Books in the New Testament

As promised, here is the visual for The Books in the New Testament.

I use it the same as The Books in the Book of Mormon.

Click HERE to download a copy.

I'm working on The Books in the Old Testament. Coming soon!
Happy Singing!

Primary Song of the Month

 I didn't make a CD with all the program songs.
I'm trying something different this year. I have found videos for all the songs and instead of making a DVD that may get lost or never looked at, I'm putting a link in the ward news letter each month for the Primary song of the month. 

It looks like this:

I found the videos on YouTube and LDS.org. Hopefully, parents will click on the link and show it to their kids. Each month, I'll give the link to the next song of the month. Then the month before the program when we are practicing like crazy, I'll send an email to all the parents with the links to each song and ask them to review the songs with their kiddos.
I'm also introducing all the song on the first Sunday of the year with my scrambled phrases and the videos.
We will see how it goes. It will be easier than making all those CD or DVD. I'll try anything that will help the kids learn the songs.

If I Listen With My Heart

This is such a beautiful song. I think it's one of my new favorites.

You may have your own plans for teaching this song. That is what's so wonderful about personal revelation and listening with 'your' heart. Before I came up with my plan, I did a lot of research plus a lot of prayer went into it too. I may even make changes before I actually teach it. Thanks to all those who shared their ideas for this and other songs.  

It ALL helps in one way or other! 

I like to take a little from here and a little from there, tweak this and make up that, then roll it all together and make it fit me.

 Let the spirit guide you and do what's best for your Primary.

 Here's how I plan to teach it.

I loved this painting by Del Parsons. I think it goes so well with the first verse of the song. I have a large framed version of it that I want to show the kids as I introduce this song.

Click HERE for a copy of my lesson plan.

Click HERE for the 'heart child' (girl and boy, with 2 sizes).

Click HERE for a flip chart to If I Listen With My Heart.

I hope I have helped in some way for you to 'listen to your heart in finding YOUR way to teach this beautiful song.

2016 Scrambled Songs

I'm excited to get started on a NEW YEAR and NEW SONGS.

So for the first Sunday of the year, I'm going to do an introduction and what a teacher might call 'a pre-test'. I decided not to start the new song 'If I Listen With My Heart' because Sunday will be crazy with all the changing of classes and teachers. 

Besides there are 5 Sunday this month too.

Here's my plan:

It's called Scrambled Phrases.

I have picked a phrase from each of the songs for the program this year. Cut them up and placed in a baggy. They are all color-coded with the handy key above so I'll know the answers. 

There's a couple of ways you could do it. Whatever works for your kiddos. I'll give each class a bag and ask them to unscramble the words to make a phrase from a song. In the Junior the teachers will need to help the little ones. I'll give the harder ones to the older classes. 

Then we'll go around the room and figure out the phrase and sing the song. I've made song posters to use for various games throughout the year and I'll make 2 piles: Songs We Know & Songs We Need to Learn. This will give me an idea of how long I'll need to spend on each song each month.

This is a great little time filler or fun for a sub throughout the year.

Next week we will do 'If I Listen With My Heart' (hard and heavy!)

Click HERE for the scrambled phrases.

Click HERE for the song posters.

My 2 song picks for April and June are: 'This Is My Beloved Son' CS page 76 and 'I'll Follow Him in Faith' from The Friend. If you'd like me to make you song posters for your 2 song picks, I'd be happy to. It only takes a few minutes. Just comment below and I'll get in touch with you. I will need an email address to send them to you. You can leave it in the comment or send it to me directly at shereerae@gmail.com

**I'VE HAD SO MANY EXTRA POSTER REQUEST. SO I ADDED 26 EXTRAS.
Click HERE to see more.
Just download, pick the ones you need, then print them.

Books in the Book of Mormon

To go along with this year's theme of "I Know the Scriptures Are True", I'm going to be teaching my kiddos the songs to the books in the Old & New Testament and Book of Mormon.

