The game we played tonight was lots of fun and everyone loved it including my sixteen year old son and his friend (and if you know my family you know what a big deal that is). So here goes:
"Verse Search"
Choose any verse from the scriptures and write each word on a separate piece of paper and mix them up. Let each member of the family take a turn leaving the room while one of the papers is hidden. The family member returns to the room and tries to find the paper by getting hot and cold clues. Do this with each paper until they are all found. At the end, have everyone work together to put the words together in the right order.
Simple and lots of fun!
(This game can be found in Monday Nights in Nauvoo pg.116)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Family Night Success Story
Tonight was one of the those family nights that was planned at the last minute but ended up being one of the best. I had spent the day up at the hospital getting a check up on my oldest son so I was pretty tired when I got home at 6 pm, fixed dinner, and cleaned up. No one had planned their part (including me) and I was very tempted to just let it go. But thankfully we decided to go ahead.
A few years ago I joined a family home evening group where we made lessons and traded with each other. Basically each person makes one lesson and copies it for the number of people in the group. We did this several times and after about a year or so I had around 60-70 lessons. So right now they are all in a box and are a great resource, especially for last minute lessons.
So anyway, my daughter grabbed a lesson on General Conference - good timing, and then we played a fun game ("Verse Search" and I'll post it after this). And it was great! Why? I don't know. We do this every week and it's not always such a positive experience, but for some reason it was tonight. This time everyone participated (which is rare) and everyone was in a good mood (another rarity). But most of all, the spirit was there, everyone felt it, and we all left with smiles on our faces!
After it was over I said a silent prayer of thanks that we decided to have family night and I reminded myself that this is why I do it week after week. It brings a spirit of love and joy into our home and for that I am so grateful.
So next time you're thinking you're just too tired and want to let it slide, just "do it"! Even if it's short and you think the lesson and game are lame, just do it. It's not so much what you do as much as it is that you spend good, quality time together as a family learning about the gospel and having fun! It's a small amount of effort that has long lasting rewards.
A few years ago I joined a family home evening group where we made lessons and traded with each other. Basically each person makes one lesson and copies it for the number of people in the group. We did this several times and after about a year or so I had around 60-70 lessons. So right now they are all in a box and are a great resource, especially for last minute lessons.
So anyway, my daughter grabbed a lesson on General Conference - good timing, and then we played a fun game ("Verse Search" and I'll post it after this). And it was great! Why? I don't know. We do this every week and it's not always such a positive experience, but for some reason it was tonight. This time everyone participated (which is rare) and everyone was in a good mood (another rarity). But most of all, the spirit was there, everyone felt it, and we all left with smiles on our faces!
After it was over I said a silent prayer of thanks that we decided to have family night and I reminded myself that this is why I do it week after week. It brings a spirit of love and joy into our home and for that I am so grateful.
So next time you're thinking you're just too tired and want to let it slide, just "do it"! Even if it's short and you think the lesson and game are lame, just do it. It's not so much what you do as much as it is that you spend good, quality time together as a family learning about the gospel and having fun! It's a small amount of effort that has long lasting rewards.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
FHE at Temple Square
I don't know if any of you are like me, but I've lived in Utah my whole life and I often take for granted the wonderful sites we have to go and see here. Such is the case with temple square. It's been years since I've taken my family there, except around Christmas time to see the lights. But a few weeks ago we went for Family Night and it was one of the best we've had in a long time.
First we went to see the Joseph Smith movie, which is fantastic. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it. Frankly I had hesitated going because every Joseph Smith movie I've seen shows the same scenes that I always see and since I had just done six months of research on church history for my latest book, I figured I knew it all. But I was wrong. There were several little scenes and facts I had not known of and even though I knew a lot of what took place, I have not seen a Joseph Smith movie so well done. And I have never seen an actor play Joseph Smith so well. I think he portrayed Joseph wonderfully and showed the many different sides of such a complex man. In a nutshell, it's a great movie and if you haven't gone yet I highly recommend it. We went to the 4:30 pm showing and there were only about 30 people there. And did you know that you don't need tickets or reservations anymore? Just show up and enjoy.
