FHE 4/30: Sacrifice

This week's FHE ideas are inspired by Elder Dallin H. Oaks' talk, titled simply "Sacrifice."  He touches on many of the sacrifices we are asked to make as disciples of Jesus Christ, and especially as Latter-day Saints, and witnesses that any sacrifice will be rewarded a hundredfold or more in the eternities.  I've always been taught that sacrifice is giving up something good for something better.  I remember a teacher in young women's talking about the sacrifices involved with early morning seminary, or with coming to Church on Sundays, but I had a hard time with it because I honestly felt like I got SO MUCH out of it it wasn't really a sacrifice at all.  Besides, that's just what you do, right?  Helping our families to understand what sacrifices we are asked to make and why can strengthen faith and help us rededicate ourselves to obedience, and we will make more lasting contributions in our homes, in the church, and in the world.

Not surprisingly, though, it's a hard topic to teach...especially to little children.  Everything I found is either about specific sacrifices (like obedience, tithing, fast offerings, talents, etc.) or about animal sacrifices--which really isn't the point of Elder Oaks' talk.  So the internet world is a little quiet about this topic as a whole.  So a lot of these are from me...which means there isn't as much this week.  Sorry.  :)

POINTS TO PONDER BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

• What do I already sacrifice in my life?  Why do I do it?  (What is the "something good" and "something better?"
• What needs exist outside of my home--in the Church or in the community--that I have the talents to fulfill?

QUOTES:

• "Today the most visible strength of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the unselfish service and sacrifice of its members. Prior to the rededication of one of our temples, a Christian minister asked President Gordon B. Hinckley why it did not contain any representation of the cross, the most common symbol of the Christian faith. President Hinckley replied that the symbols of our Christian faith are “the lives of our people.”⁵ Truly, our lives of service and sacrifice are the most appropriate expressions of our commitment to serve the Master and our fellowmen."
• "How do we persuade such followers of Christ to serve? As a prophet explained, “We [just] ask them.”^"
• Many years ago this conference heard of a young man who found the restored gospel while he was studying in the United States. As this man was about to return to his native land, President Gordon B. Hinckley asked him what would happen to him when he returned home as a Christian. “My family will be disappointed,” the young man answered. “They may cast me out and regard me as dead. As for my future and my career, all opportunity may be foreclosed against me.” “Are you willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?” President Hinckley asked. Tearfully the young man answered, “It’s true, isn’t it?” When that was affirmed, he replied, “Then what else matters?”
• "I am grateful for the marvelous examples of Christian love, service, and sacrifice I have seen among the Latter-day Saints. I see you performing your Church callings, often at great sacrifice of time and means. I see you serving missions at your own expense. I see you cheerfully donating your professional skills in service to your fellowmen. I see you caring for the poor through personal efforts and through supporting Church welfare and humanitarian contributions...I also see unselfish Latter-day Saints adopting children, including those with special needs, and seeking to provide foster children the hope and opportunities denied them by earlier circumstances. I see you caring for family members and neighbors who suffer from birth defects, mental and physical ailments, and the effects of advancing years. The Lord sees you also, and He has caused His prophets to declare that “as you sacrifice for each other and your children, the Lord will bless you.”^"
• "Just as the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is at the center of the plan of salvation, we followers of Christ must make our own sacrifices to prepare for the destiny that plan provides for us."

SONGS:

• "Can a Little Child Like Me?"
• "'Give,' Said the Little Stream"
• "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus"
• "When We're Helping We're Happy"

OBJECT LESSONS:

• GIVING IS BEAUTIFUL: Present a square sheet of blank white paper. Discuss how this piece of paper in it's current state is not really providing any joy or happiness. Fold the paper several times into a triangular shape. Then take suggestions of things we can do that require sacrifice on our part but provide joy to others. With each suggestion cut a small shape from the folded paper. After several suggestions have been made and several snippets taken from the paper, discuss how the pieces which have been removed represents how our sacrifices take a little bit from our time and talents. Unfold the paper and reveal the beautiful pattern that was created through our sacrificing. This paper which was blank before is now more enjoyable and visually pleasing to admire. We as our Lords servants are blessed immeasurably with every sacrifice we make in our efforts to build up our Heavenly Father's Kingdom on Earth.
  by Mindy Dryer
• A CANDLE LOSES NOTHING BY LIGHTING ANOTHER: Start by lighting one of several candles, ask for a volunteer and give them a candle. Then light the other candle from the candle already lit. What did they observe? Did the candle lose any of it's momentum from sharing it's flame. No, in fact it shines brighter. Hence, "a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." I have used this in my lessons about service and how it is the person doing the serving who, by sharing their flame, burns brighter and gets the most out of the experience. Also enabling the person they are serving to light the way for others.
• BE A TOOL! :)  Show children a few simple tools--screwdriver, hammer & nail, saw, etc.  Ask what they are and what each of them does.  Ask if the screwdriver could do the work of a hammer, etc.  Use this to show that we each have a special work to do that no one else can do but us, and we must sacrifice our talents to help "build" the kingdom of God!

