FREE Printable Simplified Primary Songs

I was so excited today to find these FREE, printable simplified piano songs!

My kids LOVE playing primary songs. These ones are especially great because they're FREE (take note of the copyright section and make sure to be honest in the way you use these), the arrangements sound great, and they even have newer songs, like "As a Child of God". These aren't just for kids, by the way. These are also perfect for adults who are wanting to learn to play the piano, as well. These are the songs they have listed:

-As a Child of God

-Nephi's Courage

-I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus

-Hosanna

-Baptism

-I Will Be Valiant

-I Feel My Savior's Love

-Love One Another

-Families Can Be Together Forever

-I Love To See the Temple

-I Want to Be a Missionary Now

-Silent Night

Download and print them here: PRINTABLE SIMPLIFIED PRIMARY SONGS FOR PIANO
I just found out from a friend that they've been printing these simplified versions in each Friend magazine recently! HERE's the link to the Friend magazines. I'm so excited to be able to print a new one each month for my kiddos! :)

How many of you recognize this book? This group of books are some of the ones I learned on as a kid! I totally loved them. I've had the privilege of passing them down to my kids now. They seriously can't get enough of them. It's so fun for them to learn these familiar songs. If you don't have any, you can order them HERE. 

 No, I'm not paid by Primary Passages. They're just so great, I think everyone should own them!

A GOLDMINE of FREE Online Music Education games, videos, and printables

I am sooooo excited about this post. I've been looking for ways to supplement my children's music education...and my own for that matter. With MUSIC being my first love (besides my husband and kiddos), researching all this awesome free music education has been a total labor of love. Everything I've included in this post is completely FREE education. I've included links to music on-line games, video tutorials, and printables.

 
FREE MUSIC EDUCATION GAMES-
Most of these games were designed for very young kids, but can still teach some great basics to people of all ages! Actually, there were some that I really enjoyed. I could sit and play Mission to Learn for hours! I've played every game on here and have written a brief review of my top picks. The first 11 were found directly from Playhouse Disney! Wow! Who knew, right? Gotta love those Little Einstiens!

Image from ovguide.com

1. Rhythms in the House is a pretty fun one. It reminds me of those cool percussion ensambles. It teaches how to layer different sounds (which are played at different rhythms that all work together) to make a cool, syncopated musical piece. You can record your song, too. It's pretty fun for about 5 minutes, then it gets old.

2. Mission to Learn is AWESOME! If your child likes watching Little Einsteins, this is so cool. Even if they don't they may love this. You click on what episode you'd like to learn more about, and it tells ALL KINDS of FUN FACTS about these super-educational shows! It's not just music education- it teaches art, geography, history, performing arts, and so many other random fun facts...most of them in relation to music/composers. This game is seriously a GOLD MINE. You can also watch each episode from there.

Image from mouseclubhouse.com

3. Ocean Treasure Hunt is great for teaching your child the NAMES and SOUNDS of each instrument. It teaches quite a variety, such as: a wood block, snare drum, bass drum, castanets, bass, violin, french horn, timpani, tuba, bassoon, piccolo, trumpet, cello, cymbals, xylophone, accordion, oboe, trombone, steel drum, saxophone, clarinet, harmonica (which doesn't really sound like a real harmonica, btw), harp, guitar, tambourine, trumpet, etc. It also teaches about famous paintings, their names, and the names of the artists. Awesome game! I'm so glad I found this one!

4. Quincy and the Magic Instruments  is a shape/sound matching game. The kids match the instrument with the sounds it makes. It teaches how different types of instruments lend themselves to certain styles of music. This is great! You may want to have them play Ocean Treasure Hunt before this one so you can quiz them on the instrument names. After playing this game, maybe try listening to different instruments and have your child see if they can pick out what instruments are being played in the song.

