Katie Grace's Main Lesson: The Life of Jesus

We're continuing on with the Life of Jesus. We've had chalkboard drawings


Katie Grace has dictated to me...

Some crafting...

Copywork...

And table plays.

Katie Grace's Main Lesson: The Life of Jesus

I'm not sure what prompted me to choose this as a main lesson focus this month. It's not a Waldorf main lesson. I think it might be recommended in the Ambleside third grade course of study. It seemed like a natural jumping off point from Christmas.
The two main books we're using are Tomie dePaola's Book of Bible Stories and, later in the month, The Parables of Jesus, also by Tomie dePaola. They're really lovely books, beautifully illustrated, and the retellings of the stories are very true to Scripture.

We started off with discussing where we find stories about the life of Jesus. We discussed Scripture and Tradition, and the role both have. We also talked very briefly about how different denominations regard Tradition, and that all Tradition had to be supported by Scripture. We found the four Gospels, and she made a main lesson book page:

Speaking of main lesson books, we made our own this time, using this tutorial over at Our Little Nature Nest.

We started off with the Annunciation. Here is a Scripture verse Katie Grace used for copywork, as well as a narration she illustrated.
She also made a beautiful angel snowflake and a window transparency.



Then we moved on to the birth of Jesus. Here we have copywork from another verse and Katie Grace's own summary and illustration
She also retold the story using our Nativity figures before we put them away. Daniel helped.
She also did a watercolor painting. Unfortunately, we're still having issues with the colors running together. Anyone have any advice for us?


Today we moved on to the visit of the Magi. Very fitting on Epiphany! Tomorrow, she'll do some writing about what gift she would bring Baby Jesus, as well as a few other activities.

Katie Grace's Main Lesson: Old Testament Stories

When I was planning out our main lesson blocks, I thought it would be a good idea to place the Old Testament block during Advent. It's been an interesting journey, to say the least.

We've been using Donna Simmon's Old Testament Stories Manual and Storybook from Christopherus Homeschool. I love, love, love the manual. She strikes a great balance between giving you enough guidance that you don't feel like you're floundering and telling you exactly when and how you need to breath. There are some beautiful ideas for responding to the stories along with some lovely insights into the stories themselves.

The storybook I'm a little more meh about. There are some typos and some of the retellings are stilted and don't make sense. But I'm fully willing to admit this might be because we're exposed to the Scriptures a lot more than your average family. For someone who isn't as familiar with the stories, it might be perfect.

We started off with the seven days of Creation. Donna suggests a watercolor painting for each day, and that is what we have been working on. I'm not really happy with how the colors have bled into each other. This is totally my own fault though, and not Katie Grace's. We ran out of Stockmar paints and have been using cheapies. I'm hoping to get back on the good stuff in January.

And God said "Let there be light" and there was light.
God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness


Here is the painting before it bled and then dried.


And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.


Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.


God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.


So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
(That's a whale leaping out of the sea)

Katie Grace has also done a bit of copywork as well.

After the beautiful story of Creation, we had the sad, sad story of the Fall. This led to many interesting conversations between myself, Katie Grace, and her ten-year-old brother Michael. Couldn't God have just forgiven them and let them have another chance? If Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, would someone have sinned eventually? How could they ever get right with God again? For us, it plays in perfectly with Advent themes.

Then came Cain and Abel. There was a lot of sympathy for Cain. And again, a theme of banishment and a hope for reconciliation.

Noah came next. We didn't build an ark like Donna suggested, but did have fun playing with our little wooden ark. We did a bit of drawing and a bit of narration and dictation alongside these stories as well.

The Tower of Babel, and next we moved on to Abraham and Sarah.

Katie Grace loved the story of Sarah laughing, but was very concerned about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac. "It would be really really hard to give up your only son." Exactly.

Isaac and Rebecca and Jacob and Esau are where we left off today. What a lesson for parents in this story about not favoring one child over another! And Katie Grace enjoyed making a little tableau of Rebecca at the Well.

Tomorrow we move on to Jacob and his strange dream, and then we're off to Joseph and hopefully a lovely puppet play. We'll wrap things up with the many adventures of Moses and learning the ten commandments.

St. Nicholas Day, revisited

Because St. Nicholas Day was on a Sunday, our celebrations were a bit rushed. Not only was there the whole "clergy family" thing to contend with, but the children's choir, which my two oldest are members of and which I direct, was singing at the 8:15 service.

Saturday night, we set out our shoes in front of the fireplace along with a carrot for St. Nicholas's horse.


