Happy One Year Blogoversary!! And another giveaway!

This last Saturday was my One year Blogoversary. I can't believe that's it's already been a year since I started this blog. I have really enjoyed this blog and I hope all of you have too.
I just want to say 'Thank You' to all of you. Thank you for your support and for visiting my blog, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. I had no idea that when I started it that a year later I would have so many followers. It is really exciting. :) And a BIG Thank you for all of your wonderful comments and emails. I read every single one and love hearing what you have to say.
So once again Thank You!! Because without all of you my blog wouldn't even be here. :)

Now for the other part of our celebration....A Giveaway!

A few weeks ago we had a guest post from Annie Campbell of 'Primary Angels'. Annie, being the kind woman she is, has decided to give away one of her DVD's to one Little LDS Ideas Reader.

Primary Angels is a step-by-step DVD. Created with primary teachers in mind who need guidance in working with special needs children.
Are you saying 'But I don't have any children in my Primary with special needs'. No worries, this DVD is great for all children.
For more information just check out Annie's website or blog: Primary Angels Website or Annie's Blog.

To Enter this Giveaway:
1. Just leave your Name & Email as a comment below.
Example: Sheena Perron; littleldsideas@hotmail.com

Want some extra entries??? Keep readin'.
2. Annie has a wonderful blog where she shares
ideas and successes she's had as a teacher and a Mother. So,
for another entry, show some love and become a follower of Annie's Blog: Here.
Example: Sheena Perron; I'm a follower of Annie's Blog!

3. This is kind of an announcement and an entry also. I finally
decided to start a Facebook page for Little LDS Ideas, Yah!
 So for another entry follow me on Facebook. I have a Facebook Link
on the left side of my blog, all you have to do is hit the 'Like' Button and you're a follower!!
If you don't have a Facebook account, just spread the word by email or on your blog and come
back and let me know. :)
Example: Sheena Perron: I 'Like' Little LDS Ideas
or
Sheena Perron: I spread the word on my blog/email.

Alright, so there's how to enter.
This giveaway will close Monday, January 31, 2011 at 12:00AM (MST).
The winner will be chosen by Random.org & announced on Tuesday, February 1st.

And just to remind you...make sure each of your entries is a seperate comment.

That's it! I want to tell Annie Thank you for this wonderful giveaway. I think any Primary Presidency could use this wonderful DVD. Good Luck everyone and have a wonderful week!

Scripture Bowl: 5th Sunday Review Game

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2011: I've added a link to the fonts that I used for my Scripture Bowl cards. Just download the fonts and you can make some of your own. :)

Here is what I've been working on the last few days. I hope you like it. :)

I've been trying to come up with some type of review game for the 5th Sunday that is coming up next week. I wasn't having much luck as far as ideas and then I remembered it is almost the end of January, and that means Super Bowl!

I'm not much of a football person. I actually know nothing about football. Maybe it's because we didn't have a football team in my High School, I went to a very very small school. :)

But since it's Football season I thought it would be fun to have a 'Scripture Bowl'.

You'll need a poster-board with a football field drawn on it (or print one off the internet). Make sure the yard lines are there, and label each yard line. Here is an example that I made on the computer:

Click Here to view/print my football field.

You'll also need 2 little football players and a small cut-out football.

You can find some Here.

**Pam Jones of Georgia shared some clipart that she created. Click each link to view/print.
Football Field (left side) & Football Field (right side)
Print each side of the field onto 2 pieces of cardstock and then glue/tape together.
Pam also made some adorable little football players. Click the link below to view/print.
Scripture Bowl Football Players

**Mindy of Reidhead Randomness has shared a picture (and instructions) of her football field and players.
She did a great job, so take a look, Here. Thanks Mindy for sharing!! :)

Here's a quick overview of the game:

Split the children into 2 teams and give each team a name: Nephites & Lamanites; B.E.A.R.S & The R.E.D.S; etc.
Have a scoreboard to keep score. Split it into 2 columns and label each side with the team names.

 Just like in the real game of football you want to have the most points by the end of the game. In order to score points the children must answer questions correctly in order to move toward their end zone for a Touchdown!! Anytime they reach their 'End Zone' they will receive 7 points. They can also kick a field goal which is worth 3 points (they can only do this by choosing a card with 'Field Goal' on it).

