1. Playtime, then clean up

2. Opening (prayer, catch up on kids’ news, quick review of previous lesson, intro to today’s lesson)

3. Walk (outside or in building)

4. Lesson

5. Singing Time

6. Snack

7. Activity

8. Playtime

9. Cleanup, closing prayer, bubbles until parents arrive

So, my job was to be in charge of steps 2, 3, 4, and 7. Here’s how I did it.

2. For the Opening, we had a child say the opening prayer, then reviewed last week’s lesson about ears by asking them where their ears are and what things they heard during Sacrament Meeting that morning.  Then I told them we’d be talking about how we’re thankful for our eyes today.  I asked them where their eyes were, and had them look at each others’ eyes.  Then we made glasses with our hands to sing “Popcorn” and I asked them if we went outside if they thought we’d see popcorn.  I told them we were going for a walk and we’d look around and see what our eyes can do.

3. We have a rope in our Nursery that the kids hold on to when we go for a walk to keep them all together.  We went outside and sat on a bench, had them use their hands as “glasses” like in the Popcorn song, and I asked them what they could see.  I asked them if they could see anything green, then blue, then gray, etc.  Then I asked if they could see things of different shapes.  Then we went for a little run in circles to let them see what’s on the ground and to get some energy out.  Then we walked back inside, holding on to the rope.

4. We sat down in the Nursery room, I asked them what they could remember seeing outside with their wonderful eyes, and we sang “Two Little Eyes That See.”  I told the children that some people can’t see very well and have to wear glasses or contacts to help them see better.  I showed them which of the Nursery workers wore glasses, then asked them to raise their hands if their moms or dads wear glasses or contacts.  Then I told them some people can’t see at all with their eyes and got a volunteer to let me blindfold him and I pretended to be a guide dog and lead him around the room.

(At this point our Primary Chorister came in and we did Singing Time, then returned to the lesson)

I let a couple more kids be “blind” or the “guide dog.”  We talked about how hard it is to do things without our eyes, and how our eyes are a blessing.

Then I pulled out the Jesus Healing the Blind Man picture and told the story very simply.  I told them that Jesus spat on the dirt and made mud.  We talked about who likes mud and who doesn’t like mud (that conversation was a hit).  Then Jesus put the mud on the blind man’s eyes (I showed them the picture up close then, and asked if they could see Jesus putting mud on his eyes).  Then Jesus told him to go wash his eyes off.  The blind man was obedient and did what Jesus said, and then he could see again!  I asked the kids if they think Jesus showed he loved the blind man because he made his eyes work again.  Then I told them that Jesus loves them too, and their eyes are one way they can tell that Jesus and Heavenly Father love them.  I bore my testimony of how the Lord loves us, and how I’m thankful for my eyes.

7. For our activity, I prepared paper bag puppets with open and closing eyes for the kids to color as illustrated at the end of the lesson.  On the back of the bag I wrote “I am thankful for my EYES” and then as the kids colored we wrote their names on the bags.  The older kids especially liked opening the eyes and closing them again with the puppets.

This rendition of the lesson worked quite well.  I think it helped a LOT that we had a predictable schedule that we’d been using for a few weeks and the kids were used to it.  They were attentive and interested almost the whole time.  They were pretty afraid of the blindfold during the guide dog activity, so I think that one might have been too much for the little ones.  They were very interested in the part of the lesson that talked about Jesus.  They liked opening and closing their eyes and showing me their eyes.  I had prepared another “just in case” activity that we didn’t use–the one in the manual where you “hide” a small object and have them look around for it.  I brought a little rainbow colored stuffed animal to use for that.

My first assignment, besides showing up and helping out on Sundays, is to teach a lesson in two weeks on being thankful for our eyes.  I just read through the lesson and it’s going to be totally fun to adapt it to the younger kids and come up with Eye-related actvities.

Sorry to those of you who relied on my Sharing Time lessons, but anyone who is a Nursery worker, stay tuned for my wild Nursery lessons and activities.

Heavenly Father planned for me to come to a family. I can strengthen my family now. “The family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“Proclamation,” paragraph 1).

…and I’m in charge of Sharing Time next week.  Next week’s lesson in the Outline goes like this:

1. Families in the scriptures teach me how I can strengthen my family (1 Nephi 8; 16; Mosiah 27; Primary 3,lesson 39).

Divide the children into three groups and give each group a picture, a Primary song, and scripture references.

• a. GAK 102; “Follow the Prophet,” third verse (CS, 110–11); Moses 8:18–20; Genesis 6:9–14, 22; 8:20.
• b. GAK 301; “Nephi’s Courage,” third verse (CS, 120–21); 1 Nephi 3:1–7.
• c. Picture 1-69 or 4-53; “Dare to Do Right” (CS, 158); Ether 1:38–43; 6:2–12.

