Sunday, January 6, 2013
Family Gospel Scholar Mini Awards
As part of encouraging the kids to read their scriptures and memorize the Articles of Faith, I created our own “Family Gospel Scholar Program.” Along the way to reaching the big trophy at the end, I wanted awards for the biggies: memorizing the Articles of Faith, and reading each of the Standard Works. I needed a place to hold all of the pins, so made these little display boards out of cardboard, paper, and a ribbon on back to support the stand.
The girls have been working on their “bachelor degrees,” but those requirements are still being figured out, so I don’t have a copy to share yet.
I love recognitions and awards in helping the kids feel special for accomplishing such big and important things!
I made boards for Natalie, Amy and Adam so far, and will make one for the others once they earn a pin.
I prefer tie tacks since they are so easy to attach to the board. I have found them at Seagull Book, Deseret Book, and this site: Latter-Day Editions. I love the selections there, and think the prices are much more reasonable than at the local places. (To make shipping worth it, I bought enough pins for all of my kids.)
On the back, I pasted a piece of paper with the dates they earned each pin. I think it will be awesome for them to know how many times they’ve read the Book of Mormon, and what age they were, etc. (I also have that info in a digital record.)
Memorize and recite all 13 Articles of Faith and know which is which:
Articles of Faith Certified pin
I can’t find any site that sells these pins anymore. What a shame!
The Awards
Read the Book of Mormon:
Gold Plates, Iron Rod x2, Liahona
I have tried to find a variety of Book of Mormon pins since I anticipate the kids reading it several times before leaving home.
I have encouraged all of the kids to read the entire Book of Mormon before their baptism, which has been a neat thing for them.
Read the Pearl of Great Price:
Pearl
This is a great book for the kids to read right after finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time. That is such a great goal for young kids, and it’s nice to read such a small book of scripture and get another cool award in a much shorter amount of time. Plus, the other Standard Works are much more intimidating.
This is my favorite because it’s pretty and free! I used old faux pearls from necklaces or whatever I found in my craft supplies. I sewed these onto the boards with white thread.
Baptism
CTR Ring
I decided that baptism was so monumental, that I wanted to include a CTR ring on their pin board to remind them of the covenant they made to continue to choose the right in following Jesus Christ. The kids really love having this on their boards. It’s also nice to include their baptism date on the back of their board in reference to their scripture reading.
I used a utility knife to cut a thick slit for the ring.
See, these are not fancy boards! I modeled them after a picture frame. To help the stand stay in place, I taped a piece of ribbon between it and the back of the board. (It’s hidden in this view.) I didn’t do as nice of a job on this one’s stand as the other two.
*Tip: Punch the holes with a regular tack before attaching the tie tack (which can bend if you use it to puncture the first hole... I know).
Read the Doctrine & Covenants
Nauvoo Temple Sunstone or Pioneer Handcart
These pins are available at this site.
Read the Old Testament
Ten Commandments in Silver and Gold
I am breaking this one into two parts since the Old Testament is SO ENORMOUS and hard to read! They will earn the silver pin for the first half, and the Gold pin for the second half. The pins are available at this site.
