August Sharing Time Week 1

Okay, so, I'm still feeling a little icky after my weeklong bout with laryngitis, but it's my week to teach gospel instruction.  

I found this great idea at Little LDS Ideas and I'm so doing it.  I am not going to use real shoes, but rather pictures of shoes taped on paper sacks.  I think it would be gross to stick a hand into some of the shoes at my house.  :)  I am going to try to find a downloadable copy of the video clip mentioned in the lesson about Gordon B Hinckley's story.  

Also, before they head out for the day, I found some coins at the dollar store, so I will be giving each child a coin and asking them to secretly do something kind for a friend and to leave the coin behind.

On a side note, I love this lesson.  Our world is getting to be such an ugly, hard place and I am grateful for the opportunity to teach these kiddos how to make it better.

Here's the video clip.

Enjoy, and good luck!

Scripture Hero Carnival...Best Day EVER.

Okay, so I had this brilliant idea to do a carnival based on the scriptures so that we could have fun AND learn something of value.  I was so worried that it would be an epic fail.  But, it wasn't...so, here's the 411 on the carnival.
Booth 1: Old Testament - Beanbag toss - David and Goliath
Booth 2: New Testament - Fishing Pond - Jesus feeds the 5000.
Booth 3: Book of Mormon - Make your Own Title of Liberty - Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty.
Booth 4: Church History - Refreshments - Pioneers, Crickets, Seagulls.
Booth 5: Doctrine & Covenants - Dunk Tank - Articles of Faith

Okay, here's how it went down.
Upon entry,children were each given one of four different colored stickers (to make dividing easier) and an Articles of Faith card.
Each group started at stations 1,2,3 or 4.  Teachers would tell the children the story that accompanied each booth and then proceed with the activity.  When there was extra time, children would pass off their articles of faith with the assigned teacher on the card.
After children had been to each booth (a full rotation) we gathered and went outside, where the dunk tank was located.
For each Article of Faith, the children were given one ball to throw at the dunk tank target.  Our wonderful Bishop and amazing Stake President were so kind to "volunteer" to sit in the tank.  We did give an advantage to the younger kids....(because I love them a whole lot...and they're little.)
Anyhow, it seemed to be a huge success!  We had tons of fun, learned a few things and memorized Articles of Faith...

Enjoy the pictures below!

Happy kids waiting to get started!

My FABULOUS Goliath provided by the amazing Brother Borg.  For Real.  Hand drawn and everything.

Titles of Liberty and some darling little girls!

Learning about Pioneers and getting ready for some tasty treats!

Best Stake President EVER

(that's what you get for squirting kids with your squirt gun...)

and...the Best Bishop EVER.

(about giving the little kids some extra help....)

All in all, I think the kids had a great time.  But seriously...I lost my voice and had so much fun!

Top Secret Reverence Sharing Time!

My sharing time this month is on Reverence.  The outline suggests that we show the following pictures (Reverence Pictures) to the kids and have them discuss what they can do to be more reverent.  Because I like to have more fun...
I am turning them into Secret Reverence Agents.
I will be giving each group one picture in a sealed envelope that says
TOP SECRET REVERENCE PROJECT
I think I will also get them all some inexpensive play sunglasses.  :)
Anyhow, their mission will be to find out how they should be using the item pictured (hands, feet, etc) to be more reverent.
I will also be including a necklace made of this (Heart Necklace) for a super top secret mission.  That mission will be to find a person in primary that is using that pictured item to be reverent and give them the Super Reverent Agent necklace.
I love to play.
:)

Shepherding Part 2

Alright, so if you follow me at all, you read this...Good Shepherds which was a result of this...sheepie talk.  You know how passionate I am about this.  In reading it again over the past few days and trying to think about how to present this to my teachers, I wrote a letter, included the good parts of the sheepie talk and then will be placing a cute little card/magnet (I haven't decided yet...) with all of it.  I know it seems like a lot.  But really?  It's not.  I want them to understand how important this is to me.  How important it is to our Heavenly Father.  How essential it is to bring these lambies back and put them on the right path.  I know that I can't save them all, but I'm sure going to try...and remember- how great shall be your joy (scripture).  Really.  So, let's hope this works.  For their sake.

Easter Lesson...

I hate this lesson.  I would much rather focus on the good, pleasant things about our gospel.  I hate this lesson.  So much.  How do you explain to children how awful people are?  How do you explain to them that there were people that hated our Savior so much that they wanted him to die?  How do you explain to them that He didn't die peacefully?  I hate this lesson.  I am going to try to make it a little bit more fun by doing this...
http://deliacreates.blogspot.com/2011/04/12-days-of-easter.html
However, I might cry.  Actually, I probably will cry.  But it's okay.  Right?

