In the Leafy Treetops the Birds Sing!

yep! I taught In the Leafy Treetops to Jr. Primary today. They were more reverent today than they have been in a few weeks. Our Primary President took part of sharing time a few weeks ago and had the Jr. Primary help her come up with rules for Primary. She then made two big tablets that look like the ten commandments with the "rules" of Primary on them. Even with the "rules" the last two weeks have been crazy! Last week, I brought giant sunglasses for the Primary Presidency to wear when Jr. Primary is being reverent. They take the glasses off when they aren't being reverent! It worked really well today! I've been trying to make singing time more fun too. Last week, I brought bean bags and a basket. We have the children's names on "ahh sticks" to pick who gets to help! I would pick a child from the "ahh sticks" and they would get to throw the bean bag and try to get it in the basket. If they got 1 in the basket we sang the song once, if they got 2, we sang the song twice, etc. It worked really well...except with the older kids. Yes, I used it with Sr. Primary too. Some didn't want to sing the songs multiple times, so they would try not to make it in the basket...so we decided if they didn't make any in the basket we would still sing the song twice. HA!
Senior Primary has been very reverent the last few weeks! (Not as reverent today!)
So today Jr. Primary was struggling and they did a fun sharing time with them and then it was singing time....how to keep them reverent...yet keep them singing. Last year I made a 9X9X9 box into a large die for the kids to roll to tell them how they're going to sing the song. There are pictures of how we'll sing. One is of a child folding their arms, one is of a flamingo: sing on one leg, there's a monkey with it's eyes closed, Children, which means children sing and the adults don't. There's one they never rolled today that is whisper! and my favorite is a heart...sing with all your heart. I try to explain it that way, so they don't yell...they sing loud, yet reverent. Well, we sang with our arms folded and we sang like flamingos, which isn't easy and not the most reverent, but fun! My favorite and the most amazing was singing all 3 verses of As A Child of God - with all our hearts! We had just sang each verse separately before this, with each verse doing a different thing and they were singing rather ho-hum. When we rolled the heart, I explained how they were supposed to sing. The Presidency at this point all had the sunglasses on and the kids were being pretty reverent. When we sang with all our hearts, they sang all 3 verses so well!!!! It was amazing! After we sang so well, the Counselor over Music got up and added warm fuzzies to the giant jar that is collecting the Reverent warm fuzzies!!! It was truly amazing. The rowdiest kid in Primary sat so still and sang so loud and actually knows the words!!! I was amazed!!!! It was an amazing day! I won't be in Primary for two weeks. General Conference next week and Eddie and I will be gone for Easter, so I have two weeks to think up a new fun, yet reverent way to sing!!!! All suggestions are gladly accepted!!!!
I need to give a shout out to my little Etta! She is the most adorable Sunbeam!!!! When she knows a song, and is paying attention...she can sing louder than the rest of the primary! She loves Nephi's Courage!!!! When the year started and she was new in Primary...she didn't like the activity songs very much. The first week I told the kids we were going to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, she actually said, no. Of course we sang anyway and she laughed and laughed. She thought it was so much fun!!! The kids love to sing it faster and faster and I've taught them to sing it kinda backwards...with Eyes, Ears, Mouth and Nose first! She thinks it's hilarious! When I taught in the Leafy Treetops today she kept saying....Now Faster!!!!! It was pretty funny! I told her it wasn't an activity song we sing faster! She makes me laugh and is a joy to have in Primary!
The other fun thing I have taught them is when we sing Fun to Do.... and a few others where you get to add your own motions...is Folding Your Arms! I try to make it the last activity song so their arms are folded when it's sharing time. Now when it's time for that verse...I ask them...what's my favorite thing to do...or ....If I'm happy and I know it....and they all say FOLD YOUR ARMS!!!! I love my calling!!!!