September 2012 – Pattie's Primary Place

General Conference Singing Time

I’ve been a slacker. I have gotten back into school (my day job) and we have lots of brand new core curriculum to cover and it has taken all my time getting used to it. So I haven’t had time to blog as much. Plus we had our grandkids last weekend, and, well, that took all my time, literally!

We got them some cute little pool squirt guns they got Grandpa pretty good with in the jacuzzi!

Here I come grandpa! Gotcha!!

Meg loves “swimming” in our jacuzzi….she thinks she needs to use the goggles and she likes
to splash around A LOT! :O

We took them to the State Fair, McDonalds, Swimming and to the park and Cafe Rio. We were all pooped by the end of the weekend!

Anyway next weekend is not only my birthday on October 1st, but it is the Sunday before General Conference. I’m going to put all kinds of resources on this blog post that you could download and copy to give the kids to help them watch conference and enjoy it at the same time.

General Conference games are great to give out in Primary the week before General Conference!

You could show them a conference Bingo card and maybe do a few of the squares linking them to a song with that word in it as you sing a range of songs. Have 2 colors of bingo chips (red for girls, blue for boys) and have a little competition throughout the 20 minutes of singing time to see how many words kids can hear and raise their hand to go cover with the “chips” which could just be colored circles of paper.

Here is Conference Bingo

Another song by Steven Perry and words by Brad Wilcox and it’s HERE copied from The Friend Magazine. Here is the first verse….

1. Of all the Sundays of the year,

the ones I love the best

are conf’rence Sundays twice a year,

so diff’rent from the rest.

I gather with my family

and feel the Spirit near

as I prepare to understand

the messages I hear.

Sing President Monson’s favorite Primary Song, “Give Said the Little Stream”.

One bunch is from the church website. The link is HERE at LDS.org. There is a Bingo game for words that you hear in talks, a bunch of coloring pages, and some journaling pages to write in and color.

You could also sing one of President Monson’s favorite Primary songs! In his autobiography he said that he enjoyed singing “Give Said the Little Stream”. That’s one even the sunbeams can sing!
Here is some additional verses to the song that were written by Kimball Brown.

Give Said the Little Stream
Additional lyrics: Kimball Brown
Lead: Ben Haacke
Give said the little stream
Give, oh give
Give, oh give
Give said the little stream
As it hurried down the hill
I’m small I know but wherever I go
The grass grows greener still
Give said the little rain
Give, oh give
Give, oh give
Give said the little rain
As it fell upon the flowers
I’ll raise their weary heads again
As it fell upon the flowers
Singing, singing all the day
Give away, oh give away
Singing, singing all the day
Give, oh give away

The Sunday before General Conference is a great time to do President Monson’s favorite Primary song!

Give what is in your heart
Give away, Give away
Give what is in your heart
And your heart will ever live
Laugh when you’re filled with joy
Laugh away, laugh away
Laugh when you’re filled with joy
For laughing’s giving too
Snap!
Tap!
Clap!
Give all you’ve got to give
Give away, give away
Give all you’ve got to give
Sing when your heart is full
Sing away, sing away
Sing when your heart is full
For singing’s giving too

Another packet can be printed out from Sugardoodle. The link is HERE at Sugardoodle.

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Lots of activities can be found at Sugardoodle website for General Conference.

Fall Pumpkin General Conference Activity….just color each section of pumpkin that you hear that word in one of the talks! Very fun and educational too!

A cute activity for elementary age kids would be this one. They listen to the talks with you, then color the sections of the fall pumpkins that have that word written that they just heard in a talk. It helps them to get something from conference by listening to the speakers with a little more attention! What an excellent idea from A Little Tipsy’s website

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Love these dudes! And I’m looking forward to General Conference in a week!

One thing they can do is try to copy down all the new temples that are announced to be built and where they will be built. Then you could do a neat singing time next week on the 14th of October on all the primary songs about temples and then do a little quiz about how many temples were announced and where they are being built! That would be a GREAT AND FUN CHALLENGE FOR KIDS!

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September Primary Singing Time

Well my oldest son turns 30 tomorrow, September 15th. I cannot believe I am old enough for two of my kiddos to be in their 30s! I had my 4th child when I, myself was only 30! I still think of them as my kiddos still, even though they are all grown ups now. Where is all of this even logical?

Here he is with his own little baby girl. I can’t believe this kid is 30 years old!

