ASL for Nephi’s Courage

1. The Lord commanded Nephi to go and get the plates (sign the N and tap it next to your mouth and then cheek by your ear) (I really like the sign for command. One hand shows what the Lord says, the other shows you going and doing it!)
From the wicked Laban inside the city gates.
Laman and Lemuel were both afraid to try. (sign the L same as Nephi for the names Laman and Lemuel) (Afraid is going to be so fun to ham up!)
Nephi was courageous. This was his reply: (the sign I’m using for “reply” is actually for “speak,” but that’s what they used in the video, and I like it for the kids)

2. The Lord commanded Nephi to go and build a boat.
Nephi’s older brothers believed it would not float. (I’m going to repeat Laman and Lemuel here for simplicity. You could do the sign for brother) (“not float” is “sink”)
Laughing and mocking, they said he should not try.
Nephi was courageous. This was his reply:

3. The Lord gives us commandments and asks us to obey.
Sometimes I am tempted to choose another way. (How am I going to explain tempted…anyone got an idea?)
When I’m discouraged, and think I cannot try, (discouraged in the asl video is different…but I used depressed because that was the video I could find)  (explain the difference between know and think. we learned “know” in “As a Child of God“)
I will be courageous, and I will reply:

Chorus
“I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands.
I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey.
I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands.
I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey.”

© 1986 by Wilford N. Hansen Jr., and Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen. All rights reserved. This song may be copied for incidental, noncommercial church or home use.

References:
http://www.lds.org/friend/1986/06/scriptural-giants-nephis-courage
http://www.lds.org/friend/1992/03/sharing-time-nephi-builds-a-ship

1 Nephi 3:1–7
1 Nephi 17:8–10
1 Nephi 18:4

Rough plan for June

Theme: I Choose the Right by Living Gospel Principles
Goals: Father’s Day, teach Nephi’s Courage, bear testimony

June 3 I pray to Heavenly Father for strength to do what is right.

Teach Jr Primary 2nd verse of “Love is spoken here” using signs we have already learned.
Explain how Nephi got his strength from God while singing “Nephi’s Courage” vs 1&2 and having kids act out the story. Use simple props like towels for costumes, scriptures for plates, a toy boat, a cardboard sword for Laban.
Teach (by example not actually teaching) a few ASL signs for each line in the chorus.

June 10 When I pay my tithing, Heavenly Father will bless me.

Review both Father’s Day songs and remind the kids to be mindful singers next week–to think about what they are singing and who to, and how they feel about that person (dad or other person like a teacher, absentee father).
Practice vs 1&2 of “Nephi’s Courage” ask if Nephi would have paid his tithing? And what would be the consequence of that choice? (blessings!)

June 17 I obey the Word of Wisdom by eating and drinking that which is good and avoiding that which is bad.

Congratulate the kids on how much love they showed their fathers (or other) today.
Teach 3rd verse of “Nephi’s Courage” tie it in to the WoW. Define the big words and remind them of the ASL signs we already know from other songs: Lord, commandment, choose, another way (digression), courageous. Teach obey, discouraged, try. Also discuss any signs from the chorus that need it.

June24 When I dress modestly, I respect my body as a gift from God.

Sing some Body Part songs like: HSKT, Two Little Eyes, Roll Your Hands, and My hands upon my Head I’ll Place.
Review/ catch-up on “Nephi’s Courage” bring out the costumes one more time and tie it in to modest clothing. Did Nephi choose to dress modestly?

May 26 updated plan

May 26 (Memorial Weekend)
I’m cutting rainbow crepe paper streamers into one-foot sections for the kids to use while we work on “When I am Baptized” this week. This is our last week working on it, so giving the kids something new on a song they are tired of should help them keep interested.

Goal: I want to emphasize the convanent aspect of this song and teach the 3rd verse that Laura posted on the primusic yahoo group. Thanks Laura!

3rd verse
I come to church each Sunday
to take the sacrament
and I can be made clean anew
each time that I repent

For Jr Primary:

Sing the Noah verse of “Follow the prophet,” then some animal songs and remind the kids about Noah and his covenant with God. Talk about how God made a covenant with Noah and that when we are baptized we also make a covenant with God. Give each kid a rainbow streamer to wave when we practice “when I am baptized.” I’ll probably just sing the 3rd verse to them with my explanation and practice the 2nd verse with them.

For Sr Primary:

Sing the verse about Noah. Talk about the rainbow symbol of Noah’s covenant and teach the 3rd verse by writing it in the board in rainbow chalk. I’ll probably put the 2nd verse up there too. Then I’ll erase words as we sing it. When I give the kids their rainbow streamers I’ll also teach them to conduct the song in 2/4 with their rainbows streamers. We’ll practice and erase words.

