March 2014: Jesus Christ Is Our Savior

***I usually will copy and paste what I want to use for my singing time below the link I post. I am grateful to have such inspiring blogs to help me plan ahead.

Song: “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, no. 193) “We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). .

March 2: I can gain a testimony of Jesus Christ.

Opening song:  I Lived in Heaven p. 4

Scripture/A of F song:  The Fourth Article of Faith p. 124

Birthday song: Pick a candle off the cake (Random Choice)

Baptism song: Baptism p. 100 (get a picture with Jesus and John the baptist to have the children hold)
Welcome song:  We Welcome You p. 256
Singing Time: Spend the majority of the time working on  I Stand All Amazed hymn Hymn 193 (1st verse only). If we have time we can work on: I Am a Child of God (Spanish) p. 2, Holding Hands Around The World (S.M.) He Sent His Son p. 34, I Will Follow God's Plan p. 164
Activity: Pass out wands This is what we'll cover: Found this information here... http://www.camillesprimaryideas.com/2014/02/i-stand-all-amazed.html

• Post GAB pictures of Christ with each line (GAB 116, 108, 57, 56)
• Make key words to put all over the walls for them to put next to the correct picture
• Pass out hymn books and have those that can read follow along with the music
• Have them listen to the music and move their wands to how it makes them feel
• Pitch lead (move the wands up or down depending on how the notes are)
• Make the wands bounce when the song does (wonderful, care for me, die for me)
• Listen and then sing the rhyming words - raise your wands when you hear a word rhyme
• Raise wands every time we hear "wonderful"
• Create actions with our wands (when we sing "stand," have them lift up their wands, make a heart shape when we sing "love,"shake the wand like it's trembling for "tremble," make a cross for "crucified," for "suffered" touch a palm with the wand where Christ had nails, etc.)
• Learn how to crescendo (get louder, vigorously shaking wands) and decrescendo (get softer, shaking softly)
• Sing the song legato or smoothly and wave the wands back and forth the same way
• Define new words but without a dictionary
• Breathing techniques - draw a "rainbow" with their wands and only breathe at the end of the phrase or "rainbow"

Closing Song: I Will Follow God's Plan p. 164

March 9: Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I can repent and be

forgiven of my sins. 

Opening song:   I’m Trying to be Like Jesus p. 4
Scripture/A of F song: The  Fourth Article of Faith p. 124

Birthday song:  Pick a candle off the cake (Random Choice)
Welcome song:  We Welcome You p. 256
Singing Time:  I Stand All Amazed hymn 193, I Am a Child of God (Spanish) p. 2 find the flip chart I am using here... http://www.jollyjenn.com/IAmASP.pdf, Holding Hands Around The World sheet music, He Sent His Son p. 34, I Will Follow God's Plan p. 164
Activity:  March Madness Basketball Singing Time   Found here. http://aprimarysingingtime.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-madness-324-singing-time.html

Bring a basket with various-sized balls and tie the song to how many baskets the kids get out of four tries.  You could either pick one kid to try all four shots, or you could have a class come up at a time and take turns on each shot.  I'm going to suggest the latter for Jr. Primary - I don't want any of the little kids to feel put on the spot or badly if they aren't a good shot.

1 Basket - Name That Tune with Program Songs.  If a child gets 1 basket, pick another child to come up and throw basketballs to determine how many notes the pianist will play to help them guess WHICH program song they'll be singing.

2 Baskets - Program/Easter Songs with Ways to Sing Dice.  Sing a Program Song or an EASTER song (at least for Sr. Primary, since they know the Program Songs really well), and roll my Ways To Sing Dice for a fun way to sing.

3 Baskets - Wiggle Song.  Pick a Wiggle Worm and sing the corresponding Wiggle Song.

4 Baskets - Kids Choice. The kids can pick any church song they'd like.  Whoever gets 4 baskets may pick one of my ribbon wands and lead the music.

Closing Song: He Sent His Son p. 34 

March 16: Jesus Christ was resurrected, and I will be too. “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” (CS, 64) or “Jesus Has Risen” (CS, 70).