5. Leo and the Musical Families teaches kids how to identify the different musical families (Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, and Percussion). The object of the game is to help each lonely instrument find their correct family. On the first level, they visually identify each one as well as by listening. On the second level, they identify the correct family by sound alone. On the third level, two instruments play together (it explains that it's called a duet), and you have to identify both musical families.

6. Echo Time with Annie teaches kids about notes in relation to one another. They use the computer keyboard as a 12-note piano and can make up their own songs. Once they have played it, they can hear their new song played on different instruments (marimba (which sounds awful), trumpet, and piano) and with other silly sounds (a frog croaking, cat meowing, dog barking, and a pig oinking). They may start to recognize that music is EVERYWHERE after playing this game. They can also play a note echo game. It's very similar to a Simon says game. FYI- This game may really bother children with perfect pitch...and can tend to get a tad bit annoying to the mom in the next room (you may want to get headphones). Haha! All in all, I think it's pretty cute and a fun learning game for tiny musicians. My little girl got such a kick out of hearing the kitty meow the song, Mary Had a Little Lamb!

7. My Masterpiece doesn't really teach about music, but I thought I'd include it because I liked it for my kids. The kids simply create their own art background for their favorite Little Einsteins characters while listening to classical music. They can change the song, too. The thing I liked the most was that it lets them used more techniques than other similar games. There's sponging and airbrushing, as well as different sized paintbrushes.

8. Leo's Barnyard Baton Your child can have a go at conducting. It helps them understand how tempo, dynamics, and layering sounds are used to make a great performance. They can follow along and conduct using their mouse.

9. Silly Song Machine- I wasn't CrAzY about this one, but it's still kinda cool. Each Einstein kid is ad libs along to famous musical pieces. You choose who gets to "solo" at what time and record your masterpiece.

10. The Great Sky Race is kind of a fun one to listen to your child play. They play while listening to great composers (Ludwig Van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and George Bizet). This teaches mouse control/hand-eye coordination. They also learn what allegro means as they pass through the allegro tunnel and speed up. They also briefly follow along to the rhythm as the "pat, pat, pat..." to the beat with the space bar.

11. World Music with Manny teaches children some culture by playing music from all over the world, such as: Hungary, Ireland, Austailia, Spain, Scotland, India, Israel, Japan, South Africa, Germany, China, Indonesia, and more. They have to match up the music to the correct country it comes from. You are also given the option to print a world map, showing each country's music they've featured.

12. Music Match is a great one to help your child with sight reading on the piano. They are timed and scored, which is great for incentive to beat your last score.

13. Barnyard Friends (Game 2) is an interactive flashcard game. The child is shown a card with a note on on a staff and has to find the names of each note. (I had problems with games 1 and 3).

14. Repeat the Melody is another "Simon Says" game. You have to repeat the melody you hear on the virtual keyboard. Each note is labeled- Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do. You can also make up your own melody while watching it's placement on the staff and play it back.

15. Note Reading Quiz is great for teaching to be able to read notes on a treble staff. You are timed and scored to help you work to increase your note reading speed.

There are also some fun dance education games on there in the music games section. Kids can learn about different dance moves and create their own dance.

FREE ON-LINE VIDEOS/INSTRUCTION
FOR PIANO
 Piano lessons on-line? YES! Check these links out, they're amazing. I do want to give her (Anne, the creator of these videos, etc...) a plug for all her hard work she's done. Though it is all free, she has a "donate" button on her site. If you feel so inclined to donate toward her efforts, please do! I can't believe all she's done at no cost to the public.

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

Basic Rudiments Videos-
Ledger Line Notes, Sharps, Flats, and Naturals, Semi-tones and Whole tones, How to build major scales, How to build the Circle of Fifths, Major and Perfect Intervals, Minor Intervals, How to build Triads.
Intermediate Rudiments Videos-
The Circle of Fifths- Major keys, Double Sharps and Double Flats, Relative Minors on the Circle of Fifths, Minor Scales, Technical Degree Names, Augmented and Diminished Intervals.

