Wednesday, December 31, 2008
All caught up
All of our posts are back up; in the next few days I'll work on making the blog pretty again. Thanks for your patience!
Christmas FHE Ideas
- Becoming LDS has some great ideas for family Christmas activities here. They would work well for a Family Home Evening, or for any night.
- This list from About.com has links to many years of Christmas activity ideas from the Ensign.
- Here is a Christmas lesson called Walk in the Light.
- Here is a simple nativity Go Fish game.
- Flannel board figures for the Christmas story.
- The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens is a bit lengthy for one night, but it is a beautiful retelling of Jesus' life in a tone appropriate for children.
And some Christmas treats:
- Peppermint pinwheels
- Cinnamon and caramel cookies
- The king's pepparkakor
- Candy cane coffee cake
- Candy cane cake
Originally posted by Mrs. Mordecai
Fortifying Families
For a lesson on fortifying and strengthening the family, use some of these ideas.
Song ideas:
A Happy Family
Families Can Be Together Forever
How Firm a Foundation
Object/Visual lesson:
Get a box of cereal or gallon of milk that says on the label “fortified with ______”. Ask questions like (What is the purpose of fortifying cereal? What does fortify mean?) The answers should center around the fact that fortifying helps build something up, adds to it, makes it better, stronger.
Story:
Tell the story of “The Three Little Pigs”. You can tell it in your own words, read the book, or have the family act it out. Discuss the reasons why the third little pig’s house was the best.
Activity:
Gather up a boxful of Legos, deck of cards, or other building toys. Before FHE begins, make up a small, easily destroyed building of cards or Legos. Allow one of the younger family members to destroy the building. Ask the family what could possibly be done to fortify the building next time? Together, brainstorm ideas of how to make a stronghold. Possible ideas include better building materials, firmer foundation, some sort of cementing material, etc. Then, together, create a fortified house of building materials of your choice. (Obviously you don’t want to super glue your Legos together, but it could be good for discussion’s sake.)
Scripture:
Jacob 7:25 “Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies.”
Wrapping things up:
Drawing from the activities that were done in the lesson, brainstorm ideas that would fortify your family. What are some of the things we should do daily as a family? Can each member contribute something towards the strength of the whole family? What can you do? Share the scripture with your family and determine what Nephi used to help strengthen his people. Can we improve our scripture study time? Are we working on being more helpful to one another? Do we pray for each other?
Treat idea:
Make up a fun trail mix with things that would fortify a person hiking along a path. This can include mixed nuts, pretzels, white chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. We can even be reminded while eating this that we are trying to stay on the straight and narrow path and on our journey we need to be fortified.
Originally posted by Marika.
Song ideas:
A Happy Family
Families Can Be Together Forever
How Firm a Foundation
Object/Visual lesson:
Get a box of cereal or gallon of milk that says on the label “fortified with ______”. Ask questions like (What is the purpose of fortifying cereal? What does fortify mean?) The answers should center around the fact that fortifying helps build something up, adds to it, makes it better, stronger.
Story:
Tell the story of “The Three Little Pigs”. You can tell it in your own words, read the book, or have the family act it out. Discuss the reasons why the third little pig’s house was the best.
Activity:
Gather up a boxful of Legos, deck of cards, or other building toys. Before FHE begins, make up a small, easily destroyed building of cards or Legos. Allow one of the younger family members to destroy the building. Ask the family what could possibly be done to fortify the building next time? Together, brainstorm ideas of how to make a stronghold. Possible ideas include better building materials, firmer foundation, some sort of cementing material, etc. Then, together, create a fortified house of building materials of your choice. (Obviously you don’t want to super glue your Legos together, but it could be good for discussion’s sake.)
Scripture:
Jacob 7:25 “Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies.”
Wrapping things up:
Drawing from the activities that were done in the lesson, brainstorm ideas that would fortify your family. What are some of the things we should do daily as a family? Can each member contribute something towards the strength of the whole family? What can you do? Share the scripture with your family and determine what Nephi used to help strengthen his people. Can we improve our scripture study time? Are we working on being more helpful to one another? Do we pray for each other?
Treat idea:
Make up a fun trail mix with things that would fortify a person hiking along a path. This can include mixed nuts, pretzels, white chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. We can even be reminded while eating this that we are trying to stay on the straight and narrow path and on our journey we need to be fortified.
Originally posted by Marika.
Building Traditions, Building Family
Building traditions together as a family is one of the things that helps cement families together in unity. Every family member anticipates with pleasure the joy of traditions. Traditions are looked upon with fondness when the children are grown.
We have developed an annual tradition of putting up our Christmas tree on the Monday following Thanksgiving. We put on Christmas songs to enhance the Spirit of Christmas as we decorate together. Sometimes we listen to Swedish Christmas songs to remember the heritage that comes from my side of the family. Sometimes we listen to the Smother's Brothers as my husband reminisces about memories he had at Christmastime.
Most of all, we cherish our time together. Posting this picture reminds me that it wasn't very long ago that all my children were shorter than I am. Now, some are taller than Dad! {Since this picture, we have added one child, but one has left the nest, leaving the head count the same around here.}
When we get the tree all done, we turn out all the lights except those on the Christmas tree, eat a favorite Christmas treat (possibly these), and be still for a while and think about what Christmas really means.
Originally posted by Marika
We have developed an annual tradition of putting up our Christmas tree on the Monday following Thanksgiving. We put on Christmas songs to enhance the Spirit of Christmas as we decorate together. Sometimes we listen to Swedish Christmas songs to remember the heritage that comes from my side of the family. Sometimes we listen to the Smother's Brothers as my husband reminisces about memories he had at Christmastime.
{You can see our traditional Swedish Julboken in the picture above.}
If it is December by this Monday, then we read a Christmas story and scripture and sing a song from our treasured Countdown to Christmas book. We often talk about some of our other traditions. {Here's a link to view our other Christmas traditions}
When we get the tree all done, we turn out all the lights except those on the Christmas tree, eat a favorite Christmas treat (possibly these), and be still for a while and think about what Christmas really means.Originally posted by Marika
A House of Order
As I was trying to decide what to do for Family Home Evening tonight, I browsed through my list of bookmarks and found Making a House of Order. As a mom and homemaker, I am very interested in putting my own home in order, and in having peace through order.
Tonight we are going to talk to our two-year-old about how and why we clean up. Then we will go through his dresser and pull out all of the clothes that are too small and store them. The lesson also suggests other ordering activities.
Originally posted by Mrs. Mordecai.
Our Hearts Knit as One
One of the things we enjoy doing as part of our regular Family Home Evenings is to study talks from the most recent General Conference. It is a great way for me to study the talks and it challenges me to find ways to make these talks more accessible for our children (ages 5 & 2). When I heard President Henry B. Eyring's talk, Our Hearts Knit as One, I knew that it would be one that I could adapt for a FHE lesson. I think these ideas could be used for families of all sizes and situations. From couples, to young families, to families with teenagers.
Here are some ideas that we used. Hopefully they could be helpful for your family too!
Attention activity: Ask everyone to think silently of their favorite Primary song. Then say, "On the count of three...start singing your song." Everyone sings but mostly the songs are different. Keep singing for a while and see what happens. After a while ask why these songs don't sound very good. Help everyone realize that each of these songs are beautiful, but if we all try to sing them all at once, they lose their beauty. Now try singing some of each of the favorite songs of each person in the family together. When you are done, talk about the difference in singing the songs this time. Talk with your family about how important it is for us to work together in unity to accomplish our purpose.
Find some selected passages from President Eyring's talk that you can share with your family. Depending on the size and ages of your family, you can bring out many of the important principles taught in this amazing talk. In our family we spent time talking about what unity means and why it is important (because we must be unified to live with our Father in Heaven again). We also briefly told the story of Enoch and his city and discussed how the city became so united as a people that they were able to return to Heavenly Father together.
This is such a powerful talk and one that I know can be a great teaching tool for our families!
Originally posted by Leslie.
Originally posted by Leslie.
Service in Action
Fairly regularly we try to do a service FHE. Simple things that we have done include:
~~Make a care package for someone that is sick, lonely, or just needs a good dose of love. Include some of these things in the package and brainstorm for your own ideas.
