Teaching "I Think the World is Glorious"

I am planning to introduce "I Think the World is Glorious" on Easter Sunday, ultimately to sing in sacrament as part of the Mother's Day program.

I chose this song for a number of reasons. Mainly, it was so fitting with this year's theme, and what I have been teaching the children about how our Heavenly Father loves us and created this world for us. However, I also love that it is a very Spring-oriented song, and appropriate for Easter.

I will have the whole hour for Easter, and have an overall Easter theme that I am working out right now, which will include some time spent on learning this song. 

Image from: http://www.123rf.com/photo_6580958_animal-planet.html

We will hear and sing this song three or four times on Easter Sunday:

1. Sing the song for the children. (Invite anyone that already knows it to sing it with you. Give teachers the page number so they can look it up on their phones! Or write it up on the board for them and specifically ask them to help, if you are worried about singing alone. I have gotten over being worried about singing solos after so much time in this calling.) Ask them to raise their hand if they know the song. Ask them to listen carefully to what word is sung the most. This exercise makes them listen carefully to the lyrics of the song.

2. Put an illustration on the chalkboard (see above), either one drawn in advance, a collage cut out from magazine pictures or printed off the Internet, or even just a doodle on the chalkboard. I may just do the latter, and will have the drawing up before class comes in. I will use the free-standing chalkboard that we have in the room, so I can wait until Singing Time begins to flip the drawing around.

I found the image above though, and think it would be fun to try for something similar. Even if I don't have the time to draw this myself, I could easily cut out pictures and place them around the world in a similar presentation.

Sing the song again. (Invite anyone that already knows it to sing it with you.) Ask the children to look at the picture and see how many of the words in the song are illustrated in the picture. This exercise makes them listen carefully to the lyrics of the song again.

(I wouldn't want to have quite as many pictures because I want to keep it simple enough for the children that the children are learning the song, not being distracted by the items that AREN'T in the song!)

I was thinking if I hand-drew the image right before class started, I could do something easy and fast like this:

3. Have the children help sing the song. This time, have the children take turns, one row at a time, standing up and singing "I sing!" so that by the end, all the rows are standing. (Assign the rows beforehand.)

4. Do the same as #3 except this time have the children hold the notes out until the end of the song.

Lyrics:

1. I think the world is glorious and lovely as can be.
The birds and bees and blossoms bring sweet messages to me.

I sing, and sing, and sing, and sing
A song of joy and love.
I sing, and sing, and sing, and sing
My thanks to God above.

2. I think the world is glorious and lovely as can be,
For I have teachers kind and true, and parents who love me.

Words: Anna Johnson, 1892–1979. © 1962 IRI

Music: Alexander Schreiner, 1901–1987. © 1962 IRI

“I Think the World Is Glorious,” Children’s Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 230