Friday, December 11, 2015

Legos with Jon; Charlie Brown and Care Bears Presentations by Nancy Kathleen Burton Wagstaff 1991

Right now I am at Meg's home, helping out while the third child is due to be born.  At night, her older two children have a choice of what they would like to do just before bed:  read a story, sing songs, just go to bed--and Jon decided that he wanted to play Legos with me as his before-bed-treat.  I am honoured that he values my company so highly . . . and it is wicked fun to put random Lego pieces together.  This was my second night's result.  More inventions to come later.  Promise.
As far back as I can remember, mom was always writing plays and skits for Stake Relief Society meetings.  She did not just organize a meeting, she produced an event.

For one meeting, she was trying to instruct the sisters on more effective teaching methods:  a class of 6 sisters sat on the stage in profile, the "teacher" was to the left of them.  The teacher started to talk and thought bubbles on wooden handles were raised by the students above their heads so the audience could "see" what they were thinking.
The teacher lectures.  Every moment or so she asks a "yes" or "no" question.  After a brief moment of silence, the teacher answers her own question . . . and then continues to talk.
The women hold up thoughts that read:  
Then the teacher asked a question starting with "Who?" "How?" "When?" "Where?"

The thought bubbles then change to:



Then--and this was the point of mom's lesson:  the teacher waits for an answer.


"She really wants to know what I think!"  "She's waiting for me to come up with an answer!"  "I know a story I could share!"  etc.

ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE BY USING QUESTIONS THAT ALLOW YOUR STUDENTS TO THINK . . . AND THEN GIVE THEM TIME TO COME UP WITH A GENUINE RESPONSE.



For another, she made up Charlie Brown character cut-out cardboard costumes for the sisters to wear.  Lucy was sitting at her "The Doctor is IN" sidewalk stand.  Charlie Brown walks over and sits down.



I don't remember the dialogue, but she constructed the stand and the characters walked all about the front of the chapel during the presentation and spoke the lines mom wrote for them.



This is a sketch of the two Care Bears that my daughters played with when they were little.  They pretty much got "loved to death," but are alive and well in my memory.

The following is a Relief Society Visiting Teacher skit that mom wrote in 1991.


THIS IS A FRACTURED FAIRY TALE AND ANY RESEMBLANCE TO THE ORIGINAL IS SCARILY RECOGNIZABLE . . . . . . . THIS IS THE STORY OF GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE CARE-BEAR SISTERS

ONCE UPON A TIME IN A HOME NEAR YOURS, WAS A LOVELY LADY NAMED GOLDILOCKS.  NOW GOLDILOCKS WAS ONE BUSY LADY, CLEANING THE HOUSE, RUNING ERRANDS, RUNING CHILDREN, SERVING ON THE PTA, SERVING THE THE CHURCH, ALL THE THINGS A LADY USUALLY DOES.  BUT TODAY WAS HER BIRTHDAY.  ONE SPECIAL DAY, JUST FOR HER!

AFTER HER BUSY DAY WAS SPENT, SHE FELT HUNGRY AND WENT TO THE KITCHEN TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT.  BUT INSTEAD OF FINDING 3 BOWLS OF PORRIDGE, SHE FOUND A TABLE FULL OF HALF EATEN FOOD AND A SINK FULL OF DIRTY DISHES.

SHE DECIDED SHE WASN'T HUNGRY AFTER ALL BUT SHE WAS TIRED . . . SO SHE WENT INTO THE LIVING ROOM TO SIT IN HER FAVORITE CHAIR.  BUT TO HER SURPRISE, IT WAS FULL OF SCHOOL BOOKS AND COATS THE CHILDREN HAD DROPPED WHEN THEY CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL.

I WILL JUST TAKE A SHORT NAP SHE SAID TO HESELF.  SO SHE WENT UP STAIRS--BUT THE BEDS WERE NOT MADE AND THE CLOTHES WERE STRUNG ALL OVER THE ROOM.  THIS JUST CAN'T BE MY BIRTHDAY, SHE THOUGHT.  NO ONE HAS REMEMBERED . . . EVERYONE IS TOO BUSY!  SHE FELT VERY, VERY SAD.

MEANWHILE UP IN CARE BEAR LAND THE HAPPY METER WAS RINGING LOUDLY . . . OH, DEAR, SAID ONE OF THE BEARS, SOMEONE IS VERY UNHAPPY.  WE'D BETTER GO DOWN AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.   SO FAITH, HOPE, AND CHARITY PUT ON THEIR MAGIC APRONS AND FEERED THROUGH THEIR MAGIC WINDOW TO SEE WHERE THEY SHOULD GO.  THEN THEY RECOGNIZED GOLDILOCKS--WHO HAD VISITED THEIR HOME MANY YEARS AGO.

