Saturday, February 26, 2011

Review Activity-Back 2 School


For the last Sunday before school started I borrowed my sister's back to school singing time idea. Her idea was to bring a backpack full of school supplies. Each one would represent a song and a way to sing it. The ways to sing it would be actual musical terms. I like this idea because it allows for actually teaching about music.
These were the things she brought:(for each item we sang a song from the program)
scissors: these are to represent singing staccato (the notes are short, like they've been cut with scissors-so sing one of the program songs staccato)
glue: represents legato (the notes stick together nice and smooth like they've been glued
glasses: they represent a fermatta (because you have to watch the chorister with your eyes very closely to see how long to hold out the note--the kids loved singing the song with lots of added fermattas)
new school shoes:to represent allegro and andante (sing the song fast or slow)
a framed picture of mom and child: my son really takes a picture of me and him to school each day. This is to represent acupella. Just like the kids can't take their moms/families with them to school--they have to go on their own, we are going to sing on our own without the piano.

Review Activity-Song Hospital

I loved the song hospital idea I had read about (and will look up the source soon) and decided to adapt it a little bit for our primary. I dressed up as Dr. Sis. Larson and the primary room became a hospital.

In our waiting room each song was a patient and waited in a chair to be called back to the examining table.

Our examining table

While the song was on the table, the kids and I sang it and then assessed it using this chart. I had the older kids take turns filling it out themselves, and for the younger kids, I had them help with circling the numbers.

If the songs were healthy enough, they were discharged. Discharged songs were placed outside the door (as though they were going home). Songs that still needed some work were "admitted". I placed admitted songs on the board.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Review activity-Solar System

This idea was another one adapted from another singing time blog (it was so long ago, I can't remember the source). This was a review for primary program songs and also a way to learn a few more "little songs" (that the presidency wanted to throw in last minute-I really try to be accomodating.)
SO I made the solar system out of poster board and each one represented a song from the program. It's hard to see from the pictures, but all of the large planets have little flags on them with the letter "p" for primary. THese planets are ones that we have claimed with our flag because we know the corresponding song pretty well.
So to begin this activity I told them how much I had enjoyed flying all over the universe with them and visiting all these different planets and sticking our flag in them, but we still had a few more planets to visit that don't have flags. They are called dwarf planets because they are very small and the songs on them are very short and easy to learn. For this activity, I also had a little laminated rocket ship that we moved from dwarf planet to dwarf planet as we learned those little songs. And we also added a "p" flag to each of the little planets as we mastered them.
One thing that I added for Senior primary was some decoding. I thought it would be fun to pretend that one of the new songs we were learning needed to be decoded because some of the words were in a weird alien language (going with the whole outer space theme). So I gave them each a piece of paper and pencil with the words to the song. The fun was that the key words to the song were changed to wingding font. Using the key, also on their paper, they had to decode these words. Once they did, they had all the words to this new song right in front of them, so they had no excuse not to sing along.



Review activity-The Singing Bee (with a spin)


I saw two ideas online that I wanted to fuse together. The first idea was for picking a song to sing using a human spinner. You just use a spinny chair, tape the names of songs all around it, have someone sit in it with their legs out and toes pointed forward, and then give them a good spin. Whichever song their feet are pointing to when the chair stops is the song you sing.

So that was how we picked out which song to do for "The Singing Bee". For this game, whichever kid was the contestant came up to the front of the room and was given a hand held microphone (kids love to hold a microphone). The pianist would then start to play the song that was picked by our human spinner with everyone singing along. Then the pianist would stop playing somewhere in the middle of the song, and the contestant has to sing the next line of the song by themselves. This activity takes hardly any preparation and the kids loved singing little solos in front of everyone.

Come Follow Me-Follow the recipe

For teaching the second verse of Come Follow Me, for both junior and senior primary, we did "Follow the recipe". I can't remember where I found this idea, I just know it wasn't my own.
Each time the kids learned a line of the second verse, I called on someone to add an ingredient to our big mixing bowl for chocolate chip cookies. By the time they learned the second verse we had beautiful chocolate chip cookie dough. I then pretended that I had a magic oven hidden behind the piano where I placed the cookie dough, and brought out a big basket of already baked cookies. Each of the kids got to go home with some cookies, and I got to go home with not one, but two large mixing bowls full of cookie dough. Talk about a SWEET activity!

