Lego Masters

We have the absolute best husband/ wife team running our primary aged 7-11 activities at church. They come up with the most fun things ever and this weeks was Lego Masters. My kids (and I am assuming all the other kids ae obsessed with Lego Masters on TV and were so excited to get in and get started. They were told to build something from the Old Testament as that is what we are studying this year in Come Follow Me.

I was so impressed with what they all built too! I have no idea where these amazing ideas come from. Joseph was paired with a boy a little older than him and they built Moses parting the Red Sea, they had a little boat overturned by the wave which I thought was really cool.

So creative!

Maddie and her partner created a temple. I loved it, all white and gold. Technically not from the Old Testament, but totally allowed by the leaders due to King Solomons temple. There was also a Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark and the Tower of Babel.

I loved watching their creativity and how much fun they had. I am not so secretly hoping that this will be a regular activity as everyone loved it so much.

Yay for Primary activities!

Gratitude: a primary lesson

Its's my turn to teach primary this week and my topic is:

I can be grateful for what the Lord has given me

When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, what we would refer to as the middle of nowhere (helps that we are in Australia and I could explain it was basically the same as wandering around in the desert, cause we have plenty of that!), it was over the space of 40 years! That’s longer than I have even been alive!! It’s a really long time. During this time they became sad and upset, complaining because they remembered the good food the Lord had provided them when they used to live in Egypt. They started to complain, even though the lord had GIVEN them food, it wasn’t what they wanted. (Numbers 11:4-9) 

How often do we look at what we have and are not happy with it?

Going around the room. If you could have anything you want. What would it be?

Oh my goodness the answers here. A Mustang, a Lamborgini, a comfortable pair of shoes, children who listen... 

Now. How many of these things couldn’t we live without? What is really important? Let’s focus instead on what we are grateful for! 

Watch gratitude video. (This cracked Doug up when I was preparing this lesson and one of the ladies says she is grateful for thrift shops and garage sales. Me in a nutshell)

 

Go and write on your paper 5 things you are grateful for. We are happy to help those of you who need help! When you’re done you can come and sit down again. 

Your list is 5 things you can tell Heavenly Father you are grateful for this week. Each day when you have prayed and thanked him, you can tick off the day! 

With our pianists help, I’d love to sing a song for you. “Count your many blessings.” I have so many blessings in my life and one of them is being a primary leader. 

I’m grateful for all of you! So here’s something to show you! (I'll be getting up early Sunday morning to make cookies.)

primary christmas gifts

i wanted something simple but effective for primary christmas gifts this year. but wouldn't you know, i didn't even take a photo of them when they were finished and ready to hand out, so all i have to show for it are the labels i made up.

for all the children above nursery age, we handed out glittery star decorations with this tag, one per child (so 2 of our primary families had a full set of six!) plus a light the world advent calendar printed onto a3 sized paper, perfect to put on the fridge.

and for the nursery children, a mini tub of playdough to make their own star to play with.

not bad for a last minute idea... i wanted to get them out at the beginning of december so they could decorate their trees and i love them!

 

father's day cookie decorating

is there a better way to entertain a bunch of kids during sharing time in primary on father's day than by pepping them all up on a ridiculous amount of sugar and then sending them home to their parents? i think not. we wanted to make something fun for the primary dads, so cookie decorating it was. i spent some time yesterday baking sugar cookies (no fail ones here which i have been using since madeline was 5, so can vouch for their success!) then mixed up icing and got to the sugar-ing.

joseph was so excited - and may have eaten a bunch of the decorating items hhahaha.

while madeline took her job very seriously and made her dad! it looked adorable. doug's little red headed self on a cookie.

rosy cheeks and all. she can be so creative sometimes! then pondering what to do with her second cookie. it was so funny, she ended up using the icing to glue four freddo frogs on their side and then stuck a lid on and glued another on the top. doug loved it cause all he really wanted was the chocolate anyway!

it's a sugar fest!

like in all honesty, i don't know if he could have gotten any more on there if he tried!

the finished product was pretty impressive and i know all our primary kids had a lot of fun. definitely a success!

