General Conference is almost here! I am so thankful that twice a year we get to sit at the feet (so to speak) of living prophets and apostles. Last week I was able to lead a discussion for a Relief Society activity where the theme was “Celebrate General Conference”. I truly believe that General Conference is special and something worth celebrating.Read on for the ways that we are celebrating General Conference in our family this year.
“Oh, how we need general conference! Through conferences our faith is fortified and our testimonies deepened” (Elder Robert D. Hales, source).
Last Sunday evening we watched the following video as a family to help put us in the mood for General Conference. We have also been doing our nightly countdown–we have missed some nights, but we just do two the next night to catch up.
This year I created my own note-taking booklets for my children. I want my children to at least focus on one key word from each apostle’s talk, and I liked this Sugardoodle packet from a few years ago. I just used the speaker note pages, cut them into thirds, and then assembled it with some colored paper and a few extra sheets of paper, as inspired by this booklet.
We always enjoy the Color the General Authority tie page from this packet by Sugardoodle.
These Conference Watches are fun.
This week I put together a binder full of activities. Most of the sheets are inserted in sheet protectors so that the children can pull out the page they want, complete it with a dry erase marker, then erase it and return it to the binder to be used by another person. The binder includes the following:
- Inspiring quotes about General Conference
- Who is that apostle from this packet by Sugardoodle.
- No Ordinary Blessing by President Uchtdorf (poster in this packet by Sugardoodle).
- Various activity sheets from this packet by Heap a Hoopla.
- Do-a-dot First Presidency Pages: ours are laminated and we use them with magnetic pom moms.
- Folder faces pages
- Learn about the First Presidency search and find pages from this packet
- LDS coloring pages
During the sessions we will create a General Conference wall:
- Put stickers on the chart of general authorities when they see them speak. (The photo chart is in the centerfold of the conference edition of the Ensign.)
- Hang up pictures of the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles. After they speak, we will write keywords or quotes or draw pictures on post-it notes and place it on their photo (we have the 8×10 photos available here).
- We will be using these headband cards to help us keep track of the topics. The cards will be posted on the wall, and when a speaker talks about a topic we will write their name on a post-it note and place it near the topic.
- Display a large world map. When countries are mentioned in conference (for new temples, stories, etc) have the child put stickers on that place on the map.
Here is our menu and activity plan for the weekend. Since we live in Florida, our viewing times start at noon and 4 p.m., which puts it exactly at mealtimes. We do our best to work around that.
Saturday
Breakfast: crepes with strawberries, bananas, nutella, powdered sugar and cream.
Lunch: We are trying something new! Pesto Tomato Mozzarella Sammies
Dinner: BBQ chicken (cooked in the crockpot) sandwiches
Sunday
Breakfast:biscuits and sausage (made by my husband, as is our Sunday tradition
Lunch: Finger foods–cheese cubes, deli slices, veggie tray and dip, tortilla chips, crackers, apple slices…and cinnamon rolls!
Dinner: Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Dad’s mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and mixed veggies.
A few other tricks and ideas to keep our sanity and keep children happy:
- Conference session spa: relax and serve each other with hand massages, hair brushing, and manicures.
- New dry-erase markers and pens in assorted colors to make note-taking fun.
- Make use of LEGO: construct a temple, or something else. Build a new set together.
- Get outside in between sessions: go for a nature walk or a family bike ride. Draw with sidewalk chalk, blow bubbles, etc.
- Remember not to be a shusher: help the children to have a positive experience. If I miss something, I can always read the talks again.
I have posted this before, but each of these messages are especially timely to review before General Conference.
Elder Neil L. Anderson, “Teaching Our Children to Love the Prophets”. April 1996 Ensign.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “General Conference-No Ordinay Blessing”. September 2011 Ensign.
Lastly, a few ideas for Visiting Teaching friends: motivators with Gatorade or water bottles.
You can read what we did last spring here.