And I’m not sayin’ what birthday this is coming up….but I am a grandma to 3 and 1 on the way!

I have a neighbor down the street whom I truly admire. She has 13 kids. And they are the nicest kids on the block. I love the ones that I have known well, like they are my own kids. I don’t know how she raised 13 kids without losing all of her hair and her mind. Can you even imagine doing 13 kids’ worth of PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences? Or sporting events times 13 kids?

Even though Birthdays aren’t much fun anymore… hiking in the fall in Utah IS FUN!
This scene is above the Brighton Ski Resort, on the trail to Mary’s Lake.

She is a genius homemaker too. She makes the most magnificent raspberry/blackberry pie you have ever tasted from her own raspberry and blackberry gardens. She shares her bushes with me when she wants to thin them out.

Fresh fruit pies from Marie Callender's Photo: Courtesy / SA

Raspberry Pie, there is nothing like it!

Anyhoo, I don’t know why I had to tell you about these 2 people in my life, I guess these people that matter so much to us in our life, well, it is good to let them know sometimes, that you love them and you appreciate them. Life is too short. So go out and tell somebody they are a wonderful person to you. Make them a goat cake, like I’m going to make for my son.

I am blowing this goat up on my overhead projector and tracing him on gray poster board for a game of Pin the Tail on the Goat (Donkey). I should get some good pictures out of that!

He is always downloading funny goat youtubes of baby goats running around bleating sounding like grown men. So we told him for his birthday he was getting a lot of “goat ensembles”. I’m making a “PIN THE TAIL ON THE GOAT” game for the granddaughters to play against the adults. I still haven’t thought up any fun prizes yet though. Too bad they don’t have goat candy. Maybe a hunk of goat cheese will have to do, LOL.

Here’s the fixin’s for the goat cheese onion dip. It tasted pretty good! But the goat cheese by
itself? Well, let’s just same nobody was a real fan.

Here we are playing PIN THE TAIL ON THE GOAT…..LOL My grandkids loved it.

Jeff just tolerated the game. He’s a good sport.

Don’t you feel sorry for my kids having this crazy lady for a mom? Yeah they have had a rough life, I must say.

Now back to the job at hand. My favorite thing to do in Primary is playing “POP THE MUSICAL BALLOONS”. You can put names of songs rolled up tiny inside balloons before you blow them up at church. (Don’t blow them up at home, you will be sorry when they all pop before you get there).

Then tape them up on the chalkboard or wall. Then have kids come up and answer a question about the lesson, or tell you the first lines of the practice songs you are singing. If they can answer the questions correctly, let them pop a balloon. Then sing that song that is listed inside.

Dare to Do Right Primary Song Subway Art from Pinterest

In the Leafy Treetops has a great flipchart for DARE TO DO RIGHT that I thought was cute.
The kids love the balloons and will sing really good to get a chance to do the second song’s balloon pop. Have a popping good time in Primary!!

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I’m Trying To Be Like Jesus

I was so inspired from hearing from members of the church speak about Mitt Romney at the Republican National Convention. He must have been such a wonderful bishop to these people who spoke.

It made me realize how much I’m not doing my best to be a servant and a tool for the Lord. I could do better. I loved hearing how he would visit in the hospital to people in his congregation and bless their lives in small ways. Or bring in a turkey dinner to a family in need. Or write up a will for a little boy dying in the hospital so he could give away all his worldly goods to his friends.

Ward members who were served by Bishop Mitt Romney…

I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus has always been one of my favorite songs. It is the last song to be learned in the Presentation. How lucky is that? Kids and adults alike love hearing and singing this song. We all try to be like Him, but we all fall so short.

How hard am I trying to BE LIKE HIM? I could do much better.

I remember directing the singing in a Stake Primary Choir when I was in my 30s. I had been called to be the Stake Primary President. It was one of my all-time favorite callings. It was so joyful and moving for me, thinking back on directing that choir in Long Beach Stake, filled with an International little congregation of children from all parts of the world.

My choir did not have costumes, just lots of different faces.

And they sang their little hearts out. Have you ever heard groups of Samoan and Tongan children sing? They can give any children’s choir the boost of volume it needs! That is for sure. I loved those little children in my stake so much.

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I loved the children in Primary and I still do.

We challenged them that year to read the Book of Mormon with their parents and families. I remember painting one foot high Strippling Warriors with the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of truth, and feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. What happened to my zeal in serving lately? I used to do so much. Now I barely do the minimum. I think we just forget to be valiant. We forget to plan and prepare and set goals and make appointments for things we want to accomplish.

