NEW TESTAMENT: CFM Teaching Ideas for July 31 - August 6, 2023 {Acts 22-28}

This blogpost features some  resources and ideas to complement the Come Follow Me (CFM) reading for July 31-August 6, 2023, which include Paul beginning his ministry.    Click here for an index and links to my CFM blogposts for other weeks. 

(Can I ask a favor please?   If you use these activity sheets or teaching ideas, PLEASE leave a comment and let me know.   I spend a lot of time pulling these together and I'm trying to determine if they're worth my time. )

PRINTABLE ACTIVITY SHEET: 
  I create these activity pages to be a discussion starter or review for the CFM reading each week.  They can be used in classrooms, as a supplement to be handed out with the sacrament programs, or in your families.    They print two to a page (double-sided) and are meant to make learning the gospel together a little more fun.   Word searches (like in this week's activity sheet) are always a favorite in my ward, and adults and teens will often seek them out. 

FUN TEACHING IDEA:   
Villains to Heroes / Repentance Activity:  

NEED:  post-it notes with different villains from  pop-culture listed on each one, tape
Some examples of possible villains to use {make sure to use villains your age group should be familiar with}:   Ursula (from Little Mermaid), Darth Vader (from Star Wars), Scar (from Lion King), Wicked Stepmother (from Cinderella), Thanos (from Marvel), Voldemort (from Harry Potter), Hans (from Frozen), Gaston (from Beauty and the Beast)

HOW TO TEACH:  tape a post-it note with a villain on everyone's back.  Give them 3ish minutes to go around and ask questions of the other students and see if they can guess the villain.

After all the villains have been guessed, pick a couple of the people and ask them to tell  a very quick alternate ending to the story of their villain if they had learned of Christ,repented, and  experienced the same kind of change of heart that Paul had.  For example, Ursula would have felt compassion on all the mermaids she'd hurt, restored them to their families, and gone around helping mermaids the rest of her life.   Have fun with it.  

After a couple minutes of this, make sure to bring the focus back to Paul and the remarkable changes he'd made.  He really had been a villain to the Christians, but because of his repentance and relationship with Christ, he was able to become a hero instead.    Make sure to emphasize that it's through Christ that we can repent and have second and third and fourth and so on chances when we make mistakes.   Repentance is a beautiful gift.

QUOTE:   

"The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.  This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus."  Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus," April 2011

VIDEOS:  

Repentance:  A Joyful Choice   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvrVP95BnUk
 

 Acts 22:  The Road to Damascus:  Paul Takes His Journey  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPlez-rwhKY

Paul A Chosen Vessel:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2012-06-1980-paul-a-chosen-vessel?lang=eng

Waiting On Our Road to Damascus  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2012-01-0003-waiting-on-our-road-to-damascus?lang=eng

HAVE FUN LEARNING THE GOSPEL TOGETHER!!!!

"Hey Girl" Marvel Valentines for Mormons

Okay, okay....these valentines are probably a little obnoxious, but I have a teen girl who loves Marvel movies, who thinks these are the best valentines ever, so here you go!   




Hopefully there are some other Marvel-loving LDS girls (or to be politically correct...members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)  who will enjoy these too.     Or maybe they'll just make you roll your eyes and laugh a little...that's okay too!  😂

Happy Valentine's Eve! 💓

PS  Here is a link to some slightly less obnoxious printable valentines, if you happen to have any cute dog lovers in your house.

25 Inexpensive Date Ideas

In honor of Valentine's Day later this week, here's  a list of some inexpensive date ideas I compiled a few years ago with my young women.   These are perfect for high schoolers, college kids, or anyone who likes saving money!  Almost all of these would be fun as group dates too!   

