We had a lot of fun this week as I taught the kids the first verse of "Every Star Is Different." I never sang this song as a kid but I love its message. Before introducing the lyrics to the junior kids, I asked them to raise their hands to answer certain questions, e.g. "Do you know anyone who is tall?" "Do you know anyone who is funny?" "Do you know anyone who is nice?" "Do you know anyone who is not so nice?" "Do you know anyone who has brown hair?" "Do you know anyone who sits in a wheelchair?" etc. etc. Then we talked about how everyone is different, how we all have different personalities and we often look different, have different colored skin or hair or different types of bodies, but Heavenly Father loves all of us and we are all His children.
For the senior Primary, I read them the lyrics of the first verse and asked them what they thought it meant. I got answers like "be yourself," "follow your heart" (I loved that one and had to stifle a laugh), "you're important." I told them I loved all their answers and thought maybe they could apply it to other people too. Everyone is special and important and different. Even if we meet someone we don't get along with, we should still be kind. We don't have to be best friends with them, but we should try to understand them and always be kind because Heavenly Father and Jesus love all of us.
As far as how to teach the kids the actual song, I was inspired late the night before by the remix of the song on this YouTube video.
We did one of my favorite singing time activities, Keep the Beat. For senior Primary, I divided the kids into 4 groups, gave them each a line of the song and had them make up a beat for it. It kind of turned into made-up actions instead for most of the lines. Here's what the kids came up with:
Every star is different (hands do "popcorn popping" motion up in the air 3 x)
And so is every child. (pat left side of chest with right hand 3 x)
Some are bright and happy (pump arms in air 3 x)
And some are meek and mild. (Charles dance step--the one with hands crossing back and forth over knees)
Everyone is needed / for just what he can do. (a variation of the Macarena here--left arm out, right arm out, cross left arm to right shoulder, cross right arm to left shoulder. repeat for second half of line)
You're the only person (pat head and rub stomach)
Who ever can be you. (flap arms like chicken wings)
The kids loved it and it was really fun to do. They sang beautifully.
In junior Primary, we actually didn't have much time so I just taught them the words by repeating each line over and over--having them echo me--first we just said the words, then later sang them. Both with singing and speaking, we alternated clapping and slapping hands on their laps. Next week when we review the verse, I think I will teach them the actions the senior Primary came up with.
Also next week I plan to teach them the chorus. I think for both junior and senior I will keep it very simple and just do a beat like the one in the remix video above--long, long, short long. No idea if that makes sense. We'll either alternate lap-clap lap-clap, or stomp-clap stomp-clap. Anyway, then we'll do the second verse either with the same actions as the first verse, or maybe new ones if they want to.
This is a really great song and I think it will become a staple of our Primary.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
As a Child of God - simplified ASL
New year, new resolution to post every week! Really! This time I really will!
This is what I am planning to do today. I have used a few ASL signs here and there on past songs ("When I Am Baptized" and "My Mother Dear") but despite the many hours spent watching Signing Time videos when my kids were toddlers, I am really not very familiar with the language, although I love it. This is a very simplified ASL version of "As a Child of God" posted by another chorister. I think the senior Primary will be really good with it and I am hoping the juniors like it too.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
New Year's Day
I was out of town on New Year's Day so my "assistant chorister," who is AWESOME, did singing time. Here is a very brief recap of what she told me she did--including some "junior Primary" songs for the senior Primary, complete with "When We're Helping" sung opera style and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Swedish. It sounds like it was really fun!
The suggestions in the JanuaryFriend for making a great 2012 are read your scriptures, move your body, tell your family you love them, serve someone once a week, and make a new friend. We sang the "It is fun to have a friend who will play with you" song, which I didn't figure they knew but it's pretty simple and they picked it up quickly, "When we're helping," "If I Listen with my Heart," etc.
I had a couple songs ready for when I'd want to sing a different one for Junior and Senior Primary, but I ended up singing the younger-kid-geared songs with the older kids anyway. I did have Senior Primary open their Books of Mormon to the contents page and sing the books a few times (getting faster each time), because the older kids are studying the Book of Mormon this year. Some of them knew the song already, but I think they enjoyed it. ...
One thing we didn't do that you may want to do next week is make sure to sing the welcome song to all the new teachers in Primary. So many people were traveling this week that next week would be better, anyway, but I felt bad we didn't even really recognize the new adults (there was a lot going on). They would probably appreciate it.
My goals for this year in Primary are:
1) Feel the Spirit
2) HAVE FUN!
