Let's Learn About the Sacraments

Learn about the seven Sacraments with a neat game and new F3 pieces.

This is the time of year when many parents (and catechists) begin really focusing on the seven sacraments, especially if their children are preparing for the reception of sacraments themselves.  This can sometimes be an overwhelming task for young hearts and minds.  To help children accomplish this task, I usually recommend using the New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism.  This is a very well done and easy to understand presentation of the basics of the faith for young Catholics.

To go along with this resource, I created some F3(Flip, Flap & Fold) Pieces.  I simply ask the children to pick out a few things that they have learned about each sacrament and write it on the lines.  Then they cut out the rectangles, fold on the lines and glue the piece to create a single page book.  These can easily be glued into their Religious Ed. F3 folder or any other notebook, folder or project.  This allows you to see what the child finds most important about each individual sacrament.



Sample F3 Pieces



As a bonus, the F3 pieces go with our Sacrament Match-up Game. If you love Where's Waldo type games, art and your faith - then this is the game for you. 

This game allows you to teach the seven sacraments using descriptive clues and art details from the The Seven Sacraments by Rogier Van der Weyden.  Details in the artwork reveal lots about our rich Catholic traditions through each of the sacraments. Each sacrament is highlighted and the children really enjoy trying to find the examples within this beautiful work.  Print out the pieces, cut apart, and laminate for durability.  This is a great game for use in CCD or religious education classes.   A full class period can be devoted to playing this game if teachers explain details and nuances of the faith as they go through each detail page and then the clues themselves.   Be forewarned, this is not as easy to complete as it looks.  Many times we can easily be stumped by the simplest clues.  Instructions are provided and a reference sheet is included to aid in game play.

I hope that this helps you in your sacramental prep or catechism review. 

Click Here to download the F3 pieces on the seven Sacraments.
Click Here to download the Sacrament Match-up Game.

Blessings,
Kalei

New Resource Set for The Fairy-Land of Science by Arabella Buckley

Bring God's Glory to life with a beautiful read and notebooking sheets.

Part of the appeal of the Charlotte Mason (CM) method of learning, for many homeschoolers, is the focus on the use of living books - literary works that call to the heart and mind of the reader so that they, and the truths they contain, are not forgotten. 

The Fairy-Land of Science by Arabella Buckley is just such an example of a living book.  It can be used as a read aloud for those 7-9 years old or as independent read for slightly older children. This book approaches science in a truly unique way calling to the whimsical side of childhood from the fact filled side of scientific truth.  Although she lovingly names and metaphorically refers to aspects of nature as "fairies," this book is not light nor fluffy.  It is a good solid read and sure to be a memorable reading experience when digested slowly. 

You can expect to cover the following topics:

*Sun beams/light

*Aerial ocean /atmosphere

*Water cycle

*Water and ice/forces that shape the land

*Voices of nature & how we use them/sound

*Parts of a Primrose/Plants and lifecycle of plants

*History of a Piece of Coal

*Bees in the Hive/Bees

*Bees and Flowers/Pollination

Today we share a 12 page set of notebooking sheets to help children note down or narrate about the wondrous things they learn about in the ten lectures in this book.  The set focuses on the elements, or fairies, presented in the book.  Using vintage style black and white graphics that could be coloured in, these sheets are easy on the printer and not distracting.  This set has many differently designed pages to make sure there is something for each age group to appreciate and use whether they prefer for draw, write or draw and write.  Our standard pages with four different line spacing options are also included for those who like to write a bit more than draw.  This can easily become a work that will be referred to over and over again.

Click HERE to download this set and see our collection of science notebooking sheets.

Click HERE to see our entire collection of notebooking sheets.

Click The Fairy-Land of Science (Yesterday's Classics) to purchase and add this book to your home library now.

 

Blessings,

Kalei - That Resource Team

Sweet Beautiful Homekeeping Resources for Mums and Daughters

Victorian themed goodies from the new, Young Homekeeper's Collection from Life in the Little Nest.

If you have ever wanted to really incorporate gentle learning with home skills then today is your day to start - or at least be inspired to start - compliments of Kim over at Life in the Little Nest.  Today she has some really sweet note cards to share with mums and daughters as well as some bookplates and a bookmark that is sure to speak to the hearts of Charlotte (CM) educators.

