With Heavy Heart

I knew this day would come but that doesn't make it any easier.

After 3 wonderful years, I've been RELEASED from the BEST calling in the church!

It's going to be hard adjusting to my Sundays without my sweet kiddos. I hope I'll be back soon but I just wanted to leave you with a little gift before I go off to other adventures.

When I first got this calling I started compiling a file of all the ideas I have used in Primary. It's my GO-TO file. It's a collection of great ideas I've found on Pinterest, Facebook, Blogs, or ones I've dreamed up myself. They are all tried and tested with my little ones. I've tried to give credit where they came from but some I didn't write down and can't find it again. I'm so sorry if your idea is here and I didn't give you credit but THANK YOU!

Here is a sample of 3 out of the 32 pages in the file.

Click HERE to download the file.

THANKS to everyone for reading my blog and to everyone for your inspiring ideas!!

We CANNOT do this calling alone.

HAPPY SINGING!!

Scatter and Gather

We are busy with Christmas songs. We've been ask to sing at the ward Christmas party, which is only 2 weeks away. Plus we are practicing to sing in Sacrament meeting just before Christmas. But I still want to do something with being thankful and showing gratitude. 

An idea hit me this morning how I can do both.

Back when I taught 'I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus' I found an idea called 'Scatter and Gather'. You can read that post HERE.

I'm going to use that same idea as we practice our Christmas songs only with turkey cards and the gatherers will have to tell us what they are thankful for.

This is a GREAT activity that is kind-of like hot and cold so you can sing the songs over and over in a fun way.

I've made a download with various cards so you can scatter and gather throughout the year.

Click HERE to download.

Happy Gathering!!

Program Review

We are in full Program Review mode. Our PP is October 15th and my JR needs lots of practice. I want the review to be fun but not too distracting. I also get to take up ALL the sharing and singing time this week. I had a great idea come to me in the middle of the night (that's when I get most of my inspiration lol) I'm calling it 'The Super Singer Game'. 

You play it like 'The QUIET Game'.

It's VERY EASY!

Click HERE to download my directions.

I will also be using Balloon Bugs for a fun way to choose and pass off each song.

I thought I had shared this before but I couldn't find it. So here it is... maybe again!

Click HERE to download the BUGS!

I hope this can be of help to someone.

Happy Singing!

I'm Trying to be Like Jesus

Beautiful song, Primary classic!

The Senior kiddos know it pretty well except for the 2nd verse but the Junior kids stumble with so many words.

I used the 2017 Sharing Time Outline idea to teach it. You can check it out HERE. But my Junior needs more work. They got a little bored so I wanted to make it a little more engaging this week.

I'm going to springboard off an idea I read on the LDS Chorister's Facebook page and of course I can't find it again to give credit to the original person. 

But THANKS whomever you are!

It's a spin on Hot & Cold. She called it 'Gathering'. You make about 50 little cards (like stars, flowers, or CTR shields, etc). You place them around the room. While everyone sings, one child goes around gathering the cards (one at a time) and brings them up to the front.

So last night as I'm trying to fall asleep, I get my much needed inspiration.

I'm calling it 'SCATTER & GATHER'.

I made cards for the things that the Savior taught. I will scatter them around the room and a child will gather them as we sing. 

Here's my plan with a few rules to keep things orderly.

Click HERE to download the cards and directions.

I hope this will help us learn the song better but most importantly bring the spirit and learn how to be like Jesus.

Happy Gathering!

Finger Lights

I LOVE these little things!
 I used to put these in my birthday bags for my first graders.
My grandkids love using them when we're camping around the campfire.

And now they are a BIG hit in Primary.

I've seen several ideas on the LDS Choristers Facebook page. So I thought I'd put all the ideas together on one pages so I won't forget them. Plus, I made some shape cards you can download if you'd like.

Click HERE to download the ideas and shape cards.

Click HERE for a direct link to Amazon.com to buy.

Happy Singing!!!

Snowball Singing 2

About a year ago I posted 'Snowball Singing'. It's a fun way to choose songs and fun ways to sing each song.

I love to save myself some time prepping. So I'm going to use it again. But change it a bit.

We are still learning 'As a Child of God'. My JR is very slow learning it. So we need something for them to sing it over and over but in a fun way. So I'm going to use a variation of Snowball Singing.