1. Take a hike together--on a trail or in the city.  Look for a certain bird, flower, or color of house along the way and keep a tally of how many you see. 
2. Cook together--a treat or a dinner item.
3. Photo scavenger hunt --do it together versus another couple.  Here's one I made for a historic part of town near DC.   Here's a general fun one I found online.  
4. Visit a pet store and play with the animals
5. Roast marshmallows and hot dogs over a fire
6. Play a board game
7. Visit a sculpture garden  (scroll down on this site for a list of sculpture gardens in your area)
8. Fly kites on a windy day (find cheap kites at a drug store)
9. Play frisbee and have a picnic
10. Outdoor movie (check for local parks and theaters that might show them in the summertime)
11. Make two different recipes of the same item--maybe chocolate chip cookies--and get people to do a blind taste test and see which one is better (or just get 2 brands of ice cream)
12. Visit a free museum together
13. Go fishing
14. Do a group date and everyone brings a sundae topping to make banana splits.  If you're really brave, get a giant bowl or dish and  have everyone combine their toppings into the "World's Largest Ice Cream Sundae" and then hand out spoons and enjoy.   Make sure to make a time-lapse video of you creating it.
15. Minute to win it games
16. Take advantage of cheaper movie prices on Tuesdays or Wednesdays
17. Letterboxing or geocaching (look it up online to find out more details)
18. Do a lip-syncing contest--this would definitely  be more fun as a group date
19. No-hands spaghetti dinner--definitely an outdoor activity with someone you know pretty well
20. Make homemade ice cream in a bag (here’s an easy recipe: http://recipeshoebox.blogspot.com/2009/07/cooking-with-kids-ice-cream-in-bag.html)
21. Go to the zoo (if your zoo is not free, then see if there's a farm that allows visitors to visit for free)
22. Watch a Bob Ross video and paint pictures
23. Do an exercise video together
24. Go on a bike ride on a trail and get ice cream along the way
25. Each come with a playlist and play “Name that Tune” w

Feel free to comment below with some of your favorite cheap date ideas!  

"Come Follow Me" Coloring and Activity Page -2 Corinthians 1-7-- (September 8-14)

Here is this week's Come, Follow Me coloring and activity page....perfect for a quiet sacrament meeting activity or as a review sheet for the family.  This week's page is a little less specific to the chapters studied and more about Paul and his letters.  

 

As always, I welcome feedback.  

Have a great week! 

Activity Sheet for Kids for "Come, Follow Me" (Acts 16-21)

I guess I don't have very many people who look at this blog anymore, but since I'm making these activity sheets every week anyway, I guess I'll keep publishing them here.    Hopefully someone out there will enjoy using them in their families or classes.   



In the meantime, our family is moving to Pennsylvania this week!   We've lived here in the DC area for 20+ years, so this is a HUGE move for our family.    We are a little nervous, sad to be leaving somewhere where our roots run so deep, but also excited for a fresh start somewhere new.

I hope you all are enjoying  your summer! 

Old-Fashioned Christmas Activities (based on Little House books)

Longtime readers of this blog might remember when I blogged about the summer craft clubs we do each year (read about them here or here).   They've been a very fun part of our summers the last few years and I love the friendships and artistic skills my kids have developed through their participation.  This year we decided that the summer just wasn't long enough for such fun things, so we opted to continue the group through the school year, meeting together one Friday night a month.  When I hosted this past week, I thought it would be fun to capitalize on the proximity to Christmas as well as my 7-year-old's fascination with the Little House books, so we made it a fun night of old-fashioned Christmas activities.  It was a blast and perfect for the age range of girls (7-9 years old).  They loved the quotes from the book that I read to accompany each activity.   I think that this activity would also be great for similarly aged boys (maybe without the Little House emphasis).   :) 


All quotes from this book:



Activity:  Making heart shaped cookies with sugar sprinkled on top


Prep:  Have the gingerbread dough made and refrigerated beforehand, so all that the children need to do is cut out their shapes and sprinkle them with sugar.  We made little tinfoil labels and tucked them underneath each cookie, so they could keep track of whose was whose. 

