Obedience and Jonah

So I was looking for a lesson on obedience and I found this one at ldssplash.com I liked it and am using it this week. Everything typed in green was the idea from the website. I am adding some things that I liked.

Opening Song: Quickly I'll Obey (Childrens Hymn Book pg. 197)
Closing Song: Pioneer Children were Quick to Obey (Children's Hymn Book pg. 215)
Scripture: Romans 5:19
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Thought: "Obedience to His commandments and a commitment to living a life that demonstrates He can trust you."- Elder Richard G. Scott January 2007 Ensign

Needed: This printout A fastener (or paper clip if fastener isn't available)
Cut out all the shapes on the printout. Place the mouth up to the whale, with the gray part behind. Stick the fastener into the middle of the whale so that the mouth opens and closes.
Lesson:What is obedience?
Read or tell the story of Jonah. Use the printouts to tell the story. (Jonah chapter 1 and 2)
How was Jonah not being obedient?
what did Jonah do to ask forgiveness?
What can we do to be obedient?
Bare your testimony about how we are blessed when we are obedient.

I wanted to tell the story of Jonah in a way that my daughter (23 months old) might understand so I found the church's story board from the Old Testaments Stories I like that they have pictures if I want to print them out.

*Jonah was a prophet of God. God told him to go to a city called Nineveh. The people there were wicked. God told Jonah to tell the people to repent.
Jonah 1:1–2
*Jonah did not obey God. Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. He did not want to tell the people to repent. He got on a ship. The ship was sailing to another city.
Jonah 1:3
*God sent a bad storm. The wind blew hard. The men on the ship were afraid it would sink.
Jonah 1:4–5
*The captain of the ship went to Jonah. Jonah was sleeping. The captain woke him. He told Jonah to pray and ask God to help them.
Jonah 1:6
*The men thought the storm came because Jonah was on the ship. They wanted the storm to stop. They asked Jonah what they should do.
Jonah 1:7–11
*Jonah told them to throw him into the water. He knew God sent the storm because of him. He had not obeyed God.
Jonah 1:9–12
*The men did not want to throw Jonah into the water. But they knew the storm would stop if they did. So they threw him into the water. The storm stopped.
Jonah 1:13–15
*God sent a big fish. The fish swallowed Jonah. Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah prayed to God. He repented. He said he was sorry he had run away. He promised to obey God.
Jonah 1:17; 2:1–9
*The fish put Jonah out on dry land. Again God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. He said to tell the people to repent.
Jonah 2:10; 3:1–2
*This time Jonah obeyed God. He went to Nineveh. He told the people to repent. If they would not repent, Nineveh would be destroyed.
Jonah 3:3–4
*The people did repent. They stopped being wicked. They fasted and prayed. God did not destroy Nineveh.
Jonah 3:5–10

Reverence

I enjoyed this lesson. Annabella on the other hand well she listened but I am not to sure that she understood any of it. I think that this is a lesson that I can keep going over and she will get it. I just love all the visual aids and she did love those and wanted to play with them. I shorted the lesson because she is just 23 months old and couldn't sit that long. I again got this idea from the yahoo group that I joined, fhe4children I really like this site.

REVERENCE
By, Tina Felt -- February 1989

Main Idea: Reverence is a special feeling of love and respect that should be reflected in actions, words, and attitudes.

Note to Parents: “Children are not born with the concepts which produce reverence, nor can these concepts be matured in them suddenly…. But by and large, children in their early years and most of them in later years will be just about as reverent as they are trained to be, and no more.”

Opening Song: Reverently, Quietly

Opening Prayer:

Have you ever thought what it means to be reverent? Reverence is a special feeling of Respect and Love. It is a feeling close to our Heavenly Father. It is caring about others, showing respect for them and being courteous to them. When we love our Heavenly Father, our families, friends, leaders, and teachers, we will respect them. We show our special feeling of love and respect for others by REVERENCE. When we listen to our parents, teachers, and leaders and do what they want us to do because we respect and love them, we are being reverent, as Heavenly Father expects us to be.

Poem: REVERENCE (Have members of the family hold up the different letters as the poem is being recited either by a parent or an older child who can read and take part.)

Our chapel is a sacred place where we should be reverent and show respect to our Heavenly Father. A sacred place is a holy place, a place where Heavenly Father’s spirit may be felt.

