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...

    

Plant a Garden

An idea for The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden (p 237)...


"Plant" a garden (the song) using seed-shaped flip charts. Cut out seed shapes, and paste on pictures that go with the song.  



PLANT A GARDEN (learn the song):
Have the children stand in front and keep adding as we go along until the whole song is learned.

HARVEST (review/cement the song):
Sing the whole song. Choose a child "gardener" to harvest a crop. The child chooses a seed. Flip the seed over to reveal what that child-seed grew in to!

Lyrics/Picture Ideas:

1. The prophet said to plant a garden, so that's what we'll do.   PROPHET
For God has given rich brown soil, the rain and sunshine too.    SOIL, RAIN, SUNSHINE
And if we plant the seeds just right and tend them carefully,     SHOVEL
Before we know, good things will grow to feed our family.     PLATE OF VEGGIES + FRUITS

2. We'll plant the seeds to fill our needs, then plant a few to spare,     SEEDS
And show we love our neighbors with the harvest that we share.     HEART
Oh, won't you plant a garden, too, and share the many joys     HAPPY FACE
A garden brings in health and love to happy girls and boys!     HAPPY GIRL + BOY

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!

An About Me Post

Once upon a time there was a timid newlywed gal who got called to the one calling she absolutely in the whole wide word was terrified of: PRIMARY PIANIST. It was in a Ward with a desperate "need", so she suffered through. (Sorry to say it, but everyone suffered through).

Alas! Not all was lost on this scary experience. Ten years, yes YEARS - some kids, a few houses and multiple Wards later (boundary shifts = new friends, am I right?!), she was called to the second most absolutely terrifying in the whole wide world calling: PRIMARY CHORISTER.  Yet, that first trial experience of playing the Piano in Primary actually provided a good base upon which to begin building the Primary Chorister Calling.

Having somewhat been around music; taking music lessons, being in Marching Band, etcetera gave her.... no confidence. Nope, none. Many hours of scouring the internet, many mistakes in front of the whole Ward - and, well confidence is still growing - but she can at least stand in front of the children without fainting.  This blog is built around the fact that she is a self proclaimed "planner". All of that planning has to be stored somewhere - and this is the place.

So if you find something useful, please, by all means use it. Leave a comment, too.

Released

Whew. My first time at Chorister has come to an end.

Three years, done.

A Plan to the Program For 2016

***Guys, I suppose I'm what you'd call a "planner".  I had done a ton of planning for 2016... and then I got released!  The information below is a plan including Opening Songs & Monthly Focus Songs, all leading up to a 2016 Program.

First, a lot of the 2016 songs in the outline our kids had recently had full blown lessons on. (IE; IWillFollowGodsPlan, StandFTR, ILovetoSeetheTemple, TheLordGaveMeTemple) So for those months, I was planning to use the suggested song-of-the-month to be the opening song for the whole month, and choose another song (that still fit the theme) to focus on.

And that's how I came up with the 2016 Monthly Opening Songs List:

And then, that led to the "Focus Song of the Month" list. Which is, of course based off the 2016 Outline, but if we already knew a song then that song got moved to the "Opening Song List"(above) so we could focus on a song we may not be as familiar with (aka, hadn't had a lesson on in my 3 years as Chorister).

"Focus Song of the Month" list

And then, if I stuck with the plan.... between opening songs & monthly focus songs, the kids should be familiar with the songs [listed below] which would be in the 2016 Primary Program, "The Scriptures Guide the Way" (working title); which is a journey through life and how the scriptures plan a role in each step - using scripture references throughout.  It is very much a work in progress, as I wrote it a few days after we had our 2015 Program, then was released, and progress on it halted. So take it as it is.  :)

1. i lived in heaven
2. i will follow god’s plan
3. scripture power
4. heroes of the scriptures OR stand for the right
5. If I listen with my heart
6. search, ponder and pray
7. i feel my saviors love
8. arrangement/medley

*Of course, these songs would be hit hard during "Review Time", aka the few weeks before the Program.

*Important note: These song lists do not include Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day or seasonal or wiggle songs... my concentration at the time of this brainstorm session was how to get from January to the Program.

So anyway, that's that. I'd love to know if any of this could possibly benefit anyone. Or if there are questions - just comment.  :)

I guess I'm on to other things now.  Have a happy 2016 everyone!

Checketts-Hatch PRIMARY SONGS CHRISTMAS MEDLEY

Here is the Checketts-Hatch PRIMARY SONGS CHRISTMAS MEDLEY; including, When Joseph Went to Bethlehem, Away in a Manger & Silent Night.