My Blessings Flip Chart

Thanksgiving is upon us and I want to talk about what I'm most thankful for so  I made a new flipchart this year to help with reviewing this song (we sang it last november!).  I'll probably let the Sr. Primary make up some fun actions and maybe use the boys for 2nd verse and girls for 1st or something similar.  I'm excited, they love this song.  I also want sing that song "All Over the World" just that have fun with languages. My Blessings

Thanksgiving Fun

I love this time of year when the primary program is over and the holiday songs dust themselves off and start to get some "sing time" again!  Of course I'm planning and bringing back my favorite Thanksgiving song "My Blessings" . . .here's how I taught it and used it last year, it was a lot of fun, I just have to find a new guitar player since I still am not so good and need practice.

I also am planning on recycling my Serving Scarecrow for a fun singing time about gratitude and serving others.

Finally I am planning on finally teaching them the "For Health and Strength" using sign language and teaching it it German, I found two amazingly fun ideas here at sugardoodle.

Reinforce the words by teaching the children to sign four of the words. For the word health, extend the forefinger and the middle finger—this is the hand shape for H. Both hands form the H shape and touch the chest and then the waist. For food, use the right hand to act as if you are placing food in the mouth. The sign for praise is made by combining the signs for true and applaud. First the forefinger of the right hand is upright and moves straight forward from the mouth, then a hand-clapping motion is made. To sign the word Lord, use the thumb and first finger of the right hand extended (hand shape L), move the hand from the left side of the chest to the right hip.

Another fun way to review the song is to teach it in a different language. The English and German words to “For Health and Strength” are very similar:

“Für Hilf und Kraft, fürs täglich Brot wir danken dir, o Gott.” (Pronounced similar to “fyur hilf oont kroft, fyurs teglikh brote veer donken deer, oh Gote.”)

It is fun to speak a different language! German has some sounds that we do not have in English. The “ü” sound is made by saying a long “e” and then rounding the lips. The “ä” sound is a short “e” sound. German does not have a “w” sound; the “w” makes the sound of “v.” Point out the similarities in such words as for/für, and/und, health/Hilf, bread/Brot (bread stands for food here), God/Gott.  (Idea taken from the November 2006 Friend Sharing Time Suggestion)

Maybe have the 1st group sing in English and the next group sing in German for Sr. Primary.

Here's a link to a ton of amazing Thanksgiving ideas if you need some more inspiration 

My Blessings Part 2

So I got creative last week and tried to play the guitar because I really wanted to use it for primary . . .let's just say that I'm not a stellar as I hoped I would be after all these years!  Then I remembered that one of the Elders in our ward played in a band before he came on a mission. . .so it was an awesome opportunity to get the missionaries in Primary and get the guitar!  So last Sunday I told the kids that because they had been working so hard on our "8 song Race" to prepare for the Primary Program that we were taking a vacation and were not going to be singing any Primary Songs for the whole day!!!  I then introduced them to my "band" and we learned to sing "My Blessings" with the guitar and then with the guitar and piano.  It went really well and to top it off I had the other missionary in the companionship bear his testimony of music and gratitude and blessings!  It was an awesome Sunday.  The song is really quite easy for the kids to learn and in Sr. Primary they learned it good enough to sing both parts together . . .remember don't underestimate these little souls!!

Thanksgiving Song "My Blessings"

So I have this amazing Aunt who is absolutely amazing in all things music and I'm sure would outshine me ten fold as a Primary chorister but thank goodness she loves me and reads my blog because she reminded me of this amazing Thanksgiving song to sing in Primary.  She says that in her home it is a tradition ever November and in Primary she would use the guitar to teach it to the kids and it was catchy enough that they could sing it in a duet . . .she also said she took her guitar and played it in the nursery.  For those of us who aren't quite "Maria" from the Sound of Music and don't have guitar skills brave enough for church the piano works awesome too!  Check it out I know you'll love it!  P.S. it's from the Children's Friend 1983 so it's definitely approved!!

"My Blessings" The Friend 1983