Seed Shakers

Make seed shakers to use during the song, The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden (p 237).

Should be pretty simple.... color paper plates, fill with seeds, staple together.
Here are instructions at ABC Creative Learning.

Ideas: apples, pumpkins, watermelons...

    

Little Children Seeds

I can't believe I haven't posted one of my favorite gross motor movement activities for Little Seeds Lie Fast Asleep!

Tell the children they are seeds. Have them 'bury' themselves in the ground. (Crouch, get low. Yes, some kids lie on the ground.) Have them cover themselves up with soil and get ready to sprout!

• 1st Verse. Stay crouched. During "wake up wake up calls the sun", use a "blinking" hand above head to be sun's rays)
• 2nd verse, slowly 'wake up' and stretch tall!

*I randomly came up with this on the spot one day. The kids love it!

Staccato Sticks

1. Pass out popsicle sticks.
2. Use them to tap the tunes you're reviewing, as you very deliberately sing staccato.

Ideas to tie into themes:

• Back To School = pencils
• Doctor = tongue depressors
• Summer = popsicle sticks

Cup Beats for The Holy Ghost

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5iqiYW2td8&feature=youtu.be

Sing Sunbeam Style

For the song Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam...

Make crepe paper 'Sunbeams' so everyone can have something in their hand:

how to make

Use the crepe paper 'Sunbeams' to move while singing these "Sunbeam Style" ways:

• back and forth
• high and low
• "disco"
• around in circles
• sunbeam lead (3/4 time)
• "lasso"
• draw an X
• little waves
• "rainbow" above head
• vertical zig zag
• figure 8
• flick and fall
• loop de loop

*I'll have a child pick from these sun sticks (I have a whole bunch in a vase) to determine which Sunbeam Style way to sing:

how to make

Crepe Paper Sunbeams

Make super easy "Sunbeams" to wave while you sing Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam.

• Buy yellow crepe paper
• Cut it into strips
• Wave them while you sing the song

EASY!

(*A more intense version of a Sunbeam wand can be found here: Sunbeam Sticks)

INTRO TO: Follow the Prophet

This is my lesson plan for introducing and singing Follow The Prophet:


1. INTRO ACTIVITY:

PLAY:  Simon Says..... (follow what I do)

PARAPHRASE: Great! You guys are good at following directions. But what if the Prophet says to do things? (Give examples...)

--What if the Prophet says... don't drink beer - what do you do? (You follow the Prophet!)
--What if the Prophet says get married in the Temple - what do you do?  (You follow the Prophet!)
--What if the Prophet says to go to Church - what do you do?  (You follow the Prophet!)



2. CHORUS / with movement:

• JR march
• SR clap pattern (lap, lap, clap, snap)

3. PROPHET VERSES:
Now let's sing about Prophets of old...

a.  Get out visual aids  (I Sing, U Sing or Pat Graham)
b.  Invite a child to choose one
c.  Sing that verse + chorus
d.  Repeat



*The next week I will review the song with this CHAIR SPIN idea.

Indoor Sleigh Ride

My kids have had fun doing this at home. I hope we have fun doing this in Primary, too!  I think we will!!!

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BRING:

• jingle bells (I made jingle bell sticks)
• hands
• bubbles
• the video I made for this song or, print the visual aides and just play the song (Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson)

DO:

1. Tell everyone we're going on a Sleigh Ride!
2. Introduce and teach the movement moves we'll need. (JINGLE, TROT, WHIP CLAP, WHINNY)
3. Play the instrumental song Sleigh Ride (sometimes called Promenade) by Leroy Anderson, add the movement and HAVE FUN!

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Movement Moves:
*They go with the visual pictures cues below. Print and use the pictures, OR... I made a video to make it easier (scroll to the bottom)!!!

SLEIGH:
(no movement, just listening)


JINGLE BELLS:
shake jingle bells!
(you do this a lot during the song, so add some variety and bounce like you're riding in a sleigh while you jingle!)
*on the video, when the bell picture fades out jingle quieter and quieter



HORSE:
Trot on your lap to the beat.



