FHE for Aug 4, 2008

So I finally figured out what I'm going to do. This should be the longest post because I have to explain everything. So, here we go.

First off - looking for something to do with your little one? I have two fabulous places to go that I have recently seen.

The Friend's website page has all the fun stuff right there. Just bookmark it and then it is a quick trip for printing out the coloring page and activities that you don't want to rip out of your Friend.
Friend website
The second one I just have on my Google reader (rss feed). (I really like having everything in one nice spot.) But, I can give you the normal address (just sign up for the feed there, but Google had a list of feeds that I might like and this is one of the ones I signed up for. Thank you, Google.)
Suite 101 Kids Crafts
I'm always the last to figure out things though, so maybe you already know.

On to the lesson though.
This week we did: (drum roll please) "Joseph Smith Receives the Gold Plates"
You can find it on lds.org (then go to "Gospel Library" near top, choose "Magazines", then "Friend", then "search friend" and if you put in the search "color figures" you will find all sorts of great Family Home Evening lessons with pictures. Choose 1 and you are half way done! Just copy, color, cut, (I definitely suggest laminating, or even just use contact paper) and presto! My personal preference at this point is to put magnets on the back (find magnet tape at a craft store) and I use a white board that is magnetic. This is the modern version of your Mom's felt board.

So after doing all of this, I looked at the reading part. It is huge. So, I adapted it. I took the picture from the Gospel Art Picture Kit (#406 I think is the one of Joseph receiving the plates) and used the short version of the story found there. (There are two, just in case you have never seen these. The long version on top, the short version on the bottom. For a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 year old this is all we can handle). The way we do it: I hold the picture and read the story, while Daddy helps the girls put the pictures on the board (Daddy loves his job :).)

Then we played a game. We took the Golden Plates that come from the lesson and played the "Hot and Cold" game. I hid the Golden Plates while Daddy took Emily and Meredith out in the other room to count to 10 (just another great opportunity to teach your child how to count). Then I would tell them when they were getting warmer until they finally got hot, or they would pass right by the spot and I would tell them they were getting colder.
Meredith wasn't too interested in this game (the one year old), but I finally thought of a way to adapt it. Sit down together and put the Golden Plates on the ground and then put a blanket over it. Ask her "where is it?" and have her pull the blanket off. If you have any more ideas for this lesson, post a comment.

We also had a family outing before our lesson. We went and got Arby's and then to Walmart to get a new microwave (since the old one is dead) and then we went to the pet store next door to see all of the animals. The girls loved that part, I especially enjoy having a new microwave (microwave - the essential part of any family with small children - lol), and we all enjoyed some food. Needless to say, I enjoyed not doing the dishes.

So here is the stuff you need for the lesson. First off, the link.
Joseph Smith Receives the Gold Plates
If you go here you can find everything (pictures and lesson)

- or -

I've enlarged it. (see pictures below)

Just FYI:
This Family Home Evening lesson is church approved. Meaning - you can use it for primary or whatever other reason you can find.
You can do your own search for pictures (as stated above), or just come back here for all of my stuff. I have taken everything I could find from the LDS website and enlarged it. (Searching for lessons with pictures and enlarging everything took forever, so just use my stuff. If you find one that I haven't posted yet, I have probably already enlarged it. Just post a comment and I'll email it to you. )