The incredible edible locust

The story of John The Baptist

or 

"did he really eat bugs?"

Last year our class studied the New Testament and naturally we learned about John the Baptist.

I wanted the class to become better acquainted with what made John a special servant of Heavenly father as well as give them some insight as to what he was like as a person.  Sometimes the description of John given in the scriptures can conjure up images of  a wild man living in the desert wearing crude garments and subsisting on bugs and wild honey.

Here as they say, is "the rest of the story":

During the time that John was an infant a decree was sent forth across the land that all male children were to be put to death (hence Mary and Joseph left the country with Jesus.) To save the life of his child, Johns' father Zechariah, sent him to live with family in the mountains.  Because Zachariah refused to tell the soldiers where his son was, he was killed and John remained safe.  In his mountain environment John lived and dressed as the mountain people did, wearing rugged clothes made of animal skins and he learned to live off the land resulting in the description given in Mathew 3:3

     

As a fun little take home I found a neat "recipe" for chocolate locust on a Pinterest site.  My wonderful wife being the talented culinary designer that she is, "cooked" up these awesome edible locusts.  They are made from Twix, pretzels, chocolate chips and a bit of "royal icing" to hold it all together.  

I then created a faux label and glued it to a white paper lunch size sack.  Inside we placed four of the treats as well as a small lesson summary for the kids to share with their family.

Jordan River Locust Co.

Imported fresh from the Nile

Spicy Cheese Flavored Nile Locust

Baked in pure olive oil and seasoned with savory spices of the Far East

Heavens Best

"God Saved The Best For Last"

This lesson was designed to promote the self value of each of the kids and to help them understand that they are a very important part of God's plan.  I started off by giving each person a piece of the puzzle which they were instructed to leave on their chair.  Then as a group the puzzle was assembled as far as it could be without the missing pieces.  I pointed out how the puzzle was incomplete without their pieces, then had them place each one into its proper place.  The object was to instill how important each person is to Heavenly father's plan and how they would be missed just as the missing piece was crucial to the puzzle.  As you will note the puzzle is of the plan of salvation.  In my lesson I explained how we were given free agency to choose our own paths.  Just as Joseph Smith as a young child didn't know he would be so instrumental in the restoration, neither do we know what God has in mind for us. The prophets have counseled us that these are the last days before the coming of Christ. One particular quote I shared with the class was from Ezra Taft Benson taken from his talk "In His Steps"  which expresses how Heavenly Father has held in reserve His choicest spirits for the last days.

In His Steps

"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord. God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God."

To go along with the lesson and help the kids remember their divine nature, I made a sign to hang on our class room door each Sunday that reads:

 Valiant 10 

The class for Heaven's Best

God saved the best for last!

I ended the lesson with a quote from Pres Gordon B. Hinckley:

"You’re not just here by chance. You are here under the design of God."

          (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley[1997], 720)

As a simple take home I prepared a puzzle made from a Mormonad which I had printed at the local photo shop.  I glued the 4" X  6" prints to pieces of hard board and cut them into eight pieces.  A copy of Pres Benson's quote was attached to each bag of puzzle pieces. As a family activity I suggested they read the quote to their family and have them help assemble the puzzle.

How to's:

The large puzzle was made from a picture that I downloaded from the internet. I had printed on a poster board and laminated at the local print shop.  It was then glued to a piece of hard board using spray on adhesive applied to both the poster and the hardboard. I used a band saw  to cut it into many, many creative shapes i.e. hand print, circle, flower, house etc.  After four years and several lessons there has been no significant delamination from the hard board.

The door sign was made using a simple certificate template found on MS Word.  The "certificate" was then glued (same method as above) to a piece of scrap sheet metal and laminated using some shelf liner purchased from the local WalMart.  I used sheet metal to give it an air of substance and hopefully instilling in the class a sense of permanence. 

The first lesson of 2017

Bamboo skewers make great "Pick up Sticks" 

Not every kid in 1815 could afford glass marbles so they
often used musket balls or small round stones

The year begins with Joseph Smith and "The First Vision" which in of itself is a wonderful topic but as the reader will come to learn, I like to incorporate "the rest of the story".  I began with the apostasy,  starting with the martyrdom of Peter and Paul (did you know that Peter was allegedly crucified upside down and that Paul was beheaded?) then moving on to Nero and Constantine. We then learned about why the ensuing period was called the Dark Ages and how it was slowly dispersed by the advent of the renaissance.  I highlighted inventions such as gunpowder and the compass as well as the blossoming of the art and science world by the likes of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.   I explained the importance of the great invention, the printing press and how it offered the common man access to the scriptures. We read 1 Nephi 13:12 and its reference to Christopher Columbus,  I introduced Martin Luther and John Wycliffe and how their cause ultimately lead to the pilgrims settling in America setting the stage for "The Great Awakening".  

About now I am sure you are thinking "ya right you taught this to 10 year olds?" The answer is absolutely and they ate it up and wanted more!  These are things that are often left out and they found it fascinating.  Today's kids are smart and I find they want more than just watered down lesson materials.

So now we arrive at the period in which Joseph and his family lived.  Do you know why Joseph Smith SR moved his family from Vermont to New York?

I suggest you search the following topics: Mount Tambora and  "1816 The year without a summer"

Which brings us to the reason I have posted pictures of musket balls and pick up sticks.  I wanted the kids to get a glimpse of what children did for fun during the time Joseph was young, so I did a little research and learned about the games they played.  Some of the outdoor favorites were pushing hoops with a stick, Annie Over and Graces.  Other games (conducive to a classroom) were Tiddley Winks, Jacks, Pick Up Sticks and Marbles.  Incorporating these simple and inexpensive activities into the lesson and letting the kids try their hand at the games Joseph played, I believe, helped bring him to life in their minds.

I began Christmas early for 2016

All made from a slab of walnut

All ready to be wrapped for Christmas morning!