We are called to be the first teachers of our children, and that includes home skills - especially for our daughters.  Today's resource can surely help with this task.  Each note card set is a two page resource that not only provides a beautiful make it yourself card and envelope, it also has suggestions on how to use it with your daughters.  There are three sets available. 

*There is one set for "The Seamstress" to encourage sewing and other hand sewing arts. 

*There is another set for "The Good Book" to encourage daily prayer, devotion and reading God's Word.

*The last resource is a note card set for "Lessons From My Mother" to encourage your daughter in her growth and share your life stories with her.  This set is perfect for an invitation to tea with your daughter at home or even at the local java house, for a special outing and special time together.

 

The bookplates are a lovely addition to books your family intends to keep and the bookmark allows your young reader to mark their favourite books in the page as well as on the bookmark itself.

Click HERE to download today's goodies from Kim's new resource section - The Young Homekeeper's Collection.
Click HERE to see all the resources shared by the Little Nest.
 
Thanks for sharing, Kim!  These sweet resources have inspired and encouraged me to make more time to share the little treasures in life with my own children - outside of formal lessons.

Blessings,
Kalei



Resources to Help Teach About the Annunciation

Fun resources help children of all ages celebrate the most beautiful event of the Annunciation.

On Friday, we will celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation.  In honour of this very special and historical event, many of us will read the Gospel, pray the Hail Mary prayer or even the rosary.  As we reflect on the Virgin's Mary answer to the call of our Lord for obedience, trust, devotion and love, let us too, be willing to say a hope filled, YES, to our call of service to God, our children, and one another.

We have just uploaded a new page to the main resource site that celebrates the Mystery of the Annunciation with lots of resources that you may find helpful to use this week or any week in your little homeschool, Bible study or CCD class. 

Our resource list includes mini-books, notebooking sheets, games, puzzles, learning cards, trading cards and more.  Here are just a few samples. 

We hope you find something useful and enjoyable to help bring understanding of the Annunciation to the hearts and minds of your little learners.

Click HERE to visit our new page - Free Resources to Help Children Learn About the Annunciation.

If you can think of someone else who might be able to benefit from our FREE resources - a fellow homeschooler, a catechist from your parish, or even a friend who is just beginning to ponder homeschooling their children - why not send them on over to see how easy it is to let God permeate our teaching and lessons. :)

Blessings,

Kalei - That Resource Team

Five New Montessori Faith Card Sets

5 New Catholic Montessori Card Sets help bring more meaning to the Holy Mass and the Catholic Faith to young hearts.

As the learning year begins to wind down for my CCD class and we really begin preparing for the reception of their first sacraments, I really try to incorporate many different ways of reviewing the core lessons of the year.  Some ways that I have found to easily accomplish this task is to use game playing or hands-on learning tasks.  Although I have not yet created the second set of matching games for the classroom yet, I have decided to use Montessori Cards for class use as well as to give families the opportunity to print out their own sets for home use and review.

You will find that I have updated the Montessori Faith cards to now include eight sets of Catholic Montessori cards which feature all kinds of different church articles and furnishings, parts of the church, Sacred vessels and other sacramentals.  Some of the older sets have been updated to include bigger fonts, full and proper terms, and clearer pictures.  These can prove to be very useful including:

• Pulling cards from a pile and having children tell as much as they can about the picture.
• Asking questions and having the children find the proper card to answer your request.  Examples of this include:  Which things would the priest use during Mass?  Which things can be found in the every church?  What things does the congregation use?  and so forth.
• Assigning each child a card and allow them to use their book or other source to find out as much as they can about the picture on the front.
• Divide the cards out into groups to match the number of children and then have the groups of children try and stump each other by asking questions to describe the card they are holding in their hand.
• Create a fish bowl style of all cards on the floor.  While seated on the floor in a  circle have the children discuss their favourite cards.  Be sure to prompt with the questions:  What is it?  Why do you like it?  What purpose does it serve in our church or Faith?
• Print out two sets to play Go Fish and Concentration style games.

Click HERE to see our Montessori Faith card collection now.

I hope that you find these cards useful in your little homeschool or CCD classroom.

Blessings,

Kalei - That Resource Team

New Faith Lesson: Jesus the Super Natural Hero

New Faith lesson helps trace the miracles, parables and events of our Lord's life while showing children who the real hero in their lives should be.

