How do you feel?

Last Sunday I wanted to help the kids become more aware about how the music and songs made them feel.  We have one particular little fellow in jr. primary who is really bothered by loud sounds and therefore always covers his ears when we sing Praise to the Man.  This got me thinking that I need to not only teach the doctrine of the songs but really focus on how they make us feel and the importance of singing them appropriately.

So I started the singing time with exercises that emphasized the 5 senses, we played a quick "I Spy with my little eye" to talk about sight.  I had someone come up and put on a blindfold then I handed them an object that they had to describe to me for touch.  We sang really loud and really soft to talk about hearing.  I told them we couldn't really taste the songs or lick them (ha ha) but talked a little about the sense of taste.  We talked about different smells we experience (careful those 8-10 year old boys will of course make a "stinky smell" for everyone) and then I told them there is a sixth sense.

We talked about how we can listen with our hearts.  We sang "If I Listen With My Heart" and really talked about how we hear Jesus' voice and what the Holy Ghost whispers to our hearts.  One by one I had a volunteer come up and put on a blindfold and sit in a chair.  I told them to concentrate on how they felt while we sang.  We reviewed the primary program songs twice each, one time really exuberantly focusing on saying the words lovely and loud and then we sang it again focusing on they testimony being born in the song.  After each song I asked my volunteer how they two felt different.

This was a really simple and amazing activity that really helped the kids learn the importance of the testimonies they were bearing with each song and the importance of each word and the way we sing them.  I'm so excited for them to share those testimonies in our program in 2 weeks!!

1st Quarter Jeopardy Review!!

This week I'm doing a 1st Quarter Jeopardy Review!!  Here's my categories and questions. (I will post a picture of my finished Jeopardy board when it's done today!!)  You are welcome to download and change and use however to fit your own primary and the themes you have been emphasizing while teaching.  I want to really focus on the messages and gospel principles we have been learning while gaining testimonies through songs. 

I think that with each point value if the question is answered correctly we will sing the corresponding song in a fun way. I'll put little pictures to show the reward on the bottom of the jeopardy board.  Here's the link for the pictures I used and colored just from google image searches. You can find fun dice for these styles here.  Such as:

• 100 points - Swimmer Style (plug you nose with one hand, swim with the other)
• 200 points - Cowboy Style (western twang in your voice, start out with a yeehaw and  link your thumbs in you belt loops and kick up the dust with your heels)
• 300 points - Opera Style (lots of vibrato and exaggeration and definitely loud but never louder than lovely!)
• 400 points - Drill Sargeant (stand at attention, no moving arms or legs, definitely no giggling or smiling.  March back and forth looking for things out of place and start out with a "yes ma'm!")
• 500 points - Granny Style (use your hand to wiggle your throat and make your voice shaky, bend over and hold your back like you can't walk upright!)
• 600 points - Police Officer Style (use stop and go signs to direct the traffic)
• 700 points - Song and style of your choice!!

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

Song Jeopardy

4th Sunday Singing Review Game

I've had the hardest time this week coming up with what I wanted to do for Sunday. Here's what I'm thinking.  In Sr. Primary I will split them into two teams.  I know a lot of people don't like competition in Primary but I think healthy competition and fostering a spirit of teamwork and participation really is a great thing in my Primary.  I also love that I get to split up kids that usually sit by each other and make them branch out.  So the game will be played as such.

1. I'll display the game board and split them into teams by just counting off by twos.  We know two verses so I have both verses displayed on the board.  The words that have sign language associated with them are worth two points because they can say the word and do the sign, they also can get just one point by doing either or.
2. So I will call the first person up from team one and have them pick a pink post it from anywhere in the song.  We will then sing the song to that point and I'll dramatically cut them off before anyone accidently sings the word.  The player will then get to give an answer.  If he/she cannot answer it in a reasonable amount of time,  the first player on the other team is allowed to give an answer.  If neither knows it then neither gets points. etc. etc.
3. Then I'll move on to team two and continue until the end of singing time. 

