Keeping Pace

Revised Nursery Manual—Good for Home Use, Too

The new, revised nursery manual includes information contained in the previously published Nursery Guidebook and the Nursery Resource Book. Included with the manual is a cassette tape of musical activities.

The new manual is designed for Primary and Relief Society nurseries, but it could be a valuable resource for parents with young children (primarily ages eight months to three years) as well. Included are lesson materials to help children understand basic concepts (“Child of God,” “Belonging,” “Learning Many Things,” “The Beautiful World,” etc.), a wide variety of music with piano accompaniment; activity verses using finger, hand, and body movements; simple toys, games, and activities suitable for use with children in the home; and patterns for visual aids. Also included are themes for older children (to age five).

Of interest to parents is a section of the manual entitled “Age-group Patterns,” which describes physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual characteristics of children eighteen months to three years old.

The hour-long cassette tape is divided into segments of quiet music, musical awareness, moving to music, musical expression, and pretend stories (“A Walk in the Forest,” “A Visit to the Zoo”).

The manual and tape are available from the Salt Lake Distribution Center (PCPR0267; $4.50); the cassette alone (VVOT0868) is available at $1.00.

Another Version of Elizabeth

Because of Elizabeth, a musical play originally produced in 1978 at the dedication of the Monument to Women in Nauvoo, is available in a shortened, simplified version suitable for a readers’ theater.

Included in the 48-page booklet are a modified narrative script, vocal parts with piano accompaniment, and production helps for simple or more elaborate productions. Several of the musical selections would be suitable for use in settings such as vocal solos or recreational singing at home or in church activities.

The shortened version of the play could be used for Relief Society socials; it might also be performed by branches, wards, or stakes as a dramatic activity. Individual families could use the narration and music at a family reunion or simply for a pleasant evening of play reading. This version could also lend itself to a successful “sing-in,” with several performers reading the lines and the audience singing the songs.

The booklet is available from the Salt Lake Distribution Center (PMRS0016; $1.50). The full script, musical score, and materials for more elaborate productions are available at the Promised Valley Playhouse, 132 South State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111.