Everyday object lessons

This lesson comes fromMeridian magazine in the section for Family Home Evening. The article is by C.S. Bezas.
Each person gets a half of a raw potato. The potato represents your brain. Begin to carve a very simple shape (square, circle, star, music note) into the potato and take off the pieces of the potato that are not part of the shape. This carving represents the music that you listen to. It forms and shapes your brain in a very specific way. It helps shape your attitudes, affects learning ability and has an effect on your physical, mental and emotional health. When the shape has been cut, put the potato in some paint and stamp the potato shapes onto paper. If you carved a circle, you won’t stamp out a square. If you are listening to uplifting and positive music, that’s how your brain is going to be shaped and you will reap the benefits and blessings.
You can add things like listening to music, making a stamp poster, discussing the negative or positive benefits of music, talking about the standards in For the Strength of Youth that discuss music.
This topic is wide open and this is a good lesson that can reinforce how the music actually makes brain pathways like the knife carves a potato. For older kids, do a search and get some info about how the brain works or how music affects brain ability.

This is a talk given by 11 yr old Alex.
The idea was based on a story given in a general conference talk – Oct 99
First you make two paper airplanes. One needs to fly very straight and true. The other needs to look a little battered and fly more in loops. There are patterns out there for making the different types. Then here is the talk: Imagine a plane taking off, the plane is in perfect condition the crew is trained and they have flight plan. If you get on this plane your sure to get to your destination. Now, imagine another plane taking off it doesn’t really have a place to go. It’s not in good shape. Its crew is a bunch of high school kids who have just graduated and have not been properly trained yet. If you get on this plane your almost sure to not reach your destination.

The first plane is god’s plan of happiness. Just like in the plane the church has leaders who are called of god. Just like the flight plan, gods plan of happiness is clearly written out in the scriptures. If we get on this plane, then we will be happy, and reach our destination of living with God again.

The second plane is the world. It has no destination, no plan, no consistent direction or standards. One month the world wants pokemon, next it wants pogs. One year the world wants Harry Potter, next it wants Animorphs. (This lesson is old! Pick popular toys and media of today.) Everthing is subject to the whims of popular culture. The passengers on this plane don’t know where they are going, so they never know if they get there.

If I were a passenger with a specific destination, I would pick the one with trained pilots and a flight plan. I would feel safer and more secure the God’s plan of happiness.

Then read this scripture Eph. 4:11-14

Many parents are hard pressed to explain to their youth why some music, movies, books, and magazines are not acceptable material for them to bring into the home or to listen to or see. One parent came up with an original idea that is hard to refute. The father listened to all the reasons his children gave for wanting to see a particular PG-13 movie. It had their favorite actors. Everyone else was seeing it. Even church members said it was great. It was only rated PG-13 because of the suggestion of sex–they never really showed it. The language was pretty good–the Lord’s name was only used in vain three times in the whole movie.

The teens did admit there was a scene where a building and a bunch of people were blown up, but the violence was just the normal stuff. It wasn’t too bad. And, even if there were a few minor things, the special effects were fabulous and the plot was action packed.

However, even with all the justifications the teens made for the 13′ rating, the father still wouldn’t give in. He didn’t even give his children a satisfactory explanation for saying, “No.” He just said, “No!”

A little later on that evening the father asked his teens if they would like some brownies he had baked. He explained that he’d taken the family’s favorite recipe and added a little something new. The children asked what it was.

The father calmly replied that he had added dog poop. However, he quickly assured them, it was only a little bit. All other ingredients were gourmet quality and he had taken great care to bake the brownies at the precise temperature for the exact time. He was sure the brownies would be superb.

Even with their father’s promise that the brownies were of almost perfect quality, the teens would not take any. The father acted surprised. After all, it was only one small part that was causing them to be so stubborn. He was certain they would hardly notice it. Still the teens held firm and would not try the brownies.

The father then told his children how the movie they wanted to see was just like the brownies. Our minds are us into believing that just a little bit of evil won’t matter. But, the truth is even a little bit of poop makes the difference between a great treat and something disgusting and totally unacceptable.

The father went on to explain that even though the movie industry would have us believe that most of today’s movies are acceptable fare for adults and youth, they are not.

Now, when this father’s children want to see something that is of questionable material, the father merely asks them if they would like some of his special dog poop brownies. That closes the subject.

Here is an object lesson I heard at education week.

Tonight for family home evening we are making milk shakes.
Get out a blender, fill with ice cream, milk, chocolate sauce or strawberries. Blend up. Then go to the window sill and take a dead fly (that you have planted there) and say, “oh, a dead fly. That would make this good.” Put the fly in the blender and blend again. Then pour a glass and hand to your teenager. When they refuse it. Say “Why, it’s only one tiny fly, it’s can’t hurt anything. All the other things are so good” etc.

So many times we are told we should go see a movie or other forms of entertainment. We ask if it is good. Oh, there’s only one little bad part. You can close your eyes for that. The rest is so good.

Source: Bob Wleszewsli
This is is story taken from the Focus on the Family Plugged In magazine.
It is a struggle to keep our family’s movie viewing habits free of pornography and graphic violence. “The hardest part in this struggle for some parents is saying no when other parents are saying yes. Perhaps this will help. Suppose you pulled up to the drive-thru window of your favorite fast food restaurant and there was a sign that said, Serving E. coli contaminated beef today. Would you order? Of course not. What if ten cars in front of you all got hot burgers? Would it make a difference? You’d quickly hit the gas pedal and head elsewhere. Why should it be any different if it’s E coli entertainment? Yet adults continue to take their children out for toxic nibbles of what Hollywood is eager to serve.”