I just read them the story of the tower of babel from the Old Testament Stories book while we ate dinner. Then after dinner, we built our own towers out of toothpicks and marshmallows. We divided into 2 groups and set a timer to see who could build the tallest one. We ended up with a tie :) The kids ate some marshmallows while they built for a treat, but some of us put them in a bowl and microwaved them and added chocolate sauce on top.
I asked my 5 year old to retell me the story while we had dessert to see if she remembered, she did!
Very fun!
Monday, October 19, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
FHE: Reverence
We did this one awhile ago, but I felt like it was pretty effective and the kids really liked it, so I want to remember it.
We had a talent show where everyone got to show-off a trick for everyone else. (they LOVED that. They were all silly tricks.)
After, we talked about how they would feel if when they were performing, people were talking or not watching. Or, how they feel when they are trying to watch, and other people are talking and they can't hear. Then we related that to their behavior during Sacrament meeting or Primary- trying to help them see why it's important to be reverent, even if they don't want to listen, other people may and it's rude to distract from the person who has prepared something to share with everyone.
We had a talent show where everyone got to show-off a trick for everyone else. (they LOVED that. They were all silly tricks.)
After, we talked about how they would feel if when they were performing, people were talking or not watching. Or, how they feel when they are trying to watch, and other people are talking and they can't hear. Then we related that to their behavior during Sacrament meeting or Primary- trying to help them see why it's important to be reverent, even if they don't want to listen, other people may and it's rude to distract from the person who has prepared something to share with everyone.
FHE: Attitude of Gratitude
First we sang "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" and then I asked everyone if they could guess what we were going to talk about, based on those lyrics. Eventually someone guessed being grateful :)
We then had a grateful race and we broke into 3 teams of 2 people and tried to think of as many things as we could that we are grateful for in 2 minutes. Then we counted them up and the team with the least number went first. If you had the same thing on your list, you crossed them off, etc. until everyone had read every unique thing they were grateful for.
We then talked about how a great way to feel better when upset, frustrated or angry is to stop and think about our blessings. We came up with a code word so that during this week, if anyone was upset or angry, we could use our code word to kindly remind them to say something they are grateful for in that moment, to help cheer them up! We decided the code word would be "but at least..." Then we all took turns practicing pretending to cry and then someone would remind them with the code word, and they'd stop crying and say, "but at least I... get to have a cupcake tonight!"
Hopefully it works!
We then had a grateful race and we broke into 3 teams of 2 people and tried to think of as many things as we could that we are grateful for in 2 minutes. Then we counted them up and the team with the least number went first. If you had the same thing on your list, you crossed them off, etc. until everyone had read every unique thing they were grateful for.
We then talked about how a great way to feel better when upset, frustrated or angry is to stop and think about our blessings. We came up with a code word so that during this week, if anyone was upset or angry, we could use our code word to kindly remind them to say something they are grateful for in that moment, to help cheer them up! We decided the code word would be "but at least..." Then we all took turns practicing pretending to cry and then someone would remind them with the code word, and they'd stop crying and say, "but at least I... get to have a cupcake tonight!"
Hopefully it works!
Monday, February 16, 2015
FHE: Actions Speak Louder than Words
I just told them that phrase and we dissected it.
"What is an action?"
"Do actions say anything about us and our desires?"
And we went over some examples of when actions and desires don't line up.
My kids are notorious for not staying in their seats during dinner. It is soo frustrating!! I can't tell you how many times I throw their food away and then they come back in crying and wondering where their food is...
"What if you leave the kitchen table during dinner... Do those actions say you are still wanting to eat? What should you do to show you want to continue eating your food?"
"What does grabbing a toy away from someone else say about you and the way you like to play?" (I don't care about others' feelings and I don't mind if people grab things away from me that I am using.)
"How do you show appreciation with actions?" (You can clear your own plate at dinner-time to say thank you for making my food. You can follow directions the first time when asked. You can clean up your toys and take care of things you want to keep and use for a long time. You can go to bed quickly to show appreciation for bed-time stories. You can share with people who share with you...)
"What if you say you want to come with me on an errand, but you don't use the toilet, get on your shoes and coat, and buckle yourself into the car right away... Do your actions say you want to come? What kind of actions would say you want to come?"
Etc.
We all committed to trying to make our actions match what we intended to say that week.
Then we played 2 board games, which the kids loved!
"What is an action?"
"Do actions say anything about us and our desires?"
And we went over some examples of when actions and desires don't line up.
My kids are notorious for not staying in their seats during dinner. It is soo frustrating!! I can't tell you how many times I throw their food away and then they come back in crying and wondering where their food is...
"What if you leave the kitchen table during dinner... Do those actions say you are still wanting to eat? What should you do to show you want to continue eating your food?"
"What does grabbing a toy away from someone else say about you and the way you like to play?" (I don't care about others' feelings and I don't mind if people grab things away from me that I am using.)
