In the past few weeks there have been many "History of the Kingdom of God" materials in use. In addition, the children have had opportunities to list what they think about when they hear that phrase. The following is the brainstorming they were able to do after which they identified each statement as belonging to the moments of Creation (C), Redemption (R) and/or Parousia (P).
Children busy at work... As the Upper Elementary children begin their new year in the Atrium, we always take time to start with the Great Lesson of the Plan of God. This "lesson" presents the "big picture" of God's interaction with humanity from preparing the earth for us to preparing a place for us to desire and long for and one day join Him in forever.
This year I began by asking the 4th-6th graders what they already knew about the Kingdom of God. Here are their responses... - It's like a Mustard Seed. - It's like a Pearl. - In the Kingdom of God you are never too old. - There's no sickness, no sadness or worry. - It's like Parousia. - It IS Parousia. - It's a banquet that never ends. - It's like the Found Coin that the woman rejoices over. - It's everything but more. - We don't know much about it, but what we know is great! Then I asked what they knew about God's Plan. - He created the earth and gave us freedom. - Then His Plan is that all of us go to heaven. This week's Wednesday morning Level II Atrium (1st and 2nd graders) was filled with children deeply focused and engaged in their work. More than half of the children (just eight this week) were in the hallway where timelines are often rolled out. Through their free choice of work, the "hallway children" were engaged in the three Level II presentations which comprise the subject "The History of the Kingdom of God." Far in the back of the picture you can see a 1st grade boy beginning "La Fettuccia," the long ribbon which gives the impression of the great care and love with which God created all things. This material introduces the children to the idea of "Salvation History" through the "Three Moments" (Creation, Redemption, and Parousia) which form the framework for the Kingdom of God. As you come forward in the hallway, a 2nd grade girl has laid out "The History of the Gifts" strip, which looks again at Salvation History, focusing on the gifts we have been given in the mineral world (coal, gold, salt, etc.), plant world (for food, medicine, clothing, shelter, etc.), animal world (transportation, food, clothing, joy, etc.), human world (family, healing, entertainment, education, etc.), with special emphasis on the greatest gift of Jesus Christ, still present with us today in the Eucharist, as we await the moment of Parousia. Nearest in the picture are two 1st graders and a 2nd grader who have laid out the "Blue Unity Mute Strip" which gives a more manageable/compact look at Salvation History. Each of these three children is working on making their own personal copy of the Blue Unity Strip as they copy the images and text of the material. While five of the eight Level II children worked in the hallway, the remaining three were engaged in their own work in the Atrium. One 1st grade boy took out and worked with several Infancy Narratives, moving the materials as he read the Scripture passages. Two 2nd grade boys chose poster paper as the medium for copying "The Call of Samuel" (1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20). Two weeks previously this was the first reading at our school Mass. That day in the Atrium these two boys had asked for help finding this Scripture in the Bible so we looked up the name "Eli" in the concordance and found the reading. One of the boys asked to read it for prayer that day. This week they again found "The Call of Samuel" in their Bibles and this time they began to write it out. What will they do next? I'm not sure...but I am looking forward to watching how this Bible passage continues to affect them and influence their work!
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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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