Bright Child or Gifted Learner?

Parents often have a hard time knowing if their child is a bright child or truly a gifted learner.  I received this list from our school district.  I am on the "Supporters of the Gifted" district group and we discuss the challenges that come with being gifted and how we can help meet these children's needs.

So if you're a parent who wonders about your child, here are some characteristics to check out.

Primary Lesson 19, Manual 5 - "The Saints Are Taught to Recognize Good and Evil"

Here's my handout for church this Sunday to go with Lesson 19 .  I'm posting it on Friday instead of waiting until Saturday night or Sunday morning LOL.

This is an object lesson that I will be using.  The basic idea of it is from the manual but I added the questions/examples in the beginning and also changed some of the wording so that my younger kids could better understand.

Which would you rather have— an imitation item or the real thing?

Would you rather have a cheap fake flower or a beautiful fresh rose? Would you rather have a valuable diamond ring or a fake ring that will fall apart soon? Would you rather snack on a real apple or a plastic one? Would you rather have a true friend or a person who pretends to be your friend?

Imitations are often of poorer quality or less value than the real things they imitate.  Satan is a counterfeiter. He tries to deceive us with bad imitations of good things Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have given us. He does this because he wants us to follow him instead of Heavenly Father and Jesus.

Understanding Your Patriarchal Blessing - Worksheet

Here's a chart to use that goes with THIS LESSON about Patriarchal Blessings.

Law of Consecration - Primary Lesson

I am a big believer in the Law of Consecration.  My friends and family know that I believe that everything we have been given is from God - our time, talents and material blessings.  Since everything belongs to God and comes from Him, it is our obligation to handle those blessings according to His will.  We are all on earth here together to help each other and share.  (The hard part comes when some people take advantage of others but I figure that is their problem, not mine).

Here's a Primary lesson that teaches on this subject.  The Lord Reveals the Law of Consecration.

I made this worksheet to go along with the lesson.

Patriarchal Blessings - Talk by James E. Faust

James E. Faust was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this fireside address was given at Brigham Young University on 30 March 1980. Also published in New Era, Nov. 2005

        

These firesides generate quite a bit of warmth. I can feel it clear down here. We’ve been delighted by that beautiful musical number. We are honored by the presence of President and Sister Oaks; Dr. Russell M. Nelson, one of the regional representatives; the stake presidencies; and all of you. I am most honored to be with my beloved wife, Ruth, who to me is the most important person in all the world.

This evening I wish to speak about one of the most important blessings available to worthy members of the Church. I speak of patriarchal blessings. My chief reason for speaking upon this subject is that patriarchal blessings verify the divinity of Christ and the truthfulness of the Church. These sacred blessings also strengthen the personal testimonies of those worthy persons who are the recipients of such blessings, provided those recipients live so as to merit the blessings pronounced therein. A patriarchal blessing is a very unique and remarkable privilege that can come to the faithful members of the Church having sufficient maturity to understand the nature and the importance of such blessings. These privileged blessings are a powerful witness of the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ in bringing exaltation to each of us. Like many blessings, they must be requested by the person or by the family of the one desiring the blessing. The responsibility for a patriarchal blessing rests primarily upon the individual and family.

About Patriarchal Blessings

“About Patriarchal Blessings,” New Era, Mar. 2004, 32


Many members of the Church begin thinking about receiving their patriarchal blessings during their teenage years. The following information can help you understand and prepare to receive your patriarchal blessing.

What is a patriarchal blessing?

A patriarchal blessing has two main purposes. First, the patriarch will be inspired to declare your lineage—the tribe of Israel to which you belong. Second, guided by the spirit of prophecy, the patriarch will pronounce blessings and may also provide promises, cautions, or admonitions that apply specifically to you. Your patriarchal blessing may point out certain things you are capable of achieving and blessings you can receive if you exercise faith and live righteously.

Why is lineage important?

Every member of the Church belongs to one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Those who aren’t literal descendants are “adopted” into the house of Israel through baptism. Knowing your lineage can be a helpful guide in your life, because belonging to one of the twelve tribes brings the blessings and missions specific to each tribe. The blessings Jacob gave his sons (the heads of each of the tribes) can be found in Genesis 49.

Who may give a patriarchal blessing?

Patriarch is actually an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood, just like elder or high priest, and a patriarch is called and ordained specifically to give patriarchal blessings. You will receive your blessing from the patriarch in your stake or one nearby if your stake doesn’t have a patriarch. If you live where there are no stake patriarchs, your bishop or branch president will know how to help you make arrangements to receive a blessing. If you are a direct descendant of someone who is a patriarch (such as your grandfather), you may receive your blessing from him even if he doesn’t live in your stake.

