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Seven Ways to Observe Advent with Children

By Amanda Woodiel

Photo by Stefan Schweihofer (2018) via Pixabay, CCO Creative Commons

Perhaps you too have had the experience of preparing for Christmas, only to realize that amongst the candy-making, the letter-writing, the present-purchasing, the tree-trimming, and more, you never got around to spiritual preparation, even though you really meant to this year.

If you would like to add a more reflective or penitential note to your family’s Advent observance, check out the seven ideas below to get you started.  Choose one (or two), gather what you will need, and start a new family tradition!

Jesse tree

The idea:

Recall salvation history.  Use ornaments decorated with symbols to represent the events and stories leading up to the birth of Jesus and hang them on a tree of some kind (the tree is so named after Jesse, father of King David–see Isaiah 11:1).

What you will need:   

  • You can order a kit.  Check out Etsy for some beautiful ones.
  • You can do it yourself…you need something to be the tree, something to make ornaments, and a Bible or knowledge of Bible stories.  I use a book that has reproducible ornaments.  Each year I photocopy one set of ornaments for each child.  I cut out a large Christmas tree shape from wrapping paper and tape it on the wall.  Each day (when all goes well), the kids color their ornaments while I read to them the passage from the Bible corresponding to the symbol they are coloring.  They then cut out their ornaments and tape them on the tree.
  • The tree can also be a bare branch set into a mason jar full of stones or sand, and the ornaments can be hung on it with loops of ribbon.

Advent stockings: good works

The idea:

The family does a spiritual or corporal work of mercy (or other charitable act) each day of advent.  For example, we might give away a piece of clothing; pray for an end to abortion; pray for our priests; call someone who might be lonely, etc.

You need:

  • Slips of paper listing the good works you will do (see the end of this post for ideas).
  • Something to put them in.  I have mini stockings with numbers on them, which we hang up.  Every evening I put a slip of paper in the next day’s stocking, choosing the activity based on what can fit into our family calendar.  But you could easily do the same with numbered envelopes or, if you are really adventurous, just put them all in a mason jar and see what you pull out!

Making soft Baby Jesus’ Bed

The idea:

Family members make sacrifices and do good acts throughout Advent.  For each one, they lay a piece of straw or hay in an empty manger, trying to get the bed as soft as possible before Baby Jesus will be born on Christmas morning.

You need:

  • Raffia, hay, straw, grass, or strips of yellow construction paper.
  • Some sort of manger.
  • Baby Jesus statue.

Advent wreath

The idea:

Four candles represent the four Sundays of Advent.  Three are purple to represent penance; the fourth is pink for Gaudete Sunday (the 3rd Sunday of Advent.  Gaudete means “joy,” and the priest will wear rose-colored vestments).  On the first Sunday of Advent, light the purple candle that is diagonal from the pink one.  Say a prayer of longing for Our Savior.  Every evening light this candle, accompanied by a prayer, and each successive Sunday light an additional candle.

You need:

  • An advent wreath/candle holder
  • Candles

Salvation history candle

The idea:

Similar to a Jesse tree but for the artistic.  You will draw on a large candle (about 2 feet tall) the scenes from salvation history, starting with Adam and Eve at the top and Baby Jesus at the bottom.  You will burn the candle throughout Advent.

You need:

  • A church-style large candle, 51% beeswax, about 2’ tall.  Can be found at stjudeshop.com
  • Drawing implements

Planned read-alouds

The idea:

Read advent and nativity books during Advent: either one story per day in a book of collected Advent stories or separate books.

You need:

  • A book with a collection of 22-28 Advent stories (here is the one we have); or
  • 22-28 picture books that are Advent-related, about saints whose feast day falls in Advent, or about salvation history.  If you choose this option, you might want to wrap them in wrapping paper and number them, opening up one on each day.

Piece-by-piece nativity set

The idea:

Rather than give a little piece of candy in an Advent calendar, each day brings another object or person to add to the nativity scene, starting with the stable/cave and ending with Baby Jesus.

