Top 25 LDS Conference Ideas & Activities for the Entire Family

Guest Post: Shauna Lainhart with www.city2country.com

TOP 25 Best LDS General Conference Ideas great for kids, teens & the whole family!!!

General Conference is around the corner……..

    Get ready now so your family (or just you) get the most out of it!                                        
All you have to do is Click, Print and Distribute!!!! Easy Peasy!!!!

(For those of you Non-LDS viewers…..Conference for my church is a Semiannual event where our Prophet and Apostles broadcast messages to help us strengthen ourselves, families and each other. Check out www.LDS.org for more info)

 I have a 9, 6, 5, and 19 month old kids. Keeping kids still can be a challenge and  besides I want to listen. I have been doing games/activities the past 4 years & find them to be very helpful & fun for the kid. I recommend picking a few ideas and changing things up each day or each session. I was looking for some new ideas this year & decided to share my finding. I tend to be picky about my choices……so, I feel confident to say these are the
 BEST 25 LDS GENERAL CONFERENCE IDEAS!   ENJOY, SHARE & COMMENT!!!

CLICK ON THE LINK IN BLUE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR DOWNLOADS

1. Digital ideas….. Did you know that there a bunch of free or inexpensive LDS Apps…..Including Conference Bingo. Here are some links for you technical junkies. Mormon Apps 12 LDS Apps for Kids  LDS Bingo Top 10 iPad Apps      

 2. Conference Bingo There are a few bingo boards out there, but I like this one due to the fact that you can print off at least 15 different boards which is great for the ENTIRE family……and in my case we watch Conference with lots of other family & the adults like to play too!

3. Book of Mormon Paper Dolls  or General Conference Paper Dolls
    These are super cute & my kids LOVED them!

4. Conference packets:  Ultimate General Conference Packet  by: Food Storage & Beyond age 5-12  2013 General Conference Packet  by: SugarDoodle ages 10-adult Conference Packet by: Deseret Book ages 5-14 (this one may require some help from parents to read certain words, but kids just starting school would enjoy these activities
 5.  Conference Tree By the Johnson Family……She used a silhouette, but I bet you could hand cut it & attach it to a poster board. Apostle Sticky Notes is also another alternative to this…..have pictures of the Apostles on the wall & everyone has a sticky note pad to write notes during each talk. When the talk is over , everyone puts their sticky note to the according Apostle. Here is a link to print off all of the apostles pictures

 6.King Benjamin Tent & What’s Your Guess By: Lady Create-a-lot Fun for kids to wake up to and the guessing game is great for teens!!!

7. Key Word Games……These have to be my FAVORITE kinds of Conference Games. Here are some suggestions for Keywords. I have put them in categories of how often they are said….this will be important when planning what keywords to use because if you make it too easy all your candy is gone or the project is completed too fast….plus you can cater it to the age group:

Common~~~Jesus, Love, Repentance, Scriptures, Prophet, Temple, Holy Ghost,  Prayer, Testimony, Atonement, Church, Family, Joseph Smith, Pres. Monson, Faith & Missionary

Less Common~~~ Priesthood, Commandment, Nephi, Sacrament, Service, Tithing, Pioneer, Charity, Baptism, Hymn, Resurrection, Satan, Bishop, Home &  Kindness.

Rare~~~Opposition, Potential, Salvation, Mortality, Glory, Establish, Fulfill, Angels, Celestial, Example, Protection, Obedience, Pride, Influence, Standard, Inspire & Heed,  

Conference Store is a post I did last year on my sister’s blog. I used 2 wide mouth Mason jars with pennies & Keyword labels or you could use this great Conference Cash Printout By SomewhatSimple  instead of pennies. Every time you hear the Keyword you take a penny (or CTR cash). At the end of each session you get to shop at the Conference Store. Get a variety of items like candy, coloring books, stickers, baked goods, soda pop, toys, and etc. Thinking back on last year…..this was AWESOME, but I would suggest doing one jar common keywords and the other less common/rare. Pres. Monson said “temple” about 100 times and the has A LOT of pennies to spend after the first session. You could also have more jars to spread it out as well.

