Showing Family Love

FHE Lesson Exchange, Author: Margaret in Sandy, UT

Lesson:
Hugs Poem
Author: Shel Silverstein
I will not play at tug o'war.
I'd rather play at hug o'war.
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug.
Where everyone kisses.
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

Story about a hug
A few years ago, twin girls Brielle and Kyrie were born prematurely to the Jackson family. They were placed in separate incubators to reduce the risk of infection. Kyrie, the larger sister at two pounds three ounces, quickly began gaining weight and calmly slept. But Brielle, who weighed only two pounds at birth, could not keep up with her. Suddenly one day Brielle's condition became critical. The nurse tried everything she could think of to stabilize Brielle. Still Brielle squirmed and fussed as her oxygen intake plummeted and her heart rate soared. Then the nurse remembered a procedure she had heard about. She said to the worried parents, "Let me just try putting Brielle in with her sister to see if that helps." The parents consented, and the nurse slipped the squirming baby into the incubator with the bigger sister. No sooner had the door of the incubator closed than Brielle snuggled up to Kyrie and calmed right down. Within minutes Brielle's blood-oxygen readings were the best they had been since she was born. As she dozed, Kyrie wrapped her tiny arm around her smaller sibling (see Nancy Sheehan, "A Sister's Helping Hand," Reader's Digest, May 1996, 155–56).

The doctors and nurses had tried every medical and scientific device available to help the baby and nothing worked. Nothing could do for the struggling baby what her own sister could do for her. This is what sisters can do for each other. This is what family members can do for each other.

Facts about Hugs
Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy, and gives the person hugged an emotional boost. You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve for growth. A hug makes you feel good. The skin is the largest organ we have and it needs a great deal of care. A hug can cover a lot of skin and gives the message that you care. It is also a form of communication. It can say things you don't have words for. The nicest thing about a hug is that you usually can't give one without getting one.

---Author Unknown

"Hugging is healthy: it helps the body's immunity system, it keeps you healthier, it cures depression, it reduces stress, it induces sleep, it's invigorating, it's rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side effects, and hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.

Hugging is all natural: it is organic, naturally sweet, it has no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and is 100% wholesome.

Hugging is practically perfect: there are no movable parts, no batteries to replace, no periodic check-ups, has low energy consumption, high energy yield, is inflation-proof, non-fattening, has no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, is theft-proof, non-taxable, non-polluting, and is, of course, fully refundable."

---Sharon Lindsey

Activity
Act out the Hugs poem with the whole family. It is sure to make everyone smile!

Treats
Cookies with Hershey's Hugs on top!

Give Them A Heart Attack

PREPARATION:
1. Copy and cut the clip art (enough for 5-10 hearts per child)
2. Picture of your family.

OPENING SONG: Love At Home
SCRIPTURE: Mosiah 4:15
"But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another."

LESSON:
Heavenly Father gave each one of us a loving family. Take a look at our family photo. Could you imagine if one member of our family was missing? (Wait for their responses) We are meant to be with the parents, brothers and sisters we have.

Sometimes it is easy to get angry with our family. When we do this a dark cloud is placed over our home. Heavenly Father is sad when we argue, fight, lie, and talk back to our parents. He wants us to have a bright and cheery home and lots of love for each other.


ACTIVITY:
Give each child a stack of hearts. Have them pick a family member to give a heart attack to. On the hearts either draw or write things that that family member has done to show love at home. When you are done, tape all of the hearts to the bedroom doors as a reminder for the week of what they can and have done to make a positive impact on your family.

TREAT:
Vanilla ice cream covered in strawberry or raspberry sauce with mini Hersey Kisses on top.

I Love My Family

Preparation:
Gather pictures of your family and extended family.

Song:
“A Happy Family”

Lesson:
Discuss with your children some of the activities that you have done this week. Ask them if their activities were better when their family was involved.

Have each one of your children name a member of the family. Ask them if they are missing anyone else.

Pull out the pictures of your family and explain that grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are part of the bigger family unit. Sometimes, we are unable to live close to our families because they live far way or may have died. Regardless of how far waya we are from our families, they can still be our good friends and help us in times of need.

Read the scripture Luke 1:36-44. Tell the story about John the Baptist and how he is the cousin of Jesus Christ.

