"I Feel the Spirit When We Sing It..."

After Singing Time today an 8 year old boy came up to me and said, "That last song* is my new favorite song. I feel the Spirit when we sing it and I just love it". It melted my heart a little bit. :)

*My Heavenly Father Loves Me

Audrey Schilaty's Illustrations for My Heavenly Father Loves Me

Primary President Audrey Schilaty from WA made these beautiful illustrations for My heavenly Father Loves Me.  LINK goes to the charts in PDF and WORD on Sugardoodle.

My Heavenly Father Loves Me Objects & Song Correlation

Bird - What Animal you are thankful for?
In the Leafy Tree Tops #240

Pinwheel - Rain/Wind – What is your favorite thing to do in the rain?
Wise Man Foolish Man #281

Lilac – What flower or plant are you thankful for?
Popcorn Popping #242 or I Often Go Walking

Silly Glasses -Eyes – What are you thankful for that you can see?
Two Little Eyes #268

Headphones - Ears – What are you thankful for that you can hear?
If I Listen with my heart – sheet music

Book/Scriptures - Mind – What are you thankful for that you learned at school or church?
Scripture Power – sheet music, or Search Ponder and Pray

*From an idea Amy Busch posted on Facebook

My Heavenly Father Loves Me - Walk Around a Heart Lyric Game

Put a big posterboard Heart on the ground. Put a big posterboard circle with the words “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” around the edge on the ground next to the heart. Laminate it/make it durable. Only one child can be on the circle at time when they walk - no pushing! Walk around the heart while the music is playing. When the song stops everyone stops singing! Whoever is on the circle when the song stops has to finish the phrase.  Repeat.

Kuha'o Case (blind) Playing My Heavenly Father Loves Me on the Piano

I wanted to play this video (found on the vastness that is YouTube) for my Primary, but I thought it needed a little bit more.... so I took the original video of Kuha'o Case playing My Heavenly Father Loves Me and added a little bit to it. Posted is the version with my edits, which can also found on YouTube, HERE.

My Heavenly Father Loves Me - Hadlock Arrangement

HERE is the Hadlock arrangement of My Heavenly Father Loves Me

For piano, flute, voice.

Simple Actions to My Heavenly Father Loves Me

image source

This song is in ASL on the LDS church website. I looked at it and thought to myself that for me, I would need something a little more simple, but still ASL inspired. After some revisions and editing down (because my own actions were become quite complicated) this is what I came up with:

VERSE 1
Whenever I hear the sound of a bird BIRD SIGN
Or look at the blue blue sky BLUE SIGN
Whenever I feel the rain on my face RAIN SIGN
Or the wind as it rushes by WIND SIGN
Whenever I touch a velvet rose HAND TOUCHES HAND (perhaps in a small circle motion)
Or walk by a lilac tree FLOWER then TREE
I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world WORLD SIGN
Heavenly Father created for me *HEAVENLY FATHER / ME (thumbs point to self)

VERSE 2
He gave me my Eyes that I might see POINT TO EYES
The color of butterfly wings BUTTERFLY SIGN
He game me my Ears that I might hear POINT TO EARS
The magical sound of things MUSIC SIGN
He gave me my Live, my Mind, my Heart LIFE SIGN /POINT TO HEAD / HAND ON HEART
I thank Him reverently THANK-YOU SIGN
For all his creations of which I’m a part “ALL” SIGN
Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me LOVE (cross arms), THUMBS POINT TO SELF

--- --- ---
*I am going to do the action for Heavenly Father as a "double Father" sign that goes up to Heaven and then fades into pointing to yourself with your thumbs. That's sort of what it looks like in the My Heavenly Father Loves Me ASL video on the LDS church website. The ASL sign for Heavenly Father is up for debate. This link will take you to a Yahoo Question to learn more, but note that the last link is not affiliated with myself or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

My Heavenly Father Loves Me - Teaching the Song/In Depth Lesson Plan for Split JR/SR Primary

image source

I have a split JR/SR Primary. So sometimes I have to do different variations of an idea. I'm sure you can piece together this lesson plan to fit your needs. I also get music AND sharing time the first Sunday of the month, so I need something lengthy - take out parts if you need it to fit a shorter time frame.

This is what I'm doing for My Heavenly Father Loves Me, the song from February 2013.

• JR is making my flip chart (It's a very visual song. Give "blue blue sky" to the Sunbeams.)
• SR is doing a scripture+picture match-up
• (both are learning the song, of course)

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- 

THE PLAN:

First, teach the Simple Actions to My Heavenly Father Loves Me
Then....

JR - color pictures/flip chart:
Pass out blank pieces of paper and crayons
Pass out a word strip to each class
*Have them write their name on the back of their drawing!

While the children are drawing have Teachers help you sing “My Heavenly Father Loves Me" a few times.

Start with the first lyric set. Have everyone in the class come up and show their drawing while you sing to that point. Pull one picture out for each verse. Keep the children’s pictures to make a flip chart. Repeat, and so on...

-> Repeat this activity for the second verse. <-

-------

SR - Scripture+Picture Match-up:

Have the JR Primary’s pictures displayed on the board in order.
A child chooses & reads a scripture. Each scripture goes with each lyric segment (see list below). Children must figure out which picture (the ones from JR Primary) the scripture goes with it. Tape it under the right picture. Sing - but only sing the parts that have scriptures up. Hum the rest. Continue until all scriptures are up. Then do for the second verse.

Continue to do for the second verse.

SCRIPTURES/Lyrics:
--- V1 ---

1. D&C 42:50 - He who hath faith to hear shall hear.

Whenever I hear the song of a bird

2. Proverbs 4:25 - Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.   

Or look at the blue, blue sky

3. Zechariah 10:1 - Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

Whenever I feel the rain on my face

4. Psalms 78:26 - He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

Or the wind as it rushes by

5. Psalms 105:15 - As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

Whenever I touch a velvet rose, Or walk by our lilac tree

6. Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world, Heav'nly Father created for me

--- V2 ---

7. 3 Nephi 13:22 - The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

He gave me my eyes that I might see

8. Genesis 1:25 - And God made … every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

The color of butterfly wings

9. Jeremiah 28:7 - Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;

He gave me my ears that I might hear

10. D&C 126:38 - If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise...

The magical sound of things

11. Genesis 1:26-27 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

He gave me my life, my mind, my heart; I thank him rev'rently

12. Genesis 1:31 - And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

For all his creations, of which I'm a part.

13. Proverbs 8:17 - I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Yes, I know Heav'nly Father loves me.

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PREPARE:

• Lyric word strips (typed below) [seperate verses]
• Scriptures cut out and & numbered (typed above in the lesson plan)
• Posterboard Heart
• Posterboard Circle with “Heavenly Father Loves Me” written around the edge

*Flip Chart from Emilie Ahern

*Flip Chart form Primarily Singing

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LYRIC WORD STRIPS:

1.1 Whenever I hear the song of a bird

1.2 Or look at the blue, blue sky,

1.3 Whenever I feel the rain on my face

1.4 Or the wind as it rushes by,

1.5 Whenever I touch a velvet rose

1.6 Or walk by our lilac tree,

1.7 I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heav'nly Father created for me.

2.1 He gave me my eyes that I might see


2.2 The color of butterfly wings


2.3 He gave me my ears that I might hear


2.4 The magical sound of things


2.5 He gave me my life, my mind, my heart; I thank him rev'rently


2.6 For all his creations, of which I'm a part.


2.7 Yes, I know Heav'nly Father loves me.