I know my JR kiddos will LOVE this, SR probably will too..

Click HERE to download the file.

Happy Snowball Singing!!

Christmas Singing Time

This week I am going to teach my SENIOR Primary 'Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus'.

I thought it went so well with the theme of 'The Scriptures Teach Me about the Savior's Birth.'

Here is my plan.

You can download my lesson plan HERE.

This is where I got the idea. Thanks to this fabulous book!

For JUNIOR we are still working on 'Could I Hold the Baby' for our Sacrament meeting number. So I thought I'd bring my Fisher Price Nativity set.

I'll hand out pieces to the kids and as we sing the song, I'll touch the heads of those with pieces one at a time. They will bring their pieces up and recreate the Nativity. We'll do it several times so everyone has a turn. I'll start with the oldest class so the Sunbeams with understand what we are doing. I will also have my new little Nursery-Sunbeams-to-be in there so they can have a turn too.

I also want them to learn or review 'Once within a Lowly Stable'. So I'm doing it for the opening song for the whole month. Here is a flip chart for it.

Click HERE to download the flip chart.

Happy Christmas Singing!!

Name That Program Song

This Sunday I get the whole time to practice our program songs. 

I want to make it simple, low prep but hit the songs hard.

I'm not big on visuals for the program. (I don't use any) So I want the kids to know which song they will be singing and what the first line is without holding up a sign. So I thought we'd play a little game.
All you need is a bell and a few balloons.

So here is what I have planned.

1. Divide the Primary into 2 teams.
2. Have a person from each team come to the small table up front where the bell will be. Place hands flat on the table.
3. Have the pianist play the introduction to one of the program songs. (My kids get about a 4 measure introduction to stand and get ready to sing)
4. First person to hit the bell guesses what the name of the song is. If correct, their team scores a point. If wrong, the other person gets to guess. If neither person gets it, ask a member of the team to name it.
5. (For the SR and oldest JR classes) Both players place hands on table again. Ask who can repeat the first line of the song.
6. First person to hit the bell with the right answer wins a point for their team.
7. Have all the Primary sing the song.
8. As they are singing, have a teacher or presidency member, blow up a balloon for each team. The louder and lovelier the team sings the bigger the balloon gets. (I found this idea over on the LDS Choristers Facebook page. Thanks to whoever came up with this. An easy, great idea!)
9. When the song is over, the adults hold the balloons up, say "GO". The adults let go of the balloons. The balloon that hits the floor last wins a point for their team.
*Repeat the whole process for the next song unless the song needs more work then sing it again & again blowing up the balloons each time.

Happy Singing, Ringing, and Blowing

Musical Missionaries

Sunday night I attended our Stake High Priest Fireside. The theme for the evening was my favorite subject: MUSIC. We listened to several speakers and special numbers from very talented people in our stake. One of the speakers was a long time member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I could have listened to his experiences all night. It was very uplifting and inspiring.

One thing he said had me thinking about my little Primary kiddos. He said that when he was set apart as a member of the choir he was told in the prayer that he was a 'Musical Missionary'. 

That hit me two fold.

1. I'm a 'Musical Missionary' every Sunday. Teaching, inspiring, and touching the hearts of children with the beautiful songs of the gospel.

2. I'm helping the children become 'Musical Missionaries' helping them express their testimonies through the messages of the music. Especially when we sing for the Sacrament Meeting Program. I know sometimes there are people in the audience that come only one Sunday a year to watch their child, neighbor, or friend in the program. What a great opportunity to share the gospel through these beautiful children and these awesome songs.

I can't wait to tell them Sunday all about being a 'Musical Missionary'!

Ours is an important calling. One I LOVE and enjoy!

More Singing Signs

I only have 3 more Sunday practices before our program. Eeeek!

I've done all kinds of cutesy activities from Olympics to Gift Box Singing. 

We just really need to focus on a few of the songs and sing them over and over. I LOVE the position cards but my kids are tired of them. 

I want something different than hot/cold or boys sing-girls sing or this side-that side.

So to help the kiddos NOT get bored and be able to move but also concentrate, I made some 'More Singing Signs'. I don't want them getting 'rowdy' and I think this will work. 

It's something new to them, low key, movement, and a variety.

Click HERE to download the file.

Happy Singing!

Echo Microphones

How do you know when it's been a 'successful' singing time?