I think we are well on our way :)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Popcorn Popping
I came across some notes from a singing time I did sometime in the past year. It didn't take the whole singing time, maybe 5 minutes, 10 tops, but was a fun exercise in dynamics and getting the wiggles out. I guess I must have done it when I had a singing time activity that wasn't going to take very long.
For once this is actually all me (I "borrow" ideas from blogs all the time!!). I talked to the kids about dynamics and how they could look at the way I was moving my arms to know whether they should sing loudly or softly. We also talked about how my arms would tell them when to stop singing and when to start again.
We sang through Popcorn Popping (actions included, of course--for the kids anyway, since they were supposed to watch my arms) with differing dynamics. For the first few lines I conducted with tiny movements and crouched down a little, and we almost whispered the song. Then I moved my arms wide, back and forth and up and down and got into it with my body too, and we sang it loudly ("Never Louder Than Lovely" of course...although in my opinion it's hard to be too loud when singing. Screaming is too loud, otherwise the louder the better!). I love getting way into this with my body and the kids respond well to it too. I love watching conductors who really get into it at classical performances. I could never be a real conductor, since I lack all the training and most of the talent, but I always think it looks like so much fun.
Anyway, we did that a few times until we got to the line "A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet," at which point I cut them off and we all pretended to smell our popcorn ball with a deep breath in and out (in through the nose, out through the mouth). Then we sang the rest of the song.
It sounds totally corny (bahaha) but it was very fun and the kids loved it. We still sing "Popcorn" that way sometimes (pausing and smelling the popcorn ball) especially if they need to get wiggles out. I have my kids do deep breaths a lot--my own kids at home as well as the Primary kids--in order to calm down. Just kind of a fun, random way to incorporate it into singing time.
For once this is actually all me (I "borrow" ideas from blogs all the time!!). I talked to the kids about dynamics and how they could look at the way I was moving my arms to know whether they should sing loudly or softly. We also talked about how my arms would tell them when to stop singing and when to start again.
We sang through Popcorn Popping (actions included, of course--for the kids anyway, since they were supposed to watch my arms) with differing dynamics. For the first few lines I conducted with tiny movements and crouched down a little, and we almost whispered the song. Then I moved my arms wide, back and forth and up and down and got into it with my body too, and we sang it loudly ("Never Louder Than Lovely" of course...although in my opinion it's hard to be too loud when singing. Screaming is too loud, otherwise the louder the better!). I love getting way into this with my body and the kids respond well to it too. I love watching conductors who really get into it at classical performances. I could never be a real conductor, since I lack all the training and most of the talent, but I always think it looks like so much fun.
Anyway, we did that a few times until we got to the line "A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet," at which point I cut them off and we all pretended to smell our popcorn ball with a deep breath in and out (in through the nose, out through the mouth). Then we sang the rest of the song.
It sounds totally corny (bahaha) but it was very fun and the kids loved it. We still sing "Popcorn" that way sometimes (pausing and smelling the popcorn ball) especially if they need to get wiggles out. I have my kids do deep breaths a lot--my own kids at home as well as the Primary kids--in order to calm down. Just kind of a fun, random way to incorporate it into singing time.
Saturday Pictionary
Well, I'm trying. I think maybe I need to set an alarm on my phone to remind myself to post each week about what I did in singing time.
Have I said that already?
This week I planned to do a Halloween sort of thing, I had these paper jack-o-lanterns left over from last year and thought maybe I would do Spin the Teacher with them. (Spin the Teacher is a big favorite with my kids, an idea I got from The Crazy Chorister long ago.) But then I was checking my blog reader on Sunday morning and saw a new post from Camille's Primary Ideas about teaching the song "Saturday". I thought it sounded perfect so I blatantly copied it. The kids loved it! Some of them were familiar with the song already but practically none of them knew the actual words.
To sum up, I had slips of paper with lines from the song:
shine our shoes
Have I said that already?
This week I planned to do a Halloween sort of thing, I had these paper jack-o-lanterns left over from last year and thought maybe I would do Spin the Teacher with them. (Spin the Teacher is a big favorite with my kids, an idea I got from The Crazy Chorister long ago.) But then I was checking my blog reader on Sunday morning and saw a new post from Camille's Primary Ideas about teaching the song "Saturday". I thought it sounded perfect so I blatantly copied it. The kids loved it! Some of them were familiar with the song already but practically none of them knew the actual words.