Daniel tried to confiscate it, but we saved the carrot!


Then we all curled up and read our favorite St. Nicholas Day book, The Baker's Dozen: A St. Nicholas Tale.


We kept things pretty simple, or should I say St. Nicholas did-- just some chocolate coins, a peppermint stick, and a small chocolate St. Nick.


And today, some wooden "cookies" along with another visit with the book.

Nicholas, give me the spirit of giving.
Teach me that it really is
more blessed to give than to receive,
and that to whom much has been given
much will be expected.
Help me to overcome my fears
that if I give generously
I will suffer want.

Advent Morning Prayer

I wanted to share with you what we're doing for Advent morning prayer. This is in place of our devotions.

We make the Sign of the Cross.

Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Then we sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel and light the Advent wreath.

Psalm 85: 9-14
I listen to God speaking:
"I, the Lord, speak peace,
peace to my faithful people
who turn their hearts to me."
Salvation is coming near,
glory is filling our land.

Love and fidelity embrace,
peace and justice kiss.
Fidelity sprouts from the earth,
justice leans down from heaven.

The Lord pours out his riches,
our land springs to life.
Justice clears God's path,
justice points the way.

Scripture reading. This is very short, only a few verses. We're following the schedule in the Advent Seasons of Joy book. We also might have a short saint's story at this time.

The Lord's Prayer

And we end with one of the kids blowing the candles out.

Morning and Evening Blessings

Bless our hearts.
Put hand over heart.
Bless our home.
Raise arms to make a roof.
Bless our family.
Hold hands.
Throughout this day. Amen.
Squeeze hands.

May the grace of God
Mark the sign of the cross over their hearts
Which passes all understanding
Mark the sign of the cross on foreheads
Strengthen you
Mark the sign of the cross on their forearms
And give you peace.
Mark the sign of the cross on eyelids.
Amen.

From Augsburg Fortress's Children's Devotional

Winter Saints: Rosa Parks

During Advent, we'll be working our way through a book called Winter Saints by Melissa Nussbaum with illustrations by Judy Jarrett. It fits in nicely with Katie Grace's second grade saints main lesson block.

The book not only tells the tales of great saints, both familiar and not-so-familiar, but also of some great heroes. Today we heard the story of a quiet hero, Rosa Parks.

What I love about this story is that it doesn't make Rosa out to be a passive hero, too lazy and tired to move to the back of the bus, a hero by happenstance and not by design. Neither is she an unsuspecting, unknowledgeable bystander-- this Rosa Parks, though forced to drop out of school to care for a sick mother-- was well-read, studying Ghandi and discussing with her church group how to effect change in a society that regarded her and all her people as second-class citizens. It acknowledges that Rosa and her friends spent hours planning how to make things more fair. Rosa wasn't a reluctant hero, but a purposeful one, volunteering to be the first to strike a blow for civil rights.

Another fascinating fact is that Rosa Parks had a baby just two weeks before she was arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus. I can't imagine how bonewrearingly exhausted she must have been, how worried she must have been for her infant child at home, yet how convinced and sure-footed she was in knowing that her cause was just and right. Katie Grace wanted to know who nursed the baby while Rosa was in prison. It was an opportunity to explain the sad fact that some women cannot nurse their babies not because they don't want to, but because economic realities force them back to work at jobs that don't make accomodations for little babies.

In this time when we learn about the winter saints, it seems very fitted to acknowledge this brave woman who said "Do what you have to do. I am not moving."

Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:24) ~*~*~ Seek good and not evil, that you may live. (Amos 5:14) ~*~*~ For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever. (Psalm 9:18)

Mater Dolorosa, ora pro nobis

Holy Mother, imprint deeply upon my heart the wounds of the Crucified.

Today was the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Traditionally, the whole month of September is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

What are the seven sorrows?
1. Simeon's prophecy that Mary's own heart would be "pierced by a sword".
2. The Holy Family's flight into Egypt.
3. When the Holy Child was lost in the Temple in Jerusalem.
4. Meeting Jesus on the road to Calvary
5. Standing at the foot of the cross when Christ was crucified
6. Taking Jesus down from the cross
7. Jesus' burial

We talked about Mary's role in God's plan of salvation, and did the craft from Seton's Art 1 for Young Catholics. Michael glued his into his saints' main lesson book, but Katie Grace glued her on a ribbon length to hang in her room. There were more good ideas here.