After the movie, we headed over to the visitor's center and walked around. My eight year old daughter stopped at every (and I mean every) picture and plaque and TV and read them all! It was so fun to watch her go around and excitedly read each one. Needless to say we were there for quite a while.
Once we finished the first visitor's center we took our picnic dinner and sat at the tables between the Joseph Smith memorial bldg. and the visitor's centers. It was nice and shady and quiet. We enjoyed eating and talking about the things we had seen.
It was a wonderful evening and a great family night. We were there for 3 1/2 hours and still didn't get to see and do all that is available. I think it would take 2 or 3 visits to do that. You can visit the church history museum, go on a tour of the conference center, and take a tour of the beehive house.
If you haven't been to temple square in a while I recommend you take your family, no matter the ages, and go. Now, if you don't live in Utah I can understand how this might be a lengthy and costly family night idea, of which I can understand you not being able to do at this time. However I promise to post a cheaper, more available idea next time! Enjoy!
First we went to see the Joseph Smith movie, which is fantastic. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it. Frankly I had hesitated going because every Joseph Smith movie I've seen shows the same scenes that I always see and since I had just done six months of research on church history for my latest book, I figured I knew it all. But I was wrong. There were several little scenes and facts I had not known of and even though I knew a lot of what took place, I have not seen a Joseph Smith movie so well done. And I have never seen an actor play Joseph Smith so well. I think he portrayed Joseph wonderfully and showed the many different sides of such a complex man. In a nutshell, it's a great movie and if you haven't gone yet I highly recommend it. We went to the 4:30 pm showing and there were only about 30 people there. And did you know that you don't need tickets or reservations anymore? Just show up and enjoy.
After the movie, we headed over to the visitor's center and walked around. My eight year old daughter stopped at every (and I mean every) picture and plaque and TV and read them all! It was so fun to watch her go around and excitedly read each one. Needless to say we were there for quite a while.
Once we finished the first visitor's center we took our picnic dinner and sat at the tables between the Joseph Smith memorial bldg. and the visitor's centers. It was nice and shady and quiet. We enjoyed eating and talking about the things we had seen.
It was a wonderful evening and a great family night. We were there for 3 1/2 hours and still didn't get to see and do all that is available. I think it would take 2 or 3 visits to do that. You can visit the church history museum, go on a tour of the conference center, and take a tour of the beehive house.
If you haven't been to temple square in a while I recommend you take your family, no matter the ages, and go. Now, if you don't live in Utah I can understand how this might be a lengthy and costly family night idea, of which I can understand you not being able to do at this time. However I promise to post a cheaper, more available idea next time! Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Win a Free Book!
I'm starting a contest here on the blog. The winner will receive one of my books (see sidebar to the right for more information on my books).
There are several ways in which your name can be entered into a drawing to win (you can do as many as you want, as many times as you want).
*make a comment on any post (you will get 1 entry for each comment made)
*email me a FHE or Scripture Study question that I can post here on the blog for others to answer (you'll get 2 entries for each good question)
*email me a FHE or Scripture Study idea to post on the blog (you'll get 5 entries for each good idea!) (you can email me via my website)
I will do a drawing at the end of the contest (middle of October) and post the winner here on the blog. So be sure to check back and see if you won.
EASY! Be sure to spread the word to your friends and family that you think might enjoy visiting my blog!
There are several ways in which your name can be entered into a drawing to win (you can do as many as you want, as many times as you want).
*make a comment on any post (you will get 1 entry for each comment made)
*email me a FHE or Scripture Study question that I can post here on the blog for others to answer (you'll get 2 entries for each good question)
*email me a FHE or Scripture Study idea to post on the blog (you'll get 5 entries for each good idea!) (you can email me via my website)
I will do a drawing at the end of the contest (middle of October) and post the winner here on the blog. So be sure to check back and see if you won.
EASY! Be sure to spread the word to your friends and family that you think might enjoy visiting my blog!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Scripture Study Tip - Ask Questions!
