This morning was our Primary Pioneer Party. We (the Primary presidency) have been trying to get the kids excited for it since April. We made a map of the five states the pioneers crossed with our party date and time on it and moved a little wagon across the trail, telling a story, or just updating the pioneers location every Sunday in Primary.
For the actual party we had six stations, each with a pioneer story to go along with it. We divided the kids into companies and gave them name tags with the name and age of a real pioneer child on it.
At the Sweetwater station, our secretary filled a kiddie pool with ice water, told them the Sweetwater account about the three boys that carried the rest of the company across the icy river and then died, and let the kids "ford" our little version.
The Primary president told a cute story about how the first school in Utah was started by a fourteen year old girl looking to entertain the children on the trail, then the kids sidewalk chalked around the church.
The second counselor did a pack the handcart relay with wheelbarrows and a cute story about how a girl was able to bring her fragile china doll across the plains.
Our CTR 7 teacher did the hilarious, but slightly disgusting, "Buffalo Chip Relay." We made "buffalo chips" with spray foam and spray painted them brown. The kids were divided into two teams and raced against each other to find a chip and place it in the fire (crumpled up red and yellow tissue paper), then tag the next kid on their team. She read them a story about a girl who was trampled in a buffalo stampede, but was healed through faith. We also made no bake cookies for the kids to eat here, because you know what no bake cookies look like.....
The chorister sang pioneer song with the kids while they shook up cream and salt in baby food jars to make butter. Then they spread it on wheat bread and had a snack.
I read the kids a true story about a girl who had nightmares on the trek West and was comforted by an Indian who made her a pioneer "night light" (a glass jar with fireflies in it). We had so many baby food jars donated, we HAD to use them up. So, the kids filled the jars with glow in the dark beads and glitter and water to make their own pioneer nightlights. They loved that they really glowed!
We had a ton of help from our wonderful CTR 5 teacher, two of the Beehives, a Deacon, and the primary presidents husband. It was so much fun, I forgot to take pictures, but here are Tys and Cam showing off their bounty.
Now we can start worrying about the Primary program....
