FHE: Potter's Clay

I haven't been writing our FHE lessons down probably because I haven't been thinking as much about it.  My kids have started taking turns planning the lessons!  It's fabulous! But I should write down some of their more successful ones.

Tonight, my 4-year-old helped me plan this easy lesson.  We are reading

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Discuss what it means-
I expect we'll discuss creation, keeping the commandments, aligning our will to His, etc.
Update: it occurred to me during the lesson that the clay could also be used as a metaphor for trials- We are molded by our experiences, our trials are when clay is put in the fire, and the fire makes the clay steady and strong, like our trials do to us.

Then we are playing "sculptionary" (pictionary with playdough).

[note: variations of this game for different ages: everyone makes the item you pull out, one person makes it and everyone guesses (so no teams), or the traditional way with 2 teams]

These are the words we put in a bag:

Jesus

Sun

Moon

Stars

Earth

Lion

Angel Moroni

Boat

Ten Commandments 

Tree of Life

Iron Rod

Crown of Thorns

Cross

Jesus’s tomb

Bow and Arrow

Liahona

Tent

gold plates

scriptures

FHE: Time Management

I helped my 7 year old lead this lesson today.

We previously got 2 identical clear vases (jars would work fine) and filled it with large marshmallows and then poured white sugar over them to fill the jar.  Then you separate the sugar from the marshmallows.  Start the lesson with sugar in the jar/vase, and the marshmallows in the other.  Say that the container is like our time in one day, the marshmallows are all the most important things (have everyone list those- get dressed, chores, school, scripture reading, personal prayer, eating, spending time with family, etc.)

The sugar is all the other things we fill our life with- wasting time, distractions, watching tv and video games, and other fruitless fun.

Try to put the marshmallows on top of the sugar- they won't fit.

"When we fill our lives with fun, we can't fit in the most important things."

Now, move the marshmallows to the empty container

"But when we do the most important things first..."

pour the sugar on top (it should all fit)

"we will have time to do everything we want to do!"

We recommitted to doing our chores first and see if we still have time to do fun things.

Then we played "eat the marshmallow off a string".  We tied the marshmallows with a string and Daddy raised and lowered them while we took turns trying to eat it only using our mouth.  Activity and treat at once!  It was really fun.

update: All week it was great to be able to say "is this a marshmallow? or sugar?" really worked!
update: I realized that probably we should have an additional  because somethings are good to do, but not essential (sugar) and some things are just a complete waste of time- for example, when you are just doing anything so you don't have to do the tasks you must do, which you dread.  You're not really doing what you should be doing OR what you really want to be doing.  This could maybe be shown with mini marshmallows and large ones and sugar.

FHE: Problem Solving SODAS

I haven't posted in awhile, despite still doing family home evening regularly.  We had a particularly successful one recently and I thought I'd share.  I got the topic idea from reading this book*.  Nicholeen Peck talked about a problem solving technique she uses with her kids and I wanted to share it with mine.  It's an acrostic using the word SODAS.

Situation - what is the problem?
Options - brainstorm all the options.  don't discount any of them.
Disadvantages - list the disadvantages for each option
Advantages - list the advantages for each option
Solution - choose the solution that you think it best, now that you've compared advantages and disadvantages

I taught them what each step means and then we went through an example.  I had cupcakes for dessert that night so our example problem was:

Situation: Mom has a lot of cupcakes and I'd like to have one.

I had everyone volunteer information for the rest of the steps.  We came up with something like:

Options:  1) I could whine at her to get one
              2) I could ask politely to get one
              3) I could grab them all and run
              4) I could hope she'll give me one but not ask for one
Disadvantages:
              1a) mom probably won't like whining and I might get a negative consequence
              1b) I might not get a cupcake
              1c) Whining makes me and others grumpy
              2a) I might not get a cupcake
              3a) I might get in trouble for being greedy
              3b) I might trip and fall and ruin all the cupcakes
              3c) I might feel sick after eating too many cupcakes
              4a) Mom might not know I want a cupcake and I won't get one
Advantages:
              1a) Mom knows I want a cupcake, so she might give me one
              2a) Mom knows I want a cupcake, so she might give me one
              2b) Since I was so polite, I might get rewarded with 2 cupcakes
              3a) I will most likely get a cupcake
              3b) I will be in charge of the cupcakes and I could decide to share or eat as many as I want
              3c) I could probably use the cupcakes as leverage to get my siblings to do things for me
              4a) I won't be bothering anyone
Solution: I went around the table and asked everyone to show me the solution they chose with their actions.  Everyone had fun asking politely and getting a cupcake! (except daddy, who tried to take them all and run- the joker)

I have since used this technique with my kids when they have trouble following directions or making good choices.  The other night I did a verbal SODAS with my 6-year-old daughter about keeping the play room clean.  She is my hardest to get to follow directions but she really likes doing these with me - coming up with all the options and thinking about the advantages and disadvantages (and my 4-year old daughter likes chiming in too).  It was really great!

*That book had a lot of great information to offer, but I had big issues with the way it was written and organized.  I wish she would have let me proof read it for her first!