General Conference with Toddlers

The LDS General Conference is this weekend. I am excited to hear our prophet speak to us. I've been getting ready, trying to figure out what to do with two toddlers as we watch 8 hours worth of general conference over two days. So, here is what we've done to prepare:


*Family Home Evening: Monday we talked about General Conference and what would happen. We posted the picture of the prophets and apostles from last conference's Ensign on our wall and we've talked about it every day this week.


*My daughter loves her Gospel Art Picture Book. I'm hopeful that we can use that during conference. Perhaps have her listen for words and try to find a picture that matches (like, He's talking about Jesus. Can you find a picture of Jesus in your book?) or us finding a picture of a story that's being told so she can look at it.



*Each of my girls has a lap table. I hope this will keep them sitting while they do their activities. (Okay, I know that's very optimistic... I don't expect them to sit for two hours... maybe 15 minutes at a time, though. )


*I love this conference baggie idea. Janna puts a picture of each of the apostles on a different treat or game. When that apostle speaks, her children get that treat. Love the idea, but my oldest is 3 and the only one she recognizes is the prophet. So, I adapted it slightly. I have a bag of treats. Each time she sees a member of the First Presidency, she can pick a treat from the bag. I'll also have her repeat their name. My goal: By the end of conference, I'd like her to be able to recognize and name each of the three members of the First Presidency. Snacks in our bag include:
-Capri Suns
-Fruit snacks
-Hard candy
-Cheerios (with dental floss to make them into necklaces)
-Yogurt-covered raisins
-Smarties

*I have another bag full of (rather) quiet activities. As the kids get antsy, I can pull out a bag and hopefully entertain them. Our quiet activities include:
-A set of magnetic fishing poles and fish
-A set of lacing beads
-A set of tupperware containers the girls can push pom poms through. Idea from here.
-A pair of balloons we can blow up
-A new coloring/sticker book

*And my favorite idea for watching conference with toddlers..... I traded babysitting with a non-LDS friend earlier in the week in exchange for her watching my kids during the Saturday afternoon session of conference. Two less hours that they have to sit quietly and at least my husband and I will get to listen to one session uninterrupted!

I'll be back after conference to post my thoughts and the answers to these questions.