Showing posts with label Montessori. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montessori. Show all posts
Using Hands-On Learning in Your Religious Education Lessons
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August 31st is the birthday of Maria Montessori, the woman behind the Montessori Learning Method. As I think of her today, I am reminded of how successful her methods have been in my Religious Education classes.
If you are not familiar with the Montessori Method, you can think of it, in the simplest sense, as learning by doing. It is active hands-on learning for children in an environment that has been especially prepared for them. The teacher facilitates rather than leads in the learning area using specially selected interactive learning tools, so that learners can make natural connections on their own. You can learn even more about the academic setup, features and strengths of this method in an article I wrote last year entitled, A Brief Intro to Maria Montessori and the Montessori Teaching Method.
When I was asked to become a Catechist years ago, I knew that I wanted to bring some of the positive experiences and activities that I had from homeschooling my own children at home, into my formal parish classroom. This meant learning by doing and interacting with the material – not just reading aloud in a classroom together.
I quickly found that I had made the right decision as my very first year brought me about fourteen children at different ages and learning levels, including gifted and challenged learners. Montessori and interactive learning were a saving grace.
I have heard over the years from Cats and DREs far and wide about how to make the classes more active or appealing to children. Montessori may be the answer. As bishops and pastors are asking families to become more involved in their child’s faith formation (even to the point of attending classes and activities together,) having class activities that are interactive, engaging, and fun becomes even more important.
I designed a few ways to get children engaging in the material in some non-traditional ways. I hope that these ideas can prove fruitful in your classroom too.
1. Have a question box.
Many children have questions that they are not willing to ask in front of others. Can my dog go to heaven? Did God create Cancer? What if Jesus doesn’t want to forgive me? My parents are divorced, can they get married again and can they still go to heaven? By creating an inviting and anonymous question box, children can put in questions that they want answered. By taking a few minutes of class time when needed, children feel a real sense of belonging without the fear of looking inadequate in front of their peers or embarrassed in front of their parents.
2. Take an interactive church tour.
Children love learning about the church – the building itself, and the sacramentals contained within it. Many children (and some adults as well) wonder what things are called, what are they used for, and why things have to be done a specific way? Taking an interactive tour helps develop reverence and while building knowledge. I have a special church tour worksheet that I created and use yearly. I attach it to a clipboard with a pencil tied on with string, and then we begin. It gives kids something to do with their hands and encourages purposeful listening. Learn more in my article called, CCD Lessons – Have You Toured Your Church Yet?
3. Use REAL things, when possible.
Whenever there is an opportunity to use the proper religious item, do so. Rather than just reading a scripture reference in your text, take out actual Bibles, pair the children in twos, and have them practice finding and reading the passages with you. The sense of accomplishment that they feel when they have found something themselves in God’s Word is very inspiring. If you are going to teach about portions of the Mass, use the actual missals from the pew. Along with a yearly missal, our church has monthly missalettes for daily Mass use, and I know for a fact that children wonder what the books are, and why don’t they have one. Our pastor uses a big print version of it during the Liturgy of the Word (not at the pulpit, of course), and I had a child ask me what the “special book” Father was using was. Children want to feel involved and a part of the congregation in a very actual sense. By letting them use the “real thing” they feel valued, and they learn how participate in Mass and grow in their faith.
4. Use Montessori Cards in the class.
I use Montessori cards featuring sacramentals in my classroom.
Montessori cards are simple little cards, which provide a picture (usually a photo) and a simple label. Although many think of them as flashcards, they are not. Montessori cards are used to teach vocabulary terms, reading skills, word and picture associations, as well as help build memory skill.
Here are a few ideas on how to use these Montessori cards.
1. Name the pictures on each card.
2. Play matching games with two identical sets of cards.
3. Sort a group of cards by topic criteria.
4. Recall narrative details about the topic. (Explain all you know about the material.)
5. Relate pictures in the set to one another.
5. Play Games to Learn and Review
The printable games that I have created do everything from teach prayers, drill the Ten Commandments, review the parts of the Mass, reinforce the Seven Sacraments and the differences in each, allow children to see and learn about sacramentals using photos and all in a hands-on format that children really enjoy using. Most games can be played individually or in teams of two or more. This is a sample of our newly updated Build Your Faith Bingo game. It is a fun game that reinforces: sacramentals from your church tour, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, identifying Holy Saints by their symbols, Mysteries of the Rosary, and the Parts of the Mass by title. It uses less color ink than our previous version and accommodates up to seventeen players at once.