To sum up, I had slips of paper with lines from the song:
clean the house
shop at the store
brush our clothes
trim our nails
shampoo our hair
and we basically played Pictionary. For Junior Primary I had the teachers come up and draw. For Senior Primary I had the kids draw. It was really fun.
In Junior Primary we sang the song a little at a time, over and over to really get it into their heads. For example, once we learned the lines about cleaning and shopping, we sang up to that point. Then when we learned the lines about brushing clothes and shining shoes, we sang again from the beginning up to that point. Etc. That took up all of singing time. For Senior Primary I didn't think we needed to sing it quite so many times, so we drew all the pictures before singing the song all the way through. Then we had a little time left over, so I chose kids to make up their own "chores" (they whispered them in my ear first to make sure they were appropriate) and draw them. Then we sang our own made-up verse.
Also, before we started in Senior Primary I asked all the kids who had their own Children's Songbooks to hold them up in the air. Then I pretended to collect them, and kids who didn't have Children's Songbooks also pretended to turn theirs in. It's great sometimes to have the kids have their own songbooks, but for something like Pictionary that kinda ruins the game.
Also, both Junior and Senior Primary got a kick out of pretending to shampoo their hair. That kind of surprised me but it was fun.
I love using the chalkboard because it's so simple and the kids love it. Definitely a successful day.
and we basically played Pictionary. For Junior Primary I had the teachers come up and draw. For Senior Primary I had the kids draw. It was really fun.
In Junior Primary we sang the song a little at a time, over and over to really get it into their heads. For example, once we learned the lines about cleaning and shopping, we sang up to that point. Then when we learned the lines about brushing clothes and shining shoes, we sang again from the beginning up to that point. Etc. That took up all of singing time. For Senior Primary I didn't think we needed to sing it quite so many times, so we drew all the pictures before singing the song all the way through. Then we had a little time left over, so I chose kids to make up their own "chores" (they whispered them in my ear first to make sure they were appropriate) and draw them. Then we sang our own made-up verse.
Also, before we started in Senior Primary I asked all the kids who had their own Children's Songbooks to hold them up in the air. Then I pretended to collect them, and kids who didn't have Children's Songbooks also pretended to turn theirs in. It's great sometimes to have the kids have their own songbooks, but for something like Pictionary that kinda ruins the game.
Also, both Junior and Senior Primary got a kick out of pretending to shampoo their hair. That kind of surprised me but it was fun.
I love using the chalkboard because it's so simple and the kids love it. Definitely a successful day.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Review: Chubby Bunny
Wow, I posted again! I am really going to try posting every week because I find great ideas, use them, and then have to re-invent the wheel every time because I forget everything I do.
Today's activity I found at Primary Singing Time by Matilda: Chubby Bunny.
Prep: get a bowl and a bag of s'more-sized marshmallows.
It's about as basic as it sounds: I wrote the names of the program songs on the board and told the kids we would run through them one by one. If they sang it PERFECTLY (I had very high standards for senior Primary in particular, including smiles, starting and ending at the right time, and standing up and sitting down), I would put a marshmallow in the bowl. Then at the end, I would put them all in my mouth and sing a song for them. Gross, right? The junior Primary thought it was HILARIOUS. I have never seen them laugh so hard, and my own little Sunbeam talked about it all afternoon.
The senior Primary weren't quite as visibly impressed in the beginning, probably having been to way more campouts than the junior Primary had. But they still sang their best and they even got after the kids who talked or sang the wrong words. I gave them all "second chances" if the song wasn't perfect the first time through, and they totally sang their hearts out. And they also laughed pretty hard at the end, although a few were disappointed that I was doing the marshmallows instead of them. I didn't want to deal with any kids choking or gagging, otherwise I may have let them.
I have to admit I have been feeling a little nervous lately. Our program is coming up in 3 weeks, and since next week is general conference we only have one Sunday left before the program. I had a baby in June and took 2 months off from church. I was thinking we were way behind. But we apparently made up for in it August and September because as of today, the kids have learned pretty much all the songs beautifully. I am so happy!
And totally embarrassed and grossed out that I sang "Popcorn Popping" (in its entirety, actions included) with my mouth full of marshmallows in front of all those people. But the kids loved it and they sang better than they ever have this year--so that's what matters, I guess!
Today's activity I found at Primary Singing Time by Matilda: Chubby Bunny.
Prep: get a bowl and a bag of s'more-sized marshmallows.