Ipad Rescources- She's thought of EVERYTHING! Check it out!

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

Printable Theory Sheets and games-

Image from http://www.pianodiscoveries.ca/

42 FREE Printable Theory Sheets. Each Sheet includes an mp3 explanation of each page. Rhythm Blocks, and Alphabet Cards.
Piano Teaching Aids Activities- Includes 22 different games you can play with your kids/students. Some of which give a youtube explanation of the game and free printables (Levels 1-8).
Printable Piano Technique Books- (Levels 1-8) She includes a typed description of the content of each book. She also includes a youtube video briefly showing you the content of each level. So awesome!

FREE ON-LINE VIDEOS/INSTRUCTION
FOR GUITAR
This site holds an incredible weath of knowledge. This guy (Sherm, the creator) really knows his stuff! If you or someone you know has ever wanted to learn to play the guitar, here's your chance! I'm in awe of the time and effort he has put into this website at no cost to you. I'm trying to talk him into adding a "donate" button, too! Check it out and tell your friends!

Clear, Step-by-step chord construction videos-
Major Open Chords- A major, C major, D major, E major, G major, and F major.
Minor Open Chords- A minor, D minor, E minor, and F minor.
Understanding notes on the fretboard-
Lessons 1, 2 & 3
Printable Chord Charts- To print, click on each chart image within these links and go to file & print.
12 Major Chord Charts
12 Minor Chord Charts
12 Diminished Chord Charts
Major Open Chord Charts
Minor Open Chord Charts
Open 7 Chord Charts

Printable Scales Charts and Modes-
12 Pentatonic Scale Charts (blues scales)
12 Ionian Mode (major) Charts
12 Dorian Mode Charts
12 Phrygian Mode Charts
12 Lydian Mode Charts
12 Mixolydian Mode Charts
12 Aeolian Mode Charts (minor)
12 Locrian Mode Charts

Printable Warm-ups and Excercises-
Schradieck Excercises- (Section 1, Excercises 1-10) This is one of his biggest secrets to building chops and fluidity! He calls them "Shred"iek excercises. :) He uses Schradieck's school of violin techniques to help build chops and fluidity. They are written for violin, but he has added guitar tabs to these awesome excersises. He suggests you warm up with one each day.
Permutations of 4 Excercises- (24 Permutation sheets) This is a classic warm-up sometimes called the 1,2,3,4 warmup. He says, "If we use all these different combinations as we warm up we can teach our fingers a new level of dexterity and limberness".
Scale Excercises- He says, "...These exercises can be very beneficial for someone who intends to improvise or write solos using scales".

Jam Tracks-
This website is AMAZING! He's also recorded midi jam tracks to practice along to in each key.
Pedal Tone Bass and Drum Tracks in all 12 keys- These are also great for building your improvising skills.
Folk Song Tracks- Each song is recorded at different tempos and keys to help you adjust as your skill level increases. It also includes printable guitar tabs of each song.
2-Chord Folk Songs and 3-Chord Folk Songs.


MORE FUN MUSIC EDUCATIONAL IDEAS
How to make Homemade Chimes
Homemade musical instruments
More music games

The Leprechaun's SECRET to GOOD LUCK- Service Project

It's St. Patrick's Day TOMORROW. Wow, it kinda snuck up on me. I promised a friend I'd hurry and do this post before then, so here I go.

Ok, so let me start by saying- WE LOVE HOLIDAYS. Give us ANY reason to celebrate and throw a party and WE WILL. St. Patrick's Day is no exception. It seems to be one of those overlooked holidays, doesn't it? I think it's fun to learn the history of how the holiday came to be, so my family and I started a tradition a couple years ago that I'm going to share with you.