~~Write letters to missionaries or people serving in the military.
~~Visit someone in the hospital.
~~Sings songs for folks at a nursing home.
~~Decide together what things your family can donate to needy people.
~~Cook a family a complete meal and take it to them.
Mosiah 2:17 is a great service scripture to share during this FHE. It also made a great little song, which you can get sheet music for here and get an audio track to use here. (It is free.) I also included a youtube movie of my kids singing the song below. Hope you enjoy.
Originally posted by Marika.
~~Make a care package for someone that is sick, lonely, or just needs a good dose of love. Include some of these things in the package and brainstorm for your own ideas.
- An uplifting homemade card
- A favorite treat
- A poem
- Fun pictures
- Cartoons
- A small present
- A home crafted story
- A small poster with a scripture written on it in pretty writing and decorated colorfully by a child. They can hang this in their home for a quick pick-me-up
- A news article that might interest them
- Music
~~Write letters to missionaries or people serving in the military.
~~Visit someone in the hospital.
~~Sings songs for folks at a nursing home.
~~Decide together what things your family can donate to needy people.
~~Cook a family a complete meal and take it to them.
Mosiah 2:17 is a great service scripture to share during this FHE. It also made a great little song, which you can get sheet music for here and get an audio track to use here. (It is free.) I also included a youtube movie of my kids singing the song below. Hope you enjoy.
Originally posted by Marika.
Little Book about Jesus
I'd like to show you what we did for Family Home Evening last week. This was actually a plan-it-five-minutes-before-it-happens sort of thing, but it worked out better than it usually does. The Friend magazine had just arrived, so I flipped through it, found this book, and figured we could work on it.
All we did was mount the page from the magazine on cardstock, cut out the pages, and tie them together with ribbon into a little book. Red Chief can look at the book in church: I think it will be great to have something a bit more spiritual than Dr. Seuss to distract him from his usual antics of playing peek-a-boo with whoever is sitting in back of us.
If you want to make this book but don't receive the Friend magazine or don't want to destroy your copy, you can print the page out here.
----
(This article was originally published by me here.)
Originally posted by Mrs. Mordecai
Conference Reverence Tent
I was reading this story in the October friend about making a tent to watch conference in, relating to the story in Mosiah 2-4 when the people gathered to listed to King Benjamin. Even though it refers to a Conference activity, I was thinking it would make a fun Family Home Evening activity.
Read the story in Mosiah 2 (especially verse 6) about the people setting up their tents and turning the door to hear the prophet speak.
Set up a small tent, or make a tent out of tables, chairs, blankets, etc. Make sure you have the door face the TV (or computer). Pick any talk from the last conference and watch and listen to the Prophets and General Authorities. You can wait and get the conference DVDs when they come out, or watch the archives online here.
Listen to just a little bit of a talk, or the whole talk depending on the attention span of your kids. Give them something to color or write with to help them listen. You can use this activity to teach any subject that was talked about in conference. This would work for kids of all ages!
Originally posted by Richelle.
Read the story in Mosiah 2 (especially verse 6) about the people setting up their tents and turning the door to hear the prophet speak.
Set up a small tent, or make a tent out of tables, chairs, blankets, etc. Make sure you have the door face the TV (or computer). Pick any talk from the last conference and watch and listen to the Prophets and General Authorities. You can wait and get the conference DVDs when they come out, or watch the archives online here.
Listen to just a little bit of a talk, or the whole talk depending on the attention span of your kids. Give them something to color or write with to help them listen. You can use this activity to teach any subject that was talked about in conference. This would work for kids of all ages!
Originally posted by Richelle.
Book of Mormon Battles
Break out the Lincoln Logs and plastic army guys for this one. (You could also use Legos or other building toys.) Gather the crew and read about a favorite Book of Mormon battle. As you slowly read, set up an elaborate re-enactment of the scripture by building forts, strategically placing little soldiers, cutting up wavy strips of blue construction paper for rivers, make mountains, build trenches, etc.
One of our favorites is in Alma 56 where the 2000 stripling warriors provide a decoy to lead a powerful Lamanite army away from their fort. Then, Antipus and his army follow behind the Lamanites in an attempt to surround them. The stripling warriors face a big decision when they have to decide whether to keep running from the Lamanites or turn back to see if Antipus needs help!
The plastic soldier battle grows intense as each army moves to new strategic locations. In the end, the soldiers of the Lord are triumphant because they have heeded His word. As the enactment is carried out, discuss the interesting and clever ways these men of God outsmart their foes.
Doing this activity really helps the kids remember the battles and the lessons that can be learned through all these scripture verses as you talk about the need for planning, being creative, waiting upon the Spirit, etc.
You can get teens involved by having them help the younger ones understand what is going on and helping to lay out really cool designs for the forts. If the toddler happens to prematurely sabotage an army, there is a lesson in that--always be prepared for the unexpected!
Originally posted by Marika.
One of our favorites is in Alma 56 where the 2000 stripling warriors provide a decoy to lead a powerful Lamanite army away from their fort. Then, Antipus and his army follow behind the Lamanites in an attempt to surround them. The stripling warriors face a big decision when they have to decide whether to keep running from the Lamanites or turn back to see if Antipus needs help!
The plastic soldier battle grows intense as each army moves to new strategic locations. In the end, the soldiers of the Lord are triumphant because they have heeded His word. As the enactment is carried out, discuss the interesting and clever ways these men of God outsmart their foes.
Doing this activity really helps the kids remember the battles and the lessons that can be learned through all these scripture verses as you talk about the need for planning, being creative, waiting upon the Spirit, etc.
You can get teens involved by having them help the younger ones understand what is going on and helping to lay out really cool designs for the forts. If the toddler happens to prematurely sabotage an army, there is a lesson in that--always be prepared for the unexpected!
Originally posted by Marika.
There Is a God
There is a God and he created all things including us. We had a lesson about this and I loved how it turned out for my children. I find it increasingly difficult in this world to build that sense of worth in them that's so important to deal with the challenges we face. It seems like they come home from school just beat down and feeling pretty bad almost daily. I think that's one of the greatest things my parents did was to instill in me the knowledge that I was a child of God. More than anything, it's been a guide for me to make good decisions throughout my life, even when things seem dismal. It's a topic we often revisit for family night.
I hope you like this format. I have a filebox with folders in it that I keep all of my FHE lessons in. I print everything out for a lesson, including the recipe for the treat and put it in a manilla folder in my filebox so I can just pull it out when I need a quick lesson, which does happen with five kids around:
Preparation: To prepare, make photo copies of a baby picture for each of your children. Enlarge them to 5x7 or larger if possible. I did this on my all in one printer in less than 5 minutes. I also got a lot of information and ideas from here and here for this lesson if you feel inclined to do some preparation reading.
Song: Instead of an opening song, I sang "All things Bright and Beautiful" (Children's Songbook #231) for my children. I don't have a singing voice, but it was very effective without any piano etc.
Scripture: A good scripture for this lesson is Psalms 82:6.
Activity: Show your children the baby pictures and see if they can figure out which one is theirs. If you only have one child, you can throw your baby pictures into the mix or some of relatives too. Tell them each individually about their birth and how you felt before they were born, and after they were born and when you held them for the first time. Ask them to think about how heavenly father feels as he watches over them. Have the children decorate or color the edges of their pictures to make a frame. Write "I am a child of God" on each picture.
Lesson: While they are decorating, read "Frankie, a Child of God", then talk to the children about all of the things God created. Asks them to name some things that God has created and how they feel when they see those things. Ask them what the greatest of all God's creations is. My older kids got this right away, so I was able to say , "That's right, it's you." Tell them that they are the greatest of all God's creations.
Song: You can sing "I am a Child of God" (Hymn #301) for a closing song.
Treat: Applesauce cake with whipped topping. I got the recipe here and it's wonderful (great way to use up all of those jars of canned applesauce!) We skipped the cream cheese frosting, the raisins, and the nuts and just put Cool Whip on it and they loved it!
Originally posted by Andrea.
