Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 5 Lesson 16 The Saints Gather to Kirtland, Ohio

PRIMARY 5 LESSON 16 THE SAINTS GATHER TO KIRTLAND, OHIO

CLASSROOM PREP

Study the drawing of redwoods in the manual and draw trees on the board equal to the number of kids in the class with shallow roots intertwined as in the manual drawing

OPENING ACTIVITY

Hand out pieces of a small kids puzzle to everyone in class, as equally as possible. If you don’t have a kids puzzle, print out a puzzle template online and cut out the pieces

Encourage the class to work together to put the puzzle together with good teamwork

• Was that fun?
• Did you guys have fun working together?
• Could you have solved that puzzle with just your own piece(s)?
• When we are part of the same team, or the same ward, or the same family, we all have a common goal. What’s the goal with the puzzle pieces? Solve the puzzle
• What’s the goal for a ward family? Help each other follow the Savior
• What’s the goal for a family? Help each other return to live with Heavenly Father so you can be an eternal family

LESSON

We’re going to learn what happened with the newly restored Church and with Joseph Smith when they received a revelation that was hard to follow and they had to show unity to follow it!

Tell historical accounts from the manual

• Find images online, use manual images from Gospel Art Kit, and/or draw my own
• Use a map to show the various areas the Saints were needing to be gathered from

Then open to D&C 38:31-33

• Why did the Lord command them to go to Ohio?
• What were they promised if they went? (vs 32)
• They were promised they would receive additional laws of God and blessings when they gathered to Kirtland and built a temple

Do we make sacrifices today to help our Church? We give of our time, we serve in callings, we attend church, we help each other, we deliver food, we visit teach other, we pay tithing, etc.

What if our Prophet told every member of the Church to move to Salt Lake City, where the headquarters are today? Why doesn’t He? We’re supposed to gather together where we are and establish God’s church across the world, strengthen our own wards and stakes.

When do we gather together? Church, ward activities, Scouts, Activity Days, baptisms, etc.

How do you feel when you’re hanging out with your ward family? Do you like the Trunk or Treat? The ward Christmas party? Primary activities? Being in our class together? What makes it fun? We share the same beliefs, values, standards, we are comfortable around each other, we know we are friends, we know we will support each other if we need help with anything, etc.

Go to D&C 38:27 - what does it mean to “be one” (united)

Why is this important? What if we were all mad at each other in class or in Primary? How would it feel? Do you think we’d want to learn together? Or come back to church?

Why is it easy to feel united when we show love and friendship to each other?

Reference the drawing on the board and talk about the quotation in the manual - that the giant redwood trees have shallow roots. Their roots grow into the roots of the other redwoods near them, so they are stronger together than they are alone. They hold each other up.

Write each child’s name on one of the trees.

How can Kid 1 support Kid 2? What ways can Kid 3 support Kid 4?

UNITY DISCUSSION / PAIRS LINKED GAME

Split everyone up into pairs

Pick the first pair and have them come up to the front and stand back to back, and link arms.

You put something small (stuffed animal, pen, something random out of your bag) on either side of the room and assign each to one of the kids in the pair. You could also use this opportunity to have a snack or treat for them in a bag and that's what they each need to get.

Tell them they have 10 seconds to get their thing.

You say “go” and they’ll naturally begin pulling the other in the opposite direction, one will get their thing or neither will. Point out that had they cooperated together and gotten them one at a time, they would have both gotten their assigned thing in the end.

Give everyone a chance to work together, pair by pair, in the same manner above.

Do you guys feel good when you work together? You can get a lot of great things done!

When members of our Church are working together, we can feel really strong and unified.

Adapted from http://www.mormonshare.com/search-lds-object-lesson.php

UNITY DISCUSSION/HOT POTATO GAME

Sit in a circle on the floor and pass around an object that you can tape pieces of paper to (a beach ball, a book, etc.) and play a church hymn about love/unity (“Love One Another” or something similar) and then stop it periodically.

When it stops, that person has to take an idea off the object you’re passing around and read the idea about how we can develop unity within our ward or class. Discuss each idea and how you can do it, how you will feel doing it, how you have felt doing it, etc.

Ideas from the manual for what can be written on the slips:

• Take care of the church building
• Treat others kindly
• Listen to the speakers in Sacrament Meeting
• Pray for each other
• Listen and participate in Primary
• Say thank you to your church leaders
• When asked to pray, give a talk, read a scripture, do so willingly

THANK YOU CARD FOR PRIMARY PRESIDENCY

Let’s “say thank you to our church leaders” by making a thank-you card for our Primary Presidency!

Everyone takes turns drawing/writing thank-you in a section of a card, one card per presidency member. Deliver to your presidency during Sharing Time (or after church if you teach the last hour).

SEND HOME IDEA

Amazon and eBay sell blank puzzle kits, there's also die-cut machines at craft stores that can cut out puzzle pieces from paper. Or print out a puzzle template on paper and give one per kid to take home, color/draw, and cut out themselves.

Attach this quotation by Elder Neil L. Andersen:

Just as we might be perplexed with a mountain of puzzle pieces, the early Saints must have seen the commission to take the restored gospel to all the world as a nearly impossible task. But they began, one person, one puzzle piece at a time, finding the straight edges, working to rightly frame this divine work. Little by little, the stone cut without hands began to roll forth; from hundreds to thousands, to tens of thousands, and now millions of covenant Latter-day Saints across every nation are connecting the puzzle pieces of this marvelous work and a wonder.

Each of us is a piece of the puzzle, and each of us helps to set in place other essential pieces. You are important to this great cause. Our view ahead is now clear. We can see the miracle continuing and the Lord’s hand guiding us as we complete the gaps that remain. Then, “the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done,” and He will return in majesty and glory.