Brr-Buh-Buh-Burr . . . Trumpet fanfare!!! Unveiling the colorful new manual: Behold Your Little Ones, useful not only for Nursery (this is to the old nursery manual what Preach My Gospel is to the old missionary discussions), but also for use in Primary and in the home. Currently available in seventeen languages, plus Braille. (Not Japanese yet, sorry Elder West) Our marvelous nursery leader has already given the parents a letter with the lesson schedule for the rest of the year. I've ordered my copy. Have you?
Also available online, we used lesson #1 last week: "I Am a Child of God." It had the song, a scripture story and an activity rhyme we used, several days in a row. Forget our old family scripture attempts that Miriam and Trevor wouldn't attend. They loved the presentation of the scripture story in the manual:
Show the illustration of Moses on page 99. Explain that Moses was a great prophet who lived a long time ago. Tell the children that Moses went to a mountain to pray. Invite the children to pretend to climb a mountain; then have them fold their arms as if praying. Open the Pearl of Great Price to Moses 1:4 and say, “God said to Moses, ‘Behold, thou art my son.’ ” Explain that Moses learned that he was a child of God.Trevor climbed the post of Miriam's bed, of course (what he usually does during scripture study, but this way it was related). Wrapping up our lesson, we announced that Miriam was a child of God, Trevor was a child of God . . .
"No!" said Trevor vehemently. "I'm not a child of God! I'm a pirate!"
I calmly responded, "Even pirates are children of God."
"Oh. Trevor looked thoughtfully at his feet, then said quietly, "I am a child of God."