Prep: Get enough pictures of the temple for each family member. Your choice on sizes and with or without frames. There are some resources below.
Lesson: Sing the song, or read the words, to I Love To See The Temple from the Children's Songbook, page 95. Talk about it. Here in the US we have quite a few temples now, and there are more and more being built all the time. The number of temples have increased dramatically in the last few years. Younger children probably won't be able to comprehend having to travel days or weeks or even months and having to sell everything you own or saving for years and years to get to a temple. I wasn't even in a situation like that, but some people have been. The farthest we've ever had to travel to the nearest temple was about 4.5 hours. How blessed are we now? We live 15 minutes from the temple. I don't have any great stories about people sacrificing it all to attend the temple, but I know we have all heard them. Explain to your children that the blessings we receive in the temple are so much more valuable than worldly posessions that some people have been willing to sell everything they own just to go to the temple one time. Discuss briefly the blessings we receive in the temple: promises from Heavenly Father, the opportunity to receive exhaltation, and the opportunity to be forever families. Talk a little about baptisms for the dead and how important they are. Point out the inscription on every temple above the doors. What does it mean? Why is it on every temple?
Activity: If you live near a temple, take your family there and walk around the grounds. You won't be able to go through the gates, as they are locked on Mondays, but the same sweet Spirit can still be felt. If you don't live near a temple make a plan to visit the nearest one on a future (but not too future) weekend. If you go on Saturday, the gates will be open and your family can walk on the grounds. Please remember to be reverent and respectful, as temples are sacred and holy. Before you close, hand each member of you family a picture of "your" temple (the one nearest you or any other temple that is special for any reason). Tell them to hang them in their rooms where they can see it every day. If you want to provide frames, more power to ya! The Dollar Store has cheap, decent frames (and if they do break, it's only $1 to replace it). Order prints from Deseret Book, Seagull Book, or the Church Distribution Center website. You can also pick them up at any physical location of each of those links, of course.
Treat: Rice Crispy Treats. Shape them into a temple shape if you'd like. =]
Feel free to use these images if you'd like, but please limit them to personal use. Please do not repost these images without permission. If you use these images for other projects or crafts send me photos! (whilehewasnapping[at]gmail[dot]com). I'd love to see what you do with them. I'll even feature your project on my 'crafty blog,' whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com. Thanks.