I revamped this game and many, many of our other resources to meet the needs of those who wanted to use less color ink and use our resources in a classroom or co-op setting.
6. Create a Holy Table or Mini-Altar in your classroom
I begin our class periods with prayer. Children file up to our Holy Table and bless themselves with holy water and return to their place to begin prayer. Our Holy table reflects the liturgical season in our linens and candles and displays, a large hardcover Bible on a wooden holder. A rosary is also on display along side a small decorative glass jar (which has an airtight cover) which is our holy water font. This is a basic setup, although I have other things that I put out as well. Another Cat on our parish team, has a beautiful altar, complete with big photos of our pastor and our Lord during Benediction and sacramentals from Holy Land. Oh, it is just so lovely. Children need to be able to see and touch the things that make our Catholic faith so rich and authentic.
These are just a few ideas of how you can incorporate the Montessori Learning Method into your Religious Education or CCD classroom and help you bring the faith to life in your classroom.
**If you have recently purchased our Religious Pack DVD, all the printable resources I have mentioned above are already included on your disc. If you haven’t picked one up yet, there is still time to do so. It is an easy way to view, click, and print our most popular printables and hundreds of revamped and brand new resources perfect for classroom or homeschool use.
If you are not familiar with the Montessori Method, you can think of it, in the simplest sense, as learning by doing. It is active hands-on learning for children in an environment that has been especially prepared for them. The teacher facilitates rather than leads in the learning area using specially selected interactive learning tools, so that learners can make natural connections on their own. You can learn even more about the academic setup, features and strengths of this method in an article I wrote last year entitled, A Brief Intro to Maria Montessori and the Montessori Teaching Method.
When I was asked to become a Catechist years ago, I knew that I wanted to bring some of the positive experiences and activities that I had from homeschooling my own children at home, into my formal parish classroom. This meant learning by doing and interacting with the material – not just reading aloud in a classroom together.
I quickly found that I had made the right decision as my very first year brought me about fourteen children at different ages and learning levels, including gifted and challenged learners. Montessori and interactive learning were a saving grace.
I have heard over the years from Cats and DREs far and wide about how to make the classes more active or appealing to children. Montessori may be the answer. As bishops and pastors are asking families to become more involved in their child’s faith formation (even to the point of attending classes and activities together,) having class activities that are interactive, engaging, and fun becomes even more important.
I designed a few ways to get children engaging in the material in some non-traditional ways. I hope that these ideas can prove fruitful in your classroom too.
1. Have a question box.
Many children have questions that they are not willing to ask in front of others. Can my dog go to heaven? Did God create Cancer? What if Jesus doesn’t want to forgive me? My parents are divorced, can they get married again and can they still go to heaven? By creating an inviting and anonymous question box, children can put in questions that they want answered. By taking a few minutes of class time when needed, children feel a real sense of belonging without the fear of looking inadequate in front of their peers or embarrassed in front of their parents.
2. Take an interactive church tour.
Children love learning about the church – the building itself, and the sacramentals contained within it. Many children (and some adults as well) wonder what things are called, what are they used for, and why things have to be done a specific way? Taking an interactive tour helps develop reverence and while building knowledge. I have a special church tour worksheet that I created and use yearly. I attach it to a clipboard with a pencil tied on with string, and then we begin. It gives kids something to do with their hands and encourages purposeful listening. Learn more in my article called, CCD Lessons – Have You Toured Your Church Yet?
3. Use REAL things, when possible.
Whenever there is an opportunity to use the proper religious item, do so. Rather than just reading a scripture reference in your text, take out actual Bibles, pair the children in twos, and have them practice finding and reading the passages with you. The sense of accomplishment that they feel when they have found something themselves in God’s Word is very inspiring. If you are going to teach about portions of the Mass, use the actual missals from the pew. Along with a yearly missal, our church has monthly missalettes for daily Mass use, and I know for a fact that children wonder what the books are, and why don’t they have one. Our pastor uses a big print version of it during the Liturgy of the Word (not at the pulpit, of course), and I had a child ask me what the “special book” Father was using was. Children want to feel involved and a part of the congregation in a very actual sense. By letting them use the “real thing” they feel valued, and they learn how participate in Mass and grow in their faith.
