My toddlers love coloring. like, love it! They color something about once a day. It’s a crazy juxtaposition because my preschooler loathes coloring! While they were coloring today they ploughed through all the markers in record speed! They just became strong enough to yank the lids off so it’s fun new territory to not have to bring the marker to Mom to open. Not gonna lie, my normal response is to feel overwhelmed and surges of anger (triggered by the overwhelm), but today I had an ah-hah moment! It’s the perfect time to work on sooo many skills! First, there’s the responsibility aspect; we take care of the tools we use! But there’s also matching, and practicing our colors (which has been an key interest with them lately. Suddenly they’re not calling everything green or pink). So I sat down with them and made them match the lids and the markers, and we put them away right.
I mean, I know this is something every kid needs to learn, eventually. But the more I thought about it the more intentional the activity became, even if it wasn’t planned. And you know what? They aced it.
p.s. color wonder is genius! I’m not getting rewarded for saying so, I just love that I don’t have to worry about clothes or furniture being colored on. Getting marker (especially dry erase marker) out of everything has not been my favorite mommy experience. Probably my second least-favorite right behind potty training. And that’s saying something because there are a lot of unpleasant mommy experiences…
An unspoken thing that I personally think is amazing about conference is that there are so many family traditions involved in how each household watches conference. If you feel like you need a new tradition in your family, here are are some resources I have found from the Church (while planning our FHE lesson for this week) that are totally free to you!
Print off and fill out conference notebooks (for older or for younger kids; or one of these pages one, two for in between)
color by topic pages (I personally think this one is worth it! love it). There is this one, as well, but a) it’s outdated, and b) it’s not as pretty. But it is still a good resource!
Conference Bingo! This is what our family does! we have pages my aunt made when we were kids, but the topics have shifted slightly and it’s getting harder to get bingos! So I think I’m gonna print these off, instead, this year. Before conference, I go to the dollar store and pick out little toys and party favors. I buy things that are less than a dollar (so multiple things in a pack) for bingos and then 1 dollar prize per session per kid for blackouts (I might have to make the “sustaining leaders” a free space in order to do that on this print-out). I try to pick prizes that are projects or crafts, so that my kids have some form of entertainment during conference, as opposed to a figurine, but even little figurines have value while entertaining kids for so long. Here is another page, but it has President Monson represented for “prophet,” so it’s a little outdated.
There are a lot of picture searches within the church’s website, but these two (one, two) deal particularly with General Conference.
Same thing goes for coloring pages. I found 5 in particular that are about conference (but I bet there are more hidden in the “internet cracks.” Some of these have President Monson, but he was still a prophet (one, two, three, four, five). And here is one about King Benjamin teaching his people, in case you’re following along with our FHE lessons.
Here’s a poster with kids coloring for conference.
This page has a blank bingo sheet, but I like the idea of drawing the ties given on the bottom.
If you told your family about King Benjamin teaching his people, this activity about his people pitching his tents toward the temple will have deeper meaning.
This one seems fun, too. Color in a square for each clue you see or hear.
assign a small treat to key words and each time that word is heard, the hearer can get a treat.
Here is a dot-to-dot of the prophet (and a picture story).
There is nothing to print here, but this story talks about watching conference via a tent, like King Benjamin. You could build a fort like they do in the story or a real tent. If it’s stable enough, you could even allow your family to sleep in it one night!
This activity involves 1 word for each letter of the alphabet and suggests writing notes about each word.
Here is a rope code game that has a hidden answer at the bottom of the page.
For kids that can read, they could cover these words as they hear them.
The second page of this story from the friend gives a nice way to take notes on a talk. If your note-taker can read but isn’t ready to take that thorough of notes, they might be able to follow this outline.
Here is a 2-week countdown of activities to prepare for conference.
If you want to update the pictures, this is a fun mini-conference setup with chairs and a pulpit that you can have the speakers walk to. But it’s from 2012.
This coloring page is similar to some others already listed, but a little bit simpler. It would still require reading, though. Or there is this one, tied to the talk before it.
Possible Songs: We Thank Thee, O God For a Prophet, hymn 19; Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice, hymn 21; The Spirit of God, hymn 2; Testimony, hymn 137; Again We Meet Around the Board, hymn 186; Come, All Ye Saints Who Dwell on Earth, hymn 65; Come, Sing to the Lord, Hymn 10; Oh, Holy Words of Truth and Love, hymn 271; Latter-day Prophets, Children’s Songbook page 134;
Possible Materials: 3 cups of different size (small, medium, large) and 3 cups of the same size that is as close to the large-sized cup as possible. Small pictures of the First Presidency and the twelve Apostles (either print the last page of this handout twice {or this one} and cut out the individual photos; or, if you have time, buying a pack of photo paper and print individual photos of the 12 Apostles and the First Presidency. the second option is definitely more tedious and time consuming, but with clearer pictures, your family will recognize them better). A picture of King Benjamin teaching his people and this video about the Conference Center.
Preparation: Begin with prayer. Consider your present attitude towards General Conference and ask yourself what you could do in order to receive greater spiritual renewal and personal guidance from the Conference addresses. Read the conference talks from the last General Conference (or watch them). Read through the lesson, including any links, and Mosiah 1-5 (click the > on the right to continue to the next chapters), and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Have fun playing with measurements and how much water will fit into each cup. Watch the video about King Benjamin. Ask a grownup to help you get pictures of the General Authorities and to read the fact about them to you.
Lesson:
Discuss how last week’s challenge went.
Introduction:Introduction: Ask the family to join you in a place that is okay to spill and get wet. Present a small cup, a medium-sized cup, and a large cup. Tell the family that the Holy Ghost is like water. We are each like the glasses. When we are being taught, the teacher who has done his work to prepare and invite the spirit in is like the pitcher that pours water into our glass. Some of us spend very little time preparing. We are like the small glass (pour the water into the small glass, let the extra water overflow). When conference comes, we are able to receive some of the blessings of the Holy Ghost, but we are easily overwhelmed and cannot hold more than a little enlightenment. Sometimes we are like the medium glass (pour the water into the medium glass. Just a little should overflow): we are looking forward to conference, we have plenty of room for the Holy Ghost, and we come away feeling refreshed and enlightened, but we still long for just a little bit more. But what happens if we could be as prepared as the full glass (Pour water into the third glass. All of the water should fit within the glass, filling it full)? When Conference comes, we are eager and well-prepared, we have prayed for enlightenment, studied past conference addresses, and are eager to receive more enlightenment. As we listen to conference, we receive every blessing and insight that the Lord wishes us to receive.
