Powerfully Teaching Your Children Gospel Principles Lesson Plan: Handcart Courage Objectives: Reinforces Principles of: Emphasize the importance of having courage to endure our trials. Courage Talk about how the Lord blesses us during our times of trial. Each lesson contains 5 timed activities: (Choose the activities that fit your familyʼs schedule. Additional resources are provided as extra time may be available.) Reverence Time: Song, prayer, scripture and video clip Lesson Time: Lesson summary and points to ponder Story Time: Story Activity Time: Object lesson or activity Treat Time: Prayer, theme related recipe & music video
Approximate Time: 5 minutes Sing Together: Childrenʼs Song Book #220 The Handcart Song. If you wish to have an online music file to accompany you visit: http://www.lds.org/churchmusic (Note: Navigate to the Interactive Church Music Player where you can listen to and print Church hymns and childrenʼs songs.) Prayer: Scripture Time: Doctrine &Covenants 128:22 22. Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into bsinging. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free. Video Clip: Watch chapter 21 from The Docudrama of the Restoration, Handcart Pioneers, DVD. (Video clip is also provided for viewing online.)
Lesson Summary: Approximate Time: 5 minutes (For younger children, it may be helpful to summarize the following ideas): Courage is a virtue that calls us to move forward. In addition to the legacy of faith bequeathed by those who crossed the plains, they also left a great heritage of love love of God and love of mankind. It is an inheritance of sobriety, independence, hard work, high moral values, and fellowship. It is a birthright of obedience to the commandments of God and loyalty to those whom God has called to lead this people. It is a legacy of forsaking evil. James E. Faust, Ensign, July 2002, 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Do you, like the pioneers, have the courage and the consistency to be true to the faith? It is not enough to study or reenact the accomplishments of our pioneers. We need to identify the great, eternal principles they applied to achieve all they achieved for our benefit and then apply those principles to the challenges of our day. In that way we honor their pioneering efforts, and we also reaffirm our heritage and strengthen its capacity to bless our own posterity...we are all pioneers in doing so. Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Nov. 1997, 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of Godʼs approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but as the determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well. Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov. 1986, 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Points to Ponder: What can we do to help others find the courage they need to follow the Savior? We can reach out to strengthen those who wallow in the mire of pornography, gross immorality, and drugs...they can be salvaged and saved...let us never forget that we have a marvelous heritage received from great and courageous people who endured unimaginable suffering and demonstrated unbelievable courage for the cause they loved...you and I know what we should do. Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 1991, 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Approximate Time: 2 minutes After the last of the supplies were loaded into the handcart Aaron closed the door of their home. The rest of our belongings will soon be in the hands of our enemies, he sighed. Margaret walked to the handcart and exclaimed, The gospel and our family are all that we need Aaron! Aaron lifted the handcartʼs handle and with their heads held high the family joined the rest of the company to begin the trek to Zion. Some of the women in the company werenʼt as willing to leave so much behind and had put on several layers of clothing and tied teapots and other cooking utensils to their waists, but Margaret and Aaron had packed only the items allowed. The Lord will bless us for our obedience. If not in this life, then in the next, Margaret had told Aaron. Aaron lovingly looked at his wife. He knew how much courage it had taken for her to leave behind the baby cradle her father had built for her when Nicholas was born. He remembered her hugging him and weeping for joy, Oh Papa itʼs beautiful. I will cherish it for the rest of my life. The trail that had started off hot and dusty, turned wet and muddy, and then hard and freezing. The company had started late and were now caught in a blizzard. Despite the extreme cold Aaron was burning up with fever. Margaret wrapped baby Ruth in a blanket and placed her next to her husband in the makeshift shelter. Nicky, be a brave boy while Mommyʼs gone. I need to find the Elders to come and administer to Papa. There was an eerie sound as the wind and mourners wailed in unison. Tears froze to Margaretʼs cheeks as she prayed for strength. Trudging through the snow Margaret tripped over something. A weak cry came from the snow covered mound. Digging frantically Margaret uncovered the small body. She gathered up the child in her arms, quickly carried it to the shelter, and began to massage the listless body. Father, please help me save the life of this child! she prayed. Pink slowly replaced the blue hue of the childʼs body and the cry became stronger. Weeping for joy, Margaret thanked the Lord for this miracle. A small hand touched Margaretʼs shoulder, Momma. Papa wonʼt open his eyes. I begged and begged him to, but he wonʼt, whispered Nicholas as his body shook with suppressed sobs. Margaret gently laid the child down and knelt next to her husband. Lovingly caressing his face, with all the courage she could muster, Margaret said goodbye to her eternal companion. This isnʼt the end Aaron. The Lord has blessed us and weʼll be together again, forever! by Margie Nauta Lee 2006 Living Scriptures. Inc.
