Families are Forever 2014 Primary Theme - An Addition to Opening Exercises - Family History Moment

Our primary presidency pondered how we could best incorporate the 2014 Primary Theme, "Families are Forever," into primary. One of the special things that we will do for 2014 is to add an extra assignment to Opening Exercises, which we are calling the "Family History Moment."

This is what the assignment slip that our secretary wrote says: "As part of the ward goal the Primary will be participating in family history by sharing a brief family history moment in opening exercises. Please help your child to prepare a short family history story to share. This story can be a pioneer story, a conversion story, an experience in perseverance or accomplishment, or a fun story that illustrates what life was like when that ancestor was alive."

We will share one Family History Moment a week. Each week, the child who shares the moment gets to put their name and the name of the ancestor on a leaf, which they will then get to add to this tree. We hope to encourage conversations, awareness, and appreciation in the child and their families, about this wonderful topic of family.

I hope that by the end of the year, the tree will look like this:

How I did it:

I drew the tree freehand onto a foam board the size of a standard poster board, then colored the tree in with two brown markers. I had intended to use acrylic paint but it seemed like a lot of clean-up effort for such a small amount of paint. I used a paper punch to punch out all of the leaves on color card stock, then attached one scrapbook square onto each leaf.  I also have found large leaf stickers in the past but I liked turning these leaves into stickers myself - the cheaper method. I had intended to cut out simple leaf shapes but I couldn't resist the leaf punch.

Before I drew on the board, I creased it, (and then taped it for strength).  The crease in the board ensures that it is small enough that it will fold in half and fit into the primary cupboards.

Meet Your Teacher Night

We have a fun activity planned for the Primary 2014 "Meet Your Teacher" night, which is this coming Friday.

First, we passed out reminders in church today.

We will also put a reminder sign up at the end of our street, since everyone in our primary lives within a few streets, and will all see the sign if they leave the neighborhood at any time that day.

I made this sign (but our office just shut down so I no longer have an LFP for printing posters ... so we may not actually use this version):

The sign was inspired by this image:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmef50H-WSzOMD19NfxtV1dDbHW5OaCvfNgDtQv59u-78d2sSXLthDp5Kv6Zdrd5i1qXJWAxrQr6muRLtepcU6meHOXhpVtfaQzKcIzW1WN4AaWpi9XAdRJ8hiO0UGA22B4rd5BUVdtdRF/s1600/IMG_0796.jpg

I used this owl.

We are going to introduce next year's theme, and have some fun activities planned around supporting this theme, and around getting to know their new teachers/classes ... followed by treats, of course :)

We made little "passports" for them where they will earn little stickers as they complete an activity. Junior primary will do this for a short time, then Senior primary will participate in the same activities. During the other half of the time, the classes will be meeting with their new teachers for the activities that the teachers planned.

Each page of the passport is focused on the 2014 topic of "Families are Forever." We decided to simply use the words from the 2014 singing time song, "The Family is of God," by Matthew Neely.

Page	Quote	Topic	Lead	Activity
Front	(cover page)
2 – 3	Our Father has a family. It’s Me! It you, all others too: we are his children. He sent each one of us to earth, through birth, To live and learn here in fam’lies.	Heavenly Father sent us to learn and be with families.		Pin the leaf on the family tree game (sticker upon activity completion)
4-6	A father’s place is to preside, provide, To love and teach the gospel to his children. A father leads in fam’ly prayer to share Their love for Father in Heaven. A mother’s purpose is to care, prepare, To nurture and to strengthen all her children. She teaches children to obey, to pray, To love, and serve in the fam’ly.	Father’s role / provide and be an example / Mother’s role / nurture and teach		Build a temple craft (sticker upon activity completion)
Back	I’ll love and serve my family and be A good example to each family member. And when I am a mom or dad, so glad, I’ll help fam’ly remember: (chorus) God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be – This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.	Child’s role / love and service		Letters to missionaries (sticker upon activity completion)

The Last Sharing Time Lesson in 2013 - I Have a Testimony that I am a Child of God

I am so excited to teach this beautiful lesson (page 25) tomorrow because I have a testimony that I am a child of God, and I want our primary children to have that sure foundation through life that our Heavenly Father loves us.

I created a very quick-and-easy sun to supplement the lesson ideas in the sharing manual:

I realize the sun is crooked but I wanted it all to fit on one sheet of paper:

I will put a description for "testimony" behind four of the sun's rays. The rest will remain blank. This will give children the opportunity to come up and read the hint. In Junior primary, I will either read the hint for them, or whisper it for them to read to the class.

Christmas Gifts for Primary - CDs!

I just posted this over on my Singing Time blog but I'm actually making it as part of a Primary Presidency gift to the primary so if you're interested in what I did and how to do it yourself, c'mon over to my http://singingmagic.blogspot.com/2013/12/primary-song-cds-for-primary-children.html.

Upcoming Primary Presidency Planning

Working on events in December and January

• Christmas program
• Priesthood Preview planning
• Meet Your Teacher planning
• New Class Assignments and Manuals
• Baptism Preview + January baptisms
• Christmas Sunday in primary
• Setting goals for 2014
• New callings
• and more

I am excited to share some of our ideas for Christmas Sunday in primary and for Meet Your Teacher night. More to come!

