How to Plan the Most Amazing & Extravagant LDS Primary Activity in Korea

We’ve been looking forward to today for two weeks. Today is the day of the LDS primary activity in Korea where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints rented an above ground Dough Boy swimming pool! This is one of the best primary activities I’ve ever been to! It was so well thought out and planned, and our kids had a blast swimming in Korea. At a church, of all places!

LDS Primary Activity in Korea

Follow these simple steps to experience your own amazing & extravagant LDS Primary Activity!

1. Go to Korea!

9 Steps to the Best Party Ever

Okay if you can’t do that, you’ll want to replicate your own party at home. These are the 9 steps you need to do.

1. If you haven’t got your own pool at home, rent an above ground private pool with a jumping platform. If you want to install an actual pool click here to find out more details. You’ll be able to have thousands of more parties like this one if you do install one.
2. Fill the pool a day in advance and decorate the space with rainbow colored streamers and garlands to entice playfulness.
3. Invite the entire primary and their parents and encourage the use of water guns, pool floaties and innertubes. Allow the kids to all share.
4. Prepare a ton of water balloons for the kids to go crazy throwing at each other, their parents and the adults.
5. Provide a buffet feast for the kids and adults with watermelon skewers, hot dogs, and the best Korean Fried Chicken in Songdo. Lay out a waterproof mat to collect the dripping water.
6. Have Toy Story movies playing in the background when the kids need a rest.
7. Present the kids with popsicles once they finish their lunch, and sides of Chicago Style Mix popcorn just because.
8. Encourage each child to pick up 20 pieces of broken water balloons and clean up is done!
9. Drain the pool.

Western style swimming is unheard of in Korea! We’ve tried swimming at the Incheon Global Campus and at the local rec center, but not only are you required to wear a life vest and a swim cap, all they do is swim laps! This was an exciting and well anticipated event! We promised we would be on time for the first time ever, and we were!

The LDS primary activity in Korea was planned for the majority of the day and went from 11am – 3pm. The Church of Latter Day Saints Primary hosted the activity, and although the Songdo Branch in South Korea does not have a primary we combine with the Incheon 1st Ward primary for the first hour. The Primary President speaks English as well as several of the children. It’s a great experience for our kids but also nice for them not having to be totally misunderstood for the entire block.

Where to Have Your Party

The church is located in the center of Incheon, near a park and City Hall, but there isn’t much land. There is an outdoor courtyard on the 2nd floor of the church and they ingeniously set up the swimming pool there. The courtyard was covered in decorations of streamers and colorful flower poms.

As usual, we were underprepared and underdressed. Everyone was dressed in wetsuits, and although we only had very American swimsuits, we did have swim caps and goggles. We felt very prepared for the Korean primary activity, but turns out no one used their swim caps! Our kids were grateful for that.

What to Bring

Moreover, every one of the kids in the primary came equipped with water guns, inner tubes and floaties too. We never thought about bringing these as the pool was quite small, but they were a hit and no one minded sharing. No one minded, except one adult there who also seemed to think it was only fun to throw water balloons at the ground, so we’ll pretend like no one minded at all.

Yes, the LDS primary activity in Korea had water balloons too! The balloons were the same balloons we all have at our house. Buncho Balloons that self seal in everyone’s favorite color!

I know, I’m a walking advertisement. We love these water balloons. They are the greatest invention ever, and they were almost as much fun as the pool itself.

Even the Elder’s got in on the fun.

What to Eat

The church provided a huge lunch spread for the parents and the kids. They provided three types of fried chicken: plain, mild and super spicy from a restaurant called 달콤한닭강 . It is the best sweet and spicy fried chicken we’ve had here in Korea!

It was awesome – partly because it didn’t make me want to rip out my tongue.

The food was inside a room off the courtyard and they even had a tarp laid out to catch all the dripping wetsuits. The spread included gimbap, hot dogs and Christmas tree shaped watermelon, plus koolaid and water. Molasses loved the watermelon!

She need sustenance after swimming too!

Entertainment

Toy Story 2 played on the TV and the kids were free to come and go from the pool to the food to the movie and back again. After everyone had their fill of lunch, the Primary presidency brought out popcorn and popsicles!

Everyone at the LDS Primary Activity in Korea was so welcoming and inviting and the entire event was extremely well thought out. It was such a great afternoon meeting with the Korean primary and celebrating the beginning of summer in South Korea!

Have you ever attended church in a foreign country? We loved attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints both in France, and in Japan!

We are spending the summer in South Korea living in Songdo while Gabriel teaches at the Incheon Global Campus. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live abroad? Check out our experience here.

Check out our experience attending the Songdo Branch in South Korea, and our twins baptism here in South Korea!