And now for some tangible and online fun with the Ten Commandments

Looking for ways to teach about the Ten Commandments?  See what we have to share for learning online as well as offline.

One of the most popular topics that teachers and parents tackle is teaching and reviewing the Ten Commandments with their children or class.  The Ten Commandments are a very important part of our faith. Without knowing the Ten Commandments, God's rules for us to live by, we cannot possibly perform an examination of conscience to be able to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation or improve ourselves by developing virtues which are directly contrary to sin.

Teaching children about the Ten Commandments seems overwhelming at first, but it can easily be done using a variety of our resources whether you teach in your homeschool, CCD class or traditional classroom.

One of the very first recommendations we give to parents and fellow catechists is to begin early in life and consider using the book pictured at right: The Ten Commandments by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik as a base. With a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, this little picture book helps to introduce and easily explain each of the commandments one by one with timely examples which ring true today just as they did when this book was written in 1978. A very simple approach is to read through the book and then reinforce the content and teachings using our free printable resources.

You will find a very nice selection of free printables including:

• *notebooking sheets,
• *mini-books,
• *printable games,
• *hand-outs,
• *learning cards,
• *colouring sheets,
• *worksheets 

We even share two brand new FREE online games that we have created just for you and your learners, which directly correspond with the content.

We hope you find these resources for studying the laws for virtuous living fun and useful in your own little homeschool or classroom.

Visit our Ten Commandments Resource page right now to see all that is waiting for you.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

F3 Resources to Help Study About the Gospel and the Evangelists

Encourage learners to Explore the Gospels

Lent and Easter provide us with a great opportunity to hear the Gospel from more than one Evangelist.  We know that the word gospel means "good news" while evangelist means "teller of the good news - our Saviour has come".  The Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - each have a unique way of writing about the life of our Lord in the books of the New Testament called the Gospels. 

St. John wrote as a loving friend of Jesus; his gospel is often referred to as the Gospel of Love. 

St. Matthew writes as a apostle or eyewitness and includes more of Jesus' teachings on the heavenly kingdom than any of the other writers.  For example, he writes a complete account of the Sermon on the Mount. 

St. Luke gives a great detailed account as one would expect from a doctor.  Although He did not know or travel with the Master, he interviewed many people who did including the Blessed Virgin Mary.  A co-worker with St. Paul, and author of the book the Acts of the Apostles, he compiled all of the interviews he took about the life and times of our Lord Jesus into one very detailed account.  His writings were meant for everyone who loves God.

St. Mark wrote his gospel account in the words of St. Peter.  It is Peter's eyewitness account of Jesus' ministry, life, death and Resurrection. 

Each cover and include many of the same facts, but sometime there are unique differences that set them apart for the reader.  One easy example of this can be seen in when the author's introduce our Lord.  Matthew begins at the genealogy of Christ, while Mark begins with John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness. St. John's Gospel was the last to be written of the four and included many details left out by the other three writers. 

To help learners (both young and old) more easily understand the Bible, we created a few notebooking sheets and F3 (flip, flap and fold) pieces that can be used to learn about the evangelists, the Gospels and then individual accounts in the Bible. 

The notebooking sheets give an opportunity to comparatively write out the details of a specific event as it occurs in each gospel.  We have created two sheets.  One could write or draw details.  These can be useful for grades 4+.

The F3 pieces provided are patterned after the inquisitive KWL style organize(know, want to know, have learned).  In this set you will find sets featuring:  the Gospels, The Evangelists, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John.  There is opportunity for drawing as well as writing.  This F3 project resource can be completed and mounted on card stock and then bound together using a spine of some sort, brads, rings or any other way that you may prefer. 

Click HERE to download this packet of resources.

Click HERE to see all of our F3 Resources.

Blessings,

Kalei

LIttle Cards Help Make Big Learning in Greek and Music

Don't worry about cramming it all in; little by little works well too.

I spend most of my year teaching and thinking about education.  I am either teaching my own children or children at our parish (CCD) or pondering and preparing my lessons for teaching the next year.  I am always looking for new ways to introduce new information, concepts and lessons.  It can be a big task, unless of course I remember that I am teaching little hearts and minds.  The key word is little.

There always seems to be a struggle about how much information we can concretely deliver into little hearts and young minds.  Many of us start off one of two ways.  We either begin rather zealously and fizzle out with fatigue or we begin feeling in control only to hit a cramming session at the end of the year when we find we have not met our learning goals.  If you are following a prepared curriculum or adhere to state or government standards you must meet certain criteria or learning outcomes.  This can be overwhelming to both teacher and learner.  Not running a good race, as I think of St.Paul, a race that is consistent, steady, paced, and goal oriented, will undoubtedly lead to exhaustion, fatigue and in most cases, tears and despair.  We must remember, as Christians, that we are always to be a  people of hope.

As promised, today we have more goodies to share from Shell over at Thinking Love, No Twaddle.  Shell's resources reminded me about how presenting big information in little ways (cards in this instance) can bring about great learning.  By teaching new information consistently in little increments and reviewing often, big tasks become a series of little victories - even in the subjects of Greek and music.

In Greek, these colourful printable resource sheets are cut into fun little cards that help teach about the Greek alphabet.  Find cards in different styles to help solidify learning the different facets of the Greek alphabet including symbols and pronunciation.

In music, the resource she shares helps teach young children rhythm in 4/4 time.  By using a little string of words, clapping, and little cards, children can become comfortable in picking and repeating rhythms.  This seems elementary and unnecessary until you realize that not every one has this ability naturally.  If you have ever tried to teach rhythm to someone who has none, you know how daunting and fragile this task can be.

Click HERE to see this and other of Shell's Greek resources.

Click HERE to see this and other of Shell's Music resources.

Thank you so much Shell for sharing your time and talent with all of us!  :)

Blessings,

Kalei - That Resource Team

LIttle Lesson is Perfect for Teaching About Heroism

Little lapbook lesson brings an old heroine to life.

Looking for a little side lesson to help bring a bit of extra history or geography to life while focusing on a truly heroic young lady?  If you wish it were a bit of a cut-n-paste, "doing something" learning activity too, then we may have just the thing for you and the kiddos.  Shell of Thinking Love, No Twaddle has just shared with us a little lesson she created about Grace Darling. 

I remember first reading about Grace Darling in Fifty Famous Stories Retold  by James Baldwin.  This was a beloved read-aloud that is very popular with Charlotte Mason Style learners.  We read it about four years ago and are getting ready to embark on a second reading this coming September.  This latest lesson from Shell is a perfect addition to your reading of the story entitled, simply, Grace Darling.

In this self-contained lesson you will find background information about the heroism of Grace Darling plus a few pages of lapbook pieces.  It is a great story and the pieces are inviting and colourful.  She has created the file so that it can be printed double sided without cutting the text part of the lesson off with the lapbooking pieces.

Here is a peak at some of the pages:

Click HERE to see this and other history lessons created by Shell.

Click HERE to see all of Shell's free creations she has shared with us.

Check back with us shortly as we have a few other resources to share from Shell.

Blessings,

Kalei