GAMES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

• Cut out the sacrifice cards shown above (DOWNLOAD HERE) and put in a bag or other container.  Have children draw them one at a time and talk about when/how/why we might sacrifice that thing.  You can also have children list the short-term and long-term blessings of sacrificing that thing, or ways that Jesus Christ sacrificed it.  For teens/young adults, you could challenge them to find a scripture that goes along with that sacrifice before they share.  (Full instructions are included in the download.)
• Do you have pioneer ancestors?  Even if you don't, pioneers are a part of our spiritual heritage.  And you certainly have SOMEONE in your family history (even your own parents) who made sacrifices so that you could have a life in the gospel.  Show a picture of this person and tell the story of their sacrifices and how you were blessed. 
• If you want to focus on a specific sacrifice for your family, such as tithing or talents, you'll have to come up with your own activity for that...or wait 'til there's a Conference talk all about it so I can do the work for you. ;)

HANDOUTS & FREEBIES:

• Coloring pages--there aren't any about the general "sacrifice" topic online, but there is one about PIONEERS (here), and one about preparing for the temple that I think ties in HERE (go to the bottom of the page and click to view larger format).  There is a similar idea HERE about halfway through the page.  I also made one up, and now that my dear husband bought me a scanner I have a cool coloring page for you:

Download this pdf HERE and print it off (it's my first one, be kind!)

• I made a simple little 4"x6" handout with one of my all-time favorite quotes: "It's true, isn't it?...Then what else matters?"  You can get it in black, as shown, or click on the color of your choice to download it in any of the pretty colors available.  :)

BLACK DOWNLOAD

ALSO AVAILABLE IN: Blue, Green, Purple, Orange, Red, Pink

CRAFTS & MORE:

• None this week...couldn't find a single craft related to sacrifice.  I suppose you could always "sacrifice" something in your craft stash and make something for someone else.  Pray about it as a family and decide who in your ward, neighborhood, or school might be in need of some cheering up and work together to make something for that person or family.  :)

TREATS:

• Make any of your favorite family treats, but deliver them to someone else!  Having the whole family "sacrifice" time (and treats) will probably not feel like much of a sacrifice at all.  OR, have each child pick out a favorite color/flavor treat for another sibling. 
• Make bread like the pioneers ate (recipe HERE)...and, if you're REALLY brave, help your family members each make their own butter in a baby food jar (instructions HERE, although I'd add a little salt :) to go along with it!

FHE lessons

You'll notice I'm trying to get through the next few weeks in a few days' time.  Please be patient with me and know I'm not rushing any of it--I'm still taking *many* hours to pour over the Conference talks, primary manuals, websites like Mormonshare.com and sugardoodle.net, LDS blogs, my own mind, and more so I can find the *best* resources for all of you while still giving you choices for your family, whatever it looks like!

I'm just really hoping to get ahead a little so if I have a crazy week at work, or continue to be sick, or want to make something more than just a printable handout (like a game), I'll have time to do it and not be rushed.  So thanks for reading along with me, and I hope you can find what you need when you need it.  I'm really enjoying this new aspect to my gospel study time, and it's making me crave it in the moments I'm *not* able to be at the computer.  :)  Even though I DO hope someone else finds all of this useful, I love that I'm really doing it to inspire MYSELF to make Conference "the walk and talk of the next six months" and to have regular, gospel-centered Family Home Evenings for our own little family again.  :)

EDIT 4/20: I figured out how to schedule a posting instead of having it published right away...so I will have them publish themselves the Tuesday before (giving you a whole week to prepare for a Monday night FHE :).

FHE 4/23: Feeling God's Love

This week's FHE ideas are based on Elder Paul E. Koelliker's talk, "He Truly Loves Us."  I'll admit, the talk seemed a little scattered to me because all the notes I'd taken on it DURING conference had to do with missionary work, so I must've missed something then.  But I got it together and I think this is the theme he really wanted to get across--especially given the title.  :)  Reading it in that context, I found a few really poignant thoughts in his talk and now I love it TONS.  Who doesn't need to feel the love of God more in their lives?  And teaching our families to recognize the Spirit (that conduit to His love) is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things we could ever do.

POINTS TO PONDER BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

• When is the last time I really *felt* God's love?  How did it feel?  How did it come about?
• Does my family teach a pattern of love that leads each member to understand God's love for us?

QUOTES FROM THE TALK:

• He quotes President Hinckley: “To love the Lord is not just counsel; it is not just well-wishing. It is a commandment. … Love of God is the root of all virtue, of all goodness, of all strength of character, of all fidelity to do right” (“Words of the Living Prophet,” Liahona, Dec. 1996, 8; “Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Apr. 1996, 73).
• "The feeling of love from our Heavenly Father is like a gravitational pull from heaven. As we remove the distractions that pull us toward the world and exercise our agency to seek Him, we open our hearts to a celestial force which draws us toward Him."
• "Awakening the desire to know enables our spiritual capacities to hear the voice of heaven. Finding a way to awaken and nurture that desire is the quest and responsibility of each of us—missionaries, parents, teachers, leaders, and members...It is when we yield to God’s will and live His pattern that His Spirit is felt."
• "The Father’s plan designated the pattern of the family to help us learn, apply, and understand the power of love...Because of the heaven-designed pattern of the family, we more fully understand how our Heavenly Father truly loves each of us equally and fully."
• "Both modern and ancient scripture are full of reminders of Heavenly Father’s eternal love for His children. I am confident that our Heavenly Father’s arms are constantly extended, ever ready to embrace each one of us and say to each one with that quiet, piercing voice, 'I love you.'"

