Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Family Proclamation Lessons - Part 2
Our lessons were put on hold while two of my boys spent a few days with their grandparents. We are back on track (until my family reunion) and loving it! I posted about our first lessons HERE.
Now we are off to a family reunion, so another week will pass without teaching lessons on the Proclamation. I hope these ideas will benefit and inspire you in your endeavors to teach these principles to your children! We have certainly learned a lot and benefited from studying these teachings!
Lesson 12: Parents Have a Sacred Duty
The kids loved taking turns picking an object out of a bag (with closed eyes) and explaining how it represented the way parents love and provide for their children.
For our activity, I wanted to show love for the kids and evaluate their needs, so they took turns rocking with Mom or Dad. I took the actual rocking chair and had great conversations with the kids. When I asked if they had questions about anything at the end of our rocking, Natalie had more serious questions about testimony and such.
I love that when I asked the same thing to Adam, he asked in all sincerity: “Do you want a pocket knife, Mom?” and then “Do you want to see all the airplanes at the museum?” (that we plan on going to soon). This was a fun, simple lesson and activity, which got the message across well.
“...and to teach them to love and serve one another,...”
Lesson 13: Children Love and Serve One Another
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“...observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives--mothers and fathers--will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.”
Lesson 14: Teach Children to Obey the Commandments and the Law
“The family is ordained of God.”
Lesson 15: The Family is Ordained of God
In the lesson, we discussed how sometimes we are reluctant to serve or give to others because we are afraid we will lose something. The kids guessed that the first candle’s flame would be smaller if it lit another candle (perfect), and were surprised to see the flame grow larger when the candles were together. Sharing their light with others doesn’t diminish their own.
Our activity was eating ice cream (easy one)! I offered them two different scoopers and asked which they preferred (of course, the larger one). We briefly talked about how we should treat others the way we want to be treated.
The kids loved this marble analogy! They each tried to roll the marble in circles on the plate, but weren’t able to keep it on since there were no boundaries. They were successful with the bowl because its boundaries allowed the marble to move fast inside without spinning out of control. We related the boundaries to commandments and talked about how they can be seen as barriers, but actually allow us to move safely and freely throughout our lives.
We were supposed to fly kites, but had sick kids in the house.
Kites also relate to the commandments. Does the kite string hold the kite down or keep it up so it can fly? What happens to a kite when someone cuts the strings? What happens when someone breaks the commandments?
Amy April 2008
“Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.”
Lesson 16: Marriage Is Essential to His Eternal Plan
“Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.”
Lesson 17: Birth Within the Bonds of Marriage
“Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Lesson 18: Founded Upon the Teachings of Jesus Christ
The kids couldn’t wait to do our lesson-activity tonight since it involved making cookies together!
In advance, I made labels for each family member, Amy colored them in, and Josh & Natalie glued them onto Krispy Kreme hats.
I measured out the ingredients so each person could pour in their ingredient without my help.
They were pretty jazzed (except for Andrew who was sick)!
I used this recipe from Sugar Doodle:
Happy Family Cookies
1 Husband (one stick of butter)
1 Wife (one stick of butter)
Blend these two together (marriage)
Crack open: all the blessings of the Priesthood (one egg)
Crack open: all the things that a father does for the family: Provides, Protects, Presides the family in love in righteousness (add another egg)
Combine: ¾ cup of Nurturing love by Mother (white sugar)
Add: ¾ cup of Gospel teaching by Mother and Father (brown sugar)
Stir in 2¼ cups of Faithful, Respectful, Obedient, Compassionate Children (flour)
Add:
1 teaspoon of repentance (salt)
1 teaspoon of prayer (soda)
1 teaspoon of forgiveness (vanilla)
Mix well, and add 2 cups of unselfish service! (chocolate chips)
The kids all lined up to add the chocolate chips - one handful at a time. Each time, they had to name one way they can serve their family.
