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This Sunday we celebrate the glory and the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. A few weeks ago as I was teaching about the Sacrament of Marriage, I realized that I was missing something. We had read the chapter in our textbook, had completed a good class discussion and filled in these notes, but they needed more. With the current attack on marriage in pop culture, media, and politics, my 5th graders needed more depth to explain the meaning of marriage. As I planned the lesson, I thought about some of the things that I have taught and explained to students I have had in Youth Group over the years. I thought about how I could bring more of this lesson into a 5th grade classroom. I thought about my emphasis with the kids this year that they are all called to a Vocation, and those vocations are about love (the real kind) and service. And then I had a duh! moment. While trying to bring the lofty topics of vocation and marriage down to their level, I had unintentionally watered it down a bit. I didn't want to make it too confrontational, or introduce them to mis-truths about these Sacraments. And it hit me that I could use a simple but profound model that I have used with both teens and adults- it would work with ten-year-olds, too. "We love because He first loved us." ~1 John 4:19 A love is modeled after the Trinity. The complete gift of self between the Father and the Son yields the Holy Spirit. This union is founded on love- true communion- and we are made in the image and likeness of this model. That means that our Vocations are called to be life giving unions that bear fruit and are created by self-sacrificing love. Incredibly theological? Yes. A mystery that can't fully be understood this side of heaven? Yes. But something that can't be shared with children? I think not. CCC 237 So I decided to try a new activity and see how they responded, if it helped them understand the Sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders, as well as the call to be a Religious Sister. CCC 260 We started with each student taking four blank triangles. I asked them to name the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity. We wrote their names in each corner of one triangle. I then asked them how the Trinity was united and we were able to summarize it as a communion of love. We drew a heart in the center and drew the arrows between each person. I told them that it was a great mystery, but that the love between the Father and the Son is so strong and so real that it actually revealed by a third Person, the Holy Spirit. CCC 243-248 I then asked if they could represent the Sacrament of Matrimony on the next triangle. They wrote husband and wife in two of the corners. I then asked them to draw a heart in the center and arrows between the couple. I asked what would be revealed if the couple shared self sacrificial love, and they said "children!" We wrote that down, but also talked about how some couples are unable to have children, so together they are able to become spiritual fathers and mothers and share their gifts with the Church. CCC 1601-1620 Next up was the Priesthood. We wrote down the priest, and following the model of marriage, the kids figured out that the other corner would be the Church, the Bride of Christ. (this is also a great example to talk about why men are called to be priests and not women). I asked what the fruit of this Vocation was, and the kids named things like the gift of the Sacraments, grace, and Spiritual fruit. CCC 1544-1553, 1577-1585 Finally, we included the vocation of consecrated single life, specifically nuns and sisters. The kids were quickly able to figure out that the sister's Bridegroom is Christ. They mentioned again things like grace and Spiritual fruit as the revelation of this Vocation. CCC 922-933 We then glued the four triangles onto a notebook page and added the title "All Vocations are Modeled After the Trinity." I also had them add the Fulton Sheen quote "All love tends to become like that which it loves." By using the model of the Trinity, I think I was able to show the kids that Vocations are not something that humans make up the rules for. It helps show why marriage is between one man and one woman. It explains why couples must be open to having children. It reminds us how real love really requires sacrifice. It was a great discussion, and a memorable teaching lesson for me. I hope to continually find ways to share great and glorious and mysterious truths in meaningful ways with the students in my classroom. The students had the freedom to arrange their notebook page however it made sense, so we had some different set ups, like this one: And this one: You can get the quote cards by clicking on the image below: If you don't want to do the cut-and-glue thing, you could also use these printable notes and have the same discussion. Click here for a blank version of the notes: And click here for a filled in version of the notes: What do you think? Do you have any great resources or lessons about sharing the truths of marriage and vocations with kids? I'd love to hear about them!
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Check out these 8 piano lesson must have items and Montessori game ideas for each teaching tool to make piano lessons more fun!!!
