FHE: I am Thankful for My Home

This lesson contains ideas from the current Sunbeams Manual, "I am Thankful for my Home."

Prayer:

Attention Activity: Prepare three containers - one with water, one with dirt and the other with a stick. "Show the container of water and ask what animals or insects make their homes in water. Help the children think of as many as possible."

Powerpoint - Slide 2. After your children have thought of some animals or insects that live in the water, show this slide. Talk about what it would be like to live in the water. Click to view: "I am Thankful for my Home" Powerpoint.

Powerpoint - Slide 3. Now hold up the cup with dirt. Ask your children which animals make their homes in the dirt or ground. After they've given some suggestions, show this slide. Talk about these animals and their home in the ground.

Powerpoint - Slide 4. Now hold up the cup with a stick. Ask your children which animals make their homes in the trees. After they've given some suggestions, show this slide. Talk about these animals and their home in the ground.

Powerpoint - Slide 5. "Explain that animals and insects live in many different kinds of homes. People also live in different kinds of homes." Hold up the Book of Mormon and summarize the story of Lehi and his family. "Lehi's family had a comfortable home in Jerusalem, but when the Lord told them to leave Jerusalem, they traveled in the desert and lived in tents. After many years, the Lord commanded Nephi, Lehi's son, to build a ship. Lehi and his family lived in the ship while they traveled to the promised land, a place Heavenly Father and Jesus had prepared for them to live. After arriving in the promised land, Lehi and his family lived in tents again until they could build more permanent homes." 

There are Many Different Types of Homes

Powerpoint - Slide 6. "Tell about the early members of the Church who built a city called Nauvoo. They worked hard to build their homes and a beautiful temple. But some people around Nauvoo did not like the Church members and forced them to leave. The Church members traveled with only the belongings they could fit in covered wagons. Because the covered wagons were small, many of the children had to leave their toys behind. Some of the people lived in their covered wagons and tents for a long time." 

There are Many Different Types of Homes

Powerpoint - Slide 7. "Explain that the kind of home we live in is not important. We might live in a large house, a small house, an apartment, a tent, or a boat. The important thing is that our homes are place where family members love each other. Tell about your own home and what you do to make it a loving place.Ask your children what they love about their home." Point out a few details in the slide.

Home is a Place Where we are Loved

Powerpoint - Slide 8, 9, 10. Show these slides and point out details in the homes. Talk about what it would be like to live there. Emphasize the different types of homes and how families can feel love in their homes, no matter what they look like! Express gratitude for your own home. 

Powerpoint - Slide 11. "Explain that we need to take care of our homes so they will be good places to live. Every family member should help keep the home neat and clean." Give an example of when your children helped keep the house clean.

Powerpoint - Slide 12. Prepare six colored popsicle sticks - red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Have your children take turns drawing a stick one at a time. If your child draws the red stick, ask him the question next to "red" in the slide. Go through all the questions. Compliment your children for helping you keep the house a clean place to live.

Activity - Decorate Your Own Home: We always make gingerbread houses around Christmas time, and since "houses" go along with our theme today, we decorated gingerbread houses for our family night. I found these bubble gum cartons (they look similar to small milk cartons) at Target and hot glued graham crackers on the sides and top of the carton as show below. My husband and I helped our kids frost the homes, so they could decorate them with candy. Earlier in the day, my four picked out nerds from the Dollar Store and my two picked out skittles to decorate their homes.