Nurture Mama – Page 27

The first calling for husbands and wives

April 16, 2012April 15, 2012 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

“The creation of life is a great responsibility for a married couple. It is the challenge of mortality to be a worthy and responsible parent. Neither man nor woman can bear children alone. It was meant that children have two parents—both a father and a mother. No other pattern or process can replace this one.”

“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.

“One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents. We come to recognize the truth in Isaiah’s prophecy that “a little child shall lead them.”

“Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected. We urge our members to show devotion to their families.”

Boyd K. Packer, “And a Little Child Shall Lead Them”. April 2012 General Conference.

Plastic Egg Creative Creatures

April 10, 2012April 10, 2012 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

“Can we do an Easter craft?” asked the Ant Bug.

“Uhhh…sure. Let’s see…” And I hopped onto makeandtakes.com, hoping for some quick inspiration.

I was thrilled when I found Marie’s Plastic Easter Egg Bunny Craft post. We had plenty of plastic eggs lying around (literally, they were all over the living room floor after the weekend egg hunts!), and so here are the creatures my children came up with. The activity took zero preparation, and kept my children entertained for about 25 minutes. That’s my kind of activity!I love how the first egg they decorated resembled a more typical Easter bunny, but each creature got more creative with multiple googly eyes and colorful pom pom noses and wacky antlers/antennae.

What are you doing with your leftover plastic eggs?

Here are a few books on our Easter reading list (so I can remember them next year!)

Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Janet Morgan Stoeke

We discovered this chicken at Christmas time (think Amelia Bedelia, but a chicken) and we have been delighted with her adventures.

Happy Easter, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff

We will always be fans of the “If you give a …” series, and this cute little board book was perfect for my toddler.

Preschool Lesson Plan: R is for Rainbows

March 21, 2012March 21, 2012 Nurture Mama 2 Comments

I had a lot of fun hosting the Sweet Bee’s preschool class today. March is the perfect time to talk about rainbows, and we spent a few hours this morning full of color!

Play Time/Free Time Downstairs

Circle Time
Welcome Song—Here We Are Together
Pledge of Allegiance
Calendar—Talk about the day, the month, and the date.
Weather –look out the window and discuss the weather

All About Rainbows

Group activity: Build a rainbow out of feltI made this simple rainbow out of colored felt, to introduce our rainbow theme. Each child picked a color, and then we stacked the pieces on top of each other to form a rainbow arc.

Read: A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman

I just discovered this book and it is delightful, and the 4 year olds in our group were all pretty interested in it.

Science experiment: Food color mixing in water cupsThanks to Make and Takes for the inspiration!

Creative Crafts: R is for Rainbow–use pom pom, beads, feathers, and more to decorate a rainbow.

Free Play

Snack: Rainbow fruit kabobs

I wasn’t able to get all the colors of the rainbow, but our kabobs were pretty colorful with red strawberries, orange cantaloupe, yellow pineapple and green kiwi. A delicious healthy snack I need to remember to make on a regular day, too!

Alphabet Time: Letter R

ABC song-Sing while doing something silly like jumping up and down, clapping hands, swimming our arms, etc.

Introduce letter R. Use letter block, foam letter, magnet letter, puzzle letter, stamper—pull out of a bag.

Read: Duckie’s Rainbow

I read the book out loud once, and then I read it again and we all acted it. (“She hopped under the orange bridge…” so we all hopped around the room).

Play: Roll and color a rainbow

Thanks to Criss-Cross Applesauce for the game template

Play: Musical Chairs (in color)

Instead of using chairs, we used colored pieces of felt for the children to step on.

Bubbles!

End the day by blowing bubbles outside and looking for rainbows.

Be sure to check out my Shamrocks and Rainbows post for a few more ideas!

Notes from Oct. 2011 General Conference: President Monson

March 19, 2012March 19, 2012 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

I recently reviewed President Monson’s talk from the October 2011 General Conference. Then we reviewed the talk for a Family Home Evening Lesson. I retold the story of the $5 bill in his pants pocket, and I shared some of my highlighted notes below. Then we played a few rounds of one of our favorite games
“Where’s the prophet?! (go here to get the skinny on this awesome game for the young ones).

