Apple Crisp

I have learned that if I post our family favorite recipes on this blog, I will always be able to find them.
I made fresh Apple Crisp for my Seminary class this morning in honor of David O McKay's Birthday on Monday, September 8. It also  seemed a fitting treat for 9/11...America...sort of apple pie...

My sister came to the rescue with the recipe last night and it was a hit. Fall is on the way and the apples are fresh. I used MacIntosh and Granny Smith apples, left the peels on (of course, washed them) and cut them in small chunks.

Not sure if it was because I have not had Apple Crisp in a long time or if this was truly one of my better successes, but either way, it was delicious and my students devoured it.

Apple Crisp
In a 9x13 pan, place:
2 quarts sliced apples ( I used about 10 small-medium apples)
1 C Sugar
2 Tbsp Flour ( I used 3)
1 tsp Cinnamon
Mix until apples are well-coated.

Topping:
1 C Brown Sugar
1 C Flour
1 C Oatmeal
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) butter (do not use margarine)
Optional- Add 3/4 C coarsely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts (I rarely add nuts)

Mix together until crumbly. Spread over apple mixture
Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes until topping is lightly browned.
Serve warmed with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Game On-Seminary Review Game

I am finding that many games can be adapted for learning and review. This morning, we played Scripture Scatergories. Each team had 5 minutes to list as many names and titles of Jesus Christ. See HERE for details and more photos. It was effective and fun. This activity was also a testimony to me that the spirit directs me as I teach. As this game progressed, the spirit was present as the students discussed the names and titles they had written.

Seminary In My Pocket

Seminary In My Pocket

This is a post for my new blog, Seminary At Six AM

This is my 7th week teaching Seminary at Six AM. I LOVE it! I have 24 amazing students. 

The first lesson, I gave each student a rock to keep in their pocket as a reminder of our lesson that day. Little did I know that "Seminary In My Pocket" had been born.

I shared a story with them about an experience I had when I visited the death camps in Poland and showed them a rough, rugged rock I found while I was there that had one shiny side and could be easily over looked. I compared it to people in our lives who may appear rough and rugged, yet if we will look at them the way Christ does, we will be able to find something "shiny" about them.

To remind them to look for the shiny side in everyone, I gave each of them a shiny rock to put in their pockets. I told them that each time they reached inside their pocket and felt that rock, to remember to view people as Christ does and always look for the good (the shiny) Seven weeks later, they are still showing me their rocks (a few have asked for replacements when they can't find theirs) Read on for more ideas...

You can use rocks with so many object lessons (Build upon my rock, solid testimony, etc)

 When we discussed Temptations of Christ and our own personal temptations, I gave each of them a rubber band to wear and told them to memorize something that they could keep in their minds that would push bad thoughts out (a Scripture, the Sacrament prayer, the Young Women Theme, a Hymn, etc. are some of the ideas we came up with for memorization) When they have a bad thought or are tempted to do something wrong, I told them to snap the rubber band and recite whatever they memorized to bring their mind and spirit back to Christ. (That was 4 weeks ago and they are still wearing them)

When we learned about the widow's mite and sacrifice, I gave them a penny for their pockets

 When we learned about choosing our words carefully and using uplifting language, I gave them a button. They were challenged to know when to keep their lips "buttoned" and when to open their mouths and share uplifting words of love and encouragement.

Last week, they received plastic spiders  as we discussed honesty and not getting caught in webs of deceit and lying. I challenged them to not weave their own personal webs like spiders do. We also did a fun group activity with yarn as we were standing in a circle and the yarn represented lying and dishonesty. We passed the yarn back and forth as we discussed lies and deceit until no one could move inside the circle due to all the lying and dishonesty. It was interesting to see the kids figure out that if they crawled down low, they could avoid the webs, yet it was awkward for them so I reminded them of how awkward it becomes when you have to constantly think of ways to avoid your own messes (webs)

 25 Scripture Mastery Scriptures= 1 Quarter with a red happy face painted on the back. I told them that there are 25 scriptures set apart from the others that they are to know inside and out this Seminary year. The other scriptures are valuable and for our benefit, but the 25 Scripture Mastery scriptures are to "stand out" in their hearts and minds. I used red nail polish to paint a simple happy face on the back of each quarter to make it "stand out" from the other quarters that they may have in their pockets that are also valuable.