4. Use Montessori Cards in the class.
I use Montessori cards featuring sacramentals in my classroom.
Montessori cards are simple little cards, which provide a picture (usually a photo) and a simple label. Although many think of them as flashcards, they are not. Montessori cards are used to teach vocabulary terms, reading skills, word and picture associations, as well as help build memory skill.
Here are a few ideas on how to use these Montessori cards.
1. Name the pictures on each card.
2. Play matching games with two identical sets of cards.
3. Sort a group of cards by topic criteria.
4. Recall narrative details about the topic. (Explain all you know about the material.)
5. Relate pictures in the set to one another.
5. Play Games to Learn and Review
The printable games that I have created do everything from teach prayers, drill the Ten Commandments, review the parts of the Mass, reinforce the Seven Sacraments and the differences in each, allow children to see and learn about sacramentals using photos and all in a hands-on format that children really enjoy using. Most games can be played individually or in teams of two or more. This is a sample of our newly updated Build Your Faith Bingo game. It is a fun game that reinforces: sacramentals from your church tour, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, identifying Holy Saints by their symbols, Mysteries of the Rosary, and the Parts of the Mass by title. It uses less color ink than our previous version and accommodates up to seventeen players at once.
![Open in new window](javascript:CaricaFoto("http://www.thatresourcesite.com/faith_pixs/games/build_your_faith_bingo.JPG");)
I revamped this game and many, many of our other resources to meet the needs of those who wanted to use less color ink and use our resources in a classroom or co-op setting.
6. Create a Holy Table or Mini-Altar in your classroom
I begin our class periods with prayer. Children file up to our Holy Table and bless themselves with holy water and return to their place to begin prayer. Our Holy table reflects the liturgical season in our linens and candles and displays, a large hardcover Bible on a wooden holder. A rosary is also on display along side a small decorative glass jar (which has an airtight cover) which is our holy water font. This is a basic setup, although I have other things that I put out as well. Another Cat on our parish team, has a beautiful altar, complete with big photos of our pastor and our Lord during Benediction and sacramentals from Holy Land. Oh, it is just so lovely. Children need to be able to see and touch the things that make our Catholic faith so rich and authentic.
These are just a few ideas of how you can incorporate the Montessori Learning Method into your Religious Education or CCD classroom and help you bring the faith to life in your classroom.
**If you have recently purchased our Religious Pack DVD, all the printable resources I have mentioned above are already included on your disc. If you haven’t picked one up yet, there is still time to do so. It is an easy way to view, click, and print our most popular printables and hundreds of revamped and brand new resources perfect for classroom or homeschool use.
Blessings,
Kalei
Hop on our Montessori Spelling Train
Let's be honest, sometimes lists of spelling words aren't much fun to work with. They can lack meaning, be too challenging, or just be plain tedious for youngsters. But what if you could hop on a Spelling Train and practice your spelling words or learn new words, or even create sentences with fast chug-chug fun? Of course, I'd want to get on and practice my spelling and vocabulary words too!! Wouldn't you?Today's resource, the Spelling Train, was inspired by our recent trip to the Rockies. The Rockies are train country up here in B.C., Canada and what better way to keep memories of our trip alive then with printable train themed learning fun.
Print out our free .PDF file. Cut apart the pieces and instruction card. Gather a list of words you want to use in your spelling or vocab fun. Have the kiddos practice spelling the words or making sentences by finding the individual pieces (train cars) and connecting them to the train (steam engine or handcar provided).
The Spelling Train file contains:-Four of each letter of the alphabet in four different colours - red, yellow, green, blue. Vowels are on their own sheet in case more of these popular letters are needed.
-Grammar pieces in four colours including: apostrophe, comma, period, question mark, exclamation point, open quotation mark, and close quotation mark.
Feel free to make your collection as big or as small as you want. A larger collection means that children can practice together. Older kids can play a slightly competitive style of trying to spell words or make phrases the quickest. Fun for all ages!
