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Each of us are made up of two parts: a body and a spirit. You can see a body and feel it and it can move and talk and do all those wonderful things. You can't see a spirit, but it is also there.
Can you see radio waves coming into your radio? Can you see music waves coming out of a piano?
Instruct the children to blow into their hands--can they see the air? No, but we know all those things are there.
This glove represents your body and my hand is your spirit. (Put the glove on the hand)
Your body has to have a spirit inside, or it wouldn't be alive and able to move around. When it is time to die then the spirit leaves the body and goes back to be with God, who created our spirits. (Take off the glove)
The body is not alive anymore, but the person that we know and love still exists but as a spirit. We can't see spirits, but we know they are there. The body stays right here on earth until it is time for the resurrection. What is that? It is when your spirit is joined again to your body. (Put the glove on again)
After a person is resurrected, the spirit and body will always stay together and never be separated again!
It is sad when people we love die, because it means that we won't see them for a long time. When Jesus was resurrected, he made it possible for us to be resurrected too. We know we will see our friends and family because Jesus was resurrected.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4746/lessons.html, with some changes by Jenny Smith
The teacher used ice cream scoops to teach an object lesson. He had two sizes of ice cream scoops and asked "If I were serving up some ice cream, which scoop would you want me to use?" Of course, everyone wanted the big scoop.
He then explained that when we serve others, we are offering service to Christ and expressing our love and commitment to him. Holding up the two scoops, he asked "Would you like to serve Christ just a little or a whole lot?"
You can also ask "How would you like your children to be served? How do our children/youth/home teachees deserve to be served? How can you serve with a bigger scoop?"
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4746/lessons5.html, additions by Jenny Smith
Take your class or family outside and give one person the magnifying glass and another person the normal glass. See who can burn a hole in the paper. The lesson could take many direction after this:
In order to get quickly to the heart of a problem with a solution, you have to have concentrated effort. Magnifying your calling means giving real concentration and the result is magnified power, or, look what unusual powers glass can have when it is concentrated in that one spot . That is what can happen when a group works together to solve a problem. If they are all working together. If its not a concentrated effort, then there is no power. Our ability to focus our teaching power depends on the tools we use.
(This could be part of a leadership training exercise on using the scriptures more frequently during our lessons -- reading directly from the scriptures magnifies the material taught)
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4746/lessons.html, additions by Jenny Smith
Offer one or two strands of spaghetti to someone in class and have them try to break it. Obviously it is easy, then offer them a package of spaghetti and have them try to break it. Much more difficult, if at all possible. Strength in numbers.
This object lesson can also be illustrated with a bundle of sticks.
Could also use Alma 48:10 : "And in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites."
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4746/lessons.html, Jenny Smith
Here's an an awesome object lesson that I use with my kids at camp - all you need is a can of fruit or vegetables, and take the label off...add a dent or two also. It's amazing what and how much the younger ones can come up with!
Put the can in the middle of the group and let the group examine it. Ask them to describe the can. Some may say that it's shiny, that it has dents, and that it has no label. Then ask how this relates to people.
Dents - of course, because we aren't perfect and we all have some sort of short falling.
The reflection...we reflect what people say about us. Some may say we're really good at something, and others not good and often we'll do just that.
Then the label. We don't want to label people. Only God knows whats on the inside, yet as people we know how to look on the outside. We need to train ourselves to look on the inside. On that same note, we need to get to know people and people need to open themselves up in order to really get to know what's inside. A whole different road can be taken in discussing what labels we have had, why we don't like them, etc.
Some cans may have a price tag on them, and one can touch on putting value on people needs to only be done if we really value them (because sometimes people don't get high value, when they really are). Everyone notices something different when they see the can. The outside is damaged, but the inside might taste good--we don't know because we can't see it. etc. What really matters about this can is what's inside. Is it delicious or disgusting? Who can help us to know? How are we like the can?
This is a really cool object lesson, something we can get from our kitchen cupboard. Great for group discussion and learning about relationships and judging. Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4746/lessons4.html
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Take a spool of thread and wrap the thread once or twice around the volunteer's fingers or wrists. Have them break the thread.
This represents bad habits. When we first begin a bad habit like smoking, or even something as simple as watching an inappropriate t.v. show or using foul language, it is easy to break.
Now wrap the thread around many many times and see if the volunteer can break the thread. If we let bad habits go on and on, we lose the power to easily return to something better. It requires more will power and may require help from someone else. Don't give up your freedom and power by remaining in your bad habits. The Family Home Evening manual uses this lesson to demonstrate the web we create when we tell lies.
Honesty, FHE Manual, p 194. Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4746/lessons.html, some additions made by Jenny Smith
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Take a sock ( an old one preferably one you don't care about getting real muddy), soak the sock in mud, get it real dirty and then put it in a plastic bag. Take it to your class and during your lesson ask someone if they would mind putting on a sock (of course they haven't seen the sock yet), someone will volunteer.
Then take out the muddy sock from the bag and ask them to put it on their clean foot. Hopefully no one will want to do this.
Liken this to the holy spirit not wanting to dwell in an unclean body. How can you put your foot in a dirty sock and expect it to feel ok? You can't ask the spirit to dwell in an unclean body, it absolutely will not.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4746/lessons.html
Alma 7:21 And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Scoop out a handful of mud and ask "What would you do if a friend ran up with his arms full of mud? Do you move closer and hold out your arms and accept all that mud? Or do you say, 'No, thanks. I don't want that mud.' " And keep on walking?
The mud is like gossip or angry words or sarcasm or cutting remarks or criticism. People who dish this mud out of their mouths are wanting to give it to you. Do you have to take it? Or can you refuse? Of course, you have the choice to refuse. You don't have to take offense, or get angry. You can choose to not let the other person's angry words rub off on you.
This lesson also applies to pornography, bad music, bad language, taking the Lord's name in vain, dirty jokes, drug use, in fact, nearly any kind of sin.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4746/lessons.html, some additions by Jenny Smith
Get two envelopes; put a picture of the temple on one envelope.
Put cut-outs (paper dolls? magazine people?) of family members in each envelope.
Seal shut the envelope with the temple picture.
All the while, talk about the one family going to the temple and the other not going. Then dump both envelopes containing families upside down. The family in the envelope that was not sealed will fall out all over the place. The family in the sealed envelope, will be all together. Source: http://www.eprimary.dk/ - (visit the Primary Object lessons section)
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Have your class or family stand at the bottom of a staircase and you are at the top. Challenge any one of them to find a way to get to the top of the stairs without touching the stairs or the rails or the walls. Tell them there is a solution. If no one figures it out, then go to the bottom and have someone piggy back on you and carry them up the stairs.
The lesson in this could be several different things. Teamwork, service, doing for others what they can't do for themselves, our missions in life are to help and lift others.
The other message is the mission of Jesus, how he is the one to carry us up the stairs, we can't do it ourselves. That's what grace is; what the atonement is.
Some scripture references you can use with this lesson are 2 Sam. 22:49 ...thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
Ps. 3:3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Psalms 30:1 I WILL extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
Alma 36:3 ...I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
And another saying that could be used:
Quaker Proverb: Thee lift me, and me lift thee, and together we'll ascend to heaven.
Source: Focus on the Family, some additions by Jenny
