Teach Me, Teach Me

Here's the link to my PDF flip chart for Teach Me to Walk in the Light:

Teach Me To Walk in the Light.pdf


The idea for this activity is adapted from Keeping Kids Awake During Family Home Evening, Book Two,  Listening (p. 46), by Shelley Wille.


We are practicing Teach Me to Walk in The Light again this week, and this is a great activity to help children to really listen to their parents and teachers.

You will need:

• small table
• jar of peanut butter
• jar of jam
• loaf of bread
• butter knife
• table cloth
• dinner plate
• apron
• masking tape or any colored tape
• spot light, large flashlight, or bright lamp. 
•  blindfold
• a wet warm towel in a Ziploc bag

Preparation:

• Before Primary starts, create a simple course or "path" around the room.  Use the masking tape/colored tape to make a path on the floor. Weave the path in and out of an aisle, go around the podium, or around the piano. You don't want it to be very complicated, just long with several turns. 
• At the end of the tape path, place your spot light, large flashlight, or bright lamp with the light reflecting on the path. (If it needs to be plugged in, make sure you have placed it near a power outlet.) Keep the light on the spot light, large flashlight or bright lamp turned off until it is time to sing.  
• Put the table cloth on the table. Set out the plate and knife and all the ingredients for making a peanut butter sandwich.
• Put on your apron.

Presentation:
Chose a child (one that will take you seriously and not react too silly) to come up and be blindfolded. After he or she cannot see, tell them you have everything on the table for making a peanut butter sandwich, and you would like him/her to give you step by step instructions on how to make it.

The scenario will probably go something like this:

Child: "Get some bread."

You: Grab some bread out of the bag, maybe 6-8 slices at once, or as much as you can pull out in your fist at once. You might even smash it a little if you are not careful.

Child: "Spread some peanut butter on the bread."

You: Stick your fingers or whole hand into the peanut butter jar, pull out a gob of peanut butter and wipe it across your stack of bread.

Child: "Now put some jam on it." 

You: Dump a big glob of jam onto the peanut butter-laden pile of bread.

Child "Now put more bread on top."

You: Grab another few slices from the bag and smash them on top. "Anything else?"

Child "Now you eat it!"

At this point, ask the child to remove the blindfold, while you use the wet towel to wipe your hands.

 You: "I'll bet you didn't expect the sandwich to look like THAT, Right? But I followed your directions exactly! Sometimes we hear what our parents and teachers tell us, but we don't really LISTEN. We think we already know what they are talking about, or we think we know a better way. When our parents and teachers are teaching us, we must listen carefully, and even ask questions, so we will understand what is in their heart. The Holy Ghost also teaches us, and we want to always hear and heed the promptings we receive correctly."

Turn off the lights in the room, and turn on your spot light, large flashlight, or bright lamp.  Have a new child come to the front to be blindfolded. Place the child at the starting point of your tape path.

Explain "We are going to sing Teach me to Walk in the Light. 'Johnny' is blindfolded, and he is going to try to walk along this narrow path. We are going to help him by singing. When we sing loud, he will know he is going the right direction. When we sing softly he will know he needs to stop and go a different direction. 'Johnny', you must stop wherever you are when the song is over. Lets see how far he can get toward the light!"

Sing the entire song. When the song is over, ask "Johnny" if he is surprised at how far he was able to go.

 
If time permits, pick a new child to be blindfolded and sing the song again.

In summary, explain to the children how difficult it is to walk through life and learn from our parents and teachers, if we are in the dark. Our parents and teachers have had experiences that can help us find our way, but we must be willing to open our hearts and listen to what they say. We must always strive to walk in the Light. Close with your testimony.

Have fun!