Paper Orchestra, Paper Snowballs

I've been wanting to try the infamous Paper Orchestra for ages.  Keep the kids entertained with a single piece of blank white paper!?  Yes please!!  Many ideas are out there for this activity, here are my favorites, from SugarDoodle HERE.

1. Roll the paper into a tube.  'Toot' one of the verses or lines of the song or the chorus.  Rotate which part you 'toot' so that the whole song is sung.
2. 'Snap' the paper - without tearing it - by holding the sheet loosely and then pulling taut.  Great for "Popcorn Popping" 242.
3. Put the paper on your knees and slap it, tickle it, or rub it to make different noises
4. Clap to the beat of the song with the paper in between hands with palms together; try to keep the paper airborne between claps.
5. 'Do as I'm Doing' - let the kids make up ways to use the paper.
6. Crumple paper only on certain words.
At the end, if you do this activity in the winter, have the kids write their favorite song on the paper, crumple it up, and throw a 'paper snowball' at you.  Then pick a snowball to sing!

Echo Ed

My son participates in a great music class that is part of the "Let's Play Music" program.  One tool his instructor has used could easily be adapted to help review/parrot songs for learning:

 

Ed: "Hello!"

Children: "Hello!"

Ed: "Would you like to echo with me?"

Children: "Would you like to echo with me?"

 

Then sing whatever line(s) needs work, and have the kids sing it right back to you.  At the end, make sure you have Ed say "Thanks for echoing!  Bye Bye!"

 

I have been surprised at how well this works for the kids EVERY SINGLE WEEK.  They are always excited to Echo with Ed!!!

2014 Manual/Song List Available Now!

I was so excited today to see that the 2014 Manual - Families Are Forever - and Song List has been released!!!  You can see them at:

Manual: http://www.lds.org/manual/2014-outline-for-sharing-time-families-are-forever?lang=eng
Songs: http://www.lds.org/manual/2014-outline-for-sharing-time-families-are-forever/how-to-use-music-in-primary?lang=eng

The songs include:

January: He Sent His Son (34-35)

February: I Will Follow God's Plan (164-65)

March: I Stand All Amazed (193 of Hymns)

April: The Family is of God (outline)

July: Baptism (100-101)

August: Seek the Lord Early (108)

Program Song Format/Schedule

I had someone write in asking how we are performing our songs during the Primary Program.  Here is the list that our Primary Presidency put together (with input from the music side!):

1^st Song :  “I Am A Child of God”

                   1^st verse and chorus in English.

                   Then, two Sr. Primary Classes sing the first verse again in     SPANISH; ALL sing the chorus in English

                   4^th Verse in English

                   Sign Language during Chorus

2^nd Song:  “My Heavenly Father Loves Me”, both verses, with VIOLA                                     

3^rd Song:  “If the Savior Stood Beside Me”, all three verses.  One of my Sr. Primary Classes will be doing sign language for all 3 verses.

4^th Song:  “The Church of Jesus Christ” One verse

5^th Song:    “I Want to Live the Gospel” One Verse                                                 

6^th Song:    “When I Am Baptized” Both verses, with VIOLA                                 

7^th Song:  “Families Can Be Together Forever” Both Verses

8^th Song:  “A Child's Prayer” 1^st verse, 2^nd verse, then together with Teachers singing 2^nd verse

9^th Song:  “Keep the Commandments”  1 Verse

10^th Song:  “I Want to Be a Missionary Now” 3 verses                                                   

11^th Song :  “I Am A Child of God”, 1^st verse only, with congregation

Turkey Bowling

Yes, this is far in advance.  BUT, how much fun would it be to combine the Song Bowling activity I posted HERE but decorate the pins to look like turkeys for Thanksgiving?  Make sure some of the pins require the kids to say something they are thankful for, or that the kids have to express gratitude before trying to knock down those turkeys!

Singing Monsters

How cute are these tissue box monsters from http://gigglesgalore.net/tattle-monster/?  Make a few for your kids, then borrow them back for singing time.  One monster could hold song names, another could hold ways to sing (appropriate for Sunday, no mummy walking), another could hold a number of notes to be played for name-that-tune, etc.