You need:

  • You can buy a set online that has the requisite number of pieces; or
  • You can make one yourself out of felt, bringing out one piece each day; or
  • Your children make their own paper nativity set, coloring a piece every day using free printables online.

____________________

Resources:

Here is a list of good works you might use for your family’s Advent stockings.

  • Do something nice for someone in secret today.
  • Look around your room.  Is there anything you can give away to the poor?
  • Do an extra chore today.
  • Try hard to be cheerful in everything you do today.
  • Draw a picture of the nativity.
  • Read about a saint today.
  • Pray for your priest today.  Could you offer up a sacrifice for the Church today?
  • Pray for an end to abortion today and give away something to moms in need.
  • Pray for the deceased today.  Could you make a sacrifice for the souls in purgatory?
  • Pray for persecuted Christians today and learn about a country where they do not have freedom of religion.
  • Pray for people who do not know Jesus.  Is there something you could do extra as an offering for them?
  • Pray for your family today.  What can you do to help your family be more like the Holy Family?
  • Pray a Rosary today.
  • Pray the Chaplet of Divine mercy.
  • Do an examination of conscience tonight, and if possible, schedule Confession sometime soon.
  • Take a meal to someone in need.
  • Make a card to send to someone who lives far away.
  • Call or invite someone over who might be lonely.
  • Read the Nativity story from the Bible.
  • Make ornaments to send to the nursing home.
  • Do something for someone else that you normally don’t want to do (such as offer to play a game you know he likes).
  • Eat all of your food with a good attitude (even if you don’t like it) and be grateful you have it.
  • Sing a song to baby Jesus or make up a poem for Him.
  • Act out the nativity or part of the salvation story or do a puppet show.
  • Give money to the poor.  You may do an extra chore and give away any money you earn.
  • Bake something and give away half.
  • Write or draw a thank-you card for someone.
  • Make a gift for your priest or staff at your parish church.
  • Give away food to the food pantry.
  • Give away a piece of warm clothing.
  • Work on memorizing a Bible verse.
  • Go to morning Mass.
  • Give up something you like to do or eat today and offer it up as a prayer for someone in need.
  • Wrap up something you have and give it to someone.

 


Copyright 2018 Amanda Woodiel.  This post first appeared at www.inaplaceofgrace.com.

Read all posts by Amanda Woodiel Filed Under: Catechetics, Catholic Spirituality, Elementary School, Family Life, Featured, Homeschooling, Liturgical, Middle School, Scripture Tagged With: advent, bible, Catechesis, family, resources, scripture

My Top 12 Tips for New-to-Homeschooling Parents

By Amanda Woodiel

Some friends of mine have decided to homeschool next year, and I found myself giddy.  Homeschooling has blessed our family tremendously–from the amount of time I get to form my children in virtue to the simple life we are forced to live in order to accommodate one income; from the relationships my older children have with my younger children to the generous amount of leisure it affords us.

My exuberance makes me want to rain advice and book suggestions down on my friends’ unsuspecting heads, but I recognize that I should exercise restraint.  Instead, I offer here my top 12 tips for New-to-Homeschool folks.

 

1) Decide what your non-negotiables are at this stage of your child’s education.

For us, our non-negotiables are learning our faith well; math; learning to write well; and reading time.  Would I like my kids to know their history?  Of course.  But I can add that into my non-negotiables of writing and reading.  Do I want them to know science?  I do.  Geography?  Yes.  But those will increase in intensity as they get older.  For now, if they read, write, do some math, have some kind of virtue/Bible lesson, and get outside to play or build, then that’s a good day.

 

2) Write your school’s mission statement based upon the non-negotiables and post it.

As you get into learning more about homeschooling, it’s pretty easy to lose the forest for the trees.  It’s a little like wedding planning…suddenly, you think you must incorporate party favors and cake pops while the real thing you ought to be concerned about (the sacrament of marriage) gets lost under the fluff.  Knowing what your mission is helps to make those homeschooling decisions a little easier; everything can be held under the light of “does this fit into our educational mission?”