madeline's ctr ring

when madeline turned 8, doug and i gave her a ctr ring to wear. many people in our church wear a ctr ring, a small shield that stands for "choose the right." it has rarely left her hand since and she was sure to mention it to her teacher that year to ensure that there wouldn't be an issue with the school dress policy as it is quite strict and does say that jewellery other than small earrings are not allowed, with the exception of items worn for cultural or religious significance. 

this year however, a lot of the girls in her class have been caught out with all kinds of jewellery on, plus nail polish which is also against the rules. madeline was caught in the classroom blitz and asked to remove her ring which thankfully she did without argument even though it upset her.

her mature, level headed response allowed me an opportunity to email with her teacher and explain our religious beliefs and the reason behind the ring, which was wonderful for me. we have been told to plant little seeds wherever we go and leave things better than we found them and this was my chance to do so. 

choose the right, when a choice is placed before you

in the right, the holy spirit guides

and its light is forever shining over you

when in the right your heart confides

choose the right, choose the right

let wisdom mark the way before 

in its light, choose the right

and god will bless you evermore

-choose the right lds hymns #239

scripture eggs: a primary easter handout

i finally got these made up just in time to hand out to our primary families this sunday for them to learn a little more about easter at home - and teach their families too! i really love this idea which i have used a few times, here and here but i certainly streamlined it a lot more when i had 20 sets to make! it's such a wonderful lesson for kids of all ages and adults too!

my lovely friend jen donated 20 clean egg cartons to me (thank goodness cause they were going to cost me a heap to get new plain ones!) and all i had to do was peel the stickers off and get going with all the items i'd bought online to make them up.

here are the scriptures and contents for you if you want to make your own set, plus the printable above to stick on the cartons:

1. matthew 26:15 30 silver pieces

2. 3 nephi 11:11-12 & matthew 26:39 sacrament cup

3. matthew 27:24 small chunk of soap

4. mark 14:29-31, 53, 66-72 mini chicken

5. matthew 27:28-29 red fabric

6. alma 11:42 piece of rope

7. john 19:24 dice

8. matthew 27:51-54 rocks

9. john: 19:39 rosemary stem

10. luke 24:1-10 round white pebble

11. john 20:25-26 nails

12. matthew 27:59 & matthew 28:6 white fabric

highly recommend for an easy and effective handout this easter! our primary kids and their families loved them, we had amazing feedback from parents.

the first vision: a primary lesson

 

**all artwork found on google images, used simply for this post. if you are the owner of an image and wish to have it removed, please contact me so that i can do so**

in our religion, we believe that god the father and his son jesus christ appeared to the boy joseph in the spring of 1820. we believe they appeared in response to his fervent plea to know of which of the religions of the day was the right one and which one would lead him to his father in heaven. there are so many artists depictions of this moment and over the years i have loved so many of them, but none have ever had quite the effect on me as seeing this one. i don't doubt joseph would have been overwhelmed and likely afraid. seeing this version where he is being held by his heavenly father gave me chills. knowing he was loved and that he was no doubt comforted by them in that moment was incredible to me. what a wonderful feeling it gave me.

i was scheduled to teach our primary lesson today and really wanted to teach something that the children needed (and would want) to know. all week as i considered the options, i kept coming back to the first vision over and over. it's been a long time since we had classes in person after covid came along and ruined everything, but we are back - with an all in primary set up. nursery through to 11 years old - and it's loud and messy, but a lot of fun. 

a lot of the really junior kids have probably never seen a lesson on the first vision, because the doctrine and covenants/ pearl of great price along with the other standard works are only covered once every four years. so we watched a kids video of how it went down here, read the scripture that prompted joseph to offer that first prayer in james 1:5 "if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of god, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

then we all recited the first article of faith together: "we believe in god, the eternal father, and in his son, jesus christ - and in the holy ghost."

before we taught them the first verse of the hymn joseph smith's first prayer to finish up. it went really well and i was so pleased with my choice, especially when i learned that the "come follow me" theme for this week was the restoration. coincidence? i think not. haha.

