Category: Family Home Evening

FHE: The Golden Rule (General Conference 2011, Elder Ballard)

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After viewing the most recent General Conference session last April, I felt impressed that I needed to review the messages that were shared with my children. What better time and place to do that then during Family Home Evening?

This week I am sharing the lessons that we have done in the last few months which were related to the April 2011 General Conference. In most cases I focused on one or two quotes from the talk, and then had a coloring page or activity for the children to do. The highlighted quote and activity page are displayed on our wall throughout the week as a reminder of the lesson. In addition, I make sure to show a picture of the General Authority whose words we are studying, so my children can connect a face with the words.

“Charity begins at home. The single most important principle that should govern every home is to practice the Golden Rule—the Lord’s admonition that “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). Take a moment and imagine how you would feel if you were on the receiving end of thoughtless words or actions. By our example, let us teach our family members to have love one for another.”

M. Russell Ballard, “Finding Joy Through Loving Service”, April 2011 General Conference

Lesson Plan

Share and discuss the above words of Elder Ballard.

Play this song from My Turn on Earth to give the children a catchy way to remember the Golden Rule. (“The Golden Rule, is a terrific tool…”I remember listening to this song on our record player as a kid!)

Take turns choosing a scenario that I previously wrote down, reading then discuss what is the best way respond.

Notes

The song was a big hit! The Ant Bug has been singing it ever since. We’re still working on actually practicing the rule itself…

FHE: Revelation (General Conference 2011, Elder Bednar)

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After viewing the most recent General Conference session last April, I felt impressed that I needed to review the messages that were shared with my children. What better time and place to do that then during Family Home Evening?

This week I am sharing the lessons that we have done in the last few months which were related to the April 2011 General Conference. In most cases I focused on one or two quotes from the talk, and then had a coloring page or activity for the children to do. The highlighted quote and activity page are displayed on our wall throughout the week as a reminder of the lesson. In addition, I make sure to show a picture of the General Authority whose words we are studying, so my children can connect a face with the words.

“Revelation is communication from God to His children on the earth and one of the great blessings associated with the gift and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.”

“Sincere desire and worthiness invite the spirit of revelation into our lives.”

“A light turned on in a dark room is like receiving a message from God quickly, completely, and all at once.”

“The gradual increase of light radiating from the rising sun is like receiving a message from God “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30). Most frequently, revelation comes in small increments over time and is granted according to our desire, worthiness, and preparation.”

David A. Bednar, “The Spirit of Revelation”, April 2011 General Conference

Lesson Plan and Demonstration

Explain revelation, using the above quotes. Then go into a completely dark room (no windows), and turn on the light. Talk about how some revelation comes instantly, like flipping a light switch. Turn the light off, then turn on a light gradually (I used a dimmer switch on a camping lantern). Discuss how some revelation comes a piece at a time, just like the light came on a bit at a time.

Coloring Page

the spirit of revelation

Notes

I was really happy with how well this lesson went over with my children. The visual demonstration of the light turning on, using the switch and then the adjustable light on the lantern was a great hands on way to demonstrate the various forms of revelation.

Additional quotes from the talk that stood out to me

“In many of the uncertainties and challenges we encounter in our lives, God requires us to do our best, to act and not be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26), and to trust in Him. We may not see angels, hear heavenly voices, or receive overwhelming spiritual impressions. We frequently may press forward hoping and praying—but without absolute assurance—that we are acting in accordance with God’s will. But as we honor our covenants and keep the commandments, as we strive ever more consistently to do good and to become better, we can walk with the confidence that God will guide our steps. And we can speak with the assurance that God will inspire our utterances. This is in part the meaning of the scripture that declares, “Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45).”

“As you appropriately seek for and apply unto the spirit of revelation, I promise you will “walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5; 2 Nephi 12:5). Sometimes the spirit of revelation will operate immediately and intensely, other times subtly and gradually, and often so delicately you may not even consciously recognize it. But regardless of the pattern whereby this blessing is received, the light it provides will illuminate and enlarge your soul, enlighten your understanding (see Alma 5:7; 32:28), and direct and protect you and your family” (Bednar, source).