What you need: Preparation Activity: A copy of the of the Handcart game (art work included with this lesson), scissors, tape and tooth picks. Optional: poster board and glue. 1. Print out the Handcart game board, cards, and handcarts. 2. Cut along dotted lines. Tape together. Optional: Glue game board to poster board for more durability. 3. Cut out game cards and die (or use a die you have from another game). Follow the instructions on printouts. 4. Make a handcart for each player: A. Cut along dotted lines. B. Fold dark brown solid lines inward towards center. C. Fold solid tan lines outward away from center. D. Slide tabs in front together and tabs in back together. Tape to hold. E. Poke tooth pick through dot on 1st wheel, through dots on wagon box, and then through 2nd wheel. Snap off pointed ends of tooth pick and then carefully flatten ends with a hammer. F. Make handle by folding lines inward (this will form a half U shape. Slide into dotted lines at the front of the box (that have been cut). Tape to hold. (Younger children will need help from an older sibling or parent.) 1. Each player picks a handcart (up to 10 players). Then rolls the die. The player with the highest number goes first. Line up your handcarts with the first player on start and the other players (clockwise) following on the game board. 2. Player rolls the die to see how many spaces to move. Follow directions on the space landed on. If sent to jail, wait until your next turn, roll die and then began moving from that space. Example: You are sent to Liberty Jail. On your next turn you roll a 3. You can move 3 purple spaces to Take a shortcut or 3 spaces back to the main trail. If you are sent to Carthage Jail, on your next turn you roll a 1. You move to start. 3. If you land on Have a handcart race, 1st player (the handcart) lays on the floor face down. 2nd player (the pioneer) holds their feet (facing away from 1st player). 1st player walks on their hands as the 2nd player pulls them (this is like a wheelbarrow race, but pulling instead of pushing). 4. The first player to reach the Salt Lake Valley wins.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Chill Time: 3 Hours minimum Bake Time: 30 minutes Approximate Time: 5 minutes (not including prep, chill and bake time) Pioneer Muffins 2/3 Cup boiling water 2 Teaspoons baking soda 1/3 Cup butter 1 Cup sugar + 2 1/2 Tablespoons molasses 2 eggs 1 1/3 Cups buttermilk (or substitute 1 1/4 cups milk + 2 Tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice) 1 2/3 Cup all purpose flour 2/3 Cup whole wheat flour 1/2 Teaspoon salt 2 1/3 Cups Bran (we used 1 1/3 Cups All Bran Cereal and 1 Cup Raisin Bran Cereal (Optional: 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts, 1/3 Cup chopped dried fruit of your choice) Add baking soda to boiling water and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Continue beating while you add the eggs. Slowly mix (just until moist batter will be lumpy) in the buttermilk, flour, and salt. Slowly add the soda water. By hand, gently fold in bran. If desired fold in walnuts and/or dried fruit. Cover bowl and refrigerate muffin mix for 3 hours (itʼs best when refrigerated overnight). Spoon approximately 1/8 cup mix into well greased muffin tin or cupcake liners. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Makes 1 dozen muffins. Treat Time: Serve muffins warm with butter, honey butter, or fresh jam. Closing Prayer and blessing on the food: Music Video: Watch chapter 9 from The Docudrama of the Restoration, Handcart Pioneers, DVD. (Video clip is also provided for viewing online.)