I love doing this and the singing bee because we sing the same song all hour and the kids hardly even notice they've sang the song like 10 times it's awesome and it really gets them to know it.

I think for Jr. Primary I will do a similar type thing but I will use the picture posters for verse one and just cover the pictures.  I will give them points for even telling me what the picture looks like.  I think since I have like a million sunbeams I may even pair up a sunbeam with someone from the oldest class.  If they get and answer right we'll do an activity minute like "stand up, shake your arms, shake your hips, turn around and sit down" just to keep them on task and out of wiggles.  We'll see how it goes. . .

2nd Verse "If I Listen With My Heart"

I found last week that this is kind of a difficult song because of the melody jumping up and down so much and because there are a lot of words, so it went well but I can tell it's going to take a while to really solidify it.  I tried to do a lot of melody charting with my hands (up high for high notes down low for lower ones), and really emphasizing the key words and principles but it will take some work I can tell!  Anyway, this week we are going to be learning the next verse and since I want the kids to really learn the messages and principles in this song I'm going to switch it up and use some sign language on the second verse.  On the first verse we did sign language just on the chorus and we know a lot of major words already from previous songs so it should work well.  My plan is this.

First we will review last week's verse and message (what listen with our hearts mean?  and how we listen with our hearts).  Then I'm going to grab one class and bring them to the front and play the telephone game.  I want to use a reverent but silly phrase so it gets really mixed up by the end.  Then we'll talk about how if we're hearing but not really listening we can lose the meaning of the message being presented.  I'll talk about how our living prophet today speaks the exact words Christ would say were He here on earth.  etc. etc.

I will then post a poster with reminders from this verse . . .the pictures will represent the following words (hear, prophet, speak, Christ, say, here, earth, talk, today, prophet, teaches, live, righteousness, peace).  I will sing through the song one time alone just to let them hear the verse while doing the signs to those same words and then proceed to teach them the signs line by line.  If needed I like to mix it up in Jr. Primary with wiggle songs and in Sr. Primary with challenges like each row is assigned a line and they stand and sing it when it's their turn then we switch it up until everyone knows every line.

If I Listen With My Heart

I'm so excited to start 2011's new music!!!  I'm still recovering from Christmas so my flipchart is a bit ghetto but it's the spirit that teaches not me right?!!  Here's the plan.  I want to start out by inviting one of the more talkative children to come up and then tell them that I want them to tell me their favorite scripture story.  I will make them promise that no matter what happens they need to make sure that I really "hear" it (emphasize the word "hear").  As they begin to tell the story I will do several disruptive things, i.e. talk to one of the teachers, do a silly cheer, and then ask them to repeat it and just start turning in circles or looking all around.  After a minute I will stop this and talk about what happened, noting that I may have heard parts of what they said but I really didn't listen.  Then I will start again only this time I will sit down and face the child and really concentrate on what he/she is saying.  I will talk about how this is "listening" and then tie it into the chorus of the song . . "if I listen with my heart, I hear the Savior's voice."  Just go with it.  At this point I will introduce just the chorus of the song and use some basic sign language to teach them the chorus.  I chose the following words to do actions to (if, listen, with, heart, hear, Savior's, voice).  I also chose to do the sign for "Jesus" instead of "Savior" because they already know that sign.  Anyway, I will then sing/talk them line by line through the first verse.  We'll sing it several times each time doing something different like only boys, or row by row, or teachers only. . .I just wing it and if it seems like we need a wiggle song I throw them in or I have them do something like "everyone that can hear me stand up, touch your toes, spin twice, and then sit down with your arms folded" this gets wiggles out without even changing the song.

If I had been a little child

when Jesus lived on earth

I would have liked to walk with Him and

listen to His words.

But as I search the scriptures

I can hear His words of peace

And if I listen with my heart

I hear the Savior's voice.