"Choose and Review" turns into "Do Something New"

The schedule for today was supposed to be as follows:

Opening Song: This is God's House

Welcome Song: We welcome you to Primary

Birthday Song: You've had a birthday

Choose and Review (I put 8 songs in the bag)

I am like a star, I lived in Heaven, Tell me the Stories of Jesus, The Chapel Doors, Popcorn Popping, How Firm a Foundation, and a "you choose".

Closing Song: I know my Father Lives

So Junior Primary went pretty well. They pulled "How Firm a Foundation" out of the bag first. I'm not teaching it until next week, but I talked for a minute about the hymn and then we hummed it together. We sang the rest of the songs and the "you choose" turned out to be Book of Mormon Stories.

In Senior Primary we had a birthday, I always plan for these things, but you don't always get to sing a birthday song. Right at the end of the song the last line goes: Happy Birthday (rest) to you. I have always clapped during that rest and this primary doesn't. So we spent a few minutes adding a clap to that rest, and the children really got a kick out of it. Then we talked about welcome songs that we know. The kids said they knew four: Hello!, Our Primary Colors, We welcome you to Primary, and Our Door is Always Open. We have never sung the last one in the six months i've been doing it. So we gave it a try, they only remembered the first line. But they were having a good time, that was fun. So we finally got to the bag and only had time for four or five songs. They are outstanding with I lived in Heaven, so we gave How Firm a Foundation a try with them reading out of their books. It was okay, and at least next week they will be somewhat familiar with it when we hit it hard. I used the quieter/louder signs this week as well, I stand in front of the piano so if i'm careful the pianist can't see me, I did the signs just to see what she would do. She laughed, but figured it out really quick. I LOVE MY PIANIST!!!!!! (More on that later).

By the way, all the children asked for the magic wand again. I sigh with happiness. I made it out of a spoon (but I really wanted a dowel), those fabulous lights from IKEA that turn on with a battery, duct tape and buttons glued on. Easy.