FHE: The Holy Temple (General Conference 2011, President Monson)

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After viewing the most recent General Conference session last April, I felt impressed that I needed to review the messages that were shared with my children. What better time and place to do that then during Family Home Evening?

This week I am sharing the lessons that we have done in the last few months which were related to the April 2011 General Conference. In most cases I focused on one or two quotes from the talk, and then had a coloring page or activity for the children to do. The highlighted quote and activity page are displayed on our wall throughout the week as a reminder of the lesson. In addition, I make sure to show a picture of the General Authority whose words we are studying, so my children can connect a face with the words.

“To you parents of young children, may I share with you some sage advice from President Spencer W. Kimball. Said he: “It would be a fine thing if … parents would have in every bedroom in their house a picture of the temple so [their children] from the time [they are] infant[s] could look at the picture every day [until] it becomes a part of [their lives]. When [they reach] the age that [they need] to make [the] very important decision [concerning going to the temple], it will have already been made.”

Thomas S. Monson, “The Holy Temple–a Beacon to the World”, April 2011 General Conference

Note

We had this lesson the Monday after our family attended the open house of the Atlanta, Georgia temple.

Lesson Plan

Talk about our recent trip to Atlanta and our experience in visiting the temple. What do you remember about the temple? How did you feel inside? etc. Help the children to write down their feelings and impressions about the temple, then color the page.In the words of the Ant Bug and the Sweet Bee

“I felt happy in the temple.”

“I saw the water.”

“I liked the lights in the temple.”

“I remember the pretty chandeliers with all those colorful lights in them.”

“The temple was white.”

Activity

Watch the following video clip about the blessings of the temple.

Additional quotes that stood out to me

“If you have been to the temple for yourselves and if you live within relatively close proximity to a temple, your sacrifice could be setting aside the time in your busy lives to visit the temple regularly. There is much to be done in our temples in behalf of those who wait beyond the veil.”

“The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live. We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down. As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified.”

“My beloved brothers and sisters, may we make whatever sacrifices are necessary to attend the temple and to have the spirit of the temple in our hearts and in our homes” (Monson, source).

FHE: Ensign to the Nations (General Conference April 2011, Elder Holland)

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After viewing the most recent General Conference session last April, I felt impressed that I needed to review the messages that were shared with my children. What better time and place to do that then during Family Home Evening?

This week I am sharing the lessons that we have done in the last few months which were related to the April 2011 General Conference. In most cases I focused on one or two quotes from the talk, and then had a coloring page or activity for the children to do. The highlighted quote and activity page are displayed on our wall throughout the week as a reminder of the lesson. In addition, I make sure to show a picture of the General Authority whose words we are studying, so my children can connect a face with the words.

“As our conference comes to a close, I ask you to reflect in the days ahead not only on the messages you have heard but also on the unique phenomenon that general conference itself is—what we as Latter-day Saints believe such conferences to be and what we invite the world to hear and observe about them. We testify to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people that God not only lives but also that He speaks, that for our time and in our day the counsel you have heard is, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, “the will of the Lord, … the word of the Lord, … the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.”

Jeffrey R. Holland, “An Ensign to the Nations”, April 2011 General Conference

Lesson Plan

Talk about General Conference. What do you remember from it? Talk about the living prophets on the earth today, and how their words spoken at General Conference are scriptures specific for our day. It is important to read and study their words, so that is what we will be doing at Family Home Evening in the coming months. Discuss the above quote.

Additional quotes that stood out to me

“In wanting to measure up to the stern as well as embrace the soothing in our general conference messages, please be reassured that when we speak on difficult subjects, we understand not everyone is viewing pornography or shirking marriage or having illicit sexual relationships. We know not everyone is violating the Sabbath or bearing false witness or abusing a spouse. We know that most in our audience are not guilty of such things, but we are under a solemn charge to issue warning calls to those who are—wherever they may be in the world. So if you are trying to do the best you can—if, for example, you keep trying to hold family home evening in spite of the bedlam that sometimes reigns in a houseful of little bedlamites—then give yourself high marks and, when we come to that subject, listen for another which addresses a topic where you may be lacking. If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you” (Holland, source).