I want to improve in my goal to serve more valiantly.

This week at school I was asked to write 2 technology goals for me personally. I have noticed how much better I’ve become at technology in the last 5 years of being a teacher. And it is only because we are FORCED TO SET GOALS. I am NOT, by any stretch a technologically inclined person. But it is because I HAVE to learn it, that I do. Why can’t I be that way in completing my genealogy? Why can’t I be that way in my visiting teaching? Or reading my scriptures and doing some in depth gospel study on some topic that interests me? Because I don’t have to. It’s as simple and sad as that.

Luke 2:52-Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man-christian scripture necklace

We can all improve line upon line, and grow in gospel knowledge, recommit to a life of service and in being honest in all our dealings, my own favorite weakness.

In singing this song, I am reminded what I am about here in this life. I am here to TRY to BE LIKE HIM. And one way that I have found that helps, is setting small goals and working every single WEEK to accomplish a small part of the goal. Eating the elephant one bite at a time is my slogan. I see my progress in small, imperceptible to others steps and bits.

I remember how hard it was some Fridays to serve as a temple ordinance worker while I was working fulltime. I did it for 3 1/2 years. How did I do that? Well, just serving once a week is like eating the elephant one bite at a time. I just got myself there. Sometimes I had a run in my white nylons. Sometimes My dress was not as ironed as it should have been. But I would just get myself there, and the rest took care of itself. It was a weekly goal. And looking back, I accompished 3 1/2 years of temple service. Who would have thought.

Let’s rededicate ourselves to being more of a giver, more of a server, more used in the kingdom. Let’s be more like Mitt.

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Singing Time with the American Flag

LABOR DAY IS TOMORROW! It’s a perfect opportunity to do something using the American Flag! I love patriotic days where we can put the flag out front, don’t you? I LOVED especially watching the Republican Convention on TV this week. There were some very wonderful speeches made by some great Americans. Here were a few of my favorites.

I loved Ann Romney’s speech. She was just so REAL. And a breath of upbeat, and positive, honest, fresh air. I actually bow down to anybody who has raised 5 boys. I can’t imagine even how hard 4 boys is, I only had 3 boys and I about lost my mind on some days!

Ms. Rice is just so inspiring to me. She has a calm way of making you sit up and take notice of what she wants to teach you. And I always learn a lot from her. She knows her statistics, doesn’t she?

Paul Ryan gave a great speech too. I believed him that he could help us fix the financial mess we are in. He seemed like a smart guy. I would worry a lot less with him helping change our spending patterns.

I loved this guy, Marco Rubio. The guy has GOT to run for President someday. He brought me to tears.
How he spoke about his parents was so moving to me. I really liked him a lot.

Mitt Romney’s speech made me want to give more service than I have ever done before.

Mitt Romney’s speech made me realize how much I don’t volunteer enough, and give enough of myself in service. It made me feel guilty hearing the story of him going to a dying boy’s bedside to write him a will so he could give all his best friends his sports equipment when he died. Who would do that? What busy man do you know who would? I felt really moved by that.

Tampa’s weeklong party got off to a rough start with threats from Isaac, but ended on a high note with Mitt Romney accepting the Republican nomination for president at the Times Forum.

Beautiful red, white and blue balloons dropping on the candidates and their families. How fun that must have been for all of Paul Ryan’s cute little kids!

It made me proud to be an American, listening to all the speakers from many nationalities, who were singing the praises of our country and the opportunities their families found here. So let’s do some flag waving this week for Labor Day!

Flags waving at the convention this week.

Using some little tiny American flags pushed into a vase or a tall cup, have children come up and pick one of the flags. Have the song numbers taped to the backs or handles of the flags. Then sing the song that was written on that flag. EASY PEASY!

Wave the Flags for Singing Time

Use this idea for any Patriotic holiday such as Labor Day. Kids love to wave a flag. If you have extras you can have the child’s primary class come up and wave the flags while you sing. Check out Hobby Lobby or your local grocery store might have some flags too.

Sometimes right after 4th of July you can find things at Michaels and Joanne’s Crafts on clearance. I found flags for 20 cents each that way. Or you can try Oriental Trading. They always have a good deal after holidays too. Check out a dozen fabric flags for $4.50 here at Oriental Trading.

Have fun waving YOUR patriotic flags!
bada-bing, bada-boom.

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