My Country Patriotic Primary Song

My Country

This is my country! 
I sing it with pride
Whether it's desert 
sand duned and wide,

  

Mountains with pine trees, 
land iceberg bound.

It's here where my home 
and my loved ones are found.





I put together 8 visual aids to help teach the song.  They each have pictures to show images from the song and all but one shows key words.  I had kids come up and hold the visual aids.  We went through each sign adding that part of the song and singing it.  After each time we sang the song, the children would go pick someone who had not had a turn to come to the front and hold the sign.  
They also had to put themselves in the correct order.
 

I taped sticks to the back so that the kids can hold them up. 
When you are looking at visual aids from the back it's hard to tell what they are.  I always number them so I know they are in the right order, and I often have the words back there to remind me which visual aid goes with which words.
These took an afternoon to make.  They would also be great using photos or drawings.  Imagine a photo of pine trees on a mountain or a real desert.  Those would be just as fabulous.  In fact I wish I had thought of it first!

Primary Singing Time Trivia

 Question:  In the song "Our Primary Colors"  what does red stand for?

Answer:  courage to do what is right

 
Early Sunday morning I was packing my bag for church.  I am teaching a new song!  My daughter instantly complained......"Mom, you can't just teach a song!  You have to play a game!"  (please insert whiny voice).

A game!  

I spend all week getting ready for the song and now I need a game!?!?

Okay, I think to myself, I can do this. 
So I go to the living room and close my eyes and think of a game.  A trivia game!  I grab some paper and start writing and the trivia game is born!
During singing time I asked one class a question.  If they answered correctly they picked the song, if not, then we reviewed a program song. 
I also thought it would be fun if I had some bells like you see on the counter of businesses so that we could play "Family Feud" style and have two kids vie for the right answer.  But alas this is one of those marvelous ideas  that come too late to do the same day.

I've included the trivia game as a Google doc here.  I hope you enjoy the questions as much as I have enjoyed writing them, and as much as my family, friends and primary kids have enjoyed trying to answer.  I was blown away by the knowledge the primary kids had, even when I was sure they wouldn't know the answer.  Smart kids!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1doRkpzG6Guj9WrN5mnfCnCepHr1BxwKfXZgjkOeYe6o/edit

Baptism #100

 One of the 2014 program songs is a personal favorite.  I love this song!  For some reason kids seem to be attached to the "rainbow song" but for kids in my generation this was the song.  This song, written by Mabel Jones Gabbott and Crawford Gates was THE baptism song.  We used this version, from the orange Sing with Me primary book.  It's in a different key than the one  you find in the newer book but if you have a pianist that can play it, I highly recommend it.

 I have visual aids that I made for this song, which you can find by going here:

 http://primarysingingtimewithmatilda.blogspot.com/2009/05/baptism.html

I don't have these to scan and put up for you.  Sadly, they have been misplaced. 

One young lady from senior primary said:

"I DON'T LIKE THIS SONG!"

I almost never stop during singing time to do a sharing time. Actually in all the years I've ever done singing time I've only done this once.  (Sharing time is for sharing time and singing time is for singing).  I stopped to talk to the primary about this song.  I talked about how important it is.  How they can learn about the principle of baptism from this song.  If anyone ever asks them why we are baptized they have the words of this song to give them the answer.  And!  I said if you learn this song you will always KNOW the answer to any question about baptism.  They won't even have to think about it, the answer is easy.  Just think of the song.  So many primary songs convey important gospel principles once learned they provide information, answers and direction for life.