3) Know who you are.

See, as you go along, you are going to come across blogs of homeschool parents who make snow globes and amazing origami forest animals.  If that’s not you, don’t sweat it.  Your kids will be fine, I assure you, without ever building an Egyptian pyramid out of colored sugar cubes.  Instead, focus on your own talents for teaching.  Are you great at silly songs?  That’s awesome for teaching history.  Do you enjoy being outside?  You can pack science, math, and religion into a single nature walk.  Are you good at carpentry?  More math!  Sure, you can stretch yourself every now and then and do more of what you aren’t naturally disposed to do, but for the day in and day out of homeschool, teach in a way that is pleasant to you.

4) Know who your child is.

As you go along in your homeschooling journey, you will come to know who your child is and how he learns best.  Sadly, it may not quite match your preferred method.  That’s okay–you can both stretch.  This is one reason why homeschooling is so effective: you can tailor how you teach to how your student learns.  Is he visual?  Use dry erase boards a lot.  Auditory learner?  Record yourself reading his spelling list and spelling it out for him.  Does he learn through story?  Read aloud his history.  Does he need to move a lot?  Math problems can be combined with races pretty easily.

5) Look at different homeschooling philosophies before you sweat which curriculum you will use.

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Waldorf, and Unit Studies will soon become educational philosophies you will dissect with other homeschooling parents.  Simply learning about different ways to homeschool will likely help you fine-tune what is important to you.  Personally, I don’t follow any homeschool philosophy in particular but have picked out elements from several different methods.  I strongly believe in outside time a la Charlotte Mason, I incorporate the 4-year cycle of history study used by the Classical method, and I am low-electronics like Waldorf.

6) Co-op…or not.

You can’t go wrong here.  Trust your gut.  You can do a co-op and thereby pool your talents with others so that your kids are getting pottery classes, for example, whereas you can hardly draw a stick figure personally.  On the other hand, you could not do a co-op and learn art alongside your child at home.  One thing I will say is that the “socialization” impetus for co-ops is largely over-emphasized.  If you live in a neighborhood, go to church, have interactions with extended family, participate in any organized extra-curricular activity like Cub Scouts or sports, and make time for play dates or library activities…your kids are going to be socialized just fine, and they will be socialized across age groups as children have been for hundreds of generations before.

7) Structure your day.

In general, children like structure to their day, and this is especially important if your child is transitioning from traditional school to homeschool.  He is used to having nearly every minute planned out for him.  Clearly, you don’t need to go to that extreme, but a simple rhythm to your day will obviate being asked again and again, “What are we doing next?  Can I go outside?  When can we paint?”  It can be as simple as “breakfast, read aloud, math, recess, handwriting, read-alone time, lunch, done.”  It will also keep you from having to reinvent the wheel every day.

8) Schedule your non-negotiables first.

I used to put the stuff that was really important to me, like Scripture memorization, after we got other subjects out of the way.  Do you know that meant?  That meant we hardly ever got to Scripture memorization.  Someone dropped by, or I had to prep dinner, or everything just took longer than I had anticipated or it was a beautiful day and we decided to go for a walk.  I finally realized that we had to do our non-negotiables first and all of those lovely enrichment-type activities as the day progressed.  That way, by the end of the day, we had at least done what was most important to us.  Another idea is to put the electives at the end of the week.  In our home, we schedule Fine Arts Friday and study art history, music appreciation, poetry, creative writing, and/or go on field trips then.

9) Don’t try to re-create a traditional school environment at home.

You don’t have to do six different subjects every day.  You could decide to take a month and do all science all the time.  You can do one subject in-depth every day of the week for a total of five subjects weekly.  You can do school in the afternoon.  Your kid does not have to sit at a desk.  You can do math problems with chalk outside.  You can do all of school outside!  You can do a math review while you grocery shop.  You can add non-traditional subjects like service projects and gardening.  Or maybe that’s all you do for a month!  Again, refer back to your non-negotiables and mission statement, but remember, you can be far more flexible and creative in how you implement them than what you might believe at first.

