Conference Weekend

Usually during the LDS General Conference weekend I am the bad parent that doesn't have my kids watch it with me, not because THEY won't get anything out of it but because I WON'T get anything out of it if they are present:)

This year was THE YEAR I decided we would involve the kids.  Or at least give it a good try. (We have had them watch it in the past, don't get me wrong.  I'm not THAT bad a parent, it was just time to seriously up our game:)  I scoured the internet and came up with some great ideas.  I don't expect them to listen to all the talks or even understand what is said.  I do hope to make fun memories they can look back on and think fondly of Conference.

One of the kids favorites was to make tents like the people that listened to King Benjamin (Mosiah 2:6).  I told them the story and we made some tents.  Big hit.  The idea came from a 2008 article in The Friend entitled Conference Reverence Tent (The Friend is a children's magazine put out by the LDS church.) Link HERE to the article.





My favorite idea is this poster board with our very own conference center.  The kids move all the pieces around with velcro.  You can see it in greater detail, how it works and where I got the ideas and printables from my craft blog HERE.  Sometimes they shared really great and sometimes they wrestled over who's turn it was.  Win win where I'm concerned but they also got yelled at for getting too close to the poster I spent days on.  "Do not destroy my poster!"  Ruffians.  Okay, really cute ruffians.


Another kid favorite were some conference binoculars made out of empty toilet paper rolls.  Pretty fun to watch the prophet through these.  I also took some empty kitchen towel rolls and made spyglasses for the families I visit teach.  (Thought I was so smart to get my visiting teaching done the first three days of the month only to find out that my route had changed and I don't have any of those families anymore!  Serves me right for being on top of things:)  Here is a link to see the cute things I included in the packets for those families.

I also grabbed some odds and ends from conference packets online.  Not such the great hit but it did fill some time for the kids.  I'm thinking they might like them better as they get older.

We didn't do buckets of candy where you eat one piece every time a certain topic is mentioned.  Kristy tried that last year and said they all made themselves sick!

One of the very first speakers, Elder Robert D Hales said, "Children and Youth love to be included.  We make a serious mistake if we assume that the conference is above their intellect and spiritual sensitivity.  To the young members of the church I promise if you will listen, you will feel the spirit well up within you.  The Lord will tell you what He wants you to do with your life."

When I was a child we didn't have the technology to watch Conference on TV in our own home.  We had to get dressed up in our Sunday clothes and go down to the Stake Center (church building) to watch it on a projection screen through satellite.  I remember being booored, and uncomfortable, and being told to be quiet and playing bingo with conference themes.  However, through all that, I also remember those times fondly.    I can't remember anything that was said but, I must have felt the spirit because I remember feeling good being there, it is a happy family memory.  When I think of those times I even entertain the idea of taking my own kids down to the church building for a session.  Yeah, I entertain that idea for all of 1.2 seconds until the reality of what I'm thinking makes me want to climb the walls and I decide we will all lay on the couch in our jammies like all the other good mormon families.

Hope you all had a great weekend no matter where you were.  I did find myself wishing we could be hanging with extended family and eat some good food together as we heard from prophets and apostles.  Maybe in a few years we can all "pitch some tents" together.