Arrr-there's treasure to be found

Come! Seek Ye the Treasures of General Conference.

[Avast and prepare ta walk the plank if’n ya don’t be readin’ this in pirate talk and the like. Aye, and for true entertainment purposes, ye must read it aloud, Matey.]

Here are a few ideas friends shared. You’re certain to find a new idea–or two.

This group of ideas comes from:
Tammy Burton Lamm of Mapleton, Utah.

[This is a picture of the real and true her.]

To Prepare

–In the month’s before, I review the last conference through DVR, CD, and the Ensign.

–The week before, we make a “countdown to conference” paper chain (see Friend, Sept. 2012). Every night before bed we take off one link and talk about what will be happening during conference.

[I’m just going to interject here that I enjoy learning about the different ways families find success in being a family. There is a happy abundance of right ways to raise a family.]

–Pray for speakers and for my ability to listen, to have the messages written on the “fleshy table” of my heart, and for courage and motivation to obey and apply what I learn.

–Pray that my children will feel the Spirit of general conference and grow to love it as I do.

–Go to the temple sometime during the week before conference with the above prayers in my heart.

–I buy everyone’s favorite food for breakfast lunch and dinner so the kids will look forward to the whole weekend as a big celebration–something to look forward to.

[I am hoping for an invitation to watch conference in their home in October. Hoping, hoping. And just in case that dream comes true, my favorite foods would include cinnamon rolls, and cinnamon rolls.]

During Conference

–I take notes. When I feel a prompting I star it or indicate it in the margin. After conference I go through all my notes and make a separate list of all the promptings I received.

[I love this idea about recognizing specific personal revelation in what is being taught.]

–I buy pictures of the First Presidency and Quorum of the 12. When a speaker comes to the pulpit, the kids look through the stack of pictures and find the “match” of who is speaking. Then we tape it up on the wall under footprints and a sign that says “follow the prophet.” The first time we did this, when a sister came to the pulpit, (then 4 year old) Emma said, “where is her picture?” I suggested she draw one. She did a great job and we wrote the sister’s name on it and posted it next to the pictures of the brethren, in the order they spoke in conference. We also did the same thing for the 70s and other auxiliary leaders we didn’t have pictures of. Then it became a double activity, matching and coloring!

–Conference Bingo: I print boards off online and buy M&M’s to use as game pieces. The kids can also color in the pictures as they listen.

–Candy jars with topic words on them: Faith, Repentance, Joseph Smith, Families, etc. You pick 4-5 themes you think we will hear about at conference and write the word on a jar. Then fill each jar with a different type of the kid’s favorite candy. Every time they hear the word “faith,” for example, they get a treat (Starburst) out of that jar. When they hear “repentance” they get a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup, etc.

After Conference

–I make my “to do” list out of the promptings I received during conference that I have recorded in my notes during each session.

–We leave our “follow the prophet” pictures up on the wall for about a month after, so we can review what we learned in conference for family home evening. We write a one to two sentence summary of what each speaker said on a 3×5 card and tape it under the speaker’s picture.

–We DVR conference so we can watch one conference talk a night before bed.

–We like to listen to general conference CDs as we do housework or drive in the car.

–I also like to read the messages as part of my scripture study. I feel that it’s a different experience reading the messages. I get new things out of the talk when I can actually see and mark the words instead of just hearing them. (I’m more of a visual learner than an auditory one.)

[Tammy, thank you for sharing your ideas–and no, I don’t have any idea if she even reads this blog.]

Next up is Mackenzie the Awesome from Smithfield, Utah.

[This is a real and true picture of her. She’s the one on the left. ~grin~ She frankly explained that she wouldn’t mind if anyone thought she was the one on the right because “it’s so stinkin’ cute!” Hmm. If she was the one on the right, and she had children, she would be a llama mama, right?]

-snerk-

To Prepare

—I try to read the past conference issue of the Ensign, go to the temple before (even if it’s just to sit on the temple grounds), and pray for answers to problems or questions I’m having.

During Conference

–As a family we watch conference together–every session. When we were younger my mom would make little books with picture session dividers and places for us to take notes and glue the speaker’s picture. If we wrote something down for every speaker we would get a prize for that session.

–We also had a balloon bouquet–we’d pop a balloon for each session. (Basically, we just try and make it an enjoyable experience.)
–I love conference and listen for answers to questions I’ve been praying about. I also try to keep a prayer in my heart that even if it’s not something I want to hearGod will help me know it’s for me.

–I take notes and really try to listen.

After Conference

–After conference we have a family home evening where my mom asks questions about subjects people talked about and stories and stuff and it becomes a race. We sometimes just go through and talk about what we liked about conference.

–I go through the notes I took and color code everything. I highlight promptings that came, specific answers to prayers, and the things I need to work on. Then I make a list and instead of having I go back to every talk, I can just look at the list.

—I read the conference issue of the Ensign that comes out.

[Which, if you’ll remember, is also how she prepares for conference. It’s not a coincidence–preparing for the next conference very much has to do with how well you received the last one.]

I love that you shared your ideas and your llama picture. Thanks, Mackenzie.

My final blog guest is Chris Kidd from Logan, Utah.

[This is an actual, factual photo of the man, himself.]

During Conference

“I have a special notebook for church/conference. Not just a generic notebook, either. It’s a leather-bound journal (in my mind, that makes it more special). I write down the quotes I like, the scriptures and messages that stand out to me the most, and the impressions I receive (e.g., read James, do X for Y person, etc).

Admittedly, I haven’t always done this, but when I do, I get immensely more out of it. If I’m really trying to get more out of it (actually doing specific things, not just saying “I’d like to get more out of it”), and go into it with an open mind, it’s an amazing experience, every time.”

Boom.

Thoughtful, practical ideas by some thoughtful, practical people.

Here’s one more resource for ideas that include before, during, and after conference ideas.

It’s definitely worth a lookie-see.

Arrr–there’s treasure to be found

what do you think? Cancel reply