  Sweet Listening is another one that I did last year and posted about (new name this year) It was a great one. Who doesn’t like instant gratification. I highly recommend it for Visiting Teaching or someone you know could use help with conference, but isn’t good at preparing or maybe just moved. You can use mason jars, $1 store vase, recycled cans or pots/pails of some sort. You don’t have to use candy…..you could use fruit/veg, crayons/stickers, crackers/meat/cheese or whatever you can think of. Conference Bracelet……….Love this idea & most of us have a bunch of pony beads at home! Each bead color has a Keyword associated with it & when you hear that keywords you add that color bead to your bracelet. You could use pipe cleaners , yarn, fishing line or whatever as string.    

8. Lego Temple By Cornelials Kid I have a few Lego Maniac kids at my house and I am going to use this idea & do a Lego Key Word Jar! You could just have loose legos and let them build at will. While I was searching for this ides I came across a gentlemen that does Extreme Lego Temples…….. you have to check these fun & extreme Lego Temples…I bet your kids would love to see them as well.
9. Conference Blocks…….tape a keyword to a block and when that word is said you get to start building with it. It will be fun to see what you are able to build by the end of conference. You may even consider stating over with each session. Cater your keywords to the age your kids are and don’t be afraid to duplicate certain Keywords!
10. Word Hunt By: Moms Have Questions Too. Fun to use a Bingo dabber with this!

11. Conference Jenga By: LittleLdsIdeas She has 3 versions of this game!

12. General Conference Matching Game By BeingLDS It is a great game to help kids get to know the apostles faces and facts about them!
13. Temple Memory Match ByA Little Tipsy She has 3 versions: Utah Temples, under construction & Readers Request
14. Apostle BagsBy: SugarDoodle & The Things I Love Here is a quick link to get pictures of all the apostle This is a great idea where you have a surprise bag to open during each speakers talk, You need to start shopping now to fill the bags. Possible ideas to buy are Coloring Books (or printed off pages), Crayons, Candy/treats , Popcorn, Playdough, Puzzles, kid Crafts, Notebooks, toys, quiet games, stickers & Blocks/Legos.

 15. Dry Erase Quiet Books By: iCandy This is an idea that you can use all year round. Plus, it is a great way to upcycle old Friend Magazines. I made a few of these with all the fun color pages, Picture search, puzzles and word searches from old Friend Magazines BUT I laminated them. I punched 3 holes in them and used binding rings. My kids us Dry Erasers.

16. Coloring……One of my favorite ways of finding cool coloring pages is through Google images.  Here are direct links to sites with Free coloring pages to print.
Coloring Pages: Google Search  LDS.Org   A Year of FHE    Color by Number: Google Search   LDSclipart (3 page)  LDS Lesson Ideas 
Word Search & Puzzles: Google Search (word Search) Google Search(Puzzle)   LDS Splash  LDS Research 
 Dot 2 Dot: Google Search   Salt Lake Temple   Liahona   Gold Plate   Girl Praying

 Toddler Activities: 
17.pipe cleaners Pringles can By: Moms Have Questions Too Quiet, fun & great for motor  skills
18. Lacing Cards By: A Girl & A Glue gun These will be good for anytime & make a easy gift!
19. Craft Stick Picture Puzzle You could make these out of old Friend/Ensign magazines……cut pictures just slightly smaller than stick & use modge podge to glue them on & as a top coat!  Bits of Everything used 5×7 cards. If you don’t have any pictures on hand…..here are printable pictures of all the apostles.

 Visiting teaching Ideas 
20. Conference Day Surprise This is a post I did on my sisters Blog TheCraftyNightOwls
21.M&M of General Conference By: Makoodle Free Printable
22. General Conference Goodie Bag By: Everyday Food Storage

23. Cinnamon Roll Recipe Cinnamon rolls in the morning….YES mam!!! I did this last year and I think it will become a Conference tradition……..who wants to slave over the stove Conference morning….Not me! It’s chewy and makes the house smell great which in turn will help everyone wake up. Make a unbaked batch of Cinnamon Rolls (put frosting in a zip lock bag)  and deliver them to the girls you visit teach, neighbors or whoever you love the Friday before conference (make one for you).  Attach a note with bake time & instructions (tell them they can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days) Smile as you think of them putting it in the oven Saturday/Sunday morning carefree and loving you with every bite. Now that is love and service!!!

