A Singing 4 Corners Game

Last Sunday most of the kids were less than enthusiastic about singing time. It was partially my fault--my plans were not as good as they could have been--I tried to teach them too much new.
So this week I came prepared with the help of Sunbeam Singing Time's Post I had a new idea.

Materials: Numbers 1-4 written on construction paper, a blindfold

Set-up: Tape or push pin one number in each corner of the room.

Directions:

Tell the kids that you have something fun to play, but they have to be really reverent or you can't play (I'm not great at being stern, but I made them listen today).

First we discussed what pretty singing is--I said it was loud enough to hear, but not shouting. Sing prettily. Also, make sure we can understand the words--I gave an example of mumbling while singing the kids thought was funny.

Next I explained I would pick a name from my Pick'em Sticks of a child to be a judge of pretty singing. While I put a blindfold on the child, everyone else would walk really reverently with their arms folded into a corner. I helped the judge child into the center of the room.

After that we sang our song and the judge picked the prettiest corner. "Don't just pick the corner you think your friend is in. Pick the prettiest one!"
Those not in the prettiest corner sit down, while those who were in the prettiest corner got to walk around for another round. I picked a new judge, and the kids in the winning corner got to stay in.

New Rule this round: The judge may pick the sitting group if they are prettier than the corners!

We sang each song for 2-3 rounds. At a new song, we reset and everyone was back in again.

Pros: 

This worked really well in my small primary of about 20 kids. Even a girl who hadn't come to church in over a year who came today was singing the song we learned today!

Cons:

It did take awhile to explain this game and ate up some of our time. 

Tips:

I told the Sunbeams to stick with their teachers.

Funnies

Today in singing time I had to laugh at a few points.

I introduced I Will Follow God's Plan by telling the story of the war in heaven. On a spiritual note, it's amazing to tell true stories to kids who may not have ever listened to them before! We even have some kids whose family is investigating the church. I was struck by how important it is to explain scripture truths simply and clearly.

When I got to the point where God presented a plan and Satan presented one, and what they suggested, I asked the kids whose plan they chose. Many kids said they chose God's plan. Then a new child, just old enough for primary, told me, "I chose cars!"

We also sang Follow The Prophet. After singing about Adam "we are his descendants in the latter days" I asked what descendants means.
One boy guessed it meant servants. I got a mental image of all the people in the world serving Adam.

Mother, Tell Me the Story p. 204

How I taught it in just a few minutes with no props:
I told the kids to use their imaginations that it was night time and they were almost ready to sleep. Their mom or dad might put them to bed, but imagine this time that it's your mom.
Now sing for them the song, with hand motions.
I taught the kids' part with hand motions:

Mother tell me the story that I love to hear pretend to hold a book
Tell me of heaven and why I came here --symbolize heaven with jazz hands making a rainbow overhead
Mother, tell how you love me--cross arms in front of chest, explain it's sign language for love
and gently speak--hold 2 fingers in front of your mouth
And then I'll go to sleep--mime going to sleep

We have been learning "He Sent His Son" p. 34 and, because my ward music coordinator loves to know things in advance, I asked if the kids could sing this song for Easter. How on the ball am I?
She immediately asked what my plans were for Mother's Day and Father's Day.
My first thought? Ha!

But after my first shock, I actually started to plan.

This year's theme for Primary is "Families Are Forever."

Keeping this in mind, I noticed the song, "Mother, Tell Me the Story" p. 204. For those unfamiliar, it's 2 part. The child's part and the mother's part.

Here's the plan:
     Mother's Day-- Have the kids sing just their part. The verse is pretty on its own and the moms will love it!

     The Primary Program-- Ask the moms to learn the parent verse to sing with their kids. How exciting will it be to have the moms sing with their kids for the "Families Are Forever" program?!

Yes, I will try hard to get all the moms to sing with their kids, no matter if they are strong singers or not.

Introducing the song:
Explain to the kids that in the next song we will be pretending. Invite them to imagine that it's night and they are going to bed, but they want their mom to put them to bed. Some nights their dads put them to bed, but tonight, imagine it's their mom.*

Before singing the song for Mother's Day, you should also very quickly explain to the congregation that this is a song where the children are imagining their mother's putting them to bed. (The last line is "Tell how you love me and gently speak, and then I'll go to sleep.")

*Give care to children who don't have their mother's at home

Sunbeam "I Am Like a Star"

Regular primary time is fun, and usually works out really well. Singing in with the Sunbeams has been more difficult. The kids have been having a hard time keeping on task, so I have tried to bring in some props. It worked! The kids wanted to hold the props and were excited about singing time again.

The only problem was that they break every prop I bring in to class. I made sun smiles similar to the one pictured below. Mine were made out of poster board. All was good and happy until one boy's ripped. I told him it was okay and I'd have to tape it. The next thing I knew, three other kids' suns were ripped too. Apparently it was a challenge. 

