The wait is now over and the rejoicing has begun! The new Atrium space at WOS has been completed, set up, and entered into with much peace, joy, and concentration. It was such a gift to be with the children in their new space this week!
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12a Look up and read Matthew 5:1-12a. What does it mean to be "Blessed?" Make a list of things or people or places that are blessed.
The Liturgical Calendar is one of the most well developed materials in the Atrium. The work is prepared for with the liturgical colors material, offered to the 3yo. The calendar itself is often presented during the 4yo year in the Atrium. The wooden calendar was developed by Maria Montessori and while the Level I children build the calendar, taking in the sensorial impression of purple (preparation), white (celebration), and green (growing time) in the cycles of Christmas and Easter, the material grows with the child. The Level II child learns that each Sunday, each prism, has a name, and he has the opportunity to label each Sunday with its name ticket, then create his own calendar with those labeled Sundays, illustrating and embellishing the great feasts and celebrations of the year. In Level III, the work with the Liturgical Calendar continues. The typology study on Exodus provides an opportunity to discuss how the date of Passover is calculated and, alongside it, how the date of Easter is determined each year. The children are then able to discover when Easter will fall for the upcoming year, the year of their birth, or any other year they have interest in. In addition to all of the extended work with the Liturgical Calendar there is a final expansion to this material which they were first introduced to so many years ago. The Vertical Calendar provides each child with an opportunity to create a personal calendar for the upcoming year with the weeks and seasons labeled, solemnities and days of obligation recorded, as well as one's favorite saint's days and feasts added in. Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40 Read Matthew 22:34-40 and write out the two greatest commandments on two separate pieces of paper. How can you love God with your heart? With your soul? With your mind? What are three ways you can love your neighbor as yourself? How could you love your Mom or Dad or your siblings?
This year has been unique in so many ways...but the children at The Way of the Shepherd have had another "wrinkle" added to this fall's time in the Atrium. We don't have an Atrium space! We were not able to begin construction this summer, but the work has now begun, and we are looking forward to moving from "Atrium lessons" to "time in the Atrium" soon. The anticipation is definitely growing, and there will be much rejoicing when we can settle into our new, beautiful Atrium space! Scripture: Psalm 96 Look up Psalm 96. Read the first three verses (or more!) and choose one verse to write out and illustrate. How can creation sing to the Lord and give Him praise?
When I was in Israel several years ago, our last stop was in the Elah Valley where David fought Goliath. Jeff Cavins, our guide, invited us to pick up five stones and asked us to ponder what five weapons God had given us to fight the enemy this year.
Last winter, after hearing this same reading about David and Goliath during Benediction with the children, I asked the Level III children (3rd-4th graders) what stones or weapons had been given to them by God to help them fight for Him, to live well, to love well. They responded... - The Sign of the Cross because it's like a shield and it makes the devil go away. It reminds us Jesus is with us, protecting us. - The Bible. - The Sacraments, especially Confession. - The Armor of God. - Our hands to work with. As we continue in this uncertain time, it seems fitting to begin posting, again, ideas for prayer and pondering in the home. Each week I will post some thoughts related to the Atrium and also a question related to the upcoming Sunday's readings. Scripture: Psalm 23 Look up Psalm 23. Choose one verse (or more!) to write out and illustrate. What is David saying to God in the verse you wrote? If you prayed this verse, what would you be saying to God? Maybe you would like to write and illustrate your own prayer to God.
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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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