Quote:  (page 34) "And the stockings weren't empty yet!  Mary and Laura reached in and pulled out two small packages.  Inside each package was a little heart-shaped cake.  The tops of the little cakes were sprinkled with white sugar.  The sparkling grains looked like tiny drifts of snow."  


Activity:  Stitching together stockings 


Materials:  Embroidery floss, chenille needles (thick but still pointy enough to get through the felt), felt.

Prep:  Have the stockings cut out in advance, thread the needles and knot the threads (and maybe even make the first couple of stitches for them), so they can each get started sewing right away. 

Quote:  (Page 48)--this quote doesn't really talk about making their own stockings, but it does talk about hanging them up.  I figured that it was safe to assume that their stockings were most likely homemade.

"Aren't you girls going to hang your stockings?" Pa asked. 

"But I  thought Santa Claus was going to bring us horses," Laura said.

"Maybe he will," said Pa.   "But little girls always hang up their stockings on Christmas Eve, don't they?"  



Activity:  Apples studded with whole cloves

Materials:  plenty of whole cloves (found in the spice section) and apples (or oranges)--we actually used clementines when we did the activity, since they were on sale for a great price that week. 

Prep:  None

Quote:  (page 15) "Aunt Eliza had brought Ma a large red apple stuck full of cloves.  How good it smelled!"

Treat:  Peppermint sticks (I found them at Walmart and at the drugstore)

Quote:  (page 34) "They plunged their hands into the stockings again.  Out came two long sticks of candy.  It was peppermint candy, striped red and white.  They looked and looked at the beautiful candy.  Laura licked her stick, just one lick.  But Mary was not so greedy.  She didn't even take one lick."

YW Back-to School Survival Kit with Scriptures and Quotes

Being a part of a brand new YW presidency, we felt like we needed to pay visits to all of the girls in their homes.  As part of that, I thought it would make the initial few moments a little less awkward if we presented them with a small gift during our visit.  When researching what would be a meaningful and cheap gift, I came across the idea for a back-to-school survival kit.  I found a very cute printable version of a kit over at Apples 4 Bookworms , which I used for the cards (except for two which I designed myself).  Here are the quotes for the back.  I bought all of the supplies for about $30 and was about to start putting them all together, but decided that it still needed a little something more.  In the end I decided that I wanted them  to pack a little more of a spiritual punch, so I decided to add scriptures and quotes to the back of each card.    Here is a glimpse at how they turned out, along with the quotes/scriptures that I used: 

"Remember your great worth!"  (100 Grand candy bar)

"Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.  Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!"  Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

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Stick to your principles even when things get hard!   (a stick of gum)

"When you keep the commandments and follow the Savior’s example, it’s like holding up a light. Your good example helps others to find their way in a darkening world. It takes courage to do what you know to be right even when it is hard, very hard. But you will never lose your courage unless you choose to."  Sister Ardeth G. Kapp

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Your Young Women Leaders Love You!  (Hershey Hugs or Kisses)

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Be a m&m member missionary!  (pack of M & M's)

"The most effective way to share the gospel is to live it. When we live like disciples of Christ should live, when we aren’t just good but happy to be good, others will be drawn to us because we are “distinct and different—in happy ways,” as President Kimball prophesied (“The Role of Righteous Women,” Ensign, Nov. 1979, 104). Happy about the way we’ve chosen to live, happy because we’re not constantly reshaping ourselves in the world’s image, happy because we have “the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost” (1 Ne. 13:37), happy to stand tall so that we will stand out....No woman is more persuasive, no woman has greater influence for good, no woman is a more vibrant instrument in the hands of the Lord than a woman of God who is thrilled to be who she is. I like to think of us as the Lord’s secret weapon.”   Sister Sheri Dew

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It's important to laugh!  (Snickers or Laffy Taffy)

"...a good sense of humor is a useful quality to have. It will often help you to keep your sanity when life gets too serious or too difficult. If you remember to be honest, considerate, and kind in what you say to or about others, you’ll be on your way to developing a “good” sense of humor. And that’s something everyone can enjoy."   Chris Crowe, Ensign, May 1986

