The Liturgical Calendar is composed of 52 prisms, inner and arcs and arrows and two outer arcs. These pieces are built with great care, precisely in order, outside the puzzle frame to recreate the cycles of the liturgical year. At each Level of the Atrium the children are invited to work with this material in a new way, beginning with the emphasis on the pattern of preparation (purple), celebration (white and red), and growing time (green), as well as the two great cycles of Christmas and Easter. The children then learn to make their own calendars, carefully copying the colors and then the words onto paper prepared for them. In Level II (1st-3rd grade or E1) the children are shown that each Sunday has a name and they learn to label the Sundays and make their own corresponding calendar, again, with the added labels/numbers. Somewhere between Level II and III (4th-6th grade or E2) they might also look at the Feasts and Solemnities of the Church that are tied to the dates of the year (ex: December 8th is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception). Finally, the Level III children are exposed to the process for determining Easter, having read Exodus 12 which gives the prescriptions for Passover, and they also begin to make their own calendars which incorporate not just each Sunday but every single day of the year. Whew!!! Please enjoy some photos of one of the children's favorite works in the Atrium. Perhaps they have picked up on the fact that I really love this particular material?! This year the Upper Elementary (4th - 6th grade) children have been tasked with finding, reading, and summarizing the upcoming Sunday's Gospel each week. I have already heard some interesting discussions amongst the children regarding their thoughts on the "theme" or point Jesus was trying to make in a particular parable or teaching! In addition, the children have related the Sunday Gospel to other materials and themes in the Atrium, making connections when the Scripture is fresh in their minds, before the priest's homily gives them a sense of there being one "definitive" interpretation. One child shared that while she did like it when the Sunday Gospel was a surprise, she supposes it's ok to have read and thought about it before Mass...!! This task necessitates that the children know the name of the upcoming Sunday (ex: The 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time), which Cycle (A, B, or C) we are in, as well as how to look up and find the Gospel's citation in their Bible. In addition, they have been invited, after writing a one sentence summary of the Gospel, to look up the most important word of their summary in a concordance to find other Scriptures which speak about similar topics or themes. Some children have also started maps of Israel on which to record the places where these Gospels passages are taking place. The Bible is the most important book in the whole world because it contains God's Word for us. In it He tells us all that He wants us to know about Himself. What a gift to hold God's Words in our hands when we hold the Holy Bible! The Level I (Children's House) children had the opportunity to "enthrone" the Bible this past week, carrying it in a procession and then placing it in a place of honor on the Prayer Table. We listened to Jesus' words in John 8:12, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me does not walk in darkness but will have the light of life," and reflected on Jesus who is our Light. The elementary children also had an opportunity to reflect on the preciousness of the Holy Bible as they held in their hands Bibles in Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Amharic and Portuguese as well as several beautifully illuminated books of the Bible. God's Word is for all people! The 1st grade students then received their own, personal copy of the Holy Bible to use at school, both in their learning environments and in the Atrium. In the upcoming weeks they will begin learning to look up Scripture passages in the Bible and have the opportunity to "bookmark" their favorites!
The Liturgical Calendar is a material used by children in Levels I through III in the CGS Atrium. This material brings the big picture of our liturgical year into a sensorial, manipulative work beginning with the four or five year old child. Each prism indicates one Sunday or week of the year which is made up of seasons of preparation, celebration, and ordinary/growing time during each of two cycles: The Cycle of Christmas and The Cycle of Easter. Living each year around the life of Jesus makes quite an impression on the little ones, and they are amazed at the length of the Cycle of Easter! The Level II child uses this same material to begin to learn the names of the weeks of the liturgical year, and by Level III additional solemnities and feasts can be added to their liturgical repertoire. Throughout, the image of the Liturgical Calendar as centering around Jesus, the Son of God, is emphasized, as can be seen in the artwork of several Level III children. |
Carolyn Kohlhaas
CGS Catechist and Formation Leader (Levels I, II, and III) Categories
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May 2024
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