Pioneers Then and Now

"Pioneer Day" was what my grandmother called "The 24th of July" holiday.  It is the day the pioneers entered the Salt Lake valley in 1847.  Salt Lake City has the third largest parade in the United States on that day.  Yes, it's a big holiday in Utah!

We can all celebrate the freedoms that the pioneers found in this valley, to worship without fear of persecution.  We have grown into a world-wide church and celebrate these same freedoms all over the world.

Share some pioneer stories of children walking that long distance and then sing p. 216, "Little Pioneer Children" and p. 214, "Pioneer Children Sang..."  If time permits, sing p. 215, "Pioneer Children Were Quick to Obey."

Ask the children questions about the children then and now.

• What were some difficult things about being a pioneer?
• What is difficult today?
• Why was it important to quickly obey as a pioneer child?
• Why should we quickly obey today?
• What did the pioneer children do for fun?
• What do we do for fun?

Little Pioneer Children

The songs about the pioneers in the Children's Songbook are fun to sing as well as teaching about the sacrifices made to be able to worship as Latter Day Saints.

"Little Pioneer Children" p. 216, is a fun one to sing as a round.

You will need pictures of:

• berries
• chips (dried cattle manure) or wood
• children helping each other or pioneer children

Second verse: word strips of - 

• Singing all the day
• There's still time to play
• Often singing and dancing

Sing the first verse using the pictures.  Have the children sing with you. Let come children hold the pictures and sing it again.

Sing the second verse using the word strips. Have the children sing with you. Let come children point to the word strips or hold them and sing it again. 

Use younger children to hold the pictures and older ones to hold or point to the words.  Have the younger children sing the first and then the older children sing the second verse. Try singing it in a round.  Ask an older child or teacher to sing with half of the children while you sing with the other half.  This will take a little practice but the children will enjoy singing in a round once they know the song well.  Don't give up!  There is always next week.