I'm starting with the Book of Mormon. Whenever I have a few minutes, I'll whip this visual out and have a go at it.

Click HERE if you'd like to download the picture cards.

There are 2 ways I'm going to use them- one for Junior and the other for Senior. I've included these directions in the download.

VERSION 1: I'll place all the cards on the board mixed up. Then ask if anyone can tell me which book is first in the Book of Mormon. Or can anyone come put the books of the Book of Mormon in order. If someone thinks they can I'll let them try.

VERSION 2: I'll set my printer to print the cards so that there are 2 pages per page (4 cards per page). I'll make 4-5 sets. I'll give each class or group a set of picture cards mixed up. I will give them 1 minute to put them in order WITHOUT using a Book of Mormon.

To check either version, I'll have the kids pull out their scriptures and help me put them in the right order. Then we'll sing the song several times and take down a few picture cards each time.

I'll be making a visual for the Old & New Testament soon. So watch for it!

WINTER Wiggle Songs

I found some fun wiggle songs for winter on Facebook and on the Internet. So I made them up ready to go.

The first is to the tune of Popcorn Popping. There are several versions out there. This is the one I did. Even my Senior Primary liked singing this one. 

We also made up actions to go along with it.

Click HERE for a copy.

Next, we like to do a winter version of 'Fun To Do' on page 253 in the CS. I made up some cute cards that the kids picked. Then we made up an action and sang it.

Click HERE for a copy of the cards.

Then, we like to sing 'Falling Snow'. It's in the CS on page 248. But when I was growing up there was another part to the song about the icicles. I found the music in the old orange Primary book. Yes, I know that makes me old. Ha, ha!

The book was published in 1980 and there was no copyright, that I could find, on the song. So I made a copy for my pianist and taught the kids the extra phrases. We made up actions for this one too.

If you don't have access to this book, I took a picture of the music. Sorry it's not a great copy but I think you can see the words and notes.

Click HERE for a copy. 

All of these songs are a hit in Nursery too!

Merry Christmas

The stockings are hung and my baking is done!

Time to get this party started.

From all of mine to all of yours-

May your holidays be merry and bright!

Remember the reason for the season!

Snowball Singing!

My kiddos in Primary have been practicing hard to sing their Christmas songs in Sacrament meeting. They did a FANTASTIC job on Sunday! So for the last Sunday of the year, I thought we'd just relax and have a little fun singing some of our favorite songs.

I will be doing this fun 'Snowball Singing' activity.

I printed several cute snowmen with songs on the back. I'll place them on the front board. Then I've printed fun ways to sing the songs on white copy paper. Then I wadded them up into a ball to represent a 'snowball' and placed them in a bucket. I'll choose a child to come up and pick a paper snowball to throw at a snowman. Which ever one they hit, is the song we will sing. Then we will un-wad the snowball to see how we will sing it.

Super easy, fast prep, and fun!

If you'd like a copy, you can click HERE.

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!

Handbells

Look what came in the mail the other day!

I bought the 13 Note Chromatic set from Amazon.com

Click on the picture above for a direct link to Amazon.com

My grandkids and I have had a blast playing with them.

I'm using them for the Primary to sing in Sacrament Meeting. We are doing the song: Christmas Bells. Because this is their first time using bells I decided to do chords with the bells instead of the melody. It's much easier. Plus, my Primary already knows this song well.

If you look at the song in the Children's Song book there are chord markings.

In this song there are only 3 different chords: G, D7, C. They are played 11 times during the song.

Next I looked up the notes that are in those 3 chords. I found I had 8 different notes:

A, B, middle C, D, E, F#, G, treble C.

Here is a handy chart for finding the notes in chords. There is also one in the Children's Songbook.

Click HERE for a download.

If this is confusing, just ask your pianist for help. He/She should know how to find the notes in a chord.

Next, I made a chart with the words and chords.

Click HERE for a download of the note labels I used on the chart.