The Ten Commandments

“The Ten Commandments are still just as valid today as they were when they were first given to the children of Israel.

“Our code of conduct is definitive; it is not negotiable. It is found not only in the Ten Commandments but also in the Sermon on the Mount, given to us by the Savior when He walked upon the earth. It is found throughout His teachings. It is found in the words of modern revelation.

“Our Father in Heaven is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The prophet Mormon tells us that God is “unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.” In this world where nearly everything seems to be changing, His constancy is something on which we can rely, an anchor to which we can hold fast and be safe, lest we be swept away into uncharted waters.”

Praying with Faith

Tell story of leaving $5 bill in his pants pocket. He prayed that the money would be kept safe; after two days his pants returned from the laundry with the money still intact.

“Since that time of long ago, I have had countless prayers answered. Not a day has gone by that I have not communicated with my Father in Heaven through prayer. It is a relationship I cherish—one I would literally be lost without. If you do not now have such a relationship with your Father in Heaven, I urge you to work toward that goal. As you do so, you will be entitled to His inspiration and guidance in your life—necessities for each of us if we are to survive spiritually during our sojourn here on earth. Such inspiration and guidance are gifts He freely gives if we but seek them. What treasures they are!

“My beloved brothers and sisters, communication with our Father in Heaven—including our prayers to Him and His inspiration to us—is necessary in order for us to weather the storms and trials of life. The Lord invites us, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me.” As we do so, we will feel His Spirit in our lives, providing us the desire and the courage to stand strong and firm in righteousness—to “stand … in holy places, and be not moved.

Thomas S. Monson “Stand in Holy Places”. October 2011 General Conference.

FHE Lesson: Healthy and Happy Hearts

February 16, 2012February 16, 2012 Nurture Mama 2 Comments

Since February is the month of love and hearts, of course we had to have a Family Home Evening lesson tied into the theme. The Heart Healthy Exercise game shared by Marie at Make and Takes was the perfect activity for my kiddos: making hearts strong and healthy by exercising in a fun way.I followed her instructions and found some clipart online of the various heart healthy actions I wanted to include and I made some very simple posters.My poster included the following actions: sit ups, kick, stretch, roll over, push ups, jump, jog in place, and jumping jacks.

I also followed her suggestion and made a heart bean bag to use as a throwing item. Cut two hearts out of red felt, hot glue 3/4 of the edge of the hearts, fill with beans, then glue the rest together. A simple project that took just a few minutes, but my kids loved playing with it.

Lesson Plan

Lead a very brief discussion about hearts. Do you know the word “heart” is found 1473 times in our standard works of scripture? Obviously, hearts are important! It is important to take care of our hearts and keep them healthy and happy.

We can keep our hearts happy by…. (reading scriptures, following the prophet, praying, keeping the commandments, etc).

It is also important to keep our physical hearts healthy. We can do this through regular exercise and activity.

Play the heart healthy game: Take turns throwing the bean bag on the posters, and do the action it lands on. We also had some other hearts to choose from to let us know how many of each action we should do (5, 10, 15, or 20).

End the evening with a discussion of our favorite “heart”scriptures and eat heart shaped cookies for dessert!

Favorite Heart Scriptures

Matthew 22:37 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”.

2 Nephi 4:15 “For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them”

Alma 45:7 “Yea, I will keep thy commandments with all my heart”.

Key to a great marriage

February 13, 2012February 9, 2012 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

“A happy marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “What God Hath Joined Together,” Ensign, May 1991, 73.

Quoted in Douglas Brinley, “What Happily Married Couples Do,” Ensign, January 2012.

Spreading love in February

February 9, 2012February 9, 2012 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

This little mailbox is a new addition to our family’s annual February festivities. When I found it in the dollar aisle at Target I picked it up without hesitation. The mailbox is our “love box”: anyone who would like to can leave message inside for another family member. The girls get pretty excited when they notice the raised flag and know that there is a message inside. In the picture you can see some of the messages that have been sent (and received).

Writing a note just takes a minute, but it is a nice way that we are showing love in our family. I was also inspired by the idea of a 14 Acts of Love countdown to Valentine’s Day, shared at Make and Takes. We haven’t been able to do it every day, but it has helped us to have a more service/other oriented mindset.