oh how lovely was the morning!

radiant beamed the sun above.

bees were humming, sweet birds singing,

music ringing through the grove.

when within the shady woodland

joseph sought the god of love.

when within the shady woodland,

joseph sought the god of love.

you can listen to a beautiful version of the song in full here.

it goes on with further verses as so:

humbly kneeling, sweet appealing,

'twas the boys first uttered prayer

when the powers of sing assailing

filled his soul with deep despair

but undaunted still he trusted

in his heavenly fathers care

but undaunted still he trusted

in his heavenly fathers care

suddenly a light descended

brighter far then noonday sun

and a shining glorious pillar

over him fell, around him shone.

while appeared two heavenly beings

god the father and the son

while appeared two heavenly beings

god the father and the son.

joseph this is my beloved,

hear him! oh how sweet the word!

joseph's humble prayer was answered,

and he listened to the lord.

oh, what rapture filled his bosom, 

for he saw the living god.

oh, what rapture filled his bosom, 

for he saw the living god.

it will never cease to amaze me, the incredible things that took place that day. that a teenage boy had enough faith to be ready to see god himself and his son jesus christ and be the one chosen to restore their gospel to the earth in the latter days.

how very blessed i feel to know the truth and to be able to raise my family in the gospel.

d&c 76:22-24 

and now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: that he lives! for we saw him, even on the right hand of god; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the only begotten of the father- that by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters of god.

primary advent calendar jars

reusing an idea from last year in young womens, because they were such a huge hit, i decided to make the primary children an advent calendar jar as their christmas gift this year. 24 slips of paper, festively coloured in red and green, to draw one each day - bringing them closer to christ before we celebrate his birth. 

step one - spray paint jars in the backyard and try not to breathe in too many of the fumes...

step two - print, cut and fold pieces into jars

step three: print and attach labels and festive pieces (you can find some amazing used pieces at your local opshops/ jumble sales in the lead up to christmas and even in the middle of the year haha) then drive all over the place to hand them out before december begins.

again, amazing feedback from all our primary families and worth all the effort!

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3 Ne. 12:6. Jesus Christ taught that we will be blessed for seeking righteousness. Spend ten minutes reading your scriptures or scripture stories.

3 Ne. 12:16. Jesus asked us to be examples to those around us. Set an example of service by helping with the dishes or cleaning or other chores at home.

Matt. 6:3–4. Jesus Christ taught that we should quietly help other people. Write a kind note for someone in your family and hide it for them to find.

3 Ne. 12:9. Jesus Christ promised to bless peacemakers. Sing a reverent primary song to help bring greater peace to your home.

3 Ne. 17:21–24. Jesus Christ blessed little children because He loved them. Show your love for a sibling or friend by sharing or helping them in some way.

3 Ne. 18:6–7. Jesus asked His followers to always remember Him, especially when partaking of the sacrament. Write in your journal or tell your parents how you feel about the Saviour.

3 Ne. 18:21. Jesus Christ taught us to pray with our families. Help your family remember to have family prayer today.

3 Ne. 23:1. Jesus Christ commanded the Nephites to study the words of Isaiah. Ask a parent to read Isaiah 53:3–5 with you and talk about the Atonement.

3 Ne. 27:7. Jesus told His disciples to call the Church in His name. Sing “The Church of Jesus Christ” (Children’s Songbook, page 77).

3 Ne. 27:29. Jesus Christ promised that Heavenly Father will answer our prayers. Write in your journal or tell your parents about a time when He answered one of your prayers.

D&C 89:10–11, 18–20. Jesus Christ revealed the Word of Wisdom to help us to be healthy. Today, choose only foods that will make your body strong and thank Heavenly Father for them.

Matt. 22:34–40. Jesus Christ taught us to love our neighbours. Work with your family to do something nice for your neighbours.

3 Ne. 25:5–6. Jesus said that the hearts of children should turn to their parents. Ask your parents or grandparents to tell you about Christmases when they were young.

Mark 10:13–14. Jesus showed that children are very important to Him. In your personal prayer, tell Heavenly Father about your day and the things that made you happy.

