I’ve been working really hard to get so many things added to the site that I haven’t taken the time to blog what I’ve been doing! I add things almost every day to Primary - sharing times are done through the first week of July, lesson supplements through lesson 22, June Monthly Theme Posters/mini-posters and bookmarks, the song idea for Listen, Listen.
I’ve been doing more powerpoint presentations for the lesson supplements, sharing times and music - they are fun and easy - I am wondering if people actually use them? I am the Nursery Leader in my ward and some of the lessons called for lots of pictures of nature - I found great ones but my printer was out of ink! So I took all the cool pictures and put them in a Powerpoint Presentation, added music too - and took my laptop to church with me to show the presentation to the children. They loved it! I could show it several times, even when I was busy doing something else! I know some buildings have a projector that allows you to project onto a screen whatever is on your computer monitor. That’s a great way to get a presentation large enough for everyone to see - though the lights need to be lowered to see well. Anyway - I hope teachers and leaders are able to make use of some of the presentations I put together.
If you want to do your own, one nice source for artwork is the scripture reader books - like New Testament Stories, Book of Mormon Stories etc. The pictures are small, but if you scan them at about 300 dpi - you can get a good size image for the computer. It is a nice way to tell a scripture story that doesn’t have any pictures in the manual or GAK or library. You can even narrate if you want, though I haven’t tried that yet.
SHARING TIMES - I have, up to this point, avoided even looking at the suggested sharing time ideas in the 2007 Outline for Sharing Time and CSMP. I don’t want to be influenced by their ideas when I am trying to think of my own. Well, I noticed some of the references I needed were in the descriptions of their ideas and I was reading them. I decided that I could just flesh out the ideas in the outline - there are always two weekly gospel principles each month that they give presentation ideas for - rather than always creating my own from scratch - and they have great links right to the pictures and songs - so that’s what I have started doing. I create visuals to go with their ideas, link to the song sheet music, link to the pictures online and link to the scripture passages mentioned. I make word strips and anything else called for, that will save you time, and make it more fun.
My philosophy about Sharing Time and teaching songs is to draw the children in so that they are intrigued by the process - and then they are more than ready to learn the principles or memorize the songs - if it is fun, they will want to. When I say fun, it doesn’t mean ha-ha, game fun - but interesting to them. They don’t mind repetition - even the older ones - if it is something they like. I have to keep in mind how many times my own children watched their favorite movies over and over again - never tiring of them. Kids like to repeat what they enjoy - they like the feeling of confidence that they know what to expect. So if it is fun, you will not get comments like - “Oh no! Not AGAIN!” There is nothing worse than trying to convince children of something, or bribe, beg, cajole, threaten - I despise being in that situation, and who wouldn’t? Children can be merciless - and it is a drudge (or much worse) for the teachers/leaders to face disinterested children.
Here is a hint - if you think it is boring - by all means, that will come across to the children. If you think it is a difficult concept - so it will seem to them. I took a theater history course at BYU that required the reading of ancient plays from Greece and Rome. They could only be found in the reserve library - so you went in and had to read them there. I’d give myself two hours to read a play - figuring a play on stage takes two hours, so that should be plenty of time to read a play. Only one problem - I’d fall asleep after the first scene. I was so completely and utterly bored. Then I’d go to class, feeling awful and ornery, and my teacher would say, “Wasn’t that a MARVELOUS play?” and she would go on and on about how exciting and fascinating it was. Then I felt disappointed that I had not recognized it myself. She brought ancient history to life. Her enthusiasm was the only thing that got me through that course, which was required for my major.
Sometimes when I am preparing a presentation or lesson - I am so moved by the story it brings tears to my eyes. That’s when I know it is going to work for the children. When I am moved, they are too. So let yourself really feel the messages of the lessons and the songs. Let the spirit touch you, and it will come through to the children.