Preparing for Conference: Tell your family that one way to prepare for General Conference is knowing who the speakers are. Make sure your surface is really dry after the water, and set up and play memory match using the General Authorities’ portraits. When a match is made, read their name and the information about them found below.
President Russell M. Nelson: born 9 September, 1924, in Salt Lake City, UT. He has 2 sisters and a brother. He was baptized at age 16. He plays the bugle and the organ, sings baritone with perfect pitch, loves to ski, and can speak 12 languages (including Mandarin and Latin). He was an open heart surgeon (one of the best) and a medical captain in the army during the Korean War. He has 10 kids (9 girls and 1 boy). He became president of the church in 2018. He was called as one of the 12 apostles in 1984!
President Dallin H. Oaks: born 12 August, 1932, in Provo, UT. His dad died when he was 7, so he and his younger brother and sister spent summers with his grandma while his mom went to college. He played the oboe and football in high school. Elder Oaks was a lawyer, and served in the National Guard during the Korean War. He taught law at the University of Chicago and became president of BYU in 1971. He left BYU when he was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court. He has 6 kids. He was called as an apostle in 1984, and is currently the first counselor to president Nelson.
President Henry B. Eyring: born 31 May, 1933, in Princeton, NJ. He was the nephew to President Spencer W. Kimball. He was the middle of 3 brothers. He grew up in a studious home and his parents taught him to love learning and reading. He likes to play tennis, drawing, and painting. He was both in the Air force and served as a district missionary in the Western States Mission in Albuquerque, NM at the same time. He was a professor at Stanford University, followed by becoming president of Ricks College. He has four sons and two daughters. He was called as an Apostle in 1995.
President M. Russell Ballard: born 8 October, 1928, in Salt Lake City, UT. His great-great-grandfather was Hyrum Smith. His great-great grandfather was President Joseph F. Smith. His grandfathers were Melvin J. Ballard and Hyrum M. Smith (both of the 12 Apostles). And yet, his parents didn’t attend church and he never heard his grandparents speak from the pulpit. He served a mission in England. He was in the Army Reserves. He often found himself a leader in many business industries, both successful and unsuccessful, and credits his unsuccessful business ventures as creating a sense of humility. He has two sons and five daughters. He was called to the Quorum of the 12 Apostles in 1985 and is currently the Acting President.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: born 3 December, 1940 in St George, UT. He had 3 siblings, but his younger brother died in infancy. He played football and basketball in High School. He and Elder Quentin L. Cook were mission companions in the Britain Mission. He was a teacher and professor before becoming President of BYU, replacing Dallin H. Oaks. He has 2 sons and 1 daughter. He was called to the quorum of the 12 apostles in 1994.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: born on 6 November 1940, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia. He has 3 siblings. He and his mom and siblings fled to East Germany while his dad was conscripted to the German army, and then his whole family fled to West Germany, being labeled as “dissenters.” He joined the German Air Force as a fighter pilot, and left the military to spend his career as the commercial pilot. He and his wife like skiing and dancing together. English is his second language (he grew up speaking German). He has 2 children. He became an apostle in 2004.
Elder David A. Bednar: born 15 June,1952, in Oakland, CA. he is 15+ years younger than his 2 other siblings. His father did not join the church until Elder Bednar was in his 20’s. He played football in high school. He served his mission in Southern Germany. He was a teacher and a professor before becoming president of Ricks College, which transitioned to BYU-I under his leadership. He has 3 sons. He joined the 12 apostles in 2004.
Elder Quentin L. Cook: born 8 September, 1940 in Logan, UT. he has 2 siblings. His great-great grandfather was Heber C. Kimball. He participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track in high school. He and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland were mission companions in the Britain Mission. He was a corporate lawyer, focused a lot on medical law, and worked pro bono for 14 years. He has 3 children. He was sustained as an Apostle in 2007.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: born 24 January, 1945, in American Fork, UT. He has 4 younger brothers. His family moved to Somerset, NJ, where he was the only church member in his high school. He served his mission in North Argentina. He performed in the Hill Cumorah pageant. He made bread for his mother until he left home, after a surgery left her incapable of making homemade bread. He was in the army reserves for 8 years. He has 4 sons and a daughter. He was a political lawyer (during Watergate), and a bank lawyer before being called as an Apostle in 2008.
Elder Neil L. Andersen: born 9 August, 1951, in Logan UT. He is the middle child of 5 siblings. His dad became a dairy farmer in Pocatello, ID. He speaks English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. He served his mission in France, and later he returned to France as a Mission President. He was a businessman, with specific focus in healthcare. He has 4 children. He became a member of the Quorum of the 12 apostles in 2009.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband: born 6 February, 1951, in Salt Lake City, UT. He has 3 half-siblings (two brothers and a sister). His strongest skills were often described as leadership and charisma (he regularly convinced is friends to happily do his chores for him as a kid). He served his mission in the Eastern States mission (New York and Pennsylvania), later serving as a Mission President in New York. He worked in Chemical sales. He has 5 children. He was called as one of the 12 in 2015.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson: born 6 August, 1955, in Ogden, UT. He has 2 sisters and brother. He often relates a story involving delivering homemade bread to the 30 widows in his childhood ward. He served his mission in the Japan Fukuoka Mission (also returning later as a Mission President). He spends a lot of time outdoors, enjoying skiing and fishing, and snowmobiling. He started his career as a salesman, later cofounding an exercise equipment manufacturing company. He has four sons. Before being called as an Apostle, he served The Church as the Presiding Bishop. He joined the Quorum of the 12 in 2015.