SLEIGH DRIVER:"Whip Clap".... try these counts...--easy (JR):  TROT alternating hands with a random clap at approximately the right time
--hard (SR): alternating trotting hands 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-and-10-CLAP!  The clap is on the AND!!! 

HORSE WHINNY:
Everyone neighs at the end of the song!




BONUS! 
Have someone blow bubbles to make it "snow" indoors!
(FYI, it's when you see the snowflakes on the video.)


*****Pictures are from various online sources***

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And here's the VIDEO!

Water Wands

I will use these for the song Baptism (p 100). Not too expensive* and easy to make.
....One year later.... I am now going to use these for the song Tell Me The Stories of Jesus (p57).

Supplies:

• shower curtain rings
• ribbon (blue, light blue, white)
• scissors

Instructions:

1. cut ribbon to desired length
2. select ribbon strands
3. bend all ribbon in half, loop around the ring and pull through the loop
4. tie an extra knot to keep in on tight

More detail on how to tie the ribbon on the rings:
I held all the ribbon strands together, made a loop, went around the ring and pulled the strings through. It was still loose and I was worried about it coming apart, so THEN I tied an extra knot at the base of the ring to secure it. Then I trimmed it if any strands looked too long.

Also,
Mine slide along the ring, but I don't think they'll come off. As long as the ribbon isn't coming loose I think it's good. :)

*Approximate cost, for those interested; Ring = 10 cents, Ribbon 48 cents for one spool which was cut and divided between all the wands.

Actions For Family History, I Am Doing It

typing fingers = family history, I am doing it. my family history

love/hug self = and the love I feel when I'm doing it is very sweet to...

me = me

book with hands = I learn stories of my progenitors

fake write with hands = I write their history

continue fake write with hands = I keep records of my loved ones

ASL family, ASL tree = on my own family tree

Handy Helper Ways to Sing

source

1. Invite a child to pick a tool from the toolbelt
2. Sing the way listed on the tool
3. Repeat

Ways to sing ideas (also seen on the Brick-by-Brick idea):

• hand hammer = rhythm
• sandpaper hands = beat
• hard toe shoes = tap beat
• hard hat = knock rhythm on head
• jackhammer = doubletime w/o piano
• wave safety flag = lead with hand

Brick by Brick

I had this idea for the song My Eternal Family. The song talks about building eternal families....

1. Find a "brick" taped up around the room (bricks = rectangle papers with keywords or pictures on them).
2. Tape up piece on the board. (do a brick pattern, from bottom on up)
3. Invite another child to choose a "building" way to sing with and wear an orange construction builder vest:

• hand hammer = rhythm
• sandpaper hands = beat
• hard toe shoes = tap beat
• hard hat = knock rhythm on head
• jackhammer = doubletime w/o piano
• wave safety flag = lead with hand

Sing,

then Repeat.

*When finished, use chalk to draw a roof on the house.

PREP:

"bricks"

child's orange construction vest

Keeping TIME

*I thought of this activity for Daylight Savings time.*

Make a "clock" with hand that spins.

PARAPHRASE: Do you know what happened this weekend? It was daylight savings time. That means we moved the hands on the clock forward an hour, and lost an hour! Can you believe that?! We don't like losing time, we like keeping time! So today I brought my clock to help us keep time!

1. Invite a child to spin the clock spinner
2. See the # it lands on and have the Primary kids keep time while you sing.
3. Repeat.

Time Keeping Movement Suggestions:

1. Clap Beat
2. Stomp Beat
3. Lead with One Arm
4. Lead with Both Arms
5. Toe Tap / Floating Foot (crossed foot bounces in the air to the beat)
6. Tick Tock Arm, aka Human Metronome
7. Laps and Claps
8. Head Tap
9. Clap Rhythm
10. Finger Taps
11. Floating Foot
12. Tick Tock Rock (stand up, back and forth)
13. Body Beats (children choose a place to tap for each beat


UPDATE:
It's a hit.