Happy and Sad Chapels: Hold up the picture of a sad chapel and ask your children what this is a picture of. Tell them that :
This is a picture of a sad chapel.
The children in this chapel were very noisy
They didn’t sign the songs well at all
Some children talked without raising their hands
A lot of the children came late
There was talking during the prayer
The children in this chapel didn’t show love and respect for our Father in Heaven

Hold up the picture of the happy chapel and ask your children what this is a picture of. Tell them that:
This is a picture of a happy chapel
The children were quiet during their meetings
Everyone was reverent
All of the children sang their songs well
No one whispered to their neighbors
The children sat quietly in their chairs
The children folded their arms and closed their eyes during the prayer
They walked quietly in the halls
They showed their Heavenly Father how much they loved and respected Him through their reverent actions.

Which one of these chapels do we have? Let’s all try to make our chapel a happy chapel.

Story: Children Like Animals

Activity: Using your happy and sad chapels. Place them on the floor. Have each member of the family draw a game card and act out what is on their card. When they are through, have the other members of the family guess what their behavior is. Have them decide if this behavior belongs in the Happy Chapel or the Sad Chapel and put their card on the right one.

Poem: I Love You Jesus
(Pick our 3 boys and 2 girls from the previous story to use for this poem)

“One of the most Christ-like qualities we ought to develop is reverence, an attitude that shows how we feel about Heavenly Father and the things He has asked us to do… Reverence is more than just being quiet. It is a spiritual communication between us and our Father in Heaven. When we are reverent, we don’t do anything that reflects negatively upon the Lord or His Church.” Vaugh J. Featherstone

Reverence is a special feeling that helps us feel near to Heavenly Father and makes us want to show by our actions, words, and attitudes how much we love him.

Closing Song: Father, I will Reverent Be

Closing Prayer:

Refreshments: Frosted animal cookies with ice cream.


Use cards with each letter to spell reverence and have the children hold each card as they give the poem.

REVERENCE POEM

R: Reverence is true respect
For Jesus whom we love.
And for this chapel where we meet
To worship him above.

E: Each child should come in quietly
No push, nor jump, nor run,
But be polite and orderly
Until the meetings done.

V: Very softly we should speak
And yet distinct and clear
The soft sweet tones of children
Our Savior likes to hear.

E: Every child should fold his arms
And while the prayer is said
Should close his eyes and listen
And always bow his head.

R: Remember, little children,
Be courteous and true,
Be kind to one another
For, this is reverence too

E: Enter here with happy thoughts
But don’t be rough and loud
For Jesus loves a smiling face
But not a noisy crowd.

N: Neat and tidy we should be
With faces shining bright
And if our thoughts are clean and pure
We’ll always do what’s right.

C: Cleanliness is reverence
Let’s try in all we do
To keep the chapel neat and clean
Now and the whole week through.

E: Everyone should reverent be
In every act and word
When we are in the Savior’s house,
The chapel of the Lord.


I LOVE YOU, JESUS

"I love you Jesus, so much," said Mike
"I want to do the things 'you'd like."
But he forgot to try at all
As he ran and shouted through the hall.

"I love you Jesus," said Betty Ann
"I want to be as good as I can."
In Sharing Time she talked aloud.
That makes an awfully noisy crowd.
"I love you Jesus," said John one day
"I want to learn in every way,
All I need to know to grow strong and good."
But he didn't listen when he should.

"I love you Jesus," said little Sue
"I'll do all the things you want me to."
But she forgot to bow her head,
Or close her eyes when the prayer was said.

"I love you Jesus, so much," said Joe
"The things I do today will show
How much I want to do my part.
I'll think of thee with all my heart.”
“Two hands that know where they belong,
Two feet that quietly walk along.
Two lips that speak only when they should,
Two ears that listen to all things good.
Two eyes that when the prayer is said
Will gently close when I bow my head.
One heart that loves Thy will to do
Dear God these things are my gifts to you."

Out of all these five, Jesus knows who loves Him most … which one are you?
Children Like Animals

Teacher: Today we'll learn about some children and how they act In Our Heavenly Father's house.
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1. This is Nan. Nan is only three years old. It’s hard to be good when you are only three. Nan tries hard. She puts her toys away, sometimes even before her mother asks her.

But sometimes when Nan goes to church she acts like a kitten. Kittens are soft and usually quiet, so you may wonder what would be wrong - with having a kitten at church. Have you ever watched two kittens together? They are always swatting each other. This was Nan's problem-she didn’t always remember to keep her hands to herself. Heavenly Father is happy if we fold our hands and keep them in our laps while we are in his house.
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2. This is Jeremy. Usually Jeremy is a good boy. He likes to help his father work in the yard. He mows the grass in the summer and rakes the leaves in the fall.