General Conference Sharing Time

I'll be honest...
I was at a loss for words for sharing time this week.
Yipes.
The lesson in the outline just didn't seem like it would get my kids excited for General Conference like I want them to be.
So, I found this.
http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/2009/09/watchmen-on-tower-fhe.html
This woman is BRILLIANT.
I wish I was her.
Also, I'm bribing my kids...
I am giving them a General Conference Bingo Sheet (found at www.conferencegames.lds.org)
And whomever brings it back to me, filled out, will get a treat.
Not sure what it is yet, but time will tell. 
:)

Good Shepherds

Last week, I asked the ward clerk for a list of all the Primary birthdays and came across a staggering number of children that I don't know.  I can't even begin to tell you how awful I feel.  It's an overwhelming number and far too much for just the presidency to handle.  I was so discouraged. Then, in trying to find a solution, I read this talk about Lost Sheep that I would highly recommend to everyone.  While reading the aforementioned talk, I felt less and less discouraged.  I started to wonder how glad I would feel to see their faces at Primary.  I thought about the different talents and personalities that they would bring to our little Primary family. 

And it hit me. 

After all these years, hearing the same stories about the Savior and how overjoyed He feels when one of HIS lost sheep is brought back to the fold, I finally understand.  If my joy would be that great, I can't even imagine how joyous our Savior will feel.  So, from this point on, my mission is to bring them home. And I will keep searching until they are found and safe back in the fold. 

"It is not enough to simply hope and pray and plan and worry.  These are necessary, but if a sheep is lost it will not find its way back to the fold unless someone actually goes out to help it.  The successful shephered finds out, goes out, stays out and brings back the lost sheep."

(James R. Moss, New Era, June 1977)

Also, I'm having an inservice meeting and hoping that the lure of tasty refreshments will bring my teachers out so that we can all search together.  If two heads are better than one, two shepherds are certainly better than one. 

President Boyd K. Packer said not once, but twice in October 2011's General Conference: "With all that is going on in the world, with the lowering of moral standards, you young people are being raised in enemy territory."

I will NOT let them have my Primary kids. I WILL fight for them every step of the way.  I WILL look out for them and be a sucessful shepherd.  I WILL love them and care for them and worry for them and pray for them everyday.  I WILL "find out, go out and stay out" until I bring them all home. 

And heaven help anyone who gets in my way.

Baptisms

I just got a phone call that warmed my heart right up and I want to share. 

When you're a woman without children, there are things that you miss out on.

You don't get to be there for their first steps.

You don't hear the first words.

You're not the mom.

So, you feel unimportant.

Today, Primary has changed that.

We have a baptism on Saturday.  For those of you that are not LDS, when LDS children are 8 years old, they are considered old enough to make their own decision.  So, instead of forcing baptism on them as babies, they have a choice.  Typically, most choose baptism.

Anyhow, we have one of these events on Saturday.

I was feeling sad because I will never get to be the mom.

However, I got a phone call today from this sweet, kind little 8 year old girl.

She wants me to play the piano for her baptism.

I was going to attend anyways, because I consider the Primary kids to be MY kids.

But to know that someone thinks enough of me that they want me to be a part of it warms my heart.

So, thank you, sweet girl.

You have made me feel 100% better.

Blue and Gold...

CONFESSION: I don't really like scouting.  I don't understand it and it frustrates me.  *sigh* However, because I love my Primary kids, I am trying to love it.  So, I went to the Blue and Gold Banquet last night.  I love my kids.  I do.  I walked into the cultural hall (Mormon word for Gym) and saw dozens of little teeny Cub Scouts and their families and their cakes.  As anyone knows, it's tradition at the Blue and Gold Banquet for the Scouts to decorate their own cakes.  They are supposed to do it by themselves, but we all know that every once in a while, the parents decorate for them.  However, one of the kids was SO EXCITED to show me his cake.  I walked in and was greeted with "Sister Jennings! Sister Jennings! Come look at my cake!" - which of course led to all the other little Cub Scouts in my ward to drag me to their cakes.  I saw robots, recycle symbols, factories, grass, sunshines and many other strange designs.  Most people would look at these cakes and not be impressed.  But...when you're a Primary President, you see things differently.  I think I know how it must feel to be a parent finally.  I felt so proud of them and their efforts and could see how hard they worked.  We had dinner and then did some awards.  I am so proud of my boys.  They have worked so hard.  So, I'm going to try to understand Cub Scouts more.  Besides, the Pinewood Derby is coming up and I want to make a pink car.

Welcome!

My name is Katie.  I am a 30 something year old woman whose only children have four legs and tails.  And I'm the Primary President.  Are you kidding me?  Me?  Primary President?  How does one go from eternal Sunbeam teacher to Primary President?  Isn't there some stepping up process? 
Anyhow, I was completely floored when the Bishop called me.  I cried, tried to figure it out and then, like all good Mormon women, went to Sugardoodle to try and find out what the heck I was supposed to be doing.  Do you think it offered any information?  Of course not.  Dang it.  I was annoyed, to say the least, that I couldn't find any information online about how to do this!  Hence this blog.  So, I am documenting my journey...hope it helps!