I printed a sheet of each and placed in a file for future use with other songs.

Click HERE for the words to the song.

I underlined the words in the song when the bells are rung so the kids would know when to play. 

We got permission from the Bishop to do this but he was a little worried about reverence because I'm having my 10 & 11 year old boys do it. My older girls are going to be singing the descant. So we had a very nice discussion about reverence in Sacrament meeting, the proper way to play the instrument, a little history about the instrument, and how the Mormon Tab. Choir uses them. I am also hand picking my 8 boys that will be playing the bells.

Last Sunday, I introduced the bells to my Sr. Primary. As we practiced the song and descant, I rotated the bells so every child got a chance to play them. They LOVED it and were very well behaved. It was simple, fun, and sounded great!

HAPPY RINGING!!

NURSERY SINGING TIME

"Nursery-age Children are ready and eager to learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and music can help them learn."

From the Nursery Manuel BEHOLD YOUR LITTLE ONES

Nursery is near and dear to my heart! I love doing music with them.
Here's how I put my Nursery music time together:

1. I chose 36 songs from the Children's Songbook that I thought the children needed to know and could handle at their age. I made a song card for each. 

Each Sunday I choose 8-10 songs. I try to have at least one for each child in Nursery so everyone gets a turn picking a song.

2. Whenever I sing with the Nursery kids, I like them to either be holding something (a prop) or doing an action to keep them engaged. 

I collected the props and placed them in various sized baggies with labels to identify them. I also printed the words to the songs so I had a little reminder if I needed it.

3. I place them in a large container that would fit in the Nursery closet. If you don't have a closet you can just keep it at home and place what you'll need in a bag each Sunday.

4. When it's time to sing, I place the song cards I've chosen on the board. Then the kids take turns picking a song. I hand out the props or show them the actions and we sing the song several times. Then we continue until everyone has had a turn picking a song. It's a great way to teach 'taking turns'.

5. When I introduce a new song, I sing it first and then have them sing with me. Most of the kids will give it a try but sometimes it takes a few weeks for them to start singing with me. Just keep singing even if you're singing a solo. Believe me they are getting it and will soon be singing with you.

If you would like a copy of my song cards and all I've talked about in this post, click HERE.

I have other posts on this blog for Nursery. Just check out LABELS on the sidebar under Nursery for them.

Happy Singing!!!

Lamination

Lamination!

It can be expensive. It can be frustrating. It can be worth it.

I've taught 1st and 2nd grade for many, many years and sometimes
I feel like the laminating QUEEN!

It can get pricey if you think you have to laminate everything. It's frustrating if you've spent hours coloring & cutting a project and it gets stuck in the laminator or overlaps. But it can keep your projects protected for years to come and save you hours of prep time.

So when it is worth it to laminate a project?

My rule of thumb is: 

• If the kids are going to be handling it- LAMINATE IT (Like cards or pictures)
• If it's something you want to keep and re-use a lot- LAMINATE IT (like game boards)
• If it's a poster or chart to be places on the board or wall- DON'T (like monthly theme charts or scripture posters)
• If it's a flip chart- DON'T (plastic sheet protectors are better, reusable, and cheaper)

I would also shop around for the best prices if you're having someone do it for you like a copy shop. Lamination comes in different thicknesses and the thicker it is, the higher the price. I use 3 mil. and it's plenty thick enough for my cards and pictures. Some people prefer 5 mil. and that will feel about like the thickness of your driver's license. It also depends on if you print on regular copy paper or card stock.

Several years ago I bought one of these.

It is a Scotch Thermal Laminator. I seriously cannot live without it. In fact, I'm on my second one. I bought mine from Amazon.com but I've seen them at Wal-Mart and Target too. They even go on sale, so if you want one- watch for the sales. They range anywhere from $20-$40.
Here are the pouches I use. Also from Amazon.com

They are about $11 for a box of 100 and it is the 3 mil thickness. So that makes it 11 cents to laminate one sheet of paper. That is much cheaper that a copy shop.