Elder Dale G. Renlund: born 13 November, 1952, in Salt Lake City, UT. His parents were Swedish immigrants, and he has lived in both Sweden and Finland. He has a brother and 2 sisters. His first language was Swedish. He served his mission in Sweden. He was a researcher, medical director, cardiologist, and professor of medicine before being called as an apostle. He has 1 daughter. He is the 100th apostle to be called, joining the quorum of the 12 in 2015.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong: born 23 December, 1953 in Redwood City, CA. He is the oldest of 3 children. He played basketball and soccer in high school. He served his mission in Taiwan. He has been special assistant to the Secretary of State, the special assistant to the ambassador of China, the special assistant to the BYU President, and as a professor. He appreciates doing crafts and painting with the children he meets along his world service. He has 4 sons. He became an Apostle in 2018.
Elder Ulisses Soares: born 2 October, 1958, in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the youngest of 4 brothers. He was the only church member in his high school. He served his mission in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission. His first language is Portuguese, but he also speaks English and Spanish. He was an accountant and auditor for large corporations, and later, became Director for Temporal Affairs in the Church office in São Paulo, Brazil. He has 3 kids (1 son and 2 daughters). He is the “junior apostle,” as he was called as one of the 12 in 2018.
From the Scriptures: Tell your family that we have a record of a general conference way back in the Book of Mormon times! Hold up a picture of King Benjamin teaching his people, and summarize the story. Tell your family that King Benjamin gathered his people together in one big gathering so that he could teach them all before he died. His people all came and brought their tent, with the openings facing toward the temple (where King Benjamin gave his address). Read Mosiah 4:1-3 and 5:1-7. Ask your family if his people came with small or large “cups.” How can we tell? Were their cups filled?
Further Discussion:
Ask your family what they can do to receive all of the blessings of General Conference. Make a list of options. This may include taking notes, discussing conference between sessions, setting goals to study conference in the future, praying to receive inspiration for your life, and thinking of questions you have that you would like answered and then listening for those answers.
Discuss with your family a time that you received an answer to a question that you had during General Conference, or just bear your testimony about General Conference and how you feel about getting to listen to men of God.
Ask each family member to prepare for conference this week. Ask them to think of a question that they would like answered, and invite each member of the family to take notes so that they can invite the spirit of revelation into your home
Giving due credit: For this lesson, I did a thorough read-through of the General Conference side of the Church’s website, including the biographies of the General Authorities. Also, when I googled specific leaders, I often found the answers to my questions via Wiki and the church news page. If you’d like more info on these men, check out those sources.
This lesson was definitely a learning curve for me! I’m not very familiar with plaster of paris… But I just couldn’t resist the alliteration in “tractor tire tracks!” When I originally came up with this idea I figured we’d do our tractor tracks in sand dough, but it’s just so muddy outside, I decided to be more authentic. I think sand dough would have been less of a learning curve.
Anyway, we did lesson 7 out of 100 Easy Lessons, and worked on Lesson 3 of Learn to Read, then we mixed up the plaster, put on our shoes, and headed outside to the mud!
Then we waited… and waited. The package says half an hour to cure and then 24 hours to dry. So we left it in the mud until the afternoon and then I tried to pry it out of the mud… and may have cracked it…
see the bottom? Totally broke it…
She definitely learned the /t/ sound making the plaster. and loved the activity… but I couldn’t really see how I was gonna get this letter sound to stay nicely in her book, so I grabbed a tire and some brown paint and painted a t onto some white paper. I mean, if you wanted to, you could just skip to the paint, but she was so excited to do the plaster and the tactile aspect really stuck. I’ll keep the plaster T by her book until she’s done with it or it really breaks, so she can keep tracing it (the whole point).
Anyway, apparently I need more practice with plaster of paris, but it served it’s purpose. “t” says /t!/.
Age Range
Preschool
Prep Required
run to a store
Time Needed
20 mins for lesson 3 mins for activity 1-24 hrs to set or dry
A few weeks ago, when I was looking at color activities, I came across the book Every Color Soup. I decided it’d make a good activity for St. Patrick’s Day, so we checked the book out from our local library. Then I went ahead and cut all the vegetables and made my kids go wash their hands (I’m so over sicknesses this winter! I’m being a huge stickler on handwashing. No free passes!)
I read them the book, as well as one called Too Many Leprechauns (saw it as we were walking in and it was perfect!), and then said we were gonna make a rainbow for dinner. (*ps, not an amazon affiliate. I don’t get paid anything for sending you to them. Buy the book if and where you want! Maybe shop locally!).
I put the pot in the middle of the table, and we added the ingredients as they came up (note, not all of them are pictured below. They’re not in the rainbow, lol).
By the way, I bought French lentils from Amazon and they didn’t even stay blue! The recipe called for lentils du puy but a) I couldn’t find anything but orangey red or green lentils in the store, and b) google said French lentils were the ones considered blue. Shoulda trusted the book, I guess.
Either way, this activity was perfect! First because it talked about colors (something my toddlers are extremely interested in right now), and secondly, because one of my toddlers is very into “I cook like Mom,” right now.
Possible Songs: Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow, hymn 242; All Glory Laud and Honor, Hymn 69; O My Father, Hymn 292; If You Could Hie to Kolob, hymn 284; I Am a Child of God, Children’s Songbook page 2 and Hymn 301; My Heavenly Father Loves Me, Children’s Songbook page 228; Because God Loves Me, Children’s songbook page 234; Thanks to Our Father, Children’s Songbook page 20; The World Is So Lovely, Children’s Songbook page 233; I Am Like a Star, Children’s Songbook page 163; Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, Children’s Songbook page 60; The World Is so Big, Children’s Songbook page 235
Preparation: Begin with prayer. Ask yourself why creating this world was so important to Heavenly Father’s plan. Ask yourself again if you feel God’s love for you. Do your family members know? Take a moment to think over the creation and how it is evidence of God’s love for you. Read the suggested scriptures, the article Four Accounts of the Creation (Jan 1986), along with Genesis 1-2, Moses 1-3, and Abraham 3-5 (hyperlinks can be found within the article). Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: watch this video and this video about the creation. Ask a grownup to help you print, color, and cut the scripture figures.
