Did I Hear You Ask About ACTIVITIES?

Back on 4/27/10, I received this comment from Michael N.

It seems that Catholic religion textbooks (we use one designed for schools) are painfully bad…to the point of being almost unusable. I think I’d do much better if they just gave me a religious-themed coloring book!
Any websites you recommend for ideas/content (games, songs, prayers, activities, printable sheets, etc.)??
God bless you!
Michael

Although I don’t agree with Michael’s assessment of Catholic religion textbooks (what we need is for catechists to get better training for how to effectively use textbooks), I understand and share his desire for more activities. Well, Michael (and anyone who is looking for activities for their classroom), I just may have found the answer to your prayer. It’s a new product called Expand the Experience. (I personally worked on grades 7 & 8!)

Here’s how it is described:

The Expand the Experience box includes 120 cards, each with an age-appropriate themed activity ready to enhance your existing lessons. We provide a chart with clear directions on exactly when to use the activities within your existing faith-formation program. Making your faith lessons fun and meaningful has never been this easy!

All activities

  • fall under one of six themes—God, Jesus,
    The Church, The Sacraments, Morality,
    and the Seasons of the Church Year.
  • have clear instructions on exactly when to use
    with your faith formation program
  • include adaptations for two different grade levels
    so all children can participate
  • engage children in active learning to reinforce
    faith messages

Talk to your catechetical leader about acquiring a box for your grade level!

About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

2 Comments

  1. Dare I ask if anyone out there has used this product and has an opinion about it? I love Loyola and I hate to stir up trouble, but I would be interested in hearing experiences with the product. I was recently at a the Boston Symposium for Adolescent Catechesis and “experiential learning” was emphasized. I also read the article you posted about technology, Joe. That article talked about how the way young people learn has changed because of this generation’s involvement with technology. We are going to try to incorporate more experiential learning in our program next year.

    • Hi Mary and thanks for your comment/request. The product is brand-spanking new so there might not be anyone yet who can comment on it but I certainly invite anyone who can to do so!

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