FHE: Faith of the Pioneers

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Quote of the Week

“Let us never forget the faith of our fathers and the selfless sacrifice of our mothers, those pioneering Saints who set such an inspiring example of obedience. Let us remember them as we strive to be valiant servants in our work to “invite all to come unto Christ”  and “be perfected in him” (Wirthlin, source).

Activity

Pioneer Treasure Hunt (to help us learn more about the life of the pioneers)

More points for discussion (while we eat our traditional ice cream)

“We who have been blessed to know the fulness of the restored gospel owe a debt of gratitude to those who have gone before us, who have given so much to build the kingdom into the worldwide miracle that it is today. Our debt of gratitude to our forebears is a “debt that can best be paid in service to this great cause.” No matter who we are—no matter our talents, abilities, financial resources, education, or experience—we all can serve in the kingdom. He who calls us will qualify us for the work if we will serve with humility, prayer, diligence, and faith ” (Wirthlin, source)

Additional optional activity

Pioneer Hidden Picture from The Friend magazine

Further reading

Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Faith of our Fathers”, The Ensign, May 1996

My 2010 Pioneer FHE lesson: Pioneers, Seagulls and Crickets, and Faith

On Temples

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“The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live. We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down. As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified” (Monson, source).

One theme of my life lately has been of temples. The visiting teaching message for July is about claiming the blessings of the temple. Last weekend our family made a special trip to the Orlando temple. Our children were able to walk around the temple grounds, while my husband and I took turns attending a session.

“If you have been to the temple for yourselves and if you live within relatively close proximity to a temple, your sacrifice could be setting aside the time in your busy lives to visit the temple regularly. There is much to be done in our temples in behalf of those who wait beyond the veil. As we do the work for them, we will know that we have accomplished what they cannot do for themselves. President Joseph F. Smith, in a mighty declaration, stated, “Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties.”  My brothers and sisters, the work is ours to do.”

In April, our family was privileged to attend the open house of the newly remodeled Atlanta, Georgia temple. It was such a special experience to be able to walk through the temple with my young children, showing them the beautiful sealing rooms and looking in the mirrors together. My girls are young, but I hope that they will remember the beauty and peace that they felt in the temple and strive to be worthy to enter its doors when they have grown.I have also spent a lot of time pondering President Monson’s most recent General Conference address, “The Holy Temple–a Beacon to the World”.

The Primary theme for the month is “The temple is a house of God”. As I have prepared sharing time lessons for the month my testimony has been strengthened of the great blessings of temples. My heart breaks to think of the sacrifices that were made to build the Kirtland and Nauvoo temples, and to think of those early pioneers who had to walk away from their beloved temples prematurely.

“Some degree of sacrifice has ever been associated with temple building and with temple attendance. Countless are those who have labored and struggled in order to obtain for themselves and for their families the blessings which are found in the temples of God.”

I am thankful my children are learning of the importance of the temple. Last Sunday afternoon the Ant Bug created this beautiful reminder of the sacredness of the temple. The poster is hanging on the door to her bedroom.

“To you parents of young children, may I share with you some sage advice from President Spencer W. Kimball. Said he: “It would be a fine thing if … parents would have in every bedroom in their house a picture of the temple so [their children] from the time [they are] infant[s] could look at the picture every day [until] it becomes a part of [their lives]. When [they reach] the age that [they need] to make [the] very important decision [concerning going to the temple], it will have already been made.”

I Love to See the Temple is one of my favorite Primary hymns, and my heart has thrilled to hear the Primary children sing it this month. I hope they take its message to heart.

“I love to see the temple.

I’ll go inside someday.

I’ll covenant with my father;

I’ll promise to obey.”