Come Follow Me-Crazy Chorister's "just follow the pattern"

There are so many wonderful singing time blogs that I love to visit, none more than the crazy chorister. She had this idea for teaching come follow me that I knew would be perfect for our senior primary, called "just follow the pattern" since the song is about following:)

So for teaching the first verse of come follow me to the senior primary, I first passed out a white piece of paper to each kid. Each time we learned a line of the song, I would instruct them on folding their paper. By the end of the first verse they each had an oragami white dress shirt. (for this activity you can go on youtube to watch how the folding is done.)
I loved this activity. Just something different.

Come Follow Me Fishing

For teaching the first verse of Come Follow Me to the junior primary I first taught them about when Jesus said these words to His apostles. I explained how they were fisherman and Jesus told them to follow Him and become fishers of men. So we did a fishing activity with this song. Pretty simple. Each time we learned a line of the first verse, I called on someone to go fishing. Each fish then had a question attached to it such as, "It's Sunday and your friend has invited you to go see the new movie you've really been wanting to see. What could you do to follow Jesus?" The little kiddos loved going fishing!


Ok, so far behind, I can't keep track of weeks anymore...but this one was for Pioneer Day


For the Sunday after pioneer day, I decided to get a bit theatrical by doing a singing time version of the pioneer trek. I used masking tape to make an outline of the US on the board and to show the route the pioneers took from Nauvoo to Salt Lake.
I looked up online how to make a paper bonnet for myself to wear, and found a big basket to hold supplies in and got up in front of the kids that Sunday pretending to be a pioneer. I jumped right into my role without any explanation to the kids. This was basically my script:
Okay, I think we're all ready to go. Well, I guess I'll never be totally ready to leave this place. I've loved living here in Nauvoo. Nauvoo the beautiful, this was Joseph's city. I'll miss this temple we worked so hard to build.

But now it's time to follow Brigham Young, to a new place, far far away, where no one will bother us anymore, where we can finally have peace.

(I look at the primary kids) Well, are you pioneers ready to go with me?

It looks like it's our turn to cross the Mississippi River. (tack picutre of mississippi river on the board next to its label, move paper wagon to this spot too). Everyone stand up. Climb onto the ferry, and now lets float across. (start pretending to swat bugs away) Oh, you know what I won't miss about this river? The bugs, the big, biting bugs. I'm always having to swat these things away. (reach into basket and inconspicuously throw out a plastic bug with song attached to it). Whoa, this bug has a song on it. It says, "Come Follow Me". Could you pioneers sing "Come follow me"? But remember we'll have to keep swatting the bugs away while we sing.

Sing Come Follow Me

That was beautiful singing, and look we made it across the Mississippi. Everyone step off the ferry.

Now do you know where we are? We're at Sugar Creek in the Iowa territory (add picture of sugar creek to board and move paper wagon to sugar creek). Let's start walking. We have to walk over a thousand miles. My feet are already hurting. I should have worn better shoes. (look at bottom of shoe-there's a song taped there:) There's another song here. It says, "The Holy Ghost". I guess we're supposed to sing this song too. Remember to keep walking while we sing.

Sing "The Holy Ghost"

Everyone can sit down. Now do you know where we are? We're at Winter Quarters in Nebraska. (Add picture of winter quarters to the board etc) Oh Max (or whatever child's name) you don't look like you're feeling well. You look pale. There's spots on your skin, your nose is bleeding. OH no. It's scurvy. Come lay down. (Have two chairs at the front with a pillow and blanket for him to lie down on). You haven't been getting good nutrition. Do any of you have any food for him? (arrange with a teacher in the audience beforehand to have an apple ready to offer, with a song on it, at this point). Oh thank goodness, here eat this apple. OH look, it has a song on it. It says, " I feel my Savior's love". Let's sing this song and oh, it's started raining. I hope we won't get rained on too much while we're singing. (use spray bottle and lightly squirt kids with water as they sing.)

Sing "I feel my Savior's Love"

The rain has stopped...and Max is feeling so much better. Well, do you know where we are now? We are at Rocky Ridge in Wyoming. (Add picture to board). There's huge rocks and boulders covering our path for miles. It's gonna be really hard to get our wagons over these rocks. (Again, try to be inconspicuous in reaching into basket and pulling out a paper snake and letting it fall to the ground) But what's even worse, I see a rattlesnake. (jump onto chair) It's best to just leave it alone and stay far away. No one get near the rattlesnake. But look, there's a song on it. It says, "Follow the Prophet". Let's sing it. Let's make our own rattling noise while we sing it. (reach into basket and hand out maraccas, tamborines, rattles and other instruments to the kids for them to shake while we sing.)