SONGS (you can listen to them online HERE):

• "I Feel My Savior's Love"
• "I Am a Child of God"
• "My Heavenly Father Loves Me"
• "Where Love Is"
• "Love One Another"
• "I Know My Father Lives"
• "Teach Me to Walk in the Light"

OBJECT LESSONS:

• GOD'S LOVE NEVER CHANGES: Show kids a dollar bill (or higher).  Ask what it's worth and if anyone wants it.  Then crumble it up, step on it, etc.  Show the tattered thing now.  Ask if it's still worth the same and if the kids still want it.  Just like the worth of the bill doesn't change, OUR worth to our Heavenly Father doesn't change no matter what we've done or where we've fallen short--He loves us unconditionally.
• THE COMFORTER: Take a fluffy comforter or other blanket from home and throw it in the dryer for a while before FHE.  After talking briefly about what the Spirit feels like, wrap each child in the comforter.  Talk about how one of the roles of the Spirit IS being the Comforter and He can help us feel God's love like a warm blanket when the cold world leaves you feeling alone and unimportant.
• THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT: Gather a camera with a flash and a flashlight or glow sticks, and turn off the lights.  Explain to your family that before we are baptized and confirmed, we can get little glimpses of God's love through the Spirit, kind of like the flashes of a camera in special moments.  But after we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, it's like God's love and Spirit are a flashlight (or glow sticks) lighting the way constantly before us--as long as our batteries are fully charged!  Talk about things that "charge our batteries" from the talk or from your own experiences, such as prayer, scripture study, keeping the commandments in all things, and loving our families.
• PRAYER: Prayer is a BIG part of feeling God's love.  Hold up a cell phone and ask them to name places where they've used a cell phone. Answers may include in a car, outside, in the house, even on a boat.  Now ask them why they have used a cell phone. Answers may include I needed information, when I needed help, when I may be lost and not know directions, or when I just want to talk to someone.  Talk about how we can ALWAYS call on Heavenly Father through prayer, and He will ALWAYS be on the other line--you'll never get a busy signal!

GAMES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

• For very young children, someone named Megan created a simple file folder game called "Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Love Me."  It's free to download HERE.  There's also one called "I Am a Child of God" for download HERE.
• The Sunbeam manual has this cute verse to recite with accompanying actions:
  "Heavenly Father knows me (point to self)
  And what I like to do.
  He knows my name and where I live (make a roof by touching fingers of both hands).
  I know he loves me, too (cross arms and put hands on shoulders in hug).
  He knows what makes me happy (put fingers on smiling mouth).

  He knows what makes me sad (put fingers on down-turned mouth).

  I know he wants to help me (point to self),

  And that’s what makes me glad!"
• There's a cute game about how Christ showed (and shows) love, for junior primary-aged kids, free for download HERE.
• Play "spin the bottle," except when it lands on you you have to say something the Lord does for you or gives you that helps you know He loves you.
• Tell the children that you have one of the most important people in the world inside your special box. Have the children take turns guessing who it is. Then allow them one at a time to look inside the box. (Inside the box you put a large mirror, so when the children look inside they see themselves.) After they have all had a turn looking inside the box, ask them the question again. Explain to them that they each are one of the most important people in the world because they are unique/different and that there is no one else in the world just like them and that each one of them is a child of God.
• For older children/youth: Elder Koelliker lists several scripture stories in his talk about prophets who felt God's love.  Assign a different scripture story (from the talk, like Nephi, Alma, and Mormon, or others you can think of) to each family member (if you can find a picture to go along with it that's even better...there are some Book of Mormon pictures online HERE) to read and have them teach the rest of the family why they needed to feel God's love and how it changed their lives.
• For older children/youth: Elder Koelliker talks a lot about patterns in his talk; "Patterns are templates, guides, repeating steps, or paths one follows to stay aligned with God’s purpose. If followed, they will keep us humble, awake, and able to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit from those voices that distract us and lead us away."  If you're a sewer or knitter/crocheter, you can show a pattern and talk about how it shows you how to make something.  If we want to make a happy life for ourselves, or feel the love of God, we have to follow the pattern!  You could also do a pattern with shapes and talk about how we feel blessed (and therefore feel God's love in our lives), obey, feel blessed, obey...it's a pattern that repeats itself throughout our lives!

HANDOUTS & FREEBIES:

• There are coloring pages about God's loving us HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE.
• There's a simple puzzle free to download HERE.  I think it'd be cute as a handout.  :)
• There is a simple heart-shaped handout available HERE.  Kids draw a self-portrait in the middle.
• Cut hearts out of foam or construction paper and glue one to the end of a popsicle stick for each family member.  Have them raise their hearts whenever someone says the word "love."  This will keep them listening throughout the whole lesson!
• I made this 8"x10" free printable to go along with one of my favorite quotes from the talk:

Free download HERE.

• CELEBRATE YOU!  I also have a little jpeg I made that you can print out, cut, and laminate for bookmarks, etc.  You can also print off individual images (they're 5x7).  Enjoy!