“Now, my young friends…always have the temple in your sights. Do nothing which will keep you from entering its doors and partaking of the sacred and eternal blessings there.”

I created a document to share with the children in my Primary during sharing time this Sunday. The temple image is a coloring page and came from a document shared on sugardoodle.net. The quotes are the most pertinent quotes for Primary aged children from President Monson’s talk. Feel free to download the file and use it for FHE, Primary, etc.

the temple is a house of god

All of the quotes in this post come from President Thomas S. Monson’s April 2011 General Conference address. Please go here to read it.

FHE Lesson: Joseph Smith

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My husband came home from work yesterday and said “We should do a Family Home Evening lesson on Joseph Smith”. Since it was 5:45 p.m. and I still didn’t have a solid plan for FHE (yes, things are not always well planned around here!), I jumped on the idea. It was good night to talk about Joseph Smith, since June 27th marks the anniversary of his martyrdom.

After a quick search on Sugardoodle, I had a fun activity: Joseph Smith Tic Tac Toe. You can play the game in the regular tic tac toe fashion, but to place a marker on a square each team must first answer a trivia question about Joseph Smith. Sample questions: “What part of Joseph’s body was operated on when he was 7 years old? His leg” and “What river was Joseph baptized in? Susquehanna”.

I knew that my children wouldn’t really know the answers to start with, but my husband and I played on opposite teams and coached our partners in the answers. It was a fun way to learn about the Prophet, and by the end of the evening we had all learned a few things. The evening was complete with the singing of “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” and “Praise to the Man”.

“Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus annointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.
Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.”

Another great resource is this summary of highlights from the life of Joseph Smith, as printed in The Friend magazine.

While we’re on the topic of Joseph Smith, last Friday for our date night my husband and I watched Emma Smith: My Story. The movie is well done, and a good way to learn more about Emma and Joseph. You can watch the movie right now for free on Hulu, or I’ve included it below.

A lesson for Easter

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The theme in Primary for this month is Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I’ve been preparing my Sharing Time lesson for this Easter Sunday, and I think I will do some variation of using Easter eggs, the Gospel Art picture kit, and symbolic items to teach the children about the Savior’s atonement and resurrection. Hailey shared a great lesson plan at Little LDS Ideas.

To conclude the lesson I plan to share the following film:

But I also really like this newest film:

In our family we traditionally have an Easter themed FHE lesson the week before Easter, to put us in the right frame of mind to remember the real reason behind Easter. This year we followed the lesson plan from A Year of FHE.

FHE quick tip: I have discovered that the best way to keep the attention of my children during FHE is to gather at the table, instead of on the couch. The living room leaves too much space for jumping or running or dancing around, whereas at the table they have to be more contained. Then I usually give them a coloring page to work on while we discuss the lesson. Coloring keeps their hands busy, and their ears (and heart and mind) more receptive to the message.

Our Easter celebrations are simple. We will have a nice family dinner on Sunday (always a baked ham, this year with red potatoes and green beans), followed by an Easter egg hunt outdoors. In my attempt to keep the day focused on the real reason for Easter, many of the eggs that we hide contain a small picture of Jesus Christ. I cut the pictures out of old Ensign magazines, fold them up and save them for future years. I still include small candy/treats in the eggs, but the pictures of the Savior are my little reminders.

How do you celebrate Easter?

FHE: Use your manners. Be polite.

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Teaching good manners is a topic that I have been thinking about for awhile.  Reminders like “Use a napkin, not your shirt” and “How can you ask that in a nice, polite way?” and “Use your fork, please” are heard often in our home. So I was very excited to find a FHE lesson on Manners at A Year of FHE.

I mostly just followed the lesson as outlined by Emilie. We talked about the magic words of please and thank you and we sang this cute little song:

(Sung to I’m a Little Teapot)

I have super manners. Yes, I do.
I can say “Please,” and “Thank You,” too.
When I play with friends, I like to share.
That’s the way I show I care!