Sing Follow the Prophet

Hey guys, we made it to Echo Canyon in Utah. (Add picture). You know, it has h=this name for a really great reason, everything you say echos in this canyon. Echo echo echo. I'm gonna write in my journal about this place. (Open journal with name of song inside) OH look, it's another song to sing. It says, "The church of Jesus Christ". But remember, everything in this canyon echoes, so we'll have to sing each line twice. This side will sing first, and this side will be the echo. (Use whole sentences of the song to echo, as opposed to echoing after each small phrase which gets confusing)

Sing "The Church of Jesus Christ"

OH my goodness, guys, look up ahead, it's the salt lake valley, we made it, we finally made it! It took us over a year of walking across plains, and deserts, and mountains, but we made it. You all were such great pioneers, but did you know...

(go to front and pull our flip chart from jolly jenn of "to be a pioneer" and begin singing) You don't have to push a handcart...(Have kids sing along the second time).

The end!!!

The kids and I really enjoyed this and it gave them a good taste of a pioneer trek in that they were exhausted by the end of singing time.

And this is what the board looked like after all the pictures were added.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Week 24-The Holy Ghost and Walkie Talkie Review

This week we learned the second verse of The Holy Ghost. The second verse begins with "And when we are confirmed by sacred priesthood power, the Holy Ghost is given to us to guide us every hour". So to introduce this topic of being confirmed I read to the kids a journal entry that I wrote at age 8 after I was baptized and confirmed.

Then we sang through the words all together using a flip chart, and adding to our "comforter".

The second part of the verse goes, "Oh may I always listen to that still small voice, and with its light I'll do what's right each time I make a choice." For this I put on these huge ears, that I laminated and glued to a headband. I told them that my hope for myself and for all of them was that we could always have big, huge, listening ears like these, that can always hear and listen to the small voice of the Holy Ghost. And then I sang ever so dramatically, "Oh may I always listen to that still, small voice...". Then we all sang together and added the rest of the patches to our comforter.

Then we did a sort of surprise review activity. I had my husband go outside the building with a walkie talkie while we were working on our Holy Ghost song. Once we had finished all our Holy Ghost singing, I used my walkie talkie to give him his cue. I was making like I was putting my props away behind the piano, so that I could secretly be talking into my walkie talkie as I said, "Well, I guess we're done a little early, gee, I don't really have anything else planned..." (this was hubby's cue)


My husband then said through his walkie talkie (the volume was turned up enough on my walkie so all the kids could hear this): Come in singing lady, come in singing lady
The kids were so confused, wondering where that voice was coming from. I pretended to be confused to and followed the sound to behind the piano and pulled out the walkie and said to the kids, "What? The voice is coming from this? Where did this come from?"
I then said into my walkie, "Hello? Who is this?"
Husband: This is blue eagle and I have an emergency
Me: An emergency, well what kind of emergency?
Husband: I'm having a music emergency. At this very moment there is a dangerously low level of music in my heart. My heart is week, my pulse is thready, the birds aren't singing, and my fingers aren't snapping. I've lost all the bounce in my step. I can't whistle anymore, and worst of all, "I'm a little teapot" is stuck in my head. I need to hear a song right away.
Me: Uh, Roger,...so what can we do to help?
Husband: You're the singing lady. You and your kids need to sing me a song.
Me: Well, we know lots of songs...
Husband: No, it needs to be a song about the Savior
Me: we know lots of songs about the Savior
Husband: I need to hear one about the Savior and how he was sent to earth, and how he died for us and then rose again, and how the scriptures tell us to live like Him.
Me to the kids: Anyone know what song we could sing to him? (I helped them come up with "He Sent His Son"
Me to the walkie: Ok, we're gonna sing,He Sent His Son. I'm gonna set my walkie on the podium, and you just listen.
Then the kids and I sang the song.
Me: Did that help?
Husband: That helped a little, but I'm gonna need more songs...
He then described another song for us to sing, and we continued like this until we were out of time.
At the end of the last song we had time for, I said into the walkie, "Gee, I sure hope that helped, the kids and I are out of time" This way my husband knew to end with, "I think I'm cured! Yes, it's a miracle! My snapping's back, my hummings back. Blue eagle is out!"
The kids really liked this activity and it's easy to make it last as long or as short as you want.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Week 23- 4th of July review


