Sunbeams lesson 2

This Sunday the Sunbeams learned that they have a body like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith came to visit and tell them about the First Vision. They got to draw pictures of themselves and wear Joseph's hat. I made trees for the back ground of the forest and played bird sounds in the background. I teach the story first, our visitor comes, we do a craft pertaining to the lesson for them to take home so they can tell their families. Then we retell the story together using their craft. My hope is they will learn enough of the scripture story to share with their family so that in the home the parents can continue to teach and bear testimony. 

Scripture Power

The most amazing thing I learned in Nursery was that these kids are ready to learn.  They soak up everything like a sponge.  So if you are ever called to be the Nursery Leader for an LDS Church...have a lesson time.  The kids need it, and they like it.  It might be hard the first 2 times but trust me it works!

Our idea was to take the last 15 to 20 minutes of Nursery and set up the chairs in a semi-circle, we had the kids come sit down and we gave them a lesson.  This not only prepares them for primary but sets the tone for the lesson.  Every Sunday we would borrow 12 Book of Mormons, paperback works great and would give one to each child upon sitting in the "lesson time" chairs.  We would open them up to any page and ask the kids what the words said.  We taught them that the scriptures say "Jesus loves me."  They would touch the words on the page and repeat the phrase.  We would change the phrase every month.  Follow the Prophet and Choose the Right were some of the sayings we taught the kids from the scriptures.  Then we we would sing the chorus to scripture power and have them hold up their scriptures.  This was the beginning of every lesson time and then we would gather them up after singing and go on with the lesson.



One Sunday I had sick kids to take care of all week and didn't get around to preparing a lesson.  I had planned on just letting the kids play that 15 minutes till Church was over.  One little girl named Kate came up and said, "hey it's lesson time."  So we improvised and came up with a quick lesson.  I learned they are never too little to soak up and learn gospel principles.  Their little spirits are so close to Heaven, it is easy to teach them!

New Years Eve Party for Kids

All my life I have been waiting for that perfect New Year's Eve kiss that you see and hear about in movies.  Every year I stay home and watch movies with my family and pig out on junk food.  Well I got tired of watching New Year's Eve Parties on TV and decided to throw one of my own with my two favorite boys.  James is 7 and Caleb, my grandson is 3.



I found my inspiration at the thrift-store for the entire night, we would dress up 1940's style.  I purchased the perfect dress for $7.00, a 1970 formal.  

 

 I found all the table decorations at the Dollar Tree and copied a place setting from Pinterest, except for the glasses napkin holder, that was a last minute touch.  James wanted pizza and chocolate covered strawberries (his 2 favorite foods).  To drink we had champagne glasses filled with cotton candy and poured sprite over the top.  The boys were enthralled as the sprite fizzed upon contact with the cotton candy.  I imagined the concoction to be super sweet but it was the perfect balance and rather splendid!!  We had a dance and I spent half an hour blowing up balloons but it was fun to turn down the lights and dance with the balloons on the dance floor.

A cute story about James, he loves to have a beautifully set table and he insists on setting it himself which always includes candles.  He learned this skill from my beautiful friend Baraba Palfreyman who has gourmet dinners and elaborate table settings.  We get invited over to her house quite often and as Barbara cook's her husband Terry will set the table.  Ever since we that first dinner, James has become our table-setter at home.

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We had so much fun together, that this has definitely become a NEW Family Tradition!!

p.s.  I did get that perfect New Years Eve kiss...LOL a  Hershey's kiss 

Sailing away in my cardboard ship

This was truly an epic adventure in nursery, we learned about Nephi building a ship and I got the idea we could build one for nursery.  I want to give a huge shout out to Lowe's for saving me a refrigerator box to make the ship.  The Sail was a huge PAIN...but my Dad and Mom took pity on me at 10:30 p.m. that Saturday night and helped me perfect the Sail.  I love how it turned out and the kids loved it too.