But sometimes when Jeremy goes to church he acts like a big polar bear. Polar bears are soft and furry. If you have ever seen one at the zoo you know that they are heavy and walk plunk! plunk! plunk! Sometimes Jeremy forgets and lets his feet go plunk! plunk! as he walks down the chapel aisle. Heavenly Father is happy when we walk with light, quiet feet in his house.

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3. This is Diane. Diane is a happy little girl. She helps her mother with the dishes and doesn't even grumble.

But sometimes when Diane goes to church she acts like a bird. Birds like to chirp and sing. And Diane loves to sing in church. But sometimes she forgets where she is and sings when it isn't time to sing. Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and to sing when we are in his house. But he wants us to sing only when everyone else is singing or when we are asked to sing a special song.

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4. This is Jason. Jason always obeys his parents. He always, remembers to wear his coat when he goes outside if it is cold or stormy.

But sometimes when, Jason goes to church he acts like a duck. If you have ever watched a flock of ducks you know that they often stray away and get into places where they, don't belong. Sometimes Jason forgets to stay in his seat and wanders all over the chapel. Heavenly Father is happy if we stay in our places while we are in his house.

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5. This is Veronica. Veronica is getting to be a big girl. She is even big enough to make her bed in the morning before she goes to breakfast.

But sometimes when Veronica goes to church she acts, like a monkey. Sometimes she crawls under the bench, and sometimes she climbs up onto the back of the bench. Heavenly Father is happy when we sit quietly and prop­erly on the benches while we are in his house.

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6. This is Kirt. Kirt eats his vegetables and is growing strong. He is even strong enough to help carry groceries into the house.

But sometimes when Kirt goes to church he is grumpy. He likes to stay up late on Saturday night and watch his favorite show on TV. When he wakes up Sunday morning he acts like a lion. He growls at his sister and brother and he even growls at his friends at church. Heavenly Father is happy when we are cheerful while we are in his house.

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7. This is Nicky. Nicky is a happy girl. She smiles and is pleasant even when she has to tend her little brother, though she would rather be playing with her friends.

Always when Nicky goes to church she acts like a butter­fly. She gently moves down the aisle and quietly takes her seat. She sings the songs. She thinks of Jesus during the sacrament, and she listens to the speakers. Heavenly Father is happy when we are truly reverent in his house.

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Teacher: Heavenly Father is happy when we show love and respect for his house.

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The Nativity

I found a cute nativity scene on the yahoo group fhe4children.

For the song we picked a Christmas song

We then just told the story of Mary and Joseph, the Shepard's, and the wise men. Annabella then played with the visual aids and she loved rearranging them. She was excited about the baby Jesus.

A Thanksgiving Lesson

For today's lesson I wanted to do a lesson about Thanksgiving and I found this great lesson on the yahoo group fhe4children. I really liked the pictures and the narrative that went along with it.

Songs that I choose were Children's hymn book pg. 10 "Thank Thee For Every Thing" and pg. 20A "A Song of Thanks". Next here is the narrative:

1. A long time ago, over in the country of England, there was a king. His name was King James. He said, “Everyone must go to MY church.” Some of the people said, “We don’t want to go to his church. We like our own church.” Therefore, these people traveled to Holland to live. However, they were not happy there. They wanted to go to the New World.
The New World was named America. These people were called the Pilgrims. They all got on the ship, which was called the Mayflower. There were men women and children. There was even a little cat. They traveled on the ocean for many many days.
2. It was a terrible trip. The waves were big. There were too many people on the ship. Many of the people were sick. A baby was even born during the trip and the Pilgrims gave thanks to God. They were excited about traveling to a New World where they could go to church they liked.
3. Finally, the Mayflower reached the New World. There were no friends there waiting to meet the Pilgrims. There were not even houses for them to live in. There were no church buildings for them to meet in together. In addition, there was not enough food to eat. It was winter and it was very cold. The snow came down and covered everything. Still the Pilgrims were happy to be in the New World where they could go to the church they choose.
4. Some of the men got into a little boat. They rowed and rowed until they found a little harbor. They said, “This will be a good place to live.” There was a big rock at the shore. The place was named Plymouth Rock. It was a very hard winter. Many Pilgrims got sick because of the cold and wet weather. Moreover, many Pilgrims were hungry. Some of them even died. Nevertheless, they were not sad they had come to live in the New World.
5. Finally, spring came and the snow melted. It was time to go to work. They needed to build better houses to live in and to plant gardens for food. The Pilgrims needed help. An Indian named Squanto came and taught them how to plant seeds in this new world. They planted corn, squash, and other good seeds. Squanto taught them how to fish and to hunt. He showed them how to use animal skins for clothing and in their homes.
6. Everyone worked. Cabins were built and a small church was built. More Pilgrims came from England. More Indians came from the woods to help.
7. Summer came and the crops grew tall. Then the summer was over and it was time to gather the crops into the storehouse and prepare for the winter. The pilgrims were glad they had built warm cabins before the winter snows would come again. Their leader said,” The Lord has been good to us. We will have a day of Thanksgiving.”
8. They invited the Indians to a feast. Everyone ate and ate and ate… For three days they ate. They gave thanks for the good food, their new homes and new friends, the Indians. That was the very first Thanksgiving in this New World, America