We hope that your children enjoy using the Spelling Train and look forward to practicing hands on spelling fun.
Click Here to download the Spelling Train game now.
Blessings,
Kalei
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What's up, Doc? Carrot Contractions!
Going through my homeschool closet today, I came across one of my youngest child's favourite games. It's called Carrot Contractions. Inspired a few years years ago by our favourite carrot loving cartoon bunny, this game pairs contractions, paper carrots, and a brown shoebox for fun with a Montessori flare. Learners practice reading 32 pairs of contractions and/or matching up the words to the contractions. So on one carrot you may have 'has not' and 'hasn't'. If you pulled a carrot with a worm on it, it may only have 'has not' and the child would have to supply the 'hasn 't' contraction. I couldn't believe what a great game this turned out to be for my kiddos.
Assembly takes just a bit of effort, but it is so worth it. Print out and prepare carrots and word pairs by cutting out the shapes and gluing the word to the white back of the carrot. Kiddos pick carrots and read word sets. Carrots with a worm provide only one side of the contraction set, providing challenging fun. Alternate methods and challenge levels for game provided.
For real fun, laminate the carrots up and have the learner pull them from the ground -a brown cardboard box with a slit in it. The plain brown craft shoe boxes from your local craft store work very well. (The brown, of course, represents the dirt that carrot is growing in.) Use an exacto to cut thin slits in the cover of the box. Poke carrots into the box so that the tops are showing. It makes the game so much more fun. Alternately you could pull them out of a brown paper grocery bag as well.
Click Here to download Carrot Contractions now.
Hope you have fun as you get ready to head back to formal learning shortly - if you haven't already!! :)
Blessings,
Kalei
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.
Kalei - That Resource Team
A LIttle Latin Lesson on the Pater Noster (Our Father)
New Little Latin Lesson helps kids to learn our Lord's PrayerLooking for a hands on way to study the Pater Noster or an easy way to spice up your Latin review? Then this Little Lesson shared by Michelle over at Thinking Love, No Twaddle might be just what you are looking for.
Print these sheets out and cut the pieces apart. (I like to use card stock.) There is a reference prayer sheet as well as prayer pieces in Latin and English There is also lovely little copywork page to practice writing the entire prayer, a few lines, or even a few key words from the prayer.
A bit older children could use this lesson independently as a Montessori type activity if they use the prayer reference sheet. Some quality mama time could be given here as well using the pieces. In fact, you could play matching games using English to Latin or even Latin to Latin or English to English if you printed out two sets of the card pieces.
This packet is six pages. Here are a few sample pages from this lesson.
Thanks, Michelle for sharing this little prayerful gem with us all!
Click HERE to download this Little Latin Lesson - Learn the Pater Noster from Michelle's resource page on our main website.
Blessings,
Kalei - That Resource Team
NEW - Claude Monet Montessori Cards and Notebooking Pages
New printables to help learners come to know Claude Monet.Whether you have a hands-on learner or a writing fan, we have something beautiful to share with you to bring art study to life. Download a set of six Montessori cards featuring pieces from Claude Monet as well as a seven page notebooking set to accompany the study of Monet and Impressionism.
The Montessori cards feature some of Monet's most popular works including a few depicting his "Lilies" series. Simply print out cards on cardstock and cut apart on the lines. Look through the pieces to notice similarities and differences. For something simpler, print and cut out two sets of cards to play our favourite concentration style matching game.
If your learner enjoys writing or uses notebooking to learn, then our seven page notebooking sheet set may be useful. Pages features the artist's portrait and some famous pieces from Monet including the signature work of Impressionism. Lines are simple and allow for relaxed writing. Some sheets have spaces for doodles, drawings or writing in fun facts. These are just a few sample pages below.
We hope you find these printables fun and useful for your art study.
Click Here to download Montessori Art Cards featuring Monet.
Click Here to download Monet and Impressionism Notebooking Sheets.
Blessings,
That Resource Team
Little Box of Learning - Mathematical Flower Shop Role Playing Game
Did you like to play store when you were younger? Many people did. That's why the Tycoon style software games have become so popular over the past few years. People, young and old, like pretending that they run a business of some sort. We are so happy that we have finally gotten around to sharing one of the most beloved Math games in our little homeschool. Using the prepared files below, some popsicle sticks and a craft box - your child could literally have hours of math fun by themselves, with a friend or even with their favourite doll or action figure.