So if you want to save some of your projects and want them to be more durable, you might want to consider lamination.

If You're THANKFUL

I saw a fun idea on LDS Chorister's Facebook page. But I can't find it now. I think that's a problem a lot of us have that use the sight. If you don't save the idea when you see it, you may never see it again. 

So I'd love to give credit for whomever thought of this. Let me know if it's you. THANKS!!

Anyhow, they suggested changing the words to 'If You're Happy and you know it' to If You're THANKFUL and you know'. They had some cute suggestion so I made up some card to go with it.

The kiddos take turns picking a card and everyone sings and does an action to it.

I'm going to use this for my wiggles song. I think it would be GREAT for Nursery too.

Click HERE if you'd like a copy.

GIVE THANKS!!

Book of Mormon Stories

I sometimes forget that there are more verses to Book of Mormon Stories.

So I made some great 11 x 17 charts with all the verses.

Here is how I use them:

 I love to pass out a chart/verse to each class. Then have the pianist play the verse over and over as each class gathers around their poster and practices singing their verse. After about 4-5 times we stop and have each class come forward and sing their verse for the group. This even works in Junior Primary and it gets the teachers involved. Senior Primary can even look up the story in the Book of Mormon or tell a story about their verse.

I created the charts to be printed on 11 x 17 inch paper so they will be good quality when enlarged. Just take the file on a jump drive to your copy center and ask them to print them on that sized paper. You'll want to laminate them for durability. If you'd rather not go to that expense or want to use as a flip chart you can print on regular sized paper.

My good friend, Collette, had another great idea to use a toy bow & arrow with suction cups (like a Nerf one). Draw a bull's eye on the board with verse numbers in the circles. Then have the child shoot at it like 'Nephi in the Wilderness'. Sing wherever the arrow hits.

Click HERE to download the file.

ENJOY!

Head Shoulders Elbows Hips What?

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!

After searching many sites, I found all kinds of fun things to do with this favorite wiggle song. But I needed a visual (cause I'm a visual learner). This is especially great for the Senior Primary kids. It makes them think. So I have put it altogether. I've included pictures as well as words. Here are some of the ideas:

1. Have pictures of the body parts. Place the pictures on the board. Ask a child to mix them up. Then sing it in the new order.

2. Do different kinds of clothing.

3. Do different kinds of body movements.

4. Do other body parts.

5. Try omitting selected words each time as you sing.

Click HERE to download the file.

ENJOY!

Go the Second Mile

Go the Second Mile!

I've found myself singing this song many times as I go about my daily work.

I'm using this for my closing song this month because I love what it teaches about service.

I made a flip chart to use for the first few Sundays. Hopefully, by the end of the month they will know it.

The pictures are from LDS.org. I LOVE the smiles they are showing as they serve. I want to stress to the children that it's an honor to be able to serve others and to always do your best. It will make their Heavenly Father happy and they can be HAPPY too..

 Click HERE to download the flip chart.

Happy Singing!

Miracle Singing Spray

I can't remember where I read about this cute idea to motivate kids to sing, somewhere on-line. But I couldn't find a label all ready made anywhere. So I made my own.

I like to fill the bottle with water. But I know some people fill it with lemonade or Kool-aid.

 If a child is singing really well, you can spray into his/her mouth or just above their head if it's water. Sometimes if a whole class is singing well, I'll just spray all around them. My Primary kids LOVE it. I found my spray bottle at Wal-Mart for $1 by the clothespin aisle.

Click HERE if you'd like the label.

ENJOY!

Transposing on LDS.org

The theme for the month of November is :When We Serve Others, We Serve God.

So for my opening song, we will be singing: 'A Happy Helper' on page 197A. 

This is a new song to me and I think it's perfect for the monthly theme.

