Last night we had a really great family home evening. I had the lesson and had a new strategy I wanted to try.

I've been thinking about our family scripture study and how we don't ever get a whole story or even chapter done each night, but how I'd still like the girls to learn the whole story in one sitting. We read straight from the scriptures and I love how it's improving Autumn's reading skills and familiarizing all three of the girls with the language of the scriptures but we only read six or seven verses a night. So I decided to incorporate the current scripture story into each Family Home Evening!

Since we're reading in 1 Nephi 17 right now, our lesson was on Nephi building the ship. First we read the story from the Book of Mormon reader. That was great because it was only two pages and they also got to enjoy all the pictures. (We used to use the reader for regular family scripture time too.) Then we did a little activity.

A friend of mine recently blogged about building an actual ship for FHE, derby-car style, and that got me thinking. I really didn't want to do something that required a trip to the store though. Here's what I found instead:

LDS Family Fun, has a lesson on this very section of the Book of Mormon. Everything is there from song, scripture, video clip, lesson, discussion, story and activity - to a treat that corresponds with the lesson topic (Sheesh!). We did the activity. If these thumbnails don't take you to bigger versions when you click on them, you can just go to the website for them.




Here are the instructions for the activity along with my notes in smaller print:

Younger children will need help from an older sibling or parent.

Activity:

Ask and answer the questions as you teach your children how to build their ships.

What you need:

A copy of “Nephi’s Ship” for each child (art work included with this lesson), scissors & tape.

Preparation:

1. Have children cut out their ships (I cut all of them in advance as well as made an extra one myself to understand the directions before we actually did them together for FHE). Cut along red dotted lines. You will be folding along the green lines.

1- What was Nephi commanded to build? (A ship)

Fold A to inside.

2- Who showed Nephi how to build the ship? (The Lord)

Fold B toward inside.

3- What did Nephi need to make tools to build the ship? (Ore)

Fold C toward inside.

4- Had Nephi ever built a ship before? (No)

Fold D toward inside. (I assumed that D was the only section of the bottom of the boat without a letter. Instead it has a triangle.)

5- Who mocked Nephi? (Laman & Lemuel)

Insert E into F. (To me, E & F both looked like F's, but if you put them together anyway...it still works:). ) Fold flat and tape to hold.

6- What happened to Laman & Lemuel when they mocked Nephi for building the ship? (Nephi stretched out his hand and the Lord shocked them.)

Fold G toward inside.

7- Did Laman & Lemuel repent and help Nephi build the ship? (Yes)

Fold H toward inside.

8- Why did the Lord want Nephi to build a ship? (So they could cross the water to the Promised Land.)

Insert I into J. Point on bow should point away from boat. Tape to hold.

9- Why did Nephi know he could build a ship? (He had trust in the Lord.)

With printed sides facing out-tape sails together at mast.