 The questions they will be answering are split into 3 categories. The different categories are: Brainiac, Singing Star, and Book Worm. Here is a little description of each category.

 Brainiac: These cards will have questions about the scriptures.

Singing Star: These cards will have songs that the children must sing/hum, finish the phrase, or Guess That Tune.

Book Worm: These cards will have a Gospel Art Kit Picture number and a brief description about the picture. You will read the card aloud. The child must find the picture that matches what you read and then tell you which book the story belongs in (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price).

**You could have the names of each book of the Standard Works posted somewhere. Have the children place the GAK picture under the book that that story is found in.

Some cards will have a starburst bubble with ‘T.P.’ or ‘2 TM’ on them. If one of these are chosen this is what will happen:

T.P. - Teacher Play; whoever picked this card will then get to pick a teacher to answer the question for his/her team. If answered correctly that team will get to move their player the amount of yards written on the card (or score).

2 TM- Two Team Play; whenever one of these cards is chosen both teams will play head to head. Read the card aloud and the first team to answer correctly gets to move/score the amount that is on the bottom of the card.
Example: Let's say that it's the 'B.E.A.R.'s' turn and they are at the 50 yard line. You choose a child to come up and pick a card and they pick the card below with the '2 TM' bubble on it. Announce to both teams that a 2 Team Challenge card has been picked. The child that picked the card and another child from the other team (the team can choose or you can just go in order) will play head to head. Either have them sit in their chairs or come to the front. Read them the card and the first to answer correctly will get to move their team's player the number of yards that is on the bottom of the card (this card: 10 Yards).
Since it was the B.E.A.R.S turn if they answer it correctly they will get to move 10 yards toward their End Zone. But if the other team answers correctly first it is considered an Interception. (this is explained below). The B.E.A.R.S will loose their turn and it will continue to be the other team's play until they score a Touchdown (7 pts.) or a field goal (3 pts.).

 Here is an example of what the cards look like:

The Fonts for the cards are from Kevin and Amanda and da Font.

Here are the names of the fonts I used. Just click on the name of the font to be taken to the download link.

For the Brainiac cards: (title) Clingy & (question) Miserably Lose

For the Book Worm cards: (title) Gentle Redhead & (question) Miserably Lose

For the Singing Star cards: (title) Howser & (question) Miserably Lose

The children will move their football player the amount of yards written on the card. If they answer the question correctly the next person on their team gets to come to the front and pick a card. The team gets to continue playing until they reach their end zone or until a card with 'Field Goal' or 'Touchdown' is chosen and answered correctly.

They only get to move their team player if they answer the question correctly.

If they answer the question incorrectly the other team gets a chance to 'Intercept' the question. If an 'Interception' takes place, you will then read the question aloud to the other team. They will have a chance to answer the question and if answered correctly they get to move their player (start from where the opposing team's player is on the field) the amount of yards that is on the bottom of the card. Then it is their turn again, unless they have scored. If no one answers the question correctlyl you can call it a 'Fumble' and it will continue to be the team's play that picked the card. You can have them stay where they are or pentalize them and have them move back a few yards.
Example: So, let's say the 'B.E.A.R.S are at the 30 Yard line headed toward their end zone and they answer a question incorrectly. INTERCEPTION!! You will then read the question to a R.E.D.'s player. If they answer correctly they will place their football player at the 30 yard line and move their player the amount of yards that is on the card toward their end zone.

Make sense???

You really don't have to play it the way I explain, you can get creative and play any way you want. But I have included instructions to help you out. :) I think this will be a really fun game and the children will have alot of fun. If you decide to use my 'Scripture Bowl' I would love to hear how it turned out.

Alright, I think that's everything. Well, I hope it is. haha

Click Here to view my 'Scripture Bowl Review Game'.

And our NEW winner is....

I feel really bad that I have to pick a new winner, but the winner never responded. So, I guess that means we have a NEW winner of some cute bottecap pendants from Just Be.
I've kept the post (below) the same, but have changed the winner's name.

It is always so hard for me to pick just one person...I wish I could give all of you some of these necklaces.

But remember Jen & Amber will be giving a discount to all Little LDS Idea readers if you are interested in ordering any of these for your Young Women.

