Choose and Review - Fun Facts

Fun Facts is a very versatile activity for singing time. Write several brief paragraphs describing facts about the monthly or weekly theme, or even a general gospel theme or holiday. Write each fact on a slip of paper or a seasonal shape. Choose an appropriate review song to match each fact and include the title on the paper. Invite a child to choose a fact, read it and then sing the song together. This describes the facts. The fun part comes in creatively delivering the facts to the children. The following examples show how adaptable "Fun Facts" can be.

Pioneer Fun Facts: Write several short paragraphs about the pioneers on a thematic shape such as a wagon wheel. Or, write them on pieces of red paper and crumple the paper to resemble berries. Lightly glue the "berries" to a bush drawn on a poster. Put just a dab of glue, use just enough to hold the berry on the poster but not enough that the paper rips when the child picks it off. Invite the children to pick a berry, read the fact and then sing the song together. I used the following facts from the pioneer game on page 24 in the July 2004 issue of the Friend magazine.

• Pioneers rested and worshiped on the Sabbath. Name one thing you can do to keep the Sabbath day holy. “The Chapel Doors”(156)
  
  Pioneers were strong. What can you do to keep your body strong and healthy? “For Health and Strength”(21)
  
  Pioneers loved their families. Tell what you love about someone in your family. “Families Can Be Together Forever”(188)
  
  Pioneers worked hard. Tell about one of your responsibilities and how you work to fulfill it. “A Happy Helper”(197)
  
  Pioneers followed the prophet westward to the valley. Name one way you can follow our prophet today. “Follow The Prophet”(110)
  
  Pioneers had a testimony that helped them sacrifice for the gospel. Can you tell one way you can strengthen your own testimony? “I Know That My Savior Loves Me”
  
  Pioneers reported many experiences of being led by the Holy Ghost. Can you tell one way to be worthy of guidance by the Holy Ghost? “The Holy Ghost” (105)
  
  Pioneers were brave. They faced many challenges with courage and hope. Can you tell one way that you can also be courageous? “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus” (78)
  
  When pioneers became discouraged they liked to sing to help lift their spirits. What is your favorite primary song? Favorite
  
  Pioneers were cheerful despite their challenges. How can you show a cheerful attitude? “If You’re Happy”(266)

Here are a few other examples:

Temple Fun Facts: Write facts about temples and how to prepare to go to the temple on flowers that you "plant" around a picture of the temple.

Service Fun Facts: Write facts about people serving around the world (see the Ensign and Church News) and attach them to an object one might use to serve others. Make a display with the objects.

Fathers Fun Facts: Write facts about fathers on fish shapes and use a magnet on a pole to fish for the facts. Ask the child to tell a fact about her own father and then sing the review song.

Missionary Fun Facts: Write facts about missionaries or missionary work on papers and attach them to items or objects missionaries need or use. After reading the fact, have the children identify how they could be a missionary and then sing an appropriate review song.

My post called "One Happy Girl" is another adaptation of the Fun Facts activity.

Still Small Voice - Choose and Review

The August 2005 issue of The Friend has a great Funstuf activity on page 23 that would work readily as a singing time Choose and Review. Since next month’s theme is about the Holy Ghost the content of this activity makes it perfect for June. I’ll need to choose appropriate review songs. I can usually get through six or eight, depending on the length of the song. Then I’ll choose that many of the sentences in the Funstuf activity. I’ll make word cards to post on the board with the review songs on the back. I’ll write the sentences on paper slips and put them into a can or basket to choose. The children can choose a sentence, match the correct word to fill in the blank, and then we will sing the song.

The content of this activity can be adapted to fit just about any theme so this idea lives on my master list under the title "Definitions” Choose and Review.

More Ideas for Principle Related Singing Time

The Friend magazine is full of great ideas for a principle-related singing time. Just consider the April 2010 issue. In the article “Helping Feed the Savior’s Lambs” on page 2, President Eyring states a principle when he explains our obligation to nourish each other spiritually. He offers examples of how children can do this. There are several primary songs that teach this principle also. “Lead me, guide me, walk beside me.” (I Am a Child of God CS-2) “To have a friend, you must be a friend, too.” (Friends are Fun CS-262) “He whose heart has joy and song gives joy to others too.” (Be Happy CS-265) “When your heart is filled with love, others will love you.” (Jesus Said Love Everyone CS-61) “I’ll be a sunbeam for him.” (Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam CS-60)

I could easily write the song titles on 1-inch wide strips of green paper and roll them up tightly to resemble alfalfa hay pellets. In case you’ve never seen alfalfa pellets, just trust me on this. Find a metal pie plate to use as a feed pan and put the “pellets” in the pan. After introducing the principle as taught by President Eyring, I would have a child choose a song. Challenge all the children to listen as they sing to discover which words teach us to nourish each other.

