By Jeanette Brooks

#dandc67 Had a great lesson today with section 67... Handed out a lg marshmallow on a small plate. One for each student placed at their tables before they got to class... Instructed them that they could eat it now or wait and receive more of a reward. Continued with the lesson.... Once we got to vs. 9-14 we watched the video clip of Dieter F Uchdorf as he explained "the Marshmallow Test" and how he gained a testimony of patience. We talked about how patience is important to our eternal growth and the blessing that come from it. I was very impressed with the understanding of this principle and the discussion of the outcome of those that exercise patience as pointed out in the video. I then asked who ate their Marshmallow. No one had. I then asked if they wanted another treat... They weren't to excited about another marshmallow but once I revealed that I had brought "Marshmallow Rice Crispy Treats" Hands went up so I tossed them around. It was fun. They catch better than I threw. LOL, I love my kids!

Jeanette Brooks: Sorry Yes...D&C 67. We also have a class FB group and I posted the YouTube clip of the actual "Marshmallow Test" very enlightening and interesting watching all the kids enduring this test of patience. (1 day ago)

Shelice Murphy: I literally got out of bed to make rice crispy treats after I read this last Night. I was already going to do the marshmallow part and this was just a brilliant addition. I was inspired to close the lesson by saying something like: that while our plans, like marshmallows are good...God's plans for us, like rice crispy treats, are always better and often that means being patient and trusting Him. I then told them that for the rest of their lives whenever they eat a RCT they should remember this lesson...we all laughed. Thanks for sharing your inspiration!

By Wendi Gunn:
Here is an object lesson that I am going to use for #dandc58 :34-65. It could be used to illustrate #repentance in any lesson though. I used it in a SS class and it was very effective. I took a light bulb and spray painted it black. Then I asked the class what happens to the light within us when we sin and don't repent. We talked about how the darkness overcomes the light and it doesn't matter what we plug that light bulb into the light will not shine throught the blackness. Then we talked about how to change the light bulb so that the light will again shine through the darkness. They come up with ways to physically remove the paint from the light bulb such as turpentine and scratching the paint off the bulb. Both methods will eventually allow light to start shining through but one method, the turpentine, will be much faster and more thorough and less painful and allow our light to shine through much faster than the other method. Then liken the repentance process to removing the paint from the light bulb. There are lots of different connections you can make with this object lesson. Just go with where the Spirit directs you with the discussion.

Wendi Gunn: I taught this lesson today and used the light bulb discussion at the beginning...it took them a minute to make the connection but once they got it, their faces were full of "ah-hah" expressions! I love it when they make a connection! After, I divided the class into 5 groups and gave each of them a quote from the lesson and the questions that go along with each quote. They discussed as a group and then presented to the class. When I was prepping I struggled a bit to think of stories I could share with then as examples. But as we went around the room and each group discussed their quote, I was inspired with a quick example from my life to share that went along with each quote... I didn't necessarily hand them out and discuss them in order so I didn't know which one would be coming up next, but as our discussion unfolded after each group and I shared a story, I was amazed when the next group started and the story I shared led perfectly into the next discussion!!! I love it when the Spirit teaches the class!

Wendi Gunn: I ended with the reclaimed video and one of our students used to live in Idaho Falls and talked about her experience going to that park and how she had no idea that it used to be a landfill. That led us to talking about how repentance can erase the past and we don't have to judge other's based on the garbage that is underneath and that we can look at each other as we are now and enjoy the beauty and strength we each have to offer.

Jenny says: see also "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20) and Isaiah 9:2 and Matthew 4:16.

By Shauna Doctrine and Covenants Section 27
This idea came from a member of the LDS Seminary Teacher Facebook group (seriously, if you are a Seminary Teacher-join that Facebook group).

When I figure out who it was, I will edit and post his name so he receives credit for this brilliant visual for teaching "Dispensations" and "Dispensation of the Fullness of Times" using hymn books.

I took it one step further by attaching the names of the Prophets from the different dispensations.

I used this when teaching Doctrine and Covenants Section 27.

This will work well with Doctrine and Covenants Section 29 and a others regarding Apostasy, Restoration, Prophets, Dispensations, Fullness of Times.
If you have a specific suggestion of a Seminary lesson this goes with, please leave a comment below.

We met in the chapel and sat in front of the Sacrament table that was all draped in white cloths covering the Sacrament trays (this is a subject for another blog post)

After we discussed the emblems and symbolism of the Sacrament, we moved to the other side of the chapel to discuss the Sacrament meeting that will be held at Adam-ondi-Ahman prior to the Savior's second coming.

I had the students search Section 27 to tell me who would be at that Sacrament meeting.