Just send them an email at justbejewelry@gmail.com. and tell them that you saw the giveaway on Little LDS Ideas, and didn't win :(, but you would like to order some Bottlecap Pendants for your amazing Young Women.

Anyway....enough talking from me. I'm sure y'all are all dying to know who won. So here it goes...

Our New winner is:

Shannon Beltram

Congratulations Shannon! I will send you an email letting you know that you are our winner and all the information you need to know to receive your cute bottlecap necklaces.

Thanks again for entering another giveaway here at Little LDS Ideas. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all your support and wonderful comments.

And I want to give a big THANKS to Jen & Amber from Just Be for this wonderful giveaway.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

The winner was chosen by random.org

4th Week Sharing Time Idea for January: I Can Know the Scriptures Are True.

Sharing Time Idea from the 2011 Primary Sharing Time Outline:

ENCOURAGE UNDERSTANDING (singing a song): Bring one or more objects that the children can learn about using some of their five senses. For example, you could bring a fruit or a flower, or you could play some music. Give a few children a chance to see, smell, touch, taste, or hear what you have brought. (Consider doing this activity in small groups so every child has an opportunity to participate). Demonstrate that we can also see, touch, smell, and hear the scriptures, but to gain a testimony of them we need to receive a witness through the Spirit. Invite the children to sing, "Search, Ponder and Pray" (CS, 109). Ask them to listen, as they sing, for three things we can do to invite the Spirit to testify that the scriptures are true. Invite the children to create hand actions for the words search, ponder and pray. Repeat the song using the actions in place of these words.

ENCOURAGE APPLICATION (sharing feelings): Display a picture of Moroni, and read Moroni 10:4-5. Invite several children to share their feelings about the scriptures. They could also share what they have been doing to read the scriptures at home. (Ask a few children in advance so they have time to prepare). Encourage the children to share their testimonies of the scriptures with their parents at home.

Here is my idea for Week 4 of January

For this week's Sharing Time I am sharing 2 different ideas. When I first read this week's topic I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I looked all over on LDS.org, but I couldn't find anything that went along with gaining a testimony of the scriptures. I like what is in the outline, but wanted to find something to add to it.

I've been thinking of ideas all this week, but I decided to really get to work today and really focus on what I was going to share. This is what I came up with.

The first idea is very similar to what is given in the outline. You begin with the activity that is given, but I decide to include a little 'grab bag' type activity. The activity will help the children to better understand what it means to Search, Ponder, and Pray.

Then you end the Sharing Time with reading Moroni's Promise (Moroni 10:4-5).

For my other idea I shared an activity I called "Growing a Testimony of the Scriptures".

Just like a plant or flower our testimony needs to be fed and nourished. But we don't water or feed our testimony. What do we need to do to gain/grow a testimony of the scriptures?

The children will be growing a flower for this Sharing Time. You will have pieces to build a flower. On each piece you will have a scripture, a song, a story, a scenario or a question that has to do with 'growing' a testimony of the scriptures.

You can do this as a group activity or as a team activity.

If you do this as a team activity you could split the primary into 2 teams and let them build it as a group. Or you can do it as a race. Have the teams take turns picking a piece of the flower. If they choose a piece that talks about what they can do to gain a testimony of the scriptures they can add it to their team's flower. But if they choose a bad piece they can't add it to their flower.

The first team to complete their flower WINS!!

So that's it what do you think? And I'm actually posting my idea on time!! I am so on top of it. :) haha

And remember don't hesitate to send me an email if you have any questions or problems.

Click Here to view my 4th Week Sharing Time Idea for January.



Well, I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend and a great Sharing Time.

'Chews' to Believe: Memorizing the Articles of Faith

January 18, 2011: I've added a link to the Articles of Faith Punchcards, below. They are from Sugardoodle.

This year we decided to focus on Articles of Faith, since the children are supposed to have them memorized by the time they graduate Primary. But we had already done a punch card and a card that you put stickers on, so we wanted to do something new.

We looked around on the internet, but didn't come up with any new ideas. Then I remembered something my Primary leaders did when I was in Primary. I don't remember what we were memorizing, but I remember they had drawn a big gum ball machine onto a poster board, and whenever we did whatever it was we were doing that year we got to put a piece of bubble gum into the gum ball machine.