Opening song: Did Jesus Really Live Again? p. 64

Scripture/A of F song: The Fourth Article of Faith p. 124

Birthday song:  Pick a candle off the cake (Random Choice)
Welcome song:  We Welcome You p. 256
Singing Time:  I Will Follow God’s Plan p. 164, I Am a Child of God (Spanish)
Activity: Lucky vs. Blessed  lesson plan found here... http://aprimarysingingtime.blogspot.com/2013/02/st-patricks-day-singing-time-317.html 
Visuals: 
If you want, bring a few lucky charms...fortune cookie, rabbit's foot, horseshoe, socks, 4-leaf clover, penny, box of Lucky Charms cereal, etc.  Explain that some people think that these items can bring luck.  Assign each lucky charm one of the following "luckys."

Attach a word strip to each lucky charm with the following statements and songs.  If you would like, also create a larger word strip that replaces the word lucky with the word blessed.  (i.e. We are blessed to have agency.)

Have a child pick a lucky charm and sing the attached song.  At the end of the song, explain that Heavenly Father intentionally blessed us with our bodies, our families, our temples, etc.  Attach the word strip to the board that says "We are blessed ..."  At the end of singing time, bear testimony that Heavenly Father has blessed us and continues to bless us every day.

Closing Song: Jesus has Risen p. 70

March 23:  I can show respect for the Savior by being reverent.

Opening song: The Chapel Doors p. 156

Scripture/A of F song:  Review Articles of Faith 1-4 pg’s 122-124
Birthday song:  Pick a Candle off the Cake (Random Choice)
Welcome song:  We Welcome You p. 256
Singing Time:  I Stand All Amazed hymn 193, I Am a Child of God (Spanish) p. 2, Holding Hands Around The World (S.M.) He Sent His Son p. 34, I Will Follow God's Plan p. 164  Beautiful Savior p. 62
Activity: Springtime Program Review Activity - Ideas found  at...http://www.theideadoorfiles.com/index.php/primary/277-primary/music/singing-time-ideas/1037-ultimate-primary-music-ideas-almost-200-ideas
Umbrella: Call a child up to hold the umbrella.  I "rained" on the umbrella with a spray bottle set at mist.....but it only rained when the children sang well.  As was suggested by the originator of this idea, I occasionally sprayed one of the kids singing and I sprayed the child holding the umbrella.  With each time singing, I had a different child hold the umbrella

Raindrop Singing:  Cut out raindrops and tape them to an umbrella, let the kids take turns picking a raindrop.  This is easy to tie in to a spiritual message - talk about how the prophet is like the umbrella and if we follow him he will protect us from the storms of life or the Savior is like the umbrella, or obedience is like the umbrella -etc.

Closing Song: 

March 30:  As I Have Loved You.

Opening song: Reverence is Love p. 31 
Scripture/A of F.. song:  Review Articles of Faith 1-4 pg’s 122-124
Birthday song:  I Like My Birthdays p.104
Welcome song:  We Welcome You p. 256
Singing Time:  Latter-day Prophets p. 134, The Books in the Book of Mormon p. 119
Activity:General Conference activity found here... http://www.camillesprimaryideas.com/2011/03/general-conference-singing-time.html
Closing Song: I Feel My Savior's Love p. 74

Joy in the Journey

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I feel so blessed to be a part of this Church. I am able to hold callings and participate in activities that help me to learn and grow and stretch out of my comfort zone at times. Through the callings I have held I have found so much joy because I have been able to serve, uplift and bring souls closer to Christ.

 My calling at this time is Junior Primary Chorister. The previous year I was the Senior Primary and Nursery Chorister, Over the years it seems no matter what calling I have been in, I have always been able to serve through music.  I grew up with parents who raised me to love music from a very young age. I was only two and a half years old the first time I sang in front of a crowd and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I knew at that point that music was going to be a huge part of my life. Looking back whether I was involved in School, Church or the Community, it seems that I have always had  the opportunity to engage in music.  This is why I feel that the name of my blog: Sing Praises Unto Thee... is very appropriate, because in all I do I sing praises to my Father in Heaven for all that he has blessed me with. I have been given so much and I feel like I need to share my time and talents, and by doing so I am serving my Heavenly Father. In each post that I write I will be focusing on my callings, my life, and the blessings of music.