Then we read Time to Say “Please” by Mo Willems. We’ve had this book out from the library for over a month now. Anything by Mo Willems is always a hit at our house, so this book has been a good tool for reminders about saying please and thank you.

Then we moved on to the topic of Table Manners. For our family, we have decided to focus on two:

Always use your tools to eat your food.

Clean with a napkin.

I made a little poster with some visual aids to help us all remember!

To wrap things up, the girls colored the mini book of manners that Emilie shared.

As they colored, we read and discussed  What do you say, dear? by Sesyle Joslin, with pictures by Maurice Sendak.

This book was written in the 1950s as “A handbook of etiquette for young ladies and gentlemen. To be used as a guide for everyday social behavior”. What we have really enjoyed about this book is that even though the hypothetical situations the children face are often bizzare and quite imaginative, there is still a place for manners. For example, “You are picking dandelions and columbines outside the castle. Suddenly a fierce dragon appears and blows red smoke at you, but just then a brave knoght gallops up and cuts off the dragon’s head. What do you say, dear?” And the answer of course, as you turn the page is, “Thank you very much”.

Adding to our Family Habits List

Use your manners. Be polite. is the sixth habit we have added to our Family Habits list. To read more about the habits we are working on in our family, read this post.

Teaching our children to love the prophets (and getting ready for conference)

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“It is when children are young that parents must be innovative in helping them develop good habits regarding conference participation. As our children are given opportunities to observe and learn the role of these special witnesses, they will receive a spiritual confirmation of the sacred calling of their Church leaders, and they will feel a deeper love for and interest in these leaders and their message” (Elder Neil L. Anderson, source).

General Conference is just a few days away, so that means it is time to get the packets ready for the children! Having a packet of coloring pages and activities for the children to work on during General Conference has become an important tradition in our home, and it helps our children to really look forward to the special weekend. It helps them to be reverent and listen more to the speakers, even at a very young age. I am very thankful for so many people who do the work of assembling the packets and freely share their talents with the rest of us!

Be sure to visit the Sugardoodle.net General Conference page for links to the most current packets available. I really like the design of this season’s packets by Angela and Melanie, and it is helpful to have them age appropriate for nursery, junior primary, senior, etc. I am printing some pages from a few different packets to get the right match for the abilities and interests of my two girls. It is exciting to have a fluently reading 6 year old, since that ability opens up a lot more activities for her to work on.

We love a good toilet paper roll craft at our house, so my girls should enjoy the First Presidency Toilet Paper Roll puppets in the nursery packet.

Our Family Home Evening lesson this week was centered on getting to know the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles. We did a little match-up game and shared a few facts about each apostle, using these apostle cards. Unfortunately, the lesson didn’t go over as well as I had hoped, probably due to a lack of planning on my part (plus I should have remembered that talking about 15 men in one sitting is way beyond the attention span of my 3 year old). They did think the apostle song was funny.

But I really like the idea shared at the Crane Corner. Jeanine used three different Family Home Evening nights to learn about the apostles, and then did a memorable activity that tied in with the interests of one of the apostles discussed. For example, making banana bread because President Eyring likes to bake, or painting because Elder Scott enjoys painting.

So here is my new idea: In the coming months we will spend one FHE night a month (or more!) focused on one of the apostles. We will use this resource to learn about their life and background, we will review their most recent conference address, and then we will do an activity that connects with that apostles life or his conference address. I am excited about this plan, and I think it will help us to bring the messages of conference home a little bit more, while helping us all to learn more about our leaders.

“Our challenge as parents is to prepare our homes so that our children might be “armed with righteousness.” In the future, a discernable distinction of the true followers of Christ will be the heed and attention they give to the living prophets and Apostles. As our children listen to these men, they will find their way.”

“Some might say it is not the leaders who are important, but the message they bring. Yet, if our children do not know the names of the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, they most likely will not know their messages either.”

Neil L. Anderson, “Teaching our Children to Love the Prophets”, Ensign, April 1996, 44.

What do you think? Are you ready for General Conference this weekend?