My Cinnamon Roll Recipe is By: the Pioneer Woman. Note……I do not eat cinnamon rolls unless they are moist and chewy……these are the BOMB! Plus I have made many of friends with these bad boys. The best part of this recipe is you can refrigerate them for 2-3 days OR freeze them.  I use the deep throw away metal pans.

This recipe did 3 1/2 pans of 12 rolls per pan.

I make a few alterations to this recipe:   1. when putting the butter on top of the dough before the sugar & spice……
I used half the amount of butter & I DON’T melt the butter…..
I simply spread soften butter with my bare hands (my kids love doing this).  
 2. I only add 1 cup of sugar on top of the dough instead of the 2 cups she recommends.

3. I don’t drink coffee & found the frosting too sweet for me so I do a                             
 simple Cream Cheese Frosting that I like better:

24. My Favorite in between Conference meal……. Crockpot French Dips!!!! OK, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Homemade French Dip Sandwiches…….Who doesn’t really….well I guess vegetarians & Vegans wouldn’t. They are super simple to make, taste great, but can be a little pricey. We are making Crock Pot French Dips for this Saturday “between” session meal.

25. The Changeable Table has a bunch of Conference Food ideas. Including Breakfast, snacks, in between sessions and Sunday night!!!

Well, I hope you found something to help you prepare for General Conference! Thank you to all the great people that made this post possible with sharing their ideas!

Leave me a comment and tell me what YOU do for General Conference!!!!

Making your own Laundry Soap

Making your own Laundry Soap is Easy as 1-2-3!

List of items you will need:

• 1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax 
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean (This is optional)
• 2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap (You can also use Fels Naptha)
• 1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
• 1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (This is 100% optional. You can choose any scent or company you like just as long as it is dry fabric softener)

Hypoallergenic option:

• 1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
• any hard bar of soap that is hypoallergenic make sure you get at least 28 oz worth. 2 popular brands are Tom's of Maine and Kirk's Natural Original Coco Castle bar's
• 1 (3lb) Container of Oxyclean (this is optional, most people aren't sensitive to it, but if you are worried leave it out of the mix and just add a little in the 1st few loads to test. 
• 1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
• 2 (32 oz) Purex Crystals for Baby (this is the pink bottle)

I have not tested the hypoallergenic recipe out. 

If any of you do please let me know how it works for you.

disclaimer: I am not a professional, this recipe was put together

from me researching the items and finding out it they are hypo allergenic.  

enjoy

The 1st step to making your soap is grating your zotes or fels naptha soap

bars. You can either hand grate them or chop it up in your food processor.

After I grated my soap. 

I grabbed a large container ( I used a medium sized storage container)

 and start layering my ingredients. I found it easier to add a little of

each and then stir, instead of dumping the entire bottle of ingredients

in and then have to stir like crazy to get it all mixed well.

After the layering and stirring process

(and all your containers are empty)

You are finished.. Yes I said finished

Either leave in your bucket or Like I did I put it in a fancy glass

container to place on my washer with a tablespoon placed on top.

 you will only need 2 Tbs for a regular sized wash load.

Price Breakdown:

Borax: $3.38

Oxiclean: $9.47

Zote Soap x 2: $1.94

Purex Crystals: $4.76

Baking Soda: $2.50

Super Washing Soda: $4.95

Total: $27.00 plus sales tax

Each wash uses 2 Tbs of this soap

roughly this makes 303 loads

for $27.00

.09 a Load

HypoAllergenic 

Price Breakdown:

Borax: $3.38

Oxiclean $9.47

Hypo Bar Soap x 2 $5.00 (high estimate)

Purex for Baby: $4.76

Baking Soda: $2.50

Super Washing Soda: $4.95

Total w/Oxiclean:  $30.06          Total without Oxiclean: $20.59

Each wash uses 2 Tbs of this soap

roughly this makes

 303 loads                                      280 loads

with Oxyclean                       without Oxiclean

.09 a Load                          .07 a Load       

Printable Gift Tag

Happy Laundry Day!

\

Linky Parties

pretty and delicious
Housewives Round Up
Strut Your Stuff Saturday
Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Sunday Showcase Party
That DIY Party
Sundae Scoop Linky Party
Sew Darn Crafty
It's Party Time
Think Pink Sunday
Market Yourself Monday
Monday Funday
What to do Weekends
Take A Look Tuesday
Show Me What Ya Got

How to get kids Excited about Chores during Spring Break!