10) Structure quiet time into every day.

This is to keep your sanity, basically, and yet I personally believe it to be a fundamental human need that is often overlooked.  I want my kids to know how to be alone with themselves without having to turn on a screen.  I want them to learn how to entertain themselves.  Especially since we have a large family, we could constantly be chattering away and running about without ever learning to listen to our thoughts and how to be at peace with ourselves.  And also–this will be the time when you get your things done.

11) Use a daily checklist.

Any child who can read can use a checklist to help manage his time.  This is convenient when you have multiple children to teach.  You can’t constantly answer “What should I do next?”  I make our checklists on the computer.  Each page lasts a week and has five columns, one for every day.  Anything that we do together we do first (such as prayer time–we love Lisa’s book Heads Bowed: Prayers for Catholic School Days), and then each child has independent work for the day to get done.

12) Read aloud and then read aloud some more.

Reading aloud has been part of our family culture and has given us innumerable adventures from our living room.  We probably know as many imaginary characters as we do real people, and it has widened our experience and deepened our bonds like nothing else.  If all I did for the first three grades were to read aloud for a couple of hours each day, I would consider that time well spent.  Since I usually don’t have hours every day to read aloud, I do what I can and supplement with audiobooks.

Relax.  There are many ways to do this homeschooling thing right, and as long as it is done thoughtfully and with love, I can hardly think of how you could go wrong.  Blessings on your homeschool journey!

 

Copyright Amanda Woodiel (2018).  All rights reserved.

Read all posts by Amanda Woodiel Filed Under: Family Life, Featured, Homeschooling Tagged With: family, teaching

Why We Should Pray With Our Children From an Early Age

By Lisa Mladinich

Hi All!

This is my ten-minute discussion with Matt Swaim on the Son Rise Morning Show, today!

We cover why it’s important to pray with children from an early age, what they learn, and how to help our teens and young adults who have lost their faith. Just the simplest points are discussed, but we could go a lot deeper.

I’d love your comments, suggestions, and questions in the chat!

https://amazingcatechists.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SON-RISE-MORNING-SHOW-1-14-20-praying-with-children.m4a

 

Here’s where you can order my book, “Heads Bowed: Prayers for Catholic School Days.”

I’m looking forward to your comments!

Blessings,

Lisa Mladinich

Follow me on Facebook!

Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Book Reviews, Catechetics, Catechism, Catholic Spirituality, Family Life, Featured, Homeschooling, Lisa's Updates, Liturgical, Resources, Scripture Tagged With: Heads Bowed: Prayers for Catholic School Days, Liguori Publications, prayer books for children, praying with children

Interview with Carrell Jamilano about The Alluring Voice of God

By Lisa Mladinich

Wow, did I need THAT.

Talking with Carrell Jamilano is like being on a beautiful retreat and feeling the fresh breezes of the Holy Spirit lifting my heart.

Join us for a conversation that will refresh and equip you to help yourself, your ministry, and the beautiful young adults in your life to grow closer to God, right here, right now.

Click the cover of Carrell’s fantastic new book to watch our interview!

 

 

Carrell Jamilano is a spiritual director and speaker known for her compassionate accompaniment of directees and captivating presentations. She served as a television co-host for Shalom World’s program, “WOMAN: Strong Faith, True Beauty,” and has appeared as a guest on SiriusXM radio, Catholic TV Network, and CFN Live! 

Her writingshave been published with Liguorian, Life Teen International, and The Upper Room. Carrell was featured by ThePress-Enterprise in their “Inland Rising Star” series for her spiritual direction ministerial work and has over 16 years of experience serving youth and young adults. Carrell received her master’s degree in Pastoral Theology and is the founder and creator of CatholicSpiritualDirector.com, a game-changing resource for topics on prayer, discernment, and spirituality.

She recently authored her first book, “The Alluring Voice of God: Forming Daily Encounters,” offering readers guidance on how to better hear God’s voice in their everyday life.

