iStrengthen My Family

This year in Primary to go along with the theme of Families are Forever, we decided to do a summer challenge.  We have been developing it since last November and it has come together piece by piece.  I have felt inspiration in every step of its development. I love that. 

The kids have an opportunity to earn this ultra cool iStrengthen My Family phone!

The phone images will be printed as a photo and then mounted on black foam core and cut out.  They look very real and cool.  We've had a lot of people ask if they are real phones.

Basically the kids have a list of activities that they can complete to strengthen their past, present and future families.  For completing just one activity in each category, they will receive their own phone. The phone will come with an app for Past family, Present family and Future family.  If they complete more activities, they get extra battery boost (on the back).We wanted something easy to manage for parents, but motivating for kids.  Time will tell the success of it, but it seems like the kids are pretty excited about it.

At the end of the summer we will have a culminating activity where they will sign contracts to get their phone and attend activities to get more apps:  a service app, a music app and a game app.  Each activity will provide more ways they can strengthen their family.  Each of those apps are printed on label stickers that will be added at each station as they participate. An app is something you apply so it is fitting for the theme.  At the activity, our music leaders will do a station teaching children how to strengthen their family through Primary music; the games station will teach the children a few fun and easy games to play with their family and at the service station they will make a service token to leave behind when they have done an act of service in their family that will be passed along as they each give service.  

The white rectangle is so we have a spot to write their names.

To introduce the challenge I had one of my Presidency member's ring tone on my real phone be the chorus of "Families Can Be Together Forever" and had them call me during Primary. Both of the phones were in a basket; I answered with the iStrengthen phone and had a one sided conversation that explained the challenge to them.  At one point I said "You are going to give every Primary child their very own iStrengthen My Family phone just for completing the challenge?  Do you realize I have 80 Primary children???"  That really got their attention!  It's been a fun project to work on and develop.  I hope it makes a difference for at least one child!