We all liked that idea, but how were we going to incorporate bubblegum with the Articles of Faith? My mind was blank.

Sunday morning our Primary President called me for a few things and she told me she had been thinking about the Articles of Faith and decided to go with the bubble gum machine. When I got to church this is what I saw...

Isn't that the cutest thing!?! I love the idea she came up with 'Chews to Believe'.

This is how it works:

We have the children say the Articles of Faith as a class during the beginning of Sharing Time, each week is a different class.

This last week we had the CTR 6 (Jr. Primary) class and the Valiant 9,10,& 11 (Sr.) say the 1st Article of Faith. Each child that was there got to add a gum ball and get a little piece of candy.

(On the first Sunday of the month we go over the new Article of Faith for that month. The last 3 weeks are assigned to a certain class.)

We are still working on what the children will get once the gum ball machine is full, but I thought it was a great idea, something new from punch cards.

We are using the little fuzzy balls, but you could also use different colored circle stickers as the gum balls.

If you are focusing on memorizing the scriptures of the month you could use this idea as well. Instead of the title being 'Chews to Believe' you could have 'Chews to Read', or something like that.

Individual Memorization with Punch Cards

Since we have them pass it off as a class during Sharing Time we wanted to give them a chance to pass each Article of Faith on their own. So the Primary President found some cute little punch cards (like THESE) and printed enough for each child. Then she seperated them by class and put them onto a ring.

On Sunday we announced to the children and teachers that during Sharing Time they will pass off each Article of Faith as a class, but will have time during class to pass each one on their own. We showed the cards to the children and then gave the teachers their classes group of punch cards.
Once they have passed off all 13 on their own, the will receive a big candy bar.

 Alright, that's it. I hope you like our idea. And if you use it I would love to see your gum ball machine and any changes you make.
Have a wonderful day!!

Oh, FYI I added a picture of our finished bulletin board, so take a look. :)

Primary Angels: Guest Post from Annie Campbell

Today on Little LDS Ideas we are having our very first 'Guest Post'. Annie Campbell from Primary Angels is here to talk to us today.
Let me ask you a question, Do you have any children in your Primary with special needs? Has it become more difficult to teach in Primary? If you answered 'yes' then you are going to love what Annie has to say. Annie is an amazing woman from Orem, UT that has some great information to share with all of us.
Enough babbling from me....I would like all of you to meet Annie Campbell.
Annie, take it away...
 

Thanks Sheena!  How about a little background on me?  Well, my husband and I have been married 10 years and we have 3 kids, one boy and two girls.  About 6 years ago we were informed that our oldest and only boy has Autism.  I went directly into "fixing" mode and learned everything I could to help our son.  I learned every therapy and teaching technique I could get me hands on and used it in our everyday lives.  Then a couple of years ago I was called to teach in primary.  I figured out that the same techniques I was using with my son would work in primary with "behavior" issues or special needs kids.  It was like a light bulb went on and since then I have been challenged with the so-called difficult classes. 

Then about two months ago, my husband and I decided to try and share some of our knowledge that took me 6 years to acquire.  What we came up with is Primary Angels-Tips for Teaching Primary Kids with Special Needs, DVD (http://www.primaryangels.com/).  The techniques I learned through years of training and volunteering in my son's schools, are so simple but effective.  The only difference between me and any other teacher is that I have a tool box full of tools to help with any situation.  The DVD gives a basic 5 step plan on how to help any child with special needs or behavior issues.  I also show examples of both how to reinforce and give children praise as well as talking to parents.  Just FYI, of the 7 children shown in the DVD, 5 of them have Autism. 

Finally, I always try to keep in mind three things.

1.  EVERY child is important to our Heavenly Father.

2.  Children can ALWAYS make improvements in behavior.

3.  My goal is to make primary a place where kids feel good about themselves and enjoying being there.

Thanks for having me!

3rd Week Sharing Time for January: The words of Christ will tell us all things we should do.

Before I share my 3rd week Sharing Time idea I wanted to let you know that we have a very busy week this week here on Little LDS Ideas.

Today:

I'm posting my Sharing Time Idea for week 3

AND

there is going to be a Guest Post!!

Later this week I will be posting:

Our finished bulletin board.

A really cute idea for memorizing Articles of Faith.