"How do you show appreciation with actions?" (You can clear your own plate at dinner-time to say thank you for making my food. You can follow directions the first time when asked. You can clean up your toys and take care of things you want to keep and use for a long time. You can go to bed quickly to show appreciation for bed-time stories. You can share with people who share with you...)
"What if you say you want to come with me on an errand, but you don't use the toilet, get on your shoes and coat, and buckle yourself into the car right away... Do your actions say you want to come? What kind of actions would say you want to come?"
Etc.
We all committed to trying to make our actions match what we intended to say that week.
Then we played 2 board games, which the kids loved!
Monday, November 17, 2014
FHE: Fire Safety
I basically just did this lesson again. Thought it was a good idea since we have moved since then and my daughter would not have remembered last time. Practice was key to making it fun :) and it was :)
Monday, November 10, 2014
FHE: Trust
We have had issues with our kids telling the truth lately, and we wanted to demonstrate why it's important to always tell the truth so that you will gain a reputation of trustworthiness.
This was a simple exercise but also very effective.
Daddy put a piece of candy in one of his hands behind his back and showed me which hand had candy. Then he put his hands out front and said that the kids had to guess, and that I knew where it was. After the kids had decided on a hand, I incorrectly told them which hand had candy in it. They trusted me and then didn't get the candy. We did it again. Again, I told them the wrong hand, and again they trusted me and didn't get the candy. The third time, I told the kids the correct hand that really had candy in it, but the kids didn't believe me and chose the wrong hand again.
My son got very upset and said, "MOM! I'm never trusting you again!!" and this was a great way for me to talk about some times during the week when the kids didn't tell the truth and how I feel like I can no longer trust them. We talked a bit more about how we have to be honest for the world to function properly - there needs to be trust for everyday business transactions etc.
In the end, we all promised to tell the truth all the time.
This was a simple exercise but also very effective.
Daddy put a piece of candy in one of his hands behind his back and showed me which hand had candy. Then he put his hands out front and said that the kids had to guess, and that I knew where it was. After the kids had decided on a hand, I incorrectly told them which hand had candy in it. They trusted me and then didn't get the candy. We did it again. Again, I told them the wrong hand, and again they trusted me and didn't get the candy. The third time, I told the kids the correct hand that really had candy in it, but the kids didn't believe me and chose the wrong hand again.
My son got very upset and said, "MOM! I'm never trusting you again!!" and this was a great way for me to talk about some times during the week when the kids didn't tell the truth and how I feel like I can no longer trust them. We talked a bit more about how we have to be honest for the world to function properly - there needs to be trust for everyday business transactions etc.
In the end, we all promised to tell the truth all the time.
Monday, October 6, 2014
FHE: Why Keep the Commandments
Tonight I used President Uchdorf's talk from the General Womens Meeting as inspiration. He gave the analogy that the Lord is constantly showering down blessings and we block them with an umbrella of sin.
Tonight over dinner, I asked the kids about why Heavenly Father gives commandments. (because he loves us and wants us to be happy) Then I pointed out that some commandments have natural consequences that are blessings like keeping the Word of Wisdom keeps us healthier, or being kind to others helps them be kind to us. Then I asked them about other commandments that may not have obvious, immediate blessings tied to them. (Like tithing, fasting...)
I had 5 balloons blown up and I told the kids they are blessings we get from Heavenly Father. I asked them to list 5 blessings and then wrote them down on the balloons. (I think we did "Family Forever", "Inspiration from the Holy Ghost", "Knowledge and Truth", "Health", and "Financial and Temporal Security") We gave each child an umbrella and then, Jay and I pretended to be Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother and said things like, "let's give our children inspiration from the Holly Ghost!" and in order to put their umbrella down to "get" the blessing, they had to say what commandment they would follow to get that blessing.
We sang "Keep the Commandments" at the beginning and "Count Your Blessings" at the end.
I think it went over really well!
Tonight over dinner, I asked the kids about why Heavenly Father gives commandments. (because he loves us and wants us to be happy) Then I pointed out that some commandments have natural consequences that are blessings like keeping the Word of Wisdom keeps us healthier, or being kind to others helps them be kind to us. Then I asked them about other commandments that may not have obvious, immediate blessings tied to them. (Like tithing, fasting...)
I had 5 balloons blown up and I told the kids they are blessings we get from Heavenly Father. I asked them to list 5 blessings and then wrote them down on the balloons. (I think we did "Family Forever", "Inspiration from the Holy Ghost", "Knowledge and Truth", "Health", and "Financial and Temporal Security") We gave each child an umbrella and then, Jay and I pretended to be Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother and said things like, "let's give our children inspiration from the Holly Ghost!" and in order to put their umbrella down to "get" the blessing, they had to say what commandment they would follow to get that blessing.
We sang "Keep the Commandments" at the beginning and "Count Your Blessings" at the end.
I think it went over really well!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)