What is a hero?  In today's modern world, many of our children are very confused about who or what a hero actually is.  Many children do not even consider Jesus as a candidate for this honour, which is very sad considering He is to be the focus on our lives.  Many think of celebrities, sports stars, fictitious characters, singers and contrived personalities as heroes to pattern their behaviour and morality after.  The truth is there really isn't anyone on the earth - past, present or future - that even mildly compares to the power and authority of our Lord, Jesus.

Many times I am amazed at who children seem to think are important in their lives.  In my CCD class I use the lesson I share today as a way to teach the children about Jesus, the miracles He performed and the parables He taught.  I also use it as a chance to tell them about the importance of choosing the right influences in their life.  I often feel like I am competing with Internet, computer games, television and so forth for a mere 75 minutes of attention weekly.  I am merely a mouth piece for our Lord, but I want to make sure that children take home with them a catechism lesson as well as a lesson that they can use in their everyday life as they deal with peer pressure and the bombardment of the modern world.  Thus this lesson was born.

By comparing our Lord to any "super" hero possible, children will see how powerful, awesome and loving our Lord really is.  He gives us everything we will need to be happy forever.  Using the things that every superhero possesses:  superpowers, secret identity, arch enemy, sidekick, teach others by example, and sure success, children are challenged to come up with a hero greater than our Lord.  They can easily see that our Lord possess all the superhero criteria and then some.

Here is a simple way to use this at home on a coffee table.

To use this lesson simply download the 13 page file, print out the card pieces on cardstock and laminate for repeated use and best results.  Read through the directions and prepare yourself using the scripture suggestions.  Using the picture cards, labels and sign, children must guess what categories the cards belong in and what heroic feature they highlight in Christ that we ourselves can imitate.  Christ's arch enemy, the devil, is our enemy too.  Christ's teaching the apostles to pray, teaches us to pray as well.  His sidekicks, his apostles (the saints) are our sidekicks too!!  It really is such a fun lesson.

Click Here to download this Faith lesson now.

I hope it helps you in your own little homeschool or CCD class in some way.


Blessings,

Kalei - That Resource Team

New Resources to Help Children Learn About St. Patrick's Feast Day

New fun printable resources to help children learn about St. Patrick of Ireland.

Saint study is such a great way to study geography, history, facts of the Faith and so much more.  It is also a nice way to add spice to your learning day with some different fun but educational activities.  We are happy to share some brand new resources we have just created to help the kiddos learn all about St. Patrick of Ireland.  These colourful, fun printables are sure to appeal to even the most fickle learners as there is a nice selection of freebies from which to choose.  Here are just a few of the resources we have to share:

A new twelve page notebooking page set can be used by learners of all ages to help focus either on St. Patrick himself or his lesson on the Holy Trinity.  There are three different layouts and four line spacing options.

Our very popular printable saint trading card collection now includes this famous saint (pictured above).  As usual, there are four cards per page which make them perfect for individual, family, or classroom use.  And if you are looking for a game suitable for up to 15 people that includes St. Patrick, then download our Catholic Bingo game which teaches many basics of the Faith while having lots of fun.  This is a great game for a St. Patrick's Day party, if you are having one.

Looking for a quick mini-book to add to your project, current folder project or notebook?  Try our My Book Mini-book on St. Patrick complete with writing prompts.  You can also find a mini-book for the Holy Trinity both with and without writing prompts. 

  

And speaking of the Holy Trinity, don't forget our F3 lesson all about the Holy Trinity which we posted from our own CCD class earlier in the school year.  There is also quite a bit of other copywork and printables about the Holy Trinity right on the lesson page as well.  If you are looking for a science link, try our F3 lesson on the Trinity using the three states of water.  This too was an earlier post this year.  These two lessons are always fun to do with the children.

To make everything easy and convenient for busy homeschoolers and catechists, we have put all of our St. Patrick resources on one page.  Don't forget that St. Joseph's feast day is this week too! 

Click HERE to see all of our resources about St. Patrick.
Click HERE to see all of our resources about St. Joseph.


Blessings,

That Resource Team

New Gentle Nature Journal From A New Friend

Welcome to Kimberly of Life in the Little Nest and the beautiful nature journal she has to share with us all.