It's a little high, so I went to the church's website (LDS.org), went to Serve and Teach, Other Callings, Music Callings, Church Music Website, Music Player, where you can listen to the songs. You can also change the key lower or higher. Be careful not to make it too hard for the pianist with lots of sharps or flats. It's in F major now so I hit the 'key' button at the top of the page and went down to D major with 2 sharps. Then I printed a copy for my pianist.  

I also made a flip chart to help us learn it.

Click HERE if you'd like a copy.

The King of Primary Songs

We are learning 2 new Christmas songs to sing in Sacrament meeting this year. I hate to start Christmas songs before Thanksgiving but we need the time. At least Halloween is over.

We are singing: 'Christmas Day' by Jenny W. Francis and 'The Baby Jesus' by Jo Marie Borgeson Bray. They are both found in The Friend and on LDS.org. However, The Baby Jesus copy is kind of hard to see with the yellowish background. A chorister on the LDS Chorister Facebook page took and cleaned it up in Photoshop so it's much easier to read. Thanks Cindi Brown Meier! (I've included it in the download).

Here's how I'm teaching the songs:
I found the cutest puppet on Amazon.com.

I'm calling him the KING OF PRIMARY SONGS. He is going to sing each line of the song and the kids will echo him. Then when they have it pretty good, I'll bring out some of the 'citizens' of his kingdom. (Other puppets, I'm borrowing them from my granddaughters) I will pass them out to good singers to come up and help us sing the song again with the other puppets. We'll do this several times, passing the puppets to good singers.

Not sure if I'll do this with the Sr. Primary. My 11 year old boys might not get as excited as my Sunbeams.

I have made flip charts for the two songs if you're interested in using them.
Click HERE to download 'Christmas Day'.
Click HERE to download 'The Baby Jesus'.

You can read how I like to use flip charts HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Primary Pose

"Let me see your 'Primary Pose'."

That's what I say when I want my Primary kids to give me their attention and be reverent.

The very first time I do Primary, when I'm new to the calling, I explain the Primary Pose.

I hold up my camera and I ask the kids what they would do if I wanted to take their picture. Well, they all start striking different silly poses. 

Then I tell them that in Primary there is a special pose too. It's called the 'Primary Pose' and this is what it looks like. Then I strike the pose: 

arms folded 

mouth closed and smiling

quiet feet 

eyes on the speaker 

I get them to all try it. From then on, when ever I say, "let me see your Primary Pose," that is what I get. 

My kiddos LOVE to show me the pose!!

Flip Charts

Good ole Flip charts.
What would I do without them? Probably sing a solo with the wrong words.
 Some people love them and others don't even use them. But I do, but not all the time. I have my limits.

I place my flip charts in a binder in plastic sheet protectors. I know some like to flip them over the music stand. But I just hold the binder and flip away. Each week I change and update the flip charts I will need for the following Sunday. Sometimes it's just one or none. I like to use the same opening and closing song for the month. That way they get a chance to sing it several times. I'll start the month off with a flip chart and by week 3 & 4 we won't need it.

Here's how I use them.

1. ONCE-IN-AWHILE SONGS: I'm getting older and sometimes have a hard time remembering all the words to the songs. I even get the verses mixed up. I hardly ever use my songbook. So a flip chart comes in handy. I use them for songs we  haven't sung in awhile. I know my teachers appreciate the words because they are like me and mix up the words. Sometimes if I don't have a flip chart for those 'once-in-awhile song', I'm the only one singing. So I use them for the teachers, myself, and my kiddos that can read. It's generally the opening or closing song or a special one requested by the Presidency for Sharing time.

2. TEACHING A NEW SONG: Sometimes when I'm teaching a new song, I will use a flip chart. However, I won't put it in the binder. I'll place the cards on the board as we learn each phrase. Then take them down as we memorize it.

I also have guidelines (my own OCD thing) as to what makes a GOOD flip chart.

1. The print needs to be BIG and DARK. Preferably black ink. Sometimes I will put a special word in a different color to emphasize it but be careful that only a few important words are different. Otherwise, the chart gets to hard to read. And stay with the same color. Don't make it too colorful either.

