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.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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