for the children to finish the phrase, "....be true, be true." Explain that you have some other words from the prophet you would like them to hear, and play the DVD of President Monson mentioned above (or the audio clip, or read the paragraph).

Sing the song, Stand for the Right one time through.

Next, ask the children if they remember who Gordon B. Hinckley was, and show his picture. Put his picture on the whiteboard with magnets or tape.

Explain that President Hinckley also had some "words for you", called the 6 Be's. Hold up your fingers with each "Be" and recite:

Be grateful.
Be smart.
Be clean.
Be true.
Be humble.
Be prayerful.

Show the large quote bubbles with the 6 B's printed in them, one at a time. Give each class one of the speech bubble "Be" to hold, and explain that everyone gets to sing Stand for the Right again and again, singing one of the "6 Be's" replacing the words, "be true, be true". Put the smaller speech bubbles in a jar and randomly draw one out as everyone begins singing "Our prophet has some words for you..." Show which "Be" bubble you have drawn to everyone as you sing "...and these are the words...". At this point, whichever class has that speech bubble has to sing out the words, for example..."be smart! be smart"...and then everyone joins in to finish the song. After each speech bubble is sung, attach the smaller one (that you drew from the jar) to the white board around President Hinckley's head.

Have fun!

Primary Feud

2011-02-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

It's the last Sunday in February, and I want to review both January's and February's songs. We are going to play:

Primary Feud

You will need:

Something to hit the table with. I am going to use two fly swatters, each decorated with a silk flower. Children could use their hands instead, slapping them on the table when they know the answer. Another option would be to have a bell, or two bells. You could also use one object in the middle of the table that a child could grab if they know the answer, like a stuffed animal or even a sock or glove.

A small classroom table
Create questions about the song or songs you are reviewing. Make them challenging and thought provoking for Senior Primary, but make them extremely easy and obvious for Jr. Primary.
Or use my questions below. Copy and paste them into your own word processor, or open and print this: Trivia Review.pdf Cut each question/answer/song phrase into a paper strip. Fold each slip of paper and put them in a hat or a bowl or basket or any container. Make sure you separate the Senior Primary questions from the Junior Primary questions.

To Play:

I plan to sing both review songs before starting. I'll tell the children to listen carefully to the words in the song as they sing, so they will be able to "win" at the game we will be playing! After singing, invite two contestants (two children, or a teacher and a child) to come to the front of the room. Explain that you will read a trivia question drawn from your hat/basket/container. The first contestant who knows the answer will slap the fly swatter on the table. Whichever contestant has slapped first will give an answer. If they do not answer correctly, make a dramatic "Wha-Wha-Wha-Whaaaaa" or "Bzzzzzt!"sound to indicate they were incorrect, and give the other contestant a chance to answer correctly. When the correct answer is given, have everyone sing the part of the song written after the question. Next, two new contestants come to the table to try to answer the next question. Keep playing until you have about three of four minutes left, and then sing both songs all the way through again.

Senior Primary Trivia Questions: