Getting the BUGS Out - 4 Week Plan

So I finally checked my calendar, and we have 4 weeks before our Primary Sacrament Meeting Program.

I thought I would be "super organized" and plan out all four weeks NOW.  So unlike me.  Hopefully my early preparation will help you, too, should you decide to work on the BUGS in your Program songs.

Week 1:
(Really week 2, since we worked on it last Sunday, but I don't want to veer off my 4-Week Plan, so as not to confuse myself.)

Spin-the-Human (again) to finish up our initial BUG testing.  I am going to focus on getting through every song.  I will continue to use my Big Bug pictures and my ratings system from last week.

To add some incentive, I am going to tell the children that IF they work really hard all 4 weeks, and perform amazingly well, we will have a BUG Celebration in Primary after the program.

Something along these lines (found here):

(We could even use the pre-packaged lunch-size pudding cups, remove the peel-away top, and just put a spoonful of crushed Oreos and a gummy bug or two on top...)

Or these (found here):

I'm going to keep my eye out for gummy bugs rather than worms... but if worms are all I can find, I'm sure the kids will still be thrilled.

For whatever reason, kids behave/perform better if they have a reward at the end (don't we all).


WEEK 2:

I figure that if any week is going to be more on the "fun" side (vs the down-and-dirty-meticulous-refining side), it had better be now, since the following two weeks need to have complete focus (and we will most likely be running through the full program each Sunday anyway).

We are going to play WHACK-A-BUG (idea from here).  I am going to cut out smaller versions of my bugs (pdf here) - each with a corresponding program song -  and tape them to small-ish balloons, putting them all in a black trash bag.  I will choose a helper who will reach into the bag and pull out a balloon.  We will sing the selected song, and if the Bug Expert (I may ask a special guest - like the Bishop - to be the "expert") determines the song to be Bug Free, the helper will get to WHACK the bug with a fly swatter, thumbtack attached.  If the song still has some obvious bugs, it goes back into the bag.


WEEK 3:

Because we have three wards that meet in our building, we are not able to practice for the program in the chapel.  IF I have a regular Singing Time (doubtful, but I'm waiting to hear from the Presidency what the plans are), I am going to do the review activity found here.  Should we be running through the program in it's entirety, I'm going to save this activity for Primary the week OF the program as part of our BUG Celebration.


WEEK 4: 
(and 3, IF we are running through the whole program the entire time we're in Primary both weeks):


I plan to have adult helpers (teachers maybe?) help me find children doing their absolute best.  I will have bug stickers and tell the kids that if they get a sticker,
they've been caught: 

{B}eing
{U}nusually
{G}ood

I figure it's a low-key, non-disruptive way to still give encouragement and motivation on our final practice(s).


Program Week:

BUG Celebration!
If I was able to do the Week 3 activity on Week 3, I hope to make a new Punch Board Game (I'm still sad that my other one was ruined in the flood) - something along the lines of "Don't BUG me, I'm SINGING."  I will probably put some fun songs, fun ways to sing, and "choose your favorite" tags, along with some plastic bugs, behind the punches.  (I will post pics when/if I get it done.)

Then the kids can enjoy their cupcake or pudding cup.

Oh yeah, a plan feels so good.

A little FYI:  While glancing through a couple of Singing Time blogs yesterday, I came across a link for an arrangement of Stand for the Right/Dare to Do Right.  I would like give the link to the blog I found the info on, but can't find it again today :-( 

Since my Primary has learned both songs, I think I'm going to try this arrangement for the program.  You can check it out here.  I think I'm also going to use the slow accompaniment for the 3rd verse of Nephi's Courage.  A huge THANK YOU to Susan for sharing her talent!

Program Practice Brainstorm - Getting the Bugs Out

This has been a crazy busy week.  I have panicked a few times as I occasionally wondered WHAT I would do for Singing Time this Sunday.  I quickly checked over the newly posted ideas of others, but just couldn't make a decision on what direction to go.  I was out of town last week, and my sweet sub kindly dropped off my visuals and plan last night.  (I know - pathetic when you can't find the time to go pick them up!!)  Our program is about a month away, and I knew I wanted to start reviewing and perfecting our songs, and naturally I left it to this morning (Sunday - eek!) to pull something together.