Spring Break is just around the corner and so is Spring Cleaning. I am not always excited to get scrubbing the entire house and my kids are definitely not on the band wagon either. Here's an idea to help your kids get excited to help out during Spring Break/Cleaning. It's not just cleaning, but some other types of service activities as well.

Spring Break Scavenger Hunt

  click on the above image, save to your computer and print.

 I was AMAZED how excited they got while using this scavenger hunt and how they were begging me for opportunities to do work and such. Each child is different and there are many ways you can utilize this hunt. All you need to do is click link above..... print it off (2 per page) and put each of your kids name on one. Sit down and have a pow-wow with your kids on rules, prizes, goals and such and then decide where their papers are going to be.(fridge door, kitchen wall, etc.) Sometimes it's nice to hear what your kids think would be a great prize.....sometimes you can get off cheaper than you think. LOL I personally don't have scheduled chores for the week......the Spring Break Scavenger Hunt will be all they have! 

Goal Options:

1~ Have each child pick a Goal of what points they want to get during the week......it can be   

     followed up with a prize if they meet their goal or simply the satisfaction of completing a goal.

2~ The parent picks a Goal amount for each child with or without a reward at the end of the week.

3~ Pick a point Goal for the Entire family to accomplish with a family prize at the end of the week.

Who marks off each box?
  Well, that is up to you. The parent can be in charge of marking it or you can have your kids on the honor system. I personally checked to see if it was completed and then tell the kids they can mark it off or show my non-reading kids which box to mark. They liked marking it themselves.

Prizes Options

You could have a prize for a certain goal reached OR you could have a prize chart that has prizes at each amount level. For example candy when reached 100 pts, coloring book at 200 pts, trip to the park at 300 pts and so forth. I support all you non-prize parents, but me personally my kids have sooo much more motivation when they have something tangible to earn or a prize involved.

Here are some fun prize ideas:

Food Related:    Candy, Ice Cream bars, Special Baked treat, McDonald's, Pizza or etc.

From Store or $: Cash, Trip to $ Store, Coloring Books, Sidewalk Chalk, Bubbles, Toy or etc.

Others or Free: Trip to Park, Zoo, No Chores for the Day, Water Fight Party, Stay up 1 Hour    

                            Later one Night, Go to Movies or Rent Movie or etc.

Hope you find this post to be useful and successful! 

Shauna

Linky Parties

Mending Holy Jeans~ Fun and Practical !!!

Mending Pants ~ Fun and Practical !!!!

I am sure girls are capable of putting holes in their jeans, but I am positive that my boys are pro's at it. I recently mended 15 pairs of jeans....2 which were my husbands and mine...the rest were my 2 boys and 1 nephew. Another thing I find odd is it is always the LEFT knee that is worse! Don't know! Yes, I let it pile up because I was dreading it and had previous failures when it came to mending. I researched some different ways and tried something out that was much easier and more successful. I ended up starting with basic looks then started having fun with fabrics...then into making monster faces and mustaches.

 Here are what some of my failures looked like. The first one (pants are wrong side out) I made the patch too small and used too dense of a denim. The pants started tearing at the top. The second one I was too messy with the glue and it just looks dirty all the time.

Here are some products that I found helped make the mending easier.

Tear Mender.....I know there are other brands, but this is what I found and it is waterproof

Pellon Heavy Duty Wonder Under.......it is double sided

Iron

Fun cotton fabrics

Felt

Embroidery Thread

Medium Ric Rack

You don't need all of these items for every mend, but I will show you some examples of what I used for what!

Basic jean shred, but not a complete hole!

 These jeans are starting to shred or get worn in areas, but there is not a huge hole yet. I used a simple blue cotton fabric that wouldn't show too much through the shred. I found using denim as a patch was too thick and hard on the pants ....so I use a light weight fabric. My son has a pair of uniform khaki pants that came with a type of patch from the get go and they have lasted FOREVER!! It is some sort of interfacing that has worked beautifully, but I haven't totally figured it out! Anyone know?
Turn your jeans right side out. Figure out what size patch you need. Make sure it is wide enough and tall enough and I personally patch both side regardless if it is shredding.....I am taking the time to patch...let's do it now instead of later when it does fray!

