lesson plan: “be strong and of good courage” courage.pdf · lesson plan: “be strong and of...

Powerfully TeachingYour Children

Gospel Principles

Each lesson contains 5 timed activities:(Choose the activities that fit your family’s schedule.

Additional resources are provided as extra time may be available.)

Reverence Time: Song, prayer, scripture and video clip Lesson Time: Lesson summary and points to ponder Story Time: Story Activity Time: Object lesson or activity Treat Time: Prayer and theme related recipe

Objectives:

www.ldsfamilyfun.com ©2006 Living Scriptures, Inc. All rights reserved. May be used freely for personal, non-commercial purposes.

Reinforces Principles of: Emphasize the importance of having the courage to do right. Talk about how Columbus showed courage even when faced with ridicule.

Courage

Lesson Plan: “Be Strong and of Good Courage”


Sing Together:

Prayer:

Scripture Time:

Video Clip:

Approximate Time: 5 minutes

Children’s Songbook #120 “Nephi’s Courage” verse #3. If you wish to have an online music file to accompany you visit: http://www.lds.org/churchmusic(Note: Navigate to the Interactive Church Music Player where you can listen to and print Church hymns and children’s songs.)

Deuteronomy 31:6

6. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Watch chapter 3 from the animated Complete Learning System, Christopher Columbus DVD. (Video clip is also provided for viewing online.)


(For younger children, it may be helpful to summarize the following ideas):Lesson Summary: Columbus, A man of faith and courage.

“And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.” (1 Ne. 13:12.)

“We interpret that to refer to Columbus. It is interesting to note that the Spirit of God wrought upon him.... I have no doubt that Christopher Columbus was a man of faith....” Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 1992 © 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Courage a virtue of those who follow the Lord.“Inner courage is a necessary virtue of those who follow the Lord.... I should like to say to members of the Church, particularly to young men and women of the Church, that I hope you may come to know inner personal courage as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For this is the requirement of the Lord as we journey through our mortal probation, as we show to Him and to ourselves that we indeed ‘love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart, and with all [our] soul, and with all [our] mind’ and that we ‘love [our] neighbour as [ourselves]’” (Matt. 22:37, 39). Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Sept. 2001 © 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Courage brings God’s approval.“Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well.... May we muster courage for the conflicts, courage to say no, courage to say yes, for courage counts.” Thomas S. Monson, New Era, Sept. 2006 © 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Approximate Time: 10-15 minutes


Points toPonder:

Quote:

What is courage?The dictionary describes courage as the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action.

Did Christopher Columbus show courage when he was faced with ridicule for doing what the Lord wanted him to do?“His [Christopher Columbus’] chief concern, as ours should be, was not what people would think of him, but what God would think of him.” De Lamar Jensen, Ensign, Oct. 1992 © 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Have you ever shown courage?When you are tempted to do something wrong and you choose the right instead, or when you defend what you know is true, you are showing courage. There will be many times in your life when you will need courage to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Where can you find the courage to be strong?When you are tempted to do something wrong, remember that Heavenly Father will always be with you if you keep his commandments and will give you courage to choose the right.

“Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.” (1 Chr. 28: 20)

“God gave me the faith and afterwards the courage so that I was quite willing to undertake the journey.” Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus quotation comes from “The life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus by his son Ferdinand” translated by Benjamin Keen, Greenwood Press (1978)



The smell of vinegar and dill filled the kitchen of the old farm house. “One more batch and we’ll be done, boys,” Grandmother said as she placed the jars of homemade pickles in the boiling water bath.

Justin stood at the big sink, “How many more cucumbers do you need Grandma?” he asked as he finished washing a cucumber and placed it in the metal tub.

“Well, let’s see. If we fill six more jars and each jar has five cucumbers how many more do we need?”

“I know, I know!” Ten-year old Shane shouted, “It’s thirty.”

“No fair! You didn’t give me time,” Justin pouted.

Grandmother tousled Shane’s hair, “Very good Shane! Okay, Justin, here’s another problem just for you. If each bucket holds fifteen cucumbers, how many buckets of cucumbers do we need?”

Eight-year-old Justin closed his eyes as he figured the problem in his head. “Two more buckets full?”

“Very good, Justin! You boys are both very smart,” Grandmother praised.

Justin held up one of the cucumbers that had grown too big and had started to turn yellow. “If we used these we would only need six more.” He said with a giggle.

“What are we going to do with these Grandma?” Shane asked.

“Have you ever heard of the Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria?”

“Sure. They’re the ships that Columbus sailed to America in.”

