MY HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES ME VIZ

Displayed with both verses

Well, it is that time of the month to start the new song for the month, so I thought I would post my visual for

"My Heavenly Father

Loves Me" 

and some ideas I've used to teach this song in the past.

First off, the visual I made has no text because this is a fairly easy song to teach using pictures and/or objects. As you can see by the picture on the right. I visualized this song using pictures that represent the different parts of the song displayed around a BIG WORLD with the first verse surrounding the top half of the world and the second verse around the bottom half of the world while sharing the world for both of the verses as well as the images where both verses meet on the right hand side of the world (Heavenly Father and heart). The first verse is color-coded with a red border and the second verse with a blue border.

Displayed with only first verse

TO MAKE
I just printed the pictures, cut them out leaving a little white border around them, laminated them for durability and applied magnetic tape on the backside so they can be easily displayed and removed on the magnetic chalkboard. For the world I wanted it to be big, so I printed that page in a poster format as big as I could on four pages, cut and taped them together with their edges butted up. See the "How To" tab on the bar above on some tips on how to do poster format.

A quick and easy way to teach the song is to put up each picture as you teach and work on each phrase. 

A WAY TO PRESENT THE SONG
As I've probably mentioned before, I love to use objects as teaching aids in teaching and/or presenting new songs to the kids. It is just a more fun, dimensional way to present something other than the usual flat pictures we often use. I keep a large storage container with a variety of objects I can pick from and use for many songs. When I first presented the song years ago, I used objects and played a memory game with the children, but you can use the song visuals I made too. I had the pianist play the first verse of the song as I showed each object to the children. I did not sing the first time through; I just let them listen to the music and concentrate on the objects. I had the objects in a bag and showed them one at a time putting each back in the bag as I grabbed the next one. I then asked the children if they remembered what I pulled out. I had each child come up and hold the object that they remembered/answered correctly in whatever order they came up. If they didn't remember them all the first time, I sang the song through the next time and had the children holding the objects step forward when their object was sung while the Primary listened for the objects that they hadn't remembered the first time through. After singing, I had the children answer which items were still missing and the ones that answered correctly came up and joined the other children holding their objects. After all the objects were up, we sang to see if we had them in the right order. Of course they weren't originally in the right order. We did that 2-3 times until we were sure they were all in order. To help in determining the right order, each child stepped forward then back when their object was sung. Later in teaching and reviewing the song I used the visuals on the board while doing the hand signing.

A FEW OTHER IDEAS

• Have them put your visuals up in the correct order.

• Have a child leave the room and another child remove 1 or 2 of the visuals (or objects if using those), have the child come back into the room and after singing the song through, the child needs to guess which one(s) is missing. For the SR kids you may want to mix up the visuals on the board.

• To review, have all the visuals displayed around the room and as the Primary sings, you walk around and tap a child on the shoulder or head which singles them to reverently go and get the part of the song that you just tapped them on and place the visual in the correct order on the board and then they sit back down. This is a continuous process as you tap and sing nonstop through the verse. Sing the verse over and over until the children have them all on the board. If they aren't in order, sing again and tap a child to go up and fix one and sit back down repeat tapping the children while singing until they are all in order.

• Divide the Primary in half and have one side tap out the STEADY BEAT of the song with their hands on their lap and the other group tap out the UNEVEN RHYTHM of the song. Switch.

• Sway & Freeze: Sway the arms back-and-forth to the tempo of the song like a metronome and freeze on the last word of each main phrase making sure everyone ends up in the same direction. This helps the children to feel with their bodies the rhythm of the music as their ears process the melody and words of the song. Here is an example of when to sway and freeze for the first phrase:
• right--------------whenever
• left----------------hear
• right--------------song
• left----------------bird
• right--------------look 
• left----------------blue
• right & freeze----sky

Here is my cheat sheet on signing and objects I've used. Click on the hyperlink words in the table to see how to do the signing.  Oh, I forgot to get a picture of some of the objects I've used. I'll try and add one later.

Hope this gets you thinking on ways to present and review the song.

PHRASES WITH SIGN LANGUAGE	EXTRA SIGNING INSTRUCTIONS	OBJECTS
VERSE 1
Whenever I hear the song of a bird	Point to both ears on “hear”	Toy or stuffed bird
Or look at the blue, blue sky,		Binoculars or picture of sky
Whenever I feel the rain on my face		Rain stick or spray mister with water
Or the wind as it rushes by,		Pinwheel or fan
Whenever I touch a velvet rose		Big, velvety fabric or silk rose
Or walk by our lilac tree,		Silk lilac branch
I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world	Smile BIG on “glad”	Little globe
Heav’nly Father created for me.
VERSE 2
He gave me my eyes that I might see	Point to both eyes on “eyes”	Glasses
The color of butterfly wings.		Toy butterfly
He gave me my ears that I might hear	Point to both ears	Fake ears
The magical sound of things.	Pull on both ears for "sound"	Bell
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:		Toy child, toy brain & heart
I thank him rev’rently	I have them fold their arms for rev’rently	Picture of a child praying
For all his creations, of which I’m a part.		Picture of creation
Yes, I know Heav’nly Father loves me.	Nod head in yes gesture as you sing “yes”

