25 Things I Learned from the Stations of the Cross and Another Lenten Resource for Children

Good Friday is one of my favorite days of the year. It is a day of sorrow, yes, but it is also the day that promises joy - that is why we call it good instead of sorrowful.  I also really like the Stations of the Cross, which focus on the events of Good Friday. 

During the season of Lent, many parishes come together weekly to reflect on the events of our Lord's Passion by praying the Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross) devotion. By traveling along the road to Calvary with our Blessed Mother in my heart, I came to realize 25 truths of life, motherhood and love from this powerful reflective prayer. Almost every reflection can be paired with a particular station, although they are listed in random order. 

I hope you find these thoughts and reflections helpful to you in some small way.

25 Things I Learned from the Stations of the Cross

1. Always say 'thank you' when someone helps you.

2. Give of yourself even when it doesn't seem like the time or the place to do so.

3. Be willing to accept help from others.

4. Life is not fair, but God is just.

5. The cross that is carried in silence is the ultimate example of obedience and love.

6. Anyone can experience a set back.

7. God will never ask us to do anything that He, himself, has not done before us.

8. Keep trying.

9. We are more than our appearance.

10. Be willing to give everything you have in service to God.

11. Dying is a key part of eternal life.

12. God values obedience over service.

13. There is an unspeakable love between a mother and her child.

14. A Mother is called to support her child; there are some things that our children must do for themselves.

15. Mothers are made to be strong. How else could a mother witness the slow execution of her child, hold his lifeless body and then prepare it for burial.

16. Make sure you really understand what it is you are crying about or lamenting.

17. The time to help, is when you don't feel like helping.

18. God the Father doesn't show favoritism - He expects everyone to obey Him.

19. When we are weary, it is time to rest, or else we will suffer even more discomfort.

20. Anyone can be weary and weakened if they are denied food, sleep, and dignity.

21. Nothing can keep a good man down.

22. There is peace in death. Our Blessed Mother, Mary, was glad the torturing of her Son was over.

23. Eventually, every adversity comes to an end.

24. Words are not necessary to teach every lesson.

25. Love should be the driving force behind obedience.

If you would like to help your children discover or reflect on the Stations of the Cross or the Stabat Mater Dolorosa, feel free to download our Stabat Mater Copywork Set.   It incorporates handwriting, English as well as Latin translation of verse lines, and coloring for the 22 verses of one of the world's greatest hymns.   This resource has been very well received by our children, and we hope yours will find it engaging and enjoyable too. 

Blessings,

Kalei

Teaching Grammar and Reviewing Theology with the Apostles' Creed Prayer

As promised, we have been focusing our home learning efforts on the learning and memorizing the new form of the Apostles' Creed.  To that end we have done grammar study, art work, memorization, copywork, catechism and spelling too.  I will pass along what we have done briefly and give you links to gather the resources for yourself from the new faith area of our resource website.

Memorization
To help with memorization of the Creed and help children learn some of the other prayers said at Mass, I made some new Learning Prayer Cards sets.  The new form of the Apostles' Creed is featured in one of the learning card sets as well as the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel for Protection, which is said after daily masses.  Another learning card set features the Sanctus or Holy. Holy, Holy in Latin and also in English.  The new form is provided.


Grammar
In the grammar department I typed out the new form of the Apostles' Creed as well as the old form and put them on separate sheets.  We then began comparing and contrasting the prayers grammatically.  The Apostles' Creed prayer sheets (plus the text from this lesson) are very useful for reference with many of the activities below.  We made some unique observations.

