Lesson 8: I am thankful for the day and night

I am grateful for the lesson I am thankful for the night and day. My class is SUPER young so I have REALLY been looking forward to starting the creation lessons. I feel like the kids can understand these lessons so much easier. The concepts are much less abstract so it is easier to keep their attention.

I've realized that since my stake had stake conference I'm probably a week behind most of you. I'd love to hear what you did last week and hopefully I'll be even with you again sometime in the year.

Here's the plan for tomorrow:


During snack time I've started bringing a book or two from the library to read them while they eat. I do my best to make it relate to the lesson or be the scripture story in the lesson. This week I'm bringing Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes to introduce the idea of the night and The Sun's Day by Mordicai Gerstein to talk about the day. A few other good books about the subject are
Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger
Where Does the Sun Go at Night? by Mirra Ginsburg
When the Sun Rose by Barbara Berger
Goodnight, Goodnight by Ever Rice
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

I'm going to have them around for the kids to read if they want.

Here's my lesson plan:


Show Picture of Earth
Ask What is this? The Earth. Who Made the Earth?
Show Picture of Heavenly Father and Jesus.
Why did they make the Earth? Because they love you! and they wanted you to have a place you could come live with your family.

(I'm going to try to do that same opening for every creation lesson until the kids have it down.)

Do you know what the first thing that Jesus created on the earth was?
Show picture of night and day picture from the gospel library.
Ask them what is in the picture. If they can't get it I'll tell them Night and Day!

Day:
I'm going to talk about day first. Is the sun or the moon out during the day? Yes, Jesus made the sun so we would have day. What does the sun do?
It gives us light, it makes us warm, it helps plants to grow. (Try to find pictures for each thing)

What do you like to do in the day?
Let kids answer.

NIght:
But Day doesn't last forever does it? What comes after the day, when the sun goes down? Night. Is the Sun or the Moon in the sky at night? Jesus put the moon in the sky at night. There's also something else we can see at night. Do you know what it is? If they can't guess, I'll pull out one of the foil stars. You can also see the stars at night. Jesus put the stars in the sky to help people find their way in the dark.



Tell story of three wise man, emphasizing that the wise men used the stars in the night to find baby Jesus. Show picture. Let the kids point out the star they wise men followed. That's why Jesus wants us to be like stars to show others the way to do what's right. Can you show your brothers and sisters how to do what's right? What can you do? (Answers like be nice, help mom, etc)
Sing I Am Like A Star Shining Brightly with foil stars.

If the kids are still paying attention I'm going to show them several pictures and ask if it is day or night until they have it down.

Then to get the wiggles that have been building up out, we'll do the God Creation finger play:

God’s Creation

God made the moon (make a circle with hands)
And winking stars (open and close hands)
And put them in the sky (reach up).
He made the sun (make a circle with arms overhead)
And trees (hold arms straight up)
And flowers (cup hands)
And little birds that fly (wave arms).
(From Fascinating Finger Fun by Eleanor Doan. © 1951. Used by permission.)

After that we'll play a Night and Day game:

When the lights are on it's day and I'll give the kids a command to run or march or hop or yell or clap.
But when I flip off the light switch, I'll yell Night! and the kids have to stop and pretend they're asleep.
When I flip the lights back on they can start again.

Craft:
Kt gave a great suggestion for the craft this week and I am going to use. Get black construction paper and the shiny star stickers and let each kid decorate their night sky. White and pink crayons should work on the black construction paper too.

That's my plan. I didn't use the story in the lesson manual about the night in the Americas when it didn't get dark because I think it would REALLY confuse my young kids. I think the three wise men story should be a good substitution. Any suggestions?

Song: I Am Like A Star

I've found that every song goes better if the kids have something to hold or do. So today I'm making foil stars that the kids can hold up when they sing I Am Like A Star Shining Brightly.
To make the stars find or make a star stencil. Take an old cardboard box and trace and cut out the number of stars you need. I now need fourteen. Once you have your star forms cut, coat them in glue and wrap them in tin foil. If you don't want to waste your foil you can coat your stars in glue and dip them in glitter. The kids love glitter but it does get EVERYWHERE.

I have a testimony of finger play

This week I turned the lesson over to my lovely and very capable nursery assistant so I'm enjoying a little more peace of mind than usual this weekend. As soon as I russle up a hiking companion I'll be hitting the trail.

Anyway, I looked through the lesson in the manual this week, 6: Heavenly Father Loves ME. It's a good one. It has a lot of finger play-little poems with accompanying hand motions. When I first started trying to do nursery lessons I thought the little finger play activities were impossible. I rarely knew the poems and I doubted the kids would know them or do them. Time for another slice of humble pie. I tried one just for fun and the kids LOVED it. It's by far, the MOST successful part of my lessons. The kids actually demand to do them over and over again.