YOU*NIQUE
BE*YOU*TIFUL
YOU*NITED

ALL THREE (Celebrate YOU!) DOWNLOAD

CRAFTS & MORE:

• "Love Bouquet"--cut out a bunch of hearts and glue/tape on pipe cleaners.  Brainstorm as a family different ways God shows us He loves us, and write each idea on a different heart.  Put them all together into a "love bouquet" in a vase with some fillers.  I might do a 2-dimensional idea of this with some chalkboard paint on the heart-shaped flowers so I can change it out (or laminate and use dry erase markers).
• The idea above would also be a fun spin on a "heart attack"--create a bunch of hearts and have a place where you can write ways the Lord shows love to your family THIS WEEK and tape/pin them up throughout the week.  Review the wall/board/area at the beginning of next week's FHE.

TREATS:

• ANYTHING heart-shaped, of course!  Heart-shaped cookies, fruits, bread/rolls, etc.  Strawberries with the tops cut off so they are more heart-shaped are always a crowd-pleaser.

FHE 4/16: I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

This week's FHE lesson ideas are based on Elder Donald L. Hallstrom's talk "Converted to His Gospel Through His Church."  When I was listening and reading this talk over and over for inspiration, I just kept feeling the urge to sing out that beloved primary song, "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!"  While I love and respect all churches that teach people to do good things with their lives and in the world, I echo the words of Elder Hallstrom--there is nothing like the restored Church of Christ, with the attending fulness of the gospel, in all the world!  It is a remarkable thing to be a part of, and we should help our families understand just what the Church is and what it stands for.  Sometimes I think we just assume our kids pick up on these things over time so we don't explicitly teach them...so that's where most of these ideas are coming from.  There are some real *GEMS* about the importance of being converted to the gospel and not just the Church, and I hope you read and ponder those eternal truths.  But the FHE this week is focusing on the Church's role in teaching the gospel. 

So, here we go!

Before you begin...
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

• How have I been converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ?  What experiences led me to my testimony?
• Do my children/family know the name of the Church?  Do they understand what it means?  Do they know how our faith differs from others--what makes it special?

QUOTES FROM THE TALK:

• I love this succinct definition of the gospel: "The gospel is the glorious plan of God in which we, as His children, are given the opportunity to receive all that the Father has."  It's the Plan of Salvation, made possible through Christ's atonement! 
• "This is a magnificent Church. Its organization, effectiveness, and sheer goodness are respected by all who sincerely seek to understand it. The Church has programs for children, youth, men, and women. It has beautiful meetinghouses that number more than 18,000. Majestic temples—now totaling 136—dot the earth, with another 30 under construction or announced. A full-time missionary force of over 56,000, comprised of the young and less so, are serving in 150 countries. The Church’s worldwide humanitarian work is a marvelous display of the generosity of our members. Our welfare system cares for our members and promotes self-reliance in a manner unduplicated anywhere. In this Church we have selfless lay leaders and a community of Saints who are willing to serve one another in a remarkable way. There is nothing like this Church in all the world."
• "Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. Therein lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church and less active in the gospel. Let me stress: activity in the Church is a highly desirable goal; however, it is insufficient. Activity in the Church is an outward indication of our spiritual desire. If we attend our meetings, hold and fulfill Church responsibilities, and serve others, it is publicly observed. By contrast, the things of the gospel are usually less visible and more difficult to measure, but they are of greater eternal importance. For example, how much faith do we really have? How repentant are we? How meaningful are the ordinances in our lives? How focused are we on our covenants?  I repeat: we need the gospel and the Church. In fact, the purpose of the Church is to help us live the gospel."

SONGS:

• "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!"
• "When I Go to Church"
• "Saturday is a Special Day"
• "How Will They Know" (unless we teach them so)

OBJECT LESSONS:

• Apostacy and the Need for a Restoration--have a few blocks labeled with fundamental things in Christ's original church--such as apostles and prophets, baptism, the law/scriptures, priesthood authority, etc.--and build a building.  Talk about how the Apostacy caused division in the Church as you dismantle the building and give some blocks to some kids, some to others.  Explain that no single church had all the same parts as Christ's original church. Then rebuild the building together as you talk about Joseph Smith's revelations and the Restoration.
• Every Calling is Important to Building the Kingdom: Take the spring out of a pen.  Hold the pen up and ask children what it is, what it's used for, and what they think the most important part of it is.  Then have one child try to write with it--something isn't right!  It can't write!  Insert the spring back into the pen, and let a few children confirm that it is now working properly. Even something as simple as a ballpoint pen needs all its parts to work properly. Some parts may seem more important, like the ink, while others may seem less important, like the spring, but they are ALL needed for it to do what it is supposed to. In our church/class, each of our member's best efforts and talents are needed, too. Everyone has a job to do, whether it's conducting the meeting, teaching a lesson, singing, or simply sharing testimony by participating in class discussions. Some jobs may seem more important than others, but without everyone, the Church just wouldn't function. The apostle Paul said: "But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary." (1 Corinthians 12:20-22).
• Reverence at Church: parents place a piece of string on the front of their clothing. It should be obviously noticeable.( a color that stands out) Then they begin to talk/sing about what reverence is. After a couple of minutes they ask if anyone noticed the string and if it was distracting. Begin by having a brief discussion on reverence. Help your children understand that if something as little as a thread can distract us, how much more distracting is talking, tapping our foot, or any other form of inappropriate behavior or appearance? Our lack of reverence can distract ourselves and others from feeling the Spirit.
• Appropriate Sabbath Activities (living the gospel in and after Church): I loved this one.  :)  You can use real ice cream and toppings or just draw/find pictures/talk about it.  You're going to make a big ice cream sundae to share--get out the ice cream, put it in a bowl, and pull out your toppings--pepperoni, Goldfish cracker, BBQ sauce, or other things your kiddos like but that don't really go with ice cream.  Show them the toppings--they will probably gross out.  Ask, "What, you don't like these things?" They'll likely say, "Yes, but not on ice cream sundaes!"  This leads into a discussion of how there are lots of good things that we do during the week that just don't go with Sundays.  Discuss what you as a family believe are positive ways to "remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."     
• Put some cut celery or daisies in a glass vase filled with colored water (might want to make it black or brown, or it will be really pretty and the kids will LIKE it, which sort of defeats the point) a few days before FHE.  Show it to the family and ask what happened to the beautiful, clean flower or veggie?  Just as it absorbed the color from the water, we absorb what we are surrounded by day in and day out.  We need to surround ourselves with clean, happy things--like the things we learn at Church, or living the gospel principles in our home--if we want to remain "unspotted from the world."

