I can learn about righteous families
by reading the scriptures
 

 
Do you have a hero or heroine that you look up to?  If so, who?

Can anyone tell me what is a hero or heroine is?  (A hero is a boy or man who has shown great courage, ability, or bravery, and who has a noble and Christ-like character. A heroine is a girl or woman with the same qualities.)
 

You choose your heroes and heroines because you want to be like them. It is important that we choose people who are righteous and trying to live the gospel to be our heroes and heroines. This choice is very personal and private. Following a righteous hero or heroine’s example can help you choose the right and return to your Heavenly Father.

Object Lesson - This object lesson will take several days to prepare. Take a stalk of celery and split it up the center about half way up the stalk. Put one side in a glass of red-colored water and the other side in blue-colored water. After a few days the celery stalk will draw up the colored water and the celery will be tinted red or blue.

Ask the children, "See how easily this stalk of celery took on the color of water in which it was sitting?  We are just like that stalk of celery.  We take on all the characteristics of our family around us. What is your home like?  Who are you trying to become?  Today we are going to talk about some righteous families in the scriptures.

Song - Sing “Search, Ponder, and Pray” (p. 109).

Primary Guests - Invite several adults from the ward to talk about the righteous heroes and heroines they had when they were young, and tell how their heroes/heroines and their families influenced their lives for good and helped them choose the right.  To make it come alive, you could even have them dress the part.  

Summary - Today we've learned about families that have made good choices and kept the commandments.  We can follow their examples of obedience. We can obey our parents  and read our scriptures—even when it is hard!  Hold up the celery sticks from the object lesson and say, "We are what we surround.  These celery sticks changed colors because it was a part of their surroundings.  We need to surround ourselves with people who love and care for us and gain strength from other good families in the scriptures, so we can be like them."  Share your testimony.

Other Optional Activities -

- Challenge the children to read the Book of Mormon so they can discover some of the righteous families in that book of scripture.  Here is a reading chart.

- Read aloud Matt. 5:9. Explain what a peacemaker is and how we can be peacemakers in our homes. Let the children act out some things they would do if Jesus were visiting their homes. Prepare some case studies that give children opportunities to choose to be peacemakers, and place them in a box.  Make the box look like a home. For the door, make a rectangle with a smiling face on one side and a frowning face on the other (see Primary 2 manual, lesson 22). Let the children choose one of the studies out of the box and act it out. While they are acting, have the frowning face show until they act out being a peacemaker; then turn the door around to show the smiling face.  When you're done acting out each scenario, ask them if these are things other righteous families would be found doing? 

- Play this game to test the children's knowledge of which book of scripture it belongs to.