First, we listen to Irish/Celtic music all day long. Here's a playlist of our favorite Irish/Celtic Irish/Celtic music from Grooveshark.We're really into music of all different kinds, so it works for us. As we get into the spirit of the day, we teach the history behind the holiday to the kids. I've included the links we use: The history behind St. Patrick's Day and fun facts about the holiday, clovers, the Irish, and St. Patrick himself. I like these versions (from Kaboose) because they're fun and easy for kids to understand.
As we eat our breakfast, (see my recipe for Green Pina Colada Waffles here), we make a game plan as we think of different acts of service we can do for people in our area. For one of our projects last year, we weeded a small garden for a neighbor (we did it while they weren't home) and left a treat and a note:

To use this image, right click and save as picture to desktop.
In a word document, insert this pic (from file-- desktop), resize, and print.

 Actually, we left a little different version, but I changed it up a bit for this year.

(I sure hope they don't see this, or our cover's blown!)

Sorry about the blurry pic.

My kids- finding joy in service.

 Not sure he's likin' it yet. Notice the jacket... WITH shorts and flip-flops. Yeah, I know.

He's got a big one...and a dirt smudge on his head.

No, he's not a contortionist. He's just holding his handful of weeds awkwardly.

Rainbow marshmallow pictures was another activity we did.

FOOD-
Some times, we go authentic and eat traditional Irish food, which I love! Tons of recipes found here.

But most of the time, we just eat green food (my kids eat it better). Click here for my BLT Club Wrap w/ Avacado on a Spinach & Herb Tortilla recipe. Click here for my Fruit rainbow-topped jello. Click here for my Creamy Asparagus Soup recipe.

After a long day of service, we enjoyed a nice, candle-lit green meal-

For this particular meal, we had those wraps mentioned above, Guacamole chips, brocco-flower, celery, green grapes, kiwi, and green-colored Sprite. We also had a green salad (not pictured).

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone.

The Articles of Faith Helpsheet Chant/Ditty/Song

It's so important that our kids know the Articles of Faith. They are essentially our beliefs in a nutshell. If you get a chance, read this SHARING TIME from lds.org on the Articles of Faith. It's so awesome. It tells how they came to be and why they are important. In this particular article, President Monson tells a powerful and inspiring story about a young girl who taught our beliefs to an inquiring adult by reciting the A of F's, resulting in his and his entire family's conversion and baptism! All because a little girl knew her Articles of Faith well enough to be able to share them. Pretty awesome, right?

So anyway, I have been asked by some friends if I'd share my little Articles of Faith Chant/Ditty/Song (whatever you want to call it). My family and I came up with this a few years ago during Family Home Evening to help us remember what each Article of Faith is about. It's worked like a charm (even for me). I love to quiz my kids on it. They can tell me on the spot what each is about now. We also used it for a couple years in my previous ward's primary. And let me tell ya, those kids know their A of F's!

To use image: Right-click on it and "save picture as..." name it and save it somewhere you'll remember.
Open a word document and insert image. Re-size to fit your page. Print.
*If you'd like a better quality copy, leave a comment with your email and I'd be happy to send the pdf.

 
I'm thinking about making a YouTube video so you can hear how it goes. Not sure if it's really needed or not. Let me know what you think.

The best I can tell you without a video, is to add a small pause when you see the . . . 's.
Most of these ditty's are said in 4 counts. In fact, #'s 1,2,3,4,7,8,9, and 13 are said in 4 counts and are pretty simple. Numbers 5,6, 10, 11, and 12 are said in 8 counts. On number 6 (it's kind of tricky), you say "Six, Six" in 2 counts, "is no surprise" in 2 counts, and then you have to jump the gun on "tells" (like a grace note), and say "how our church" in 1 count ("how" being on the downbeat), "was and is" in 1 count ("was" on the downbeat), and "or-ga-nized" in 2 counts (evenly spacing the 3 segments of the word in 2 counts...kind of like a triplet, only said in two counts instead of 1). If you snap your finger as you say it, it's much easier.

See also- General Conference Activities. In my post, find the "Saturday night Priesthood Session Activities" segment, idea #11. It talks about how we've turned our learning the Articles of Faith into a game show.

