Sick all week

We get home from spending time up in Mesa and I was looking forward to spending time with friends from around here and such, we went to the park on Monday morning (we were visit teaching one of our sisters, we find the park nice because we all have children and our children can play and life is good). After naps on Monday Rose woke up with a fever. It is now Saturday and that fever hasn't fully gone away. Nellie has had a little bit of a fever.
I just want our lives back!

Singing Time Jeopardy

picture stole from pinterst if it is yours sorry.

These are my questions and points. Over all I tried to make the questions more hard or more personal as the points increase. Instead of calling it a "daily double" I called it a "double dare" if they complete the dare they get double the points. You can split them into teams or as I like to do we as a primary are a team together to see how many points we can collectively get before our time is over. With the "double dare" if they will not complete the dare another child an do the dare for the points on the card. Another way to help sing more as part of this "singing time" is have the primary sing the verse the question goes to, then have the child answer the question.  I do not make the children answer the question in the form of a question.

Each song is its own category. 

I am a Child of God

100         You are a child __ ___
200         Sing song while standing on one leg (3^rd verse).
300         Which verse says:  “help me to understand His words”
400         Double Dare: Sing first verse all by yourself
500         Sing song without saying the word CHILD
600         With parents ____ and dear.
700         Sing the whole song while patting your knees to the song’s rhythm.
800         How do you feel Heavenly Father’s love for you being His child?

My Heavenly Father Loves Me

100         Feel what on your face
200         Sing second verse while rolling your arms “do as I’m doing” style
300         Sing first verse while facing the “back” of the room
400         What creation are you thankful fore?
500         He gave me my ____ my ____ my ____
600         Double Dare: Sing first verse all by yourself while touching your nose
700         Sing second verse while covering your eyes (or you the chorister can choose their ears)
800         Which verse is your favorite part of this song. Please sing it for us.

If the Savior Stood Beside Me

100         Would I ___ the things I do?
200         Sing first verse while touching your elbow
300         Would I try to share the ______
400         Sing second verse while swaying arms like an elephant (reverently)
500         What do you do to show HF you love him
600         Sing third verse while scratching like a monkey (reverently)
700         Even though you can’t see Him you are in His ______ ______
800         Share an experience where you felt close to our Savior/HF?

The Sacred Grove

100         Morning sun shone _____ and round
200         Sing second verse marching quietly in place
300         Double Dare:  Sing the first verse just your class.
400         Who appeared to Joseph Smith?
500         What were the fears Joseph had?
600         Sing the whole song while “leading” the music
700         What was the message that calmed Joseph’s fears?
800         What age was Joseph when he went to pray in the sacred grove

We Thank thee o God for a prophet

100         Sing song with a BIG smile
200         The gospel _____our minds with its rays
300         Double Dare: Pick one friend to come sing the song with you
400         Who is our prophet currently?
500         Pleasure to do what?
600         Who is your favorite prophet in the scriptures –why?
700         Sing song with your hands on your head and your legs crossed while standing.
800         Share an experience when you felt the Holy Ghost testify about a prophet? Scriptures, current, general conference, while someone else bore their testimony….

When I am Baptized

100         Double Dare: Sing first verse just you and the class across the isle from your class.
200         Ponder on the beauty of what made clean again?
300         Sing song pretending to reverently hula hoop
400         What washes away when we are baptized?
500         Sing second verse hold your neighbor’s hand.
600         Why are their rainbows after rain?
700         What does “Improve yourself each day” mean?
800         Share how you felt on your baptism day? Or how do you feel about being able to be baptized?

Extra bonus

100         What is the name of the primary president?
200         what Holiday is this week?
300         What is the bishop’s name?
400         What is the prophet’s first name?
500         What magazine does the church produce/print for children?
600         What do you get to decorate for Thursday’s ward party
700         What has been this month’s sharing time theme?
800         Share/Bare your testimony to us

Singing Time Brain Teasers

I have been up in Mesa with my kids for the last two weeks. I thought I had prepared a lesson for tomorrow (it is currently 11:50 on Saturday night) but I can't remember what it is. Since I do not want to show up to church and look at my folder (which is there since I gave it to the sub and asked her to leave it there)  and then realized I never finished my lesson plans. I can't remember for the life of me what they were so I had to start from scratch tonight.

Next Sunday (5th Sunday- last Sunday of June) the Primary President wants me to use the ENTIRE time reviewing and singing with the kids. I plan on doing a "Jeopardy" like game. Each song is going to be a category. That is going to be most of the time and we are going to spend a little bit of time relearning the patriotic songs we sing at the ward 4th of July Breakfast- "My Flag, My Flag" and "My Country Tis of Thee". I did request that the Presidency member who would have Sharing Time plan a short (5 minutes) lesson to give me a break and to break up the singing for the kids because they are not going to want to sing the ENTIRE time.

So this Sunday:

I was thinking about brain teasers- like the ones below

I once did something similar. I had a brain teaser of the song on one page and another page with the song title. They then played concentration with them. I like the idea that the children have to figure out what the song is.

So I have spent my time tonight making up my versions of Brain Teasers with the 2013 Primary Program songs. I did them for the songs we're doing and I tried to find what most people are doing for their "You choose" songs so that everyone can use them. Can you figure them out without looking at the captions?