December Sharing Time Lesson - Week 1 - The Prophets Foretold that Jesus Christ Would Come to Earth

This is how I prepped for Sunday's primary lesson, from the 2013 "I am a Child of God" sharing time outline:

For Junior primary, I made simple, Bible-style costumes, with head pieces, although I forgot to take pictures of the head pieces. (See more on how I made the costumes on my craft blog.) I also printed off the name of each prophet and will have each child hold the name of the prophet in front of them.

For Senior primary, I'll put the images of each prophet on the chalkboard, for children to identify.

If you don't have the images from the Gospel Art Book or Primary 4 packet handy, you can print them online from the church Media Library, source info shown as links below:

Isaiah
"Isaiah writes of Christ's birth"
http://www.lds.org/media-library/images/christmas?lang=eng#prophet-isaiah-foretells-christs-birth-39469

Isaiah 7:14

 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a ^asign; ^bBehold, a^cvirgin shall conceive, and bear a ^dson, and shall call his name^eImmanuel.

Isaiah 9:6

6 For unto us a ^achild is ^bborn, unto us a ^cson is given: and the^dgovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, ^eCounsellor, The ^fmighty ^gGod, The ^heverlasting Father, The Prince of ⁱPeace.

Nephi

"Nephi's Vision of the Virgin Mary"

http://www.lds.org/media-library/images/gospel-art/book-of-mormon?lang=eng#nephi-vision-christ-birth-246770

1 Nephi 11:14-15, 20-21

14 And it came to pass that I saw the ^aheavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?

 15 And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.

 20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a ^achild in her arms.

 21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the ^aLamb of God, yea, even the ^bSon of the Eternal ^cFather! Knowest thou the meaning of the^dtree which thy father saw?

King Benjamin

"King Benjamin addresses his people"

http://www.lds.org/media-library/images/gospel-art/book-of-mormon?lang=eng#king-benjamin-addresses-people-39650

Mosiah 3:5-8 (King Benjamin addresses his people)

5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the ^aLord ^bOmnipotent who ^creigneth, who was, and is from all ^deternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a ^etabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty ^fmiracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the ^gblind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.

 6 And he shall cast out ^adevils, or the ^bevil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.

 7 And lo, he shall ^asuffer ^btemptations, and pain of body, ^chunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can ^dsuffer, except it be unto death; for behold, ^eblood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his ^fanguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

 8 And he shall be called ^aJesus ^bChrist, the ^cSon of God, the ^dFatherof heaven and earth, the ^eCreator of all things from the beginning; and his ^fmother shall be called Mary.

Abinadi
"Abinadi before King Noah"
http://www.lds.org/media-library/images/gospel-art/book-of-mormon?lang=eng#abinadi-before-king-noah-39651

Mosiah 15:1

 1 And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that ^aGod himself shall ^bcome down among the children of men, and shall ^credeem his people.

Alma 

"Alma preaching to the people"

http://www.lds.org/media-library/images/gospel-art/book-of-mormon?lang=eng#teaching-true-doctrine-608387

Alma 7:10-12 (Alma, the High Priest, speaking to the people in Gideon. This is the son of Alma.)

 10 And behold, he shall be ^aborn of Mary, at ^bJerusalem which is the ^cland of our forefathers, she being a ^dvirgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and ^econceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and ^aafflictions and^btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ^ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him ^adeath, that he may ^bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccor his people according to their infirmities.

Samuel the Lamanite

"Samuel the Lamanite on the Wall" 

http://www.lds.org/media-library/images/gospel-art/book-of-mormon?lang=eng#samuel-the-lamanite-39661

Helaman 14:1-3

(I think it's good to remind them of Helaman 13:1-4 as well: that "Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla and began to preach unto the people ... many days, repentance ... and they did cast him out ... the voice of the Lord (told him to) return again ... whatsoever things should come into his heart ... and it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall ...")

1 And now it came to pass that ^aSamuel, the Lamanite, did prophesy a great many more things which cannot be written.

 2 And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for^afive years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name.

 3 And behold, this will I give unto you for a ^asign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.

November Sharing Time - Supplementing a Discussion on Spiritual Blessings

There are some great images provided by the church to supplement helping the children learn about spiritual blessings. Here are just some of the great images you could use.

Moroni 10:8-17

8 And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the ^agiftsof God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are ^bdifferent ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the ^cSpirit of God unto men, to profit them.

 9 ^aFor behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may^bteach the word of wisdom;

 10 And to another, that he may ^ateach the word of ^bknowledge by the same Spirit;

 11 And to another, exceedingly great ^afaith; and to another, the gifts of ^bhealing by the same Spirit;

 12 And again, to another, that he may work mighty ^amiracles;

 13 And again, to another, that he may prophesy concerning all things;

 14 And again, to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits;

 15 And again, to another, all kinds of tongues;

 16 And again, to another, the interpretation of ^alanguages and of divers kinds of tongues.

 17 And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will.

Joseph Smith was blessed with beholding angels and ministering spirits. (This is him receiving the Aaronic Priesthood.)

Adam and Eve were blessed with the gift of faith.

Jesus was blessed with the gift of healing.

Our missionaries are often blessed with the gift of tongues as they learn new languages in foreign countries.

Moses was blessed with the ability to work miracles.