Lesson:
Discuss how last week’s challenge went.
Introduction: pull out some dough or clay. Tell your family that clay is great because it can form all kinds of creations and sculptures. A tree, for instance. And then just set it down and sit there, like you expect it to do something. Ask your family why it didn’t form a tree! The dough has all the ability to become a tree, but it can’t just form itself into one. It needs a creator. Now tell your family that we live in a beautiful world, full of glorious things. How do you think it was created? Did it and could it create itself? Ask someone to open their scriptures to Alma 30:44 (starting after the second question mark).
Ask your family if they remember talking about Heavenly Father’s plan. Review it based on the needs of your family. Remind them that part of Heavenly Father’s plan involved coming to Earth. We needed someone to create a world for us to live on. Read Moses 1:33 and ask your family who created the world (Jesus followed Heavenly Father’s instructions).
From the Scriptures: Depending on the needs of your family read the accounts of the creation as found in the scriptures. For younger families, consider just read the most common account found in Genesis 1. Make sure to talk about the 6 days of creation and the 1 day of rest. If sharing video is available, I found this one by President Nelson (then Elder) to cut down right to the principles of the subject of creation.
On the first day, Jesus separated the light from the dark and created day and night (Genesis 1:1-5; Moses 2:1-5; Abraham 4:1-5). Ask your family why we need day and night? What are some things we do during the day? What do we do at night?
On the 3rd day he separated the land from the water. He also created all different types of plants and fruit. The plants were made to have seeds (Genesis 1:9-13; Moses 2:9-13; Abraham 4:9-13). Why is water so important to us? What do we do with water? What about plants? How do we use plants? All of the plants on the earth show us that Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to have the things we need.
On the 4th day, Jesus created the sun, moon, and stars, creating times and seasons (Genesis 1:14-19; Moses 2:14-19; Abraham 4:14-19). Talk to your family about all that the sun does for us! It keeps our earth comfortable and warm. It helps plants grow. How does the moon help us? What would happen if we couldn’t see stars in the sky? Think about a cloudy night when there is no moon. It’s hard to see! What if we could never see the stars?
On the 5th day, he created fish and birds (Genesis 1:20-23; Moses 2:20-23; Abraham 4:20-23). How are fish and birds important? Would humans have learned to fly if they hadn’t seen birds in the sky?
On the sixth day, the rest of the animals were placed on the earth. In the culmination of the creation, Heavenly Father and Jesus created man in his own image (Genesis 1:24-31; Moses 2:24-31; Abraham 4:24-31). How do animas help us?
From Church History: Hold up the picture of the seagulls eating the crickets in Utah. Ask your family if they know this story (more info here). Tell your family that in 1848, the pioneers had just settled in and were starting to grow crops. It had already been a hard and complicated spring, with a late frost, ad the saints were worried that they wouldn’t be able to grow enough food. Then, just as the crops were starting to look like they’d pull through, a swarm of crickets came in (they were actually katydids, if you were curious) and started eating the crops! The pioneers tried all they could to get rid of the crickets and it wasn’t working. They were scared. They knelt down and prayed to Heavenly Father. Soon, lots and lots of seagulls came and ate all the crickets! the Pioneers had enough food to eat and save until next planting season. Heavenly Father sent the seagulls. They obeyed Him because they knew He was their creator.
From World History: Ask your family how we can show Heavenly Father that we are thankful for the world he made. Answers will vary and should all be acknowledged. If or when someone mentions that we should learn as much as we can about the world we live in, (even if prompting is necessary), hold up the picture of Katherine Johnson or Mary Jackson. Explain to your family that in the 1960’s people were wanting to learn lots about the world around them, and they were especially excited to learn about space, where our sun and moon and stars are. Katherine and lots of women like her were really smart, smarter than computers were back then! they could do lots of math very quickly. Math was very important if we wanted to get rockets into outer space to see the world. People didn’t think much of black women at the time, but Katherine and Mary learned as much as they could and overcame the excuses people made because they loved science and loved exploring. Because of them, their math skills, and their determination, we have sent many rockets up to space to learn about our world and about what else is in space. We can show gratitude to Heavenly Father by learning all that we can about his creations.
Further Discussion:
Read 2 Nephi 2:11. Ask your family to look over the days of the creation and point out the opposites in each aspect of the creation. Why did God separate opposites in his creation process? Are there good and bad in the separations? Both separate aspects are necessary and important. We can and should embrace differences just as we can and should enjoy each part of creation.
There are many different focuses to take in a family where everyone knows the basic creation story. Pray to know what is the best direction to take for your family, but some of the areas of focus include: why we have so many creation accounts, that all things were created spiritually before they were created physically, or other ways we can show gratitude to Heavenly Father for each and every category of creation. Also consider the overall planning and preparation that went into the creation. There was nothing haphazard about the creation of the earth.
Challenge each family member to look for ways God loves them throughout the week. At dinner each night, have each family member share what they noticed that day. Invite the members of your family to make sure those things end up in prayers as well, focusing all week on expressing gratitude to Heavenly Father for His creations in prayer.
We’re focusing on pincer grasp again in OT lately so we’re pulling out a few of our favorite hand-eye activities. The pipe cleaners help her remember to focus on her pincer grasp and the wiffle ball holes are great for hand-eye coordination. Plus, these colors just make me happy!
Sometimes we just weave them through the holes, sometimes we make loops and connect the balls together. The pipe cleaners are all different textures and they have been used over and over again so they’re all different shapes, too.
Plus, sometimes my preschooler just needs an activity to sit and reset. This is a great activity for that! Sometimes we all could just use a quiet activity.
I know playdough is not super-pricey, but I’m still a cheapskate. My girls would go through a million tubes if I’d let them. Playdough is not my favorite activity, honestly. Kids+playdough≠neatness. Plus, I figure that if they’re gonna make such a mess of the playdough, they can take care of it, too. It’s called responsibility!
Between that and the fact that I’ve been in a decluttering mood lately, it was time to go through the playdough. That bug seems to hit the second the sun comes out in spring and when my life feels out of balance. For me, my brain is all tied to my house; when my brain feels cluttered, the easiest solution is to declutter my house, and then somehow my brain seems less scattered.
years and years ago, I came across this site. This person is a GENIUS! I’ve used this hack so many times.