1. The new form has only two sentences.  The old form has nine sentences.   Don't believe me?  See for yourself. Together the kids pointed out the subject and predicate of each of the long sentences.  Presented in a Who or what/Does what format, it is very simple to pick out the subject (noun portion) and predicate (verb portion).  You will also see the change in the number of pronouns as well.  Because of the reduction of sentences, there isn't the need to use the pronoun "he" very often. 
2. The new form uses quite a few semi-colons and to a lesser degree, commas.  This is the perfect opportunity to highlight the functions and differences in both of these punctuation marks.  The semi-colon is used to separate complex ideas within the sentence - in its simplest explanation, but using your favorite grammar text will help you give further examples of proper use of both the semi-colon and comma.
3. Another addition to this form of the Apostles' Creed includes the use of italics to signal the need for reverence to be given by the person or persons praying. The line which uses italics is: "who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary,"
4. This is a great opportunity to discuss plural nouns. 

Apostles (more than one apostle)

Apostle's (belonging to one apostle)

Apostles' (belonging to more than one apostles or a group of apostles) 

Note the position and proper use of apostrophe.*

Spelling/Handwriting
For our spelling practice this week I selected ten words that best represent the prayer to use as spelling list words for the week.  With only ten words, it can be easily accomplished by kiddos.  I also created a set of Ten Words about the Apostles' Creed copywork sheets.  This set includes trace work in print and cursive as well as a blank version for learners with better handwriting skills.  I simply printed out one sheet to use daily and gave a quick spelling check at the end of the week.

For other copywork, handwriting practice and also as an aide to help learn the prayer, I created copywork sheets for the Apostles' Creed.  Styles include a set for the Apostles' Creed in trace print, a set for the Apostles' Creed in trace cursive, and for more advanced writers, the Apostles' Creed in non-trace style.  With only a few lines per page, one sheet could be given out daily until the entire prayer is completed.


Catechism
One of the easiest things to do with the Apostles' Creed is to pick out the twelve points on which our faith is based as it was proclaimed from the twelve apostles so many centuries ago.  Use the prayer sheets from above to look throughout the prayer.  Have children underline the points with different colors.  Here are the points distinguished with different colors below.  You can also find these in the CCC as well.

I believe in God,

the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, 
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried; 
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
 

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.  Amen.

Art

These coloring art sheets help to distinguish and illustrate some of the important parts of the Apostles' Creed.  Each sheet gives a title, summary of what is occurring in the image as well as a line from scripture or the prayer itself.  Here are the sheets I used:

The Descent of the Holy Spirit Coloring Sheet

The Holy Trinity Joined by the Saints Coloring Sheet - This sheet depicts the Holy Trinity but also the communion of saints.  See if you can note the heavenly Father, the Son (the lamb) and the Holy Spirit (dove), the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven , St. Joseph, St. Peter, St. Stephen, St. Mary Magdalen, the Holy Innocents, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel the Archangel, St. John the Baptist, the terms "Ave" (Hail) and Ecce Agnus Dei (Behold the Lamb).

Easter, The Resurrection Coloring Sheet - This last sheet features a portion of the Apostles' Creed in image and words.  Mary Magdalene meets Jesus just outside His tomb.  The angel is present as well.  Note the beautiful pious halo that is above Christ's head.

So, this is what we did this week to begin getting ready for the transition for the New Roman Missal. 

I hope you find this lesson very helpful!

Blessings,
Kalei

Lest We Forget..Resources, Activities and a Reflection for November 11th

Resources to help children remember those who have gone before them.

My father, God rest his soul, fought in WWII.  He was drafted at age twenty along with his brothers to serve and protect his country in the armed forces.  He always felt it was an honour.  He never spoke about the fear he felt, but only of the obedient duties that he and his platoon performed.  Growing up, I remember seeing war photos that my dad had brought back with him from the war depicting the many prisoners and horrors he observed in the concentration camps in Germany.  As the army tanks rolled down the streets, his photos showed bodies disrespectfully strewn on the sides of the road and terror on the faces of men, women and children.  At age ten, I had truly come to understand the phrase of William Tecumseh Sherman, "War is hell."  And yet, many of our fallen brothers and sisters have been forgotten by the present generation.

