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The Work of the Child

5/25/2022

Last week was our final week of work time in the Atrium for the majority of the children. It was a gift to observe their choices and the way they worked together in the Atrium space.

In Level 1 a 1st year child showed another 1st year child how to make a Baptism collage.

Three Level 2 children returned to an activity presented during the first few weeks of the year: Looking up Scriptures in the Bible.

An older child assisted a 1st year child in his work of "dressing" the Easter Candle through a felt material.

Two Level 3 children were focused on finding "world events" and "personal events" to place on their individual timelines of the past century.

The Level 2 children ended, as they have most sessions this year, by participating in leading Communal Prayer.

As we near the end of the Atrium year the children have been finishing up "big work." It is always interesting to see what materials have intrigued and captivated each child, enticing them to spend extended time following up in their work with them. Note the beautiful balance in the photos below of Scripture, Liturgy, and prayer, as well as the balance between copying and embellishing, staying grounded in truth while also showing forth the individual understanding of the content.

Making a booklet of portions of Psalm 23.

Preparing a fifth Prayer Card in order to make a booklet.

Copying labels for each article of the altar.

Note the focus and concentration shown by each child in this photo!! The child to the left is tracing and coloring a map of the land of Israel. The center child is coloring a liturgical calendar. The child to the right is finishing up tracing and coloring a map of the City of Jerusalem which includes the places visited by Jesus between the Last Supper and His Resurrection.

Working to copy the Typology chart for Creation.

Laying out the individual gifts strip before copying another page.

Setting up and copying a pin map of the Land of Israel.

Creating a personal version of the Parable of the Talents.

Finishing up "The History of the Kingdom of God and My Place in It."

Completing a set of Propers for the Queenship of Mary.

A Moment in Time

5/11/2022

While the children often choose a variety of materials to work with during their time in the Atrium, it is often hard to describe what this looks like. During a recent Level 2 (E1) Atrium session I was struck by the way each child was engaging alone or with a friend in a work that had been freely chosen. The following photos attempt to record that moment.

A first year worked with The Eucharistic Presence of the Good Shepherd material which links the Parable of the Good Shepherd to the feeding of His people with the best food and drink, His Body and Blood.

Two third years worked with the material for the Parable of the Good Samaritan and then began to copy and illustrate the entire Scripture booklet.

A second year and a third year set up The Nativity and the Adoration of the Shepherds work and are reading the Scripture booklet which accompanies it.

A first year works at the model altar, opening the model tabernacle and examining the ciborium.

A second year works with the Origin of the Eucharist material. Here the apostles are going out to share the truth about Jesus with others, bringing them His Body and Blood.

A second year works with the Order of Baptism material, laying out the gestures and articles in the order in which they are received.

The 2nd Year Missal

5/4/2022

The Second Years have completed their Missals! Throughout the year they have taken time to copy the most essential prayers of the Mass and have illustrated them. After ordering and enjoying these prayers week after week we pray that they are not just written on paper but also have been written more deeply on their hearts. They received their finished Missals on their Second Year Retreat. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to grow closer to Our Lord and, for some of them, as they prepare to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time this spring!

The Work of the Child

Finalizing Big Work!

A Moment in Time

The 2nd Year Missal

Carolyn Kohlhaas

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