Silly Hat

Our previous chorister loved to use this SILLY HAT.  Tell the kids that if their class sings the LOUDEST/BEST, their teacher gets to wear the silly hat for the next song.  They would work really hard to make sure those burly men got their turn wearing the hat!

Halloween Singing Time Ideas - Decorating Pumpkin, Marvin the Musical Monster

I think we have to be a little careful about Halloween singing time - it's not really appropriate to bring witches and goblins into Primary, in my opinion!  But, I came up with a couple of ideas for October that I may implement:

Decorate the Jack-O-Lantern: Bring a real pumpkin, with some squares of Velcro in the spot of the eyes, nose, and mouth.  Make face parts out of felt or foam (samples HERE and HERE).  Have songs written on each part and let the kids take turns picking songs and decorating the pumpkin.

All images from: http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/10/15/mix-and-match-jack-o-lantern-faces/

 

Our previous chorister used this Melissa & Doug Monster Puppet toy (I happen to have the same one) and named him Marvin the Musical Monster.  The kids loved decorating him.

 

 

Back to School

Pamela Bodell Hicks posted these darling "Back to School" ways to sing on the Facebook Group!  If you haven't joined the "LDS Primary Choristers" group on Facebook, you should - it's a great resource!!!

BACK TO SCHOOL SINGING REVIEW

ERASER: “Erase" (don’t sing) the words “Family or families” and “Forever” in the song Families Can Be Together Forever. 

GLUE: Everyone Glue your legs together and your arms to your sides so you hold really still and balance a book on Finders head while we sing I Want to Be a Missionary Now.

MARKERS: Only sing If the Savior Stood Beside Me when you are wearing the same color as the marker that is held up.

RULER: Measure the volume as we sing I Am a Child of God.  Point to 1 inch for softer up to 12 inches for louder in your best SINGING voice.

CALCULATOR: Count how many times we sing the words

Jr—“commandments” in Keep the Commandments

Sr-- “I” in I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ

PENCIL: Write with your hands (actions) to the song My Heavenly Father Loves Me.

SCISSORS: Sing When I am Baptized legato (smoothly) as if it were a piece of paper for the verse.  Then when we sing the chorus, cut it up by singing staccato (choppy).

SHARPENER: Sharpen the song by enunciating each word for A Child’s Prayer.

PREP: Gather the following items: backpack, eraser, glue, book, markers, ruler, calculator, pencil, scissors, sharpener.

Tape the instructions on all the items except the backpack (that's just for holding everything).

Before primary, hide the 8 objects around the room.

ACTIVITY: Tell the kids you need help getting ready for school and need to find your school supplies.  Have the primary help you find the hidden items.  As they are found, follow the instructions taped on and place them into the backpack.

Review Game: TROUBLE Name That Tune

- Bring a TROUBLE board

- The kids take turns POPPING the dome to roll the dice (no chasing the dice down the aisles!!)

- The number they get tells the pianist HOW MANY NOTES to play for NAME-THAT-TUNE.

PB&J Prayer Sandwich to introduce " A Child's Prayer"

Bev Brierly shared this link from Little LDS Ideas with our facebook group, and I think it's a great idea to introduce August's Song! 

(Adapted only slightly from Little LDS Ideas)

PB&J Prayer Sandwich

Tell the children that today you are going to be making a PB&J Prayer Sandwich.

 

Show the children the first piece of bread. Ask them ‘How do we begin our prayers? The first piece of bread is for 'Dear Heavenly Father’. Lay the piece of bread on a plate and have everyone repeat ‘Dear Heavenly Father’.

 

Now, ask if anyone knows what comes next.

 

The Jelly! Use the jelly to represent: 'We Thank Thee.’

 

But instead of putting on a lot of jelly just put on a tiny little glob.

 

Ask the children if that is enough. They’ll obviously say NO!

 

Explain that when we pray we need to remember to thank Heavenly Father for ALL of our many blessings. We want Heavenly Father to know that we appreciate all that He has given to us, so we need to remember to Thank Him.  As the children suggest things to thank the Lord for, add more jelly.

 

The next step in our PB&J Sandwich is the PB!

 The peanut butter represents: 'We Ask Thee'. Again, ask the children for things they might ask for and as they give you ideas, add more PB.

And the last part of our PB&J Prayer sandwich is the piece of bread which represents: 'In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen'.