I hope you like this format. I have a filebox with folders in it that I keep all of my FHE lessons in. I print everything out for a lesson, including the recipe for the treat and put it in a manilla folder in my filebox so I can just pull it out when I need a quick lesson, which does happen with five kids around:
Preparation: To prepare, make photo copies of a baby picture for each of your children. Enlarge them to 5x7 or larger if possible. I did this on my all in one printer in less than 5 minutes. I also got a lot of information and ideas from here and here for this lesson if you feel inclined to do some preparation reading.
Song: Instead of an opening song, I sang "All things Bright and Beautiful" (Children's Songbook #231) for my children. I don't have a singing voice, but it was very effective without any piano etc.
Scripture: A good scripture for this lesson is Psalms 82:6.
Activity: Show your children the baby pictures and see if they can figure out which one is theirs. If you only have one child, you can throw your baby pictures into the mix or some of relatives too. Tell them each individually about their birth and how you felt before they were born, and after they were born and when you held them for the first time. Ask them to think about how heavenly father feels as he watches over them. Have the children decorate or color the edges of their pictures to make a frame. Write "I am a child of God" on each picture.
Lesson: While they are decorating, read "Frankie, a Child of God", then talk to the children about all of the things God created. Asks them to name some things that God has created and how they feel when they see those things. Ask them what the greatest of all God's creations is. My older kids got this right away, so I was able to say , "That's right, it's you." Tell them that they are the greatest of all God's creations.
Song: You can sing "I am a Child of God" (Hymn #301) for a closing song.
Treat: Applesauce cake with whipped topping. I got the recipe here and it's wonderful (great way to use up all of those jars of canned applesauce!) We skipped the cream cheese frosting, the raisins, and the nuts and just put Cool Whip on it and they loved it!
Originally posted by Andrea.
Behold Your Little Ones
A few months ago Leslie wrote about the new Nursery Manual, Behold Your Little Ones. This last Monday I finally used the new manual for a FHE lesson and I loved it!I chose lesson 22 on The Book of Mormon. The lessons are laid out in such a simple way that it made planning and implementing a lesson for my 3 and 1 year olds a cinch. Everything from the pictures to the coloring activity are right there for easy use. The lesson was just the right length to keep their attention without too much struggle. :-)
I am very impressed with this new manual and think it would be a great resource for families with young children to have in their teaching arsenal.
Originally posted by Jeanette.
Amazing activity ideas
Image from the Dover SamplerMonica at The Homespun Heart isn't LDS, but she sure knows how to do a family night! I have really enjoyed reading about the family activities that she puts together, and I thought that you might, too.
Originally posted by Mrs. Mordecai
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
I sort of thought this topic was a done deal, but apparently not. My daughter Haley has been saving, saving, saving her allowance to purchase herself a Ben 10 watch. Well, after our yard sale last week where she and her sister pocketed the profits from their toy sales and lemonade stand, she had enough finally to make the purchase. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to get to the store THAT day to get it, so she kept asking why she couldn't buy it on Sunday. So, there we go, prime fodder for our next FHE lesson.
I referenced this lesson from the Family Home Evening manual.
Begin with a scripture: Exodus 20:8-11, and Mosiah 13: 16-19, point out the scriptures say the same thing in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Question: What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy? allow children to answer with what they think it means.
Object Lesson: Begin talking to one of your children, then have your spouse or another person begin talking to the child at the same time. Then ask your child to tell you what you had talked to her/him about, ask what the other person was talking about. Hopefully, if this is successful, the child will not be able to tell you what at least one of the conversations was about.
Questions:
I referenced this lesson from the Family Home Evening manual.
Begin with a scripture: Exodus 20:8-11, and Mosiah 13: 16-19, point out the scriptures say the same thing in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Question: What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy? allow children to answer with what they think it means.
Object Lesson: Begin talking to one of your children, then have your spouse or another person begin talking to the child at the same time. Then ask your child to tell you what you had talked to her/him about, ask what the other person was talking about. Hopefully, if this is successful, the child will not be able to tell you what at least one of the conversations was about.
Questions:
- Why can't you tell me what we were talking about? because two people were talking at once, and it's too hard to listen to both people.
- Is it sometimes difficult to give enough attention to one thing, when you're trying to do something else at the same time? yes
It is also difficult to give our Heavenly Father the attention he deserves and to feel the spirit when we are focused on doing other things. This is why it's important to keep the Sabbath holy, so that we have an entire day devoted to our Heavenly Father. We should try to do only those activities that will help us draw nearer to him.
Read the following quotation by President Spencer W. Kimball:
"The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected." ("The Sabbath—A Delight," Ensign, Jan. 1978, p. 4.)
List the three aspects of keeping the Sabbath day holy defined in these passages:
1. Rest from labors
2. Offerings of service
3. Worship
With these three areas in mind, what are some ways to keep the Sabbath holy?-Perhaps note these ideas down on a poster board for future reference. Ideas might include:
Eat light meals
Cook on Saturday
Clean on Saturday
Take a nap
Write letters to loved ones and missionaries
Visit family members
Visit a sick friend
Ponder the sacrament prayer more reverently
Ponder the mighty power and works of God
Read the scriptures
Try in every way to feel closer to Heavenly Father
Bear your testimony about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Encourage family members to strive to do so. Have them pick one of the activities to focus on the following Sunday.
Originally posted by Mikki.
Lehi's Dream
Gather the family around the kitchen table for this activity. Come prepared with pencils, markers, crayons, stickers etc. You will also need a large poster board or piece of butcher paper and the scriptures.
As you tell the story of Lehi's dream (1 Nephi 8) to your family, everyone takes part in recreating the vision on paper. Young and old enjoy participating in this. Small children are skilled enough to scribble in a believable mist of darkness. Everyone can add a piece of fruit to the tree. If you have an aspiring artist in the family, let them create the large and spacious building with intricate architecture. The mathmetician in the family can make sure the strait and narrow path is precise. And so on for all the parts of the dream.
It really doesn't matter if the youngest kids add their touch to the entire paper. Just ask the older kids to figure out creative ways to incorporate the little scribbles and odd markings into their design. When the poster is done, it can be hung up as a good reminder of the lesson for the week. Hopefully upon seeing it, everyone will remember to hold to the rod!
While the story is being told, or after the picture is completed, discuss Nephi's experience with Lehi's dream (1 Nephi 11)so that all can know the interpretation of each item drawn.
A good treat for this activity would be some new types of fruit that your family hasn't tried before or doesn't get to have often. Make sure that it is a good, yummy sweet fruit!
A good song choice is "The Iron Rod" on page 274 of the hymn book.
Originally posted by Marika.
As you tell the story of Lehi's dream (1 Nephi 8) to your family, everyone takes part in recreating the vision on paper. Young and old enjoy participating in this. Small children are skilled enough to scribble in a believable mist of darkness. Everyone can add a piece of fruit to the tree. If you have an aspiring artist in the family, let them create the large and spacious building with intricate architecture. The mathmetician in the family can make sure the strait and narrow path is precise. And so on for all the parts of the dream.
It really doesn't matter if the youngest kids add their touch to the entire paper. Just ask the older kids to figure out creative ways to incorporate the little scribbles and odd markings into their design. When the poster is done, it can be hung up as a good reminder of the lesson for the week. Hopefully upon seeing it, everyone will remember to hold to the rod!
While the story is being told, or after the picture is completed, discuss Nephi's experience with Lehi's dream (1 Nephi 11)so that all can know the interpretation of each item drawn.
A good treat for this activity would be some new types of fruit that your family hasn't tried before or doesn't get to have often. Make sure that it is a good, yummy sweet fruit!
A good song choice is "The Iron Rod" on page 274 of the hymn book.
Originally posted by Marika.
Learn the apostles
I love Family Home Evenings where you can combine a lesson and activity. It really helps with short attention spans.
Recently my husband planned a lesson about the apostles. We talked a bit about them, and we tried to put their pictures in order. We were better at the older apostles' names, but it was easier for us to remember the order of the most recently called Elders. Our two-year-old son enjoyed trying to count them (one, two, five, seven . . . ). You can find a nice set of flashcards here.