Parable of the Sower. To represent the seeds, I gave them a popcorn kernel. I knew it would not sprout or break apart in their pockets as they year goes on. I really wanted to give them some beautiful black soil from Belle Glade, Florida (right next to where we live) but I was not sure how that would last through one school day, although I am still trying...

I dont have one specific day of the week I give them an item for their pockets, in fact, there will most likely be weeks that I don't give them anything. The items always go with a lesson and are designed to reinforce what we learn in Seminary. It is way for my students to carry a tangible reminder of Seminary throughout the day. At first, I thought they would throw the items away, but a day does not go by without a student showing me the items from their pockets. 

I have had the experience of  sitting in Sacrament Meeting and one of my students will catch my attention to show me they are wearing their rubber band. It has become "cool" to have all these little things that most teenagers would have lost or thrown away by now.

Most of my students are the only Latter day Saint in their schools. As they leave our class each day, it is my goal to send them armed with the spirit. I know these little reminders in their pockets are an effective way to re-inforce their experiences in Seminary class.

As I add more items to their pockets, I will share.

At the end of this week, I have a small drawstring fabric bag for each student who would like to keep their items in it. I know this will work better for some of them who don't have pockets or do not want to move their items from pocket to pocket each day. 

I ordered the bags from HERE . I wanted to make them, but this was a great price and the bags are the perfect size. I am going to write each students' name on their bag with a sharpie marker.

Please share with me any ideas you have for "Seminary In My Pocket"

Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John Seminary Activity

Hurricane Sandy is getting closer to our area so today was our "Friday".

We work hard all week in class and I like to use Friday as a review and change of pace. We clean up our room and move to the Cultural Hall for the last 15-20 minutes of class time. I plan something lively and interactive to reinforce what we have been learning all week.

Today we played "Apostles Turnover"...what do you mean you haven't played Apostle's Turnover? Well, have you played Fruit Basket Turnover? If so, then you have played Apostles Turnover.

Click HERE for directions to this game. 

The Seminary adaptation is that instead of everyone receiving the names of a fruit...they were Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. When it was time to say "Fruit Basket Turnover" the person in the middle said, "Apostles Turnover" 

Below are some pics of the game. Some of the kids have had homecoming activities at their schools this week, hence the costume-type dress. Watch for my separate blog of Seminary ideas. I have so many I want to share and it will be easier to get them all in one place. It looks like I will be hunkered down trying to stay dry as the feeder bands from Hurricane Sandy dump on my area all weekend. School closes early today and totally tomorrow. Happy Weekend all!

Seminary

This morning, I started my lesson with the following numbers on the chalkboard:

700

4,000

I asked my students what those numbers have to do with them.

They were right in the ball park with their answers.

700 is the average number of missionary applications submitted each week.

4,000 is the approximate number of applications received last week, with a little over half of the applications from young women.

Wow! We are truly living in a blessed time of history.

As often as possible, I point out that Seminary is the best Missionary Preparation class, and in many cases, the ONLY Missionary Preparation class they will have. For the boys, if they choose to serve a mission at 18 years old, they will go straight from Seminary to the MTC (MIssionary Training Center) No more Institute or Missionary Preparation classes during the first year of college.

As one of my students stated, the age change for missions just made a mission feel "real" for him. In other words, a mission is closer than he thinks.

I discussed how this number and the opportunity to serve a mission earlier than anticipated should affect the way they study the scriptures.

This week, we are spending most of our lesson time learning HOW to read and study. We teach that reading the scriptures is a commandment, but all too often, many youth (and adults) are discouraged when they don't understand what they are reading or don't know how to use footnotes, topical guide, etc. 

I used the points at the beginning of the New Testament Student Manual to break down scripture study in to 3 areas:

 Before, During, and After. This is information I know I will need to refer to all year long as I encourage scripture study.

Object Lesson:

The most important aspect of Scripture Study is APPLY.

To illustrate this, I had one of my students come up front and I pinned several bags containing healthy food all over his shirt. I asked how this related to scripture study..the food won't do his body any good on the outside, it needs to be eaten, digested, and become part of him to give him nourishment. This is the same with spiritual food. We must ponder, digest, and make it part of us. As President Eyring taught, we must get the doctrine deep inside our hearts.