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Prayer can be a LIFESAVER when you need help! (lifesavers)

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."  Alma 37:37

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Be a SMARTIE and study hard! (smarties)

"Secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge can complement each other. Because God created the earth and the things that inhabit it, studying geology, physics and biology teaches us more about the greatness of our Creator. Authors and poets can write with heavenly inspiration, so reading their work can give us insight into the nature of our souls and what it means to be human. Sometimes listening to a piece of music can help us feel God's love. Both secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge benefit from dialogue. Both require observation, work, and practice. So although we sometimes think of secular and spiritual as opposites or even as contradictory, a true knowledge of God and the world He created shows us that understanding one helps to understand the other."  mormon.org/learning

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You are writing the story of your life...What does your story tell? (a pen)

"My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things … in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby … win the prize.”  Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

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Remember the cleansing principle of REPENTANCE!  (Individually wrapped hand sanitizing wipe)

"If any has stumbled in his journey, there is a way back. The process is called repentance. Our Savior died to provide you and me that blessed gift. Though the path is difficult, the promise is real: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).   President Thomas S. Monson

"Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord, remember them no more."  Doctrine and Covenants 58:42

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The decisions you make will affect you NOW & LATER!   (Now & Later candies were hard to find.  I eventually found them at a drug store, but you can also order them here or here)

"Young people, you live in tumultuous times. You have choices to make—choices with eternal consequences. But you are not left unaided in your decisions, however small or however large they may be....Precious young people, make every decision you contemplate pass this test: What does it do to me? What does it do for me? And let your code of conduct emphasize not “What will others think?” but rather “What will I think of myself?” Be influenced by that still, small voice."  President Thomas S. Monson

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Everyone makes mistakes sometimes....be forgiving (to yourself and to others)!  (eraser)

"Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.  It’s wonderful that you have strengths.  And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses.  God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.  ...many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself."  Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

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PICTURE OF THE SAVIOR  (I had ordered some from the LDS distribution center, however they did not arrive in time, so I used packs like this and this and this and this (packs of 3x4-inch prints) from Deseret Book that I happened to have in the house)

"Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him. Seek to comprehend the significance of these doctrines.

Cherish your esteemed place in the sight of God. He needs you. This Church needs you. The world needs you."  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

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SHOPPING LIST 
(drugstores such as CVS or Walgreens tend to have the best selection and prices for candy)

•  erasers (and pencils if desired)

• Now and Later candies  (They were hard to find around here, but eventually I found them at a family-owned (non-chain) drugstore.  You can also order them here)

• Individually wrapped hand sanitizing wipes (at a drugstore near the first aid supplies, a box costs $2-$5 depending on brand)

• Pens

• Smarties

• Lifesavers

• Snickers or Laffy Taffy

• Snack size bags of M & M's

• Hershey Hugs or Kisses

• Snack size 100 Grand bars

• Gum

• Cute lunchbags  (Target had 40 colored lunchbags in red or blue for $1)

OTHER MATERIALS

• cardstock--colored or white

• hot glue gun with glue or tape (to attach the candy)

• glue sticks (to glue the quotes on the back)

• binder clips, paper clips, or staples (to hold the bag shut)

• magnet tape (for the back of the picture of Christ)

Best Family Games

Recently our family was having a grumpy day.  Some kids were pouting. Others were being snippity with each other.  And even my husband and I were starting to fall in with the negativity.   The saddest part about it, was that it was Sunday, a day when those feelings should be far away.   

A walk outside took the edge off, as did some dinner and dessert.  But we still had a long ways to go to get in the right frame of mind again. 

So after dinner we pulled out a new game my daughter had gotten for her birthday (Pit).
 
Look how excited my family is...