I have found so many great ideas online this year for Valentine’s Day. Thank you, Pinterest, for keeping it all organized for me! You can view the ideas that have sparked my interest on my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board. I also have a great set of links that I shared last year.

Activities for Groundhog Day

February 1, 2012February 9, 2012 Nurture Mama 2 Comments

Every year Groundhog Day sneaks up on me, but this year we are actually doing something to recognize it! I hosted the Sweet Bee’s preschool group today and we had some groundhog themed fun.

After our usual introductory stuff (some free-play time, welcome song, talk about the calendar and the weather) we read Animals in Winter.The book details, briefly, what various animals do to survive the winter: migrate, hibernate, or adapt. I previously found images online of each animal mentioned in the book, and as we read the book we added the animal picture to the appropriate poster. This book was a really great way to bring a little science into our lesson, and the activity as we went along kept the attention of the children.

Then it was time to focus in on the groundhog (aka the woodchuck). The children colored a groundhog and decorated a cave (toilet paper roll) for it to pop out of. Snack time: Edible Groundhogs!I originally found the idea for this groundhog here and I thought it was so cute. I modified the instructions slightly based on the amount of supplies I was willing to purchase (I left out the cookie frosting and just used chocolate pudding to stick it all together). Here is the breakdown:

-chocolate pudding for the body

-vanilla wafer for the head

-edible eyeballs (I found some at Walmart in the cake decorating aisle–the kids thought they were the coolest thing ever!)

-butterscotch chip for the nose (or you could use a chocolate chip)

-mini marshmallow for the teeth

-vanilla wafer broken into pieces for the ears and the front paws

The children were very enthralled with this little edible critter!

To conclude our day we ended with a few songs and a game.

(sung to the tune of 10 Little Indians)
One little, two little, three little groundhogs.
Four little, five little, six little groundhogs.
Seven little, eight little, nine little groundhogs.
Sleeping down under the ground.

(sung to the tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little groundhog, furry and brown.
When winter comes, I sleep underground.
I’m curled up, as cozy as can be.
When it’s spring please wake me up!

I brought out my laundry basket and the children took turns laying inside, with a blanket thrown over their heads. I would sing the song and the child would pop up when I said “wake me up!” The kids loved it and wanted multiple turns, so I sang a lot! A simple game, but perfect for the 4-year-olds (and the the almost 2-year-old) in our group.

If I have time tomorrow, I plan to make this footprint groundhog with my children.Image courtesy of The Educator’s Spin On It

Here are the other books we are reading in honor of the furry little groundhog:

Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather by Bruce Koscielniak

Gregory’s Shadow by Don Freeman

Happy Groundhog Day!

What lessons are you teaching?

January 30, 2012January 29, 2012 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

Yesterday I attended a stake conference meeting. It was one of the satellite broadcast meetings from Salt Lake City. I spent most of the meeting dealing with my almost-two-year-old son, so I unfortunately didn’t hear too much of the meeting. But what I did hear was this:

“The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest.”

The quote was given in a talk by Sister Esplin of the Primary General Presidency. The words stuck with me, and I know that is the lesson I needed to hear right now. I came home from church and did a little digging to find the original source of the quote. The words are from President Monson, and you can view a short video of his address discussing the importance of Family Home Evening here. The text is below. So the question I am pondering, and what I invite you to consider, is “What lessons are you teaching your children?“

“I begin with family home evening. We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest. As President Gordon B. Hinckley and his predecessors have stated, “The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place nor fulfill its essential functions.”²

“Dr. Glenn J. Doman, noted author and medical authority, wrote: “The newborn child is almost an exact duplicate of an empty … computer, although superior to such a computer in almost every way. … What is placed in the child’s [mind] during the first eight years of life is probably there to stay. … If you put misinformation into his [mind] during [this period], it is extremely difficult to erase it.” Dr. Doman added that the most receptive age in human life is that of two or three years.³

“I like this thought: “Your mind is a cupboard, and you stock the shelves.” Let us make certain that our cupboard shelves, and those of our family members, are stocked with the things which will provide safety to our souls and enable us to return to our Father in Heaven. Such shelves could well be stocked with gospel scholarship, faith, prayer, love, service, obedience, example, and kindness.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Constant Truths for Changing Times”, Ensign, May 2005.