She advises you to break the play doh into pea-sized pieces (if I bother at all, we used the extruder. Much less time-consuming. Or if it was too hard to go through the extruder, we just crumbled it. 2 of ours were that far gone.) Then we sprayed a spray bottle of water into the bag and shook the bag up to evenly coat. Then we waited a few minutes (more like a few hours, I got distracted), and then I hand the bag to my toddlers (and watch them! No exploded playdough bags, please. Also, make sure they’re not full of a lot of air). It’s a good sensory activity for them, plus it builds hand strength.
Sometimes I spray them again and shake them up, but most of the time, they’re as good as new by the end.
And if you accidentally add too much water (done that) either mix more dry dough in or leave the bag open and check it about once an hour.
And to think, Play Doh says it can’t be done and you’ll have to buy another tub…
Hopefully this year I will actually have some success with experimenting with tomatoes [cue self-depreciating eye-roll]. The race is on! I’ll update this post as it continues… because I know no one cares but me… at least if I continue to mess up on my gardening journey. I learn something new each year, though!
Also if you’re looking for a good variety of heirloom seeds, the white envelopes in the picture below are from David’s Seeds on Amazon. I’ve been pretty impressed. I haven’t been successful in growing all of them every year (I kill a lot of them…) but they’ve all sprouted and I can tell the grower knows his stuff. I don’t get anything for telling you that, just want to spread a good business some love.
3/2/22 planted 54 tomato seeds! 3 each of White, Green, Valencia, Yellow, Brandywine, Rose, Prince, Moskvich, Carbon, Cherokee, Striped, Rutgers, Delicious, and Pear and 6 of Romas and Cherries because you cant go wrong with extras of those and it filled my tray. Also planted 54 peppers! which means all my plants this year are getting a heat treatment! because I learned last year that the reason my peppers didn’t grow was because my house is too cold.
3/8/22 I have sprouts! I looked yesterday and there was nothing, but today I have 3 Cherokee seedling poking their heads out! Way to take the lead, Cherokee Purple! There’s a teeny tiny little yellow and striped sprout, but they’re not actually out, yet. I bet they’ll sprout tomorrow morning.
3/9/22 Yay! Here we go! I see lots of little green things starting to happen in my seed trays! I’ve got 2 Rose, a Yellow, A Valencia, two Green and 1 White, a Striped, a Prince, and even a tiny little Pear starting to come up. Only the 2 Rose and the Yellow are really showing their leaves yet (I looked it up, those little leaves are called Cotyledons), but I bet most of them will be out before tomorrow!
I decided to make myself a little chart to keep track of my seeds. The light green are still sprouts, but the true green squares have become official seedlings (as in they’re upright). I’ll add a dark green once they have their first set of true leaves.
3/10/22 Yesterday was a frustrating one as the mom to lots of sick kiddos that turned into some kind of zombies that just weren’t hearing me or computing anything I said, so it was really nice to be able to look over to these tiny little plants and discover a new one! look at how many are coming up!
It’s funny that the striped are now in second place, as I don’t know if they’ve actually been all that successful in the past. But I think they’ve been more successful than I thought and I have not understood that their mottled coloring actually wasn’t super stripey. Hence why each year this experiment is ineffectual.
And guess what? I have a teeny tiny little Echinacea seedling! They’re supposed to take 2 weeks so I wasn’t expecting one yet. still watching on the peppers. I have had to push a few sprouting seeds back into the dirt, so I know they’re sprouting; now just to convince them to get some leaves.
3/11/22 Even more sprouts today. They make me happy. Yesterday, as I was looking at the chart I noticed that everything had at least 1 sprout except for the Rutgers. I remembered last year I struggled with them, too. I made an executive decision based on the fact that the seeds are from 2013 and that might be the reason they’re not doing too hot. I planted the 18 empty seed pots with 2 seeds each. so if I end up with 42 Rutger plants, I’m gonna have a field day! Really, I’ll just share them. But Rutgers are supposedly the go-to for canning whole tomatoes, so I have to attribute it to the older seeds being the problem. At least, I think… I mean, these seeds are almost 10 years old (yeah, 2013 was almost 10 years ago. I can’t believe it either).
Naturally, a Rutger plant starts showing up after I planted so many seeds… but I am not complaining. I figured it was better to just sow the old seeds anyway because they’ll just get older and older. Better to make too many tomato plants this year than to waste the seeds. Especially since the economy is gonna be tough and I can share with those around me.
So… all of my Rose Brandywines, seeds have sprouted, but one is funky. It’s all kinda curly and wonky. I think it will pull through, but it’s off to a rough start. And another one is missing half of its cotyledons. It just wasn’t wanting to give up the shell! I tried all the tricks; even spitting on the seed (google made me do it). I think it’s got enough left to keep growing, though.
Speaking of losing half of it’s cotyledons, my preschooler helped the poor Valencia out, too, so it’s only got half of it’s leaves; I think there is enough, as well, but ugh! And speaking of stubborn seeds, one of the whites still has a pretty tough shell, too. It’s too soon to try to help it, though. if I helped now it’d die.
still only 1 Echinacea and no peppers.
3/12/22 Not a lot of change today. Poor mom is gonna get all of the varieties she doesn’t want and none that she does! She likes the reds and dislikes the purple, green, and white. I’m hoping she will have enough of the second batch of Rutgers that she won’t need the 3 purples… my reds (or almost reds) are Rose, Brandywine (B), Rutgers (Rut), Moskvich (M), and Delicious (D) and, as you can see, those are the ones I’m struggling with the most!
The rose is already straightening out and the yellow is still in the seedling stage because it had a pretty stubborn seed coat and was staying all curled up instead of upright. I noticed a split in the coat, though, so I was able to split it a little more and get those leaves free. Risky move, but luckily it worked.