This adorable little weather station is the sweetest way for your little learners to learn the days of the week, weather and the different weather conditions. What you get: ~ Weather Station sheet (A4) ~ Days of the week and relevant pointers. You'll need split pins to attach the pointers to the weather station, you can pick them up at any stationery story. Please note: This is a digital product. Upon purchase, you will receive one PDF file ready to print and play! All product designs and concepts are the intellectual property of Whimsy Printables. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyrights © 2020 by Whimsy Printables.
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Download free music flashcards that include giant flashcards, note name flashcards, steps and skips flashcards! Perfect for learning about music theory.
Lap Packs are inexpensive ways to get students writing in music class. Customize them to include exactly what your music students need. This article has some great ideas for their use and FREE downloads!
You'll find hundreds of resources here, including printables and hands-on activities, for a Montessori-inspired weather unit.
Learn about raising tadpoles by creating a tadpole to frog observation tank. This is a fascinating, hands-on way for kids to learn about the frog lifecycle
The Yellow Brick Road Blog is a website dedicated to providing music teachers with fun education resources for serious music literacy.
Letter recognition practice for toddlers and preschoolers using rocks! Simple kids activity that helps children learn letters with loose parts through play.
The Yellow Brick Road Blog is a website dedicated to providing music teachers with fun education resources for serious music literacy.
One of my students' favorite art projects of the entire school year is when we make these gold Monstrances. Beautiful results and powerful message, it is a project that I enjoy teaching every year. I originally posted about this project and how we added it to our notebooking project here, but I've collected a few more pictures, resources, and instructions over the past couple of years, so I thought I would share some more details on how your classroom could make this cool project. First, I collect our needed supplies, most importantly (and expensively), the gold paper. You can see that I have a collection of scraps that we reuse for small pieces. I have found that the cheapest way to provide gold paper for all the students is to buy large pieces of gold poster board and cut them down so that six or eight students can use them. I also found gold duct tape this year and bought a couple of rolls. Each student got a strip about 6" long to use. This was a great way for the students to cut and stick small details that can be challenging with the poster board. This year I had the students make a separate pattern on a 6"x6" square of paper. We talked about symmetry and folded the paper horizontally, vertically, and diagonally to help create a pattern for radial symmetry. You can see the beginnings of some of their patterns here: The students traced these patterns onto the gold paper, and then added more layers, a base, and a stand. The next step was to create the host. Conveniently, I have a 1 1/4" punch. I fold over regular white paper, and punch a circle through both layers with one edge still visible. This causes you to have two circles that are still attached like this: Then using a 1" punch, I cut out these Jesus stickers out in a circle. (I have found these stickers at Dollar Tree and ordered them from Autom. You also could just print small images and then punch them out.) The sticker is placed on the inside of one the circles, creating a white host that opens to reveal Jesus on the inside- reminding us of the gift and truth of the Eucharist. And then is glued in the center of the Monstrance: Liquid glue is a necessity for this project (not glue sticks) and from experience I know that before the glue dries, the gold paper curls and can ruin the project. The host also very easily sticks shut as the glue dries. To solve this problem, I tried a new technique this year and it worked like a charm. When they were finished with their project, each student put a small square of foil in between the layers of the host. They then put a whole sheet of foil over the project and then laid a textbook over the foil. The weight helped everything dry flat and the foil peeled off without sticking to the project. Here is one awesome project from this year: After the project was dry, each student chose a Fulton Sheen quote about the Eucharist and attached it to the bottom of the art. Here was our bulletin board this year with the completed projects: I love how creative these projects always are, and they are such a great way to give the kids a visual of the importance of the Eucharist. The display in the hallway always attracts the attention of other students- they love flipping up the white host and finding Jesus inside, and like picking out their favorite quotes. If you would like to make this project yourself, I have a few printable resources here: Click here for an 8 per page printable of this quote: Click here for a page of 8 different Sheen quotes on the Eucharist: Click here for printable instructions for this craft and teaching points, as well as adaptation for younger students: Update: We lost our bulletin boards this year, so here is another display option using a classroom door:
"And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.” ~ John 1:14 This year our seven year old is preparing to make his First Confession and First Holy Communion! Earlier this month we spent some time studying the Seven Sacraments and creating a "Seven Sacrament Stained Glass Window." A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace. There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Penance, Holy Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Extreme Unction. This fun and colorful craft provides an excellent opportunity to teach children more about the sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ and how they receive their power to give grace from God, through the merits of Christ’s Redemption on the Cross. Originally I was just going to use a blank cross for this craft and have my son list the Seven Sacraments on the cross, but then I decided to try and add some illustrations for my son to color, and then lines for him to write the names of the sacraments. All of my other children ended up asking to create one too! Here are the links to all the documents I created in the process. You are welcome to download them for your own family/class if you'd like: The Seven Sacraments Worksheet (with my illustrations to color) Cross (blank) Cross with names of the sacraments (child can add his own illustrations) Cross with empty circles/lines (child can add his own illustrations and the names of the sacraments) Cross with sacraments to color Supplies: Black or Dark Blue Card Stock or Construction Paper Yellow Card Stock or Construction Paper (cut into the shape of a stained glass window) Seven Sacraments Cross Printable (additional options can be found listed above) Colored Card Stock or Construction Paper, cut into small one inch shapes Colored Pencils, Crayons or Markers Pencil or Black Gel Pen Scissors Glue Sticks Directions: 1. Write a list of the Seven Sacraments onto the white cross or color the illustrations if you are using the printable. Another option is to have the children copy a bible or saint quote onto the cross. 2. Have the children glue the yellow window shape to a piece of black or dark blue paper. 3. Glue the cross to the center of the yellow window. 4. Next, have the children glue the small pieces of colored paper to the window shape, creating the "Stained Glass Window." Additional Reading, Coloring Books, and Songs on the Seven Sacraments: The Seven Sacraments by Father Lovasik The Sacraments Coloring Book The Seven Sacraments: Creative Catechism Activity Book 24 Catholic Songs for Children Coloring Book Sing-a-long Songs for Catholic Children (DVD and CD) We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Every Spring I always get an itchy green thumb, so I decided to put that to good use and do a gardening unit with the kiddos. Here are some...
Using images to make sense of information can support student learning and increase personal agency for diverse learners, says educator Sherrill Knezel.
This is the my new bulletin board in the hallway directly outside my room. I have seen this bulletin board on Pinterest a few times. I first noticed it posted from Mrs. King's Music Room. The use of the National Standards really caught my attention. I quickly researched and found that the Ice Cream Scoops are available for free download at this link: http://www.musicbulletinboards.net/printbbs.htm I printed my ice cream scoops on cardstock and laminated them so they would withstand years of use. I used music note material as the background. I used fluffy quilt batting for the whipped cream. I used a silver Sharpie marker to write on the black bowl. If you do not have a colored printer, you could also print the words in black onto colored paper. Here is an example found on the musicbulletinboards.net webpage: I like the use of iridescent cellophane as the whipped cream in this picture. This was the easiest and cutest bulletin board I have ever made. It may stay up in the hallway for open house and through the first parent-teacher conferences and then I may move it into my room permanently. ENJOY!!!
Simple tips for making open house night more relaxing and beneficial for music teachers, students, and parents.
These are so fun!!! 20 great General Conference activities for toddlers and yout that will keep the kids entertained AND engaged during Conference.
If you have chairs (and doorknobs) like this in your classroom, here’s a tip on how to barricade your room in a matter of seconds.
My husband has been lifting weights for several months now in an effort to get into shape and improve his health. It's been good. The program he is using
If you're looking for a Montessori-style, hands-on Catholic preschool curriculum, check out Catholic ABCs! Yesterday's stations of the cross eggs have 2 parts for us, even though either activity can stand on its own. My