I quickly browsed through Sugardoodle (haven't done that for a while), started down one path (oh-so-briefly), then ran across these ideas.  The fog started to clear, and I thought of several ideas to change things up while sticking with the same "Getting the Bugs Out" theme the next 4 or 5 weeks (I really need to check my calendar to see exactly how many weeks until the program!).

Today, because I am short on time (I hate leaving it to the last minute, but it was seriously all I could do this week), I am going to keep it simple.

I quickly found some bug clipart and made them nice and big.  You can access the pdf here.  Today we will play an old favorite, Spin-the-Human (I was reminded of this game here), using the big bugs.  I will introduce our new project of "getting the bugs out" of our program songs.  I'm going to write the songs we are working on the the back of each bug - as each bug is chosen (via spinning-the-human), we will sing the song and then rate how good we sang it (I am anticipating the need for LOTS of improvement).

Exterminated (Near perfect - I don't expect ANY of those today)

Shriveled  (almost there, dynamics need work)

Get the RAID (some parts really need help)

Infestation (the whole song needs a ton a work)


I will hopefully have time this next week to make my entire Program Practice plan (and check out my calendar), and will post it as soon as I get it done.

Happy Sunday!


Post post:  This went great today, although we only made it through 3 of our songs as we tried to get some oh-so-obvious BUGS out by singing through them at least twice.  Our cute pianist decided our ratings.  I managed to print some rating signs out before church - I just didn't have time to post them.  You can find the pdf for them here.  The good news:  no INFESTATIONS so far.  Whew!  Hoping for all the bugs to have this on them by Program time:

The Rains Came Down

You know how sometimes, just when you think things are going pretty good... so good, in fact that you actually say, "Gosh, things are going pretty good right now...", then BAM! you get dinged with some challenge or another?

Just because I had reached a comfort level with the Primary visuals I had spent many an hour creating (enough to even mention it here) the rains came down... in a toilet flooding kind of way
(you can read more about it here).

A good chunk of my Primary Singing Time visuals:  damaged.

I have briefly surveyed the damage and attempted a few saves.

Bubblegum Bessie will have to lose her legs (luckily not her dress, which will become a maxi skirt rather than a knee-length).  It will be interesting to see if the children notice that she is suddenly shorter. Much shorter.

Baby Betty Spaghetti, fortunately, did not suffer bodily harm, but will need adjustments to her block and signage, and a replacement of the bottom command-hook-for-winding-spaghetti on the back.

My Ice Cream Punch Board is TOAST.  I salvaged the socks from the back, and will have to start over.

Gratefully, my UNO game was unscathed.


This scripture came to mind:

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed..."  (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

Stressing but not distressed,

I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus

I think I've said this before, but I am a believer in keeping it simple.  At least that's what I keep reminding myself, lest I spend endless hours in preparation for Singing Time each week, with an additional hour (or so) posting it.  (Not counting the hour -- or so -- spent perusing ideas of others.)

I've also mentioned that I have nary a creative bone in my body.  Every idea shared here is borrowed.  Makes me think that perhaps my re-posting of it, with my own personal spin or take on it, is possibly unnecessary and not as beneficial as I would like to think.

I've ALSO come to the realization that with the various visuals I have made over the past year, I have ENOUGH.  I do not need more.  I do not need to impress the Primary children with my innovative ideas and games (not really mine anyway).  They do not need something new every week.  They wait with anticipation for the old stand-bys, which, when spread out a bit, are more than sufficient to add interest and motivation.

That said, I DID print off a flip chart for I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus.  I cannot take credit for it (original found here), but I made a few modifications to make it work for me.  You can access my slightly revamped version here.

I plan to start teaching it this Sunday, and will most likely use my simplified UNO game.  The children haven't seen it for a while (some not at all), and I think it will work perfectly with this song.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.