D&C 1:37. Jesus counselled Latter-day Saints to study His commandments. Think of one commandment you keep and one blessing that you enjoy.

D&C 19:38–39. Jesus Christ asks us to pray always. Carry a prayer in your heart today, thanking Heavenly Father for your blessings.

John 13:34–35. We show that we want to follow Jesus Christ when we love other people. Show your love to your parents by helping without being asked.

Luke 17:11–19. Jesus Christ praised the leper who returned to thank Him. Write a note or draw a picture to thank someone who has helped you.

D&C 33:11–12. Jesus taught the principles of His gospel. Memorize and recite the fourth Article of Faith.

D&C 21:1, 4–5. Our prophet tells us what Jesus Christ wants us to do. Talk with a parent about President Nelson’s counsel from the last general conference.

D&C 25:12. With your family or friends, sing Christmas songs about Jesus. (See Hymns, numbers 201–214; Children’s Songbook, pages 34-55.)

D&C 35:26. Jesus Christ wants us to be happy. Make a list of blessings that make you happy and hang the list in your bedroom.

D&C 108:7. Jesus asks us to help each other be strong in the gospel. Share your testimony with someone you love.

D&C 76:22–24. Even though Jesus was born two thousand years ago, He has appeared to prophets of this dispensation. As a family, read and discuss today’s assigned scripture.

primary general conference packs

i love being able to get the primary children involved in general conference too - and am in loooove with this incredible huge colouring page that we also located online (forever grateful for those to share their ides and help me do wonderful things for our group here!). we gave one to each family so the children could colour together as they listen to conference. 

then, we added in a bag of popcorn with a date reminder - for further distraction!

i'm so excited to see these getting used on the day and i'm hoping the kids love them as much as i do!

ward father's day gifts

father's day is almost upon us again, and seeing as we still can't really do anything exciting (even though covid restrictions in wa are fairly relaxed due to a extremely long period without any community transmission) we wanted to do something cool for the primary dads and drop it to each of them. i had seen this awesome little "man" keyring made from nuts and bolts, so we decided that would be the way to go.

after a stop to bunnings to grab supplies, i got to work and whipped up 20 of these bad boys. they were not easy... the wire chain especially was a bit hard on the hands - and there was multiple pairs of pliers involved to get the bolts tight enough, but it worked... and they look awesome!

packaged up in a little cello bag from the local reject shop (side note, i always have at least one pack of these on hand, they are 30 for $1.50 and have about a billion different uses)

with a card made on the canva app... perfect! ready for delivery. we are doing the best we can with what we can, to ensure our primary children and their families know that they are loved. 

 

primary sports carnival

ever since covid hit and shut everything down we've struggled to be able to organise primary activities for our kids. we were called as a new primary presidency the week before church was closed down, butttt now that we are able to have church again we organised an activity to get our kids together... outside! we decided on a sports carnival so that we could be outside and appropriately "social distance" whilst doing so.

we had a bunch of kids turn up and had an awesome cheer squad of family members!

first up, we divided the kids into 3 tribes, the nephites (in yellow), the lamanites (in red) and the jaredites (blue) and handed out headbands for them to wear.

 then, we ran age group races on the grass strip by our chapel...

before coming back for team games, which were all modified to suit our day-

-egg and spoon races (with giant spoons and plastic counting eggs)

-flag race (run to each one of the cones and tap as you pass)

-three legged race

-hula hoop circle

-bean bag throw

we kept track of each of the winners throughout the day and allocated points to each of the teams for the individual and team events, to allow us to come to the final winner scores:

nephites in 1st place

lamanites in 2nd place

and jaredites in 3rd pace

we had bishop award the winning tribe with prizes and had our activity days leaders award our choices for the champion girl and boy for the day, we'd been to kmart and picked out a pile of things for them to choose from and they loved it!

we ended the day with a bbq, juice boxes and cupcakes, before racing to pack everything up because the rain was coming in... it was a great day and i'm hoping we manage to sort another one soon!

our little primary carnival gang. ❤