Let us help our children remember those who have gone before them to afford them and us the luxury to be safe and free, to be Christians, as well as to be able to homeschool our children.  In today's world of video games depicting glorified violence without consequence, misplaced reverence of pride, and morally numbing activities that confuse children and adults alike about their own identities as human beings, men and women, citizens and Christians - I'm sure my father would agree that he did not offer to lay down his life for this degeneration of humanity.   We can remember the past and current sacrifices of peacekeepers and veterans by choosing to do a few of the activities below.

November 11th - Remembrance Day, Armed Forces Day, or Veteran's Day - is a day to remember all those who have gone before us securing our rights and freedoms and those of others as well.  It is also affords us a formal opportunity as honour those who are still serving and peacekeeping around the world. 

Here are a few resource ideas to help you celebrate this day in your family.

1.  Pray and attend Mass. 
As our Pastor suggested to us, attend Mass on the November 11th and offer Holy Communion for the departed souls who have died in war.  Their souls should also be remembered with your daily prayers all November for the Holy Souls.

2.  Observe a moment of silence and reflection. 
In Canada, the population observes the designated moments of silence of the eleventh minute, of the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month.  For just a few moments, we are encouraged to stop and be thankful that others that have gone before us were courageous, honourable, obedient, and selfless.

3.  Create a visible reminder. 
Whether you place family photos of loved ones past on the fireplace mantle or paint a picture of a field of poppies, encourage your children to remember this important day in a way they can find meaningful.  Perhaps you may want to create a bouquet of red paper poppies with the name of family or friends who have served or are still serving in peacekeeping missions.  Place your bouquet in a prominent place and pray the rosary for those shown on your flowers.

4.  Read through the poem, In Flanders Field by John McCrae. 
You can find it at the bottom of this post.  Reading through the poem can not only be a little lesson on how to read poetry and identify rhyme scheme, but it is also an opportunity to better understand the role of the poppy used for celebration and memorial services on Remembrance Day in Canada. 

Perhaps you would like to use this as copy work?  We have some trace copywork sheets just for this purpose in print as well as cursive. 

Download the In Flanders Field copywork.  There are twelve pages in all.

5.  Learn about St. Maximilian Kolbe.
This inspirational saint was a Polish Franciscan Friar who volunteered to die in the place of a stranger while he was held in the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz, in Poland.  You may want to print out our St. Maximilian saint collector trading card or perhaps complete a My Book Mini-book about him using your favourite resources at home or from the Internet.

Download our Saint Maximilian Kolbe Saint Trading Card.
Download our Saint Maximilian Kolbe Mini-book.
Download our Saint Maximilian Kolbe Spiritual Copywork.

6.  Think about soldiers as individuals.
Using our graphic organizer template, note the virtues or positive attributes (adjectives) of the image pictured in the centre.  There is also a blank template for you in case you would like to place or draw a picture of a military hero - a family member, friend, or public figure - and note the virtues or positive attributes that this person personified.

 

Download our soldier graphic organizer set.

7.  Learn more about the holiday and its meaning.
Here are a few ways that you can learn more:

-Talk to a veteran or schedule one to come and speak to your homeschool group or co-op.  Veteran's can be found in almost every parish and retirement community.  They are usually eager to share their stories and experiences with others especially young people who show interest.

-Visit a museum to learn more about your local history and veteran's from your area.  Our town is lucky enough to have a memorial museum where visitors can see authentic photographs, artifacts, maps and more from the WWI and WWII.  Local veterans are highlighted and honoured and the museum is run by the veterans.

-Borrow child friendly books from your local library such as Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy or A Poppy is to RememberLightburn.

Let us always strive to remember, honour and pray for those who have gone before us in obedience, courage and love.

I hope you find these resources helpful.

Blessings,
Kalei

In Flanders Field

by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US .  .  . 

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

 

Resources to Celebrate and Learn About St. Padre Pio

September 23rd is the Feast Day of St. Padre Pio. 
This modern day saint not only bore the sign of our Lord in the stigmata, but he also had the gift of reading hearts as well as could bilocate or be in two places at once.

