Teaching "When I Am Baptized" - Baptism/Repentance Object Lessons 6/2

June's song is one of my favorites - "When I Am Baptized".  To introduce it, I'd really like to use a powerful object lesson that will hit home to them.  Here is what I settled on:

1. My favorite so far is from Susan Fitch Design HERE: Laminate a picture of a child.  As you talk about sins or mistakes, add chocolate pudding (I've also heard of using Cheese Whiz or peanut butter) to the picture.  Then, using paper towels marked 'BAPTISM', let the kids clean off a little more each time the song is practiced until the picture is clean (they loved this one!!!).

I also made a 'rain chart' for the chorus that's been going around the Facebook group.  For Sr. Primary, I removed all the raindrops and placed them around the room (I put star stickers underneath so they will end up in the right pattern).  The kids took turns, a class at a time, picking a raindrop and then trying to place it in the right spot while we sung.

 

 

The rainbow is from my St. Patrick's Day Singing time.  The raindrops are printed straight from Sunbeam Singing HERE.

 

 

I also printed THIS flipchart from Chandelyn Radley (posted in the FB group).

Some other repentance/baptism ideas I found:

2. Bring a hard boiled egg.  Talk about mistakes and sins we make, and color on the egg with crayon for each one until it is all covered.  Then, each time the kids sing the song, peel a piece of the egg off to reveal the clean white egg inside.

I love this idea in THEORY, but my eggs NEVER peel easily.  Plus, sometimes the inside is discolored, and I don't think the kids would see a colored egg as 'bad' since they are so fun at Easter time.  But it's an idea.

3. Idea found HERE: Begin by having some water in the pie pan. Sprinkle pepper into the pan as you talk about how sinning can make us feel sad and unclean. Hold up the bar of soap and ask what the purpose of soap is. (Answer: to clean). Explain that repentance is like this bar of soap. When we repent (place tip of the soap into the peppered water), all of our sins are washed away (when the soap goes in the water, the pepper moves AWAY from the soap). D&C 58:42 - Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. *This is a really neat visual and works best in a small classroom where people can gather around the table to watch. *It can actually be used for other lessons. The water can represent the world and the pepper can represent all the evil in the world. And we need to be examples (represented by the soap).

4. Here is a classic: 1. Show a bottle of clear water. 2. Then add a couple of drops of food coloring to the water. 3. Now pour bleach in the bottle, which will turn the water clear again. Lesson Application: 1. We come to this earth sinless. 2. As we progress, each of us sins and it marks our souls. 3. However, through repentance our souls can become clean again. I believe that if you put vinegar in the water before you add food coloring, the bleach works better. Here is what you do. You start with clean water and you put a couple of tablespoons of vinegar in it first. Then you add the food coloring to the water to represent sin or mistakes or whatever. Then you add some bleach, and POOF! The water turns back clear again just like that. (repentance, atonement, etc.) This also works wonderful for a giving a talk at a baptism too. Theresa, in Kennewick, WA Source: http://www.eprimary.dk/

5. Follow Camille's ideas about how the song SOUNDS like rainbows and rain (staccato on chorus); use arms to follow the 'rainbow' of each line's tune (much better explanations HERE, would love to do the ribbon wands but don't want to spend the $$!)