“When your Dad and uncles were little boys they always made ships out of the overgrown cucumbers to celebrate Columbus day.” Grandmother explained, “After we’re done making pickles, I’ll get some paper for the sails and you boys can find some sticks out in the yard, and we’ll make Columbus’ fleet.”

After the pickles were all processed and the kitchen was cleaned, Grandmother and the boys sat at the big

table and hollowed out cucumbers and cut out paper sails. “Will they really float, Grandma?” asked Shane.

“If we did everything right they will. You can try sailing them on the little pond out back, but away from the creek. The water is too high this time of year and it could sweep you away!”

The two boys scurried out of the kitchen with their cucumber ships and set them a sail upon the pond. The boys would have races pushing the cucumber ships out and then pulling them back in with the strings that were attached to them. “If we put them in the creek we could really tell which one is the fastest.” Shane said.

“But Grandma said to stay away from the creek.” Justin responded.

“Oh, Grandma just thinks we’re still babies and she’s right about you anyway. You are a big baby!”

“I am not a baby!” Justin protested.

“Scaredy cat baby, who doesn’t even know how to swim!” Shane taunted.

“You know I can swim, Justin. We took lessons together this year!”

“Well maybe you’re just not as good a swimmer as I am and that’s why you’re too scared to go by the creek.”

Justin quickly wiped away the tears that were forming in his eyes so Shane wouldn’t see them and have more ammunition with which to tease him, but it was too late.

“I can’t race my ship alone, cry baby,” Shane said, as he grabbed Justin by the arm and started pulling him towards the rushing creek.

Justin pulled his arm back and started to walk on his own towards the creek together with Shane, when he heard a voice say, “Be of good courage.”

Justin stopped in his tracks. He turned towards Shane and with his head held high, said, “No, Shane! You can tease me all you want, but I’m not going to disobey Grandma!” He then turned and walked to the house.

Grandmother had been sitting at the table looking out the big kitchen window that faced the pond, so she could keep an eye on her two grandsons. When Justin entered the kitchen she turned toward him and asked, “Did you have fun floating your boats?”

Justin didn’t want Grandmother to know he and Shane had been fighting. “Yeah, it was fun!”

“You didn’t go near the creek did you?”

Justin hung his head. “We thought it would be okay, ’cause we can swim, but...”

“You didn’t because you had the courage to do what’s right!” Grandmother interjected, with a big grin.

by Margie Nauta Lee © Living Scriptures Inc. 2006



What you need: A copy of “Cucumber Ship” activity (artwork included with this lesson), scissors, tape, pencil, overgrown cucumbers (zucchini or squash can work well also, as they are also often plentiful at harvest time), sticks or wooden skewers (for masts), knife, spoon, tape and a body of water (ditch, swimming pool, pond, etc.) Preparation 1. Print out a copy of the artwork for each ship. 2. Cut out sails and flags. Activity: (Younger children will need help from an older sibling or parent.) 1. Cut out a hole in the top of each cucumber, being careful not to cut through the bottom.

2. Scoop out the insides with a spoon, leaving about 1/2 inch thick in center of bottom to hold mast. 3. Make a small hole, near the top, in one end of cucumber.

4. Tie a length of string through hole.

5. Talk about how Columbus had the courage to endure many years of ridicule in order to pursue his dream and even though he didn’t reach India, was able to fulfill Nephi’s vision.

6. Discuss different situations in which your family might need to have courage to do what’s right, even when others make fun of them. Have each person write four things they will have courage to do on their ship’s sail.

7. Tape sails and flag to stick.

8. Push mast into the bottom (be careful not to go all the way through). 9. Go to the body of water of your choice and have fun racing your ships. Be sure to hold onto the string for ease in retrieving your ship.



Prep Time: 5 minutesBake Time: Approximately 10 minutes

Puffy Ships

2 Whole egg, beaten1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup flour1/4 tsp. saltOptional: 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract 1 cup sliced strawberries Whipped creamPowdered Sugar6 pretzel sticks

Preheat oven to 425°. Generously butter or apply cooking spray to a (6 c.) muffin tin and a 8” x 8” square cake pan.Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Pour the batter into prepared muffin tin (3 Tbs. in each cup). Pour remaining batter into cake pan.

Bake for 5 minutes. Turn pan and continue to bake for approximately 5 minutes or until puffed and golden. Turn out the square and cut into six rectangles. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Turn “Muffins” out and over. There is sometimes a skin of cooked batter that must be removed to reveal the little cup.

Treat Time: Thread a pretzel stick through the center of the rectangle to make the sail. Fill ships with strawberries and whipped cream. Place the sail in the center.

Closing Prayer and blessing on the food.

lesson plan: “be strong and of good courage” courage.pdf · lesson plan: “be strong and of...

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