To help you introduce this saint to your children, Religious Ed. or  CCD class, we have put together some resources in our most popular items including free printable St. Padre Pio trading cards, St. Padre Pio notebooking sheets, copywork sheets featuring one of St. Padre Pio's famous quotes, Saint Biography learning cards and more. 

As with the majority of our resources, they can be used with resources you may already have on hand or can easily locate at your church library or online.

Padre Pio Trading Cards - 4 per sheet

Take a peek now to help your kiddos learn about St. Padre Pio.
Blessings,
Kalei

Fun Printable Reading Resources for the book Maybe You Should Fly A Jet! by Theo LeSieg - and they AREN'T just for the 2nd grader

Resources to help learners of all ages think about What they want to be when they grow up.

The summer break from formal learning offers children the opportunity for long blocks of imaginative play.  Often times children will act out what they hope will become the occupation of their choice later in life.  It is always a hoot to watch the kiddos pretending to be everything the can think of including the 'Flying Nun', an archaeologist,  an explorer, a baker making mud pies, a mum walking her baby in a stroller or even a professional soccer player. 

When we think about learning about occupations in a more formal way, we cannot overlook the humorous work of Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo LeSieg) called, MAYBE YOU SHOULD FLY A JET! I Can Read All By Myself Beginner Books.  This easy to read book is a fun imaginative work that exposes children to a plethora of different occupations all the while providing a solid rhythmic pattern of text.  We really enjoyed this read in our little homeschool and shared it among our various grade levels.  I then created a few little fun go along worksheets to help the children explore the work a bit more.  The sheets require the children to think about all the different kinds of jobs from the book as they answer some simple questions are to be shared amongst themselves later on.  This activity can be used with just about any level that wanted to participate for fun.  This could also be a fun writing co-op activity or even a party game.  Really!!

Here are what the sheets look like.  (Click the image to get a close up view.)

There are lots of jobs and occupations mentioned in this book.  Ask your learner to test their memory skills by recalling either the first twenty or the last twenty occupations.  Younger children can use this portion as simple copywork if necessary.  There is a sheet for either the first or last twenty.  Learners simply write out the job and then tell whether they would like to have the job or not by checking the appropriate box.  Fun colourful graphics remind children of different jobs.  You could also do this job additionally by just having children name twenty jobs that they would like to have.

Children of all ages enjoy expressing their opinion about things.  This sheet asks the reader to think about all of the different occupations that they saw in the book.  It then asks them to complete statements the jobs and their perceptions about a few of them.   The simple  statements include which job the think is the best, dullest, hardest, strangest, requires the most training, is the most rewarding and so on.  Our kiddos really enjoyed this activity and it could even serve as a writing co-op activity or as the ice breaker to a new class or party.

Click Here to download the worksheets for Maybe You Should Fly a Jet!

I hope that these sheets help your kiddos explore what they want to be when they grow up a bit more or at least have a few laughs learning about the possibilities that await them.

Blessings,

Kalei

New Faith Themed Alphabet Letter Copywork in Print and Cursive

New copywork sets help children practice their letter formation as well as learn about their Faith.

A few months ago, a homeschooling mum dropped us some nice words and a kind suggestion of creating individual alphabet letter copywork with images related to the Faith.  So it took a bit of time, but we have finally completed them and they match our Alphabet Letter poster set we shared yesterday.  The images from the posters exactly match the copywork sheets. They are in colour, but those who are conscious of ink usage could easily print them out in grayscale.

Sheets are very useful to teach print or cursive handwriting techniques while providing colourful images designed to speak to their hearts.  Images are sure to be great conversation starters for older learners working on learning cursive writing. 

If you have multiple children, you may want to laminate the sheets to be able to have younger children use them over and over again with a fine tipped wipe-off pen.  You could also laminate them back to back in alphabetical order and bind on the left to create a book.  Once laminated, they could also be easily kept in a 3 ringed binder.