Our Giveaway Winner, yah!! (Friday)

And

Hopefully the Sharing Time idea for the 4th week.

So if you receive emails from Little LDS Ideas you'll be receiving quite a few this week, sorry. But read them, they'll be great!

I also have a question I'd like to ask all of you. A few months ago I had someone leave a comment asking if I had a Facebook page for Little LDS Ideas. I don't, but I've been thinking about that alot.

I was wondering if you would like it if I were to start a Little LDS Facebook account. Would it be more convenient for you? Do you check facebook more often than blogs? I would still keep my blog and update regularly with a facebook page on the side.

Just a question I thought I'd ask.

So let me know what you think and if you would like that.

Alright, now for my Sharing Time Idea.

The words of Christ will tell us all things we should do.

Here is what is in the Primary Sharing Time Outline:

ENCOURAGE UNDERSTANDING (seeing an object lesson): Blindfold a child. Have another child hold a picture of Jesus Christ somewhere in the Primary room. Have the blindfolded child try to locate the picture without any help. Repeat the activity, but this time ask two children to hold up a pole, rope, or string representing the iron rod that leads from the blindfolded child to the picture of Christ. Have the child follow the rope to the picture. Ask, "How is holding on to the rope like like reading the scriptures?" (See 1 Nephi 15:23-25).

Teach the children the chorus to "The Iron Rod" (Hymns, no. 274). Share a few examples from your life when the scriptures have taught you what you should do. Explain how following the teachings in the scriptures has helped you come closer to the Savior.

For this Sharing Time I have 2 different ideas that you could use. It's a really quick explanation, so I hope they both make sense. :)

My first idea is a scripture maze. You will need to create a large maze on a poster-board. In each intersection will be a scripture reference. The children will read the scripture references and then be asked a question. They will be given 2 answers. One answer (the correct one) will lead them in the right direction and the other answer (the wrong one) will lead them in the wrong direction.

The children will have to read the scriptures and listen to what they say to reach the end of the maze.

For the Second Idea I share a Scripture Hunt. It is just like a scavenger hunt, but you use the scriptures. Each clue has a scenario on it with a scripture reference. The children will have to read the scripture to figure out the answer the question. If answered correctly they will receive their next clue.

At the end you could have a treasure chest with a set of scriptures and a picture of Christ.

You could also have some little treats in the treasure chest.

You could get some Twizzlers and make a little note that says something about 'Holding to the Rod. The words of Christ will tell us all things we should do.'

Or you could make those really cute little chocolate scriptures from Sugardoodle found Here.

Or fill the box/treasure chest with some Hershey's Treasures (chocolates).

So there you go my idea for the 3rd week of January 2011. I hope you like it. If you have any questions just leave a comment or send me an email.

Click Here to view my 3rd Week Sharing Time Idea.

And be sure to stop by later today for my Guest Post from Annie Campbell.

She is going to be talking about Teaching children in Primary with special needs. She is going to be talking about her wonderful website and blog. So stop by. :)

Have a wonderful Day!!

Another Sharing Time idea for the 2nd Week of January: 'We are to feast upon the words of Christ.'

Update: I have updated my document for this Sharing Time Idea. It includes the questions I used this last Sunday and a little sign that I used also. I ended up changing the Jr. Primary a little because we were short on time and cupcakes :), Here is what I did:
I used the Primary President and the 1st counselor to help me with my Feast/nibble demonstration, which the children LOVED.
Then on a dry erase board I had a little sign that said 'We are to feast upon the words of Christ' and below that I had a picture of a girl reading the scriptures (it came from the Gospel Art Kit). Then on either side of the sign/picture I had 8 cupcake pictures numbered 1-8.
On the back of each cupcake I had the action word and scripture reference (from the outline) and some questions. I chose a child to come to the front and pick a cupcake, then I asked them the question on the back. The Jr. Primary wasn't too excited about acting out the clue, so you might just read the scripture to them and then ask the child what he/she thinks it means or you could have all of those a 'teacher play'. Have the child pick a teacher to act it out or draw it out.
At the end of the lesson I encouraged them to 'feast upon the words of Christ' and I told them I had a very special treat for them. I told them that I made each of them a mini cupcake and on each cupcake were some RED sprinkles. The RED sprinkles were to help them to remember to Read Every Day. I asked them to think about reading the scriptures as they ate their cupcake.
Then I gave them one of my Scrumptious Scripture Charts (link at the bottom of this post).