Find Carrell Jamilano, here:

https://www.catholicspiritualdirector.com

Order The Alluring Voice of God, here:

https://www.liguori.org/the-alluring-voice-of-god.html

Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Book Reviews, Campus Ministry, Catholic Spirituality, Featured, General, High School, Homeschooling, Interview, Interviews, Lisa's Updates, Podcast, Resources, Youth Ministry Tagged With: Carrell Jamilano, prayer, spiritual direction, spiritual dryness, The Alluring Voice of God, young adult ministry, Youth Ministry

Interview with Leila Lawler and The Summa Domestica

By Lisa Mladinich

Do you like a good story?
Enjoy this fascinating conversation with Leila Lawler about the role of beauty in her conversion from atheism, the critical skills of homemaking, and her fantastic new three-volume set, The Summa Domestica!

Order Leila’s beautiful boxed set here!

Leila Marie Lawler is a wife of one, mother of seven, and grandmother of sixteen (and counting!). She lives in Central Massachusetts. Leila encountered Christianity as a high school student and entered the Catholic Church in 1979, the year she was married to Philip F. Lawler, noted Catholic author and editor of Catholic World News.

Leila practices “kitchen sink philosophy” at Like Mother, Like Daughter, a website for practical and theoretical insight into all aspects of daily life. She writes on everything from cooking and knitting to education and recovering what she and her daughters call “the collective memory.”

Leila is a Fellow of the Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture, a project of Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH. Her previous book, co-authored with David Clayton, The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home, is published by Sophia Institute Press.

Find Leila at her blog: http://likemotherlikedaughter.org

Leila Lawler on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/leilamarielawler

Link for Purchase: https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/the-summa-domestica-3-volume-set

Facebook (her publisher): https://www.facebook.com/SophiaInstitutePress/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SophiaPress

Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Family Life, Featured, General, Homeschooling, Interview, Lisa's Updates, Podcast, Video Tagged With: conversion story, family life, homeschooling, interview, Leila Marie Lawler, Sophia Institute Press, The Summa Domestica

Puppet Script: Jesus, the Greatest Gift of All!

By Lisa Mladinich


This week, I offer you another Advent-themed script about a grumpy kid frustrated with all the busyness and distraction of the adults during Advent.

Jesus the Greatest Gift of All-Advent

Feel free to change the names, add or subtract from the content, and share my free script in any way that helps you catechize and enjoy the season with your family, your students, or your parish. I recommend it be used as a puppet show for little ones or a skit to be performed by your confident readers!

NOTE: The only thing I ask is that you not sell the scripts. I own the copyrights and I’d like to keep them free for everyone. If you charge for performances, that’s fine. I know your ministries can use all the help they can get!

p.s.

Some of my scripts, you will notice, were inspired (many years ago) by a Christian script writer by the name of Louise Ferry. I believe this is where you can currently find her wonderful work: https://puppetscripts.tripod.com/puppet.htm

Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Catechetics, Catechism, Catholic Education, Creativity, Family Life, Featured, General, Homeschooling, Lisa's Updates, Liturgical, Middle School, Puppet Scripts, Resources Tagged With: advent, Catholic, children's resources, free resources, homeschooling, puppet scripts, religious education

Interview with Dr. Brant Pitre on His New Book!

By Lisa Mladinich

My Friends, Enjoy this delightful half-hour with Dr. Brant Pitre. We’re talking about his fantastic new book, “Introduction to the Spiritual Life: Walking the Path of Prayer with Jesus.”

Just click the book cover to watch my super-fun chat with Dr. Pitre!

I highly recommend this resource for individuals and groups.

It is truly accessible to anyone–from teens and RCIA candidates to those who are advanced in the spiritual life. 

Dr. Pitre presents the faith in easy steps, without skimping on the beauty, majesty, challenge, and joy of growing in the spiritual life.

You can order it in plenty of time for Christmas, here.

Pro-Tip: For 2022, form some accountability partnerships and go through this one short chapter at a time, discussing your learnings and then setting goals for your own growth!

