We moved to different locations for this FHE. It was tons of fun. The write up was long, but this was a relatively short FHE. (Under an hour including dessert). When it was over our 4 year old asked if we could do this every day!
1-LIVING ROOM: (Set up a very tall block tower before lesson, have a back pack for each child, pictures or small objects to represent the items they took with them, and a cloud cut out of construction paper)
Opening Song: Book of Mormon Stories CS pg 118
A-Tell the family that we are going on a big adventure tonight and we will pretend to be the family of Jared.
Read First 4 Pictures in Jaredites Leave Babel.
Show the children the tall tower and talk to them about how we can get closer to Heavenly Father. Can we really build a tower there? In the middle of your conversation about the tower ask them questions in a foreign language. My hubby speaks Spanish and I know a limited amount of French. (If you do not know a foreign language, talk jibberish or pig latin to your kids). Pretend you don't understand them or your spouse. Once they get the idea, ask the kids if they think it would be hard if everyone at our house spoke a different language. What if their friends couldn't talk to them. What might be harder? Discuss why it was important that everyone in Jared's family spoke the same language and understand one another.
B-Read the Next 5 pictures in The Jaredites Leave Babel. Ask them to listen for the items the Jaredites brought with them.
Pull out a back pack for each child. Let the children pack their bags for a long trip. We placed honey, seed packets, toy sheep, birds, and fish, in their backpacks. (My kids aren't in school yet, so backpacks are a BIG DEAL)!
C-Read the remainder of The Jaredites Leave Babel. Play follow the leader using the cloud. My husband gave directions to our family from behind the cloud and we followed him around wearing our backpacks. We ended in the kitchen.
2: KITCHEN: (You will need play dough and 16 marbles or smooth rocks).
A-Read the first 5 pictures of The Jaredites Travel to the Promised Land
Using the playdough, build 8 barges. (Our familyhad 4 people, so we each built 2).
B-Next read pictures 6 and 7 of The Jaredites Travel to the Promised Land.
Have everyone had holes on the top and bottom of their barges for air.
C-Read pictures 8 and 9 of The Jaredites Travel to the Promised Land. Ask the children to think of ways to get light inside the barges. (Mine thought we could put either flashlights or the sun inside the boat).
D-Read pictures 10-17 of The Jaredites Travel to the Promised Land.
Place 2 marbles on each of the barges you built, one on each end.
E-Finish reading the remainder of The Jaredites Travel to the Promised Land. Allow the children to drive the boats up and down as you finish up the story.
Closing Song: "The Lord is My Light" (Hymnal pg. 89)
Treat Suggestions: Banana Boats or Homemade Bread with Honey Butter