Hope y'all like this one. I love the yahoo group that I joined. It is a great tool.

Hatch Patch Creations

This past week we had FHE with another family and she prepared the lesson. It was great. She had these great visual aids and I thought I have to have those. I asked where she got them and well there is the web site. http://www.hatchpatchcreations.com/ You can go to their webs site and print a lesson for free. It is great. They give you a story, picture sheets, a game, a scripture and a treat recipe. They have so many great topics. I can't wait to buy a bunch. They are copyrighted so please don't copy them for your friends but this site is a wonderful tool. Print out the free one they offer and see for yourself.

The Prayer Train

This next week I am going to have FHE on "How to Pray" Annabella is 21 months and she is learning to say the prayer, so I thought that this would be a great lesson.

I am going to use for the songs: We bow our heads (Children's Song Book pg. 25A) and I pray in faith (Children's Song Book pg. 14)

I thought that we would talk about prayer from the bible dictionary (under prayer) about talking to Heavenly Father because we are his literal children, then talk about that order of prayer and what we do with our body. I have the prayer train attached. I hope that you like it.

(if you click on each of the images and look at it bigger you can then save it to your computer to print out if you would like.)

(This wasn't my idea check out Natalie's Family Home Evening blog see in the month of January)

Plan of Salvation Lesson

So we had an FHE on the Plan of Salvation, two weeks ago and my mom said, "isn't she too young for that?" I in turn told her that I thought that it's never too early to tell her that she wants to go live with Heavenly Father in the Sun, Celestial Kingdom. She really enjoyed that we use the pieces like a puzzle and of course she loved that there was a sun, moon, and star. I have the chart hanging on the wall in the house and she says to me "live in the sun" I always say thats right Annabella we want to live in the sun with Heavenly Father. I saw this lesson on line at about.com. Here is the link to the lesson that I used, Rachel Woods-lds.about.com . There are a few options like do you want it in color or black and white you know things like that . I used the plan of salvation:color and the plan of salvation chart (visual aid). Of course I loved the visual aids and enjoyed laminating them so we can keep them for a long time and also Annabella can't tear the paper right away and she enjoys playing with the pictures.

Keeping a Family History

I know like most of us we want to keep a family history and well we don't. Not because we don't want to but because we are so busy in life that things fall into the cracks. My sister gave me this book Called Family Fun Ideas for Family Home Evening vol.1 and in it was this great lesson about keeping a Family History and/or a Family Journal. They had an example of a Family newsletter that would act as your family home evening conducting sheet as well as a family history. So I took this idea and expanded on the news letter idea and added what I wanted for my family as well as a back side to the newsletter. The lesson also talked about everyone in the family filling it out so that they can express there views on the family happenings, as well as keeping a record of their handwriting. I was really excited about this because some of the advise that we get in the church is to keep a record of your family home evenings, like taking minutes, and recording your lessons. Well this is perfect for my family. Every FHE now we are talking about our activities for the week as well as recording them and we are talking about family goals as well as having a lesson. I am going to attach a picture of the newsletter that I designed for our family. I am eventually going to take the pages and have Kinko's or some place bind the pages and make books. I hope that my children will love this when they get older and love the memories that we record. I also hope that we as a family keep this great tool going for years.

More Family Home Evening Ideas

Well I have decided that I want to share my Family Home Evening ideas and lessons, as well as visual aids. Now I am not taking credit for the lessons, I will post where I got the lessons from if I can. I just wanted to share the things that are working for my family right now. I hope that some of these things will help your families.