Looka at little Isaac peeking under the sail.



A few weeks later, we turned stood our ship up and cut the bottom off about 2 feet and used it for Lehi's tent.  The kids loved playing inside and we kept it up until they completely wore the box out.

Here is a picture of the Lehi's tent, we were trying to get them all in costume, but they just wanted to stay inside.  Love these kids!

LDS Pioneer Day Celebration

While in LDS Nursery for the past year, I learned so much about  children ages 18 months to 3 years old.  They are like a sponge and soak up and retain everything.  So many times I think we just think of Nursery as "daycare" but it can be so much more with a just a little bit of effort on the Leader's part.  I was blessed to work with two very awesome ladies, Barbara Palfreyman and Yvette Tafoya.  We had so much fun with these sweet little ones, here are some of the fun things we accomplished.

Pioneer Days:  with the help of my Mother, we built a covered wagon, sewed pioneer bonnets, and for the boys we bought bandannas.  Barbara made a fire and served them pioneer food, we also did a snake jump and a Relief Society parade (Our sweet Relief Society Sister's sang a hymn while we paraded through it was awesome for them and for us!) .  The pictures show all the fun we had that day.   

    

     

  

Secret Service Fun

Wow I can't believe how long it has been since I posted.  My poor neglected little blog is still here waiting for me and I am so happy!!  Anyway, I wanted a creative outlet to post some of the fun Church activities I have done within my callings.  Since being released as Young Women's President I have been working in the primary in different areas.  I worked with CTR 7 & 8 years olds, which I loved, and then nursery...those kids are so stinking cute! And now I got to move up with my nursery kids to Sunbeams and I love it!! I posed on facebook alot of the fun things I did with the CTR 7 & 8 year olds.  I built a time machine out of refrigerator boxes and used 10 cans of spray paint to get it the exact shade of gray I wanted.  (I didn't have a smart phone at the time but this is the picture I copied.)



We also did a lesson on service and I commissioned them to be "Secret Service Agents".  We dressed up in trench coats, a hat, and a mustache.  They did service all week and reported the next Sunday to me.

          

These kids are great examples and were a ton of fun, I cried when I was switched to nursery!

Dangerously Stupid Zone

I recently read a blog post about choices we make.  I tend to see things in white (good)/ black (bad) and not really gray (middle).  To me the gray area of a choice is more for cowards who tend to sit on the fence and don't really want to commit to a side.  Don't get me wrong I have been gray plenty of times in my life but as I have come to know and love myself better, I see life more in black and white and not so much gray.  I guess it is also because with this new found knowledge and self love come confidence, bravery, and courage to be able to take a stand for the things I believe in.  When we sit on the fence (which is gray) we put ourselves in what can be termed the "Dangerously Stupid Zone!"  We are then tempted, persuaded, pushed, or bullied into choosing a side which we may not be comfortable with but are not strong or brave enough to stand up and walk away from.  Thus we fall circumstance to the consquences of the choices of the side we were persuaded to stand with and become a victim to our own stupidity.  I see this everyday with the teens I work with at church.  If they could only see the strength and feel the love I have for them, they would be unstoppable at anything they CHOOSE to do.  So what about you?  Do you have things in your life that you are sitting on the fence about?  This is what I have been contemplating this week and praying to be brought to light in my life so I can choose a side.  I found this picture that sort of put it into perspective for me.  As I make a choice I stop to think...on which side does my choice tip the scales - for the good of my Savior or against Him?  I always want it to be for the good, I do not want to ever cause Him anymore pain.  He has shed so many drops of his own blood for me already.  It only takes a moment to stop and think before I act/choose.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ is always fighting for the good of our souls, he never stops, sleeps, or quits loving us.  He only joins His strength to ours and ensures us success as we focus on Him and becoming like Him.  I leave you with some of my favorite words from Him whom I love most, the #1 man in my life:

John 16:33

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribultaion:  but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."