How exciting to have the 4th of July be on Sunday! I was reading ideas online, and there was one chorister who was planning on sharing the story of how Willford Woodruff had a vision of the signers of the declaration of independence. Since the sharing time lady told me to take a lot of time, I decided I'd go ahead and give a little history lesson before we started singing today.
I started by telling the kids I was going to be their history teacher, and I grabbed a big, old book, that I had written "History" on, and pretended to start reading from it. (WHile I spoke, the pianist played "battle hymn of the republic" in the background.) I told them that over 200 years ago on this very day, the 4th of July, these men (I pointed to a picture of some of our founding fathers), men like Benjamen Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, made this (then I pointed to my fake declaration of independence.) I took down the declaration of independence and walked around the room giving all the kids an up close look as I explained what these men wrote in the declaration, and how the declaration was so important to our country becoming free. Then I said, "What if I told you, that these very important men in U.S. history, who you'll learn all about in school, that after they died, THEY WANTED TO BE BAPTIZED INTO THIS CHURCH!"
I told them there was another character in this story, Willford Woodruff. I told them that he was the prophet of our church after these men had died and how he had a vision where the signers of the declaration of independence asked why no one had been baptized for them and that they wanted their temple work done. I told them how he was baptized for all the signers of the declaration, and that he baptized his friend for many presidents of the U.S. I ended with, "These men who were so important to this country, after they died found out what was most important of all...returning to our Heavenly Father. And that is why they asked WW to be baptized for them.

I then turned to another part of my "history" book and told them that I wanted to teach them about our flag. I told them what the colors symbolized and the stars and stripes, etc. Then I showed them the little flags I had made and told them that each one had a freedom written on it, that would tell us which song to review. For example, one of the flags read, "I have the freedom to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints". So then we reviewed our song, "The Church of Jesus Christ".

For the senior primary, instead of doing the bit about flags, I went straight from the WW story to our song review using POP-its! I asked permission from the primary president first to use these loud, kind of messy 4th of July things, and she said it was no problem. Clay helped me put the names of songs to review inside of each of the POP-its. The kids loved the POP noise and the flying mini streamers! I loved today and I was AMAZED at how reverent all the kids were during their history lesson. Bless their hearts!



Week 22-The Holy Ghost

The last Sunday of June, we finally got to our June song, "The Holy Ghost". To introduce the song, I found a sort of music video of "The Holy Ghost" that another lady put together to show to her primary. The video was so beautiful, and I felt the Spirit everytime I watched it, so I though what better way to teach about the Holy Ghost, than to have them FEEL the Holy Ghost as they watch the video. Clay was soooo wonderful to figure out how to burn the youtube video onto a DVD for the kids to watch. The kids loved the video, and I'll try to figure out how to download it here. It was nice to be able to bribe them, "If you guys sing really well, you can watch the video one more time."
Anyway, after they watched for the first time, I used another chorister's idea of having them clap the rhythm as I sang both verses. The idea is to point out that just like the song has a constant, steady beat, the Holy Ghost is constant in our lives.
To help them try to memorize the song, I made an interesting "comforter" that needed some fabric patches. The kids really had to use their imaginations, since I don't sew and my glue-gunned baby blanket wasn't exactly beautiful. As the kids learned lines from the song, I had them take turns picking out a fabric square to go on our comforter. They learned the first verse this week, so we'll finish filling in the rest of the squares another week.

Week 21-Cut the tie


When I saw this idea online, months ago, I knew that I HAD to do it for Father's Day. First, I made my own ties, with a song we've been working on on the back of each tie. I taped the ties up around the room, and I explained to the kids that they would take turns picking a tie. (I wanted them to think that this was all I had planned on doing). I let someone go pick a tie and announced which song was written on it and then said, "ok guys, I want you to sing really nice and loud and...". Then I trailed off and made an expression like I just had a great idea pop into my head. I said, "I just got an idea of how to make this a little more interesting". Then I said, "Brother such and such, could you come up here?" Before primary began I had given this brother a truly ugly tie to wear. I gave him a chair to sit in up in the front of all the kids and explained to the kids, "I hate to say it, but brother such and such's tie is kind of hideous." Then I pulled out a big pair of scissors and the kids all gasped. I told them that if they sang a song well, I would cut off a piece of his tie, and keep going until he was only left with the very top. I loved how shocked they all were, especially as they saw me actually snip snip away at his tie. Each piece I cut off, I then threw out to the kids and they liked trying to catch little tie souvenirs. This was such a fun day!!!