GAMES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

• Finger play--"This is the Church, this is the steeple, open up the doors and see all the people.  Close the doors and hear them pray.  Open up the doors, and they all walk away."
• Show a picture of Christ and read about the Church's name (D&C 115:4).  Then show pictures (one at a time) of things that set our Church apart from others.  After briefly talking about each one, sing a Primary song related to it.  End with the song "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."  Some ideas:
• Living Prophet--Follow the Prophet
• Temple Work--"I Love to See the Temple"
• The Scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon--"The Golden Plates," "Book of Mormon Stories," "Scripture Power," or the 8th Article of Faith
• The Priesthood & its ordinances--especially Baptism and any Primary songs related to it
• Genealogy--"Family History, I Am Doing It."
• The Plan of Salvation--"I Lived in Heaven" or "I Will Follow God's Plan"
• etc. :)
• Create a simple puzzle where each large piece has a different family member's name on it.  Hide the pieces around the house and have the children find them and assemble the puzzle.  Talk about how each person belongs to our family.  Where else do we belong?  (To classes, neighborhoods/communities, to the Church).  Show a picture of a baby getting blessed (or, if you have them, pictures of their OWN baby blessings) and talk about how we belong to the Church because of the name and blessing.
• Priesthood ordinances--show pictures and talk about baby blessings, baptisms & confirmations, father's blessings, blessings for the sick, the passing of the sacrament, a married couple outside of the temple, etc...anything they might be familiar with.  (The VERY affordable Gospel Art Kit has pictures of all of these things.)  Show pictures of Joseph Smith's receiving each of the Priesthoods and talk about how our Church is the only one with the authority to do each of these ordinances.
• From the nursery manual: "Before (FHE), draw four simple pictures—an eye, a hand, an ear, and a mouth—on separate pieces of paper. Tell the children that there are many things we can do at church. (Post the picture of an eye.) We can read scripture stories. (Post the picture of a hand.) We can play kindly with our friends. (Post the picture of an ear.) We can listen carefully to our teachers. (Post the picture of a mouth.) We can speak softly while we are in church. Have each child come up and point to one of the pictures. As a picture is pointed to, tell the children again what it stands for."
• Have each child draw a picture of themselves in their Sunday best and, on the back, write or draw something he or she can do to be a good member of the Church.
• I LOVE this idea--so simple but so cute--learn how to say "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in a few different languages, or especially from your mission language.  Teach your kids about how the church is a worldwide Church and even though we might meet at different places, speak different languages, etc., we all believe the same thing.
• Cut out a bunch of footsteps and have them lead to different places around the house and back again (or just play follow the leader, you could do it outside if the weather is lovely).  Talk about whose footsteps we follow (our parents, good friends, the prophet, Jesus Christ).  Talk about how Christ is the head of the Church, and He shows us the way to go through His prophets.  :)
• For older children/youth, have a few numbers/statistics about the Church (find them in the statistical report HERE) and accompanying words (like number of missionaries, operating temples, stakes, members, etc.) and make your own memory game (can be fancy and make printable ones from HERE but you certainly can just write it on paper, too :).  You can also make your own word searches or other games with Church-related words/topics HERE.  Talk about how you feel when you hear those statistics and how they have changed even in your own lifetime.
• Also for older children/youth, the theme for 2003 in Primary was I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they have a cute puzzle with accompanying scriptures to read HERE.  You could have each family member find a different puzzle piece and put it together, reading their accompanying scripture.
• Possible with all kids but especially with older children: play Playdoh Pictionary with Church- or Sabbath-related words (sacrament, singing time, reverence, talks, scriptures, etc...or Sabbath-appropriate activities such as journal writing, scripture reading, preparing for Church, writing letters, etc...). 
• The Redheaded Hostess has some AWESOME graphics representing different parts of the Plan of Salvation as a free pdf HERE. I STRONGLY recommend you print it off, cut it out, laminate it, and put it in a baggie--you will get SO MUCH use out of it over the years.  If you're artsy, you could always draw your own, of course.  Someone on Paul's mission made one similar to this and we used it every Sunday in our lessons--we'd time the kids and see how quickly they could put it all in order, and at the end of every lesson we'd ask how whatever principle we were teaching that week fit into the Plan.  If you teach obedience to Church leaders, commandments, and principles in context of the PLAN, they will more easily see the blessings associated with obedience and the gospel becomes so much more than a list of "do"s and "don't"s.  :)  This is a HUGE part of becoming active in the gospel and not just the Church, which is what Elder Hallstrom's talk is all about!

