Inkablinka

Our birthday songs that we sing each week were starting to feel a little tired, so I made a little cake to help us learn “Your Happy Birthday” (CS 283). Each line is supposed to look like a layer of frosted cake. The candle wicks are just pieces of yarn I taped to the strips of paper.

On the back of each candle I wrote a way for us to sing (found here). The youngest birthday child will get to choose the candle we sing from.

WHADDALYATCHIE
While singing the Birthday song (songs on pages 283, 284 of CS work well for this), do the actions to whaddalyatchie; slap your lap with both hands twice, clap hands twice, then cross hands over each other twice. Repeat these actions through the song. When you reach the end where you sing, “Happy Birthday to You”, change the motion to: slap thighs, clap hands then point to the birthday person(s) and SMILE and sing Happy Birthday to you! (idea adapted from Primary Music Workshop)

MAKE A BIRTHDAY CAKE
Select children to represent the number of years the birthday child is old. (For example, if the child is turning 8, select 8 children to stand up.) Instruct those children to put their palms together (like praying), raise them up above their heads and wiggle their fingers to make the actions of a flame. They are the candles on the primary cake and they are flickering (with their fingers). Invite the rest of the primary to stand. Instruct them to pay attention. When we get to the part of the song where we sing, “Happy Birthday”, they are all to sit down, leaving the candle children standing, flickering. This will represent a birthday cake. At the end of the song, everyone repeats, “Happy Birthday!” and the Birthday child takes a deep breath in and “blows” his/her candles out. The children put their hands down to their side when they are “blown” out. (idea adapted from Primary Music Workshop)

WHISPER SING
Start out the birthday song by singing it in a whisper, clapping to the rhythm of the song. As you sing, increase the volume and melodic sound until at last you belt out with enthusiasm, “Happy Birthday to You!” (idea adapted from Primary Music Workshop)

I made a fun singing motivator out of an empty #10 can and a hand puppet.

After cleaning and drying the can well, I removed the bottom of the can with a can opener.

Then, using an exact-o knife I cut pie-shaped slits in the plastic lid. Tell the children a special friend will come out and sing with them as they do their very best. When they are doing very well, gradually nose up the puppet until it is completely out and singing along with the children. This would also make a great visual when singing “Lift Up Your Voice and Sing” (CS 252).

The cans make good drums, and also have a great washboard sound when you run a mallet across the outside ridges. I might try using them as instruments next time we sing pioneer songs.

Our primary is singing “I Know that My Savior Loves Me” in Sacrament Meeting on the 21st. In order to inform parents, and to remind the children to practice at home with their CD’s, I made a hand hand-out. You can download a blank one here. To add the ribbon, cut 2 slits low on the pointer finger with an exacto knife, slide ribbon or yarn through, and tie.

Last week’s introduction to Follow the Prophet went pretty well. I used empty tomato sauce cans instead of my buckets, because they were easier to slide around. The children loved trying to find the different objects under the cans, and we were able to happily repeat each verse several times as we did so. Just for fun, I had everyone stand up and “walk like egyptians” for the chorus. It was a hoot.

I have prepared just three more verses of this song to learn. For the Moses verse, I have the following objects:

miniature envelope: sent to Israel
leash made from ribbon, a brad and an eyelet: He would lead them
turtle: they were slow to listen
40 paper circle: they were in the wilderness for 40 years

I used a coloring page of Jonah for this verse, found here. Here is another great coloring page if you need a whale.

My objects are:

Barbie shoe: tried to run away
Potato head ear: he later learned to listen and obey
Train engine: When we really try (it’s the little engine that could – I think I can! I think I can!)
Whale: deep down inside the whale

My last verse:

green ball: a world (use your imagination , folks! 😉
remote: go and watch the news
go sign: we can get direction
President Monson photo: If we heed the prophet

To introduce the song, I am going to begin by talking a little about prophets, who they are, why we need them, etc. I’ll also share the following tidbit:

The composer of “Follow the Prophet”, Duane Hiatt, tells a story about what inspired him as he was working on this song. In the book, Favorite Songs for LDS Children, he relates the following: Brother Hiatt was going through a very difficult time in his life when he was asked to write a “fun” song about the Old Testament prophets. He prayed to know what to do, and was “…reminded of Stillman Pond, a noble pioneer who buried nine of his eleven children, and then his wife, Maria, as they crossed the plains. He himself was so sick he could not sit up in the wagon. How did he see to drive? He peered through a knothole in the dashboard of his wagon, which gave him just enough perspective to distinguish the tracks of those who had gone before him, including President Brigham Young. I have often pondered what he must have been thinking during those difficult times: I have a testimony of the gospel. But I am so sad…so sick. How can I go on? I will keep my eye on the tracks ahead of me. Step by step, I will follow the prophet.”