Teaching/learning the gospel can be so much fun! Teach/learn with a vengeance!


Enjoy!

I'm linking up @ Blue Cricket Design, Lil' Luna, Mo momma, Crafty Confessions, Southern Lovely, I'm Topsy Turvy, and Gluesticks.

General Conference Games & Activity IDEAS- Something for every session!

We LOVE General Conference weekend. It's kind of like the "Mormon Superbowl" (as my friend says). Haha! Not really, but it's THAT BIG... actually, it really is MUCH BIGGER. These inspired messages are intended not only for our church members, but for the entire world...

Here are some things we like to do as a family as we participate:

(If you don't have cable, you can watch GENERAL CONFERENCE live online)

WHY CONFERENCE MATTERS VIDEO -is a great little message you can share with your family to add to your FHE as you prepare for General Conference.

Saturday Morning Session-

Conference Packets- Sugardoodle.net always has free, (Oct 2012) printable activity packets for youth of all ages. We usually put these together the Monday night before General Conference as part of our FHE. I like to make our packets big so they can last through at least two sessions.

Secret Word- Choose one or two words that will most likely be heard frequently during the session. You could choose: scriptures, Book of Mormon, family, love, hearts, choice, service, baptism, faith, mission, commandments, joy, obedience, obey, prayer, service, promise, tithing, children, mission, eternal, parents, sheep/lamb, holy ghost, sin, heaven, earth, gospel, life, patience, challenges. Sometimes, I'll randomly pick the words, and other times I'll write a whole bunch down and let one of the kids pick from a hat. When the word(s) is (are) chosen, I'll teach what each word means (before the session). That way, as they listen for and hear these words, they'll have a better understanding of what is being taught.
Saturday Afternoon Session-

Stat Guess- *** Before the session starts, have each person in your family fill out this "What's Your Guess" sheet below. Have them make a guess of how many temples there are, how many members of the church there are, how many converts and baptisms, how many missionaries, etc. You can even give a little prize for whoever made the closest guess. This works best if you can DVR the session and pause as each answer is revealed.

Sustaining our Leaders- Make sure everyone participates in these church sustainings. Talk about the importance of doing so. THIS talk from lds.org may help you.

To use this sheet- 1) Right-click on it, 2) Save picture as... 3) Open a
Word document, 4) Insert Picture or just copy & paste into document
5) Print.

Feast Upon the Words- Make a list of 3-5 words that will most likely be heard less frequently during the session. You could choose the words: opposition, potential, salvation, mortality, obedience, protection, angels, perspective, fulfill, glory, testament, covenant, heed, potential, abundance, establish, priesthood, treasure, celestial, accountable, example, influence, principles, believe, inspire, testimony, atonement, modesty, revelation, administer, fundamental, worship, privilege, standards, mistakes, mortal, desire, pride. We make sure everyone understands what similar words are acceptable, such as: mortal- (immortal, mortality, immortality). When the words have been chosen, we have 3-5 bowls of treats. Each word is assigned to a certain type of snack.

For instance:

OBEDIENCE (obedient, obey) = PRETZELS

ATONEMENT (atoning, atone) = APPLE SLICES

TESTIMONY (testimonies, testify, testament) = M&M'S

Here's another example:

When the word is spoken, everyone grabs a piece of the corresponding treat. My family LOVES this one!

Clean up- I use the upcoming activities as incentive for my kids to help me straighten and clean up the house. We want to be able to enjoy our lady's/kid's night (while the guys are at the Priesthood Session) and Sunday sessions in a nice, tidy home!

