I took a yard stick and covered it with foil and then made 1 1/2 in. marks on it. Then made a Tree of Life to put at the end of the rod. The game goes you make several strips of paper with people or things on it that have to do with being courageous. Then do the same with acts that are not considered to be courageous. Then you make two hands that are going to be following the iron rod. Mark them with team one and team two. Put all the strips in a container for the children to draw out of. When they pick one that is courageous, they roll the die to see how far they go forward. When they draw one that is not courageous, roll the die and move backwards. The whole idea is to show that what you do in life is what happens to you when holding the "Iron Rod". It is great Family Home Evening game also! (Idea by Shirl Thomas)
The Iron Rod Experience by Gina Prisbrey 



Hands on rod from LDSFiles
Hold to the Rod from Jenny Smith - Woman's hand with CTR bracelet holding the iron rod.
Sugardoodle Clipart
The Iron Rod



Hold to the Rod
Holding to the Rod



Hold to the Rod



Hold To The Rod Game - Click here for page 1 of game board, Click here for page 2 of game board (Taken from the June 1988 Friend Magazine)
 

Pretzel rods to represent the iron rod
The wonderful fruit
Tree of Protection - Quote by Spencer W. Kimball



One night, while I was in the MTC, the husband/wife team was teaching about Lehi’s dream. I’ll NEVER forget the imagery the sister brought to mind. She read the verse and then she said, “I don’t want you to just hold to the iron rod, I was you to wrap both arms and both legs around it and SHIMMY down the rod.”  When I was teaching seminary 5 years ago, I went to Home Depot and bought a long metal pipe. I had two of the stronger boys hold it on their shoulders and one of my smaller girls demonstrated what it meant to shimmy.  (Idea by Wendi Bergin / ga04282007)



I Face the World, May 1981, New Era



Object Lesson on the Iron Rod by Lori Colby 
One family home evening a father had some sticks, each representing a member of the family. He had each child look them over. He bundled them together and noted how it was harder to break when they stick together.  Each member of the family held it, and tried to break it. The older son decided he'd show off. He broke the bundle over his knee. The father was embarrassed and thought about it all week. The next FHE, he started the same way, only this time, his son couldn't break the bundle. What made his family stay united this time? The Iron Rod. There was a metal pipe this time. Without the gospel, our family is not as strong, is it? (by Darcy Reese as told to her by the Reese family of Garden Park First Ward in SLC)



Iron Rod Experience from Latter-Day Village - you must register for a free membership first to view this file.
Hold to the Rod



Quick Quotes



Hold to the Rod
The iron rod in Lehi’s vision is “the word of God.” The scriptures contain the word of God. The word of God can give us courage. While you tell or read the vision of the tree of life (see 1 Ne. 8), have the children role-play it. (See also 1 Ne. 15:23–25 and Primary 4 manual, Lesson 4, pp. 12–15.) Give name cards to the main characters to wear, and let the classes represent the different groups of people in the vision. You might provide simple costumes such as a head covering, a sash, and a belt worn diagonally. You could also have simple props or pictures for the tree, the rod, and the spacious building. Finish by reading 1 Nephi 15:23–25 [1 Ne. 15:23–25], then have all the children “hold to the rod” while singing “The Iron Rod” (Hymns, no. 274).  (Taken from the July 1998 Friend Magazine)
The teacher had made a white paper tree with little candies on it for the "fruit" on the tree and she had children act out the various parts; like a child with a squirt bottle for the "mists of darkness" and a child lost in the mist of darkness wore sunglasses! They loved it! She made a "large and spacious building" from some boxes and the children stood behind them mocking the people on the straight and narrow path leading up to the tree. The "iron rod" was a broom stick wrapped in tin foil. The children LOVED going up to the tree and getting the candy off the tree and eating it! (Idea from Tami / Christy's Clipart)
 

Helping Others Win (can be related to encouraging others to hold to the iron rod)
Hold to the iron rod (August 2006 Friend Magazine)

Parable of the Popper
Where is my iron rod? (from January 2004 New Era)



The Iron Rod by Harold B. Lee