Now just because I have developed a devoted adoration to finger play doesn't mean I'm able to remember the poems. Sadly, I'm not President Monson. So I cheat. I write the outline of my lesson and all the poems on a 5x7 note card. I used to hold the card in my hand but that can get in the way of the motions, so I tape it to my wrist. It's my personal game plan. The tape makes me look crazy but it's SO helpful. And next time I got to the sporting supply store I'm going to buy myself a real football wrist band. I expect it will be exactly what I need.

Lesson 5: Jesus Christ is the Son of Heavenly Father

So I mentioned earlier that I've been trying to figure out how to open the lesson. Here's my plan.

Opening: Picture time

I'm going to show the kids a picture of my Dad and Mom holding me as a baby. I'm going to show them the picture and ask them:
What is this a picture of?
How do you think the Daddy and Mommy feel about the baby?
Do they love the baby?

Who Loves You?
Pull out a bean bag or small ball. When I throw the bean bag to a kid, they have to tell me someone who loves them and throw it back. I'll make sure to give every kid a chance to name someone who loves them. I'll also make sure to bring a spare bean bag so I can continue the game if someone won't give up the bean bag.

Someone Else Loves You
Tell the kids there is someone else who loves them. Have them guess. Tell them it is Heavenly Father. Talk about how he is the father of our spirits. Tell them there is someone else who loves them: Jesus. Explain that Heavenly Father is Jesus Christ's physical father. I plan to try to find a picture that shows both of them so I can point to the one I'm talking about.

Nativity Story:
I'm going to try to find a very simple picture book that tells the story of the nativity and read it to the kids. While I read I will ask them who the different people are.

Alternate Idea: Place plastic figurines in a brown paper bag. Let each child come up and draw a figure out of the bag and let them say who that is. Have the kids build the nativity together or pretend to be the different character.

Jesus Grows Up
At this point I plan to raid the library for pictures of Jesus and run through several of them with the kids.

Rhyme -from the lesson manual
Young Jesus went to the temple (walk in place)
Before he grew strong and tall (stretch arms up)
To do the work of his Father (hold hands out)
Because he loves us all (hug self).

I think I might try to add a few verses to do with the kids.

i.e Jesus was baptized in river Jordan (make a flowing river with hands)
To be obedient in all (make a grand gesture) . . .

That's my lesson plan so far. Anyone have any ideas to add? I LOVE the suggestions



I'm planning on trying to do a small craft afterwards. My friend Sarah discovered this AWESOME glueless collage idea that is perfect for toddlers. Check it out here on her blog. You basically get the sticky contact paper, let the kids stick stuff all over it, then fold it in half so it seals shut. It is BRILLIANT. There's a butterfly spinoff idea which is also really cool. Contact paper is totally my new favorite substance on this earth.
I'm trying to think of objects I could provide that would relate to the lesson. Any suggestions?

My Lesson Plan: Heavenly Father's Plan for Us

Preparing lessons for nursery can be an existential experience. You brainstorm and work and all of your efforts will barely register. Still, I like lessons because they can be lively and fun. And nursery lessons are all like Nephi says, plain and precious teachings.

The Purpose of Sunday's Lesson: Heavenly Father's Plan for Us as stated in the primary manual is:
To help each child understand that we lived with Heavenly Father as spirit children before we came to earth and that we can live with him again after this life.

Okay, how do you teach that to a two year old? I don't even know if they know what a plan is. So that's where I think I'm going to start. Here's my plan:

I'm going to try to mention this earlier to prep them but I'm going to ask, Does nursery have a plan? Yes, nursery does have a plan. When we come to nursery first we sing don't we? Then what do we do? We pray? After that? We have snack? Then what do we do? We play? Then what do we do? We do a lesson. In nursery we have a plan, we know what we're going to do.

Do you know how else has a plan? (Pull out picture of Heavenly Father) Heavenly Father!
Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us. He has a plan for ... point out kids who are not paying attention by saying their name. Heavenly has a plan for each one of us.
Do you know what his plan for us is? His plan is for us to come to earth to get a body and be alive.

Here I'm going to run through the circle diagram.
I hold up blue circle: We lived in the pre-mortal existence with Heavenly Father who loved us.
I'll let one kid come up and tape the circle to the wall
Hold up Earth Circle: Heavenly Father and Jesus made the earth and sent us to live on it with our families.
Let another child stick up the Earth circle on the wall after the blue circle
Hold up yellow circle: After we live on Earth Heavenly Father wants us to come back and live with him because he loves us so much!
Let another kid put up the yellow circle. If I'm feeling ambitious I might make the yellow circle into a sun but that's a big if. I'm not crafty.

