My Brilliant Idea

I've been perusing one of my LONG links that I have on my blog and I had an epiphany...why can't I let others know what I'm doing each Sunday for my church calling! DUH! I know others have the same job I have and they're probably wondering what other people do (maybe not...I know that I wonder...) So I decided to write down my plan for each Sunday, and then if someone has any help for me, then I can get some helpful advice. YAY! I can't wait! (Plus I figured it would be a good motivator for me in order to plan my schedule in advance. If I know I HAVE to post it somewhere then I'll be more likely to do it when I should! I'm the ultimate procrastinator!)
OH, before I start, I guess I should let you all know what I do!! I am our ward's Primary Chorister. So my job, in a nutshell, is to teach the children songs that will be performed periodically. It's really a fun job. I relate much better to kids than I do to adults, so I'm LOVING it. I asked for ideas in a previous post and came up with TONS!! Anyway...I will actually do what I've been eluding to this entire post! Just for your reference, CS is my shorthand for the Children's Songbook. If it's not in the Children's Songbook I'll TRY to remember to put where I found it. If I forget, forgive me...I'm quite forgetful!

Schedule for June 4:
Opening Song: Holding Hands Around the World (Friend, Jul. 2002)
Welcome Song: Hello, Friends (CS p. 254)
Baptism Song: When I am Baptized (CS p. 103)
Birthday Song: Feliz Cumpleanos (CS p. 282)
Wiggle Song: My Hands (CS p. 273)

Singing Time: My plan is to present the new song for the month (Dearest Children, God is Near You, Hymn book 96) using the pictures for the first verse from my Primary Partners book. Since it's from the adult hymn book and not the children's song book I'm going to tell them that the new song is from the hymn book. Then I'm going to hang the pictures on the bulletin board in the room and teach them the words (first by singing it to them, then having them repeat.) After learning the words I'm going to have the kids slowly take down the helps. That way, they'll have to use their memories! Hopefully, after singing it about 3 or 4 times they'll have the gist of it and will know the first verse.

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Just as a bit of a side note to my rant....for my pictures I copied and colored them and then I glued them to the same color paper. That way, when I go to grab my pictures later on...the pictures to the songs we're working on are on the same picture. I guess it's my OCD shining through! :)

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Since Father's Day is coming up this month as well, I'm going to review our FAVORITE Daddy songs! Daddy's Homecoming (CS p. 210) and The Dearest Names (CS p. 208). The Dearest Names is one we substitute a few words and we have a song for either mother or father, so they already know the melody and the words, it's just a matter of reviewing them. I do however, have the kids use some sign language and they sign the words "I love you." It's kinda fun and it gives them SOME sort of movement!
I definitely LOVE doing actions with songs. We'll definitely be doing the actions that go with Daddy's Homecoming:
I'm so glad when daddy comes home,
Glad as I can be;
Clap my hands (clap hands)
And Shout for Joy, (raise hand in the air in fist)
Then climb up on his knee. (pat knees)
Put my arms around his neck, (hug self)
Hug him tight like this. (sway while hugging)
Pat his cheeks, (pat cheeks)
Then give him what?
A great big kiss! (cover mouth with hand and blow kiss)
I ALWAYS have to remind the kids NOT to blow the kiss until AFTER they sing the words. The kiss has to be the last thing! Some of the older kids, of course, think it's funny to disobey me, and they usually are doing what I say NOT to do, but then I get after them (nicely) and they do it right!

Closing Song: Don't Ever Forget to Pray (Friend, Apr 2006)

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One other side note: I've just discovered the short-term memories of the kids in my ward. We've decided to sing the song of the month from the previous month as the opening song EVERY week for the next month, and then I figured, why not have ALL the songs the same for the month!? Brilliance at it's finest point! So, for the WHOLE month the opening, welcome, birthday and closing songs will be the SAME!! Why did it take me so long to think of this? Who knows!

Primary Music Time Ideas

I went to a stake leadership meeting tonight and was told the basic overview of my calling in our ward. I'm the Primary Chorister. I was hoping that we could get through the boring informational part of the meeting and get to the meat of this calling...the ideas for teaching these kids the primary songs and getting them excited about singing. But the overview took so long that we didn't get around to those great ideas that I love to hear and often take and use for myself. In my last ward, (where I had the exact same calling) I got the best ideas when I went to these meetings and I used them and they worked brilliantly, but I feel like I was jipped out of the chance to glean these wonderful ideas from the people going through the same things I'm going through!
At our meeting the woman teaching it told us that we need to sing the song to the kids at least 3 times before they are going to join us successfully. I haven't been doing that and hope to try that and see how well it works. But I'm stumped as to what kind of fun activities and games I can get going for the kids to keep them excited about singing.
Let me give you a sample of some of the fun things I've tried and have been successful with and then you tell me what works for you! I'm all about sharing and "stealing" these ideas and thoughts, we're all in it together!

Ideas I've Tried and had Success with:

• Cutting ties. Okay, so it sounds insane, right...it is! What we did was we had two men from the ward and asked them to come in to judge singing time for us. What the men know that the kids DON'T is that we're going to cut their ties piece by piece. Which ever side sings louder that man's tie gets cut. I usually buy those ugly and inexpensive ties from Deseret Industries, or have the men donate ties they don't like anymore. It's been a riot seeing the men "react" to having their "favorite" ties cut off. One time the daughters of our second counselor in the bishopric saved his tie...because he loved it so much! They wanted their mom to sew it back together! This is a fun one, but can only be used sparingly! (Kids catch on fast!)
• Follow the Leader. When the kids get really rowdy and a wiggle song just won't do, we try playing this easy game. I sit on a chair in front of the group and tell the kids to do what I do. I silently wiggle myself: rolling arms, patting shoulders, doing head, shoulders, knees, and toes...and they follow me. It's a fun thing to get the kids to be quiet and pay attention, but like the tie cutting thing...it's only to be used sparingly.
• Word Searches. I've tried this idea once and the kids ate it up. It was fun, and very educational for me! The only problem with it is the time thing...not much time for singing time and it's spent searching for words on the puzzle!
• Using the books from Primary Partners. Okay, so this is my one splurge for Primary. I usually buy it when it's cheap and use it and use it and use it! They come out at the beginning of the year, and these books have all of the songs that are part of the sacrament presentation and they have broken them down in easy to learn pictures and phrases. The other nice thing about this book is that it's chuck full of games and singing awards...just a great idea maker. I don't want to over use this book, but I often can't help it simply because I'm not creative enough to make my own ideas.
• Online sources. I've got links to a few like the Idea Door, Jenny Smith.net, and ldsfiles. Like I mentioned earlier...I will find ideas and use them as my own. I've been told many times that I'm a great chorister...I tell them honestly, that I'm not the one to come up with these ideas...I just borrow or "steal" them and use them.

And that's it...all of my brilliant ideas....not much...is it? I'm hoping that you can help me come up with ideas that will have ME singing praises!

The more I look online for resources...the more I find! I've run across 2 really good sites. You can see them here and here! Thanks for the ideas...please keep them coming. I'm feeling so inspired!