“Come to the Rescue” on page 10 is a maze activity that is easily overlooked as a singing time, but is actually a really great idea. The maze itself doesn't work well, but the content is great. The principle is still our obligation to strengthen others, but President Monson states it in terms of “manning the lifeboats” and rescuing those who have drifted away.

If I ponder the words of songs listed in the topical index in the Children’s Songbook under “service”, “missionary work” or “example”, I can find songs that will reinforce this principle. I can write questions or case studies for each of the songs as I explained in the last couple of posts. Or I could just list the song title and ask the children to discover the phrase that matches the principle. I’m thinking that posting these on paper life preservers or putting them in a seashell on a tray of sand (think deserted island) would be a cute way to deliver the songs.

“Find the Sheep” on page 34 is also full of possibilites and I’m going to challenge you to think of them. The principle is the same -I think there is a pattern in this issue! What could you do with this page?

Don't miss this fabulous idea from The Crazy Chorister. Melanie used the activity to teach the song "Choose the Right Way", but one could easily insert other primary songs that need to be reviewed. This activity perfectly illustrates how to help the children connect to the principles taught in the songs.

Singing Ideas in the February "Friend" Magazine

I found some great ideas for singing time in February's issue of The Friend. The "Armor of Righteousness" on page 17 is an obvious choice for a singing time, especially as we have a prophet theme coming in March. There are a couple of things one could do with this page. I could use the riddles as is and just write them on cards to play an easy "What Am I' guessing game, singing appropriate songs after solving each riddle.

Or, I could take it a step further and enlarge the illustration. I could make letters to match up the riddles with the illustration or, put the riddles on paper arrows to point at the proper object. I could also write riddles of objects that children use today to follow the prophet that would match these riddles in theme. For example, "John kneels by this every morning as he asks for strength and power from God." "Sarah wears this on her finger to remind her to be brave in standing up for her beliefs." "Katie uses this to sweep the floor as she willingly helps her family." I could write a riddle to match each one illustrated and set up a matching game, or just add two or three to the guessing game to help the kids discover that they can also be righteous and be used by God as were prophets of old.

The poem "The Sacrament" on page 16 is another possibility, especially if I have a little time to fill after teaching or reviewing a song. I could read the poem and show a picture of Christ and ask the children what they think about during the sacrament. Singing a song or two and thinking about the message of the song could help the children identify things they could think about. With more time, I could post the picture of the reverent girl with thought "bubbles" around her head and sing songs about Christ, gratitude or prayer songs with each bubble.

I also studied the unlikely article describing the tour of the North Visitor's Center on Temple Square. Because the theme is about prophets in March, I thought of using pictures of these prophets (and others) on the chalkboard around a picture of Christ, singing review songs that teach about Jesus or testimony and ending with "I Know That My Savior Loves Me." Or, I could use costumes and children to read these short testimonies and then sing a song. I could also put the testimonies and songs on strips of paper and then invite the children to choose them by pulling them out of the scriptures. Using pictures is maybe a little too close to the idea suggested in the outline for sharing time in March, depending on what our presidency member decides to do. Sharing time is first in our branch, so it could reinforce what the kids just learned, or I could use something other than pictures.

Remember my challenge! Look through this current issue and see what else can be found and adapted to singing time. Leave a comment and let me know what you find.

Adapting Ideas for Singing Time

In a recent post I told you about a singing time plan that I came up with after reading an idea in The Friend magazine. I thought I would explain a little further how I make this magazine work for me. I know that some Primary choristers think that the Church has given us very little in the way of resources. Since we are encouraged to use only approved resources, we sometimes feel frustrated that we don't have a specified manual of methods and ideas. Following this counsel isn't as easy as teaching an outlined lesson in a manual. We have the Children's Songbook and we are encouraged to use prayer and inspiration, but some of us struggle because the Spirit doesn't give us ideas out of thin air. Primary music is so much fun, but only if we're prepared! One can't help but notice how relentless this assignment is. Sunday comes up every single week and it just keeps coming. After you've tried every good idea you've ever thought or heard of, there is Sunday again, just around the corner.