We hope you find these sets very useful.

Click Here to download the set of print copywork.
Click Here to download the set of cursive copywork.

Blessings, 

Kalei - That Resource Team 

Ideas to Help Thwart the Commercialism of St. Valentine's Day

 Resources to focus on Love and Charity

As we draw closer to Valentine's Day, we are bombarded by cocoa delights in the stores, advertisements in the newspaper, and a plethora of goods and services that well, to be quite frank, we don't need. 

As Christians we celebrate Valentine's Day daily as we uphold our Lord's Commandments to love one another, love and practice fidelity to our spouses as well as honour our parents.  There we go, everyone in our life is covered.  If we happen to attend Mass on the 14th of February, we also show Jesus that we love Him too as we should go to Mass to show God we love Him rather than prioritizing to have our own needs met.

We can do a few things to try and make the day seem less commercial for our children and families. 

• Create a My Book Mini-book on St. Valentine.

• Read 1 Corinthians 13:3-7 in the Bible - the passage on love or charity.  You can find copywork for that Bible passage here.

• Begin Our Virtue Lesson on Love.  This popular month long lesson for learners K-6 is great for February, but it can be done at any time of the year.  If you haven't had a chance to use Our Virtue Lessons, you may want to give it a whirl now.  These lessons incorporate moral development with a Christian focus, and include text lessons, discussion prompts, mini-books, worksheets, copywork, suggestions for reading and go-along printables!!

• Attend daily Mass on February 14th.

We hope these resources help bring love and joy to your lessons this week.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

Catechism Lesson on The Trinity - Includes F3 Pieces, Copywork, Mini-books and More

Help children begin to understand the Trinity with simple and fun resources.

 

In our last lesson we discussed and tried to help our children understand the Perfections of God.  In this lesson we begin to think and talk about the Holy Trinity.  The Trinity is very difficult for children to understand fully.  Why?  Because it is a hard concept for adults to understand fully as well.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC: 202) explains the Trinity in this way:

Jesus himself affirms that God is "the one Lord" whom you must love "with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength". At the same time Jesus gives us to understand that he himself is "the Lord". To confess that Jesus is Lord is distinctive of Christian faith. This is not contrary to belief in the One God. Nor does believing in the Holy Spirit as "Lord and giver of life" introduce any division into the One God:
We firmly believe and confess without reservation that there is only one true God, eternal infinite (immensus) and unchangeable, incomprehensible, almighty and ineffable, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; three persons indeed, but one essence, substance or nature entirely simple.

 

Having used this and the Bible scripture passage Genesis 1:26-27 as the inspiration, I have put together this lesson using a variety of fun resources.  I will share them below and leave the dialogue to you and your children.  The instructions for the F3 Activity are included in the file.  All other resources are listed below.

 

Supplies
.PDF Files below
Scissors
Glue
Stapler
pencil
Art mediums, if desired for illustrating your mini-book

 

Suggested Files
Click Here for F3 Trinity Activity (3p)
Click Here for My Book Mini-book The Trinity - prompted (2p)
Click Here for My Book Mini-book The Trinity - plain (2p)
Click Here for 10 Words About the Trinity - Trace copywork in print (1p)
Click Here for 10 Words About the Trinity - Trace copywork in cursive (1p)
Click Here for Sign of the Cross Prayer - Trace copywork in print (2p)

Click Here for Sign of the Cross Prayer - Trace copywork in cursive (2p)

 

Step One

Print out F3 piece.  Directions are included on the sheet.  Cut out pieces on dotted lines.  Fold flaps toward the centre on black lines.  Glue appropriate description to the corresponding flap.  Glue to F3 activity sheet called: The Holy Trinity, included in the file.  Share and discuss the piece. 

 

Step Two
Read the Bible passage from the F3 Activity sheet and discuss together as it applies to the Trinity. 