One more thing you could do is learn this cheesy but effective song. Songs always help me remember better. (Source; if anyone knows who actually wrote it please comment so I can credit them.)
Originally posted by Mrs. Mordecai
Peace, Be Still
For family home evening not too long ago, we talked about the Lord's hand in our lives. We pointed out to the kids that in order to really have the Lord with us, we must take time to be still during the day to listen and to feel. We discussed this, asking questions and gathering each other's comments. We then did an activity.
We picked a scripture verse for each member of the family (the older kids chose their own). Each person wrote their verse (or part of the verse) on a blank sheet of paper. Everyone decorated their paper with color, fancy lettering, designs on the lettering or pictures as they saw fit. The young ones enjoyed tracing and coloring their own. Then we hung the decorated sheets in various places around the house.
Some verses we included are:
Hymn #140
Proverbs 3:5-6
Alma 37:37
John 20:19
Mark 4:39
There are a lot more really good scriptures you could use.
Throughout the coming weeks as we were able to see our scriptures, we were reminded to stop, ponder and listen, just for a short moment. It is amazing what a difference it makes to do this several times during the day. It gives you a chance to reflect on the things of the spirit and it really only takes a minute.
Originally posted by Marika.
We picked a scripture verse for each member of the family (the older kids chose their own). Each person wrote their verse (or part of the verse) on a blank sheet of paper. Everyone decorated their paper with color, fancy lettering, designs on the lettering or pictures as they saw fit. The young ones enjoyed tracing and coloring their own. Then we hung the decorated sheets in various places around the house.
Some verses we included are:
Hymn #140
Proverbs 3:5-6
Alma 37:37
John 20:19
Mark 4:39
There are a lot more really good scriptures you could use.
Throughout the coming weeks as we were able to see our scriptures, we were reminded to stop, ponder and listen, just for a short moment. It is amazing what a difference it makes to do this several times during the day. It gives you a chance to reflect on the things of the spirit and it really only takes a minute.
Originally posted by Marika.
Divine Nature and Individual Worth
My oldest daughter Ashley, who is almost 10, is getting to that age where I begin worrying about her self image and the outside forces of the world that have already begun working on her. You know, the magazines, commercials, friends etc. who might give her the impression she's not good enough. So I've been wanting to do a lesson on Divine Nature and Individual Worth, even though she's not in YW yet. Here's what I've come up with. I hope it's not too mature for your youngest ones. I tried to find most of my ideas from The Friend, since it's aimed at primary age children.
Conclude by bearing testimony that we are children of God, that He loves us and desires for us to return to him some day. He is available to us for any problem we might have and we should turn to him in prayer always.
Originally posted by Mikki.
clipart courtesy of DebaNae's LDS store 'n More
Here are links to the articles I used for this lesson:
Friend to Friend:We May Be Like Him
by Elder Boyd K. Packerof the Council of the Twelve
Song: I am a Child of God
Objective: To help children understand their divine heritage, and to know that our Father in Heaven is always there for them.
Object Lesson: Taken from Elder Packer's talk referenced above, it would be a cute idea to find pictures of a chic and then various adult animals. Discuss Elder Packer's story with these pictures. The children understand that a chic grows up to be a chicken, a calf grows up to be a cow, a colt grows up to be a horse, etc... Then perhaps, have a picture of a baby, and show that it grows up to be an adult, then show that the adult has the ability to become like our Father in Heaven.
For my lesson, I want to relate this story, and discuss it.
Discussion: Where do you come from?
Who is your father? Where are you going? Why are you here?
Who can you turn to when you need help? How?
The point of these questions is to help the children understand that we are children of our Father in Heaven, and that we can turn to him for every need--physical, spiritual and emotional.
I also want to emphasize that we are each unique and wonderful in our individuality. This cute activity might help them understand that even though we're different, our Heavenly Father loves us all the same. At this point I want to discuss how material things, and our looks and differences don't matter. We are each unique and special in our Father's eyes. We need not concern ourselves with what the world thinks of us, because the only opinion that really counts is our Father's.
Discuss ways we can embrace and magnify our divine potential. For instance, keeping the commandments, serving others, prayer, scripture study, seeking out and using our talents.
As an alternate or additional activity, I want to make some bookmarks with this sweet poem on it:“Who I Really Am,”
Some say I have my mother’s eyes.
My smile comes from my dad.
My freckles come from Grandpa,
And all this makes me glad.
I share the curls in my hair
I share the curls in my hair
With uncles whom I love.
But the truth of who I really am
Comes from up above.
A child of God is who I am,
A child of God is who I am,
A child of royal birth.
My Father up in heaven
Sent me here to earth.
As I take this journey
As I take this journey
And try valiantly each day,
I know He watches over me
And listens when I pray.
So if the path gets thorny
So if the path gets thorny
And the way feels not so clear,
I remember who I really am
And that takes away each fear.
--Cindy Maybon
--Cindy Maybon
Friend Feb 2008, 7
Conclude by bearing testimony that we are children of God, that He loves us and desires for us to return to him some day. He is available to us for any problem we might have and we should turn to him in prayer always.
Originally posted by Mikki.
Reverence
*Updated with new links*
We had a visitor come on Monday to teach us about reverence.This is our reverence child.
He likes to run and play, but when it is time for prayers, he kneels,
or sits down,
folds his arms,
and closes his eyes.
He also is quiet and listens to the prayers.
When it is lesson time in nursery, he sits quietly with his arms folded and listens to the lesson.
My son loved this. He loved to help position him back and forth. We talked about all the different times that we need to be reverent (different prayers we say, during sacrament meeting, in nursery, etc.) and what we should do so that we are reverent.
Since this lesson we have asked him to show us how to be reverent during prayers, and although he is still pretty wiggly and it doesn't last very long, it has enforced what should be done. He has a better understanding of what it means to be reverent.
You can download a pattern for the reverence child at these links:
Legs
Eyes
Body
Arms, Head
Originally posted by Richelle.
Heavenly Father Has a Body
This is a simple lesson and activity that we did several months ago with our son.We opened FHE by singing a few rounds of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
Then we had a short lesson about how Heavenly Father has a body and discussed how we were created in His image. We kept things very basic for our 2 year old.
Then we rolled out some paper and traced Red's body and let him color on it. He had lots of fun and even insisted that we trace his bears too.
Originally posted by Jeanette.
Obedience
We had a lesson on obedience this week, I thought it would make a good addition to Marika's post about obedience (and I really have been meaning to post it!).
This object lesson came from a lesson I remember teaching a primary class a while ago. I don't know if it is still in one of the lesson books.
Get an animal of some sort (a sheep, cow, goat--something that lives on a farm would work the best) and make some sort of fence around the animal. I had a little toy cow, and since I couldn't find our toy fence, I just made a fence around it with blocks. It seems the lesson manual had the kids make their animal and fence out of play dough, which would be fun.
Ask the kids, or just explain (depending on ages), why we keep the animals in fences-- they could get lost, hurt, not be able to find food... if they were on their own.
Parallel the fence to rules and commandments that we have. Since my son is just 2, I just went into very basic rules that he knows and why we want him to do those things--so he will be safe, happy, healthy... That is why it is important to obey Mommy and Daddy.
You could get a lot more into commandments as rules Heavenly Father gives us to be safe, happy, and healthy, and read some of the scriptures Marika listed.
We ended singing "When My Mother Calls Me, Quickly I’ll Obey" (#197 PS).
Originally posted by Richelle.
This object lesson came from a lesson I remember teaching a primary class a while ago. I don't know if it is still in one of the lesson books.
Get an animal of some sort (a sheep, cow, goat--something that lives on a farm would work the best) and make some sort of fence around the animal. I had a little toy cow, and since I couldn't find our toy fence, I just made a fence around it with blocks. It seems the lesson manual had the kids make their animal and fence out of play dough, which would be fun.
Ask the kids, or just explain (depending on ages), why we keep the animals in fences-- they could get lost, hurt, not be able to find food... if they were on their own.
Parallel the fence to rules and commandments that we have. Since my son is just 2, I just went into very basic rules that he knows and why we want him to do those things--so he will be safe, happy, healthy... That is why it is important to obey Mommy and Daddy.
