Teaching giving

I was in charge of Sharing Time this month.  It was interesting to figure out how to do things like:  1-write a thank you book for the outgoing bishop
2-write Christmas cards to the missionaries
3-Christmas Activity
along with the actual planned lessons...

Luckily there were only 4 lessons on the outline for this month that has 5 weeks.

Our activity for Christmas was to give each child a box of brownie mix and have them wrap it for their parents.  The lesson was on preparing for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So we had a nice discussion about that, then we did the present.  I told them, what will it be like if you wait until Christmas morning to get a gift for them.  It'll be too late!

I was amazed at how many of them had never wrapped a gift before.  One 9 year old even said "I never give gifts, I only get them."

Another activity I did was to bring a basket full of candy.  I let them grab 2 hands worth of candy.  One handful went into the bag for their teacher, and the other went into a bag for them.

One boy asked "Why do the teachers get more?"

And I said "Because they do all the hard work!"

In the middle of that hectic activity, trying to get kids to not take gigantic handfuls of candy...  I noticed some were eating the candy already.  So I paused and gave them a lecture about how this was the church and I didn't want them to eat the candy.  I told them about how I wasn't even going to give them candy because I didn't want them to make a mess in the church, etc...  But that I really wanted them to have a treat, so would they please keep it in their bag so we could have the treat and a clean church?

One little 3 year old coiled his candy up in his shirt tail and held it tightly with a scared expression on his face.

In Sr. Primary, our discussion about preparing became a discussion on avoiding sins that lead to addiction, and a permanent record.  I talked about how going to Jail makes it harder for you to get a job.  A teacher brought up how their behavior in school is written down in their school record.  A few children shared examples of how they accidentally drank coffee or coke.  Goodness!  I told them it was ok to think those things are delicious, but that it's still important not to do unhealthy things to our bodies.  And I ended with a testimony about how it's important to focus on what you can do better, and not worry about what other people choose to do.

They are really fun.