HANDOUTS AND FREEBIES:

• Melonheadz Coloring pages (click the description for the link): Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy; Follow the Prophet; Baptism; Confirmation
• From the Nursery Manual, a coloring page: click HERE.  There's also another one of a Church building HERE.  There's also a bunch of small pictures related to the Church and Sunday worship HERE (it was meant to be cards in a game, but I kinda like it as a coloring page, too).
• There are some cute, simple badges to print out HERE. Just put on cardstock and turn into a sticker, or use tape or a pin backing or string or whatever else you have on hand. :)  There's another badge where kids get to draw themselves and write their own names HERE.
• There's a cute, simple paper Church building puzzle made out of different blocks labeled for important Church foundations HERE.
• There's a little printable booklet HERE to help your children learn the words to the song "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"
• There's a nice infographic about the Church you could turn into scripture bookmarks HERE.
• I've made a little 8x10 subway art (you can resize it if you wish) with the words of the song "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" that you can download for free:

(Pink download HERE)

(green download HERE)

(Blue download HERE)

(Rainbow download HERE)

CRAFTS & MORE:

• If you're teaching about the worldwide church, represent this with little "world sticks"--little globes out of playdough or blue/green paints on styrofoam with a popsicle stick shoved inside.  You could even put a little monopoly house on it.
• Make one of the handouts/freebies with your kids AS your craft and frame/display it if possible.
• Again, build church meetinghouses out of blocks, sugar cubes, etc. 
• Make a FELT memory game with stylized pictures representing different important aspects of the Church/Sabbath day worship/living the gospel.  You could use these for a quiet game not only in FHE but anytime, and they will last a LONG time compared to paper.  :)

TREATS:

• Sugar cookies in the shape of a house/church.
• Put chocolate frosting on top of graham crackers and make "missionary nametags"
• Ice cream SUNDAES--as you eat, discuss what your favorite part of Sundays are, what is/is not appropriate to do on Sundays, and why we go to church every Sunday (see coordinating object lesson above).
• Bread and water--and talk about the Sacrament, what each of these symbols mean as we partake of them each week at Church.

What other ideas can you come up with?

I know that membership in Christ's true and living Church is absolutely essential to our spiritual progression.  God's house is a house of order.  I'm grateful for the truths that come from the scriptures and prophets.  I'm grateful for the priesthood authority that makes saving ordinances possible.  And I'm thankful that the gospel can be a part of every moment of our lives--indeed, it MUST be if we are to be saved.  I'm happy to sing out, "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!"

Conference Quote Printables!

Saw this on Pinterest and HAD to pass it along. 

This awesome lady took a bunch of great quotes from April 2012 General Conference and made them into FREE 5"x7" printables.  They're super cute, simple, and did I mention free?  My favorite number!  :)

Click HERE to go to her posts and check it out!

FHE 4/9: FAMILIES ARE FOREVER

More to come, I just wanted to put this out there now so you can start looking through it all...there's a LOT this week!

This week, I'm combining the first two talks of Conference (minus President Monson's opening remarks--the ones by President Boyd K. Packer as well as Sister Cheryl A. Esplin) because they are both GREAT talks about eternal families.  I felt like they both spoke more to parents and all leaders than to children, and they are great resources for YOU when you're trying to capture the vision of WHY you're doing FHE, family prayer, family scripture study, etc.  But to make this applicable to your children, too, I'm going to focus more on the aspect touched on in both talks that families are where we learn and grow, find joy, and hope to be together in the eternities. 

As such, there are a WIDE range of activities you can do--anything related to families, temples, etc.  So I have a MUCH *broader* list than I probably will in the future.  Pick and choose in the direction that you feel YOUR family needs to go this week!

SO.  Without further ado:

POINTS TO PONDER AS YOU READ THE TALKS/PREPARE/BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

• What does it mean to "become as a little child?"  What lessons do my children teach me?
• What do we do WELL together as a family/when are we happiest?  When are the toughest parts of our day?
• Forever families don't just happen.  What can we do to strengthen our family?

SONGS:

• Families Can Be Together Forever
• I Love to See the Temple
• We Are a Happy Family
• The Family Is of God
• My Eternal Family
• Family Night

OBJECT LESSONS:

• Family Unity: the timeless "stick" example.  You know the one.  You hold up a small twig and have one of the kids break it, easily.  But then you show how much stronger it is when there are multiple sticks together--MUCH harder to break.  We gotta STICK together as a family! :)
• Family Unity/Cooperation: candy bar challenge.  Have a candy bar (or other small treat) on either side of the room.  Have children link arms behind their backs.  Tell them they have 10 seconds to get their candy bar (the one they're facing).  Most likely your children will struggle against each other the whole time and neither will get the candy--unless one is much stronger, and then they will "win."  But point out (maybe Mom and Dad should do the same challenge) that if you work together and take turns, you BOTH get your candy with time to spare and everyone is happy!  Talk about how this is true in your family life.
• Family Unity: knit together.  If someone knits or crochets, "knit" together multiple colorful strands of yarn into a small square while your family reads and discusses the scripture Mosiah 18:21 together.  Show how much stronger, prettier, and more useful all the yarns are when they are knit together than just one lonely strand.
• Family Unity: drawing near.  Put a picture of Christ down on the floor and have everyone stand away from it in a circle around it.  Then have everyone take a step or two closer to the picture.  Point out that when we draw near to Christ, we also draw near to each other.  The converse is also true--when we work together as families and draw near to each other, we draw closer to the Savior.
• Family Environment: bucket fillers. This is a popular one in education--there are even picture books about it and a website here.  Basically the idea is that we all carry an invisible bucket that contains our feelings. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When our bucket is empty, we feel sad. A bucket filler is someone who says or does nice things for other people. By doing this, they are filling other people's buckets and filling their own bucket at the same time.  If we do or say mean things, however, we are a bucket dipper.  You could have small buckets/pails (or even mailboxes from dollar store) and have kids think of ways to fill each others' buckets, putting a marble in for each idea.
• Family Environment: food coloring and bleach.  Have two glasses about a quarter full of clear "water"--one with water, one with a small bleach.  Talk about all the things we do that make our home not a happy place to be--not sharing, not being polite or grateful, grumbling, disobeying--and each time add a drop of food coloring.  Show how murky and muddy our home can be.  Then, using an eye dropper, draw clear "water" from the bleach and add drops of GOOD things we can do--cleaning up, helping each other, being kind, using our words instead of our hands when we're mad, etc.  Show how those good choices can disperse the gloom and make our home clean and bright and happy.
• Family Environment: crayons.  We did a variation of this one in primary.  We gave each of the kids a crayon--only one--and then told them to draw a beautiful rainbow.  Most of them were not happy that they couldn't trade or share crayons.  We then told them to think about what the world would be like if EVERYTHING were only that color and they could only ever use that one crayon for the rest of their whole lives.  Not too fun, huh?  Then we brought them together to draw a big rainbow with all the colors and admired how much prettier it was.  We likened this to the differences we all have in our talents and interests and strengths and talked about how this made the world a more colorful, interesting, and beautiful place!  This is especially true in families.

GAMES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

• Forever Family: Take a picture of your family (print one off, include extended family if possible) and cut it into a few puzzle pieces.  Hide the pieces around the room/house and have kids find them and put them together.  Discuss how it would feel if any piece of that puzzle of a family were missing.
• Forever Family: Have children, and then parents, take turns leaving the room.  The rest of the family looks around and sees what it would be like if that child or parent weren't in their family.  List a few things you would definitely miss about each one.  Come together and talk about how EVERY family member is important and you want to be together FOREVER.  Show them a picture of the temple and talk about how temples make it possible.
• Forever Family: After discussing what temples look like and what they have in common, have children build little temples with sugar cubes, blocks, LEGOs, or whatever else is on hand. 
• Forever Family: Cut out pictures of each member of your family (or just draw stick figures) and lay each picture down on a picture of the temple.  Then put a blanket over it, and take one family member away.  Have the kids identify who is missing.  Tell them you don't want ANYONE missing in your forever family, and only by following Jesus' teachings AND being sealed in the temple is it possible!
• What do the prophets say about families?  HERE is a cute matching game, best suited for children between 4 and 10, to help you find out!
• Importance of Families in the Plan: show a picture of baby birds in a nest (there are some good ones on THIS PAGE) and ask them questions about who feeds the babies, why they need parents, etc.  Then show a picture of the Nativity and talk about why even Jesus Christ needed parents and a family on this earth.  Finally, show a picture of YOUR family and discuss what we each do for each other.
• Importance of Parents: play Simon Says for a few rounds, with the parents taking turns as the leaders.  Talk about why it's important to listen to your parents ALWAYS and how you are trying to help them grow up healthy, strong, powerful, and loved, which is why you teach them what to do.
• Importance of Family Time: The Family Proclamation says that wholesome family recreation is an important part of an eternal family!  Have each child name one fun thing the whole family could do together this month and calendar it, right then and there!  Showing that you're listening to what THEY want to do will help them feel of your love.
• Family Proclamation Go Fish: This adorable idea found HERE from Being LDS has your children drawing important family-related principles and objects on cards you make and label.  Then you could play Go Fish with them!  Click the link for more details!

CRAFTS:

• Make a crafty family tree--use each person's handprint as a colorful leaf, or thumbprint if you want to go smaller. I have a whole BOARD of family tree craft ideas on Pinterest, HERE.
• Get a copy of the Proclamation on the Family and read pieces of it together.  Highlight favorite parts or important words.  Then, take pictures of your own family and put them around it--you can frame it, or just tape the pictures to the back of it and hang it up on the fridge!
• With teenage girls, there's a cute idea for a lesson and banner craft HERE.
• Make family puppets!  You can make this easy and just tape/glue a picture of each family member to a popsicle stick, or you can have kids make rectangular finger puppets out of self-portraits, etc.  Use these in your FHE lessons now or in the future, or use them to spice up some family routines (like drawing who says a prayer or who gets to pick dessert first, etc.)  You could also do this in felt for a flannel board--make "paper dolls" out of felt for each family member.
• Temple crafts!  There are SO MANY temple crafts out there, I'm going to let you have at it.  Any of them could reinforce the idea that you want a forever family!
• Also from Being LDS, a whole list of 30 activities/crafts based on lines from the Family Proclamation can be found HERE!  Any or all of them would definitely fit the theme.  I think you could EASILY spend a whole year studying the Family Proclamation in FHE.  Maybe I'll think on that later.  :)