Some references:

“Reading and studying the scriptures make us conscious of the many conditional promises made by the Lord to encourage obedience and righteous living. Israelite history is filled with examples of covenants, which constitute one of the central themes of the Old Testament—the promises of God made in exchange for the commitments of the prophets and the people.
The Lord made a covenant with Noah, and the rainbow became the token of that eternal covenant with all mankind. (See Gen. 9:13.) The covenant made with Abraham and his seed was sealed by the ceremony of circumcision as a sacrament. (See Gen. 17:10–11.) And the token or sign of the great covenant with all Israel made at Sinai was the Sabbath. (See Ex. 31:12–17.)”
1982 October General Conference, Commitment to God, Sun. Morning Session – Howard W. Hunter

“Rainbow. An outward token of God’s covenant with Noah (Gen. 9:13; see also Ezek. 1:28; Rev. 4:3; 10:1). The rainbow no doubt existed before the flood, but with Noah the rainbow took on a new significance as the token of the covenant. JST Gen. 9:17–25 enlarges the terms of the covenant to include not only that the earth will never again be covered with a flood of water, but also that the Zion of Enoch will return and the Lord will come again to dwell on the earth.”
Bible Dictionary, Rainbow

Plan for May 13: Baptism p 100

It’s Mother’s Day and the Bishop wants all the women to be in RS during 3rd hour! My husband knows me so well that when he told me this news he added, “but if you don’t want to I’m sure you don’t have to!” He knows that I am very reluctant to let anyone else teach the kids. But this is going to be a good week for it.

Jr Primary Plan:

Goal: teach/review with the kids “Baptism” p 100 verse 1 and review “When I am Baptized” p 103

I’m going to use pictures and ASL to teach this song to Jr primary.

Jesus came to John the Baptist, (asl Jesus picture of Jesus, picture of John the Baptist)
In Judea long ago, (Globe, point to Israel, Sign ASL Long time ago)
And was baptized by immersion (picture of modern people being baptized, spray the kids with a spray bottle-explain the immersion means getting all the way under the water–wet! I had each kid say “immersion” to get the reward of being sprayed with a very fine mist)
In the River Jordan’s flow. (Show picture of Christ being baptized, ASL River)

Then practice this song and “When I am Baptized” letting a kid or teacher spray water on “good” singers who are smiling at the sprayer–kids who are looking at me, opening their mouths, and being reverent

Sr Primary Plan:

Rainbow words to learn 3 verses of “Baptism” I have a document to print on colored paper. It has all the words from the song’s 3 verses. Print it on red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink paper and then tape the words to the board. Sing the song, taking off the words in rainbow order to help the kids memorize it. Also, the sub may use the spray bottle from Jr primary if the kids need some more excitement!

I am really excited for Mother’s day! I hope yours is awesome!

Review of May 6

Well, I knew it would be a little crazy!

I made a rainbow of rainbow colored pages taped together. Then I taped the words to the song onto the corresponding color of the handbell. Since the first verse goes in ascending/descending order this worked pretty well. The only trouble we had was that because of the flat there were three blue bells in a row (i put some purple ribbon on the handle of the one that was supposed to be purple before the flat made it blue). AND one of those blue bells has to be used both going up and going down…I hope that makes some sort of sense!

Here’s a picture to help!

In Sr Primary I totally forgot to point out the rainbow of the melody, although the activity did show it I didn’t talk about it. I’ll have to bring it up next time.

But the kids loved it! They always love using handbells.

May month outline

Here’s the plan for May (subject to change):

May 6-teach vs 2 of “When I am Baptized” (this was a song from our ward’s program in 2011 so the kids know verse 1 very well). Use handbells to illustrate how the melody makes a rainbow. The handbells I have are rainbow colored 🙂 I may use a recorder (the instrument) to play the highest note-D in the song since my bells don’t go that high (but I do have the flats so I don’t have to change the key) -also practice mother’s day songs

May 13 (Mother’s Day)-teach “Baptism” vs 1 in Jr, vs 2&3 Sr: put the words up on the board in rainbow colors and take them down one color at a time.

May 20- Teach/review “the Holy Ghost” sing some other songs the kids like (including the Father’s Day songs we’re going to do) and have a few kids add food coloring in various colors to a clear container of water. Then use bleach to ‘repent’ (still need to test this activity to make sure bleach can handle this much food coloring!)see this idea in the friend here

May 26 (Memorial Weekend) -Jr sing animal songs and remind the kids about Noah and his covenant with God. Parallel with the Baptism covenant and give each kid a rainbow streamer to wave when we practice “when I am baptized” -Sr talk about Noah, sing songs from past programs, teach kids to conduct in 2/4 with their rainbows streamers.

The absolute cheapest rainbow handout

I wanted to do ribbon wands or something awesome like that, but with so many kids my budget won’t cover it. So here’s my rock-bottom pricing rainbow handout: 81 feet for $2 at Party City

I’ll cut the roll into one-foot sections and give them to the teachers (in a bag) to hold until it’s time to use them with the song.

Review: the kids loved this! My primary president loved it! The kids were ecstatic when I told them they could take them home!! Parents told me afterward how the kids played with their rainbows all day! And they wanted to know where to buy more!

Next time I’ll make sure to get some to the nursery leader so the parents don’t have sharing problems at home, but what a quick and easy success!