Some of the people who will be in attendance are the Prophets from each DISPENSATION along with Joseph Smith the Prophet of this DISPENSATION of the FULLNESS OF TIMES

To demonstrate DISPENSATIONS, First, line up the hymnals (I labelled mine) and name the Prophets who led during past dispensations...

Source:: Seminary at Six AM – Shauna H.

Dress up in strange clothes. Pants, long skirt and a short skirt, Long sleeve shirt and a fishing vest, funny hat and have half your hair up and the other down, wear a snow boot and a high heel (be extravagant). Teach your lesson like you dress like this all the time. Then at the end of the lesson, explain that we, as Mormons, do things that seem strange to others outside our religion, things that make us a 'Peculiar People'. Others may see how we act, talk or how we dress 🙂 as different and that's a good thing because we really are a peculiar people. We are meant to stand out because of the standards we live by so stand out and love it.

Bring a small candy like a starburst, set it on the table and ask "who wants the candy? Who REALLY wants the candy? " Whoever seems most eager, pick for the example. Say, "Joey, (or whoever) you really want the candy. It'll make you very happy. So you can have it, but you can't use any part of your body to pick it up or unwrap it, you can only chew." So Joey'll be confused- how does he get it? Ask, is there anyone who is willing to help Joey eat the candy? See if anyone will. Afterward, talk about how the dead really want their work done but can't do it themselves. Why not? They have no bodies. Reward the helper with candy if you like.

You'll need a stool and some youth leaders.

Have a youth stand on the stool. Demonstrate that with a little effort, if the person stands alone, you can knock him/her off the perch.

Point out that it's very difficult for someone to Stand in Holy Places all alone. How can they "be not moved?" Scripture study, Prayer, Good Friends, etc, will be common responses. Have the some helpers (youth leaders) come up and stand around the person on the stool representing each topic. After the person is surrounded, ask a priesthood leader to come up and defend the stool. With all these things in place, you can effectively stand in holy places and be protected from the world.

Show that when one of these principles is missing, there could be an opening for Satan to get through.

Open a discussion on how priesthood and other leaders, parents, scriptures all help us maintain our footing and keep us in Holy Places.

I used this object lesson to teach about hypocrisy to my Seminary class. First, I printed chewing gum inserts on card stock. Each insert was 140mm x 18mm and fit inside a Juicy Fruit wrapper. On each was written the following references and words: "Thou Whited Wall" Acts 23:3 and "Full of Dead Men's Bones" Matthew 23:27.

After cutting them out, I put the "fake" gum in the center section of my gum box so I could keep them straight.

While teaching the class about the Apostle Paul's appearance before Ananias and the Sanhedrin in Acts 23, I stopped just before Paul called Ananias a "whited wall". I asked the kids if they wanted any gum to help them stay awake. Some said yes, and I gave some untouched gum and to others I gave gum with the handout inside. Once the students realized that they had been gypped, I asked them why it was a problem that the gum was different on the inside than the outside indicated. It's hypocritical. We say one thing, and do another. We talk the talk, but we don't walk the walk. We read the scriptures on the handout, and talked about how outside the Pharisees looked good, but inside they were spiritually dead, or "full of dead men's bones". We cross-referenced with 1 Samuel 16:7 ( a scripture mastery!) to talk about how God looks on men's hearts and not on their outward appearance. How should we treat others?

For your information, the phrase "whited wall" could be termed whitewashed wall, meaning a thin veneer of paint put on something to cover up the ugliness beneath.

This post was adapted from the original at http://seminaryatsixam.blogspot.com/2012/11/seminary-in-my-pocket.html Classroom In My Pocket During an early Seminary lesson, I gave each student a rock to keep in their pocket as a reminder of our lesson that day. Little did I know that "Seminary In My Pocket" had been born. During my first lesson, I shared a story with [my students] about an experience I had when I visited the death camps in Poland and showed them a rough, rugged rock I found while I was there that had one shiny side and could be easily over looked. I compared it to people in our lives who may appear rough and rugged, yet if we will look at them the way Christ does, we will be able to find something "shiny" about them. To remind them to look for the shiny side in everyone, I gave each of them a shiny rock to put in their pockets. I told them that each time they reached inside their pocket and felt that rock, to remember to view people as Christ does and always look for the good (the shiny) Seven weeks later, they are still showing me their rocks (a few have asked for replacements when they can't find theirs)

When we discussed Temptations of Christ and our own personal temptations, I gave each of them a rubber band to wear and told them to memorize something that they could keep in their minds that would push bad thoughts out (a Scripture, the Sacrament prayer, the Young Women Theme, a Hymn, etc. are some of the ideas we came up with for memorization) When they have a bad thought or are tempted to do something wrong, I told them to snap the rubber band and recite whatever they memorized to bring their mind and spirit back to Christ. (That was 4 weeks ago and they are still wearing them)

When we learned about the widow's mite and sacrifice, I gave them a penny for their pockets

When we learned about choosing our words carefully and using uplifting language, I gave them a button. They were challenged to know when to keep their lips "buttoned" and when to open their mouths and share uplifting words of love and encouragement.

