Picture Perfect

About eight years ago there was a fun idea mentioned in the Ensign to use the Gospel Art Kit pictures for scripture study time with kids. I thought this was a fun idea and used it for a while. Each week I picked four new pictures. Monday through Thursday I would show the kids a new picture and read the story from the back of the picture. On Fridays I would show the kids all four of the week's pictures, briefly review the stories. Then I would quiz them to see if they could remember which story went with which picture. The pictures really help keep kids' attention.

In addition to using the pictures for scripture study time, I also made copies of the pictures (reduced to 30% of the original size). I placed a bit of glue on the left edge of the copy and stuck it down in the binding of my kids' scriptures. Make sure to place the picture where the story actually takes place. Patch and Kitty liked looking at these pictures during the sacrament at church; sometimes I whisper the stories again to them.

Scripture of the Day: Mormon 6:22

The Sound of Music

Last summer I was prompted to sing hymns with my kids as part of our morning devotional. Mainly it was a suggestion by my good friend Becky, but I also had a strong feeling I should follow her suggestion. Then at the beginning of the summer I was feeling overwhelmed by all that I wanted to accomplish and actually getting through it. I started to think maybe I had set my sights too high and thought maybe I should forget the hymn idea so I didn't overwhelm myself. A debate started in my head as to whether or not I should do it. I decided to do it, but only if a certain hymn (I've forgotten which one now) was the first song on the tape {you see, I didn't want to have to do the fast forward/rewind search of the audio tape to get to the beginning of the song that morning}. So I pulled out the tape that had the specific hymn on it, and sure enough it was the first one on that side of the tape. As a result we sang that morning and used hymns each weekday morning for our devotional.

This year I think I will use songs from the Primary songbook, particularly ones the kids will be learning for the fall program. I try to sing the same song all week long with the kids to help them learn it well. I also post the words or use the book so they can read along as they sing. With the hymns last year, I found it helpful to sing upbeat songs with a march-beat to them. Slow Sacrament hymns did not go over well (trust me, I know from experience). With Primary songs, I do not think I will have the same level of unfamiliarity, so it should be fun.

Scripture of the Day: Ether 3:14

June Scripture Theme

Time for a new month and a new theme. This month's is based on fathers in celebration of Father's Day. The theme has pictures of five different kinds of fathers: Heavenly Father, Spiritual Father (Jesus Christ), Earthly Father (dads), Ward Father (bishops), and Founding Fathers. Scriptures about these fathers are read randomly and the family members are challenged to listen and determine which father is being discussed in it. Here is what the theme looks like posted on my kitchen cabinets (please excuse the glare):
If you are interested in trying this month's scripture study out, send me an e-mail at irvinerebecca@aol.com and I will e-mail you the pictures and instructions.

Scripture of the Day: Moses 1:39

Year of Miracles #6

I almost thought I wouldn't have a miracle to report this week, but then at the last minute it happened. In my rush to get ready for the trip I had been wanting to stop and get a new outfit at my favorite store, Coldwater Creek. I rushed over there Friday morning and arrived at 9:15 am only to see on the door that it was not going to open until 10 am. But there was a lady standing outside the door waiting, so I asked her if the store was not open yet. She said she thought they were supposed to be having a special store event for teachers from 9 am to 10 am, but no one had let her in yet. But then a few seconds later the manager came and let us in. I explained I was not a teacher, but wanted to get an outfit quickly before leaving on my trip. She said that was fine and I was able to get my outfit--and they even gave me the 10% special event discount! Yahoo!

Scripture of the Day: John 14:2

We Be Loyal Scouts

Last night Patch was awarded his Webelos badge for cub scouts--he is now only one requirement away from getting his Arrow of Light. His adviser/den leader said he is a "serious scouter" last night when presenting him with the award. We are very proud of him and all the hard work he has done! Great job Patch!

Book Cover Design

Finally! I was so excited to get an e-mail from my publisher yesterday with a pdf of the book cover design. It isn't finalized yet--in fact, they need to add the "e" to the end of my last name, but I still thought you might like a sneak peek! This isn't the greatest copy because I had to print it out and then scan it in to have a jpg to post. Still, you get the main idea. Personally, I am very pleased with the design and think it is very eye-catching.

In other matters, tomorrow I leave on vacation and will be gone through June 9. However, I have scheduled a few posts to come up while I am gone (including a Father's Day scripture study theme for June). I am hoping to find an internet cafe of two on my journey to post some pics of Paris and London, too. Au revior mes amies!

Scripture of the Day: H-26, 2 Nephi 9:23

Movie Review: Narnia II

Late last week I took the kids to see Prince Caspian, the second movie in the Narnia series being made. We all enjoyed it--loved seeing the original actors back to play the main characters-- loved the costume design--loved the Prince Caspian character/actor. The special effects with the animals was also great. Patch had read the book recently in preparation to see the movie; his only complaint was that the movie put three chapters worth of information into three minutes, but then drew out the battle scenes to last extra long.

I really liked a lot of the Christian symbolism. In particular, I loved the use of Edmund's torch (that's what they call flashlights in Britain). He has it is his bag when they are swept off to Narnia unexpectedly. The symbolism comes in when the kids rely on their own light (use of the torch) to try and fix things, instead of looking to the light of Christ (Aslan). Not to give away any of the plot, but it was a very powerful simile that made the final fight more suspenseful and return of Aslan more wonderful.

Scripture of the Day: A-11, Moroni 10:21-22
Only 2 more days and we will have blackout! SO excited!