Pioneer Day

I like to do activities for Pioneer Day throughout the month of July.  There are so many fun pioneer songs to sing & your program songs can easily be incorporated into all of these activities.  Have fun!

Pioneer Children – Another classic made by my mother.  Choose a child to put their face through the visual while singing a Pioneer Day song.  This works especially well with “Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked” p. 214.

Bonnets – Assign a song to each bonnet.  Have a child pick a bonnet and then sing the corresponding song.

Wagon Wheel of Fortune – This idea is courtesy of “The Ordinary Adventures of a Primary Chorister” blog (www.basicprimarymusic.blogspot.com).  Select 6 graphics and tape them to a large spinner.  I used one that I bought from Oriental Trading.

Graphics can be found at http://basicprimarymusic.blogspot.com/2010/07/pioneer-wagon-wheel-of-fortune.html.  Explain that, "When the Pioneers were traveling across the prairies, plains, deserts, and mountains to reach the Salt Lake Valley, they encountered many adventures!  We are going to sings songs today that teach us about their journeys.  First we will spin the spinner on the wagon wheel.  The spinner will land on a picture of one of their adventures, and I will explain how we will sing the pioneer song."   Select a child to spin.  Sing the song according to the graphic where the spinner stops.

Ox:                              Sing very slowly

                                     "Teams of oxen were used to pull heavy wagons.

Oxen are very slow animals, but because they are stronger than horses or mules, many pioneers used them to pull their heavy wagons."

Bunny rabbit:           Sing very fast

"Rabbits were seen along the pioneer trail. Rabbits are FAST and hard to catch!"

Pioneer girl:              Only girls sing (Put girl pioneer clothes on a girl)

                                    "These are some of the things pioneer girls would wear."

Pioneer boy:            Only boys sing  (Put boy pioneer clothes on a boy)

                                    "These are some of the things pioneer boys would wear."

Cowboy boot:         Sing western style

"Lots of pioneer boys and girls your age were real cowboys and cowgirls! They drove cows and other animals all by themselves along the pioneer trek!"

Snake:                        Sing very quietly

"Yes, there were rattlesnakes! If the pioneers encountered a rattlesnake it was best to be very quiet and not disturb it!"

Native American:  Children trade seats

"There were many, many encounters with Indians along the trails.  Pioneers would 'TRADE' some of their precious items (jewelry, dishes, toys, furniture) for much needed food, or furs and blankets to keep warm."

Ax & Wood:              Sing "choppy" (staccato)

"Children had the job of collecting firewood for campfires. When there were no trees for wood, they would collect sagebrush or buffalo dung to burn in their campfires!

Beehive & Bee:        If the child holds this picture up high in the air, everyone hums. When the child hides the picture, everyone sings the words. 

                                    "The Pioneers wanted to call their new home 'Deseret', which meant 'honey bee' in the Jaredite language in the Book of Mormon. The honey bee was symbolic for how industrious or 'busy' the pioneers were, just like bees!"

Ant:                            Stomp to the beat

"Sometimes insects, like ants, invaded the pioneer camps. Pioneers had to stomp to get the ants off their bodies! Yikes!"

Cow:                          Hot-n-Cold (A child leaves the room while someone hides the cow in the room. When the child returns, the rest of the children sing loud when he/she is close to the cow and softly when he/she is not close).

                                    "If a cow wandered away from the pioneer camps, sometimes children your age had to search for them and bring them back to the camp."

Mountains:               Echo sing (Divide the children in two and have the first group sing a phrase of the song.  The second group echoes the first.  Have the pianist play each phrase twice throughout the entire song.) "When the pioneers finally reached the mountains they discovered some places in canyons, between two mountains, that would echo anything they said or sang!"

After each picture has been landed on with the spinner and used, replace it with a new picture. 

BYU Women's Conference - Primary Singing Time Ideas

I had the opportunity to create a Sharing Station for BYU Women's Conference this year.  I was beyond thrilled when I received the topic, "Primary Singing Time Fun".  I had never been to Women's Conference before so I wasn't sure what to expect...talk about a wonderful experience!  It was so great to chat with all of the amazing women who strolled through my booth.  I met many choristers and was able to share my ideas with them as well as hear some of theirs.  One thing that remained consistent with every chorister was the LOVE they all had for their calling.  It truly is the best calling in the church.  We are so blessed to teach these sweet children about the gospel through music each week & to learn from their testimonies.