 

Step Three
Have the learners complete the My Book Mini-book - The Trinity.  This is available in two styles.  There is a blank book for older learners and a prompted style book for younger learners.  Simply have children complete the pages, cut apart on the lines, stack and staple.  It is easy and a fun way to narrate back information or show proof of learning.  This little book asks students to complete the following tasks or questions: 

Who or what is the Trinity?

Write or draw about the first person of the Trinity. 

Write or draw about the second person of the Trinity. 

Write or draw about the third person of the Trinity. 

Write out the sign of the cross prayer. 

Draw a symbol of the Trinity.

 

In a formal class setting, this could be started in class and finished for homework if time is an issue.  When completed, have children glue this onto their F3 Activity sheet in the appropriate spot.  I use card stock for the activity sheets to support the flaps and pieces better but that is up to you.

 

Step Four
You may want to have younger learners use some of our copywork sheets to solidify the uniqueness of the Trinity.  We offer these worksheet resources:

 10 Words About the Trinity.  These trace copywork sheets are available in both print and cursive styles.

 The Sign of the Cross Prayer.  These trace sheets help children learn one of the most basic prayers of the Catholic faith.

  

Step Five
You may want to finish up your lesson on the Trinity with our science experiment on the 3 states of water as they could be related to the Trinity.  We have previously posted about that here. 

 

**As a little note, we understand that what we have shared is not a perfect example of God, nor is a shamrock, three lit candles, or a triangle a perfect illustration as nothing is perfect but God.  But these symbols help children to begin to understand the concept of one God in three distinct and separate persons.

 

We hope this helps the religious education of your children in some way. :)

 

Blessings,

That Resource Team

Resources to help celebrate St. Francis of Assisi's Feast Day on October 4th

Printable St. Francis Trading Card

 Here are some learning goodies to help you learn about and celebrate St. Francis of Assisi's Feast Day.

St. Francis of Assisi is perhaps one of the most popular and well known saints in the world.  There is so much to tell about this holy hero of the past.  Many remember him for his association and gentleness with animals others recall the wonderful prayer of St. Francis which tells us specifically how to be better Christians, but I remember that St. Francis is the one responsible for the nativity scene as we know it today.  We offer these resources to help inspire young Catholics to learn more about this wonderful, beloved saint.

From our book study on In God's Garden by Amy Steedman, read and print a story about St. Francis of Assisi Here.  Listen to that story read Here.

Printable Prayer Page
This two per page prayer sheet colourfully displays the prayer of St. Francis in an easy to read and inviting way.  This would make great copywork too.  Find this and other printable prayer sheets at this link.

Saint Trading Card - Pictured above.

Find a saint trading card that highlights St. Francis of Assisi with one of his most famous quotes and a notation of his feast day as well.  They are printed with four cards per sheet.  Find this and other saint trading cards at the link above.

Create a Mini-book about St. Francis of Assisi

Use our eight page My Book Mini-book of St. Francis of Assisi to have children narrate the details of the life of this famous saint.  Prompted pages help keep learners on track.  Prompts include symbols, what makes this saint special, when would you call on this saint for intercession and more.  These books are always a hit with learners and are perfect for families who follow a Classical or Charlotte Mason learning style.  This resource is especially handy because it can be used with any resource you may already have on hand at home or can easily find online.  Download this and other books from this link.

Our Learning Card on St. Francis of Assisi

If your child likes card learning, little narrations, or card collecting, then this resource may be just what you are looking for.  Paired with a Doctor of the Church, St. Therese of Lisieux, this sheet provides two cards in one.  Our children love using these little recall cards.  Simply print it out, fill it out, cut it out, fold and glue.  We laminate our cards for future game use and lots of handling.

Quote Copywork

Help children learn one of the most famous and inspiring quotes from this great saint using our trace copywork sheets available in print as well as cursive styles.  Find this and other saint quote copywork sheets at the link above.

