FHE: Pumpkin Seed Service

I've been wanting to do something like this for awhile, and I'm just finally getting around to making it happen. Sometimes I feel like a lot of whining and complaining goes on at our house. The two cures for this that I've thought of are gratitude and service. We'll probably be focusing a lot on gratitude next month, so I wanted to do something service oriented, to see if we could get the focus off of us and onto something better. Helping someone else. Tonight was my turn for the FHE lesson, so that provided the perfect opportunity to implement my idea.

I used Word to make the front and back to a pumpkin, and some pumpkin seeds. (Click on the links for the printable pattern.) Then I cut out the pumpkins and stapled them together, leaving the top open, to create a pocket to hold the seeds. Then I cut out the seeds. On each seed is something I thought my kids were capable of doing as a service to someone else. There are a couple blank ones for them to write their own idea on.

For FHE we sang "Give Said the Little Stream" and then I had Aaron tell a few examples of service that the Savior performed while he was on the Earth. We talked about how service is something we do for others that helps them in some way and makes them feel loved. I read the scripture on the front of the pumpkin (Mosiah 2:17) and we talked about how when we serve other we are really serving God. We talked about how every person on Earth is one of Heavenly Father's children, and so when we help one of Heavenly Father's children it makes Him happy.

I explained that every day for the rest of the month we were going to try and serve others. Every day I'd let the kids pick a seed, and we'd try to do whatever the seed said. Once we'd completed the task, we'd get to put the seed inside the pumpkin. We want the pumpkin to be full of seeds by the end of the month.

Tonight we picked the seed that said "Write a card for someone who is sick." and we made a nice card for Aaron's Grandpa Jeffs, who is in the hospital. We had a good time working together on the card. I hope the rest of our month goes as well. :)