I am a child of God

My Heavenly Father Loves Me

If the Savior Stood Beside Me

The Sacred Grove

We Thank thee O God for a Prophet

When I am Baptized

Families Can Be Together Forever

A Child's Prayer

These are the others I included for those who aren't doing the same songs we are. If you are doing something other than this just ask and I will try to find the time to include your needs in here.Or make your own, I am sure many of you are much more creative than I am at thinking of these.

We'll Bring the World His Truth

Children Holding Hands around the world

Follow the Prophet

Joseph Smith's First Prayer

Upon a Golden Spring Time

Praise to the Man

The Priesthood is Restored

Stand for the Right

the Golden Plates

This is my Beloved Son

This is my Beloved Son

Book of Mormon Stories

Again if there is a song you would like me to try to add, comment and let me know I will try. 

You can either click on the pictures you need/want and "save as" to your computer they should be in a 8.5*11 size or click here to download all in a zip file

I hope this helps someone. Enjoy

Disclaimer (confession)- picture of the children around the world I swiped from fellow chorister site. Check out her ideas too.

Swimming Lessons

We came up to mesa these two weeks for swimming lessons.

Everyone asks if there just aren't options at home. There are.

But the options are so much more expensive then up in Mesa and it gives us an opportunity to play with cousins, see friends, and spend time with family. My husband stayed home.

Teaching "When I am Baptized" Singing Time

The kids knew the song really well because they learned it last year.

I reminded them that the verses' notes go up slowing and then go down slowly (scales) and the notes can be visualized like a rainbow, hence we're talking about a rainbow. And then the chorus' notes jump up and down, like falling rain.

Here are the visuals I used. You can download them by right clicking on them and saving as to your computer. they should download to a printer paper size.

again my visuals are only black and white for printing and coloring yourself. Save your ink.

Verse 1

I like to look for rainbows

whenever there is rain

and ponder on the beauty

of an Earth made clean again.

Chorus

I want my life to be as clean

as Earth right after Rain

I want to be the best I can

and live with God again.

2nd verse

I know when I am baptized
my wrongs are washed away.

and I can be forgiven

and improve myself each day.  

re-use or print twice the chorus visuals. 

 Hope these help someone.

thanks for dropping by.

long weekend in Mesa

Went to my parents' house (yes they aren't living there right now they are in Thailand but my brothers are living there and we stay there when we come up.)

The girls LOVE to play on the piano. 

Uncle Von babysat and dressed my children while my husband and I were able to go to the temple. 

We stayed up through the weekend, but come Monday we had to pack up and head back home.

bye bye now.

Park and Corn dogs

Back on the 23rd of May (last day of school around here) Sonic had 50 cent corn dogs. So we went by for lunch, got our corn dogs, and ordered enough that my children ate them for lunch and dinner that day. Don't judge my children love corn dogs and I knew we were going up to Mesa for the long weekend and leaving that night (having dinner in the car) what better food for children on a road trip than corn dogs. Especially since my children love them and eat every last bite.

While we waited for daddy to get off work and start our road trip we went to the park.

It was a short visit but they made the most of it and were so sad to leave.

Took this pic walking up to the park.

Nellie had hurried ahead, Rose called out to here
"Wait" and Nellie turned around and they ran to each other.

I just love this photo and I am totally smitten with the love and bond my babies have. There is nothing else so sweet to watch. 

Family in town

when I say "in town" I mean in Arizona. Jeff and Lauran moved to Texas and come once a year to visit all the family in Arizona. We made a special point to go up to Tucson and meet up with them. I hadn't even met their little girl yet because last year we were unable to make it up while they were in town.

We met at a park in Tucson. Had a picnic lunch and let the kids play until it was time for us all to move on with our days.

It was so good to see them!

Teaching Sacred Grove- flip chart Singing Time

Here are the visuals I used while teaching "The Sacred Grove" (back in April)

Sorry it took me so long to get around to it.

I do all my visuals in Black and white because I don't have a color printer. I figure if you want color- color it yourself. I hope my visuals help someone with their lessons.

I was thrilled that this was the song chosen for this month. The song (music) sounds irry and weird. Instead of joyful and full of life (like the message the song is about). But I don't know what it is the primary children LOVE it and ask to sing it. Go figure. We take it faster then on the primary song CDs. And we build up volume in the middle of the song and then get soft again (crescendo then decrescendo). The kids love that too and I think it helps with the musical weirdness.
Right click on each picture to save as to download the pictures to use.

1st Verse

The Sacred Grove was Green and Fresh

The morning sun shone bright and round.

As Joseph knelt in fervent Prayer

As Joseph knelt in fervent prayer

Upon that Sacred Ground.

2nd verse

The Father and The Son appeared

They spoke to him as with one voice.

Their message answered all his fears

Their message answered all his fears.

And made his heart rejoice.

I actually had two of the same pictures for the same lines.

Activities to focus on this song:
1- have children hold the visuals out of order. "What line comes first" "What happened first" (good song to do sequence of events). Do just the first verse, just the second, and/or the entire song. Play up "Is that what happened next?!? No, what happened next".
2- for the older children, we put the lines all together again.
  Print out entire song in LARGE font (or write them on paper). Cut out each word or two words together. Arrange them into no sense sentences. ie: 'And made' 'upon that' 'appeared.' Do this for the whole song and tape/put them on the board. Have the children one by one come up and "Find" what line is next. Re-arrange the mixed up song until all the words are in the right order again. GREAT activity for Senior primary! They love all the participation. I have done similar activities with other songs and every time they LOVE it and are so good for me.