We hope you find these resources fun and uplifting.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

More Resources to Help Learn About St. Jerome

Go-Along resources to celebrate St. Jerome's Feast Day on Sept. 30th

We love St. Jerome.  And as we previously shared a wonderful Little Liturgical Year  for September resource featuring St. Jerome from Michelle Scott, we thought we might highlight a few other resources that you can use as go-alongs to learn about this great saint who all Christians owe a debt of gratitude.

Use our Notebooking Sheets to find a set of 12 sheets in various line spacing options for St. Jerome - including spaces to draw as well.  You might also like our plain saint bio template fit for any saint instead.  You may also find sets for some of your other favourite family saints there too.  There is something for everyone.

If your learner is more tactile and a hands-on type learner, then you might choose to make a Learning Card about this saint (or other favourite saints) to add to your collection or to start a collection if you haven't done so already.  Our kids love these cards.  This set includes two saints celebrating feast days this month, St. Jerome on the 30th of September and St. Vincent de Paul on the 27th day of this month.

You can focus a bit on writing and copywork skills with our Saint Quote Copywork sheets.  These sheets are available in cursive or print trace styles although a few other saints can be found in non-trace styles as well.  You will find one of the most famous quotes from St. Jerome available to help celebrate his feast day.

If you are doing a lapbook or other paper project and are looking for a mini-book on St. Jerome, then look no further.  We have a My Book Mini-book on St. Jerome as well as tons of other saints.  These are all prompted for easier narrations. 

If you are inspired by St. Jerome as a Doctor of Catholic Church, you may want to try our My Book Mini-book unit study All About the Saints of the Catholic Church.  This project uses our mini-books to study about many well known and some lesser known saints of the Catholic Faith including books that focus on the Doctors of the Church.  A full list of the Doctors and instructions are included.

Enjoy!!

Blessings,

That Resource Team

The Beauty of Prayer Copywork and Prayer Resources

Prayer Resources to Use for Copywork

If you are a Charlotte Mason style learner, you are all too familiar with the idea of copywork.   Copywork is simply when you have children imitate and copy letters, words, sentences and then paragraphs to learn handwriting and content.  Copywork can start out with letters, numbers or words.  We have many worksheets that have been requested that are based on this concept.  Children start off tracing and move forward to independent writing.  This process can sometimes be repeated when cursive writing is being learned.  However, many families may not realize the beauty that this little charming gem can provide to their children's spiritual growth.

I recently received some beautiful copywork from one of my children for my birthday.  It was the prayer taught to us by the angels, the Hail Mary.  It was beautifully written and decorated in a way that was fit for our Holy Mother.  Then I received a copywork book mark with a mini-holy card of our Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd on the front and a great matching Bible verse of John 10:27-30 on the back.  Again is was lovely and will be cherished for years to come. 

What you choose to use as copywork is just as important as the writing itself.  Might I humbly suggest using prayers as copywork?  They help to solidify the faith in young hearts, teach grammar so eloquently, and the efforts and work toward perfecting their imitation teach patience, reverence and align young souls to many early saints including St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Jerome.

We offer many resources to help you in this endeavour.

 

Find a fairly large collection copywork worksheets including prayers (some are in English and some are in Latin), letters, number words, early reading words, saint quotes, and more.  Click Here to see our collection now.

Consider downloading some of our Learning Flashcards for prayers that can easily be printed and laminated for prayer card use.  These are always a favourite with children and they are perfect for CCD class use as well.  All cards can be printed out in grey scale if colour ink is an issue.  Click Here to see our learning cards now.

If you are looking for prayers for children that you can read online, you can find our online collection here with some of the most popular prayers for Catholic to know.  Click Here to visit that page now.

We also have printable versions of prayers for children.  These little sheets are perfect for CCD class use, to put in the front of folders, laminate for reference during family prayer time or to keep in a binder.  Many families and catechists really like these resources.  Click Here to see our prayer sheets now.

We hope you find these resources useful for your family or religious education class.

Blessings,

Kalei - That Resource Team