Febuary Week 4 Sharing Time

Last week we had our visiting teaching conference in R.S. so the priesthood took over Primary and YW so that all of the ladies in the ward could go to Relief Society. So I didn't even get to be there to see how "Family Jeopardy" went. I was really excited about that lesson too. So to make up for it I had to try and come up with something really fun to do for this week.

I wasn't a huge fan of what the outline had planned out but I hate to stray too far away from it so you'll see how I've modified it. Also, because this year's theme is "I know the scriptures are true" I always try to incorporate the scriptures in every lesson. Here is what I came up with.

"I will Follow God's Plan"

Preparation:

1. prepare a batch of cookies and make one of them extra salty!

2. make a large banner (room enough to make a list on) that says "I will follow God's plan by:" (see a picture of mine below)

3. decorate a jar or can with a happy face. (see mine below)

4. you will also need to bring 4 other types of food to church with you (this will work best if they are less desirable than a cookie, i.e. carrot, banana, piece of bread)

5. Mark 2 Nephi 2:27 in your scriptures with a paper or note that says "choose the cookie"

NOTE: This is for one sharing time only. If you do Jr. and Sr. Seperately then you will need 2 salty cookies and 2 banners!

Lesson Outline:

Display a cookie (the salty one) on a table with two other food items such as an orange and a carrot. Ask for a volunteer to come up and choose one of these items to eat. At this point you hope the volunteer picks the cookie. If not, see my "back-up plan" below! The cookie will be really horrible and they will likely want to spit it out. You will explain that the scriptures teach us that Heavenly Father's plan gives us freedom to choose right or wrong. Choosing the right will lead to happiness and freedom while choosing wrong leads to captivity and unhappiness. Sometimes, like with the cookie, Satan makes choosing the wrong look enticing in an effort to lead us into sin. But Heavenly Father gave us the scriptures, and modern day prophets, so that we could learn of His plan for us and be able to make the right decisions. Decisions that will lead us to happiness.

Display another cookie (this one will be good) and two other items on the table and again ask for a volunteer. This time supply the child with your scriptures and ask them to look up 2 Nephi 2:27 and read it out loud. (They should also see your note that says : "choose the cookie"). Ask the child to choose an item to eat. They should choose the cookie if they've seen your note. Use this as an example of how the scriptures help us to choose the right and be happy.

Display your banner and ask the children "What commandments do you keep as you follow God's plan?" Write their answers on the banner. (I bought a roll of white craft paper and folded the bottome edges to make mine. It was super easy.)

Ask the children how each of their answers will lead to happiness and put a mini-marshmallow in a jar for each answer to show how keeping the commandments makes us happy (the outline says to do beans but that just doesn't sound happy to me. I'm all about sweets!).

I couldn't find a good happy face so I used my cricut to write "happy" instead.

Sign your banner** as a primary and display it somewhere in the room. (i.e. our banner will be signed "Rifle 2nd Ward (Jr/Sr) Primary")

Close with your testimony of following God's plan.

*Back Up Plan (if needed): If your first volunteer doesn't choose the cookie, ask for two more volunteers so that all three items on display are picked and have them all take a bite together. The effect will still be the same for the person who choose the cookie. I made an extra salty cookie and tested it out so I could be sure it would taste bad and let me tell you....it was horrible!!

**I thought it would be really fun to have each child come up and sign the banner individually (and possibly even get a mini-mallow in return) but it would take up so much time it just isn't possibly for us. But I think it would work if your primary is small enough.