Picture from Sugardoodle.net

A few weeks ago I brought in jingle bells to sing the song "Christmas Bells." I had bought them at the dollar store and tied the gold hanging string that came with them (they were Christmas ornaments). I was also planning to use them for Primary singing time, so I planned ahead. I put clear fingernail polish over the knots so they wouldn't come untied. All was good for a time, then like the suns, 1 broke. The moment this happened, other kids' bell strings magically broke as well. I should have just taken them all away right then.

I spent Sharing Time in the hall, re-tying the bells. The knots hadn't come out. The strings themselves had broken, probably from the nursery kids shaking too hard. But all was ready for primary singing time.

I asked in Primary for the kids to be kind to them while we sang. We passed the bells around so everyone got at least 1 turn to shake a bell. When I was collecting them, I congratulated the kids that they didn't break any of them! 

Then a teacher sheepishly approached me. He explained that he had broken one! Ha.

(In his defense, I think one of my new knots that weren't nail polished had just come untied)

The kids pick a star to wear around their necks while we sing

"I Am Like a Star"

Anyway, that's the story about why I decided to make some fabric stars for the kids to wear around their necks when they sing "I Am Like a Star." I made it 100% from materials I already had. They aren't perfect, but if I ask the kids to be nice to them, I think they will hold up well.
I cut out 2 layers of denim from old jeans in a big star shape, then used my machine to zigzag around the outside to finish them and sew them together. I did similar with the smaller orange star, just 1 layer and then attached them.
We just had half our nursery class graduate to Sunbeams, so we only have about 4 kids each week. Since I made 10 stars, that leaves plenty for when the nursery grows, and also means kids will have their choice if they want orange stripes or if they want the beaded ones.

I do worry about the yarn tangling up. I haven't thought of a fix for that yet.

Any ideas on storing them so they aren't a big, tangled mess?

Singing is Contagious!

Today to help the kids practice the songs we're singing for Christmas really well, I let them give me the Singing Measles!

Image from here
I didn't redecorate myself at home to get a picture of it.

Materials: Round label stickers

Instructions: Tell the kids that good singing is contagious! Ask what the chicken pox looks like (lots of spots) and say we're going to play a game: If they are singing really well, they will become contagious. Their teachers will give the good singers each a sticker that they can use to decorate/infect me. After each song, tell the teachers to give stickers only to kids who were really singing. Then give them a chance to cover you with stickers :)

Pros: I got some very nice, loud singing out of them, the best I've heard in a month :)

Cons: It wasn't until I was sitting on a chair, letting myself be decorated by swarms of kids that I began to think about other contagions this time of year, ones that could really make me ill. When I got home, I immediately showered and dropped all my clothes in the wash.
No, this con won't stop me from doing it again, but maybe next time I'll bring hand sanitizer for everyone to use prior to starting :)

How well do you know your FAVORITE song?!

How well do you know your FAVORITE song?!

That's a challenge for the kids. After we did this activity I said to myself, "This is their favorite game to play." Then I realized that was wrong. What I should have said was, "This is my favorite game to play with them."

For some reason, whenever I pull out fancy props from the closet, the kids don't seem to like it quite as well as the really simple games we play.

Materials: masking tape, paper strips, Sharpie

Instructions: Tell the kids you want to challenge a person who things that they know their favorite song really well. Tell them that we will sing their favorite song for them, but leave out a word, and when we're done, they'll have to tell us what the word is.
Get a volunteer who is up to the challenge and find out what the favorite song is. Write a common word on a wordstrip, big enough to read, and tape it to their forehead. Then get them to show the pianist so he can not play the note for that word, too.
Then sing it, and then ask the kid what word it was.
Most of the kids are so proud, they keep their wordstrips on their forehead for the rest of singing time.

Samuel the Lamanite

Today I decided, very shortly before primary started, that I wanted to teach the Samuel the Lamanite verse of Book of Mormon Stories (p. 118) in conjunction with Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus (p. 36). We've already been learning Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus.

Arrows could not hit him for a man of God was he.
Get the whole cut out from LDS.org here

I thought this was great to remind the kids of more of the story of Samuel. The Christmas song tells about how he prophesied of baby Jesus's birth in 5 years and that a night will be as day. We discussed that this meant that the sun would go down, but it would still be light out. Note: we did this a week ago when we first learned the song.
The verse of Book of Mormon Stories tells another part of the story: Samuel taught from the city wall and people shot arrows at him and couldn't hit him. Also, he was a Lamanite teaching repentance to the wicked Nephites.

I taught it with hand motions, call and repeat:

Samuel the Lamanite, high on the city wall (form a wall with your hands)
Came to warn the people, and repentance was his call, (pretend you're Samuel, waving a hand from left to right, like you're looking at a crowd below you)
Arrows could not hit him for a man of God was he. (pretend to shoot arrows)
And he taught in the land righteously. (right hand out, left hand out [positioned similar to the "I don't know" pose], right hand in, left hand in, head down [end with your arms folded].
I never knew describing those actions would be confusing. These are the same actions I use for the end of the first 2 verses as well)

The kids really enjoyed this song, and I felt it helped the younger ones learn more about the story of Samuel the Lamanite.Still, I don't think we'll perform this song before "Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus" during Sacrament :)