Visual Aids Cut-outs

I should have thought to include a link for the Primary Visual Aids Cut-Outs in the last post. Thank you, Jean, for reminding me. You should probably check the meetinghouse library first, because the cut-outs should be there. Or, they might be in the primary closet. There are 10 sets altogether and they are in large white envelopes. I love to own these because I use them a lot for singing time. There are just a bunch of pictures of nature, people, toys, food, body parts ;o). For this activity I used pictures from the Nature set, Domestic Animals, and Wild Animals and Pioneers, I think.

If you are near a distribution center, they should be available or here is the link to the online catalog where you can also see what is available. I think I'll try to write a post about how I use these.

Lyrical Misunderstanding

Recently one of the moms in our branch reported to me that the favorite song of her two daughters is "In the Leafy Treetops." "Oh", I said, "I have puppets for that song. I'll bring them and they can help me use the puppets to sing their favorite song." She then went on to tell me that her youngest daughter had finally admitted that she couldn't understand why all the flowers in the pretty garden were naughty. She was really bothered by that. If she, indeed, had a pretty garden, she was certain that her flowers would not be naughty. She was relieved by the explanation from her mom that the flowers were merely nodding in the wind.

There are so many funny stories like this of children misunderstanding the lyrics of the song. While it gives us adults a good laugh, as the chorister responsible for teaching the songs, we should really give some thought to ways that we can help the children really understand what they are singing.

Naughty flowers indeed! That's the best one I've ever heard. :O)

A Random Tip - Magnets

I love these little magnets. They are very thin and won't hold much more than a piece of paper, but that's just what I need them for. I have lots of little pieces of paper that I want to post -- word strips, pictures, cut-outs. I just stick these small, thin magnets on the back and away I go.

I'll never forget the day I discovered that the chalkboards at the church were magnetic! I was accustomed to using the flannel board for almost everything. I still like the flannel board. It's small and portable. It feels good and you can get up close. But the "pieces" are so much easier to prepare with magnets that I now use the chalkboard like a flannel board. There is so much room to spread out and the magnets usually stick better.

I buy these at a teacher's store. They are very thin and come in a package of 100 for $4.00. Four cents apiece. I'm not endorsing any particular brand. I'm just here to tell you that magnets make my life easier.

A Suggestion - Singing Time File

May I offer a random suggestion? I'm sure you all write down what you are going to do each week, if only to give the pianist some idea of how to prepare. I would like to suggest that you keep these notes in a file, and that you keep the file long after you are released.

Many years ago, during one of my terms as Primary chorister, when the singing time seemed to work well, I would stick that weekly planning sheet into a file folder. Over the years, as I've been called to do singing time, whenever I was stuck for an idea I would pull out this file and thumb through it. I've taught "He Sent His Son" several times now, always referring back to the notes of how I taught it the first time, because it seemed to work so well. I just wish I had been more faithful to keep the ideas that I have done in the past. I honestly thought I would remember them.

Fun, new ideas are fabulous and we work really hard to either think of them or to find them. And sometimes it is a real experiment to implement them into a singing time. I think it is important to save these ideas -- the ones that really worked and that we enjoyed doing. Believe me, they will work again sometime down the road --maybe even sooner than you think. Children like doing the same thing again, especially if it was fun the first time!

I'm old-fashioned. I use a pencil, paper, and a real manila file folder. You may have a more modern way of doing this. One reason I created this blog is to make this "file" accessible to my daughters who might be the Primary chorister at some point. Just do it. Someday, you will be glad you did. And others may be also.