Materials:

• Construction paper / poster board
• Tissue paper / transparency
• Scissors
• Clear tape
• Lantern / overhead projector

Carefully cut the shape of a candle and large flame out of the center of the poster board.  Tape colored tissue paper behind the cutouts – making a stained-glass effect.  Take the cutout of the flame and cut into graduating sizes of flame until you have 4 – 8 “flame” out lines and a center flame.  Tape the outlines you have just cut carefully back onto the poster board, with the center flame being taped last.  Be careful not to overdo on the tape.  You need to be able to remove the pieces one layer at a time.

Turn off the lights.  Begin with the lantern behind the poster, illuminating the candle base.  Begin by asking the children why we use candles and how we use them.

Candles light our homes, bring warmth to a room, help us see in the dark… In earlier times, candles were used as a signal (Paul Revere) and even today, the searchlights that shine beams into the night sky are powered by a single candle.  Candles are also used to show someone the way.  Lighthouses use a single candle and a LARGE mirror to shine a light so boats know where the shore is and to steer away from it.

How can we be like a candle and show that we are keeping our baptismal covenants?

Remove the smallest flame and write the word “baptism” in it. (You can also do this beforehand.)
Discuss different ways we can show our Heavenly Father that we are keeping the covenants we make.  Have any stories you want prepared to discuss with each increasing flame.  As you go over things we can do and remove the pieces of the flame, it becomes larger and brighter.

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OVERHEAD:

You can do this with an overhead projector by cutting the candle out of a regular piece of paper and using colored acetate or cellophane instead of tissue paper.

Each team or child has a paper with three columns on it.  The columns for each column read “ACTION”, “WORDS”, and “SPIRIT”.

In two minutes, have them list as many ways we can show we are keeping our covenants under the different categories.

For example:
 

ACTION Attend Church Take Sacrament Be Kind to Others

WORDS Don’t Gossip Don’t swear Don’t Use the Lord’s Name

SPIRIT Repent Keep Commandments Pray

After the two minutes are up, see who has the most listed in each column.

Have one person/team begin reading the things they have written in each column.  The others check off the matching items they have on their lists.  As the lists are read, talk about each item with the children.  See if anyone has unchecked items on their lists.  Review these, and the children check off any matching items.  The last person with an un-checked item – or who has more ideas listed that nobody else has is the “winner”.

Encourage the children to take the pages home to put in their journals so they can review the lists often, and see if there is something there that they need to become better at.