Church Humor - Bishopric Pun

Here's a little humor for any of my LDS blog readers out there....

Since it was Mother's Day, my husband taught my Primary lesson on Sunday and I was able to just sit and listen.  It was about Edward Partridge who was called as the first bishop.

Here's the conversation:

HUBBY:  Who was the first bishop in the church?

BOY: I know, I know.  BISHOP RICK

Okay, I'll admit that I had to pretend I needed a drink of water and I went out in the hallway to let my laughter out.  Best part was that the boy was completely serious!  Get it, "Bishopric" and "Bishop Rick!"  It still makes me laugh!

Teacher Appreciation - Donuts, Popcorn, Dips (Printables)

For Teacher Appreciation, we put out treats and snacks for the teachers and staff several times during the week.

One of the days we are putting out a bunch of DIPS.  Veggies & hummus, crackers & artichoke dip, chips & salsa, etc.  We have several teachers who don't like to eat sugar and junk-food so I am trying to offer some healthier snacks that are still yummy.  I'll put this graphic up on an easel.  I printed it at Costco as an 8x10 picture and it looks awesome!

We have a great connection for delicious donuts at an extremely discounted price so we'll have donuts one of the mornings.  This is the 8x10 picture that I'll display with the donuts.  Of course most of my stuff involves cheesy puns.

I know the teachers will absolutely love popcorn day tomorrow.  At Costco, they sell different types of popcorn in bags.  I think they just started selling these in the past few months and they are super popular.  One of the popcorn bags is "Sweet and Salty" (kettle corn) and is addictive!  They also offer a "Nearly Naked" popcorn that is just popcorn, healthy coconut oil, and sea salt.  Yummy and fairly healthy.  The third kind of popcorn is not remotely healthy but is incredibly delicious.  It is "Chicago Style" which is a mix of cheese popcorn and caramel popcorn.  I am not a huge fan of the cheesy popcorn but it is delicious as a mix.  I first had this when we visited Chicago several years back.  Here's the picture/poster I am displaying with the popcorn.

Whatever we do, the teachers are just thrilled.  They love to feel appreciated and valued.  And I love that they put up with all my puns and themed treats and goodies. :)

I used Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio along with some generic graphics from Microsoft to make these signs.

PS Here are some additional signs that I made for my sister-in-law's school.  I changed the popcorn one to included different flavors.  She got a local bakery to donate cookies for all the teachers.  I think she put out some candy with the last poster.

Primary Lesson 16, Manual 5 - Strengthening Feelings of Unity and Love

Here's a worksheet to go with Lesson 16: The Saints Gather to Kirtland Ohio.  Click HERE to read the entire lesson.

Did you think to pray?

Here are some handouts that I made for a friend who teaches the Young Women at church.

Six per page:

This is the link to the lesson.

Teacher Appreciation Quotes for IKEA Frames

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up and I am in charge of doing cute, fun stuff for the 70+ teachers at our elementary school.

Well, I LOVE LOVE LOVE these IKEA frames for $0.99.

I've used them myself a ton for parties, showers, wedding receptions, etc. and I knew the teachers would find good uses for them too.  And for $0.99, that is just a screaming deal.  IKEA rocks that way.

So I designed some cute pictures to go in the frame.  The frame fits a 4x6 inch picture and I develop my pictures at Costco for $0.13 plus tax.

I made one picture that says "Please Sign-in Here" and did it in our school's color theme with the school mascot on it (not pictured due to privacy concerns).  The teachers can use those signs for Back to School Night, Open House, Parent Teacher Conferences, etc.  Practical, yet cute and the total cost of frame and 2 pictures is less than $1.50 per teacher.

Then I made a bunch of quotes so that the teachers could display them on their desk for everyday use.  I did a variety of color themes and will let the teachers pick one each (first come, first served).  They could also put family pictures or something else and it is double sided so you can display two pics at once.

I used Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio graphics to design them.  They have a cool program you can use to design cards, invitations, etc.  I highly recommend it and no, I don't sell Stampin' Up and I do not get paid to say that LOL.  I designed my pics on PowerPoint (which I'm addicted to) and just inserted graphics from the Stampin' Up package I purchased.

I know the teachers are going to love these.  You can also use this same concept, with different quotes obviously, for Mother's Day, Young Women, birthdays, baptisms, etc.  Have fun with it!

See THIS POST for how I used these IKEA frames for a wedding reception.