In the Atrium the Model Altar and the Gestures Altar have different purposes, or, we might say, address different "difficulties", a fact which is made clear through the direct aims of the presentations associated with them. The Model Altar is a nomenclature presentation and thus seeks "To name, identify, and make accessible..." while the Gestures presentations intend "To set afire the gesture and ponder..." One of the ways this distinction of purpose is shown is by the size of the materials involved. The Model Altar is intended to be model sized. According to the Materials Manual on CGSUSA.org the altar is to be about 9" in height and 15" by 10" in surface area. At this space the child works to repeat the names and the placement of the items and then is invited to prayer. In contrast, the gestures area is to have "a small work table." The height of this table, to the 3yo child, should be proportionate to the real altar's height in relation to the priest. At this space the child looks at one gesture of prayer as led by the priest during the Mass, and ponders its meaning. Because the purpose of the material is different, the size of the material is different as well. This distinction helps "isolate the difficulty" for the child.
There is a principle in Montessori called "Isolation of Difficulty." This principle is applied within an individual Practical Life presentation by slowing down, focusing on one or two movements in particular, especially those which may be challenging to the child. However, this principle is also applied on the larger scale. In a Montessori environment each material has a specific purpose and there is only one material which isolates that particular "difficulty" or concept for the child. According to Montessori herself, "The difficulty that the child must discover and understand must be isolated in a single piece of material. The isolation simplifies the child's task for him and enables him to perceive the problem more readily" (Montessori: A Modern Approach, 61).
In the Atrium the Model Altar and the Gestures Altar have different purposes, or, we might say, address different "difficulties", a fact which is made clear through the direct aims of the presentations associated with them. The Model Altar is a nomenclature presentation and thus seeks "To name, identify, and make accessible..." while the Gestures presentations intend "To set afire the gesture and ponder..." One of the ways this distinction of purpose is shown is by the size of the materials involved. The Model Altar is intended to be model sized. According to the Materials Manual on CGSUSA.org the altar is to be about 9" in height and 15" by 10" in surface area. At this space the child works to repeat the names and the placement of the items and then is invited to prayer. In contrast, the gestures area is to have "a small work table." The height of this table, to the 3yo child, should be proportionate to the real altar's height in relation to the priest. At this space the child looks at one gesture of prayer as led by the priest during the Mass, and ponders its meaning. Because the purpose of the material is different, the size of the material is different as well. This distinction helps "isolate the difficulty" for the child. As a follow-up to last week's post, I know that some Atria are unable to use real candles. While this is an unfortunate situation, I would like to offer a few tips to mitigate this challenge as much as possible. While I have not worked in an Atrium in this situation, I have done a number of observations in schools working through this and have been able to work with catechists to try to offer the best to the children. While it is difficult to offer the sense of sacredness with a battery operated candle that real flame does, here are some suggestions which may move the children closer to an experience of prayer. If you have been using battery operated candles for a long time these recommendations might seem strange...but I would challenge you to give them a try. In my experience these parameters allow Atria without real candles to better lead the children to prayer which is the aim of their time in this beautiful space.
1. First of all, use very few candles. In Gianna's L1 Atrium candles were used at the Prayer Table each week and for any seasonal celebrations like Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. She also used candles for the materials which included a proclamation of the Paschal Mystery. In L1 that includes the following: the Model Altar, the Baptism area, the Cenacle, and the City of Jerusalem. Gianna did not light a candle each time she proclaimed Scripture to the children. Thus, I would recommend removing any other battery operated candles and having them just in these five areas. You will also want a set of them for celebrations so each child can receive one. 2. At the Prayer Table place a glass vigil containing a battery operated candle inside of it. When introducing the Prayer Table to the children show them how to turn on the candle and invite them to do so for themselves when they come individually to the Prayer Table for a personal time of prayer during the Atrium session. 3. Instead of placing the battery operated candles out in the rest of the environment (Model Altar, Baptism, Cenacle, City of Jerusalem), place, instead, an empty glass vigil. When a child comes to one of these areas to work the lighting of the candle provides an opportunity for the adult to come, review, and invite to prayer. In order to not lose these opportunities I would recommend having just the glass vigil(s) out for the child to place and then have the battery operated candles in a basket accessible only to the adult. When the child asks for candles to be lit the adult brings one or two candles as needed, reviews the material, turns the candles on, places them in the glass vigils, and invites to prayer. When the time of listening and speaking with God has ended, the child may "extinguish" the candles and then the adult will return them to the basket. As with real candles, the adult remains with the child until the candles have been "extinguished." 4. In order to maintain the reverence real candles elicit, I would also recommend placing the battery operated candles into glass vigils when handing candles to children for celebrations. This would include the Christmas and Easter celebrations. If you do a large group celebration for the first moment of Baptism I would recommend placing that "lit" candle in its vigil in front of each child just as we would do with real candles after having informed the children that if they choose to touch the candles or put their hand near them we will place them on the Baptism area. There is something so mesmerizing about lit candles. In the Atrium this powerful sign of God's presence has a sensorial effect. Even the ritual of striking the match with the attention it commands and the smell that comes from the first moment of its lighting draw us into a moment of prayer. However, fire is also dangerous and there are some important practices that we can put in place to ensure that this beautiful ritual remains a safe part of our work with the children. When preparing to light candles... 