Sometimes that's hard to judge but I feel it's been successful when 3 things happen.

1. Most or all of the kids are singing.

2. The kids are engaged, learning, and eager to participate.

3. We feel the spirit.

This calling is such a hard balancing act. You have to have fun, sometimes silly activities to keep their attention but still be able to invite the spirit and teach the gospel.

This last Sunday, I had a 'SUCCESSFUL' singing time!

Over on the LDS Choristers Facebook page, Becca Rogers posted about using Echo Microphones.

So I went to Amazon.com and bought a package of 12 for $12.99. (sometimes they are even cheaper)

Becca had suggested some ideas how to use them which got me thinking of other ways they could be used. I'm sure you could come up with other ways too.

Click HERE to download the above handout.

Of course, JR loved them but I have some rowdy boys in my SR Primary and I was a little worried how it would go over. So before we started I 'set up the rules'. And they LOVED it. I have never had my kiddos sing so well. We sang several songs over and over so everyone got more than one turn.

Everyone was singing. They were ALL engaged learning the songs and eager to participate. And the spirit was very strong. We all had goose bumps!

I've got to say, it's the best $12.99 I've spent in a long time!

Thanks Becca for a GREAT idea!

Why We Do What We Do

This morning I was listening to Pres. Eyring's Conference talk from April 2016 Saturday morning session. I love what he said about the choir.

I think this applies to me and my Primary children. I would hope to impress upon their little minds that their music and songs will build not only their faith but the faith of those who listen to them.
 I hope they also realize they are singing not only for family and friends but most importantly for the Lord. Imagine how wonderful it would be to stand and sing before the Lord. That is what they are actually doing. 

Not only as we prepare for our Sacrament meeting program but whenever we sing, I hope to remind my little ones about the power of music and the important part it plays in building our testimonies.

Isn't that why we do what we do?

Question Mark Review

I found a great idea over on the LDS Chorister's Group Facebook site. 

 THANK YOU whomever you are! 

It was about asking questions and singing the song to find the answers. You put up BIG question marks on the board with questions about the song on the back. Pick a question then sing the song to find the answer.

But there were NO question marks to print. 

Soooo I made some.

I have a really cute clip art by Dancing Crayons with BIG colorful question marks.

This should be a great way to review a song as well as have the kids think deeper about the song. 

Click HERE to download the question marks.

Happy Singing!

Sticker Dot Singers and Programmable Dice

I found a fun idea on the LDS Choristers Facebook page and tweaked it a bit for this Sunday. I wish I knew who to thank for the original idea-but THANK YOU whomever you are!

I bought a package of dot stickers with 4 different colors on a sheet. I will give a sheet to each teacher. As we practice our Father's Day songs, the teachers will give stickers to 'good singer'. Then we need to review our program songs from the previous months. So I made cards with the songs on them. 

For Jr. a child will pick a card so we know which song to sing. Then the child will roll the color die. I made a programmable die with the colors of the sticker dots. I had two spaces left so I assigned them as 'everyone sings' and 'teachers sing'. If the child rolls red, all the children with a red dot stands up and sings the song.  

For Sr. the dots will also have a number on them from 1-6. A child will roll the color die and the number die. Say he rolls blue and 5. Everyone will a blue sticker or a 5 will stand and sing.

A very easy, low prep, way to mix things up and still practice a lot of songs. Plus the JR. kiddos LOVE getting sticker.

Here are the programmable dice I found on Amazon.com. It comes with 3 dice. I use them in many different ways. I have ways to sing, classes, songs, just to name a few.

Click HERE to download the color die file.

Click HERE to download the Ways to Sing die file.

Happy Singing!

Super Singer's Silly Bag

I always like to have some kind of motivation for the kids to work toward as we are singing. It doesn't need to be anything more just positive praise or a cheer. Anything to get them to sing more and not be bored. If you're looking for different ideas, check out my labels on the right, under motivation. 

Here's another one I'm adding.

Find a cute gift bag and fill it with crazy things. When the kiddos sing well, let them choose something from the bag either for them or for their teacher to wear.

I ran to the Dollar Store this morning and found some cute things to add to my bag. I'm always on the look out for cheap silly things to add to my collection.

