After arriving back on campus after a summer of sharing the beautiful work of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with adults, I was blessed to find beautiful new carpet in the Atrium! (And all of the materials piled in the storage area!!) I am grateful to those who did the "great work" of moving everything for me as I was away and for my assistant and friend who spent several mornings helping me clean everything thoroughly until not a speck of dust or dirt remained...and then washed every piece of fabric for me!! Having everything cleared from the space allowed me to re-think the set-up of the Atrium as well as the arrangement of materials on the shelves. Here is a peek at the new Level I Atrium at The Way of the Shepherd. It will be interesting to see what will change once the children have entered and helped me to identify the obstacles I have put up to their work! After the candles were lit at the Model Altar, a 3-year-old said...
- “I want to go to the Church.” After restoring her work, she immediately re-set the Altar. Again, when the candles were lit, she said... - "I want to go to the Church." The following week the same response followed the lighting of candles at the Model Altar. - "I want to go to the Church." Six weeks later, the child set the altar and once the candles were lit, said... - "I want to go to the Church. I want to come to the feast." Another 3-year-old came down to the Atrium in tears and struggled to separate from his guide. Eventually he entered the environment and allowed the catechist to read a book with him. After about ten minutes his tears were gone and he spent much of the Atrium time observing children or sitting near an adult. At the end of the Atrium session he sat next to the catechist at the Prayer Table. Turning, he whispered and smiled... - "It's really quiet and peaceful here. I like it!" While looking at the Land of Israel on the Globe, a 3.5-year-old was amazed at how little Israel was. The catechist asked if there were other little things that God loves. The boy responded... - "Sheep." When asked if there was anything else, he said... - "Babies." When asked again he shook his head. A 5-year-old at the Model Altar... - "Thank you, God, for cheese sticks." - "Thank you, God, for food so we can eat." - "Thank you for the Church so we can see you, Jesus." - "Thank you for family that takes us to Church." - "Thank you for this holy place to be with you." A 9-year-old child, encountering the Maxims for the first time, read, "Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48). She said... - "That means knowing that God created you special and just like He wanted, and you need to be that person." The elementary (Levels II and III) children also began their time in the Atrium last week! We began with a review of how the Atrium is different from other learning environments and also how it is different from the Church. Then we spent time talking about how to "live well" in this space together. Finally, after hearing the Scripture, "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11), the children were invited to bring a material to the mat that has helped them to understand what Jesus is telling them in this passage. Each group of children brought different materials but all related to either the parable of the "Good Shepherd" as found in the Bible or to the ways in which He laid "down his life" through the cross, the City of Jerusalem, through the saints who were martyred, in the gift of His light in Baptism and in His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, and many more. What a beautiful way to begin a new year in the Atrium! Following their time recalling the "goodness" of the Good Shepherd, the returning children went right to work and the new children were quickly introduced to materials that engaged their interest. It was such a quiet and busy week! What a gift to be able to take time away to listen and speak with God through the use of so many beautiful and rich Scriptural and Liturgical materials!
Last Thursday our final two Level I (Children's House) groups of children were introduced to the Atrium. After looking at all of the items on the Prayer Table, the "gift" underneath was identified and the bell was unwrapped and enjoyed! The children then had time for a "silent journey" around the Atrium. They were asked to walk quietly, looking only with their eyes. (Note several children holding their hands behind their backs to remind themselves not to touch anything with their hands!) After returning to the Prayer Table the children shared which materials looked "familiar" or "interesting" to them. The City of Jerusalem was a clear favorite!! Then one of the children demonstrated how to roll out a working mat and I demonstrated how to walk around a mat and how to work with a puzzle (without dumping out the pieces!). After the working mat had been rolled up and restored the children were invited to choose work! Returning children were welcome to take out anything they had been presented in the past and the new children were shown several "preliminary" works to choose from including bead stringing, lacing, and puzzles. One young child chose a challenging board puzzle. After taking out all of the pieces she needed a little help getting started. Once shown where Jesus' head fit into the frame, she was able to slowly and carefully complete the puzzle independently. And once it was completed she began again! This time she placed Jesus' head into the frame herself and then proceeded to build the rest of the pieces around it, finishing just as the chime rang to invite the children to restore their work and return to the Prayer Table. Her focus and concentration on this one puzzle lasted the entire work time, around twenty-five minutes!