Most learners love to play games. Many learners enjoy imaginative play as well. This game is a definite addition for Montessori style and hands-on learners. This activity allows the craft box to not only hold the game itself, but also to become an interactive part of the game. The box becomes a display case in the store or garden centre. You may choose to use a white box and decorate it or use a brown box and just pretend you are picking the flowers straight from the ground. Daily bouquets are put on special and the players must prepare the bouquets for sale. They will pick the flowers required on the Daily Special card and put them in the box for the desired number of customers. Older learners can practice using multiplication using decimals as well as conducting the transaction using your own money or play money from the toy store.
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| Price list attached to box. |
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| Prepared flower front and back. |
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| Watch your fingers! :) |
Carefully using a very sharp exacto knife, cut five 4-inch slits along the cover of the shoe box about 2-inches apart. There should be enough space to easily insert the bouquets in the slit rows. The outside of the box can be decorated to match your local garden centre or flower shop if you like.
To begin play, put out the "open" sign. Next, select one Daily Special card and one Customer Scenario card. Complete the task using both cards. Create as many bouquets as stated in the scenario. Figure out how much each bouquet will cost using the provided price lists or make one of your own. Check your learner's finished product for accuracy. Learners playing in pairs could check each other's work or create daily specials for their play partner. Players simply play according to their skill levels. A nice added feature of this game is that we have chosen to highlight realistic flowers so that children can begin identifying flowers while learning math. There are eight different varieties of plants used in the game: pansy, tulip, ivy, daffodil, dahlia, primevere, peach rose, and magenta rose. Included are a twelve sample Daily Special cards, six scenario cards, templates for you to make your own specials or scenarios, a cost sign board with plain numbers (no decimals - for younger players) as well as a cost sign with decimal numbers. The file is 18 pages in all including directions. This game helps with:
number recognition
following directions
sorting
simple addition
using decimals
using money
multiplication
flower nomenclature
pattern recognition
good manners in business relations
We hope you find this Little Box of Learning resource game loads of fun to create and useful for your child's learning adventures.
Click Here to download this Flower Shop Play Pack.
(This is an 18 page download with lots of graphics. Please be patient with this larger file as it downloads.)
(This is an 18 page download with lots of graphics. Please be patient with this larger file as it downloads.)
Blessings,
That Resource Team
Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Reach us HERE through our website.
More Dino Resources - Math Counters and Colouring Sheets
More hands-on dinosaur resources help bring learning to life
As we continue our dinosaur themed learning, we thought that we would share more goodies that help keep with the theme and encourage more tactile learning and 'outta the box' learning. These printable resources are fast, easy to prepare and fun to do.
Dino Math Counters add fun to learning for many different ages. The focus of this set includes cards for the numbers from 0-100, even & odd numbers, and the math symbols: + - ÷ = < > . This resource is perfect for Montessori style learners and are always a hit or the boost to success when a change of pace is needed in studying one of the most difficult of subjects.
This set can be used to reinforce numeral names, number order, math symbols, number sentences and also odd and even numbers. Each coloured set of Dino graphics has been assigned even or odd numbers to help players learn independently. Also, odd and even usage can be worked into other usage games as well. For example, if number sentences are created, players can be asked if the answers are odd or even. Another simple game is to have siblings try to stump one another by calling out a number sentence and the other player must put it together and correctly figure it out using only the cards. You may want to print two sets to do more advanced games. You can find this set as well as our entire collection of math counter sets here, each with a slightly different focus.
Our Dino colouring sheets were a direct request from our daughter. She requested that there be an animal to colour, their name to trace and the pronunciation of their name as well. So we managed to come up with a few using public domain images. We hope your children enjoy them as much as ours do.
Click Here to download our Dino colouring sheet set.
We also have other colouring sheets that can be found here including Aesop's Fables and some Burgess books go-alongs as well.
We hope your learner enjoys some hands-on fun today learning about these giants of the past.
Blessings,
That Resource Team
As we continue our dinosaur themed learning, we thought that we would share more goodies that help keep with the theme and encourage more tactile learning and 'outta the box' learning. These printable resources are fast, easy to prepare and fun to do.