To keep them interested in my bag, sometimes I will only have silly glasses in it. Or funny headbands. They LOVE the boas. And crazy hats are always a hit. Sometimes it will be a mixture.

Kids will try to sing their best just to pick a silly item.

Click HERE to download the directions and label.

Happy Super Singers!

Motivation to Sing

I'm really hitting the songs for Easter hard this Sunday. So I thought a little motivation might help. 

I'm doing Sing-a-Scripture.

 This one is for Sr. It's the whole scripture.

This one is for Jr. Simplified with just part of the scripture.

Each time they sing well, a child is chosen to pick a card from the bag. At the end of singing time, we will unscramble the scripture. If the Sr. need help they can sing for the reference then we'll all look it up in our scriptures to solve. Then we'll talk about how their singing is pleasing to the Lord. I might even throw in some tootsie rolls in the bag for an added surprise.

I've shared this idea before on this blog HERE.

But this time I've included the scripture cards I'm using.

Click HERE for the directions.

Click HERE for the scripture cards for D&C 25:12.

Happy Singing! 

iPad App- DECIDE NOW

Many of you probably already know about this great app but if you don't- listen up. It's called 'DECIDE NOW'.

You can customize your own spinning wheel to say whatever you want. It could be different songs you want to practice, or ways to sing, or classes to pick. 

Take your iPad or iPhone to Primary and let the kids take turns pushing the green button. It makes a fun sound they will LOVE to hear.

There is a free lite version but I don't think it's programmable but the other version is only $0.99. That's pretty cheap fun.

To get it just search your app store for 'Decide Now'.

It's a lot of fun!

Snowman Bowling

I found a fun little activity floating around on Pinterest and the LDS Chorister's Facebook group from a few years ago that I'm trying on Sunday. I need to spice things up a bit and I think this will do the trick.

You make a snowman out of toilet paper rolls. I used 13 rolls but you can use however many you want. I covered mine with plastic wrap so I can re-use the TP and the buttons and face tape on easier to it. Decorate with a hat, scarf, and gloves etc. (Mine is missing the gloves). You will also need a pretty heavy ball like a soccer or volleyball. When building him you need a bigger base of 2-3 rolls so he doesn't fall down too easily.

There are a couple of variation how you could use this for singing time:

1- As the kids are singing, build the snowman. Then have a reverent, good singer roll a ball and try to knock the snowman over. Each time you sing, have a different child roll the ball. This will give several children a turn. It also helps if you have a teacher be the builder so you can concentrate on the singing. Sr Primary could probably take turns building.

2- Pick a song to work on. Each time the kids sing the song well, add a piece or two to the snowman. When he is all built, pick someone to knock him down. Then you can start over on another song.

I made a copy of my face and buttons if you'd like to download it.

Click HERE

Happy Bowling!

Sing-A-Message or Scripture

I'm getting ready for Ward Conference and I wanted something that would motivate my kids, but challenge them, keep them engaged, easy, and be spiritual.

Here's what I'm doing:

I found a message and a scripture from the sharing time outline for the week so it goes along with what the Presidency is teaching and printed them. Got a cute bag and now I'm ready.

This works GREAT for a last minute substitute too!

Click HERE if you want to download these directions.

Tree-eacher

We did a fun practice time Sunday. We are practicing our songs to sing in Sacrament meeting. So I wanted something fast and easy. I had read somewhere about dressing-up a human so I put a Christmas twist to it and called it the 'Tree-eacher'. The kids in both Jr. and Sr. loved it!

I got a cute holiday box and loaded it with things to decorate a Christmas tree. I found most of the stuff at the dollar store and extra decorations I had around the house. Things like tinsel, lights, ornaments, stars, bows, a Santa hat, and a tree skirt. 

When we started practicing our songs, I stopped them in the middle and said, "that could really sound better. Maybe we need a little encouragement." Then I brought out my box. I told them I had decorations for a Christmas tree and each time they sing well, we will put something on our tree. Then someone said, "but where's the tree?" "Oh, no I forgot the tree! I know let's decorate a teacher and call it a 'tree-eacher'." That had them all laughing! So I brought up a good-sporting teacher and we wrapped lights and tinsel around him and so on. I feel bad I didn't snap a picture to show but I hope you get the picture.

The kiddos sang their hearts out and I think we're ready to sing in Sacrament meeting next week.

HAPPY SINGING!