You can view my virtual sharing station & handouts here.  I shared ideas for the following topics:
Games
Seasonal Activities
Wiggle Songs
Program Review Activities
New Children
Birthdays
Singing Motivators
How to Teach a Song
Song Ideas for the Weekly Themes (correspond with the Sharing Time Outline)
Monthly Planning Worksheet
Resources

Dress A Father

This visual was made by my mother YEARS ago.  It is truly vintage Primary!  It’s a classic that I continue to bring out each year and the children love it as much as I did as a child.  Display the father visual and tell the children that you are going to help him get ready for work/church…be sure to make his hair look extra messy.  Assign a song to each item and place them in a small suitcase.  Choose a child to select an item and place it on the father.  Sing the corresponding song.  Items are as follows:  a comb to straighten his hair, a razor (remove the blade or keep the cover on) to shave his face (remove the sandpaper), a hat, a shirt, a tie, and a jacket.

Week 2: If I live worthily, the Holy Ghost will help me choose the right.

Hop To It - This idea was originally seen here.  I did this a couple years ago and the children LOVED it.  You will need 6-8 plastic leaping frogs...I bought mine at the dollar store but I have also seen larger ones at JoAnn's.  Number each frog.  Place a start line with tape on the floor. Begin by asking the children what gift we are given when we are baptized.  Ask the children what the Holy Ghost helps us do.  Call 2 children up at a time and have them each share a way that they can live worthily.  Next, have them each pick a frog and place them on the start line.  As you say, "On your mark, get set, GO" the children press down on their frogs to make them leap. Whatever frog leaps the farthest is the song that you sing.

Close by bearing your testimony of the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Explain to the children that if they live worthily, the Holy Ghost will help them make correct choices.

Other songs for practice this week could include: "The Holy Ghost" p. 105, "Listen, Listen" p. 107, "The Still Small Voice" p. 106.


Listen to the Still Small Voice - The Friend magazine this month (June 2013) has a darling activity that teaches how the Holy Ghost helps us choose the right.  It can be found here.

Place the pictures in a bag and the words on the table.  Choose a child to select a picture from the bag and find the words that match the picture.  After a match is made, sing a song.

*This could also be done as classic memory.  Tape the pictures and the words to the chalkboard with the backs facing out, creating a memory game.  Have a child try to make a match.  When a match is made, sing a song.

When I Am Baptized

Hello!  Sorry for my lack of posting.  Life in the month of May was a little crazy around here...I am sure many of you can relate!  But now summer is upon us & I welcome the slower pace that accompanies it.  I am sure most of you have already made a visual for "When I Am Baptized", but I thought I would still share mine.

Week 3: Prophets teach me to pay tithing.

A darling idea for teaching this theme can be found here.  Why reinvent the wheel???  A PDF for a piggy bank is provided but if you do not want to make it, you can always use a real one.  Assign songs for practice to 9 quarters.  Invite a child to drop a quarter into the bank & then sing the corresponding song. Keep the tenth quarter out so you can talk about giving the Lord one tenth (put in a tithing envelope).  Bear your testimony of the blessings that are received from paying a full tithe.  Have fun!

Build-a-Mother

This idea is courtesy of www.iheartprimarymusic.blogspot.com.  I drew my own.  Have the children pick pieces and assemble the mother.  For each piece, read the poem and sing a song. 

Legs/Feet:  Her feet are busy all day long, with loving tasks to make me strong.  They lead me in the righteous way and guide me if I go astray.

Knees:  Whether playing a game or scrubbing the floors, her knees bend willingly to every chore.  And kneeling in prayer with me each night, she teaches me how to do what's right.

Lap:  There's a special place my mother has made where I can go when I'm hurt or afraid; Or if I just need a hug or nap, I climb into my mother's lap.

Heart: A mother's heart may be quite small in size, but forgiving the most, it wins the grand prize.  Her love's given freely, without any strings, but to see it returned will make her heart sing.

Arms:  When loving her children, her arms are so gentle; when protecting from harm, they can be hard as metal.  They can hold, lift, and carry heavy burdens or light.  But a mom's arms are best when they're hugging you tight.

Hands:  A mom's hands keep busy throughout the long day, preparing meals and cleaning away.  Whether mending a shirt or wiping a tear, whenever I need help, my mom's hands appear.

Shoulders:  Though she might not have the broadest of shoulder, they're able to lift some of life's heaviest boulders.  Moms are able to share your worries with care, and when you need a good cry, her shoulder's always there.

Face:  Obedient to the Lord, Mom's face is a sample of a lifetime of service and good example.  The laughter and joy lines make it special, you see, for each one was put there by children like me.

Eyes:  Her eyes shine with pride over each child's good deed, though sometimes a tear may slide down her cheek.  With protecting care they watch me at play, and seek every chance to help me each day.

Mouth:  From her mouth I hear stories of what Jesus would do.  She speaks words of truth and encouragement, too.  I love hearing her laughter and seeing her smile.  You see, Mom's my best friend--and I like her style!