Father,
as Your Son was raised on the cross,
His mother Mary stood by Him, sharing His sufferings.
May Your Church be united with Christ
in His suffering and death
and so come to share in His rising to new life,
where He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

From my notebook...

The Five Finger Prayer

I found this somewhere online... unfortunately, I don't remember where! But I googled it, and found it in this exact form on about a trillion different websites, so I will just cut and paste here.

When praying with little ones, have them hold up their hand.

The Five Finger Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest you, so begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a “sweet duty.”
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.
5. And lastly comes our little finger the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Ascension Day

I was looking for Ascension Day ideas and came across this on Catholic Culture:

A custom has survived in some parts of this country of opening the New Testament at random on this day, considering that in the page chosen there may be, as it were, some final message from Jesus as he makes his way back into heaven. Each one in turn opens the New Testament and reads the whole chapter he has lighted on, while the rest of the family or group help him to make that chapter practical for himself.

At first, it seemed a little... I don't know... bordering on superstition? But hey, if it's good enough to post on Catholic Culture, it's good enough for me.

Each of us picked up the Bible, and these are Scriptures that were given to us (Daddy was working. He had a funeral earlier today and is at an Ascension Day service now):

For Mama:
Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. (2 Corinthians 3:4,5)

For Nicholas:
For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:9)

For Katie Grace:
Blessed...are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11:28)

For Michael:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Pretty interesting. We're going to copy out the verses and put them someplace where we can see them every day.

Holy Monday

You know, I was thinking about why I always choose Monday to our "day in review." It's because on Mondays, we're fresh and fairly on task. By Friday, we're just hanging around looking at books. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

The day started out with some yummy turkey sausage and scrambled eggs. Then Daddy supervised the kids putting their laundry away and covered devotions while I ran to the store for some last minute corned beef and cabbage.

We looked at Michaelangelo's Pieta. We talked about what the word pieta means--pity--and then they drew a picture of Mary holding Jesus. It's interesting how different their pictures are. Michael's was very gray--"Like marble, mama"--and Katie Grace's was very bright and colorful. She just can't draw a dark picture when it comes to God. As you can see, drawing has never been a strong interest of Michael's.

While we're here, these are the "Walls of Fame". Michael, Katie Grace, and Nicholas each have a door in the kitchen with their work on it. I don't know what I'm going to do with Daniel. I'm out of doors. :lol

Michael's Door

Katie Grace's Door

Nicholas's Door

On to math! We reviewed mixed numbers with Michael. Really, it was pretty simple. And Katie Grace worked some sums of 15 and 16.

We made Irish soda bread and had snack next. We also cleaned the living room a bit. Then the kids went outside. They are killing my lilac tree (bush?). I get that it's the only climbable tree in the yard, but they have split off three huge branches. So, no more climbing the tree for them.

After break, we talked about Holy Week. We sponge painted crosses--see Walls of Fame.

Then it was what is affectionately known as The Language Arts Big Fun Hour. There are all theses little piddly things to be done--a spelling worksheet here, part of a handwriting sheet there--so we just do it. We ended up playing a compound word game, where you have to keep making compound words.
ME: base
M: baseball
K: ballgame
ME: gameboard
M: boardwalk
K: walkway
etc.

We wrapped up the morning reading Jamie O' Rourke and the Big Potato and Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland, both by Tomie dePaloa.

Following lunch (some yummy rebaked pasta that was sent home with us by some church members) we read Caddie Woodlawn. Then we read The Last Snake in Ireland: A story about St. Patrick by Sheila MacGill-Callahan. This played in nicely with Michael's current Loch Ness Monster obsession.

I let Michael mess around a bit on Yahooligans --I believe he mostly watched clips from The Water Horse--while Katie Grace cleaned her room and Nick and I cleaned up from lunch and had Bunny School (Nick's name for "preschool time" with me!). We finger painted with yellow and blue and made green, and made a St. Patrick's Day shamrock sticker picture. Then we built a "restaurant castle" with blocks.

We read Story of the World and Michael did a map, and then Ms. Anne, Nick's speech therapist came. It was his last session! While Nicholas played Candyland with Ms. Anne, Michael and Katie Grace added a page to their Saints Main Lesson Book.

Then we were done for the day! Michael can't practice cello because his buddy Noah broke the bridge when he smashed into it, and his cello is in the shop. We spent the rest of the afternoon resting, munching on soda bread, and running to the library.

An Easy Week in Pictures

Daniel's first doodle!



Spring is finally coming.
Platonic solids, hanging out on the window sill to see if they'll become more than friends.



Eating matzah.