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| Dino counters used in a simple way. |
This set can be used to reinforce numeral names, number order, math symbols, number sentences and also odd and even numbers. Each coloured set of Dino graphics has been assigned even or odd numbers to help players learn independently. Also, odd and even usage can be worked into other usage games as well. For example, if number sentences are created, players can be asked if the answers are odd or even. Another simple game is to have siblings try to stump one another by calling out a number sentence and the other player must put it together and correctly figure it out using only the cards. You may want to print two sets to do more advanced games. You can find this set as well as our entire collection of math counter sets here, each with a slightly different focus.
Click Here to download our Dino colouring sheet set.
We also have other colouring sheets that can be found here including Aesop's Fables and some Burgess books go-alongs as well.
We hope your learner enjoys some hands-on fun today learning about these giants of the past.
Blessings,
That Resource Team
New Dino Fun Printable Resources including Montessori Cards
Inspired by our latest Faith lesson on creation and the Little Lessons on science from Michelle Scott over at Thinking Love, No Twaddle, our youngest became interested in dinosaurs. So to help in this study we created some printable resources that we hope your learners will enjoy using as much as ours do. Today we offer the Dino-detective Science Sheet and a set of 24 dinosaur Montessori cards.
The Dino science worksheet (pictured at left) offers learners the opportunity to explore the details of the dinosaur of their choice. Learners will be asked to find out such information as the meaning of their selected Dino's name, their size, eating habits and where have fossils of this animal been found in the world. There is also a spot for a picture to be drawn or pasted in. These detective style sheets are always a favourite with our children. You can see other detective sheets we have available here.
The other resource offered today is set of 24 Montessori Cards depicting some lesser known dinosaurs and prehistoric animals that children may want to get to know. These cards are perfect for laminating and game play. The images are in colour and very engaging.We have a few more fun Dino resources to share this week so stop in again soon or better yet subscribe to our feed so that you don't miss them.
Click Here to download our Dino Detective Sheet.
Click Here to download our Dino Montessori Card Set.
Blessings,
That Resource Team
CCD Lessons - Church Tour and Sacramentals Resources For Fun and Learning
Get to know God, by learning about His house and Mass tools.
As I kick off a new CCD teaching/learning year, I thought that I would take you along on our weekly journey. I will share lessons, resources, and ideas as much as I can in the hopes of helping other catechists or parents who choose to prepare their children for the sacrament of Reconciliation and First Eucharist outside a formal parish program. As our CCD program meets weekly for 75 minutes, we are limited in what we can accomplish with the children. Once a month we meet in the church instead of our classrooms for special prayer time and presentations. For October we will be having our annual church tour.
The church tour is very special for the children as each class not only goes through the church building itself, including all the nooks and crannies, but they also get a special tour of preparation for Mass including in introduction to vestments, a bit of church history, a chance to touch the Chalice, altar linens, and thurible, smells the oils and incense, examine the tabernacle, learn the history of our church relics and so much more. It is such a wonderful evening and one of my favourite nights of the year.
To help my children stay a bit focused, I made a fun and simple Mass Tour worksheet that I attach to a clipboard and have them take on the tour. I put a medium sized pencil on a string and tie it onto the clipboard as well. As we go around the church, the children fill out the sheet. Our sacristan, who presents all of the information for the Sanctuary and serving tools, teaches to the sheet which is very helpful. Children are allowed to ask questions and many oooohhs and aaahhs are always heard.
From every class period then on, I use the following resources to keep the tour information fresh in their hearts and minds. Of course I always encourage Mass attendance to see how each of the tools is directly related and used to celebrate our Catholic Faith.
Church Tools and Article Games can be printed here in both colour and b/w. These use pictures of articles directly from our parish. These are great for class play and review. I have used these for years and once laminated they can be used year after year. I prefer to use 3mil, heat laminated covers for these game pieces. Parents may even want to make sets for home use. It is hands on, Montessori style learning that ALWAYS brings smiles and fun. parents can learn lots from playing these games with their children too. To play, simply mix up and match word to picture in concentration or go fish style, call out words and have class teams find the picture. You may set up a few matches with one that contains an incorrect pair as an alternative method of play as well. Sometimes teams will try and trick each other too. Kids will come up with great ways to play games if you are just open minded.