      Option 1

 Turn the pants inside out...stick a piece of wax paper inside the pant leg under the tear so the mending glue does not leak through. Figure out what size of patch you need and cut it out...rounding the corner. Simply drizzle a small amount of mending glue directly on top of the patch(whatever side of the fabric you want to show though) and then smear in all over with your finger.....make sure you get the corners well. Don't worry about the glue on your finger...you can rub it off. Work fast and once it is covered in glue apply it to the jean hole/fray area and smooth out flat. Let it dry an hour then turn it right side out then apply a tiny amount to the top of the fray to keep it from fraying farther. Works great and is very sturdy. (If you are doing multiple patches you can take the wax paper out now and use on your next patch...it does not need to be there while it's drying)

                                                                               Option 2

Figure out what size patch you need and cut a piece of fabric....I like using a basic cotton.  Iron on pellon to right side of fabric. Then cut out and curve edges. Peal off the paper part of the Pellon Wonder Under (sometimes I can get the paper off easy by scratching with my finger on top of the paper at the corner...make sure it is completely cooled) and iron in place as your patch. Follow the directions on the Pellon paper. Make sure you use a damp cloth when you are first ironing it to your jeans...it makes the glue part get sticky. Then you can iron directly to it. Make sure the edges do not come off.

Once cooled or dried...turn it right side out and apply a little mending glue to the frayed part to help it not fray more! Your done! Sometimes I have to add Mending glue to the corners after a few washes, but it is golden after that!

Same thing done with this hole in the crotch but I used a smaller patch!

Here's an example of a big hole patch job!

Here is where you have options of what you want to be visible through the hole. Rummage through all your fun printed fabric or make a fun Monster/Mustache Face. You will be utilizing option 2 from above along with these instructions, but you will use those steps last.

( NOTE: Extra Instructions for the Monster/Mustache Face are in Red. You need Felt in whatever color you want for mouth and eyes, Med. Ric Rack for teeth, Embroidery Floss and needle Sorry I don't have step by step pictures....I did these for my sister and was just having fun with it not thinking to take pictures!)

Start Here:

Turn your pants inside out and place a piece of wax paper inside the leg under the hole to prevent glue from leaking through. Decide what shape you want to cut out of your patch: rectangle, circle, diamond...whatever you want to accommodate the print or look your going for!

Take your printed fabric and cut out a piece big enough to cover the hole . Make sure it is about 1/2'-1" larger than the hole all around! Face the printed fabric print side down on top of the hole. (note these pants are being RE-patched since I did a horrible job last time hence the glue spots) 

I used Red or Sparkling Black Felt for the Monster/Mustache Face Patch and made the patch 1" larger than the hole!

Now you are going to use the Option 2 from above and lay a Pellon Wonder Under Patch on top of the printed fabric patch. Do all the same instructions and stop when it comes time to turn the pants right side out!

Turn your pants right side out and you should see the printed fabric show through. The Jean edges will be loose......no worries it is suppose to be that way! Occasionally I have to cut a little more of the jean edge to make the print show up better....hence the Batman symbol.

Now it is time to add the Rich Rack. You need to cut 2 pieces long enough to fit across PLUS an extra inch on both ends. Burn the ends of the Ric Rack. Tuck the Ric Rack under the loose flap of the jean....making sure the ends are completely covered. Make sure the Ric Rack hangs below the edge just enough to look like teeth and then pin. Now it is time to hand stitch along the entire edge of the mouth (jean hole)...I like using a blanket stitch. Stitch through the entire layers of the pants. The mouth should be done...now cut out eyes, mustache or whatever you would like to add to your look. I hand stitched it all using a blanket stitch.

Once you complete any jean edge trimming it is time to seal the loose edges. Use a Q-tip and dip it in the mending glue and apply the glue to the underside of the loose jean edge. I found using my finger for this instead of the Q-tip was too messy. Get all the loose edges glued and press hard to adhere it. Let it dry an hour and reapply glue if any parts come undone. Optional hand stitching the edges if you want to.

Sometimes I have to add Mending glue to the corners of the inside patch after a few washes, but never more after that!

You don't need to glue...you already hand stitched!

Hope you found this tutorial useful and we would love to see what you come up with......post a comment and picture!!!

Shauna

Linky Parties

Craftberrybush
Common Ground