I actually didn't even have time to do this for Sr. Primary, but I was able to squeeze in the feast/nibble demonstration. The older children could not believe that they were eating cupcakes right in front of them and not sharing. haha
They were very excited to find out that they were going to get one as well.
So there you go, an updated version of my 2nd week Sharing Time idea. Hope it can help some of you out.
Have a great day!!
(Just click the link at the bottom of this post to view the document.)

So, last night I was looking through some lesson idea books that my Mom gave me over Christmas, when I saw this really neat idea. I read it and thought 'Oh, that sounds like fun'. But of course it didn't stop there. I began thinking of how I could use that for my Sharing time.

So, I have completely changed my Sharing Time for tomorrow and thought I would share it with all of you. I am really excited about this and think the children will have so much fun.

All week I've been thinking about my Sharing Time, and it just didn't seem right. I don't know if it was because I wasn't supposed to do the scripture cookie idea or if it was mainly my nerves; our Ward Conference is tomorrow and I am freaking out about doing Sharing Time in front of the Stake Primary Presidency. :) Whatever it was I wasn't completely happy with my idea. And then when I came across this last night and all these ideas came to me, I knew this was the one I should do.

I hope it makes sense because I woke up this morning and started typing away. And I've realized that sometimes I am really bad at explaining my ideas. If you have any questions just send me an email or leave a comment and I will try to respond ASAP.

Alright, here is my other idea for the 2nd Week of January, hope you like it.

Click Here to view my idea for the 2nd Week of Jan. Sharing Time.

Click Here to view my Scrumptious Scripture Study Chart.

Another Giveaway!!

I am excited to announce we are having another giveaway here on Little LDS Ideas.

Jen & Amber of Just Be are best friends from Las Vegas, NV who love to create and design one of a kind jewelry. Their newest pieces of jewelry are these amazing Bottlecap Pendants. I am seriously in love with these things! Aren't they great?

These pendants would be great as a Young Women's gift since the 2011 Young Women's theme is the 13th Article of Faith. I think any Young Woman would love to have one of these. And what a great gift for Birthdays, Christmas, New Beginnings, Night of Excellence, or Girls Camp.

For our giveaway Jen & Amber will be giving away up to 25 of their YW bottlecap pendants with chains to 1 very lucky Little LDS Ideas' reader. This is a total of $200 in free product!

Jen & Amber are also going to be giving discounts to other readers who would also like to order. If you are interested in purchasing some of these Pendants just email Jen & Amber for pricing info at justbejewelry@gmail.com.

  They also provide a discount for bulk orders.

Here is how you can enter to win some Bottlecap Pendants from Just Be.

First Entry:

1. Just leave your Name and Email address as a comment below.

Example: Sheena Perron- littleldsideas@hotmail.com

For another chance to win:

Second Entry:

2. Visit Jen & Amber's blog by clicking the link here: Just Be and become a follower.

Then come back here and leave a comment saying you are now a follower of Just be.

e sure to look around because they have a ton of cute stuff.

Example: Sheena Perron- I'm a follower of Just Be!

Third Entry:

3. For a third entry 'spread the word!' You can 'Tweet,' Facebook or email your friends/family and tell them about this great giveaway here on Little LDS Ideas.

Then leave me a comment telling me that you've 'spread the word.'

Example: Sheena Perron- I 'spread the word' on Facebook!
You know what...since I'm so nice (just kidding), I will give you an extra entry for every place you 'spread the word'.
So if you email your family, friends, YW leaders: 1 Entry, Tweet about it: another entry, Blog about it: another entry, etc, etc, get the idea? Just leave a comment each time you spread the word and that will count as an extra entry.

This is such a great giveaway and I just want to Thank Jen & Amber for being so kind and giving away their amazing jewelry.

Remember if you're interested in buying some for yourself visit Jen & Amber's blog at justbecustom.blogspot.com or at their Etsy Shop at justbejewelry.etsy.com

This giveaway will end on Thursday, January 13th at Midnight (MST).

I will announce the winner Friday, January 14th.