You could get a lot more into commandments as rules Heavenly Father gives us to be safe, happy, and healthy, and read some of the scriptures Marika listed.
We ended singing "When My Mother Calls Me, Quickly I’ll Obey" (#197 PS).
Originally posted by Richelle.
Noah was a Prophet
I am so thankful for all the wonderful women who are contributors on this blog because I have been slacking for way too long. I have a nice little stack of FHE ideas that we've been doing but I have just been letting them pile up instead of posting them. I will be trying to fix that this week and get some posts up.
We have started a series of lessons on Prophets from the Bible and Book of Mormon.
I decided to go with Noah first because the story of Noah and the Ark tends to appeal to kids.
I used some clip art from The Friend to make flannel board pieces and told the story of Noah warning the people to repent, building the Ark and gathering his family and the animals in the Ark. Then we talked about how those on the Ark were kept safe on the ark during the flood because they followed the counsel of the prophet.
We checked out the book Noah's Ark from the library and we went through the book just talking about the animals and looking at the pictures.
Finally, our son turned the couch into an Ark and gathered up some of his toys and stuffed animals to keep them safe from the flood, which turned out to be his little sister who kept trying to snatch the animals from safety on the Ark. This was unplanned but Red had lots of fun playing Noah and the Ark.
For refreshments, I made animal shaped sugar cookies. Two of each of course!
Originally posted by Jeanette.
We have started a series of lessons on Prophets from the Bible and Book of Mormon.I decided to go with Noah first because the story of Noah and the Ark tends to appeal to kids.
I used some clip art from The Friend to make flannel board pieces and told the story of Noah warning the people to repent, building the Ark and gathering his family and the animals in the Ark. Then we talked about how those on the Ark were kept safe on the ark during the flood because they followed the counsel of the prophet.
We checked out the book Noah's Ark from the library and we went through the book just talking about the animals and looking at the pictures.
Finally, our son turned the couch into an Ark and gathered up some of his toys and stuffed animals to keep them safe from the flood, which turned out to be his little sister who kept trying to snatch the animals from safety on the Ark. This was unplanned but Red had lots of fun playing Noah and the Ark.
For refreshments, I made animal shaped sugar cookies. Two of each of course!
Originally posted by Jeanette.
Obedience to Parents Lesson Plans
Here's a lesson plan that can be adapted to all age groups. Don't try to do all of it! Just pick and choose. Click on the links to go directly to instructions for games, songs, stories, scriptures, etc. online.
Songs
1. When My Mother Calls Me, Quickly I’ll Obey #197 PS
2. When We’re Helping We’re Happy #198 PS
3. Do as I’m Doing #276 PS
4. I Am a Child of God #2 PS
5. Baby Bumblebee here FS
6. If You’re Happy and You Know It #266 FS
7. Over in the Meadow here FS
8. The Mulberry Bush here FS
Scripture Quotes & Stories
1. Exodus 20:12=Honor thy Father & Mother. See also cross references
2. **Colossians 3:20=Children should obey their parents in all things
3. Deuteronomy 21:18-21=See kids? Mom & Dad aren’t so bad.
4. Proverbs 17:25=Foolish son is a grief to his Father.
5. Joseph Smith History 49&50=Joseph was in the habit of obeying his father. He knew his father would lead him in the right direction now.
6. Alma 57 This is the stripling warriors story. Obedience to parents leads to obedience to leaders (ie. Prophet, Heavenly Father).
7. Ruth The story of Ruth & Naomi shows honor to parents.
8. The “non” prodigal son continually had good from his father even while the prodigal son was gone from home.
Stories
1. Snow White & Rose Red—Both were taught to be kind. Obedience versus disobedience yielded different results. (Fairy tale from the Brother’s Grimm.)
2. Little Red Riding Hood—If she had gone straight to grandmas house like mom said, would the wolf have been a problem? (Fairy tale from the Brother’s Grimm.)
3. Pioneer girls obeyed dad and were saved from a fire. (Story from Rebecca Todd, “Fire on the Prairie,” Friend, Feb 1997
Games
1. Simon Says
2. Mother May I
Outings
1. Play “Follow the Leader” at the park on rollerblades or playground
2. Go downtown and talk about street safety rules. Practice obedience in applying rules learned.
3. Go to library and practice library manners as taught.
Object Lessons
1. Choice & consequence train chains -- Make a paper chain by interlocking strips of paper together to form circles. Have someone (or all the kids take turns) pull one end of the chain. Point out that wherever the first one is pulled, the rest follow. Like pulling on the first chain, you can choose your actions. Also, like the rest of the links in the chain, consequences will follow. You can’t choose the consequences. If you don’t obey your parents, you know that there will be a consequence for you action.
2. Everyone help make a cake. -- Mom or Dad give a direction to everyone. How would the cake taste if everyone didn’t obey their instruction? How about if only one person didn’t?
3. Obedience in Lego constructing. -- You can vary this as you want, but here is the general idea. Mother gives out instructions to all on building a particular structure that she has in mind. All are to follow the precise instructions. (Before FHE begins, Mom should ask one person to only partially follow her instructions on the first Lego project.) As the structures are being built, some may notice that one person isn’t following instructions. This will lead to good discussion later. When the structures have been completed, ask questions—including some in the discussion question section. The idea that comes across here should be that Heavenly Father’s plan makes it such that every mom and dad should be obeyed by their children because parents love their children and have in mind certain things they want them to learn and become. As children disobey, heir structure doesn’t turn out the way mom and dad had in mind. For instance, if they refuse to be honest, perhaps their structure might be somewhat lopsided or something. The second part of this object lesson is to have Mother give instructions to the whole family to build something together. One person can be assigned as project manager to make sure things are done the way mom asked. (Before FHE, Mom can ask Dad to mildly sabotage the efforts.) When this project is completed, we can discuss the fact that what one person does can affect the whole family.
Activities
1. Follow the Leader
Refreshment Ideas
1. Choose any fun treat, but require that it must be eaten in the manner indicated—fast, slow, sit, stand, around the edge, from the middle, with a ladle or a straw
2. See cake activity in “object lessons”
Discussion Questions
1. Why follow this principle?
2. Why did the Lord ask us to do this?
3. What can happen when we don’t?
4. What can we gain spiritually?
5. Why can’t the parents obey the kids?
6. How does this fit in with the plan of salvation?
7. Have you seen examples of obedient or disobedient children you would like to be like?
Reference List
1. See internet links on each section.
2. www.lds.org
3. http://www.kididdles.com
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
5. Go here for more song possibilities. (More songs on this topic may be added over time.)
6. Refer to www.completelee.com for more information.
7. Email publish@completelee.com with questions.
Originally posted by Marika.
Songs
1. When My Mother Calls Me, Quickly I’ll Obey #197 PS
2. When We’re Helping We’re Happy #198 PS
3. Do as I’m Doing #276 PS
4. I Am a Child of God #2 PS
5. Baby Bumblebee here FS
6. If You’re Happy and You Know It #266 FS
7. Over in the Meadow here FS
8. The Mulberry Bush here FS
Scripture Quotes & Stories
1. Exodus 20:12=Honor thy Father & Mother. See also cross references
2. **Colossians 3:20=Children should obey their parents in all things
3. Deuteronomy 21:18-21=See kids? Mom & Dad aren’t so bad.
4. Proverbs 17:25=Foolish son is a grief to his Father.
5. Joseph Smith History 49&50=Joseph was in the habit of obeying his father. He knew his father would lead him in the right direction now.
6. Alma 57 This is the stripling warriors story. Obedience to parents leads to obedience to leaders (ie. Prophet, Heavenly Father).
7. Ruth The story of Ruth & Naomi shows honor to parents.
8. The “non” prodigal son continually had good from his father even while the prodigal son was gone from home.
Stories
1. Snow White & Rose Red—Both were taught to be kind. Obedience versus disobedience yielded different results. (Fairy tale from the Brother’s Grimm.)
2. Little Red Riding Hood—If she had gone straight to grandmas house like mom said, would the wolf have been a problem? (Fairy tale from the Brother’s Grimm.)