My paper ties

Week 20-Love is Spoken Here, Families Can Be Together Forever

I wanted the kids to learn these two songs to sing for Father's Day in Sacrament meeting. Love Is Spoken Here and the first verse of Families Can be Together Forever are both in the same key, so we could just go straight from one song to the next with no pause in between.


For Love is Spoken Here, I found an idea online called "What's behind door #1 and door #2?". I would sing to them part of a line from the song, and they had to pick a door and see if the rest of the line was behind that door. The other door had silly endings to the line. Here's what I came up with for the silly endings:
I see my mother kneeling:
1.) With her family each day
2.) As she scrubs the kitchen floor

I hear the words she whispers
1.) when she talks to herself
2.) As she bows her head to pray

Her plea to the Father:
1.) Quiets the neighbor's cat
2.) Quiets all my fears

And I am thankful:
1.) Love is Spoken Here
2.) Toothepaste was invented

Mine is a home:
1.) Where every hour
2.) that Santa Claus visits at Christmas time

Is blessed by the strength
1.) of Lysol disinfecting products
2.) of Priesthood Power

With father and mother
1.) tap dancing on the patio
2.) leading the way

Teaching me how to
1.) chop an onion without crying
2.) trust and obey

And the things they teach are crystal clear
1.) For love is spoken here
2.) because they never stop talking

For Families Can be Together Forever, I found a "repeat parrot" idea for the Junior Primary. I started by showing the kids a picture of a parrot and telling them some cool facts about parrots, emphasizing how they can mimic human sounds and actually repeat things you say. Then I told them I was going to magically turn them into parrots. Once I "transformed" them, I had kids take turns rolling a large dice, to see how many times they had to repeat what I said. Of course, the things I told them to say were lines from the song.


For Senior primary, I figured most of them already knew this song so I wanted to find some silly way we could sing it over and over again. I decided to make a paper family, and the kids would take turns picking a member of the family to sing like. Then that member of the family would be moved in front of the house. Here's how we sang for each of the family members:
Mom-sing the verse super fast (cause moms are always runny around, super busy)
Dad- sing each line twice (because dad's like to repeat themselves)
Teenage sister-insert the word "like" a lot. I made a sign with the word, "like" on it and held it up everytime I wanted them to sing it. It was funny to hear, "I like have a family, like here on earth..."
brother-sing staccoto (cause little boys are always "jumpy" and bouncing off the walls)
baby-sing in a baby/crying voice.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Week 19-More Review



So our primary is participating in our community's "Hope for Haiti" concert this Saturday. We're singing two songs for it, and one of them needed a bit more work. So to review that song, I used one of Emily's ideas, again, of making a gameboard. I made a large dice and the kids would take turns rolling it and trying to get our little marker closer to "Haiti". All of the spaces had silly things written on them, like "if you know the bishop's last name, sing the first verse". There were also spaces that sent the kids backwards. Since the concert on Saturday will be to earn money for Haiti, I used Cole's fake money in the game. If they landed on a space that asks them to sing one verse, they get $5 (which is placed in the money envelope) for two verses they get $10, and for all 3 verses, they earned $20. Of course they only get the money if they sing nice and loud. At the end, the Junior primary was really excited to hear that they had earned $110 dollars.

Week 18-Magic Singing Spray and Potato Head


(This isn't my picture. I stole it from the blog I got the idea from because I forgot to take a picture of the spray bottle I used.)
To continue practicing some of our songs, I found this idea and thought it was so easy and simple, yet so fun--Magic Singing Spray. All you do is fill a spray bottle with lemonaide, or whatever juice you like, and label it "magic singing spray". Underneath that, I wrote, "Great singing is just a spray away".

I also included on the label:
Directions for use: Spray two squirts directly into mouth and swallow for best results.
Side effects may include but are not limited to: dizziness, fatigue, headache, itchiness, nausea/vomiting.