(In case you're not familiar with my humor, the excited comment was sarcastic)

 Playing games has been an important bonding experience in our family over the years and so it shouldn't have surprised me that it didn't take long before the negativity had dissipated and everyone was laughing again.  It may sound weird, but I felt like that spontaneous game night helped bring the spirit back into our home. 

I've been thinking about that night and how playing board games truly is a part of our collective family memories and so I  decided to write up a post sharing some of our favorite games and a few tips for making game nights a successful experience. 

Tip #1--Keep it light-hearted.  We are all pretty competitive in our family, so it's easy for us to start getting cutthroat.  The kids will take their cues from the parents, but we've noticed that when we keep our frustration in check, they do better as well.  Additionally, we have found that a  little self-deprecating humor is a good tension diffuser.  

Tip #2--Focus on the positive.  Complement good moves and even positive attitude.  In the Pit game above, one of my daughters was having the worst luck, never winning a single round.  We made it a point to complement her positivity and held her up as an example of being a good sport.  That example helped us in a lot of future games..."Remember when Cami had negative one-hundred and forty points and still had fun and kept a smile on her face?..." 

Tip #3--Be sensitive to building frustration and try to nip it in the bud.  In our family, a little silliness goes a long way in diffusing these situations.  We'll start bragging about the bad hands we've had and reminisce about the time we lost the game in grand style and in general just keep reminding everyone that we all win some and we all lose some.   If worse comes to worse, end the game night early (without blaming anyone) before bad feelings erupt.  Better to have a mostly positive, albeit short game night, than one that turns into tears and fighting. 

Tip #4--Involve young children even if they're too young to actually play.  Young children love to feel a part of the family dynamics, so we try to include them whenever we can.  Make young children the button pushers, bell ringers, dice throwers, card distributors, game piece movers...whatever they can do to feel a part of the game without actually playing.   Often we'll let the little one(s) choose which "team" they want to be on, then have them do all of the "work" except the strategy.   Usually they'll lose interest after a while and I think that just being in the room with a family that's having fun will make it a good experience for them. 

Tip #5--Mix things up.   My family often gets in the mode of playing the same game over and over again, but I find it helpful to make sure we mix things up with our game choices.    It seems like after a while of playing the same game, one person starts to feel like they always lose or that so and so doesn't do it right, etc.  When we change games, it gives other kids a chance to win and to play on their strengths. 

And here is a list of our favorite family games, where {almost} everyone in the family can play:

Ticket To Ride
The purpose of this game is to collect colored track cards and build train tracks from destination to destination.  It's great for basic geography skills and it's a pretty easy game to learn.  And my kids love the fact that they have an equal chance of winning as an adult.  Ages 8-Adult. 




Pit
This classic game takes 2 minutes to learn and was one the whole family loved.   It's pretty lively and definitely more fun with more people (3-8 players).  Beware, it can get loud. 





UNO Attack!
It's the same as Uno, except when you need to draw a card, you press a button and the machine spits cards out at you....sometimes 1 or 2 and sometimes 7 or 8.  The only problem with this game is that my kids enjoy pressing the button so much, that they never want to win, which can make the game very long.  :)





Rummikub
This one takes some simple strategy skills, but I've found that kids can pick this one up pretty quickly.  I usually end up helping the younger ones when they get stuck, but it is a fun one for kids and adults (2-4 players).




Rollick
This lively game is great for big groups.   A variation on charades, the whole team acts the clues out while one person guesses.  Much laughter and silliness ensues whenever we play this game.





Blokus Classics Game
I'm not usually that good at games that involve good spatial skills, but this is one I can occasionally win, although I do get beaten by my 9-year-old pretty regularly.  The box brags about all the awards its won and that it promotes good brain activity...so it's a game that makes you smarter while you're having fun. 

We also enjoy playing Scrabble, Boggle, Chess, and Settlers of Catan, but find they're mostly for the older kids or adults. 

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What about you?  Does your family enjoy playing games?  What are some of your favorites? 

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