These cookies were really yummy! “These are no ordinary cookies. They are sweet because a family is sweet. A family is ordained of God. When each person in the family does what they should our family is blessed!” (Source: Shannon Cox)
Acting out the parable of the Treasure and Keys by Boyd K. Packer was really meaningful. I love this parable and reading it aloud to the kids was powerful. It teaches profound truths about marriage, the roles of men and women, and the beauty of The Plan.
Once a man received as his inheritance two keys. The first key, he was told, would open a vault which he must protect at all cost. The second key was to a safe within the vault which contained a priceless treasure. He was to open this safe and freely use the precious things which were stored therein. He was warned that many would seek to rob him of his inheritance. He was promised that if he used the treasure worthily, it would be replenished and never be diminished, not in all eternity. He would be tested. If he used it to benefit others, his own blessings and joy would increase.
The man went alone to the vault. His first key opened the door. He tried to unlock the treasure with the other key, but he could not, for there were two locks on the safe. His key alone would not open it. No matter how he tried, he could not open it. He was puzzled. He had been given the keys. He knew the treasure was rightfully his. He had obeyed instructions, but he could not open the safe.
In due time, there came a woman into the vault. She, too, held a key. It was noticeably different from the key he held. Her key fit the other lock. It humbled him to learn that he could not obtain his rightful inheritance without her.
They made a covenant that together they would open the treasure and, as instructed, he would watch over the vault and protect it; she would watch over the treasure. She was not concerned that, as guardian of the vault, he held two keys, for his full purpose was to see that she was safe as she watched over that which was most precious to them both. Together they opened the safe and partook of their inheritance. They rejoiced for, as promised, it replenished itself.
With great joy they found that they could pass the treasure on to their children; each could receive a full measure, undiminished to the last generation. Perhaps some few of their posterity would not find a companion who possessed the complementary key, or one worthy and willing to keep the covenants relating to the treasure. Nevertheless, if they kept the commandments, they would not be denied even the smallest blessing. Because some tempted them to misuse their treasure, they were careful to teach their children about keys and covenants.
There came, in due time, among their posterity some few who were deceived or jealous or selfish because one was given two keys and another only one. “Why,” the selfish ones reasoned, “cannot the treasure be mine alone to use as I desire?” Some tried to reshape the key they had been given to resemble the other key. Perhaps, they thought, it would then fit both locks. And so it was that the safe was closed to them. Their reshaped keys were useless, and their inheritance was lost.
Those who received the treasure with gratitude and obeyed the laws concerning it knew joy without bounds through time and all eternity. (Boyd K. Packer, “For Time and All Eternity,” November 1993 Ensign)
Finding an activity or craft relating to this specific topic was a bit difficult, to say the least. I loved the idea of making felt nesting dolls, but with time considerations and reality factoring in, I finally created my own craft. The girls were very impressed that I designed and drew it myself.
They all loved coloring the babies in our family, Mom and Dad, and then tucking them into the pocket.
This lesson was a little more serious, but the kids seemed impressed by how important it is that children are born within the bonds of marriage. We had a good discussion.
We began by singing “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man.” Then I had Andrew try building a tower on his lap. After watching him, all the kids wanted to try. When they built on the solid books, their towers were much easier to build.
Earlier in the day, the kids selected pictures of Christ and used Mod Podge to glue them to rocks.
Adam begged to paint his rock, so I let him and the others add paint.
Going along with our Family Proclamation lessons (but not tied to a specific lesson), I bought some pegs and a paper mâché house for the kids to paint. They all loved painting “themselves.”
Tyler was really focused on his painting, though he’d randomly swing around his loaded brush, so I was on guard.
The four oldest kids each got to paint a side of the house.
the finished product
I made my own set of family dolls.
Painting Our Family
In our lesson, it was nice to have these visuals for the kids to hold and look at. We discussed Helaman 5:12 (one of my all-time favorite scriptures) and how we need to build ourselves and our family on the rock of Jesus Christ.