My Heavenly Father Loves Me Viz—Nalani by

SAMUEL TELLS OF THE BABY JESUS

"Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus" is a story song that is fairly easy for the children to pick up on. I also love the upbeat tempo change from the verse to the chorus that helps demonstrate the joyous announcement of the Lord's birth. Definitely point that out as you are teaching by asking the children what they notice about how the song changes and how does it help express the message in the song.
This is a fun one to have a child dress in a simple costume as Samuel and help demonstrate what happens in the song. 

Here is how I presented the song last year. Depending on how quickly your children pick up on the song, you can teach in once session or split it up into two weeks. 

1. Show the picture of Samuel the Lamanite on the wall or have a child dressed up to portray Samuel stand on a chair while you take a minute to quickly give the story from Helaman 13+ of why Samuel was there on the wall and what happened. Here are some talk points you might share.
1. Samuel the Lamanite was a prophet and the Lord told him to go to a place called Zarahemla and teach the Nephites and tell them to repent.
2. At this time the Nephites were more wicked than the Lamanites. They were so wicked that they would sometimes make fun of the prophets and kill them.
3. When Samuel began to preach to the Nephites, they didn't like it and kicked him out of their city. Samuel started to go home.
4. The Lord told him to go back and to tell the Nephites the things the Lord put into Samuel's heart to say.
5. So Samuel went back but the Nephites wouldn't let him back into their city, so he climbed on top of the city wall and preached to the Nephites to repent.
6. The Nephites were so mad at him and didn't like what Samuel was telling them, so they threw rocks at him and even shot arrows at him. But the Lord protected Samuel and none of the rocks or arrows hit him.
7. Samuel also told the Nephites something that was very important. 
2. Have the children listen to the song to find out what else Samuel told them. Sing or play the MP3 of the first verse and receive answers. Depending on their answers, you may need to sing again and ask specific directed listening questions for them to discover the answers. Here are some possible directed listening questions you can ask for the first verse.
1. Who would be born? [Jesus]
2. When did Samuel say Jesus would be born? [In 5 years] 
3. What is the sign he prophesied would happen? [A night would be as day]
4. Where would Jesus be born? [In a land far, far away]
3. Have them sing each phrase with you 1-2 times as you go through the questions.
4. Sing or play the first verse and chorus this time and have the children listen to how the music changes and ask them how the first part is different from the second part of the song. [Possible answers: chorus is faster, sounds happier, etc.]
5. Sing the chorus for them and ask them to listen for a special word that helps to express a praise of joy and how many times it is sung? [2 times]
6. Have the children pitch lead the chorus with you as you all sing to see how the song goes up and down. Do this a few times.
1. Ask them where in the chorus does the song go up the hill [How blessed that our Lord] and then down the hill with just a little bump [was born; Let earth receive her King].
2. What word do we sing at the top of the hill? [Lord]
7. Continue teaching the second verse using directed listening questions. Here are some possible ones you can use:
1. Where across the sea did Jesus come to earth? [In Bethlehem]
2. In the first verse of the song Samuel tells the Nephites that in 5 years Jesus would be born. He told about something that would happen in the future. There is a big word in this part of the song that means to tell about something before it happens. Listen for the word. [Prophesied]
3. Who sang at Jesus' birth? [Angels]
8. To review, you could ask the children to tell you the story they learned from this song.

Here are some ASL and actions for the song you can use to help when reviewing the song. Use as little or as many as you feel is comfortable for your Primary. 

VERSE 1

• Said: ASL for said (I just shorten it to just pointing to the lips than out.)
• Samuel: With the pointer finger, draw an "S" in the air (you'll do your "S" mirrored so it looks like an "S" to them as they watch you draw it.)
• Within five years: ASL for 5
• A night: ASL for night or ASL for dark
• will be as day: ASL for day or ASL for Sunlight
• And Baby: ASL for baby
• Jesus: ASL for Jesus
• Will be born: ASL for born
• In a land: ASL for land
• far, far away: ASL for far away

CHORUS

• Hosanna! Hosanna!: ASL for praise (you may want to drop the finger to the lip part to make it easier)
• Oh, let us gladly sing: ASL for sing
• How blessed: ASL for blessed
• that our Lord was born: ASL for Lord-as in God
• Let earth: ASL for earth or raise arms in a circle above head
• receive: ASL for receive
• her king: ASL for king

VERSE 2

• Across the sea: ASL for sea (To make it easier, I don't do the fingers to the lip)
• in Bethlehem: ASL for city
• Lord Jesus: ASL for Jesus
• came to earth: ASL for earth or raise arms in a circle above head
• As Samuel: With the pointer finger, draw an "S" in the air (you'll do your "S" mirrored so it looks like an "S" to them as they watch you draw it.)
• had prophesied: ASL for prophecy
• And angels: ASL for angels
• sang His birth: ASL for sing

Below is a flip chart for the song. The last page is a picture of Samuel on the wall if you need a picture to show.

Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus-FC-Nalani

THE SHEPHERD'S CAROL

Here's a flip chart (end of post) and ideas for the simple, yet sweet

"The Shepherd's Carol"

If you haven't heard the music only version of the song, you really must listen to it. It is actually the same as the vocals, but you can hear the instruments better without the singing. I just love hearing all the different instruments played in the song and how the instruments each come in through the song and then drop off as if they were the voices in the song each "singing" their part of the round.

Here is the link to the LDS site where you can

download the music only version as well as the vocals.

When I taught my Primary this song last year, I introduced the song by letting the children listen to the MP3 music version. I wanted them to listen to the instruments and how they were played throughout the song. I challenged them as they listened to see if they could figure out which instruments they thought were being played. I had pictures of the different instruments to show them as they guessed since some of the children probably didn't know what some of the instruments were. Another thing I had them listen for was the one instrument that was played throughout the whole song [bells/xylophone]. This was a great listening experience to not only give them the opportunity to become familiar with the melody of the music, but to try and discern the different parts and instruments. They had to keep focused on the music to do this—and they did.

I'm not sure on all the instruments that were played, so if you can figure them all out, please comment on which ones you think they are. The ones I know for sure are the xylophone type bells, flute & oboe. I think there is a clarinet & sax. Let me know what you think. 

After that melody and instrumental listening experience, I gave them a directed listening question as I sang the first verse to them. I asked them to listen for three names I would sing and how many times I sang the names: Mary=2, Joseph=2, Jesus=1. The next time through I had them listen for a couple of other titles we used for Jesus. [King and Savior]

After this, I did different things for the JR & SR groups.

For JR I had two children come up to represent Mary and Joseph and put on some simple & quick costumes, e.g. Mary with a head scarf and baby and Joseph with a head scarf and staff. I then had the children sing with me doing the following mix of actions and ASL signs. Use less actions/signs if there are too many for your children to do comfortably, for example, don't do "This is" part in the chorus.

ACTIONS/ASL FOR “SHEPHERD’S CAROL”

Mary, Mary hush see the child	—Point to Mary 2x —Put one finger on the lips to “SHHH” —ASL for SEE  —ASL for BABY (I like doing baby instead of child—it makes more sense to the kids.)
Joseph, Joseph look, see how mild.	—Point to Joseph 2x —ASL for SEE  —ASL for GENTLE or ASL for BABY (Can do baby again to keep it simple.)
This is Jesus this is our King	—ASL for THIS Pointing to the baby Jesus. —ASL for JESUS —ASL for THIS Pointing to the baby Jesus. —ASL for KING or could make a crown with your hands on top of your head
This is our Savior; his praises we sing	—ASL for THIS Pointing to the baby Jesus. —ASL for SAVIOR —ASL for PRAISE (I just do the clapping part.) —ASL for SING
All God’s children come to adore	—ASL for CHILDREN —ASL for COME —ASL for ADORE (same as love)
Bringing gifts of love evermore	—ASL for BRING —ASL for LOVE

For SR, after singing it a few times through, I split the group in half and had one group go to one side of the room and the other group to the other side of the room. I find separating the groups in different areas of the room helps them learn the round a little easier since they aren't right next to each other getting mixed up by hearing the other parts so strongly. We practiced a 2-part round first. After we did that a few times, I split each group in half so I would now have 4 groups in separate corners of the room to practice the round. It is always challenging at first when doing a round, but as you do it more and more, they start learning how to concentrate on their parts and they do get better. Sometimes they can sound like a jumbled mess, but other times, they can sound pretty darn beautiful. It does take a little time to teach rounds if the kids have never done it, so don't give up so easily. Heck, I sometimes have a hard time keeping on my part when I start listening to the others sing their part. When they are first learning a round, I will continue to sing the beginning part to help start each group.

Don't forget to let them sing along with the instrumental music too. They'll enjoy their own musical band to sing to.

Hope that gives you some ideas or gets some sparks going in your own creativity.

P.S. I did an update to my last post "Our Christmas Story Tree". I made an UPDATE comment at the end of the post about changes to my flip chart if you want to see what I added.


The Shepherds Carol-FC