I Will Follow God's Plan - Imagine and "Paint"

TALK about some beautiful things that Heavenly Father has in store for you (getting baptized, married in the temple, going on a Mission, having a future family). Have the children imagine and "paint"a beautiful scene in their life's plan with Primary Music Paintbrushes as they sing I Will Follow God's Plan For Me.

Top 10 Primary Song Countdown.... REMIX!

source

*Little known fact about me. I worked in radio and have my degree in Broadcasting. A Top 10 Countdown is right up my alley...  :)

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Paraphrase: Every year a list comes out with the most popular songs played on the radio that year. When a song gets really popular often times remixed versions of the song come out. One of the ways to remix a song is to add a new beat. I brought our Top 10 Songs we sang in Primary this year. Our Pianist is going to play it the same, we are going to sing it the same, but we’re going to add beats to our Top 10 songs by clapping, slapping, stomping and snapping.

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Choose a song. Let the kids help choose how to "remix" the song. For example, I Am a Child of God is in 4/4 time. So you need 4 "beats". A repeat of 'lap, lap, clap, snap' would work for that song. The kids may get really creative and do something like 'elbow, other elbow, head, stomp' - you just never know. That's what's so fun about "remixing" the songs!  ;)

Tactile Thanksgiving

source

I think this repetitive singing activity would work for reinforcing I'm Thankful to Be Me. The tactile portions would be great in Junior Primary. Senior may think it's to babyish...

• Sing
• Pick a child to choose a turkey feather to stick on the turkey body. The feather has a question, followed by something to do the next time you sing.
• Sing and do the action (well, the sign ones you don't do while you sing...).
• Pick a child
• Sing
• Pick
• Repeat...

FEATHERS:

We are thankful for our eyes.What can you do with your eyes that you are thankful for?
*Sing with your eyes closed.

We are thankful for our hands. What can you do with your hands that you are thankful for.
*Clap the rhythm while we sing.

We are thankful for for feet. What can you do with your feet that you are thankful for?
*Sing and march

We are thankful for our mouths.What can you do with your mouth that you are thankful for?
*Sing with a big mouth!

We are thankful for our ears.What can you do with your ears that you are thankful for?
*Sing touching your ear lobes.

We are thankful for our Mothers and Fathers.

*Learn the sign language for Mother and Father.

We are thankful for Sisters and Brothers.

*Learn the sign language for Sister, Brother and baby.

We are thankful for Grandmas and Grandpas.
*Learn the sign language for Grandma and Grandpa.

Back to School Bookworms

bookworms with graduation caps

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SIMPLE LESSON (easier for JR):

INTRO (paraphrase):
It’s back to school time! Did you know that sometimes someone who likes to read a lot is called a bookworm? Well, today I brought all of these books and I’m going to need super singers to help me find bookworms! The bookworms will tell us what song to sing.

1. Have paper worms sticking out of a stack of books 
2. Child chooses a book worm 
3. The worm tells us what and how to sing. 

-- Oh yeah! Did I forget to tell you?! These are WIGGLY BOOKWORMS! We are going to sing the song and do actions, too! --

• SING 
• REPEAT 

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CROSSWORD ACTIVITY (more challenging element added for Senior Primary):

*Beforehand I used the Discovery crossword maker to make a crossword puzzle with our 2013 program songs. I transposed the crossword onto the board so everyone could see it (this was harder to do than I thought it would be, but it's doable for sure).