Breakfast of Champions

This morning we kicked off our "TEN PER DAY" Scripture Reading Challenge. We are competing with the Seminary Class from Boynton Beach Ward from October 22-March 22 to see which class has the highest percentage of members reading from the New Testament at least 10 minutes per day. After our lesson, we headed to the Cultural Hall where a few moms had prepared a wonderful breakfast. After breakfast, we gathered in the center of the room and formed a tight circle aka a huddle! We huddled up and put our hands in the center as we chanted, "TEN PER DAY"

 Students are assigned a "Scripture Buddy" for this challenge. They are to motivate, encourage, and remind each other to read every day.

 Some of my students struggle with reading and have the New Testament on their ipod or on CD so they can listen to it. I told them they had to read along with the audio for it to count. I also discussed that this is a FABULOUS way to reinforce what they are reading and a way to build their reading skills and comprehension.

 Another great week behind us with many more ahead!

Seminary-Avoiding Temptation

Here is where my Cub Scout days pay off. I adapted the "Paper Plate Relay" for a Seminary activity. 

Yesterday, I had the students name the activities in our lives that help us avoid temptation. They named things like: personal prayer, worthily partaking of the Sacrament, daily scripture study, attending Seminary, dressing modestly, choosing uplifting music, movies, TV, media, etc.

I took those items and listed each one on a separate paper plate for today.

(I did this for 2 teams-each had the same things written on paper plates)

The Cultural Hall was set up for a large event for tonight, so our space was limited for the relay race, but we managed and I hope the students will remember what we learned while we were having fun.

Basically, the paper plates are stepping stones. 

The wood floor is temptation.

Staying on the stepping stones helps us avoid temptation and be spiritually strengthened.

Players stand in a straight line.

Before the game starts, each player is standing on a paper plate.

The last player in line is standing on a plate AND holding a plate.

At the word GO, each team needs to move forward only stepping on the paper plates (avoiding the floor, aka temptation)

The only way they can advance is with the extra plate that is at the end, so the last player in line passes the plate forward.

The first player in line places the extra plate on the floor and all players advance one plate forward.

Again this is repeated, with the last player sending the extra plate forward, etc.

When the last player in line crosses the finish line (safety at the end of the day) that team wins.

I likened the path they were walking to a day in their lives.

From start to finish, every day we need each step to help us resist temptation.

I showed them what would happen if we tried to skip a step (it is harder) or if we eliminate a step (can't get to the end of the day safely, etc)

There are so many parallels that can be drawn with this activity such as the need to help each other, team work, communication, etc.

I think they had a good time, and, most importantly, I think they will remember the principle I was trying to reinforce and teach.

This is an INCREDIBLE group of teenagers. Nothing ordinary about them.

Books of The New Testament

I'll get straight to the big news. I am now an early morning Seminary Teacher!!!! It is a clear example of being careful what you pray for. When we made the decision to move across town to a new Ward and Stake, I prayed that I would be prepared to serve in any manner the Lord needed. After years of being very busy and involved in my Church callings, the past few years, I have not had callings that require a lot of time or preparation. At some points this was a blessing because I was able to be heavily involved as a leader in School, Civic, Community, and Charity events. 

The Seminary Teacher who started the year with this class needs to step back and may not be able to complete the year. Before I even knew that, the spirit told me I would be teaching Seminary. I quickly responded to the spirit that there was already a Seminary teacher in place for the year and I dismissed the thoughts promptings as perhaps something down the road...like next year!

Minutes after those promptings came, I was met by the current Seminary teacher who asked me to substitute for a day, week, month, or longer. 

Well, it is for longer. The Stake President met with Ron and me and made it official. I am the new early morning Seminary Teacher for 24 INCREDIBLE teenagers. They will teach me more than I teach them.

I have taught them for the past 2 weeks at 6am every school day.

I am considering starting a separate blog to keep track of the things that work (and maybe don't work so well). This way I will have a "go to" place when my ideas run short.

I want to use Friday as a change of pace day. Perhaps games, activities, etc. to reinforce what we have covered during the week. Today, I had them leave the classroom and as they entered the Cultural Hall, I taped the name of one of the books of the New Testament on their backs. There was no talking allowed and no one was to ask or tell anyone what was taped on their backs.

Without talking, they had to line up in the order they are found in The New Testament. It was great to see the dynamics of the group work together. Once they were in order, I had another student (who missed getting a name on his back) confirm they were correct. Then they placed the names on the front of their shirts and we sang "The Books in The New Testament" from The Primary Children's Songbook. 

Very effective and fun way to reinforce what we are learning.  After this we played another game (see next post). Games are an effective fun way to bond as a group and reinforce principles and information we are learning.