FAITH:  IT'S GOLDILOCKS!  SHE'S ALL GROWN UP AND HAS HER OWN HOME AND FAMILY NOW.  LET'S GO VISIT HER!

THREE CARE BEARS:  HI! GOLDILOCKS--REMEMBER US?

GOLDILOCKS:  YOU MUST BE FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY.  I'D FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU THREE BEARS.  IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME.  AS YOU CAN SEE, I'VE A HOME OF MY OWN.

GOLDILOCKS SINGS:   (TO THE MELODY OF JUNGLE BOOK'S MY OWN HOME)
     MY OWN HOME, MY OWN HOME.
     MY OWN HOME, MY OWN HOME.
     I NOW HAVE A HANDSOME HUSBAND,
     AND SOME DAUGHTERS OF MY OWN.
     NOW THEY'RE BUSY WITH THEIR GIRL FRIENDS,
     NO ONE STRAIGHTENS UP MY HOME.
     MY OWN HOME, MY OWN HOME.
     NOW THEY'RE BUSY WITH THEIR GIRL FRIENDS,
     NO ONE STRAIGHTENS UP MY HOME.

HOPE:  YOU DO HAVE A LOVELY HOME, BUT THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAN CLEANING UP YOUR HOME.

CHARITY:  HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ALL THE THINGS WE TAUGHT YOU LONG AGO?
REMEMBER, NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY.   YOU MUST BE HAPPY WITH YOURSELF.

FAITH:  FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY, WE WILL GIVE YOU THE GIFTS OF LOVE SO YOU WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY.  SO LISTEN CLOSELY.

BEARS TOGETHER:    (TO THE MELODY OF JUNGLE BOOK'S MY OWN HOME)
     FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY
     FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY
     FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY
     GIFTS OF LOVE FOR YOU AND ME.

FAITH:
     FAITH IN THE THE LORD, JESUS CHRIST.
     FAITH IN DOING WHAT IS RIGHT.
     FAITH IN YOURSELV TO OBEY IS THE KEY.
     GIFTS OF LOVE FOR YOU AND ME.

HOPE:
     HOPE IN EACH NEW DAWING DAY.
     HOPE IN THE GOSPEL TO SHOW YOU THE WAY.
     HOPE IN THE LOVE ALL AROUND THAT YOU SEE.
     GIFTS OF LOVE FOR YOU AND ME.

CHARITY:
     CHARITY FOR THOSE AROUND YOUR HOME.
     CHARITY FOR ALL ON EARTH WHO ROAM.
     CHARITY AS PURE AS CHRIST'S LOVE FOR ME.
     GIFTS OF LOVE FOR YOU AND ME.

GOLDILOCKS:  THAT WAS GOOD ADVICE, BUT HOW CAN I ALWAYS REMEMBER IT?

BEARS:  WE'LL SHARE OUR HEART WITH YOU AND EVERY TIME YOU SEE IT WE WANT YOU TO SING THIS SONG.

BEARS SING:       (TO THE TUNE OF JUNGLE BOOK'S BARE NECESSITIES)
     IT'S ALWAYS FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY,
     YES, FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY,
     FORGET ABOUT YOUR WORRIES AND YOUR STRIFE.
     REMEMBER, FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY ARE
     MOTHER NATURE'S RECIPIES THAT BRING THE
     GIFTS OF LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE.
     THAT BRING THE GIFTS OF LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE.

GOLDILOCKS:  WOW!!!  WHAT A HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIFT.  COME ON . . . LETS ALL SING IT AGAIN AND GIVE EVERYONE A HEART SO THEY CAN BE HAPPY TOO.

EVERYONE:      (TO THE TUNE OF JUNGLE BOOK'S BARE NECESSITIES)
     IT'S ALWAYS FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY,
     YES, FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY,
     FORGET ABOUT YOUR WORRIES AND YOUR STRIFE.
     REMEMBER, FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY ARE
     MOTHER NATURE'S RECIPIES THAT BRING THE
     GIFTS OF LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE.
     THAT BRING THE GIFTS OF LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE.

BY NANCY WAGSTAFF.   2/17/91


I love the bits that I have been able to find from mom--they are few, but each one is a remarkable indication of the incredible person she was--and the inventive ways she found to teach and share her love of the Lord and His ways.



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