3. Pioneer girls obeyed dad and were saved from a fire. (Story from Rebecca Todd, “Fire on the Prairie,” Friend, Feb 1997
Games
1. Simon Says
2. Mother May I
Outings
1. Play “Follow the Leader” at the park on rollerblades or playground
2. Go downtown and talk about street safety rules. Practice obedience in applying rules learned.
3. Go to library and practice library manners as taught.
Object Lessons
1. Choice & consequence train chains -- Make a paper chain by interlocking strips of paper together to form circles. Have someone (or all the kids take turns) pull one end of the chain. Point out that wherever the first one is pulled, the rest follow. Like pulling on the first chain, you can choose your actions. Also, like the rest of the links in the chain, consequences will follow. You can’t choose the consequences. If you don’t obey your parents, you know that there will be a consequence for you action.
2. Everyone help make a cake. -- Mom or Dad give a direction to everyone. How would the cake taste if everyone didn’t obey their instruction? How about if only one person didn’t?
3. Obedience in Lego constructing. -- You can vary this as you want, but here is the general idea. Mother gives out instructions to all on building a particular structure that she has in mind. All are to follow the precise instructions. (Before FHE begins, Mom should ask one person to only partially follow her instructions on the first Lego project.) As the structures are being built, some may notice that one person isn’t following instructions. This will lead to good discussion later. When the structures have been completed, ask questions—including some in the discussion question section. The idea that comes across here should be that Heavenly Father’s plan makes it such that every mom and dad should be obeyed by their children because parents love their children and have in mind certain things they want them to learn and become. As children disobey, heir structure doesn’t turn out the way mom and dad had in mind. For instance, if they refuse to be honest, perhaps their structure might be somewhat lopsided or something. The second part of this object lesson is to have Mother give instructions to the whole family to build something together. One person can be assigned as project manager to make sure things are done the way mom asked. (Before FHE, Mom can ask Dad to mildly sabotage the efforts.) When this project is completed, we can discuss the fact that what one person does can affect the whole family.
Activities
1. Follow the Leader
Refreshment Ideas
1. Choose any fun treat, but require that it must be eaten in the manner indicated—fast, slow, sit, stand, around the edge, from the middle, with a ladle or a straw
2. See cake activity in “object lessons”
Discussion Questions
1. Why follow this principle?
2. Why did the Lord ask us to do this?
3. What can happen when we don’t?
4. What can we gain spiritually?
5. Why can’t the parents obey the kids?
6. How does this fit in with the plan of salvation?
7. Have you seen examples of obedient or disobedient children you would like to be like?
Reference List
1. See internet links on each section.
2. www.lds.org
3. http://www.kididdles.com
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
5. Go here for more song possibilities. (More songs on this topic may be added over time.)
6. Refer to www.completelee.com for more information.
7. Email publish@completelee.com with questions.
Originally posted by Marika.
Respect for Creation
Age range of my kids: 6-9 (two 1 year olds, who are usually asleep during the lesson.)
I've had the idea of doing a service project involving picking up trash around my kid's school for a little while now. I found a sharing time idea from the Sept. 1996 Liahona that I thought would work well.
Song: Childrens songbook pg 228--My Heavenly Father Loves Me
Scripture: Moses 6:63 "All things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth".
Discuss how the earth was created by Jesus Christ under Heavenly Fathers' direction. Everything speaks of our Heavenly Father and a Savior who loves us. They were happy to create this beautiful earth and everything on it to assist us and help us to be happy.
Heavenly Father and Jesus also created Adam and Eve, and placed them in the Garden of Eden. They were commanded to care for it and to name every creature.
As part of Adam's family, we too should help care for the earth and its creatures.
We discussed things we can do to care for the earth. These things might include, planting things, guarding our resources, caring for animals, picking up litter wherever we see it.
We should also thank our Heavenly Father for these blessings when we pray. When we care for His creations, we are showing Him gratitude.
At the end of our lesson, we went out for our service project. We managed to halfway fill up a 45-gallon trash bag with the litter we found around my kid's school.
There are some other ideas you could use for this lesson here.
Originally posted by Mikki.
I've had the idea of doing a service project involving picking up trash around my kid's school for a little while now. I found a sharing time idea from the Sept. 1996 Liahona that I thought would work well.
Song: Childrens songbook pg 228--My Heavenly Father Loves Me
Scripture: Moses 6:63 "All things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth".
Discuss how the earth was created by Jesus Christ under Heavenly Fathers' direction. Everything speaks of our Heavenly Father and a Savior who loves us. They were happy to create this beautiful earth and everything on it to assist us and help us to be happy.
Heavenly Father and Jesus also created Adam and Eve, and placed them in the Garden of Eden. They were commanded to care for it and to name every creature.
As part of Adam's family, we too should help care for the earth and its creatures.
We discussed things we can do to care for the earth. These things might include, planting things, guarding our resources, caring for animals, picking up litter wherever we see it.
We should also thank our Heavenly Father for these blessings when we pray. When we care for His creations, we are showing Him gratitude.
At the end of our lesson, we went out for our service project. We managed to halfway fill up a 45-gallon trash bag with the litter we found around my kid's school.
There are some other ideas you could use for this lesson here.
Originally posted by Mikki.
Introducing Marika
Hi!
Here's just a little bit about me and my family before I start doing any regular posting on FHE topics. My hubby and I have 7 children ranging in age from 7 months to 18 years. I have homeschooled all of my children for at least part of their education. Some things I like to do include cooking, reading, writing music, learning, and playing games with my family. (You could probably just click on my profile to learn more about me if you want.) ;)
I happened upon this blog as I was researching to find some ideas for an FHE book I have been working on. I hope to find some good ideas here to use in my own Family Home Evenings as I try to figure out how to customize lessons to such a wide age range. I also hope that some of my ideas will be useful to those that will be reading the blog.
Thanks,
Marika
Here's just a little bit about me and my family before I start doing any regular posting on FHE topics. My hubby and I have 7 children ranging in age from 7 months to 18 years. I have homeschooled all of my children for at least part of their education. Some things I like to do include cooking, reading, writing music, learning, and playing games with my family. (You could probably just click on my profile to learn more about me if you want.) ;)
I happened upon this blog as I was researching to find some ideas for an FHE book I have been working on. I hope to find some good ideas here to use in my own Family Home Evenings as I try to figure out how to customize lessons to such a wide age range. I also hope that some of my ideas will be useful to those that will be reading the blog.
Thanks,
Marika
New Resource for Families with Young Children
A wonderful new resource has just been published and made available from the Church. A new Nursery Manual is now available!
It will be a wonderful resource not only for the Nursery class for which it was created, but it is also a wonderful place for families with young children to look for FHE ideas. The new manual also features teaching tips and ideas for working with young children. The manual points out that when we quote or use scriptures to teach these young ones, that we should open our scriptures and point to where we are reading which will help to teach appreciation and reverence for the Scriptures.
Another aspect of this wonderful new resource that I appreciate is the quick pace at which gospel principles are taught. It helps me to remember to be mindful of the real attention span and abilities of my little children and helps me to feel okay about taking gospel principles piece by piece to teach the full principle.
You can order this awesome booklet from Church Distribution here! Let's use and enjoy this beautiful and well thought out manual!
It will be a wonderful resource not only for the Nursery class for which it was created, but it is also a wonderful place for families with young children to look for FHE ideas. The new manual also features teaching tips and ideas for working with young children. The manual points out that when we quote or use scriptures to teach these young ones, that we should open our scriptures and point to where we are reading which will help to teach appreciation and reverence for the Scriptures.
Another aspect of this wonderful new resource that I appreciate is the quick pace at which gospel principles are taught. It helps me to remember to be mindful of the real attention span and abilities of my little children and helps me to feel okay about taking gospel principles piece by piece to teach the full principle.
You can order this awesome booklet from Church Distribution here! Let's use and enjoy this beautiful and well thought out manual!
Obedience
Well, we can always do with the obedience lesson. Seems we need constant reminders around my house. I tell my kids all the time, "you need to listen better". Then I think to myself, "Well, they listen fine, it's obedience they need to work on."
