Help Needed!

I'm doing an Enrichment presentation on Family Home Evening next month and need your help. I'd like you to be honest and open and answer a couple of questions for me. It would really help me in preparing this talk.

#1 - To you who infrequently, or never have Family Night, can you please tell me why? This includes those who are single, married, kids, or no kids. (And if you feel more comfortable, you can answer anonymously in the comment box). What are your obstacles, what are your reasons for not having it?

#2 To you who frequently have family night, I want to know Why do you do it? What keeps you going week after week? And where do you get your ideas?

#3 I'd like to know if you were going to an enrichment night presentation on family home evening, what would you like the speaker to talk about? What questions might you hope get answered and what would you want to take away from that talk?

I have a presentation already prepared that I've given before, but I want to add some things and make some changes to it so your help would be much appreciated! And if you'd like to direct some of your friends and family here to help answer my questions it would help me out. Thanks so much!

Contest Winner!

The winner of my blog contest is Ruby.

Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the book! Thanks everyone for entering, and please continue to comment, it makes it so much more fun.

"Practical" FHE Lessons

I like to use FHE for teaching my kids "practical" stuff as well as spiritual lessons. It is the perfect time to discuss manners, safety, and money topics. We like to use role play activities because the kids have fun and they remember it better.

Does anyone have any other "practical" lesson ideas and fun ways to teach them?

Ides for FHE with Toddlers

Okay you guys, since I know that many of you who read this blog, have little children, I'd like you to share what you do for Family Home Evening. I think that there's a misconception that everyone else is having these long, elaborate, consistently great family night's, but I don't think that's the norm. So SHARE! Even if you think what you do is lame, or boring, or not spiritual enough, it doesn't matter, I want you to share some of your ideas.

And I'll go first. Last week we decided to try one of my reader submitted responses and watch the scripture stories at lds.org. I figured I'd be lucky if little Ben sat through one of them, but lo and behold he sat through 2! And my older kids wanted to watch more (we watched about 5 of them). We also sang nursery songs that Ben knows so he was able to participate. It was fun and simple and easy. Afterwards we rode our bikes over to the gas station and got a treat.

Ok, so now it's your turn. Click on the comments box and SHARE! (And seriously, if you don't share, then I'm going to boycott you all and stop posting. Ok, maybe that's a little extreme, but come on, I know you can do it!) Oh, and by the way, my contest ends this week. I'll post the winner next week.

FHE Lesson/Game Idea - Partake of the Fruit

For the lesson read the story of the "Tree of Life" in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 8:9-34), or if you have younger children, read the story out of the picture scriptures.

After telling the story, have the family help draw Lehi's dream on a large poster board or you can have each family member draw their own on regular sized paper. If you have older children, have them write the meaning of each item also (ie. The rod of iron = the word of God).

On a separate piece of paper, have each family member draw and cut out a piece of fruit.

Now it's time to play "Pin the fruit on the tree":

Hang the poster(s) on the wall and place a piece of tape on the back of each fruit piece. Take turns blindfolding and spinning around each member of the family and have them try to place their fruit on the tree. Whoever gets the closest to the tree wins! Allow the children to play as many times as you'd like. Have fun!

(Note: This game idea can be found in Monday Nights in Zarahemla pg. 136)

Another Great Book Review

Here's a link to another book review for Monday Nights in Nauvoo. Click here to read it. Yeah!!

Scripture Study Tip

Here is a reader submitted idea. Thanks!

If you are short on time and not sure how to teach a certain scripture section for your young ones, just turn to lds.org and let them teach it for you :) They have taken all the scriptures done in kids style and put them on their website with pictures and audio. It's really neat and probably more interesting for the kids then just reading out of the regular books. Click here for the website.