Heavenly Father sent us to earth to get a body and be alive. Are you alive? Do you have a body? What about this doll (as mentioned in the primary manual) is she alive? No. But you're alive aren't you? You can jump up and down (have kids jump) and spin around (kids spin) because you are alive just like Heavenly Father wanted. Is being alive fun? Yes. Heavenly Father loves us so much that he sent us to be alive with our families.

Time for the Special Guest visitor, my bearded brother in law with my 8 month old niece as suggested in the Primary Manual.
Look it's a daddy and a baby! Can you see the baby? Does she have a body? Does her daddy love her? Heavenly Father sent this baby to be with a family because he loves her! He sent you to your family because he loves you! Talk about the baby as long as they're interested...

Do you know what? Heavenly Father wants us to come back to live with him because he loves us so much. But first he wants to grow up big and strong. He wants us to learn to become more like him. Pull out "Daddy Shoes" my husband's size 12s should do nicely. I'm going to let the kids try on the shoes and walk around in while I talk about how they can grow up big and strong like Heavenly Father wants.

After the shoes we're going to have an activity with the circles. I think I'll cut out the circles and let the kids glue them onto another piece of paper with glue sticks or make a mobile with them with string and cardboard.

What you think? What are my chances of this lesson being successful? I think the baby and the "daddy shoes" are going to be a hit. I'm also thinking I might check out the book Swimmy by Leo Lionni to read to who ever wants to listen during play time because in the story Swimmy has a plan.

If you have any other ideas I am ALL ears!

Getting Their Foot in the Door

As was mentioned in a comment left by Marie, there is nothing really as unfortunate, as awkward or as painful as a bad goodbye. The way I see it, all organisms with protective parents have an instinct that tells them "Stay with Mom and Dad!! It's your only hope!" It's a good and powerful instinct and it can cause some major trouble when nursery starts.   

So how do you get your nursery kids through the door and away from the ones they love as much as life itself?

As I said before, I do it with music and dance and the chance to pick a laminated picture off the wall.  I've found the music and dancing is involved enough to attract attention away from Mom or Dad and on to me the nursery leader. I think it's also a lot of fun for the kids. It's a chance to really move and jump up and down after an hour of being pretty still. Going in front of everyone to pick a song is so EXCITING. As an added BONUS, singing can often drown out the sound of crying. It sad that that matters but it really does. 

That's how I start but I would love to hear what others do.  Here's a few more ideas I've heard:

Kids get to pick their laminated name off the door and bring it inside to be hung up

Play with Playdough

Puzzles

Snack

And as always, the Almighty Bubbles 

Anybody have any other ideas? I can promise they will be MUCH appreciated.

What To Do

I don't know why people expect a two year old to be completely satisfied playing with toys for two straight hours while we mature adults offer ourselves a chance to break, chat, and switch classes. Primary gets even more variety with class, singing time, talks, and sharing time.

When I've seen Nursery kids left to find their own entertainment they get bored and when they get bored they usually remember they miss Dad or Mom and begin to cry or they fight. As fun as it is to referee minority death matches I think everyone can enjoy themselves a little more with some direction.

So what to do? Nursery time is remarkably open to the discretion of the Nursery Leader which I think can be awesome or bewildering. I use a schedule I learned from a mother of six who was in nursery her 5th-6th time. It runs so beautifully all the other nurseries in our ward adopted it at the suggestion of our Primary President. I love the structure and I think the kids appreciate the routine as well. Here's how it goes:

9:40-10:00 Singing Time

Because it's hard to sing and cry at the same time. The down side is all the parents of nursery aged children get a front row seat to my song and dance show. That can be pretty humiliating. Anyway, I have chairs set up in a circle for the kids to go to. I put up small laminated cutouts on the wall with tape and each kid who is sitting in their seat gets a turn or two to come up and pick one of the wall. The songs are all active and fun like Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes so we burn off some Sacrament meeting wiggles.

10:00 Prayer

I use three finger puppets that the kids love a bunny, a duck and a mouse. I hold each one and ask what is this? Then we say this little poem

The little bunny hops without a care

Hop hop hop hop hop (have the kids hop)

Please tell her Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (The kids Shhh with you)

It's time for prayer.

The little duck quacks without a care

Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!

Please tell her Shhhhhhhhhhhh! (Kids Shhh too)

It's time for prayer.

The little mouse squeaks without a care.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! (kids squeak)

Please tell him Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (Kids Shhh too)

It's time for prayer.