Last week, they received plastic spiders as we discussed honesty and not getting caught in webs of deceit and lying. I challenged them to not weave their own personal webs like spiders do. We also did a fun group activity with yarn as we were standing in a circle and the yarn represented lying and dishonesty. We passed the yarn back and forth as we discussed lies and deceit until no one could move inside the circle due to all the lying and dishonesty. It was interesting to see the kids figure out that if they crawled down low, they could avoid the webs, yet it was awkward for them so I reminded them of how awkward it becomes when you have to constantly think of ways to avoid your own messes (webs)

25 Scripture Mastery Scriptures= 1 Quarter with a red happy face painted on the back. I told them that there are 25 scriptures set apart from the others that they are to know inside and out this Seminary year. The other scriptures are valuable and for our benefit, but the 25 Scripture Mastery scriptures are to "stand out" in their hearts and minds. I used red nail polish to paint a simple happy face on the back of each quarter to make it "stand out" from the other quarters that they may have in their pockets that are also valuable.

Parable of the Sower. To represent the seeds, I gave them a popcorn kernel. I knew it would not sprout or break apart in their pockets as they year goes on. I really wanted to give them some beautiful black soil from Belle Glade, Florida (right next to where we live) but I was not sure how that would last through one school day, although I am still trying... I dont have one specific day of the week I give them an item for their pockets, in fact, there will most likely be weeks that I don't give them anything. The items always go with a lesson and are designed to reinforce what we learn in Seminary. It is way for my students to carry a tangible reminder of Seminary throughout the day. At first, I thought they would throw the items away, but a day does not go by without a student showing me the items from their pockets. I have had the experience of sitting in Sacrament Meeting and one of my students will catch my attention to show me they are wearing their rubber band. It has become "cool" to have all these little things that most teenagers would have lost or thrown away by now. Most of my students are the only Latter day Saint in their schools. As they leave our class each day, it is my goal to send them armed with the spirit. I know these little reminders in their pockets are an effective way to reinforce their experiences in Seminary class. At the end of this week, I have a small drawstring fabric bag for each student who would like to keep their items in it. I know this will work better for some of them who don't have pockets or do not want to move their items from pocket to pocket each day.

Please share any ideas you have for "Seminary In My Pocket" with Shauna at shaunahh at gmail dot com.

Great for: Building class unity, Encouraging student participation, Getting the attention of uninterested students, Helping students find meaning in the scriptures

Class size: Any class size

Helps Students: SEE a gospel principle in action

Prep Time: 5 mintues

Student Age: Any age

Equipment needed:

For a Fast Sunday lesson on the power of our words and how we set an example, I used looked through old status updates that our Young Women and YW Leaders have posted on their Facebook profiles. I selected one good one from each girl (we only have about 10 girls, wards or stakes with more can just hand pick a few girls) and had them guess who posted that status. I handed out the paper face down and spoke about how through Facebook we can connect with people no matter where they live and that every time we post anything it is being read by potentially hundreds of people.

I explained that I created a sheet listing some of the girls status updates and they needed to figure out who said what. IMMEDIATELY there were groans and nervous feelings of what post of theirs might be on the paper. I told them that that feeling of "UH-OH" should stay with them the next time they went to post something other people would read.

Of course there was nothing bad on their posts and the girls got most of the answers right and loved the lesson.

Jenny says: "You could use this lesson to talk about appropriate language, gospel standards, being a missionary or setting an example online, bullying, and more."

I started by taking something of value from each girl and displaying it in a basket. For example: a pair of earrings or a necklace that matched an outfit, a set of scriptures with the girl's name on it, etc.

Then I explained that there are young women who don't own or can't afford such nice things, and I am going to donate these items for this cause as I stuck a label on the basket which read "Sacrifice Basket". I explained that sacrifice means to give up something we value for a good or better cause.

Then we discussed the level of sacrifice for each girl. For example: the one who gave up her personalized scriptures felt more of a loss because they were very personal to her.

The one who gave up the jewelry said she didn't mind as much because she has other jewelry, and so on.

I was able to make the point that we all will be asked to sacrifice in our lives and some sacrifices will be more difficult than others.

Jenny says: "I would not use this object lesson with younger children, as they may not understand or grasp why items of importance are being taken from them, and they may not understand they will get them back."