May Menu Plan

 

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72 hour kits

Just a reminder to get your 72 hour kits updated.  I used to be so good at this - doing it every 6 months in April and October.  I've had it on my to-do list for a long time. 

Today we worked on Z's Emergency Preparedness merit badge and went thru a Home & Safety Checklist as required and decided OK, it's time. 

We pulled out all the stuff and low and behold the food and clothes for the kids were 4 years old.  The beef jerky survived, the rest was trashed.  Sad.  We went shopping and got it all organized and now baby K has her own bag and I feel much safer and prepared.

Are you ready?  If so, what's your favorite gadget?  We just found hand-crank flashlight/radios!  No more batteries for us!

April Menu Plan

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MORE Nursery Ideas

I'm still loving Nursery!  (My daughter is a little troublemaker sometimes but I still enjoy watching these toddlers learn that Jesus loves them.)  I feel the kids get enough silly songs from TV, preschool, etc. so we're going to try and focus on "church-approved" songs to get them ready for Primary.  I also thought it would be nice to have a back-up plan in case our music teacher doesn't show up.  Life happens and it's always nice to be prepared, right? 

Nursery Singing Time Ideas

Set out Foam Squares (everyone gets the same color so they don’t fight over a color to sit on)

Sing “Here We Are Together” (261) to start and help kids learn each other’s names.

If it’s someone’s birthday that week sing the “Happy, Happy Birthday” (284a) song.

Next is a seasonal song: “Rain is Falling All Around” (271b).  Can change it depending on the season - sun is shining, wind is blowing, leaves are falling, snow is falling.

“I Love to See the Temple” (95). Hold pictures of temples and/or use hand actions.

“Give Said the Little Stream” (236) and have them twirl blue ribbon taped to jumbo craft sticks.

“Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” (60) and hold Sunbeam paper plates to their faces.

“Popcorn Popping” (242) and use hand actions.

“If you’re happy (266).  With bells – you can change it to clap your hands, spin around, blink your eyes.

“Do as I’m doing” (276) with bells bicycle your hands, sway back and forth, tap the floor & clap

“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” (275a) using hand actions

“Jesus Said Love Everyone” (61) hold fleece hearts and sing softly

“I Hope They Call Me on a Mission” (169) Clip missionary name tags to their clothes with clothespins

I made a 4x6 file in photoshop (there are 2 tags on each print) then I printed them at Costco & used packing tape to laminate them.

“Follow the Prophet” (110) sing just the chorus and march around the room with Monson’s picture

“I Am like a Star” (163) hold star-on-a-stick
 
“I Wiggle” (271) using hand actions

“I Am a Child of God” (301) Have them hold a picture of Jesus with the Children

Have them turn in their colored floor squares and then blow bubbles till the parents come get them.

Here are 4 flashcards you can copy to Word.  Be sure to use narrow margins.  Then print and cut.  That's 16 songs to choose from.  :)

 

 

March Menu Plan

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February Menu Plan

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January Menu Plan

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5 kids + 15 hours + 1 car equals...

We make a trek down to Arizona at least once a year to visit our extended families.  Every year I try and fit everything I can into the van and plan out ways to survive the trip.  Here's the Grand Plan - I don't always get it ALL done but I try my best.

Road Trip Survival Ideas
· Fill up clean car with gas and clean the house because there's nothing better than coming home to a clean home after a long car trip. 
· Rent books on CD from the library and put on my iPhone.  Since I'm LDS aka Mormon, I also  like to listen to General Conference. 
· Fill balloons with play dough for squishy fun.
· With a cheap $1 picture album, make a Family Photo book so kids can remember names/faces of aunts/uncles/cousins.
· Pipe Cleaner creations
· File folder games
· Board Books for toddlers, bigger books for older kids
· Lacing Cards
· Glow sticks for nighttime
· Divider sheet with sticky Velcro – sticks to car roof perfectly for a sun shade or it can stop the “they’re looking at me!"      
· Bibs for toddlers because they will spill and you don't want to arrive looking like you survived a wreck.
· Dry snacks: raisins, popcorn, crackers, dried fruit, apple chips, cereal, jerky, chocolate chips, cheerios, pretzels, goldfish, marshmallows, m&ms, fortune cookies, mini oreos, ring pops, make fruit loop necklaces, suckers, dried fruit and fruit snacks. 
(KIDS FAVORITES:  Make a smores mix by filling snack size baggies with Teddy grahams, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.  Make a caramel apple mix by doing dried apples and Kraft caramel bits.  Trail mix with m&ms, pretzels and peanuts.)
· Seatbelt strap pillow for napping toddlers.
· Personalized water bottles with their name and picture on it using packing tape
· Label inside of kids shoes with name and phone number
· “Don’t get lost” necklace (Put emergency contact info on a necklace under toddler's clothes)
· Eye-spy game with TP tube binoculars and duct tape.
· Friendship bracelet kit for my daughter to work on.
· Road Trip pillowcase with handle to carry and a pocket on one side for a book
· Chargers and electronics only after working equal time on Scouting or Faith in God. 
· Rent XBOX game from redbox – I love that my van can do this!  Movie on one side and game on the other side of the screen. 
· Old DVD case turned into a coloring kit (paper on one side, colored pencils on the other)
· Put each outfit in a large ziploc bag with socks and accessories
· Trash bags in a lidded plastic cereal container so trash is contained