Saturday Night Priesthood Session-

While the men are gone, a serious lady's/kid's night is in order!
Here are 11 fun ideas: (THESE ARE ALSO FUN TO USE FOR FHE ACTIVITIES)

1) Have a "modesty" fashion show- Create a runway (down the hall) for your kids to strut down. Give them a few quick words on modesty. Review the Article of Faith #13. I love THIS talk and THIS sharing time idea (specifically #2) from lds.org. THIS Modesty Checklist from the Friend May 2010 is also quite helpful. You can bring out the Halloween dress-up and let them come out in anything from Batman to Tinkerbell (you can show them how to make an immodest outfit modest by putting a shirt or leggings underneath). You could also let them wear your husband's suit, old prom dresses, maybe even your wedding gown if you dare! Get out the scarves, ties, hats, jewelry, etc. It's so fun to see the combinations they come up with-- so silly. Don't forget the music. MAKE SURE TO TAKE PICTURES.

2) Primary Song Karaoke- WE LOVE KARAOKE at our house. This is something we do anyway at least once a week. If you don't have a karaoke machine, you can simply go HERE (at lds.org) to find any song in the Children's Songbook or Hymn Book. It has lyrics and music to every single song. This is probably the best way to go. If you don't have a mic, use a toy microphone or just pretend with a flashlight or something. It's such a fun way to teach your kids new primary songs. Just follow the words and sing your hearts out!

You could also go do a you-tube karaoke. Go to you-tube and type in "Children's Songbook", the song name, then the word "lyrics" on the end. Some have lyrics, some don't. This way is kinda iffy. There's a lot of anti-mormon stuff out there (and other stuff) and you sort of have to sift through it to find what you're looking for. Here are some I've already found and have used for previous FHE's:
I am a Child of God,
My Heavenly Father Loves Me,
Teach Me to Walk in the Light,
Love is Spoken Here,
I Love to See the Temple,
He Sent His Son,
I Know That My Savior Loves Me,
If the Savior Stood Beside Me,
Follow the Prophet,
I Will Follow God's Plan,
If I Listen with My Heart,
Nephi's Courage,
If the Savior Stood Beside Me,
When I am Baptized,
Choose the Right,
Choose the Right WAY,
As a Child of God,
The Wise Man and the Foolish Man,
Praise to the Man,
Scripture Power,
The Lord Gave me a Temple,
Tell Me the Stories of Jesus,
Beautiful Savior,
I Lived in Heaven,
Jesus Once Was a Little Child,
Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam,
The Books in the Old Testament,
Latter-day Prophets,
Stand For the Right,

3) Family Video Flashbacks- Nobody appreciates these like your own family. Once in a while, we'll find our funniest videos and do a mock America's Funniest Videos. My kids LOVE to watch their cute little younger-selves. We love to add our own silly commentary as we watch & giggle the whole way through.
4) Spiritual Scavenger Hunt- Make a list of topics we've just learned about from conference. Give out your lists and start searching! When each person has found their items, have them explain how each one relates to their topic. For instance, one could grab a tie for the word mission, a kitchen sponge for the word service, a baby doll for the word family, jeans for the word modesty, etc.

