Last month, the LDS Friend magazine had a page devoted to a Bingo card with pictures related to topics usually addressed during General Conference. I was especially gratified to see it because we used to do that when our kids were little--handmade, laminated Bingo cards that lasted many years and were then passed on to a sister-in-law for even more use. Those Bingo cards helped our kids sit through hours of Conference, and even listen a little in order to fill in their cards and receive the desired reward for each Bingo achieved.
Today, while listening to a radio talk show on the way to church, John heard another family's way of encouraging listening and Conference participation. This family prepared 15 treats ahead of time--one for each member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Whenever one of those men spoke, the family ate the designated treat together. They tried to assign treats according to the name, occupation, place the man was from, or some such clue. For Elder Cook, they served cookies. When Pres. Uchtdorf speaks, they have German chocolate cake. Elder Nelson is honored with something heart healthy because he was a heart surgeon, and so forth.
I'm posting this here on my blog because not only do I think it's a great idea, and a new way of doing things, but also because all the people I want to tell this to will probably read this post, and maybe even a few others! I was always anxious for new ideas for helping children participate in Conference. Maybe some other young mothers out there are looking for new ideas, too. And, sometimes, reading someone else's ideas brings on a burst of creativity that allows us to come up with things uniquely our own, but very helpful.
General Conference is a time of amazing learning opportunities, but definitely a challenge when little ones are involved. Here's to new ways of learning and successful outcomes!!