Write the basic events of each story on the board as each group displays the picture, sings the song, and tells the story. (For example: surrounded by wickedness, gathered together, followed God’s plan, showed gratitude to the Lord.) Ask, “What did these families do to strengthen each other?” Ask the children to write or draw three ways they can strengthen their families.

The Friend for May hasn’t come out yet, but it will eventually be here.

We’re starting on a Jr/Sr Primary schedule next month, so I can do a lesson for little ones and another for older kids.

Junior Primary Sharing Time:

My three-year-old son loves to do treasure hunts, so I’m guessing that the kids in my Jr. Primary will enjoy one too.  I’d like to use pictures from different scripture stories as clues, then have a box with stickers in it for everyone at the end.

Tell the kids that we’re going to do a treasure hunt, and that we’re going to get clues about how to find the treasure from families in the scriptures.  I’ll have one class start with a clue (picture) that has a clue about where in the room the next clue is on a post-it on the back–I’ll find a way to relate the clue to the story somehow when I write it.  They can either tell the story on the picture or have their teacher tell the story while one of the kids in the class holds up the picture for everyone to see.  We’ll decide as a group how the families in the pictures show us how to strengthen our families.  Then they can read the clue to the group and go try to find the next one.  When they find it, they hand it to the next class and the system repeats until the treasure is found.  In order to retrieve their sticker, each child (some with the help of their teacher) says something they can do to strengthen their family, then we can sing “We are a happy family” (CS 198).

Senior Primary Sharing Time:

We’ll do what the Outline suggests, above.

Last night we didn’t do my Repentance lesson for FHE because I’d forgotten that we’d invited the missionaries over to teach the lesson!  They came over to teach us a lesson on the Preach My Gospel book that they use to help them learn to be better missionaries.  I’ve been trying to read through it a bit at a time for a couple of months, and discovered there’s a lot of helpful stuff in there for me, too, and not just as a “member missionary.”  There’s stuff on setting goals, time management, and basic gospel doctrine.  I’ve found that it’s really helpful when I’m preparing for a Primary sharing time–I like to check my facts about the basic doctrine in it sometimes just to make sure I don’t accidentally veer off into a “Bethany opinion” tangent with the kids.

Anyway, the kids really enjoyed having the missionaries over since they got to climb all over them and look at the pictures in their books.  We sang “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” as the opening and closing songs at Degen’s request, with a “The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock” and several “Popcorn Popping” songs sprinkled into the lesson.  The missionaries gave us a tour of the book and helped us practice with a role-play giving a pass-along card to a friend or stranger.  We had a great time and it was good to get to know our missionaries a little better.

So, if you’re out of Family Home Evening ideas or just need a change, call the missionaries in your ward and invite them to come give a lesson in your home.  They’re probably supposed to visit and teach members anyway and may not have gotten to you yet (or are too shy/busy to ask you).

I will follow the prophet. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

I’m actually not sure which weeks I’m doing this month because I don’t have my schedule in front of me.  Plus, it’s a mixed up month with General Conference last week and one of my counselors on a trip for the rest of the month.  I’m guessing that I’m doing week three, but I’ll put down some ideas that will work for any week.

First of all, there’s a great coloring page with a picture of President Monson in the April Friend magazine here:

I think that coloring page could be used in any of the April Sharing Times. The Sharing Time page in the Friend is here. There’s a great printable color portrait of President Monson with lines below for writing down what the child can do to follow the prophet.  This month there are six different sharing time outlines, even though we only have three weeks, so there’s plenty to choose from!

The Sharing Time idea in the Outline is as follows:

“The prophet teaches me to read and pray about the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:3–4; Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Testimony Vibrant and True,” Ensign, Aug. 2005, 2–6; GP, chapters 8, 10)”.

I don’t remember right now whether Pres. Monson mentioned the Book of Mormon or prayer specifically in his talks this weekend, but I’m guessing he did.  You will be able to find archives of his (and everyone else who spoke) talks here.

So, for the third week, here is a lesson plan of my own:

Hold up a picture of President Hinckley, say he was our prophet, and remind everyone of when he challenged us to all read the Book of Mormon.  Quote his talk (linked to above) saying “I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon….Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”  Ask the children if they remember that challenge.  Ask if anyone would like to share their experience with the group.  Share my own participation in the challenge and the blessings that came to me because of it.

Hold up a picture of President Monson and tell the children that he wants us to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, too.  Quote his talk from Nov 2007 General Relief Society Meeting here saying that he asked them to “Study diligently.  Pray earnestly.”

Ask the children what they think “study diligently” means.  Let them answer, then ask what “pray earnestly” means.  Have them repeat the two phrases a couple of times.

Hold up GAK picture #320 and tell the children that there was a prophet named Moroni who wrote them a message about reading and praying about the Book of Mormon.  Then have a child read Moroni 10:3-5.  Repeat the part that says “ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”  Bear testimony that this promise is true, and that all the children can know for themselves through the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true and that we have a prophet today.

If there is time, have the children color the picture above of President Monson speaking and the little boy giving a talk in Primary.