1. Invite the child or children to sit safely so that you are able to light the candle. - This "safe" position, for me, is sitting with legs crossed and hands in lap, not touching anyone else's body. In my experience it takes a child much longer to go from sitting a safe distance from the lit candle to being next to it when sitting cross legged than when kneeling. This position gives me time, if they move, to place an arm between them and the lit candle to ensure their safety. - While a candle is lit we do not touch any of the materials associated with the work. Thus, before we light candles at the model altar all items have been placed, enjoyed, and named. At the Baptism area this means the child has set out all of the items he has been shown and, if water and oils are part of his work, has already worked with them before coming to find me to light the Paschal and Baptismal candles. If a child chooses to touch materials or move close to the candles for any reason except extinguishing them, I will extinguish their candles and they may have an opportunity to do so the next time, provided they can be safe. 2. Strike the match saying (at the Model Altar, Baptism area, and any Paschal Mystery material), "Jesus died and He is risen," or (at the prayer table or for a proclamation of Scripture), "Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world.'" 3. After lighting the candle(s) place the used match in a small container of sand. If you are working with the Model Altar, Baptism area, or a Paschal Mystery that the child has chosen invite the child to prayer: "What could we say to God who is so good?" or "What song could we sing?" or "I wonder what God might want to say to you as you listen for His voice." 4. Extend this time of prayer by saying, "When you have finished listening and speaking with God you may extinguish the candle(s)." Then, staying close, move out of the child's line of sight to the candles, giving them time to enjoy the beautiful light. - Never leave a child alone with candles lit. If an emergency occurs extinguish the candles (telling the child you will return and light them again) and handle the emergency. 5. When the child has extinguished the candles, invite them to clean out the extinguisher by using the squares of paper towel on your striker set. - A striker set includes an extinguisher, a cup of sand, a cup of paper towel squares, and a cup for used paper towel squares. It can also include a candle. - I would recommend having striker sets at the following spaces: Prayer Table, Model Altar, and a "traveling" set for Scripture presentations. You should also have an extinguisher (and possibly container of sand) at the Baptism area, the Cenacle, and the City of Jerusalem. In these places the child could go to the prayer table to clean out the extinguisher once the candle has been extinguished. 6. As a final note, in my experience the safest type of candles to have in the Atrium are tea lights in glass vigils. These candles can be used at all areas of the environment, even the Model Altar, City of Jerusalem, Cenacle, and Baptism area. I would especially recommend tea lights for The Liturgy of the Light and for the first moment of Baptism when multiple candles are used. As shown in last week's post, EPL materials are SMALL! They are suited for the 3yo child and thus are small and light in order to be manageable to for the youngest of children. In addition, the trays that hold EPL materials must be small as well. This provides ease of use by the children as it ensures that the materials do not have room to shift around on the tray. It also provides the ability for the catechist to efficiently use shelf space and both limit the materials to one set of shelves and yet have enough materials for new children, in particular, to have a variety of EPL choices.
As we begin preparing our Atria for the fall, here are some recommendations for EPL sizing which will assist the children in their work. Pitchers and Glasses:
As we all prepare for the upcoming Atrium year, the next few posts will include a few practicals to consider. In my observations last year one of the insights I had was that I must always neglect to explain in training why my EPL pouring work activities are set up as they are. So, here is your opportunity to hear a bit more about the importance of pouring work as well as how it is set on the tray! Above, you see several pouring works as they sit on the shelf. Each material has the glasses or cruets set on an angle. This is intentional as the way materials are set on the tray is the way we hope the children will set them on their chowki or table. Below, you can see children pouring on an angle, having set their work as it was on the tray. But why? Have you ever tried it?! Do some experimenting and try pouring into three glasses that are set in a horizontal line then try it again with them set on the diagonal. For the 2.5-4yo child, the child for whom this work is most fitting, trying to pour into glasses set on a straight line is very difficult. When they are set on an angle, however, they can pour into each glass easily without having any other glasses in the way of the pitcher. If you are seeing a good number of spills at the Gestures Altar, it is possible that there is a related issue. Instead of setting your cruets on a tray in front with the decanters on a tray behind (something I have often seen in Atria), place both decanters and cruets at the back of your sacristy/credence table. When presenting this work, show how to bring down one decanter, one cruet, and the funnel. After filling the cruet with the desired amount of liquid, all items are restored to their trays. In this way the child has no cruets in the way when pouring and will be better able pour carefully and, hopefully, without very many spills! As a bonus tip, the cruets never rest on the Gestures Altar but always sit on their tray. We pick the cruets up, one at a time, to pour the wine and water into the chalice but only set them back down on their tray. In my experience, much of the "spilling" at the Gestures Altar comes from the drips on the bottom of the cruets which transfer to the altar cloth when the cruet is set on the Gestures Altar.
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Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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April 2024
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