LDS Nursery Ideas

I was called to serve in our Nursery and I have to say I was a little more than excited to go in there.  Those cute little faces, the funny things they say and I get to play, play, play.  I had planned on sharing this with the other wards in our stake at our upcoming Stake Training but I thought maybe someone out there might find it useful as well.  For some reason I can't upload the whole file so it's missing pictures.  Email me if you'd like and I'll send you the Word file.

Nursery Snack Ideas for the Whole Year!

Remember to ask parents about any food allergies and try to avoid common ones like nuts.   Always be sure to wash their hands before & after they eat.  We like using a foaming hand soap pump and they love the bubbles in their hands.  Usually we put the snacks in a white coffee filter liner and they also receive a small cup of water.  Children love to please at this age so remind them to say “please” and “thank you” and clean up after themselves when they’re done.  The Friend magazine always has fun recipe ideas for kids so look there as well.  Below are some fun ideas to go along with each lesson.

 

Lesson #              Title

1              I Am a Child of God

Each child is unique just like no two snowflakes are the same.  With child safe (and washed) scissors, fold up a tortilla and have children cut out their own unique shape.  You could also have mini marshmallows for snowballs.

2             Heavenly Father Has a Plan for Me

Eat treats that start with the letter P, such as popcorn, peaches, pretzels, pears.  Repeat the name of the snacks and the word “Plan”

3             I Can Pray to Heavenly Father

Soft Pretzels – the story behind this snack is that a monk used leftover dough and looped it into this shape to remind children to fold their arms to pray.  You could also make edible play dough but call it pray-dough.
4             Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Love Me

Make heart shaped rice crispy treats.  It should take them awhile to chew it.  J  You could frost it with some very light pink frosting – being careful not to mess up their clothes.

5             Jesus Christ Showed Us How to Love Others

Strawberries sliced in half, heart shaped snacks like cookies, bread, etc.

6             The Holy Ghost Helps Me

Ask the children to each help you prepare the snack.  An older child can help pump out hand soap, another child can pass out one treat, etc. and thank them individually by name, “Thank you John for being such a good helper today”

7              Jesus Christ Created the World for Me

Make large round sugar cookies and have kids decorate them with blue frosting for the water, green for land.  Remember to barely color the frosting so it won’t ruin clothing.

8             Sunday Is a Day to Remember Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

                Show the picture of Heavenly Father and Jesus appearing to Joseph.  We’re told they were as bright as the sun so we’re using very light colored snacks.  On a small flour tortilla spread marshmallow cream and add sliced bananas.

9             I Have a Body like Heavenly Father's

 Gingerbread man cutter for cookies, rice krispy treats, bread.

10           I Will Take Care of My Body

We can have healthy bodies by eating healthy foods.  Slice some apples, cut some carrots, etc.

11            I Love My Family         

Bring a heart cookie stamp/cutter and cut and/or stamp bread, cookie, large fruit slices.  Heart-shaped watermelon slices would be yummy and healthy.
12           I Can Pray with My Family
Again, Soft Pretzels – the story behind this snack is that a monk used leftover dough and looped it into this shape to remind children to fold their arms to pray.  You could also make edible play dough but call it pray-dough.
13           My Family Can Be Together Forever

                Use regular size goldfish and baby size goldfish to represent a family.  Can use other big/mini snacks such as showing a regular muffin and they eat get a mini muffin.

14           I Will Obey

                Use whatever leftover treats you have but ask the children to help you and as they do so thank them for being obedient.

15           I Will Be Thankful

Thankful cups if around Thanksgiving: fill with whatever snacks you want and ask them what they are thankful for.  Write it down on the turkey’s feathers and they can take the empty cup home OR

Thankful rolls: write a thankful message on a piece of paper, wrap in foil, then insert in the crack of rolls before baking.  Ask children to break their roll open and you can read something that we can all be thankful for – have each roll be different.