You get the idea and others can be invented for whichever puppets you have on hand. Then one kid helps say the prayer.

10:10-10:20 Snack

Snack is done around the table and I try hard to have a conversation with each kids while they are eating.

10:20-10:50 Play Time

I pull out the toys and at this time the kids are free to do what they want. Meanwhile I run optional activities that the kids are welcome to participate in if they want. Usually they come and go which cuts down on the toy competition. Common activities are puzzles at the table that I do with them. Bubbles. Ring around the Rosey. Drawing with chalk on the chalkboard. Play Simple Simon. Read a story.

10:50-11:00 Clean up

11:00-11:15 Lesson with another song or two as part of it

11:15-11:30 Small Craft related to the lesson

It really works well. I know there are lots of other ways to do nursery. My mom always taught the lesson while the kids had their snack because she had a much more captive audience.

I also know people who hated the idea of a schedule so much that they pulled their kids out of a routine nursery to a "free play" nursery. I don't understand it but to each their own.

Lesson 2: Heavenly Father Has A Body

Today I taught Lesson 2: Heavenly Father Has A Body

While I was preparing for this lesson I thought about how this knowledge is so central and unique to LDS theology.  It seems like so much of our knowledge of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's physical state comes from Joseph Smith's first vision.  The lesson manual uses the story of that vision to explain the idea to the kids.  

As a side, does anyone know anywhere else that talks about the physical nature of God?

Anyway,  I used a picture of the first vision and asked the kids to show me their body parts, then point out Heavenly Father and Jesus's body part. It went something like:

Me: Do you have hands? Where are your hands, can you show them to me?

The kids show me their hands.

I feel ambitious and ask them what they do with their hands.

Kids: Garbled responses. It's the beginning of the year so talking is beyond many of them

Me: Can you shake your hands?

Some do, the others catch on because shaking our hands is fun to do.

Me: Does Heavenly Father have hands?

Do you see them?

I ask one kid to come point them out. 

Three kids jump up and show me Heavenly Father and Jesus's hands. 

Class is going well. We move through other body parts. Nose, eyes, ears. Then I try hair. I point out that Heavenly Father has hair. I pick up my own hair and ask do we have hair while nodding my head.  I begin to ask a few kids specifically. 

Me: Sarah, do you have hair? 

Sarah: Yes

Me: Molly, do you have hair?

Molly: Yes

Me: Sam, do you have hair?

Sam: No. 

He rubs his smooth bald head. It supports only a little light blonde fuzz. 

I realize he's right. 

Me: Don't worry, Sam. You'll get hair too, one day.

Nursery Time

Picture this, you and a two year old are placed in a small, bare, carpeted room for two hours. You do not really know this child. The child has NO idea who you are. Can you handle it? Sure. No worries, right? How about you and 2 two year olds? 3 two year olds ? 5? 7? 9? 12?

Are you screaming for MERCY! yet?  Welcome to Nursery.  

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I came to my current ward 3 years ago and I've been in nursery 2 out of those 3 years. Which is pretty standard if I had been born 3 years ago, but I am twenty four.  

The first time I got called to nursery was the second week in the ward. I was newly married and my husband and I were asked to meet with the second counselor before church. I  was thinking I will happily accept any calling but nursery, please not nursery, anything but nursery. So of course, the second counselor asked "Would you be willing to serve in the nursery Sister M?" and I said, "Of course."  

I promptly cried the whole way through sacrament. That is how much I did NOT want to be in nursery. Then I went to nursery and I realized I fit in wonderfully. I didn't want to be there, the kids weren't so sure about coming either. I could really use a snack -I get grumpy without one - the kids felt the same.  I get antsy if I have to sit to long and I hate long boring meetings, the kids felt the same. 

I also had the great fortune of going into one of the most beautifully run nurseries ever to grace the planet.  The kids laughed, danced, and played happily. No one cried. No one screamed for their parents. The kids happily participated in a gospel centered lesson.  They sang gospel songs. They loved it and I grew to love it too.  

But running a nursery is still TOUGH work. I am a college graduate that works in Educational publishing and I still spend hours racking my brains for ideas and activities. Two year olds have about a 5-10 minute attention span so every Sunday I try to prepare about 12 different activities.  AND it's called "Terrible Twos" for a reason. 

Nursery can also be a very isolating.  It's hard to come up with those ideas and stay motivated. That's why I wanted to start this blog, to give nursery, one of the most overlooked places in the church, a forum.  

So Nursery Leaders Unite! Or if you aren't in nursery but have any ideas for activities or advice at all, I WELCOME your contributions.