Tag: FHE

Notes from Oct. 2011 General Conference: President Monson

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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

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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”.

Ice Cream Cone Trees (and a FHE lesson to go with it)

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I’ve got about 10 different posts I would love to share with you this holiday season. Unfortunately, they are all still just written in my head. Time with my family and other projects are at a higher priority than blogging right now, so you’ll probably have to rely on my Pinterest boards to see the fun ideas we have been trying this year.  But here is quick idea I had to share: Ice Cream Cone Trees

Supplies Needed

Sugar ice cream cones

Frosting (tinted green)

Assorted candy: we used red and green M&Ms, mini marshmallows, and crushed candy canes. For the star on top we used a Reese’s Pieces.

The directions are simple: Spread the frosting on the cone, decorate with candy, and voila–instant Christmas tree! This activity was a hit with the entire family, from the 20 month old to the 31 year old.This little cutie did a lot more eating then decorating!This would make a great addition to a gingerbread house. I’ve been a little intimidated by the effort involved to make a gingerbread house and have yet to attempt that activity, but the trees were a great alternative for our family. You can visit this blog for fabulous patterns and tutorials if you are in the mood to make a gingerbread house.

Prior to doing this activity we had a Family Home Evening Lesson on the symbols of Christmas, provided by A Year of FHE. All around a great family activity!

Learning about the First Presidency

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Today is the first day of Fall. After living in Florida for the past 5 years, I have come to realize that September and October still mean hot and humid weather and swimming for us, while I can only remember wistfully the beautiful changing leaves in the Utah canyons. But wherever we live, October will always mean General Conference and the opportunity to learn from true living apostles and prophets. I am thankful for it!

To prepare our children for General Conference this year we have been learning about the First Presidency during Family Home Evening. A big thanks to A Year of FHE for posting lessons on each member of the First Presidency. So far we have followed Emilie’s lesson plans for President Eyring and President Uchtdorf, enjoying some creative water-coloring and paper airplanes to help us share in the apostles interests. We’re looking forward to our upcoming lesson on President Monson this week. To conclude each lesson we ended with sweet treats and the viewing of any Mormon Messages videos that pertained to that apostle. This video on patience is one of my favorites:

I love the Mormon Message videos, and I often use them in Family Home Evening lessons. You can view all of them here.

Next on my “To Do” list is to get the children’s activity packets ready for use during General Conference. The current version of the ever-popular Sugardoodle packets are available here, and you can get loads and activities and ideas from this Sugardoodle index page. If you want to see my favorite ideas, hop on over to the Tags box in my right side bar and click on General Conference.

Best wishes for fall and an inspiring General Conference!

FHE: Do Good (General Conference 2011, President Eyring)

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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.

“There is a hymn about the Lord’s invitation to this work that I have sung since I was a little boy. In my childhood I paid more attention to the happy tune than to the power of the words. I pray that you will feel the lyrics in your hearts today. Let’s listen to the words again:

Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.1

“The Lord regularly sends wake-up calls to all of us. Sometimes it may be a sudden feeling of sympathy for someone in need. A father may have felt it when he saw a child fall and scrape a knee. A mother may have felt it when she heard the frightened cry of her child in the night. A son or a daughter may have felt sympathy for someone who seemed sad or afraid at school.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Opportunities to Do Good”, April 2011 General Conference

Lesson Plan

Discuss what it means to “Do Good”. Sing the hymn “Have I done any good?” (Hymns, 223).

My children aren’t familiar with this hymn, so I created a few posters to help them with the words. The girls helped me with the coloring.
Watch the following video (Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing “Have I done any good?”)

Take turns letting each family member share something good they did recently to help another person.  Challenge the family to find ways to “Do Good” everyday.

Watch this video (President Monson Mormon Messages)

Additional Notes

Elder Ballard’s talk tied in nicely with this theme. We didn’t make the connection during the lesson, but I shared the following quotes with my family later in the week.

“In all of our service, we need to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The still, small voice will let us know who needs our help and what we can do to help them.

President Spencer W. Kimball said: “It is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom. … So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving … help with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow … from small but deliberate deeds!” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 82).

And President Thomas S. Monson has counseled:
“The needs of others are ever present, and each of us can do something to help someone.
“… Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives” (“What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2009, 85).

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

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