I was panicking that my peppers haven’t sprouted but then I realized that most seed packets say 10 days at the minimum and that’s today. So I guess I should just hold my horses and give them time… I’m just so nervous that they will follow my normal trend and not sprout. Plus, I figure those calculations are meaning if you leave the soil at 80-90 degrees all day and night and I’m too chicken to leave my heat lamp on that long. I really should invest in heat mats but I haven’t been able to bring myself to that yet.
3/13/22 Definitely unsure on if the rest of these tomatoes are going to sprout. I think, since they’re the ones I’m most interested in testing, I’m going to replant. I mean, seriously, 4 out of 5 of them are my reds! Granted I already replanted the Rutgers. But I need at least another Brandywine and a Delicious to make this experiment valid. Unless I just send the second plant to mom (my control) and hope I get enough fruit on the other plants to harvest seeds. It’s been 11 days, though, and everything else has sprouted, so I went ahead and replanted a Brandywine, Moskvich, Delicious, and the 3 Cherries before I lose any more time. My Cherry seeds are kinda old, too, or I would have just left them alone.
On a happier and definitely exciting note, I’ve got 3 peppers and 2 more echinacea plants sprouting! Yay, yay, yay! 1 Kaleidoscope (so, a random bell) and 2 jalapenos. I’ve had good success growing jalapenos in the past. They must not need as warm of soil. I’m really hoping for some of the lemondrops, though. I’m curious what they’re like. And for the poblanos, because I’m bound and determined to have enough to make a meal out of chiles rellenos.
3/14/22 Upon noticing that I have a few poblanos popping up, I decided it’s time to upgrade my chart to include the peppers! Yay! The thing is… that Kaleidoscope pepper isn’t looking right. First of all, it still is a sprout and not a seedling, and second of all, I looked at it closer today and it’s not even got its head in the ground, it just isn’t doing anything else, either. It’s just a stick! So, who knows but it’s probably a gonner.
I gave up and just re-planted a few seeds yesterday, and now I’ve got a Rutgers, a Pear and a Cherry popping up. At least out of those, I only have to worry about the Cherry seed needing pulled. I’m also getting some second leaves! But not enough to say they’re out of the seedling stage, yet. Naturally, it’s the Cherokees that are winning that race.
And I now have 5 Echinacea.
3/15/2022 See the dark green? Yay! I realized yesterday that counting the “true leaves” was harder than I thought because at what point do I count the leaves as existing? I made my own personal verdict, because google didn’t have any answers. I count true leaves a when the leaf is open/at an angle similar to the cotyledons. There are lots of tiny leaves coming in, but the dark green squares coincide with plants fit my criterion. Once again, the Cherokee take the cake! But actually that pear actually has bigger leaves. and the stripes are my tallest plants, even though they don’t have flat leaves yet. The pear sprout is out of its shell and upright, but the leaves are tiny and all curled in on themselves, so I didn’t want to count it as a little seedling yet. And lo and behold, now that I replanted the Brandywine and now there’s a full-blown seedling in that pot. Oh well. I wish the Delicious and the Moskvich would do the same, but there’s still no movement in those 2 cells.
Still not much progress on the peppers. I’m trying to be patient. Really really trying. The kaleidoscope pepper worked its way out, it just had super thick cotyledons. I’m kinda curious which kind of pepper it is, since the kaleidoscope pepper packet is really just a mix of bells.
And I’m up to seven echinacea! Bonus points: I finally spelled echinacea without having to go back and fix it.
3/17/22 I didn’t do much with my plants yesterday, and tracked the chart but didn’t bother to post it because not much had changed, and the tomatoes are definitely more in a relative stage, so I think skipping a day is warranted. As you can see, my Jalapenos are doing great! I really think they must not need the heat as much as other peppers do. As far as the rest, just as I start to think nothing else will come up, I’ll find another sprout, but the sprout will still take 2-3 days to really turn into a seedling.
As far as tomatoes go, I think until the re-planted seeds sprout up, it is what it is. That poor little pear, though. Somehow it came up without any cotyledons. I mean, it does have some, but they’re smaller than a pinhead! even though it is upright and could be considered a seedling, I’m not so sure it is yet. It’s definitely a failure-to-thrive seedling. And remember the wonky rose seedling? Its true leaves are coming in wonky and curled, too! So, I guess it isn’t all “there,” yet. I mean, I still think it’ll be fine, but it’s definitely slower than the other two. I’m getting ready to transplant some of the tomatoes and thinking about how that’ll go and I wish that some of the shorter plants will hurry to catch up because some of the others are getting pretty tall and I can’t decide if I wanna do the whole tray (definitely the easiest for charting) or just the ones that need moved. I don’t want to rush the process, so it’ll still be at least the weekend before I do anything.
And I’m halfway there on the Echinacea! 9 out of 18. 2 little seedlings popped up yesterday. I really want to make about a 25 foot row and they’re supposed to be about 18-24″ apart, so I am still hoping for a bit more, but I’m excited about the 9 I have. That earlybird plant that popped up way before the rest of them did has a single true leaf established, as well.
3/18/22 Most of my tomatoes are ready to transplant. not all but most. I think Monday’ll be the day. I’ll combine the yellow, Moskvich, and delicious into one tray, I think. The peppers that were sprouted are all seedlings now and I have a new Kaleidoscope sprout. Gosh, they make me antsy. And my total echinacea count is 10.
3/19/22 A few more pepper plants! But still of the same varieties. I decided that since the ones not sprouting are the oldest (except for those darn lemondrops that I’ve never had any luck with) I’d try sprouting them in a wet paper towel and see what happens. Now the trick is to keep that paper towel damp. I “planted” 2 each of habanero, cayenne, lemondrop, anaheim, california wonder, chinese giant, banana, and mini belle. The habanero, cayenne, and banana are newer seeds than before, so if they sprout and the rest don’t that explains something. I know pepper seeds do not keep as well as others. I inherited most of the older seeds, so I also don’t know how well they were kept.
As you can see, most of the tomatoes are ready to transplant into bigger cells! I was going to wait until Monday to not rush the process and damage tender plants but it might happen today. And guess what? I have a few new little rutgers! 4 of them. The only problem is that 2 are in one cell, and one is in the same cell as the last rutger to sprout (remember how I replanted and then boom, there was a new tomato? yup). couldn’t have come in the empty cell… that would have been too convenient. I wonder if the same will happen in the cherry cells.
