Guiding principles for the L1 Paperwork Shelf:
- Paperwork is to be gathered in one area or shelf. When you walk into an Atrium it should be the materials which catch your eye and attention, not paper extensions. By gathering all of the art materials into one place the catechetical materials are really able to shine. Young children today are often attracted to working with paper, not because this is fitting to their developmental needs but because they are surrounded by a product oriented society. To produce something to take home is attractive to them...perhaps like candy is! By gathering the paper materials on one shelf we ensure they are approaching the paperwork shelf with the intent to work with paper instead of having them approach a catechetical material and then get distracted by the paper sitting next to it. It is also helpful to the adult maintaining the environment to have all paper which needs replenishing located on one shelf.
- Paperwork includes anything which contains paper that is consumable: tracing packets, collage work, map making, the liturgical calendar sheets, free art, etc.
Two views of a L1 Paperwork shelf:
- Shelf 1:
- 1/4 sheet drawing (3 colored pencils, 1 sheet each Atrium session)
- Prayer Card making (full set of colored pencils and a glue stick, 1/2 sheet paper and construction paper back)
- Booklet making (to be used when at least 5 prayer cards/etc have been made)
- Shelf 2:
- Pin punching (paten, chalice, cross, candles)
- Altar collage (with extra pieces above for child to replenish for next person)
- Baptism collage (with extra pieces above for child to replenish for next person
- Shelf 3:
- Tray for Liturgical Calendar (black): writing pencil and purple, green, red, and brown colored pencils along with four rocks for corners of rolled calendar; blank calendars are in black bin at end of shelf, each rolled with a rubber band
- Tray for Map Making (white): writing pencil and orange, green, brown, yellow, and blue colored pencils along with four rocks for corners of rolled map paper; blank paper is in white bin at end of shelf, each rolled with a rubber band
- Tray for "Prophecy of the Light" tracing work
- Two trays of full sets of writing and colored pencils for the following paper:
- Orange construction paper and white altar cloth paper to make pin punching items into an altar collage
- Blank paper for Easter Candle drawing or Prayer Art
- Lined paper for Prophecy copying
- Lined paper for Psalm 23 copying