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| Side Altar Honouring our Blessed Mother |
As I kick off a new CCD teaching/learning year, I thought that I would take you along on our weekly journey. I will share lessons, resources, and ideas as much as I can in the hopes of helping other catechists or parents who choose to prepare their children for the sacrament of Reconciliation and First Eucharist outside a formal parish program. As our CCD program meets weekly for 75 minutes, we are limited in what we can accomplish with the children. Once a month we meet in the church instead of our classrooms for special prayer time and presentations. For October we will be having our annual church tour.
The church tour is very special for the children as each class not only goes through the church building itself, including all the nooks and crannies, but they also get a special tour of preparation for Mass including in introduction to vestments, a bit of church history, a chance to touch the Chalice, altar linens, and thurible, smells the oils and incense, examine the tabernacle, learn the history of our church relics and so much more. It is such a wonderful evening and one of my favourite nights of the year.
From every class period then on, I use the following resources to keep the tour information fresh in their hearts and minds. Of course I always encourage Mass attendance to see how each of the tools is directly related and used to celebrate our Catholic Faith.
Some pictures used in our matching games are also available as Montessori sets here. They are easy enough for families to make at home or teachers to print off for children to use in class activities. You will also find other sets for Catholic instruction including Sacramentals, Stations of the Cross, and more. Using heavier bond paper or laminating plain paper adds to the longevity and durability of the cards, especially if you have a larger class.
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| Sacramental Themed Calendar pieces |
Reinforce church articles using our specially themed over sized monthly wall calendar. Create the board, laminate the pieces and use mack-tack or even Velcro for ease. Once this project is laminated, it could be used month after month, year after year. I like to use the 5mil, heat laminated style products for this project. See this and other themed calendars here. These are always a hit with children.
Another nice thing I use is a beautiful little video we made this past year using pictures of our church and music from a gifted musician from our parish named Keith Philips. He wrote the song and lyrics to this song inspired by the work of Blessed Mother Theresa. It is just perfect for children. You can learn more about Keith here and listen to his entire album at no cost. The video is great to reinforce different parts of the church and sacramentals found in it.
If you have never considered having a church tour as part of your CCD year, I highly recommend it. If you already do one, consider continuing the learning for review and fun using some of the resources mentioned above. Have a blessed learning year.
Feel free to contact me with questions or comments via our website here.
Blessings,
Kalei - That Resource Team
Famous Mathematicians Timeline and Pieces
I came across a dime store find of a book called Historical Connections in Mathematics, Resources for Using History of Mathematics in the Classroom by Wilbert and Luetta Reimer. Great find!! It has colouring biography sheets, biography read aloud pages, and cool math activities. I was so inspired by the fun possibilities for math that we made the book part of our learning year. We then found the book, Mathematicians Are People, Too, Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians by the same authors at the library. This book is perfect for Charlotte Mason narration! :) Our daughter loved it and we decided to buy a copy for ourselves. I began merging the two books for organizational purposes and came up with the the idea for a mini timeline for mathematicians.
We will be adding go-along notebooking sheets to the website shortly to go with this year-long project. We'll read the books one biographical focus at a time, do some activities for each, finish up with a notebooking page, and then put the corresponding timeline piece on the wall.
The time line is fast and easy to assemble and is made for small spaces. (The picture at the left is a quick preview.) You can use regular 8.5"x11" paper, although we recommend heavier bond paper for longevity. Full instructions are included in the file. Print out the pieces in one file - there 18 scholars in all. Print out the time line in the other file. The cards could also be used separately for Montessori purposes or for card play. Just print out two sets for Go Fish and Concentration Matching Type games.
We hope you find this useful. We will also have a similar timeline for The Life of Jesus Christ coming out very shortly. Just finishing up the last few pieces. It is the perfect companion to Child's Bible History by Knecht.
Click Here to download the Mathematician Timeline Cards
Click Here to download the Timeline PiecesBlessings,
Kalei - That Resource Team
British Bird Cards
Help children learn to recognize common birds found in British backyards with these Montessori style picture cards. These sweet set of 15 cards were created and shared by Michelle over at Thinking Love, No Twaddle. It is always neat to see what lands in other people's backyards around the world. Thanks, Michelle!
