Frederick Douglass

We started the class with a themed activity.  We had the boys take turns pulling each other in a wagon to simulate what pulling the handcarts may have been like.  I was surprised by how much fun the boys had.  

Then we let the boys play for a while in the backyard before starting our class.  We worked out and recited the Pledge and the class rules and affirmations.

We reviewed Levi Savage and the Pioneers from last week and introduced our new hero: Frederick Douglass.  He was an incredible abolitionist of his time.  We used a powerpoint to introduce the topic of slavery and Douglass's wonderful story.

After that, we watched Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Season 5 Episode 1: I am Frederick Douglass.

Then we let the boys play for the rest of the class.

Levi Savage and the Pioneers

We let the boys play for twenty minutes or so then we had them come upstairs and do their workout.

Afterward, we recited the Pledge and the class rules and affirmations.

Then we focused on Joseph Smith, Jr.’s martyrdom and how, after some tough times, the Saints were led by Brigham Young to Utah.

Levi Savage was one of them.

Asked to travel overland (his second time!) to help the Willie handcart company, his group had trouble from the start.  His firm, faithful leadership helped many stay strong and carry on.  More than anything, I find his humility when publicly censured on more than one occasion incredibly heroic. 

After watching some of my favorite clips from 17 Miracles we took turns pulling a heavy wagon outside.

We ran out of time but I had planned to play a couple pioneer games (three legged racing, potato sack race, pioneer yo-yos, shadow tag and ducks fly- a version of Simon says.)

Joseph Smith Part 2

This week was a repeat of last week since we were missing three of our boys.  

We started out on the trampoline, did our workout and had them repeat the Pledge of Allegiance and our rules and affirmations.

We then reviewed all of our heroes so far with a quick game, after which the boys tooo turns reviewing what we learned last week (we had focused on his surgery as a 7-year-old, his physical strength and the first vision.). We then added to this with the story of Joseph protecting the plates one night from three attackers.

The boys then “re-enacted” the story on the trampoline (one boys was Joseph Smith and the rest were his attackers.)

Then we did some more stick pulling.

Last, we talked about how Moroni told Joseph he “had a work to do.”  Then we watched President Nelson tell their generation something similar with the following quote (found in the Come Follow Me manual for this week), 

“Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, how He feels about you and your mission here on earth. If you ask with real intent, over time the Spirit will whisper the life-changing truth to you. … I promise you that when you begin to catch even a glimpse of how your Heavenly Father sees you and what He is counting on you to do for Him, your life will never be the same!” (“Becoming True Millennials” [worldwide devotional for young adults, Jan. 10, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Then the boys had a dodge ball/pretend snowball fight upstairs.

Joseph Smith: A Man of God

Today we began as we usually do- playing, then a workout, the pledge of allegiance followed by the class rules and affirmations.

We then reviewed a few of our heroes we talked about last semester before introducing this week’s hero: Joseph Smith, Jr.

We read a book about him and then watched clips from Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration.  The clips included the first vision, persecution after which he preached a sermon the next day as well as him winning a stick pull contest.

We focused on his courage- during his surgery as a young boy, in the face of persecution and martyrdom and his physical and moral strength.  

We then had a stick pull contest upstairs and the boys loved it!  

We sent this worksheet home with them to review things they learned about Joseph Smith with their families.

Worksheet comes from theredcrystal.org

Christmas

 Today was very different.  

Since it was our last day of class for the semester we met at a park and picked up garbage as a service project.  When their grocery sacks were full (and their attention was flagging) we threw the garbage away, got our hands clean and pulled out some goals and a soccer ball.  After playing for a while, the boys were tired and thirsty so we headed to the house.

The boys had hot chocolate, during which we talked about the ultimate hero: our Savior, Jesus Christ.  He was our exemplar in so many ways, one of which was service.  We then put together coupon books with service coupons for their parents.  Hopefully they will be able to use the books as Christmas gifts.

Then we let the boys play.  

Once we cleaned up they were given some fun gift bags from their friends as well as a kit to make a luminaria or luminary (a Christmas lantern.)  It had a short explanation of the history of luminarias.  The hope is that they would light the world with their service and kindness in the way that Jesus did.

Merry Christmas!

Davy Crockett Part 2: The Alamo

 We began with our normal routine.  The boys played, they worked out, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance and we went over the class rules and affirmations.

Then we reviewed our Powerpoint about Davy Crockett, the War of 1812 and the Indian Removal Act (and Corckett's heroic fight against the bill.)  We then moved on to Crockett's heroic, last stand at the Alamo.

We explained why Americans had moved to Texas, how the government changed radically when Santa Anna was elected.  When the Texans resisted cruel and unjust laws, fighting broke out.  200 Texans were eventually surrounded by thousands of Mexican troops (they may have been outnumbered by 20 to one or more!)  

Even so, they refused to surrender.  They held the Mexican troops off for 12 days but on the 13th day they were attacked from all directions and eventually every soldier died.  Their lives may have been lost but it was not in vain.  "Remember the Alamo!" became a battle cry and led Sam Houston's troops to victory at the critical Battle of San Jacinto, after which Texans won their independence from Mexico.  

Afterward, we had the boys build a replica of the Alamo with blocks and we tried to show them the ratio of troops for each side with GI Joes.  Then we got to destroy our creation, which is often the best part.