We are so excited to announce that Kimberly Lottman of Life in the Little Nest has just become a friend of Thatresourcesite.com.  Kimberly is a homeschooling mom of two from Virginia and is a big Charlotte Mason fan; so it is only fitting that the first resource she chose to share with us was a beautiful 33p nature journal based on the sweet work, Wildlife in Woods and Field by Arabella Buckley.  We love Arabella Buckley in our little homeschool.  She was a gifted writer of the late 1800s who is the perfect match for many CM style learners.  As expected, her works are in the public domain.

This nature journal matches beautifully with the Buckley title and includes a table of contents and notes to help learners get the most out of the journal.  Arranged by chapters, each section includes an illustration page as well as What I Learned page.  You will also find quotations from Buckley's text and classic black and white illustrations.  Older learners will find this a true gem as a narration companion.

Click HERE to go to Kimberly's new Friend page to download this resource and learn more about her and her little nest. :)

We are so happy that Kimberly has joined our little group of Friends.  If you would like to find out more about becoming a friend and sharing your own resources with others, visit our Friends page now.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

Let us Help you Celebrate Lent with Resources that Call to the Heart of our Faith

Printable poster sheet for the Seventh Station.

Praying and learning the Stations of the Cross is an easy way to keep focused during Lent.

This Friday we will begin praying the Stations of the Cross weekly in our church, as many parishes will do. The Way of the Cross is perhaps one of the most moving prayers and I still cry every time I pray it in church. As I teach my children and those of our parish about the importance of Lent, I always rely on the Stations of the Cross to serve as a visual and prayerful representation of the season. Over the years I have created many different kinds of resources for my CCD classes as well as our little homeschool. I thought that I would share them with you to hopefully bring the richness and beauty of the season to your kiddos at home or in class.

For your convenience, you can now find all of our resources for the Stations of the Cross in one spot.  We have a reference list of the stations and visual depictions along with our lot of free printable resources.  Here are a few highlights of some of the resources.

New Notebooking Sheet Set

Find our set of twelve notebooking sheets as a general set for the Stations of the Cross.  This set comes in three layouts with four different line spacing options to meet the needs of learners of all ages. There is ample room to write, draw or write and draw. 

 

New Faith Learning Card Set Featuring Lent and the Stations of the Cross

Simply print these cards out, cut apart, fold and glue. We laminate our cards so that they can be taken outside, used on sick days, or even taken to church for our  Friday night Stations of the Cross as a reference for the wee ones.  We love these little learning flashcards.

 

Stations of the Cross Montessori Cards

These little gems feature each of the fourteen Stations of the Cross featuring mosaic artwork.  As seen in my parish, these are wonderful pieces and really help to bring the stations to life without forcing little minds and hearts to cling to gore or fear in seeing our Lord. 

Printable Posters

As depicted at the top of the page, these are rich vibrant poster pages that again use the mosaics from my parish.  My photographer friend and fellow catechist, Lil, took these great shots knowing that we were going to use them to help in the catechises of young hearts and minds.  Once laminated, these are great around the classroom or even down the hallway of the family home.  This is a larger file, but so beautiful.

And there's more on the page as well to download and use throughout the season of Lent.  You will also note a few brand new online games that we have created to help encourage children and parents to learn more about the Catholic faith.  If you like them, feel free to add them to your blog or website.  Celebrate the season with knowledge of our Faith.


Click HERE to see all of our Stations of the Cross resources in one spot.



A FEW NEW RESOURCE ADDITIONS:

You can now download the complete sets of planning journal pages for 2011 as Michelle over at Thinking love, No Twaddle blog has sent over December sets and you can find them on her sharing page HERE.  Thanks Michelle for all of your energy!!  May God bless you always!

If you are part of our Facebook friends, then you already knew this. :)  Feel free to join our little group on Facebook anytime.

 

 

 

One more Late Addition!!  Many liked the Three Little Pigs book study we posted earlier this week.  We have since added quite a few more resources that can be used in this study including some rabbit trails for studying pigs, wolves, and math topics including ordinal numbers and telling time to the hour.  Don't forget to try our online review game as well.  Stop by and take a peek again.

We hope that our resources help to bring prayerful joy to your Lenten season.

Blessings,

 
Kalei - That Resource Team