Dr. Brant Pitre is Distinguished Research Professor of Scripture at the Augustine Institute, Graduate School of Theology. He earned his Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame, where he specialized in the study of the New Testament and ancient Judaism. He is the author of the best-selling books, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist (Image, 2011), The Case for Jesus (Image, 2015), and Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary (Image, 2018). Dr. Pitre has also produced dozens of video and audio Bible studies, in which he explores the biblical foundations of Catholic faith and theology (available at BrantPitre.com). He currently lives in Louisiana with his wife Elizabeth and their five children.

Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Book Reviews, Catholic Education, Catholic Spirituality, Featured, General, High School, Homeschooling, Interview, Lisa's Updates, Podcast, Prayer, RCIA & Adult Education, Scripture, Video Tagged With: book, Dr. Brant Pitre, interview, Introduction to the Spiritual Life, Roman Catholicism, video

Advent Puppet Script

By Lisa Mladinich

My Friends!

Today, to mark the beginning of this holy Advent season, I’m sharing a sweet Advent puppet script, which I wrote years ago. It can be performed easily by any adult or teen. In fact, any child who reads well can perform them!

I have dozens of such scripts, some connected with the liturgical year, others with articles of our faith, others with virtues (which I created for our local YMCA nursery school), some created for VBS programs (for free, by request), and so on. I’ll be sharing them here at AmazingCatechists.com, in the coming weeks and months, and may eventually create an ebook, so you can acquire the whole “collection.”

How to perform the show

Simply sit with the script pages laid out on a desk or story rug and gather the children around you, or hand out copies and use it as a skit for older students to act out together in front of the class.

Use a different “voice” for each of the two characters, moving the one that is speaking, to make it clear for the children.

Some of them are wacky and silly, while others are more reverent. Be sensitive to mood, and have fun!

Please read my “Note on Reverence” before using any of my scripts. It’s important, truly.

A note from the author about reverence

And, without further ado, here is The Empty Manger, to start off your Advent season with the children:

The Empty Manger

A little history, if you have a minute more…

Between 2003 and 2008, I wrote dozens of puppet scripts for use in a YMCA nursery-school (virtue) program, then for Catholic and Christian children’s events, library programs, parties, scout troops, and finally my own religious education classroom. I was a volunteer mom teaching elementary-aged kids, but I was also a writer and a former actress, so–along with the Holy Rosary and our parish curriculum–I incorporated singing and creative dramatics, every week.

I almost always capped my lessons with a puppet show (hastily created beforehand), and the children adored them. It was a reward for good behavior, I told the children, but it was also a way to emphasize a point from that day’s lesson, break open a difficult concept, or make a dry subject fun and intriguing. If we had time and the children were clamoring to see it again, I would do an encore performance. Each lasts only a few minutes, and I figured, “Hey, they’re asking for another lesson in their faith. How can I say no?” They wanted to touch and talk with the puppets, so I often held a brief, extremely silly, improvised Q&A with the characters, after the show.

My religious education credo

To ignite their imaginations is extremely important to me, and I sincerely believe that it is a crying shame, if not actually sinful because it’s so dishonest, to make our amazing, transformative Catholic faith a dull and ordinary business. So I gave it my all, each week, begging the Holy Spirit to “light me up” and make the lessons impactful. He never let me down.

A little more about how to use them…

At the end of the day’s teaching, using whatever hand puppets I had at the time, I sat on the story rug, placed the scripts on the floor in front of me, and gathered the eager children around me. I started out using some old, neglected puppets they had at the YMCA, when I volunteered for a summer program with nursery-school-aged children. I also incorporated sock puppets, which were a scream and easy to make (and I am the least crafty person I know). But eventually, I bought an adorable, racially-diverse collection of “kid” puppets that Oriental Trading used to sell cheap. I added some animal puppets my daughter had been given (and never used), and a few oddball ones I borrowed from some enthusiastic neighbor kids (who were not using their’s, either).

