General Conference - Prophet & Apostle Bags

2020 Update: Don't forget to check out Special Witnesses (5-Day Lesson Plan to prepare for General Conference). 

Can I just tell you how excited I am for General Conference this weekend!? It can be challenging to watch with toddlers (I have two boys - ages 3 & 22 months), so I prepared these busy bags to help my little ones be entertained during General Conference. This past week we learned a few simple facts about the prophet and apostles in this General Conference Family Home Evening, and each busy bag will contain an activity and/or snack that relates to the prophet and apostles.   

Instructions for Prophet & Apostle Bags:

1) Print Pictures of Modern Prophet & Apostles (from Little LDS Ideas). Cut them out and staple each picture onto a brown lunch sack. You will have 15 bags when you're finished.

2) Fill each bag with activities or snacks of choice. For most of our bags, I placed items that relate to the prophet or apostles. For instance, Elder Oaks loves to fish so I'm putting goldfish in his bag. Elder Anderson grew up on a dairy farm, so I'm putting farm related items in his bag. Some of the items won't actually fit in the bag, so I'll put a little note inside of what to do. Most of the items we already have at home and the others I can grab at the grocery store or dollar store. Here's what we put in our bags:

President Monson:

• Mr. Potato Head & Accessories. We already have Mr. Potato head and accessories at home and my boys are usually entertained for a while playing with them. (President Monson can wiggle his ears).
• Yellow pom poms and yellow plastic eggs. My boys love playing with plastic eggs. There's something so intriguing about opening an egg, filling it up with something and closing it back up. (President Monson's favorite color is yellow).
• 2 salt water taffies for a sugary treat.

Elder Eyring:

• Magic Water Paint Book - we haven't done this before, so I'm excited to see if my boys like them. You could also try this Paint with Water Coloring Book. (Eyring enjoys water coloring).
• Silly Putty Eggs. (Eyring loves to cook breakfast. His wife says his eggs, sunny side up, are the very best).

Elder Uchtdorf:

• Print a Passport Book & Stamp Markers. Have your child stamp the passport book as if he/she is traveling to different areas of the world. (Uchtdorf loves to travel with his wife).
• Toy Airplanes. (Uchtdorf was an airline pilot and captain).
• Granola Bar. (Uchtdorf loves to hike).

Elder M. Russell Ballard:

• Dance Coloring Page & Crayons. (Ballard met his wife at the University "Hello Day Dance").
• New Toy Car - I found ours for 79 cents at the grocery store. (Ballard sold cars).

Elder Russell M. Nelson:

• Instrument Flashcards. Print these and make them into a matching or file folder game. (Nelson plays the piano and has perfect pitch).
• Heart Stamps and Heart Paper. (Nelson was a heart surgeon).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks:

• Mini Box of Gold Fish OR Swedish Fish. (Oaks loves to fish).
• "Gone Fishing" Game - I saw a mini version of this game at the grocery store this week.
• Another Option: New Book. This could be a simple coloring book, sticker book or something similar from the Dollar Store. (Oaks enjoys reading).

Elder Robert D. Hales:

• Snack of Choice - we bought chocolate covered pretzels we're all pretty excited about.
• Airplane Pattern Block & Magnetic Shapes. My boys both enjoy playing with these magnetic shapes and matching them to pattern blocks. I'll pull our magnetic cookie sheet out when we're ready to play with these. (Hales was in the Air Force).
• Another Option: Toy Baseballs. (Hales was a great baseball pitcher).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

• Pictures of Temples & Building Blocks. Have your child look at a picture of the temple and try to build a similar one with building blocks. My boys spend a lot of time playing with our Magna Tiles.

Elder David A. Bednar:

• Toy Football. (Bednar likes football and was the quarterback in HS).
• Tie Play Dough Mats & Play Dough. (Bednar was the President of Rick's College).

Elder Dale G. Renlund:

• Heart Stickers & Paper Towel Roll. Decorate an empty paper towel roll with heart stickers. Look through it to watch Elder Renlund speak. (Renlund was a heart surgeon).
• Play Dough & Heart Shaped Cookie Cutters.
• Another Option: Swedish Flag Coloring Page & Crayons. (Renlund lived in Sweden when he was a teenager and served a mission in Sweden). 

Elder Ronald A. Rasband:

• Apple Sauce Pouch. (Rasband served his mission in New York and later served as a mission president in the same area. New York is called the Big Apple).
• Chalk & Paper. I was hoping to buy mini chalkboards at the dollar store, but didn't make it. Instead, we're using black paper to draw on! Draw your favorite person or animal from a movie. (Rasband enjoys movies).
• Another Option: Apple Play Dough Mats & Play Dough. 

Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

• Connect 4. (I have to "connect" the dots to understand Christofferson's talks!)

Elder Gary E. Stevenson:

• Counting Bears & Cups. We haven't played with these in a while, but my boys love them and play with them for a while. (Stevenson loves the outdoors).

Elder Quentin L. Cook: 

• Flip Up Basketball Game - this was a cheap game I found at the grocery store. We'll see how this one goes. (Cook loves sports and played basketball growing up and in high school).

Elder Neil L. Anderson: 

• Farm Poke-a-Dot Book. Since this book won't fit in a bag, I'll leave a note in the bag to remind me to grab this book. (Anderson was raised on a dairy farm).
• Other Options: Miniature farm animals or farm toys you have at home.