 5) Mormon Mad Gab- I found yet another gem on Sugardoodle. This game was used for Primary Singing time, but I thought it was perfect for this fun little night. This was based on the activity, "Say What?" from the June 2009 Friend which is awesome, too.
6) Friend Magazine on-line games- CLICK HERE. My family loves this site! They especially love having the stories automatically read to them on there!
7) Secret Service/Sweet is the Work- Once in a while, we'll plan ahead to do a little service. We've done things like: weed someone's yard, bake treats and doorbell-ditch a neighbor, bring in a garbage can, give someone a "heart attack", sweep a neighbor's porch, etc. The first time we did this, I'll admit that my kids really resisted. They hadn't yet "tasted the sweetness" of the blessings that come from service. Remember to keep it anonymous!
8) Scripture Read-a-thon- Okay, I'm sure you're thinking, this won't fly with my LITTLE kids. But remember that the Ensign, The New Era, The Liahona, and The Friend are all considered to be doctrine, in addition to the scriptures (all can be found HERE). If you have little ones who can't read, set them up to the Friend website with headphones. They can choose the story they'd like to have read to them. Don't forget the treats!!! We've also recently discovered scripture stories put to video straight from lds.org. Here are the links to THE BOOK OF MORMON, THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE OLD TESTAMENT, and THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS videos. These are SO GREAT for supplementing actual sit-down scripture reading as a family. Especially for young children who have a hard time understanding the scriptures. Sometimes when we've finished a story segment of scripture (such as the Tree of Life), we'll watch it on here so the kids really grasp it. I can't tell you how excited I was to find this. It's made such a huge difference in our very young family's scripture studies.
9) Preparedness Party- I got this idea from my friend, Mary. You could replenish your 72-hour kits with all your favorite snacks & food items. Remember it's a good idea to do this every 6 months anyway (to keep it fresh) which is perfect for doing at each General Conference. You could eat the food from your old one for dinner, too. Mary's family actually uses the older kits as one of their meals to eat during one of the sessions of conference. Isn't that fun? Plus, that's one less meal you have to fix and clean up from. Great idea, huh??? Thanks, Mary!
10) Dessert & a Movie- Let your family help you make a Scripture Cake. Eat it as you watch your favorite family-friendly movie--preferably one that teaches a good moral. Talk about what you've learned, relating it to principles that were taught during the sessions earlier that day.
11) Articles of Faith Gameshow- Teach your family this fun little ARTICLES of FAITH Chant/Ditty/Song to help them learn what each one is about. My kids have it memorized now. I love to quiz them by setting up a game show-type table with buzzers or bells (we use buzzers from the game, Taboo). We divide the family into two teams and I'll ask questions like, "Which Article of Faith teaches us that we should obey the laws of the land?" Answer- #12. "Which one tells us how our church was organized?" Answer- #6, etc... The winning team gets to choose and make the family treat.

Sunday Morning Session-

King Benjamin Tents- I got this idea from this talk in the Friend a few years ago and have done it ever since! We let the kids build tents the whole morning (while we sleep in) up until conference starts. Before the session begins, we remind them of King Benjamin's speech from the tower and how the people listened with the doors of their tents facing him. To make the tents, my kids use sheets, blankets, chairs, and sometimes cushions. Occasionally, I'll even have my husband move the kitchen table into the family room the night before so the kids can build from there. Usually, I set out sheets and other items for them to use (and make sure they know they are limited to those) so they don't make a huge, crazy mess. We lay a blanket down on the floor, and as they listen from inside their tents, I let them eat a simple picnic-style breakfast such as: muffins, fruit, bagels, breakfast hot pockets, pop tarts, sausage corn dogs, breakfast burritos, sausage corn muffins, (or whatever you eat) prepared the night before and finish what's left from their Conference Packets.

Ours turned out to be a triple-decker tent this year (My husband and I helped them with the 3rd level--adding a bungee-secured bench and attaching it to my drapes and the ceiling fan with safety pins and clothespins. ;)! My kids are soooo excited!

Our 3-story conference tent! They're so proud!

Sunday Afternoon Session-

General Conference Bingo- This is the session my family usually tends to fall asleep during, so I use this game to try to help keep their interest and attentiveness. Print off your favorite General Conference Bingo cards---a different one for each family member. Use your favorite bite-size snack as the token chips. When one of the words or topics is said by one of the speakers, place your token on the corresponding square. Award small prizes for whoever gets 5 in a row and calls out BINGO! These cards HERE (at my heart and home) are one of my very favorite versions! Pop over to her blog and check them out! She's really gone to a lot of work for these! She's made 24 different printable cards! They're beautiful!

HERE and HERE's another great bingo version.

After Conference- Make sure to keep your General Conference recordings protected on the DVR the whole year! We plan to take one talk a week to study as part of our FHE. If you're unable to record them, you can find all the general conference talks HERE.

Check HERE, HERE, and HERE for tons more fun ideas!