16           I Will Say "I'm Sorry"

                Make oatmeal raisin cookies, making a happy face with the raisins or do the same type of thing with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  It makes others happy when we say “I’m sorry”

17            I Will Share    

Eat child gets a small cup filled with one color of Fruit Loops.  They must share with each other so everyone gets a color.  Can use Cheerios and Apple Jacks if you need more colors for more kids.  If you have leftovers you can make a necklace for them to take home.
18           I Will Love Others

Make heart shaped cinnamon rolls or sugar cookies with a Dove chocolate heart in the center.

19           I Can Be Happy

                Walmart brand fruit snacks are shaped like happy faces.  OR you could use leftover snacks and make happy faces with them – raisins for eyes, etc.

20          I Will Be Reverent

                Use pretzels to remind them how they should fold their arms.  You can make eyes from a large marshmallow and colored m&ms reminding them to close their eyes during the prayer.

21           Joseph Smith Saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

                Give each child 2 large marshmallows representing Heavenly Father and Jesus.  A gingerbread man could represent Joseph as a young boy.

22           The Book of Mormon Teaches Me about Jesus Christ

Make scripture snacks from graham crackers.  Red string licorice can be the bookmark.  Save some for the next lesson since you’ll probably have leftovers.   

Take home gift: Tape 2 gold Hershey’s nuggets to a black/navy construction paper and print off a short scripture verse on white paper, & add a red embroidery floss for a bookmark.
23           I Love the Scriptures

                Again, make scripture snacks from graham crackers.  Red string licorice can be the bookmark.

24           I Will Follow the Prophet

                Have the children paint with vanilla pudding on black construction paper a picture of the prophet.  They can take it home.  OR paint it on a large graham cracker and they can eat it. 

25           I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Use leftovers and lace up a necklace.  Each of us is a little different but we all belong in this church.

26           I Will Be Baptized and Confirmed

Sing “When I Am Baptized” which talks about rainbows.  Make rainbow cupcakes or waffles using food coloring and canned whipped cream.  You can also talk about how they’ll wear white at their baptism.  A great take home idea would be wrapping a Kit Kat with the baptismal covenant reminder to Keep His commandments, Always remember him and Take his name upon you.

27           The Sacrament Helps Me Think about Jesus Christ

                Give them a slice of bread (can be fun bread like cinnamon raisin, etc.) and break into pieces like the sacrament and as they eat a piece ask them to share with the other kids something they like to  think about during the sacrament that helps them remember Jesus.

28          Heavenly Father Blesses Me through the Priesthood

Fill some clear vinyl gloves with popcorn so it looks like a priesthood holder’s hands.  You could mix in some other snack in there as well if you like.

29           Jesus Christ Was Resurrected (Easter)

Resurrection Rolls – Wrap a large Rhodes roll dough ball around a large marshmallow sealing really well, brush with butter and roll in cinnamon sugar and bake as usual.  The marshmallow will melt and create an empty tomb.  Chilled hard boiled eggs might be fun to eat with this as well. 

Another idea that could be eaten there or taken home is “Some bunny loves you” snack bags.  Annie’s brand bunny shaped snacks (cheddar or chocolate flavors)

 

*Birthday Treat Ideas: 

Bake light-colored cupcakes in ice cream cones and “frost” with canned whipped cream kept cool in a lunch sack with an ice pack.  Kids love to see it squirt out.  Add sprinkles if you like.  Don’t forget to sing “Happy Birthday!”  The child who is celebrating their birthday gets to take home a little baggie filled with small treats and a Happy Birthday note tied with a ribbon.

 

*Christmas Lesson Treat Idea:

Make Star window cookies.  Crush hard candies and place in the middle of the stars when you bake. They will melt down and look like glass.  Remind the children the shepherds and wise men followed the star to find Jesus when he was born.  Also, you could slice an apple horizontally to find a hidden star inside.

 

*General Conference Prep Idea

Remind them to Make the Most (fun size m&m’s) of General Conference.  You could also print off a GAPK picture and make it into a lacing card for them to play with while listening to conference with their families.

Family Pictures

Back in July, my brother-in-law and his wife took some family pictures for us.  We had a free photo pass to Thanksgiving Point so we headed there and the kids had a blast zooming around in the golf cart after hours.  Too bad they turned off their huge, man-made waterfall before we could get pictures in front of it.  Oh well, I think we got some good ones.  I'm so thankful for these healthy, happy kids.  We are truly blessed beyond measure.