1. Call a class up, they pick a wiggly bookworm out of the stack of books
2. The bookworm has a clue number on it (that corresponds to the crossword on the board). Class reads the clue.
3. Kids answer the clue and write it on the board. (fyi, having the children help me spell the word letter by letter helped keep them engaged in the activity)
4. Sing that song wiggly the way written on that bookworm
5. REPEAT

crossword for SR Primary

click this picture to see the crossword and clues I used

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songs+wiggly worm movement examples:
Teach Me to Walk in the Light -  walk to the beat
I Am Like a Star - star fingers
My Heavenly Father Loves Me - song actions we learned
I Pray in Faith - lap, clap, snap
Holding Hands Around the World - march to the beat
When I Am Baptized - paint brushes
If The Savior Stood Beside Me - clap rhythm
Families Can Be Together Forever - clap beat
I Am a Child of God (4 verses) - 1face front, 2turn to side, 3face back, 4other side

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PREPARE:

• Cut out worms
• Gather books
• crossword prep
• Song list & the wiggly ways to sing the songs

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NOTES:

• This activity went well, WOULD do it again.
• SR appreciated the extra activity and extra "challenge". Although not required. Could just do the simpler activity for both JR and SR.
• Was good as a review of all 11 program songs. Extended time is required if doing it for that many songs.
• I thought the worms might rip. And they did. Keep tape handy just in case.
• Thought JR was going to lose interest, but there was enough movement to keep them engaged.
• SR can get a little crazy when doing a wiggly/movement activity (at least that how it is in my SR). Relax discipline a little bit accordingly when planning a wiggly activity.

Syllable Sticks

image source

A good way to introduce yourself and everyone else (to you) [or do this just to have some fun!] is to bring sticks and tap out your names. One tap for each syllable in your name. Say "Hello, my name is "Sis-ter Fred-rick-son". Then pass to "Bil-ly", "De-li-lah", "Fred", "Hen-ri-et-ta", "Ja-cob".... etcetera...

Brain Break! Cross The Midline

Crossing the midline means that one side of the body moves to the opposite side of the body to do work over there. The physical cross also causing a cross in the brain.

image source

To apply this to Primary Music Time, the idea of this is that sometimes you need a "brain break" to get your brain ready for learning (or, in the middle of a lesson, to realign your brain so it can get back to learning). It's basically some simple movements that cross the midline of your body and therefore, also the midline your brain. It's a repeated exercise where one hand touches something on the other side of the body - then the other hand does the same thing on the other side of the body. One side, then the other, then repeat. IE: stand up, touch right foot with left hand, stand up, touch left foot with right hand. Repeat a few times.

SEE: Dr Jean's midline crossing brain exercises
SEE: info at KidsFirst

Summertime Lemonade Charades

For the song Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

image source

FIRST:
Have children come up and help you figure out actions to do for each thing in the verse. (Teach to all the children, have them do it, too).

OR, bring props for action words in the verse(s). Invite children to come up.

SECOND:
After a verse is learned, show the children the cups of "pretend, invisible lemonade!" that you brought (cups already on the table with ice cubes in them). Invite a child to pick a cup.
This can happen two ways;
1 - the number of ice cubes in the cup is how many times you'll sing through that verse
2 - the color of the ice cube represents the number of times you'll sing through that verse

Then, SING!
and Repeat for the next verse
:)

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PREPARE:

• Word strips with the action words from each verse.
• plastic ice cubes (or real ice cubes, possibly dyed colors with food dye)
• non-see-through cups
• word posters / words for Teachers (if desired)

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Extra verses for Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime? by Ashlie Johansen of Primary Notes 29:

Do you ride on your bike

or take a long hike

in the mountains way up high?

Do you listen to birds

sing their songs without words

as they fly up high in the sky?

Do you play with your friends

when the days have no ends

until you say goodbye?

Do you cook lots of food

on the grill, bar-be-qued

and roast marshmallows by the fire?

Do you go to the park,

play until it gets dark

and go down a really big slide?

Do you give the bugs a look,

or read a good book

to page one-hundred-and-five?

Do you water the seeds,

watch the plants grow their leaves

and hope everything survives?

Do you mow the lawn,

turn the sprinklers on

and give all your friends high-fives?

Do you go on vacation,

see lots of cool places,

you can't believe your eyes?

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*teacher lyric sheets preview. by Ashlie Johansen of PN29

• Here are the TEACHER LYRIC SHEETS (2 pages) in Google Docs.