HANDOUTS, FREEBIES, AND MORE:

• Melonheadz LDS Illustrating has some cute, simple coloring pages available for free HERE, HERE, and HERE.
• There's a great Proclamation on the Family subway art for $10, if that's your thing, HERE.
• If your FHE focused more on the temple aspect of a forever family, consider making/handing out something like these mirrors HERE--they say "See Yourself in the Temple."  You could easily write/draw on little mirrors with permanent markers if you don't have etching paste or vinyl on hand!
• I've got some temple handouts for you.  They're meant to be printed as 4"x6" and then cut down to 3"x4".  Let me know if you have a specific temple in mind and want one.  :)

DC temple download

Provo temple download

SLC temple download

Rexburg temple download

QUOTES:
From President Packer:

• (Speaking of holding a hungry child): "You were holding a nation on your lap."
• "The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood. Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling—from which they will never be released—is to one another and then to their children."
• "There are many things about living the gospel of Jesus Christ that cannot be measured by that which is counted or charted in records of attendance."
• "Fathers and mothers, next time you cradle a newborn child in your arms, you can have an inner vision of the mysteries and purpose of life. You will better understand why the Church is as it is and why the family is the basic organization in time and in eternity. I bear witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that the plan of redemption, which has been called the plan of happiness, is a plan for families."

From Sister Esplin:

• "Sometimes the most powerful way to teach our children to understand a doctrine is to teach in the context of what they are experiencing right at that moment. These moments are spontaneous and unplanned and happen in the normal flow of family life. They come and go quickly, so we need to be alert and recognize a teaching moment when our children come to us with a question or worry, when they have problems getting along with siblings or friends, when they need to control their anger, when they make a mistake, or when they need to make a decision."
• "Learning to fully understand the doctrines of the gospel is a process of a lifetime and comes “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30). As children learn and act upon what they learn, their understanding is expanded, which leads to more learning, more action, and an even greater and more enduring understanding.
  We can know our children are beginning to understand the doctrine when we see it revealed in their attitudes and actions without external threats or rewards. As our children learn to understand gospel doctrines, they become more self-reliant and more responsible. They become part of the solution to our family challenges and make a positive contribution to the environment of our home and the success of our family."

SNACKS:

• Gingerbread men and women--paired and clothed in white, of course!  You could even make a Gingerbread house/temple if you are REALLY inspired.
• If you don't have time for that, just use gingerbread men cookie cutters to cut people shapes out of slices of fruit--melons and apples are especially sturdy--and serve.
• Does your family have a recipe or treat that is special to you?  Is there a secret family recipe?  Enjoy those as a treat and discuss how even traditions and treats preserve family history and bring us closer together!

WHEW!  I hope you find a few things on this list to try out for your FHE.  I know family is SO SO SO important to the Plan of Happiness.  As President Packer said, the Plan is all ABOUT the family!  I'm grateful that we get to be together on this earth with special people who just bring JOY to our lives.  We are so richly blessed to know that we get to be with these people FOREVER if we work for it.  Some days it really IS work, but it is always worth it when we keep our end in sight.  :)

Quick lil' 8x10 FHE planner

I used an LDS Blog Train kit called FHE to whip up a family FHE planner.  It's an 8"x10" print, and if you laminate it you can use dry erase markers to write it who's doing what, and put it on the fridge (or wherever your family puts these things).

(Download Link HERE)

Here's another one--this is the one Paul and I use.  It's a square, so you'll have to print it off somewhere that does that.  :)  I laminated it and cut out circles of coordinating colors to put our names on.  Then I put velcro on the backs of those circles and on the chart so we can easily move them around but they're still pretty sturdy.  :)  Enjoy!

(Download Link HERE)

Thanks especially to the contributers of the blog train for the kits!  As always, these are for personal, incidental church or home use.  :)

Primary Song Subway Art

I love the simple truths our primary songs teach our children...even the very youngest among them know they are a child of God, that they love to see the temple, and that Jesus wants them for a SUNBEAM!  :)  Here's my {first attempt at} subway art to celebrate these truths!  In primary colors, of course!  (With a little green, too.)

(8"x10" download)

(5"x7" download)

CTR Bookmarks

Here are a few CTR bookmarks I whipped up (thanks to the LDS Blog Train contributors for providing the kits!).  They are intended to be printed off at 4"x6" prints and then cut down the middle.  Laminate, and you're good to go!  :)  As always, these are for personal/church use only. 

(Download HERE)

 (Download HERE)

 (Download HERE)

 (Download HERE)

(Download HERE)

Let's Give 'Em Heaven!

Welcome, welcome!  I'm excited and a little overwhelmed at this new project, but it's something I've felt strongly that I need to do, FOR ME if not for all of you.  :)  I've always loved crafting and creating, lesson planning, music, and more...and I have always loved the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in His restored church.  So I'm SUPER excited to join these two loves and spend more time creating with a PURPOSE.

This blog is a bunch of ideas, free printables, links to other resources, and more.  The MAIN purpose is to find ways to more fully enjoy the words of the living prophets from recent General Conference addresses, incorporating them into FHE lessons/activities for all ages (see the quote at the top of the page!).  But I'm sure you will find lots of random tidbits and fun things here, too--coloring pages I'll draw, a spiritual thought, etc.  So, welcome to my newest endeavor!  Hope you find something useful in the middle of it all.  :)