How do I find ideas that are creative and fun? The Friend is my very best and favorite resource. It is approved and has enough inspiration to last a lifetime! It has pictures. It has games. It has poetry, stories, and activities. It has messages from our Prophet and Apostles. All of these features inspire and suggest ideas to me. Especially when I've been praying for help. The Church has been publishing this magazine for over thirty years! Back issues for the last nine years are freely available in digital format here at lds.org. Issues published before 2001 are available on an inexpensive CD.

When an issue comes in the mail, I immediately sit down and read it. After a day or two I will pick it up again and read it, thinking about the weekly primary themes. I will always have a thought about how I could use something or other. I will see how one of the stories or activities could be developed into a singing time with choose and review songs. There may be a picture or a poem or a quote that I can use as an attention getter to introduce a song. Sometimes I can use these ideas immediately but I may have to wait a couple of months for the right theme to come up. Sometimes I can think of how I can use the framework of what might be published and adjust the content to fit what I need to teach. Sometimes I just make a note of a good idea on a list of ideas to be developed in the future.

In this month's issue there is a beautiful centerfold article called "The Living Christ" with pictures of Jesus and testimonies of the apostles. I thought of developing a musical narrative using pictures and songs about Jesus and reading some of the testimonies as narrative between the songs. This would fit well into February's theme, or I could wait and use this idea with the theme "Prophets Testify..."

I wrote a post about the January 2010 issue of The Friend. Look under the label "Using the Friend" to read it again. I'll challenge you to see what you can find in the February issue. I hope you'll leave a comment.

Singing Time Plan

For one singing time this month, I have a plan to build a visual "bridge" from earth to heaven with 6 pictures of Jesus as the "pillars" for the bridge. I have a blue circle representing the world to place on one side of the chalkboard. I'm using a child from the Primary Visual Aids Cut-outs to stand on the world. I have a white circle to represent heaven to put on the other side of the chalkboard. We'll sing a song for each of the pillars and I'll have the children listen for the message of the song and then decide which picture matches the message. We can place it, along with a paper horizontal bridge span, in the space between the earth and heaven and move the child to stand on that pillar. We'll sing each song in turn and move the child forward with spans and pillars. I'll make a very brief explanation or bear a simple testimony with each song. We'll sing "He Sent His Son" for the last pillar next to heaven. It summarizes so well the role that Jesus plays in the process of our salvation. I could also use the scriptural image of a ladder or a staircase, arranging the pictures and moving the cut-out child up each stair or rung. But, I kind of like the image of a chasm between mortality and heaven and the way Jesus bridges this for us. I don't plan to explain any of this to the children. I'm just hoping to put an image in their mind to help their understanding later. Sometimes it's nice to make connections for ourselves, rather than having everything explained for us. It is so much fun to watch when kids make these connections. I just think of it as a favor to some future Seminary teacher.

#1 - picture of Jesus as a baby - "Little Jesus" - Jesus loved us enough to leave heaven and come to the earth in humble circumstances - I'll change the word Christmas to Sabbath.
#2 - picture of Jesus being baptized - "Baptism" - Jesus gave us ordinances and the example to receive these.
#3 picture of Jesus serving others - "Love One Another" - serving others helps us become like Jesus.
#4 - picture of Jesus and the children - "Jesus is Our Loving Friend" - Jesus continues to love and look after us and help us with our problems.
#5 - picture of Crucifixion - "Reverently, Quietly" - Testify of the significance of this deed.
#6 picture of Jesus - "He Sent His Son" - Jesus is even now waiting to welcome us and bring us to our Heavenly Father. He will be our advocate and friend.

I thought of this idea as I read the first suggestion in the Sharing Time Ideas in the February 2006 issue of The Friend. You could adapt this idea to any theme with the aspect of "getting from here to there." Keeping covenants to return to our Heavenly Father, living worthy to enter the temple, steps in building a happy home, the growth of a testimony, living the gospel from morning till night, preparing for a mission and so on. I'm so glad we have The Friend. I'm constantly rereading these Sharing Time Ideas, thinking of ways that I could adapt the techniques they use to our current theme.