Well, I started our lesson out tonight with a walk around the neighborhood. And it was a lovely evening for a walk. The weather was actually a little cool. It had sprinkled earlier and that cooled everything off, along with a nice gentle breeze that was blowing.
When we got home, I took a blindfold and my scriptures out. Both girls took turns being blindfolded and had to try to locate the scriptures with no help. Then they got to receive help finding them. Needless to say, it was much easier with some direction. (this idea was in the back of the August issue of the Friend.)
Next, we read this story from the same issue of the Friend.
Afterwards we discussed the kinds of things that could have happened to the dog in the story if she got loose and perhaps ran into the street. How she could be hit by a car. How if she was hit by a car and a child tried to help her, she might hurt the child, etc. etc. . I tried to help them see how having rules that needed to be followed protect the dog and others as well. Then we discussed how this applies in our lives as well. How we have rules that need to be followed for our own protection. When we were on our walk, the girls actually took their scooters and at one point my youngest wanted to take off her helmet. I said, "Ok, but no crazy riding. don't try any stunts without your helmet on." she wasn't thrilled, but she obeyed. So, we discussed why I said this to her. We also discussed how I make them stop at every corner and wait before crossing the street. I was hoping they would understand that there's a reason we give them rules to follow and why it's important to obey.
They seemed to get it. We'll see.....
Originally posted by Mikki.
Well, I started our lesson out tonight with a walk around the neighborhood. And it was a lovely evening for a walk. The weather was actually a little cool. It had sprinkled earlier and that cooled everything off, along with a nice gentle breeze that was blowing.
When we got home, I took a blindfold and my scriptures out. Both girls took turns being blindfolded and had to try to locate the scriptures with no help. Then they got to receive help finding them. Needless to say, it was much easier with some direction. (this idea was in the back of the August issue of the Friend.)
Next, we read this story from the same issue of the Friend.
Afterwards we discussed the kinds of things that could have happened to the dog in the story if she got loose and perhaps ran into the street. How she could be hit by a car. How if she was hit by a car and a child tried to help her, she might hurt the child, etc. etc. . I tried to help them see how having rules that needed to be followed protect the dog and others as well. Then we discussed how this applies in our lives as well. How we have rules that need to be followed for our own protection. When we were on our walk, the girls actually took their scooters and at one point my youngest wanted to take off her helmet. I said, "Ok, but no crazy riding. don't try any stunts without your helmet on." she wasn't thrilled, but she obeyed. So, we discussed why I said this to her. We also discussed how I make them stop at every corner and wait before crossing the street. I was hoping they would understand that there's a reason we give them rules to follow and why it's important to obey.
They seemed to get it. We'll see.....
Originally posted by Mikki.
Flannel Board Stories
On thing I have found that works really well to keep my 2 year old's attention while telling scripture stories for FHE is flannel board stories.
The best resource for flannel board story pictures is the Friend. There have been stories about Joseph Smith's life in each of the Friends this year. The July one is about Joseph moving to Ohio.
There is a list here that links to a bunch of stories from past Friends, or get them in color here.
I made my flannel board out of flannel covered cardboard. Then I put felt on the back of the story pieces. It works OK. I have heard of doing it backwards (felt on the board and flannel on the pieces), or putting velcro on the pieces. I don't know what works the best. If you have a flannel board, share your ideas.
Originally posted by Richelle.
The best resource for flannel board story pictures is the Friend. There have been stories about Joseph Smith's life in each of the Friends this year. The July one is about Joseph moving to Ohio.
There is a list here that links to a bunch of stories from past Friends, or get them in color here.
I made my flannel board out of flannel covered cardboard. Then I put felt on the back of the story pieces. It works OK. I have heard of doing it backwards (felt on the board and flannel on the pieces), or putting velcro on the pieces. I don't know what works the best. If you have a flannel board, share your ideas.
Originally posted by Richelle.
Getting to Know You
I saw this idea on Garibay Soup. It's a great idea for couples, groups, or any sort of family.
Pass out a sheet of paper with a bunch of questions on it (ideas given below). Everyone fills out their answers, then go around the room and discuss. It can be fun to guess what people have written before they spill the beans, too!
This is a great way to get to know a bit more about your family, and to help your children feel unique and loved for who they are.
Here are some suggestions for questions (and there are more here), but I'm sure you'll enjoy coming up with some of your own, too.
- Who is your favorite author?
- Do you prefer sweet snacks or salty?
- What language would you most like to learn?
- What is your favorite subject in school?
- What university would you like to attend?
- If you could go back in time, when and where would you go?
- What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- Would you rather go swimming or climb a tree?
- What is your favorite Sunday activity?
- If the presidential election was tomorrow, who would get your vote?
(Image from Project Gutenberg)
Originally posted by Mrs. Mordecai
Why Families?
I recently stumbled upon a great new blog called Why Families? They have some great FHE ideas, but beyond that, they talk about the reasons that our families are so important. I'm going to be keeping an eye on them!
Here are some of their great Family Home Evening highlights:
- Tips for Successful Family Home Evenings
- What Is Family Home Evening?
- Good, Better, Best (this one has a great object lesson!)
(Image from the Dover Sampler)
Originally posted by Mrs. Mordecai
Introducing Andrea
Well, it's about time that I introduce myself. I'm Andrea and I'm a stay at home mom to 5 kids. I've been married to my husband Lance for 13 years. The ages of my kids are 11, 9, 4, 3, and 6 months. I have a gap between my older and younger kids so FHE is always a challenge. I strive to find something that will keep the interest of my older and younger kids. If I don't remember family night, my 11 year old son will remind me. He will also remind me on Tuesday and Wednesday and keep reminding me until we get it in. I'm actually grateful for that. I play the piano and teach piano lessons so music is a big part of our family nights. I'm very excited to participate in this blog and hope I'll have some good ideas to share with you! I'm afraid this is as good as it gets on the family picture:
Originally posted by Andrea.
Family Scripture Study
I came across some great FHE resources through The Idea Door .
I was looking for a lesson to do on Family Scripture Study and found this one from Deseret Book.
It provides a great little booklet you can print out for the lesson along with activity and refreshment suggestions. So, this is what I'll be doing tomorrow night.
Originally posted by Mikki.
I was looking for a lesson to do on Family Scripture Study and found this one from Deseret Book.
It provides a great little booklet you can print out for the lesson along with activity and refreshment suggestions. So, this is what I'll be doing tomorrow night.
Originally posted by Mikki.
Just Do It
This handout from a sharing station at BYU's Women's Conference has some great tips and ideas for planning Family Home Evening.
I like the three week rotation idea of 1 week being a spiritual lesson, the 2nd week a practical lesson and the 3rd week something fun like games.
Check it out, maybe you will find something that will work for you and your family.
I like the three week rotation idea of 1 week being a spiritual lesson, the 2nd week a practical lesson and the 3rd week something fun like games.
Check it out, maybe you will find something that will work for you and your family.
Obedience, part 1
Obedience is a lesson that we desperately needed to teach our 3 year old. We have, and are spending, several Family Home Evening lessons working on this. This is the outline for the first lesson on obedience. Most of this outline came from lesson 28 in the Primary 1 lesson manual.
After an opening prayer and song we played a game of Red Light Green Light. I just cut some circles out of construction paper and covered them with clear contact paper and attached Popsicle sticks to them to use for this game. They have been used on a pretty daily basis since then. Red loves playing Red Light Green Light.
We each took turns holding the lights and calling red light or green light. After that we did the repeat my action game to get him calmed down (turn around, reach up high, touch toes, fold arms, sit down etc etc).
-Explain that in both these games we were following directions and being obedient.
I then brought out photo albums with pictures of both kids when they were babies and as we looked at the pictures I talked about who took care of Red when he was a baby and who takes care of L (mommy and daddy) and why we take care of them (because we love them and want them to be safe and happy).
After that I asked Red what some of the things mommy and daddy tell him to do. He needed a little prompting to help him get started with this but we came up with a good list.
-Put toys away, go to bed, help set and clear the table, play nicely with sister, come when called, hold hand in parking lot, stay in back yard when playing outside, ask before getting a snack, etc etc.