A couple of important insights

As I branched out into children’s parties and library programs, I noticed a couple of amazing things:

  • all kids enjoyed the shows–even kids as old as 14 wanted to try them on after the show and make up their own stories,
  • and special needs children who normally could not attend long to a regular lesson were spell-bound by the puppets.

The puppets excited them like nothing else–like animated characters sprung into 3-D before their eyes!

CatholicMom.com…

Then, in 2007 (or thereabouts), I was on a Catholic writers’ email group, and offered to share my scripts for free to anyone who wanted them. Another member, the lovely Lisa Hendey, invited me to share them with the world at her popular site, CatholicMom.com. They had a home there, as a “puppet ministry” until 2019, when the site went through an overhaul and all PDF content was lost. (I just found out about it because someone tracked me down, asking for the scripts, and I made inquiries.)

The upshot is that I’m now sharing them here, so stay tuned!

Next up will be a Christmas show about a disgruntled kid feeling lost in the busyness of the season, who learns a lesson about service and sacrifice. Coming soon!

I pray these little lessons bless you and the children you care about, pray for, and teach. I would love to hear from you about how you use them, and I pray they will inspire you to create and share scripts of your own! I’d be happy to post them, here.

Feel free to write to me: lisa@wonderfullymade139.com

A very sweet and holy Advent to you and yours!

Lisa

Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Catechetics, Catholic Education, Creativity, Elementary School, Featured, Homeschooling, Lisa's Updates, Liturgical, Puppet Scripts, Special Needs Tagged With: advent, Catholic, children's resources, free resources, puppet scripts, religious education

NEW: Homeschooling Saints Podcast

By Lisa Mladinich

Hi Everyone!

I am proud to announce the Homeschooling Saints Podcast, sponsored by Homeschool Connections! I’m the host, and we launched today with our first episode, “Do You Have to Be Crazy to Homeschool?” with Mary Ellen Barrett, along with a short feature on praying the Rosary together as a family, with Chantal Howard.

Tune in, subscribe, share, and leave us an honest review!

And enjoy these tracks from our amazing composer, Taylor Kirkwood!!

First: Doxology, our theme song! Second: Watchful Teacher, our special feature music!

https://amazingcatechists.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/TaylorKirkwood_Doxology.mp3 https://amazingcatechists.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/TaylorKirkwood_Watchful-Teacher-w-more-perc_0606.mp3

Read all posts by Lisa Mladinich Filed Under: Catholic Spirituality, Elementary School, Evangelization, Family Life, Featured, High School, Homeschooling, Interview, Lisa's Updates, Marriage, Middle School, Music, Podcast, Resources Tagged With: Catholicism, Chantal Howard, Erin Brown, Homeschool Connections, homeschooling, Homeschooling Saints Podcast, Mary Ellen Barrett, Maureen Wittmann, Taylor Kirkwood, Walter Crawford

A Case for the Restoration of Catechetical Recitation

By Brandon Harvey

Over the last fifteen years I have heard numerous individuals share about their experiences as the “last real Baltimore Catechism Generation.” Some express that the formal catechism recitation, comprised of a question and answer dialogue, was a positive influence on their faith life and provided them sound doctrinal formation. Others have a somewhat negative view of their experience and felt that the catechism recitation monopolized their classroom experience. Interestingly though, they do have one positive thing to say about the use of recitation: “I will never forget what I learned.” The famous example being:

The Catechist: Why did God make you?

The Class: “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in heaven.”

This dialogue recitation was not only found in Catholic catechetical classrooms but also is a hallmark of the Classical Education Movement that has been seeking to restore the essence of an authentic education. The name for this dialogue or echo between teacher and class has also been called “Catechism.” For now, let us remain with the title “recitation.”

I seek to suggest that it would be in our best interest as Amazing Catechists, either at home or in a classroom, to carry out the restoration project of bringing back the Catholic recitation. I am not suggesting that this be done as the sole means of educating youth but that the use of recitation should once again become part of our catechetical process. The question and answers of recitation can easily be integrated into the opening of class or the closing of class. The reason for its restoration is that it works.