3/20/22 I don’t think I’m going to track my tomatoes starting tomorrow. I plan on transplanting them tomorrow morning but I don’t know the reason to keep charting them. As you can see, I still have 2 rutgers growing in the same cell, and the other cell is still empty. And now I’ve got a cherry in the same cell as one already growing and there’s still a cell (with 2 seeds as well) with nothing happening in it. I have a total of 7 rutgers now from al the other seeds I planted. 7/39 is a disappointing number but I don’t think they’re done sprouting up yet. And the other replants are still not doing anything either! Come on, Delicious and Moskvich! And lets talk about that pear… I counted it as having leaves because it does now… but even those leaves are tiny. the plant is like 1″ tall. It’s tiny. Everything about it is mini.
As far as peppers go, a couple more kaleidoscope sprouts are growing but not much change elsewhere. I have room for 30 pepper plants so I’m gonna have a bare spread! I hope some of the kaleidoscope peppers end up being the cooler varieties so I can try them. Anxious to see how my paper towel starts do.
No new echinacea plants either. I think 10 might be all she wrote. that’s just over 50% so I was hoping for a little better, but I can live with 10 plants.
3/22/22 I spent yesterday ainstead of charting. I have a few changes but the chart seemed superfluous now. So here’s a list of totals: we have 3 rose, 2 Moskvich, 4 (yup, 4!) Brandywine, 3 delicious (the last guy popped up this morning), 12 Rutgers, 3 striped, 3 Valencia, 2 yellow, 3 green, 3 white, 3 Black Prince, 3 carbons, 3 Cherokee purple, 3 pears (counting my mini guy), 8 cherries (another guy came up last night. I guess I didn’t need to replant, lol), and 5 romas. I separated a 6-cell pack for mom to take 1 rose, 1 brandywine, 1 delicous, 2 rutgers, and 1 cherry. So if I don’t count the 2 each I plan for my garden, I have 25 extra plants.
I have 6 poblanos (yay! 2 new sprouts), 6 jalapenos, 2 orange, and 8 kaleidoscope peppers. I am having trouble getting my paper towel seeds to be warm. they’re too far from the heat lamp. I just forced my (11…1 new sprout this morning) echinacea plants to a colder spot (sorry guys) so that the peppers are closer.
Also, I pulled out my lavender seeds from the fridge, yesterday. They’ve been in my fridge for 3 weeks. I might be fooling myself but I think I already see sprouts this morning! Teeny tiny white spots on the seeds. I have no idea if that’s what I’m seeing but I’ve longed for a lavender hedge for years and buying the plants one at a time and crossing my fingers that they survive just wasn’t turning out to be cost effective. So here’s hoping that my 1200 seeds give me enough to get a good hedge quickly. supposedly they only have a 20% growth rate (hence the extreme seed count), but stratifying them is supposed to help with that number.
6/21/22 This is a big gap but my website crashed when the host site decided to transfer my ip address on me. So, let’s play major catchup. First, I repotted the tomatoes to Costco potting soil. And that was the worse thing I’ve done since I left my starts in starting soil too long and fried them (that was years ago). Costco soil almost killed them! So many leaves had to be pruned. I don’t know if it was a soil deficiency or a bacteria, but it was bad. So disappointed. So after replanting into better soil, I had them all the way into half-gallon pots before eventually transplanting into the garden. I was going to sell the extra rutger plants but instead I planted everything healthy into my garden and gave the other 12 plants away. Including a yellow and a brandywine because they were hit hardest by the soil. It seems to be that potato leaf plants are finicky. But I gave all 6 red varieties to my mom for a control, along with an extra carbon.
They’re still struggling in my garden. I just put some fertilizer spikes in with them, in hopes it will help. I’ve got a couple of cherry tomatoes that have been growing for a while but aren’t in a hurry to ripen, and a few tiny Cherokee tomatoes. I’ve been quite happy with the growth of the cherokees. They’ve even seemed to pull through the best. And the Romas… I think they’re okay. But they’re purple? like, the leaves are purple. I don’t know. Either they’re missing nutrients, too, or the roots got too cold? Which is totally feasible, since it got so cold at night for so long. It’s just not proving to be a good tomato year. Which is a shame because I’m pretty desperate for tomatoes. If I don’t get a good harvest this year, I will have to buy tomatoes and I will plant 2 rows (72 plants) next year. Also, I’ve already decided that I will plant peppers and flowers at the beginning of March and then not plant tomatoes until the end of March. Because it seems that I start well on tomatoes but then something happens right before it’s time to get them in the garden every year. maybe if the plants start later, there will be less problems.
7/11/22 I’ve harvested a few cherry and pear tomatoes (and they’re legitimately cherry tomatoes. last year I somehow ended up with carbon-colored grape tomatoes. they were seeds from my brother so I think there was some random combining of seeds, there). I’m thinking I will get lots more soon, because I added some tomato fertilizer stakes to my garden and my plants are looking *so much* better (no paid promotion. I’m not an Amazon affiliate)! I only put one in the ground for every other plant so they had to share, but it helped! I will never buy Costco miracle-gro soil again! It was bad news! And when I feel like I have a second to even breathe I’ll look into what planting soil I want to buy in bulk next year because I guess it pays to be picky.
I have a few Cherokee purples growing, too. Not huge, but they’re growing! And the plants are blooming instead of struggling, so hopefully everything starts to catch up.
9/1/22 Well the tomatoes are finally coming in! I harvested a handful today, mostly cherry. I usually have a ton of tomatoes by now but all the tomato growers around me have been struggling, too. And apparently the states are planning for a national tomato shortage (conspiracy theory: I think someone is planning all the shortages. I think if individual people were able to run their own lives we wouldn’t be in this situation. But a handful of people have all the power and are clenching their proverbial fists). But I think (fingers crosssed) I’ll have enough tomatoes if they all ripen. I think next year I’m going to double my tomato row and if I do, I’ll put cherry, pear, and rutgers in their own row. Right now they’re so bushy! And since rutgers are determinate I can’t pull the suckers. I’ll give them more space between plants, too. And they’d be happier in a cage than tied to a post like I’m doing with my tomato plants this year. Then maybe they’ll all be easier to manage. We’ll see what happens, though. I don’t think I can manage more plants unless I actually get my greenhouse in place.