The idea is that the singing spray makes them sing better. Many of the kids wanted several doses.

My sister found this idea of playing hot potato. I used a regular potato, and then stuck potato head eyes, a nose, and mouth in it. It looked pretty silly. You start singing a song and the kids begin passing the potato around. The piantist stops the music, and whoever is holding the potato has to say what word or line comes next in the song.

Week 17-The Fourth Article of Faith

I was asked to teach the kids the 4th article of faith for this week. I found this idea from a primary blog. I wrapped up a shoe box and put some candy inside. Then I tied multiple ribbons around the box. Attatched to each ribbon was a gift tag with a line from the song on it. Once the kids learned the first line of the song, I called on someone to come up and cut off that ribbon. Once all the lines were learned and all the ribbons removed, the kids got to have the prize inside.

Week 16-Mother's Day Review

I'm really behind on this blog as evidenced by my writing about our Mother's day review in June.
Anyway, I used my sister Emily's idea of making a big poster mommy and having the kids take turns giving her accessories (mother's day gifts).
I found all of the accessories at anthropology.com and just printed them off and laminated them. Then on the back of each I wrote the name of a song we've been working on, plus a couple mother's day songs that we hadn't learned yet, but are short and easy to teach.

Then I put each "gift" in a different gift bag. Each kid would then choose a gift bag, pull the gift out, see what song was on the back, and then tape it to the mom poster (I told the kids our poster mom was named "Page"). Then of course, we would sing that song.

If I were to do this again, I would make the mom look a little more...hmmm...not so manequin looking. She looks a little spooky to me, eventhough I do like her outfit.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Week 15-I Feel My Savior's Love

There's no song assigned for the month of May, however, our primary still had a new song to learn due to an upcoming Hope for Haiti Concert. The Humanitarian Service Committee has decided to do a benefit concert for Haiti. Every church in the area has been invited to attend and participate. I mean EVERY CHURCH, not just LDS churches. I think it's really gonna be something to see! The primary has been asked to sing a song for this event so this week, we learned the first verse and chorus of "I Feel My Savior's Love."

One night, while looking at endless singing time blogs, I came across this idea that I had to steal...Magic Potions! You start out by writing all the words to the song in red, green, yellow, or blue.

Then to set up the potions, you fill four clear cups with about 3/4 cup water and maybe 1/3 cup vinegar (more vinegar=more fun!). Then you place four spoons in front with a different color of food coloring on each.


Then you cover the drops of food coloring with baking soda.

Then you call on someone to choose a spoon and stir the magic potion. It bubbles and fizzes and then, with more stirring, turns red, blue, green, or yellow.





If it turns yellow, all the yellow words are removed and the kids have to sing the song without those words. You continue this with all the colors until no words are left.

For the junior primary, this idea had to be adapted since many cannot read. So I put the words and helpful pictures on different colors of paper. Whichever color appeared in the potion determined which part of the song we would learn first. If the red appeared, we would learn the part of the song on the red paper first, etc.

Week 14-Whooooo loves to sing?

My sister-in-law Liesel made the most adorable owls for Valentine's Day (her family's theme was "Owl love you forever") and when I commented on her blog about them,(how I'd love to fit owls into singing time somehow) she offered to make some and send them to me. Are you kidding me? How nice is that? She sent me enough owl parts on the cutest paper to make 10 large and 10 small owls and she even came up with the name for the singing time activity..."Whooooo loves to sing?" Very clever.

We had a good number of songs under our belt and I didn't want to add another new song so it was great to use the owls as a review game. I brought a little stuffed owl (which actually belongs to Grandma) and tossed it to someone sitting reverently. As I threw it I said, "Whoooo love's to sing?" Once the child caught it, I said "Tyler, (or whatever name), do you love to sing?" If the answer was yes, then "Tyler" got to pick out a mommy owl from the tree. On the back of the mommy owl was a song, and on the corresponding baby owl, was a way to sing the song.

For example:
I Know that my Savior Love's me: you lead
He Sent His Son: just your class sings
Follow the prophet: leave out the word 'prophet'
The Church of Jesus Christ: Sing acupella (sp?)
Mother, tell me the story: sing with the lights out
We sang other songs too that won't be part of the primary program, but you get the gist.