Often families gather together to celebrate special occasions. Heavenly Father and Jesus have given us the opportunity to gather together with our families forever. When we get married in the temple and live righteously, we can be with our families forever.

Game:
Take the family photos, place them wrong side up on the floor and have your children turn them over one at a time and guess who it is.

Craft:
1-Make a scrapbook page of one of your children’s favorite activities you have done as a family and put it in a place they can all see it.
2-Go to a hobby store and get a wooden house. Have your children help you modge podge various family photos over the wooden house to create a living scrapbook that can be displayed in your home.

Treat:
Smiley face fruit snacks

Love One Another

Author: Luana Willis

Song: "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus"

Scripture: D&C 82:1

Game: Patience is a Virtue

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE GAME
Print out each of the phrases (chill out, kick back, etc.) on a slip of paper and mix them up. Have two baskets, one labeled "finding patience" and one labeled "losing patience". Each person in the family takes turns describing and acting out what is on one slip of paper, you can say anything but the words on the paper. The other family members shout out the answers. When the right answer is said, decide if itbelongs in the "finding" or "losing" basket, and put it there.

FINDING PATIENCE
chill out
kick back
take it easy
cool your jets
sit tight
cool as a cucumber
hold your horses
keep your shirt on
hang in there
keep your chin up
take a breather
grin and bear it
bounce back
thank your lucky stars
through thick and thin
Rome was not built in a day
the patience of Job
that's the way the cookie crumbles
that's the way the ball bounces
don't jump to conclusions
when the going gets tough the tough get going
hold your tongue
bite your lip
turn the other cheek
let bygones be bygones
whistle while you work
see's the glass as half full
always look on the bright side
patience is a virtue
look at the world through rose colored glasses

LOSING PATIENCE
to have a cow
all bent out of shape
to flip your lid
to go postal
to go through the roof
madder than a wet hen
to pop a vein
clean your clock
punch your lights out
push your buttons
jump down your throat
to chew out
to get an earful
that burns me up
rubs me the wrong way
gets under my skin
get your nose all bent out of shape
rattles my cage
fight tooth and nail
get your pound of flesh
guns blazing
as mad as a hatter
kick up a fuss
get your knickers in a twist
make a mountain out of a mole hill
driving me crazy
I've had it up to here
go through the roof
got under my skin
makes my blood boil

Treat:
Chill Out! Tin Roof Sundaes. (Tin Roof Icecream, chocolate syrup, peanuts, ect.)

Love at Home: Super Siblings

Adapted from Yahoo FHE Group, author Ivy Bonhurst (some changes were made for our family purposes)

Preparation:
Copy of the “Bullies and Brothers” story (pp. 36-38, Children’s Friend)
Superhero clip art
Bully Clip art
Mason Jar
Jelly Beans
Pad of Paper
Pencil

Song:
“As I Have Loved You”

Lesson:
Read the “Bullies and Brothers” story. Ask the family to take turns holding up the superhero for someone being a super sibling ……….. or the bully picture for when someone in the story is being a “big bully”.

Discuss with your children the following questions:
Have you ever been like a bully to some of your family members?
When have you been more like a hero?
List the type of things you can do to be a hero or a “super sibling” in your family.

Talk about why it is important to be kind to your family and decided to do it. Introduce the “Super Sibling” jar. Explain to your children that for the next week you want them to show kindness to one another. Each time they do a good deed, show kindness or anything else you determine, they get a jellybean in the jar. At the end of the week, if the jar is full, your family can do a fun activity. (ie: movie night, game night, dinner, ect) together.
Game:
Using the pad of paper and pencil, play Pictionary and draw ways that your children can be super siblings in the home.
Ideas-
Making the bed
Doing their chores
No fighting
Leaving a note
Smile
Say kind words

Treat:

Rice Krispy Treats decorated with Red, White and Blue Sprinkles
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 (10 oz.) package regular marshmallows
- or -
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies®

Directions
1. Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into 2-inch squares when cool. Best if served the same day. MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:In a large microwave safe bowl, heat margarine and marshmallows at HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

To Get the story and clip art, click here:
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/oBt0SIe0m-g-BCH7iFnrmBo7ORClMmmwxZhp5EoDicP50aNglzCqwDGRFHxguaiFSUiA7Ijv6ZQQr92xnpYg9rx_HW7By5NMeKo/Super%20Siblings/bullies%20%26%20brothers%20friend%20story.pdf