I will then show a picture of Adam and Eve, and explain that Adam was God’s first prophet on the earth. Since the very beginning, God has given us prophets to show us the way to go to be happy. I’ll then sing the first verse of Follow the Prophet, and bring out my upside down buckets (clean, empty tomato sauce cans would would work great, too) and little objects that go with the verse. (I just raided my kid’s toybox for most of the items.)

For the junior primary I plan on explaining what each little object refers to. We’ll see how that goes, and then I may have the sr primary try and figure out what line in the song the object belongs to. They are not all obvious, so it will be a challenge.

These are the objects and what they refer to:

The 1 craft punch: “first one that we know”
the flower: “in a place called Eden he helped things to grow”
“serving” spoon: “Adam served the Lord”
modern day girl: “we are his descendants in the latter days”

I will then put each object underneath a bucket, and mix them all up. We will sing the first line while a child comes up and tries to find the craft punch. We will keep singing until it is found, and once located I’ll put it up high where everyone can see (I think I am going to put sticky magnets on the back of the lighter things, and I will put adhesive velcro on strong button magnets for the heavier objects.) We will continue this with each line and object until they are all up and in order.

Here are the objects for the second verse about Enoch.

doughnut: “he taught what was good” (the gospel is sweet and good. ya know. like a doughnut.)
pipe cleaner halo: “people in his city did just what they should”
unblemished fabric: “that there was no sin”
cotton ball cloud: “Heavenly Father took them up to live with Him.”

Here are the objects for the third verse about Noah.

mini book of scriptures made from cardstock and paper: “the word”
mini paper megaphone: “tried to cry repentance” (I will put this up to my lips and cry “repent! repent!” to demonstrate Noah preaching repentance)
busy bee: “they were busy sinning”
blue glass pebble: “rain”

I will continue to post the remaining verses and objects that go with them. Be creative and use what you have on hand, or what you can make from simple craft supplies. These items will be fun to use in review, trying to remember which object goes with which verse.

Let me know if you use this idea, or how you changed it to make it better! I’d love to know how it goes in your primary. 🙂

I found this flexible flower at Target in the dollar bins. It is a fun visual aid for “In the Leafy Treetops” or the 2nd verse of “Give Said the Little Stream”, because you can make it lift and lower it’s head. It is also a fun conducting “baton” for a child.

I made one of these “chicks in a basket” crafts a few years ago. I have since lost it after several moves, but I am thinking of making another one for all the sweet springtime and bird songs in the Children’s Songbook. It is very easy to make – a glove sticking up from a basket. You can stick your fingers through the bottom of the basket and into the glove, then wiggle them around as you sing the song. The junior primary is enchanted by this. Here is the how-to from Family Fun.

I made these signs to help the transition period when the senior primary joins the junior primary for our combined intermediate exercises. The senior primary was having a hard time coming in reverently. There was a lot of noise and bustle as they came in and found their seats.

Now, as soon as the presidency member finishes her sharing time, the pianist begins playing either the reverence song that we will be singing at the beginning of intermediate exercises, or another song that I want the children to become more familiar with. I hold up one sign at a time, changing them every line or so, and we all hum or sing lu lu lu or whatever, as the senior primary files in. I try and catch their attention as soon as they walk in, so they see they are expected to participate and come in and find a seat reverently. It’s been working quite well. I keep these in the large front pocket of my apron, so they are right at my fingertips when I need them.

I love bringing fun instruments into primary from time to time. I have pipe chimes, finger cymbals, maracas, and these jingle bell bracelets.

They are very easy to put together, and the colors of the pipe cleaners make them really festive and fun. Just thread one end of a pipe cleaner into the little loop on the bell. Thread 3 or 4 bells on, depending on their size and jingley-ness.

Then take a second pipe cleaner and twist around the first, going around the bells to keep them in place.

Then twist the ends of the pipe cleaners together, tucking in the metal ends as best as you can. I remind the children when I pass these out that there may be a pokey end on them, so to be extra careful.

These are really fun to use when singing the chorus of “Follow the Prophet”. I demonstrate how to hold the jingle bracelet quietly still during the verse, then I have the children follow my lead during the chorus as I jingle the bracelet to the left, to the right, up high, down low, in a circle…

One of my must-haves as primary chorister is my singing time apron. I bought a cheap plain apron, then sewed squares of fabric to the front to make pockets for storing visual aids, musical instruments, reverence incentives, whatever I might need. There are 5 pockets in all, and I could probably use more – but this usually is sufficient.