Back-to-School Review for Singing Time

As the primary children have started or will very soon be starting school again after summer break, and considering August was the last month with a song for the program, this Back-To-School review for singing time is the perfect way to 1) get them excited for school, 2) get them excited during singing time, and 3) give you (the chorister) an initial review of the 8 program songs you've been learning since january and gauge what needs more work or if fun reviews are all you need to do as the Primary Program quickly approaches.

Here's what I did:
I got a backpack and put the following school supply items inside. I've included which song I used with each item and what each item represented we do while we sang.

Sharpener: As A Child of God (sep pg)
  --"sharpen skills", periodically stop and have children tell or sing you the next word or phrase;
      print sheet music with predetermined stops

Eraser: Choose the Right HYMNBOOK pg239
 --"erase" the words choose/choice and right while you sing the song

Box of Crayons/Markers: Stand for the Right pg159
 --during song, hold up different colors, children wearing those colors stand up

Scissors: Choose the Right Way pg160
 --sing staccato because we "cut" the words short, try to have them enunciate too

Notebook: When I Am Baptized pg103
 --name that tune by listening to the "notes", then sing once guessed correctly

Gluestick: Nephi's Courage pg120
 --get "stuck" on notes while singing. Hold out note for extra beats, have pianist watch for cues

(Mini) White/Chalk-board: The Wise Man and the Foolish Man pg281
 --pictionary: child will draw hint to what the song is, sing after guess correctly

Calculator: I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus pg78
 --count how many times I or I'm is in the song while we sing (6x for vs 1)


To note: there are several blogs on blogspot with this back-to-school review idea (which is where I originally found my inspiration)... In The Leafy Treetops blog (i like her idea of grading each song), and Camilles Primary Ideas blog (she has the kids find the hidden supplies and help her find them to prepare for school) are two such examples you can check out, as well as this post on Sugardoodle.net where I think I originally saw the idea.

...and there are many other items or alternate ways to use the items that have been posted.
Erasers, pencils, pens, a textbook, a compass, a protractor, flash cards, ect. Look around for what you have at home and you're sure to come up with clever and fun ideas.

The Complete Book of Mormon Stories Actions!

Over the last 3 years I've been primary chorister, I've had a desire to teach every verse of Book of Mormon Stories and Follow the Prophet to my primary. It was helped actually set in motion at my first stake primary meeting where the stake primary chorister taught us motions she'd come up with for the 2000 Strippling Warriors verse 6. And today, I FINALLY put together actions for the Alma verse, which now completes all the verses of BoM Stories for our primary! Believe me, the kiddos love the stories all the much more now too. And it goes perfectly with the theme this year of Choose The Right!

Once I record them, I'll be posting up some videos of the actions I and my stake primary chorister at the time came up with, feel free to learn them and teach your own primary about Alma, Abinadi, Ammon, the 2000 Strippling Warriors, Samuel, and Jesus Christ's resurrection in addition to the traditional verse 1 and 2.

(video 1) <--coming
(video 2) <--coming
(video3) <--coming


I encourage you to go out of your way to teach your primary the other verses to Book of Mormon Stories and to share it with other choristers you meet along the way!