The hallways and environments of The Way of the Shepherd are once again filled with children! Beginning September 10th, after giving some time for phasing into their classroom environments, the children will once again begin enjoying time in the Atrium each week. As we prepare there is much to be done! This year there will be an E1/E2 (Level II/III) Atrium on our North Campus. All summer, we have been working to prepare that space: a wall was taken out to connect two rooms, much painting was completed, the carpet was fixed and furnishings were added, arranged, and rearranged! The past two weeks have been a period of intense material preparation as all of the Level II / E1 materials (and several from Level III) need to be duplicated in order to serve all of our children on both North and South Campuses. What a gift to spend time working with the hand to "create" a space for worship and prayer.
It is Labor Day today and in the homily I heard at Mass this morning the priest spoke about how we often think of the weekend's rest as preparing us for the week of work. He challenged that thinking, referring to Genesis where God created and worked for six days in order to introduce rest. We need rest...less as a means than as a goal! In the moment of Creation, God created a space in which we could live and work in order that we might take part in the highest work of liturgy and worship which are a participation in the eternal rest of Heaven. This reflection caused me to ponder how in the past few weeks I have been working to make and to re-make spaces into which the children (and I!) will be invited to come each week in order to "rest" with the Good Shepherd. What a gift!! As we approach the end of the school year, many of the Extended Day / Kindergarten children are approaching the Second Plane of Development, which, according to Maria Montessori, has very different developmental characteristics than the First Plane. Dr. Montessori recognized four distinct planes: First (0-6 years), Second (6-12 years), Third (12-18 years), and Fourth (18-24 years). Characteristics of the First Plane of Development include being in the sensitive periods for the development of language, movement, and order as the children strive for physical independence. They also have a great need for the following freedoms: movement, choice, and repetition. All of these freedoms must be within clear limits in order to support true freedom which leads to order and peace instead of license which leads to chaos and discontent. Characteristics of the Second Plane of Development, in contrast, include moving from an absorbent to a reasoning mind, the development of abstraction and imagination, a focus on morality and justice, heavy interest in peer interaction and a "herd instinct," and a new need to collaborate in setting the structures which clarify their freedoms as they strive for intellectual independence within a communal, social environment. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd serves the children from ages 3 to 12 and thus spans the First and Second Planes of Development. As the child moves from the First to the Second Plane, their new characteristics begin to emerge even while they are still in the Level I Atrium and thus their work needs to grow as they grow. Here are several examples of our Extended Day children expanding their work to meet their new characteristics and needs. Having received their Bibles, the elementary children have been enjoying looking up specific passages and marking them for later reference. Their enthusiasm led to a second conversation about care for God's Word...because, in their excitement, the spines of their Holy Bibles were being stretched to accommodate all of their bookmarks! We decided that a maximum of ten bookmarks would be ok, although those who have participated in the 2nd Year Retreat have an additional four ribbons so they can mark fourteen places! (Each group brought up this fact, so it is clearly significant!!) Several children began lists of Scripture passages most important to them on a paper that will be able to fit into their Bibles. How wonderful to have so many favorite Scriptures that ten bookmarks are not sufficient!
It didn't take long for the children to get right back to work after a summer away! Please enjoy these pictures of children working during the first two weeks of their Atrium year.
We begin each year in the Atrium by introducing (or "reintroducing") the Holy Bible. This year in Children's House, each Atrium group had a procession to "enthrone" the Bible on the Prayer Table. The new children in Elementary received their own, personal Bible to use at school. Those children in first through third grade reflected on the importance of this great book which has been translated into many languages and were able to hold Bibles in Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Greek, and even more! The Upper Elementary children were introduced to how to look up the upcoming Sunday's Gospel, and they will begin their Atrium day this way each week. Sometimes we become a bit immune to the incredible privilege we have in holding the Word of God in our hands. How many people of the past only dreamed of such a thing? How many people even today have no idea that this precious treasure is here, waiting for us to "pick up and read?" We come to the Atrium to listen for God's voice, and in His Word He speaks to us clearly, beautifully, straight to the heart. What a gift! Our first day in the Atrium this year was a day filled with silence, focus, peace, and joy. What a gift to welcome our new children and our returning children as well!
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Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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May 2024
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