The traditional characteristic of the younger grades, what we call Grammar School or Elementary School, was the emphasis on memory work. The emphasis on memory work was aimed at cultivating a child’s memory capacity and at the same time teaching them something. Small children can do it, and the last couple thousand years have demonstrated that it fits well with the developmental stages of small children. They like to repeat and imitate. They are a sponge and can handle unusual amounts of information if it begins simple and grows in complexity. Recitation for a small child is like exercise. The more a person exercises, the easier it becomes and the more complicated routines can then be adopted.

Within a few short minutes I have seen 1st communicants be able to answer questions like:

  1. Who is God?
  2. What are the two parts of Scripture?
  3. Name the four Gospels.
  4. Who is Jesus?
  5. What are the Old Testament types of Baptism?
  6. What does John 3:5 say about Baptism?
  7. What does Romans 6 say about Baptism?
  8. How does Confirmation complete Baptism?
  9. How does Confirmation help with the reception of Holy Communion?
  10. What is the Manna in Exodus 16?
  11. How does the Lord’s Prayer connect with Manna?
  12. What does Jesus say about the Eucharist in John 6?

The benefits for the child are beyond this article and deserve an entire book to do them justice. I have chosen to simplify and provide the nine most common fruits when recitation is done well and consistently:

  1. Recitation teaches children to organize a body of knowledge in a systematic way.
  2. Recitation demonstrates to a child how the new lesson of a given class fits within the greater body of knowledge of the Catholic Faith.
  3. Recitation teaches children new and proper vocabulary to help them formulate the concepts they will learn in class.
  4. Recitation provides students the opportunity to grow in confidence for speaking in front of others.
  5. Recitation provides all students in a classroom the same base knowledge to build from in the catechetical lesson.
  6. Recitation motivates the child to develop their memory capacity and their speed and ability for recall.
  7. Recitation provides a body of knowledge that will be ingrained in their long-term memory for the years and possibly decades to come.
  8. Recitation encourages teamwork when done in a classroom setting since the class answers together.
  9. Recitation develops a sense of confidence through the year’s mastery of recitation.

Besides being a time-tested approach to learning for smaller children, especially within a Catholic environment, recitation also provides many helps for the Catechists. Classroom recitation provides the most immediate assessment of a student’s or students’ abilities and their current status in the process of formation. Unlike True and False questions or multiple-choice questions, recitation does not allow for guessing. You either know it or you do not. A catechist does not need to wait until the end of the unit quiz to know if a student grasps the content. They will know immediately. The process of conducting recitation will be discussed in my next article.

The importance of recitation, and the fact that it should not monopolize the classroom experience, is best expressed by turning to L.M. Montgomery’s classic Anne of Green Gables. The orphan, Anne, has arrived at her new home at Green Gables. Marilla asks Anne if she knows who God is. Anne responds, “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” The narrator explains that Anne’s answer was prompt.

Anne then explains that she learned it at Sunday school before being adopted. “They made us learn the whole catechism,” likely referring to a sort of recitation, “There’s something splendid about some of the words.” The role of this catechism recitation had a big impact on her vocabulary, her memory, her recall, and her worldview. However, Anne does not yet know how to be a person who prays to God and follows God. For this reason, Marilla immediately seeks Anne’s religious instruction.

Just as in the example of Anne of Green Gables, catechism recitation can have many benefits but must be accompanied by something more within the classroom. The catechetical recitation and catechetical lesson work together to create something grand: a child formed in the way of Jesus Christ. Anyone would be hard pressed, once they know the different approaches to conducting recitation, to find a good reason to not restore catechetical recitation to its proper place.

 

Image Credit from Wikimedia Commons: Jules-Alexis Muenier: Catechism Lesson

Read all posts by Brandon Harvey Filed Under: Catechetics, Catechism, Elementary School, Featured, Homeschooling Tagged With: Anne of Green Gables, assessment, catechism, Drills, Recitation

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