Hinckley's Be's

Gordon B. Hinckley's Way to Be! is a classic, and it fits perfectly as the next phase of morning devotionals that coordinate with our BIO year:  "9 Ways to Be Happy and Make Something of Your Life."

I decided to use Hinkley's "9 Be's" inside a mini unit on bees inside our ecology studies. I created a notebook page for each chapter or "be." Feel free to use them with your own devotionals.

Big Thumbs Up for NATURE BOOM TIME

A couple of months ago I came across a gem of a resource. Since I can't get my kids to the Everglades right now (no matter how awesome a field trip that would be and how much I would love to do it) I wanted some good video to watch while we learned about it, and I didn't want to have to pay for it. 

My YouTube search found me a fantastic miniseries that not only helped with our study of the Everglades but also with our entire Biology and Ecology units. Here is the series trailer, which is good to watch because it explains how the series came to be.

There are 14 videos in the series. Additionally, there are "Yeah Buddy, Friday" videos that have some interesting behind-the-scenes, preparation, and epic cross-country trip documentary.

What I love about this is that the Nature Boom Time videos are quality. They are interesting, informative, creative, and energetic. I am blown away (there's the boom part!) by the paper craft inserted for explanation. The time, work, and love that went into that!!! I also love that this is a brother and sister (and their best friend) taking on something huge together. 

It's no wonder Nature Boom Time won an award from and was picked up by National Geographic.

If you like Charlie and Kirby and what they do, they have also done some other DIY videos about other subjects.  Just head to World by Charlie on YouTube. 

Meanwhile, if someone were to ask you what the largest organism on the planet is, I betcha you'd never guess the answer.  Here it is:

F.R.O.G. - A Chocolate Acronym of Faith

F.R.O.G.

Fully Rely On God

It's Easter candy time. What I like about that is the variety of really cute (and yummy) spring and nature candies, especially Lindt's chocolate insects, frogs, ducks, and bunnies.

The chocolate frogs lend themselves nicely as accompaniment to an acronym that would fit a Family Home Evening or Church lesson, or homeschool devotional. They're also a great meaningful treat for Visiting Teaching, a pick-me-up for a neighbor or friend, or an addition to an Easter basket.  I created the tags below and sent a package of chocolate frogs to my missionary with one of the tags attached:

Happy Spring!

"Dare to Do Right" in Primary

The Primary song for March is "Stand for the Right" but since we learned that last year we're adding a new dimension. We are going to sing Susan Slough's "Stand for the Right/Dare to Do Right" medley.

Last week I introduced "Dare to Do Right" with Dare Girl and Dare Boy. I created the symbol pictured above to be like a Superman symbol. I brought capes (dishtowels) and pinned printed symbols to the front of one girl and one boy. We talked about the meaning of the word dare (have the courage to do something) and how superheroes are supposed to be courageous in doing the right thing. Then I wrote some of the words of the song on the chalkboard (not word for word, but key words and phrases) and we started singing. Every time we sang "dare," Dare Girl and Dare Boy were supposed to pump a fist in the air.

This next week I'm going to share the medley with the kids (though probably just Senior Primary at this point). I'll let them listen to the medley with this video. First, though, I'll show the original video it came from so it has full meaning:

Farewell to Winter... I Hope

When you wake up to a foot of snow in November or December, or even January, it's wonderful, beautiful, and magical.

It's glorious to get out and hike in the crisp air of a winter wonderland...

...to appreciate the changed landscape...

...and welcome seasonal visitors.

Yes, winter has its rightful time and place and it has a beauty and wonder all its own. I like it very much. Even a winter with so much snow it's taller than I am and I nearly lose my mailbox.

Yes, waking up to a foot of snow on November 27, or December 27 is awesome.  January 27, okay. But waking up to a foot of snow on February 27 is depressing and maddening. There comes a time when enough is too much! 

Especially when baseball season is imminent. When the snow finally melts (and brings flooding, but it's progress) and you see grass for the first time in a long time, you're just done with winter. And then you wake up to a new foot of snow. And then that melts and a couple of days later you wake up to another 6-inch blanket.  Depressing and maddening.

Looking out my window today I see just a few patches of the once magical whiteness.  For the first time in MONTHS there isn't so much as a hint of  a possibility of snow in the two-week forecast. So, farewell, Winter. I hope.