Just a reminder:
*Leave your entries as a comment on my blog. Scroll down to the bottom of this post and click where it says "# Comments so far. Click to leave me one." and you will be taken to the comments.
*Also make sure each of your contest entries is in a seperate comment.
*One More thing, your comments won't show up right away. I moderate all my comments, so I check them first and then they're posted on the blog. Last time a few of you were wondering where your comments were :). But don't worry, they're there. Thanks!!

Well, I think that's it. Good luck to everyone and thanks for visiting Little LDS Ideas!!

2nd Week of January Sharing Time Idea: We Are to Feast Upon the Words of Christ

Encourage understanding and application:
(learning words and phrases): Explain that the Lord uses action words to describe how we should study the scriptures. Display the following words and phrases on posters around the room:
feast (see 2 Nephi 32:3)
treasure up (see D&C 84:85)
search diligently (see Mosiah 1:7)
hold fast (see 1 Nephi 15:24)

Plan creative ways to introduce and explain these ideas to the children. For example, you could invite the children to demonstrate the difference between nibbling and feasting on food and then discuss how this relates to studying the scriptures. You could also ask the children why they would “hold fast” to their parent’s hand in a crowded marketplace and then explain how they can hold fast to the scriptures and why that is just as important as holding fast to their parent’s hand.

Encourage application (reading scriptures):
Challenge the children and teachers to establish a habit of regular scripture study. Explain that each week, children who have read from or listened to the scriptures will be able to write their name on a piece of paper and add it to a paper chain. Tell them that as the chain grows, so will their knowledge of the scriptures. Consider storing the chain in a “treasure” box (this box could also be used to teach what “treasure up” means in the activity above). Encourage the children to share their goal of studying the scriptures with their families.

I know I just shared the idea of 'Scripture Cookies' but I'm using it again. I think it goes so well with this theme 'Feast upon the words of Christ'. It's not the same Sharing Time as I shared a few months ago, the only thing that is the same is the scripture cookie part.

We're doing are sharing time schedule a little differently this year, so I have Sharing Time this week. I completely forgot until I looked at my calendar and saw my name. I had no idea what I was going to do, and then this idea just came to me.

I'm still thinking trying to think of other ideas to use, since I recently shared the 'Cookie' idea. So if I come up with anything else I'll be sure to post it on here. But for now here is my 2nd week Sharing Time Idea for January:

Click Here to view my 2nd Week Sharing Time Idea for January.

And click Here to view my Scrumptious Scripture Chart.

2011 Primary Theme, Scripture, and Song Sheet

Since it seems like I'm always misplacing my Primary Sharing Time Outline I decided to type up a sheet with each month's theme, scripture and song. It's nice to have because they're all right there on one piece of paper. I just put it in my Primary Folder and anytime I want to see what a theme/scripture/song of a certain month is I can just quickly glance at my sheet and see what it is.
I have also typed up another sheet with each week's theme for each month. Just print the pages out and put them in your Primary binder. :)

Click Here to view my 2011 Primary Theme, Scripture, and Song Sheet.

2011 Primary Challenge Idea

As I was reading over the 2011 Primary Sharing Time Outline, I noticed on the left side of page 2 they gave a '2011 Challenge'. Here is what is says:

"Yearly Challenge: Throughout the year, give children opportunities to share what they have learned from their scripture reading. This will give children a chance to share their experiences and help motivate others to read their scriptures at home."

After reading that I came up with an idea for this challenge. I thought it would be really neat throughout the year for the children to record favorite scriptures/stories that they have read either on their own or as a family. Whenever they want, they can write or draw about their favorite scripture or story.

At the end of the year you can gather each of the papers that the children have written and turn it into your own Primary 'I Know the Scriptures are True' book. And if your budget is enough, you could make a book for each child in your Primary.

I have included a PDF document that includes pages for the children to write/draw on and a quick instruction for the challenge.

I came up with this awhile ago, but forgot to post it, so here it is. I hope you like it!

Click Here to view my 2011 Primary Challenge.

Pimary Popsicle Helper Sticks

A few days ago I received an email from a woman named Jane, wondering if I had any ideas for Primary Helper Sticks. I honestly hadn't even thought about it, but I am so glad she emailed me because it got me thinking and I actually came up with a few ideas.

