Jesus calls each of us to spread the Good News. One way we can do this as Catholic Christians is to show God’s love to those we encounter no matter if they are friend, family, or stranger. This concept can be tough for many adults to live out. How do we teach the children in our faith formation classes to show God’s love to all those we encounter? I recently wrestled with this concept in […]
It’s that time once again! The Lenten season is just one month away! To help you with your planning, I’m once again providing my popular 40 Ideas for 40 Days. Let me know which activities you chose to do, how you did them (adding your own twists) and how things turned out! In addition, here are lots more Lenten resources from Loyola Press. And don’t forget my list of Lenten resources for small faith groups!
This activity is called Good Deeds Bracelets for Lent and it comes to us from Arma Dei. They describe it this way: Inspired by St. Therese, this bracelet works similar to other good deed bead bracelets, as the beads slide and stay in place, recording each good deed, extra prayer (foregone opportunity to complain) or sacrifice. Arma Dei sells a craft kit that contains everything you need to create these bracelets. Be sure to take […]
Thanks to the folks who shared some excellent advice for catechists of primary age children last week! This week, we turn our attention to those who teach children in grades 4, 5, and 6 – the intermediate grades. What works? What doesn’t work? What approaches are most effective? What skills, techniques, and strategies are needed? Allow me to begin since I taught 4th graders last year! My advice? Don’t “baby” this age group. They have […]
With the catechetical year about to begin for so many of us, I thought it would be a good time to remind you about a couple of resources that can help you bring some variety into your classroom and complement and bring to life the themes you’re teaching no matter what textbook you are using . Both of the following are products that I can proudly say I played a small part in developing. Follow the links […]
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 […]
I couldn’t resist offering one more Lenten calendar for you! This one comes to us courtesy of my Loyola Press colleague Linnette Mathys who thought it would be a good idea to arrange my 40 Ideas for 40 Days into a calendar! Thanks, Linnette…this is very cool! I’m very lucky and blessed to be surrounded by so many talented and creative people whose work ends up somehow making ME look good! Click here for an […]
Last year, during Lent, I offered 40 ideas in 40 days – 40 creative ways to engage those you teach in the mystery of the Lenten season. This year, I am happy to provide all 40 of those ideas in one convenient list with links to each of their descriptions! Enjoy and please share with me (us) how you’re using these ideas and any variations or ideas of your own that you’ve come up with!!! […]
St. Patrick’s Day falls smack dab in the middle of Lent and, for many, is seen as a “day off” from Lent. A quick search for St. Patrick’s Day activities reveals mainly opportunities to color shamrocks, leprechauns, rainbows, and pots of gold; very little of spiritual value is offered. As catechists, we can still have fun with our young people on St. Patrick’s Day while also teaching something of spiritual value. Here are a few […]
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