To use this resource, simply print out the cards and cut them apart. Printing out on card stock or heavier bond paper always adds durability. Laminate for longevity or to be able to take out cards on nature hikes, etc.
Happy bird watching. :)
Click Here to download the British Bird Card set
Blessings,
That Resource Team
July 9 - Little Beginners Learn to Count Set and Pattern Cards
Today we have some fun Montessori friendly math game style resources perfect for Pre/K to 1/2. This Little Beginners Set 1 covers counting and writing numbers from 1 to 5. This 5 page resource was created by Michelle over at Thinking Love, No Twaddle and it is great for visual learners or those having a bit of trouble grasping the big picture of math concepts. Bright familiar pictures really help to make concepts clear for children. Some sheets require writing and some are for reference, as pictured at the left.
She has also included pattern cards to go along with these sheets. Tangible pattern pieces really help solidify these most important early math concepts.
You could easily laminate these pieces and sheets and use them over and over. The writing sample pictured below is a perfect example of laminating for repeated use. This is a great money saving tip. In her introduction, Michelle talks about laminating machines as a most useful tool and we totally agree!! :)
Click Here to download Little Beginners Set 1
Click Here to download Pattern Pieces
Blessings,
That Resource Team
June 5 - William-Adolphe Bouguereau Montessori Cards
I was totally moved by this painting (at left) that I came across in the Wikicommons gallery the other day. It was entitled Song of the Angels and it was painted by the French, Academic painter, William-Adolphe Bouguereau. I thought it was so beautiful that I wanted to see more works from this artist. I found many more beautiful pieces, which lead me to create this set of six Montessori cards featuring a self-portrait of the artist, three religious pieces and two others.
Simply print out cards, cut apart, and explore. We will soon have Learning Cards to help children better explore art through simple guiding questions and exercises. Visit us daily or subscribe to our blog to keep up with our new daily resources.Blessings,
That Resource Team
June 2 - Sacred Heart of Jesus Montessori Cards
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, have mercy on us.
June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. What better a way to begin this month than by pondering this beautiful tradition of our Lord through pictures.
Today we offer a set of Montessori cards based on sacred art depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We have included some well known versions as well as some lesser known representations including St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Louis Gonzaga. We have even added a card for children to colour their own version of the Sacred Heart. Laminate these up and you have reinforcement for Church tradition as well as art lessons.
Enjoy!
Click Here to download our Sacred Heart of Jesus Montessori card set.
Blessings,
That Resource Team
May 25 - Mary Garden Montessori Cards
Help children learn about flowers, more specifically flowers that would go into a garden dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Find the common plant name plus the religious reference as well.
These are easy to make and fun to use. Simply print out these cards and cut apart. Using card stock and then laminating the pieces is always the most durable choice. Once protected they can be taken into the yard, on nature walks, or even to the local garden centre or nursery.
Click Here to download our Mary Garden Montessori card set.
Blessings,
That Resource Team
May 12 - Set of 6 Madonna and Child Montessori Cards
Montessori cards are a great way to encourage natural learning for your children. We have found that cards of any sort are always a hit in our little homeschool. Download this neat set of 6 Montessori cards of the Blessed Mother Mary and Baby Jesus from various classic artists from different time periods.To use this resource, simply print out and cut apart the six cards on the lines. It is better to use heavier bond paper or laminate the cards to extended use.
Print out and prepare two sets to play a small round of concentration.
If you've never used Montessori cards before, here are a few ways that you can use these sets of cards:
Compare and contrast the people in the pictures - hair colour, clothing, etc.
Note and discuss the backgrounds in the cards or the positions of the subjects
Talk about the depictions of the Baby Jesus in comparison to your child's vision of what Baby Jesus would have looked like
Play concentration/memory games
Layout all six cards and mentally select one to use, then give your child clues to your selection. Clues could include mediums used in the pictures, picture details, artist bio details, or time period notations
These are just a few of the ways that you can use these cards. We hope you find them useful and a fun change to your homeschool. Find more Montessori Art and Catholic sets in our collection of printable resources.
Click Here to download our set of Madonna and Child Montessori art cards.
That Resource Team