If you've never heard of Popsicle Helper Sticks they are used in Primary to help you pick helpers during Sharing/Singing Time. As you all know every child wants to be a helper and most of the time when you say "I'm going to pick the most reverent child" they suddenly all become very reverent.

Then you have the problem of picking only 1 child. I don't know who first came up with this fabulous idea, but it works great. Just get some popsicle sticks attach a cute little picture on top with each child's name on the back and stick them into a jar or flower pot filled with beans.

When you need a helper go to your little helper 'pot' and pick a popsicle stick and read the name on the back. Pretty easy and you won't hurt anyone's feelings.

And to make sure you don't pick someone 2 weeks in a row, keep a folder or bag beside your pot and as you pick your sticks place them in the bag. Keep them in their until all the sticks have been picked, then place each of the sticks back into your pot.

So there's a little summary of the Helper Sticks, now for my ideas:

1. Helping Hands- Find a picture of a hand and write/type 'Helping Hand' on each one. Then on the back write/type each child's name. Attach to a popsicle stick and place in a jar or flower pot.
2. This isn't a popsicle stick idea, but it might be fun to throw in there every once in awhile. Under each chair place a number (the number of children that are in your Primary). Then get balls, paper, or another small object and write each number on each object and place into a bucket or cup. To choose a helper pick an object out of the cup/bucket and call out the number. Have the children look under their chairs until the number you called out is found.
I don't know if this would be too distracting, but I think it sounds like alot of fun. :)
3. R.E.D- I have been stuck on the R.E.D (Read Every Day) theme since I found out the theme for this year. So I came up with something you could use for this. Just click the link below to view it.
4. I Know the Scriptures Are True- Since the theme this year is "I Know the Scriptures Are True" I wanted to come up with something that had to go along with the theme. Just click the link below to view it.

Click Here to view my Popsicle Helper Stick Documents

Just print them out on cardstock and glue them to some popsicle sticks. If you want them to last longer I would laminate them. Once they're laminated you can place a piece of tape on the back and write each name on the piece of tape. That way is someone moves away or turns 12 and goes to YW or YM, you can just take the tape off and add a new name if needed.

Hope that this helps some of you out. Have a wonderful week!

Primary Bulletin Board Ideas for 2011: 'I Know the Scriptures Are True'

At our Primary Presidency meetings we've been racking our brains trying to come up with an idea for our bulletin board. At first we had the idea of 'Feast upon the word.' But we had a hard time coming up with what we would do for that theme. Then the Primary President called me with some fabulous bulletin board ideas. Here are the 3 themes we chose from:

'Feast Upon the Word'

'The Iron Rod'

(since it's the word of God.)

And

'Treasure the Scriptures'

As soon as she said 'Treasure the Scriptures' I knew that was the one that we had to do. So we got to work and came up with these ideas.

We bought some brown packagin paper (it comes in rolls like wrapping paper and is pretty inexpensive). You could also use an off white if you wanted to. Then we cut the brown paper to match the length of the bulletin board and crumpled it up (then flattened it out) and stapled it to the bulletin board.

The reason we crumpled it up is because we want it to look like a treasure map, and treasure maps are never nice and straight, so crumple that paper up.

Next I created a big treasure chest. We had a big roll of yellow paper in the Primary closet so I used that. Using a picture of a treasure chest from the Primary President I was able to make a cute little treasure chest. I hot glued some fake plastic gold coins and one of my daughter's little necklaces inside the treasure chest. And right in the middle of all the treasure I placed a picture of the scriptures. I ended up having to take a picture of scriptures because I couldn't find a large enough one online.

We are going to post different pictures that have to do with 'treasures we receive from reading the scriptures'. The pictures are going to make up our 'treasure map'. We are going to have either small footprints or a dashed line leading from one picture to the next and have the pictures go all around the bulletin board.

Update: We ended up not doing the treasure map idea, but I think it still turned out great! Here are some pictures of the finished bulletin board.

Here's a closer look at the pictures.
Our Primary President found quotes and scriptures that had to do with the scriptures and added those as well. I think she did an amazing job. :)

 And the left side of the bulletin board.

And a close-up of the treasure.

And here is the picture of the scriptures that I used inside the treasure chest. I decided I'd better download it online for all of you to use. So if you are in need of a picture of the scriptures here you go.

Just click here to view my Scriptures picture.

Well, I hope all of you like our finished product. :)