-Why should we obey mommy and daddy when they ask you to do these kinds of things? Because mommy and daddy love you and want you to do things that will keep you safe and happy and it makes mommy and daddy happy when you obey.
Read Ephesians 6:1
Sing: Quickly I'll Obey and When We're Helping We're Happy
I printed a blank calender page and had Red color it and then we hung it on the fridge and every night before bed we are helping Red draw or write something he did to be obedient that day.
This was a longer lesson than I normally plan for Red but he did pretty good and the obedience calender is really helping to drive the point home and help him remember to obey mommy and daddy.
I'll be posting more of our obedience lessons in the days and weeks to come.
My Father Dwelt in a Tent
My husband is a genius. He keeps coming up with these amazing lesson-activity combos that keep an almost-two-year-old's attention. I'll be sharing some with you over the next little while.
A few weeks ago, we had our small tent set up in the house, partly to air it out, and partly for our son to play with. He could think of nothing but the tent, and we knew that we'd need to have Family Home Evening there if we wanted his attention at all.
So my husband told the story of Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem and journeying into the wilderness (this is where we go to the tent). Then he told about Nephi and his brothers going back to get the plates from Laban ( 1 Nephi 2-5). We sent Red Chief to his bookcase to get us a book. The book he returned with had nothing to do with our lesson, but we took a break and read it.
This was easy, and it really kept Red Chief's attention. I'm sure that if you don't want to set up a tent in your house, you can make one out of chairs and blankets, or come up with any number of ideas.
Originally posted by Mrs. Mordecai.
Patriotic Cupcakes
These are the cupcakes I make around the 4 of July and that I'll be making for FHE tonight.
I made these last year and filled the muffin papers way too full and they turned into these huge mushroom looking cupcakes. I blame it on the fact that I was days away from having a baby and I was in the throes of pregnancy brain. They still tasted good.
I made these last year and filled the muffin papers way too full and they turned into these huge mushroom looking cupcakes. I blame it on the fact that I was days away from having a baby and I was in the throes of pregnancy brain. They still tasted good.
4th of July Family Home Evening
Here in the United States we will be celebrating Independence Day this Friday. That got me thinking of ideas for a 4th of July Family Home Evening.Song: My County Tis of Thee
Scripture: Ether 2:12
Lesson:
I've found that it is best if Red is occupied doing something during the lesson or he will just run all over the place and not listen to anything. I found these Famous American coloring pages and printed a few off so he can color while we talk.
I checked out some juvenile non-fiction books about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights from the library. They are heavy on illustrations and have simple concepts about the constitution. I will go through a few of these pages with Red while he colors. I will also probably briefly tell the stories that go with the pictures he is coloring. When I feel like I am losing his attention than we will move on to making an American Flag out of construction paper. Red is learning how to handle scissors so I will have him help me cut out strips of red and white paper and we will glue them to a sheet of blue paper and then add some star stickers.
If you have older kids, I think 1 Nephi 13 would make a great chapter to read and discuss around this time of year.
Treats: I will be making some red, white and blue cupcakes and we'll sing "Happy Birthday, United States." :-)
Temples
A few weeks ago Mrs. Mordecai shared a great idea for making temples out of play dough.
I totally ran with the idea that night and thought I would share some pictures and what we did for the lesson.
Red loved this activity and for several days afterwards he wanted to make temples out of his play dough. Those little green mounds in the last picture are people. Red insisted that we make people who are going to the temple.
Our lesson was very casual that night. While Red and Expert worked on making the temples I showed Red pictures of different temples and we talked about temples. We talked about how mommy and daddy got married in the temple and that led to a little discussion on eternal families.
If you need ideas for what to talk about or scriptures to read, just read the information on the back of the pictures in the Gospel Art picture kit, that is what I did.
It made a great lesson and activity in one!
I totally ran with the idea that night and thought I would share some pictures and what we did for the lesson.
Red loved this activity and for several days afterwards he wanted to make temples out of his play dough. Those little green mounds in the last picture are people. Red insisted that we make people who are going to the temple.
Our lesson was very casual that night. While Red and Expert worked on making the temples I showed Red pictures of different temples and we talked about temples. We talked about how mommy and daddy got married in the temple and that led to a little discussion on eternal families.
If you need ideas for what to talk about or scriptures to read, just read the information on the back of the pictures in the Gospel Art picture kit, that is what I did.
It made a great lesson and activity in one!
Concern for the One
One of the talks in church on Sunday was from the talk, "Concern for the One", given by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin.
It is from this past General Conference. I've been trying to get around lately to sending a little package to my grandmother. So, I thought these two ideas might work together in a FHE plan.
After reading over the article first, here are the key points I emphasized during our activity.
It is from this past General Conference. I've been trying to get around lately to sending a little package to my grandmother. So, I thought these two ideas might work together in a FHE plan.
After reading over the article first, here are the key points I emphasized during our activity.
- Jesus Christ is our greatest example. Although he was always surrounded by, and teaching many people; he always had concern for people individually.
- Scripture references might include:
Matthew 18:11
Luke 15:4- As His disciples, we too should take care and show concern for individuals.
- Those who are different might feel as though they don't belong. They might be different in the ways they look, act, think and speak.
- Share Elder Wirthlin's story from his childhood.
- What are some ways we can help those who are different?
Be kind, include them, don't judge them based on appearances, treat them as you would like to be treated.
2. Those who are weary may be overwhelmed with lifes pressures and demands, they may feel they don't measure up to their potential and are discouraged, some feel to weak to contribute.
- How can we show concern and love for these individuals?
offer service to them, pray for them, teach them if applicable, be patient with them, offer encouragement.
3. Those who have strayed. We have all at one point or another, made poor choices. The important thing to remember is that our church is made up of imperfect people. None of us does everything right all the time. As the article states, "the church is a place for imperfect people to gather together-even with their mortal frailties-and become better".
- So, how do we help those who have strayed?
give encouragement, service, support. Love them, be kind to them, be an example, don't judge.
Conclusion: If we want to be like Jesus, we need to offer our love to everyone. Not just in general, but also on an individual basis. We can do this easily. It doesn't have to take any grand gestures. Sometimes just a smile, and a simple "hello" go a long way to cheering up someone's day.
Activity: For our activity, we got together some photo's and a card, as well as drew some bright, cheery pictures for my grandmother who is in a care facility. Another idea might be to write everyone's name down on slips of paper and put them into a jar. Every day for the following week, family members could draw a name out, and then offer the person whose name they drew some sort of kindness throughout the day.
Originally posted by Mikki.
Graphics
Here are two new buttons that will fit better on your sidebar. They have transparent backgrounds, so they should look better on your blogs! Enjoy.
Creation Muffins
Sockiepuppetsmom sent me this great idea for Family Home Evening:
Resources:
Genesis 1
Healthy Dark Chocolate Muffins
Marmalade Muffins
Butterscotch Muffins
"I just had a thought about a FHE idea. My husband’s family has done a fun FHE about the creation of the world for years. It’s called muffin worlds and basically while they read the scriptures about the creation when each day is read a person goes into the kitchen and adds an ingredient(s) to a bowl and on the final day it is mixed all together and baked…they usually did muffins since they were easier to make and eat."This would be such a great idea for family with kids of all ages! For my toddler, I think I will divide the ingredients into six small bowls so he can dump them in the bowl himself.
Resources:
Genesis 1
Healthy Dark Chocolate Muffins
Marmalade Muffins
Butterscotch Muffins
Healthy Dark Chocolate Muffins
I first made this recipe from a freebie advertising magazine a long time ago. The magazine has long since gone the way of all the world, but this recipe has become a staple in our house. The molasses and balsamic vinegar make it taste really complex and unique. If you use raisins, they add to the fruity taste that the balsamic vinegar lends. This recipe is probably the healthiest chocolate dish I have ever eaten!
Dark Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup white flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup applesauce
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips or raisins
- Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease 18 muffin cups.
- Combine wet ingredients.
- Add remaining dry ingredients except flour; mix well. Add flour. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Fill muffin cups just over half full.
- Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
(Originally posted here. Graphic from the Dover Sampler.)
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