Purpose: To help family members understand that we lived with Heavenly Father as spirit children before we came to earth, why we are here, and that we can live with him again after this life.
Possible Songs: I Am a Child of God, hymn 301 or Children’s Songbook page 2; I Lived in Heaven, children’s songbook page 4; Families Can Be Together Forever, hymn 300 or Children’s Songbook page 188; God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son, hymn 187; I Stand All Amazed, hymn 193; O Thou, Before the World Began, hymn 189; Teach Me to Walk in the Light, hymn 304 or Children’s Songbook page 177; He Sent His Son, children’s songbook page 34; I Will Follow God’s Plan, Children’s Songbook page 164; The Third Article of Faith, Children’s Songbook page 123.
Possible Materials: pictures to represent the plan of salvation in the best way to explain it to your family. I like this one the best, I think. There is also this picture strip that I recommend for younger lesson-givers. Also, a picture of Viktor Frankl.
Introduction: Tell your family we are going on a pretend hike. You can have everyone get ready for the hike with shoes and hiking clothes, or even pass out water bottles or trail mix. You could also just keep it simple and tell your family you have a map about your hike’s path. Tell them this hike will take us on the trail of Salvation.
Start your trail off with the Council in Heaven. Before we were born, we didn’t have bodies. We lived with Heavenly Father as spirits. Heavenly Father created a plan that would let us get bodies and learn to be like Him and then come back to be with Him. Have your family read Abraham 3:24-26 (keep it open). We were so excited we shouted with joy! Have your family shout, “hooray,” with their fists in the air, and then pretend walk while you go to the next spot on our map.
War in Heaven: Tell your family that part of Heavenly Father’s plan required a volunteer. We needed someone who would give his life for us so we could return. Jesus volunteered. Have your family read Abraham 3:27 and Moses 4:2. Tell your family that we had another brother that did not want to follow Heavenly Father’s plan. He wanted everyone to have to do what he wanted instead of choosing what we wanted to do. He also wanted everyone to think he was the best instead of Heavenly Father. Now have your family read Abraham 3:28 and Moses 4:3-4. Pretend walk in place while you move on to the next place on our “map.”
The Atonement: Heavenly Father knew we would make mistakes, so Jesus Christ became our Savior and atoned for us so that we could have a chance to repent and make it back to Heavenly Father. Ask a family member to read or recite the 3rd Article of Faith. Pretend to walk over a bridge, because Jesus is our bridge to connect us back with Heavenly Father.
When we were born, we came to earth, we forgot what it was like in heaven. We needed to be away from Heavenly Father and we needed to forget our time with Him so that we could learn things that we couldn’t learn if we remembered what it was like while we lived with Him. Messing up and learning from or mistakes was part of Heavenly Father’s plan. Have your family start curled up and small and grow “tall, tall, tall.”
We were so excited to live our mortal lives with our families and to get bodies so that we could be like Heavenly Father. Have your family read Alma 34:32 and ask your family how we prepare to return to be with Heavenly Father. Make sure the answers include keeping the commandments, getting baptized and going to the temple. Ask your family to take big loud steps now and enjoy that their physical body can move.
Death is part of what it means to be alive. It is an important part of Heavenly Father’s plan and how we can make it back to Him. Have your family read Hebrews 9:27. Now have your family make little quiet tiptoe steps for this part of their “hike.”
After we die, we spend some time in the spirit world. It is a time for us to either learn about the gospel or to share it with others. Alma 40:11-13. Ask your family to put their hands up over their eyes like they’re looking for someone to teach, or looking for the “path.”
The Resurrection. Jesus provided a way that we can get our bodies back. When we are resurrected, our bodies will be perfected, but they will still be our bodies. We will look like our best selves. Ask your family to read Alma 11:42-45 and Helaman 14:17. Now continue walking, but walk as tall and as gracefully as you can!
After we are resurrected, we must work with Jesus and stand for our Final Judgement. Have your family read 2 Corinthians 5:10. Ask them how they think they will feel to know that Jesus helped us by making everything – all our mistakes and sicknesses and hard or ugly things – all better. Now have your family hold still and tell them there are different paths on our map now, and we need to talk about where we will be going next.
When we get to this part of our path, we get a choice! We can choose to live with Heavenly Father and our families again, but it requires that we live like Heavenly Father asked us. Have your family read Doctrine and Covenants 76:69-70. Talk about the Celestial Kingdom and how it is the only place we can live with Heavenly Father and our family. Then read verses 77-78. Talk about the Terrestrial Kingdom. Thirdly, read verses 81-82 and talk about the Telestial Kingdom.
From World History: Ask your family if knowing Heavenly Father’s plan changes how they feel about hard times. Hold up a picture of Viktor Frankl and tell them that he lived during World War II when evil people were trying to kill him because he was a Jew. Before the war, he was studying some important questions, like “who am I? Where did I come from? And, where will I go after I die?” While he was in a concentration camp, he realized that the people that had a purpose, a reason for living, stayed alive much longer than those that did not. Viktor realized that understanding the Plan of Salvation (though he didn’t refer to it by that name) made living through hard times easier and even possible. Open this link and pick a topic from the list that fills the needs of your family.
Further Discussion:
Add to the categories above by including the Creation, the Fall, more on the Atonement, the veil of forgetfulness, and Resurrection. Divide ante-mortality into deeper categories: Pre-mortality and living with God; Council in Heaven; War in Heaven; Satan’s fall (and his 1/3 of the hosts of heaven); Foreordination; and Waiting to be born. Go into more detail of the Kingdoms of Glory/Perdition (Outer Darkness) by reading Doctrine and Covenants 76 and 137 in their entirety.
Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: For the most recent conference talks, click here.
Challenge:
Reread Alma 34:32. Challenge your family this week to think of things they can do now so that they can be with Heavenly Father again someday. If your family is old enough, challenge them to memorize the verse.
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