When reading scriptures with your family, and even by yourself, be sure to stop along the way and ask questions.
Stop every couple of verses, or less if you're reading with younger children, and ask who, what, where, and why questions. Such as, "who are we reading about?". "what is happening in these verses?", "where is this taking place?", and "why do you think that happened?" You can ask as many questions as are applicable to the verses.
Once you know your children understand what they're reading about, stop and ask application questions like "what can you learn from Nephi's example of obedience?", or "have you ever been in a situation where you were afraid to act on a prompting?" Application questions help children relate the scriptures to their lives and help them see the importance of studying them.
When reading picture scriptures with younger children, be sure to ask them simple questions such as "who is this?" while pointing to a picture, and "what is he doing?" This helps them pay closer attention while reading, and also helps them remember better.
Once your children get used to doing this, let them start asking YOU questions! Asking the questions is another way of reinforcing what they are learning, and it makes it fun for them to feel like they're in charge. Plus, you'll be amazed at some of the questions they come up with. Enjoy!
Stop every couple of verses, or less if you're reading with younger children, and ask who, what, where, and why questions. Such as, "who are we reading about?". "what is happening in these verses?", "where is this taking place?", and "why do you think that happened?" You can ask as many questions as are applicable to the verses.
Once you know your children understand what they're reading about, stop and ask application questions like "what can you learn from Nephi's example of obedience?", or "have you ever been in a situation where you were afraid to act on a prompting?" Application questions help children relate the scriptures to their lives and help them see the importance of studying them.
When reading picture scriptures with younger children, be sure to ask them simple questions such as "who is this?" while pointing to a picture, and "what is he doing?" This helps them pay closer attention while reading, and also helps them remember better.
Once your children get used to doing this, let them start asking YOU questions! Asking the questions is another way of reinforcing what they are learning, and it makes it fun for them to feel like they're in charge. Plus, you'll be amazed at some of the questions they come up with. Enjoy!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Book Review
This made my day! Every once in a while I google my name and books to see what's out there in the wide, wide, web. And tonight, before going to bed I did just that with my new book Monday Nights in Nauvoo. I wasn't expecting anything because it just came back from the printer TODAY! But lo and behold I found a review by Tristi Pinkston on families.com. I was a little nervous because you never know what reviewers are going to say and frankly I don't have thick skin (wrong business to be in, I know). But it was good!! Really good!! So thank you Tristi, and thank you to everyone out there who enjoys my books. That's who I write them for!
Here's a link to Tristi's review
http://lds.families.com/blog/monday-nights-in-nauvoo-janet-burningham
Here's a link to Tristi's review
http://lds.families.com/blog/monday-nights-in-nauvoo-janet-burningham
Monday, September 1, 2008
Easy FHE Game Idea
Last Letter, First Letter:
One person in the family starts by saying a word from the Book of Mormon (or any book of scripture you choose) such as "Ammon"; the next person must say a different word that starts with the letter "n" (the last letter of the word "Ammon"), such as "Nephite". And then the next person must say a word that begins with "e", such as "endure"and so on. (No one can repeat a word.)
You can play this game just for fun, or if you want to make it competitive, give each person a time limit (5-10 seconds) to say their word, and if they don't, they're out. The last person left in the game wins. To make it easier, you can let them look in their scriptures.
My kids love this game, and I hope yours do too!
(Note: This game can be found in my book Monday Nights in Zarahemla, pg. 135)
One person in the family starts by saying a word from the Book of Mormon (or any book of scripture you choose) such as "Ammon"; the next person must say a different word that starts with the letter "n" (the last letter of the word "Ammon"), such as "Nephite". And then the next person must say a word that begins with "e", such as "endure"and so on. (No one can repeat a word.)
You can play this game just for fun, or if you want to make it competitive, give each person a time limit (5-10 seconds) to say their word, and if they don't, they're out. The last person left in the game wins. To make it easier, you can let them look in their scriptures.
My kids love this game, and I hope yours do too!
(Note: This game can be found in my book Monday Nights in Zarahemla, pg. 135)
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