It's about as basic as it sounds: I wrote the names of the program songs on the board and told the kids we would run through them one by one. If they sang it PERFECTLY (I had very high standards for senior Primary in particular, including smiles, starting and ending at the right time, and standing up and sitting down), I would put a marshmallow in the bowl. Then at the end, I would put them all in my mouth and sing a song for them. Gross, right? The junior Primary thought it was HILARIOUS. I have never seen them laugh so hard, and my own little Sunbeam talked about it all afternoon.
The senior Primary weren't quite as visibly impressed in the beginning, probably having been to way more campouts than the junior Primary had. But they still sang their best and they even got after the kids who talked or sang the wrong words. I gave them all "second chances" if the song wasn't perfect the first time through, and they totally sang their hearts out. And they also laughed pretty hard at the end, although a few were disappointed that I was doing the marshmallows instead of them. I didn't want to deal with any kids choking or gagging, otherwise I may have let them.
I have to admit I have been feeling a little nervous lately. Our program is coming up in 3 weeks, and since next week is general conference we only have one Sunday left before the program. I had a baby in June and took 2 months off from church. I was thinking we were way behind. But we apparently made up for in it August and September because as of today, the kids have learned pretty much all the songs beautifully. I am so happy!
And totally embarrassed and grossed out that I sang "Popcorn Popping" (in its entirety, actions included) with my mouth full of marshmallows in front of all those people. But the kids loved it and they sang better than they ever have this year--so that's what matters, I guess!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I'll Walk with You & Chair Hopping
One of my favorite Primary songs has always been "I'll Walk with You" (p. 140). There wasn't space for it in our program, but I decided to teach it to our kids anyway. Not surprisingly, they love it too. My toddler and preschooler also love it and often request it. It's easy to learn and easy to remember, and it teaches a vital lesson about loving one another.
If you don't walk as most people do,Some people walk away from you.But I won't! I won't!If you don't talk as most people do,Some people talk and laugh at you.But I won't! I won't!I'll walk with you, I'll talk with you;That's how I'll show my love for you.Jesus walked away from none;He gave His love to everyone.So I will! I will!Jesus blessed all He could see,Then turned and said, "Come, follow me,"And I will! I will!I will! I will!I'll walk with you; I'll talk with you;That's how I'll show my love for you.
Back to the song. When I first taught it to the kids, we talked about being kind to everyone, regardless of whether they are able-bodied or not, clever or slower to learn, funny or annoying. It's easy to put labels on people, but once we get to know them we can learn to love them. We don't have to be best friends with everyone--but there's never any reason to be unkind to anyone.
My favorite way to sing this song is Chair Hopping, an idea which I think I found at Sugar Doodle. Chair Hopping works great for any song that repeats the same word or words several times--the first time we tried it was with "The Church of Jesus Christ," which repeats "I" and "I'll" several times. It also works with "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus," which repeats "I" and "I'm."
"I'll Walk with You" uses the words "I" and "you" over and over. So every time we sang the words "I" or "you," the kids would move chairs. To do this, make sure you have an extra chair at the end of each row. You can do either everyone goes left to right, then right to left; or everyone goes toward the aisle, then away from the aisle. The key is of course that everyone in a row should be moving in the same direction at the same time, or you will quickly have a dogpile! Senior Primary kids are great at this because they are disciplined enough and having enough fun with it to make it work perfectly.
As you sing, the first time a key word appears (in this case "If YOU don't walk...") the kids all move in the same direction so they're on an entirely different chair. The next time a key word appears ("some people walk away from YOU") they move back to the chair they started in. So it goes left, right, left, right, etc.
If YOU don't walk as most people do, some people walk away from YOU, but I won't! I won't! If YOU don't talk as most people do...etc. etc.
This game is really fun and everyone gets into it, even the teachers. It gets our blood moving and it makes us pay attention to the words...not to mention helps us remember the words in the future because we have been using our bodies along with our brains.
(Something to think about, of course, is that if you do have a child or children with special needs that impact mobility, this might not be the best activity for your Primary, unless you can think of ways to modify it that everyone is comfortable with.)
Chair Hopping is a bit much for the Junior Primary, so instead, I have them sing the song standing, and every time a key word appears they step from side to side while holding hands; or they can alternate standing up and sitting down when a key word appears.
Side note--we realized quickly that we should only move chairs on "I" and "you," NOT on "I'll," because moving on "I'll" is practically impossible since it's right next to "you." ("I won't! I won't! I'll walk with you, I'll talk with you...") Talk about dogpiles.
Lesson learned for me: I try to remind myself in difficult moments, if it seems like no one is absorbing anything: Love your kids (even if it takes some work...) and they will love you! (even if it takes some time.)
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