2. The font needs to be easy to read- nothing fancy. Some kids can't read cursive so my flip charts are never in cursive. 

3. There needs to be just the right amount of words on a page- not too few and not too many. I hate to be turning the pages every 2-3 words. And I hate to have so many words on the chart that I lose my place. This is hard when you're creating a flip chart- getting the right amount. I like to do a phrase or sentence per page but sometimes they are too long or too short. Just do what feels natural.

4. I like a picture that goes with the words. Some kids are visual learners and when they see the picture they will remember the phrase. It also helps my Jr. Primary who are mostly non-readers. They see the pictures and the teachers and readers have the words. I try to use pictures from the church's website LDS.org. They have a ton and it's easy to search and find what you need.

Well, there you have it- flip charts 101 by me.

 Disclaimer: However you use or don't use flip charts is up to you. You need to do what fits your style of being the chorister. I'm only sharing what works for me.

If you are into flip charts, I will have some posted on here from time to time. I want to make them easy to find. In the sidebar at the right of a post under LABELS, look for SONG:  then the name of the song after it. If there is an FC after the name, you will know that there is a flip chart to download.

Here's one to get you started.

Click HERE for a flip chart for 'The Chapel Doors'

Family Stick Puppets

What Primary child doesn't know the song: 'A Happy Family'? It's taught at home as well as in Nursery. I remember singing it as a lullaby when my kids were little.

Here is a really cute set of stick puppets. There are LOTS of uses for them. I use them in Jr. Primary and Nursery when we sing A Happy Family. I have also used them with other songs about the family. I've even used them when telling a story in a lesson.

If you'd like the file, just click HERE for a download.

I have another post with MORE family stick puppets HERE.

ENJOY!

Thankful Pictures

There is a great Facebook group for LDS Choristers. There are tons of ideas on there. I have posted on there before. So if you've seen my stuff on there then this will be a repeat. I'm going to post one here. It's my Thankful pictures. With Thanksgiving coming up these could be used for lots of things.

One way I use them is in the Nursery with the song: Family Prayer. I pick several pictures that the kids can relate to and put the pictures face down in the middle of our circle. We hold hands and walk in a circle as we sing. Then we kneel down. Next I pick 3-4 children to take turns picking a picture card. They turn it over and talk about why we are thankful for it. You could also do this with the Jr. Primary, just pick 6-7 children at a time to come up to the circle.

Another way is with the Sr. Primary but it could work with Jr. too. I pick several of the pictures and pick a Primary song to go with it. Then have a child pick a picture and play a form of 'Name That Tune' to try and guess the song. Then sing it and talk about why we are thankful for it.

If you'd like to download the pictures click HERE.

I've also included some of the songs I chose to go with some of the pictures.

Enjoy and happy singing!

3 Wiggle Songs

Another one of my all-time favorite callings is NURSERY!

I absolutely love spending time with the 'wee-little-ones'. They just can't help but make you smile!

And of course, the music portion of Nursery, I LOVE!
So along the way in this blog, you'll find helps for Nursery music too because I know many choristers go into Nursery and do the music.

One of my favorite song activities is singing: Rain Is Falling All Around.
I bring in a small spray bottle filled with water. Before we start to sing, I spray a few times above the kiddos heads and we talk about what rain feels like and how important it is in our lives. We also discuss who gives us the rain. Then I give every child 4-5 raindrops. As we sing the song, we gently drop our raindrops on the ground. And believe it or not their favorite part is running around picking up the raindrops. Then we do it all again.

Because they loved it so much, I made snowflakes and colored leaves to sing at other times of the year.
 With the snowflakes we sing: Falling Snow. And for the leaves we sing: It's Autumntime. 

All the songs are in the Children's Songbook.

If you'd like a copy of my leaves, raindrops, and snowflakes you can click HERE.

Happy Singing!