Yesterday we attempted Family Home Evening. Some weeks it goes really well and I feel super pleased and almost prideful at how well the lesson and activity go. Yesterday was not the case. That is why I say we “attempted” it. I guess technically we did have it so we more than attempted it we did have it but I don’t know if the intended gospel principle was taught received.
One of the best things about teaching the 5 year olds at church is that my little 4 year old is taught out of a different lesson book and so I can adapt the lesson I taught to my 5 year olds to Curtis for FHE. Pretty much I get to kill two birds with one stone, a lesson for my class and a FHE for my family.
This week it was on gratitude and we read of the 10 lepers who were healed yet only one gave thanks. I let Curtis draw leprosy all over the 10 lepers and then when Christ came he got to erase the marks. Doesn’t that sound fun? My 5 year olds loved it. Curtis wasn’t too impressed. All he cared to talk about was what we read in the scriptures at breakfast. I guess I shouldn’t complain, it was gospel related.
He now loves to tell Dad over and over about Adam and Eve and how they ate fruit (bananas is what he thinks they ate) off the tree and they couldn’t be in the garden any more. I guess he learned something yesterday just not in FHE.
Although FHE didn’t go quite as I planned it we were still able to spend time together (although frustrated with each other at times). I know that it is important. If anyone else has any good ideas for some good FHE lessons for 4 year olds please feel free to share. We need all the help we can get.
And now we are off to begin another day.
05/08/2008 at 9:28 pm Permalink
I just finished looking at all the pictures (there is no way I’m gonna leave a comment on each one–fo’get it)–but, man, I miss you and your kids! Look how much bigger and cuter they’re getting!
(Hi, Curtis!)
As far as FHE goes–lately I’ve decided that I’ve been over-thinking it and trying too hard. I mean, really–if it stops being fun, the learning stops, right? AND something a friend of mine said made a huge difference to my approach: she said that if you teach stories, they’ll remember them and be able to apply them later. Pure genius. So this is what we did last night: I told Jake the story of Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem. And I made him pretend like he was Lehi (he wore a blanket) and Jeff and I got to be the wicked people of Jerusalem that rejected him (we threw pillows at him) and we built a “tent” out of couch cushions and a blanket, and kept moving it around the room.
It took five minutes, and he had a blast. And I didn’t prepare a $#@!$ thing. And he can’t wait to have FHE again.
(If this continues to work for me, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, when my son is a juvenile delinquent locked up for grand theft auto, you’ll know where we went wrong.)
Love you and miss you!