Dear Grandchildren,

It is cloudy and rainy at our house today. We miss the sunshine. Do you remember the sunshine song we learned last time? There are many songs about sunshine and sunbeams, and we know that you can name one that you sing in Primary. Can you guess what it is? did you guess Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam?. Let's sing it now. You are a good singer.

We thank Heavenly Father for the sunshine, don't we? Were you smiling when you were singing? When we are sunbeams, that means we are happy and kind and try to help other people. We are not cross or whiney or mean. We feel like sunbeams when we smile. Listen to this:

I have something in my pocket that belongs upon my face. You"ll never, never guess it 'til I put it in it's place.

Can you pretend your left hand is a pocket by making it cup shaped? Point to it with the right hand. Shake your head when you san "never. never guess. Then pretend to take a smile out of your pocket and use both hands to put it on your lips. Don't forget to smile when you put it there.

Let's learn how to make the number one. Ones are very easy. Just put your pencil on the paper and draw a line straight down. don't let your one tip over. Make it stande nice and straight. You can say this as you make a one. "This is a one. We have just begun." Have somebody print out the page of ones for you to try. Always start at the top and go down.

Now get your counting box and something to count with. You can put a bunch of dry beans or popcorn kernals or maybe pennies in a ziplock bag and keep the bag in your counting box when you aren't using them. Have your helper make a one next to the zero in the empty space on the right on the back row by the hinge. Now take a counter out of the bag. Will you put in the place with the zero? No! because a zero means nothing. You will put it in the place with the one, won't you? Will you put a whole bunch of counters in there? No! One means just one. When you are finished, put the counter back in the bag in the counting box until next time.

(Helper, starting on the back of the egg carton by the hinge and moving toward the right, then starting back with the 7 space on the front left, will help prepare eye movements needed for reading.)

Now that you know how to make zeroes and ones, let's have some fun with them. On a paper make five or six big zeroes, nice and fat. Now put your pencil or crayon in the middle at the bottom and make a nice straight one. You have just made some balloons on a string that you can make different colors. I love balloons, don't you? Now make five or six more just the same, and these will be lollipops or suckers. Can you color one red for G-pa? We can still make more things with zeros and ones. Draw more just the same way, but this time use a green crayon to make the ones. Now make a little zero in the middle of the big zero, and if you can draw a little green leaf on the green one, which is now the stem of a pretty flower you made all by yourself. Color the little zero yellow, and the rest of the flower pretty colors.

Here is a story about three children and their Mama. Which of the children was the Sunbeam that you want to be like?

You want to be a Sunbeam like little Fan, don't you? G-pa and I love you. Have a happy time doing your school work!

Love, G-ma

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