annunciation

(Sara:) Hi, all! Anyone else feeling the hours ticking away too quickly?! Just a note to check in before I head out of town for the holidays. The Annunciation presentation went over fine here, and then yesterday I let the boys set up the Nativity set and I talked to my oldest child about the Visitation - didn't present it, but of course he wanted to cut out the small image and paste it on his Advent wreath. We always travel for Christmas (unless I'm 9 months pregnant, which has happened twice!) so I either have to take Catechesis on the road with me, or do it ahead of time.

We also plan on baking Jesus a birthday cake on Christmas Eve, something we did the past 2 years. All things considered, it has been a good Advent. My prayers are with you and your families as you finish your preparations for this joyous celebration. Also asking for prayers for our parish priest back home, who has been hospitalized - past 2 weeks couldn't keep any food down - they are suspecting cancer. He's a young, humble, devout man. I am trying to offer up my own discomforts for him...

Introducing myself

Hello everyone!

I have enjoyed reading some of your posts and think that this is a great idea for sharing what Montessori, and other, activities we are doing in our homes/schools. My name is Ashleigh, a friend of Sara. I am a stay at home mom of a daughter, age 5, a son, age 3 and a baby due in March. I homeschool my 5 year old, and am doing a fairly traditional Montessori curriculum (if you can call it that) with her. We don't really do CGS at home right now. My daughter participates in an Atrium, in which I help. However, after this year I will probably do more of it at home. Thanks, Sara, for including me in the group!

Micah...

(Sara:) Here are some of the materials for Advent, Week 2, the reading of Micah 5. (I also set out our large bible on a beautiful wooden bible stand.) Micah 5, by the way, is one of the most amazing passages in the OT, if you ask me. When I first "discovered" it a few years ago, it blew me away, and I had to read it over & over... So, although it will be many years before it begins to sink into our children in much depth, I was very happy to proclaim it's words this past week! It just so happened to work out to bake petit breads the same day. (I didn't really plan that!) But just to note, the meaning of Bethlehem "house of bread" is just one of many possible readings of that name. It is a very beautiful meaning that I love, but I'm quick to acknowledge that it isn't definitive by any means...

comments

Many blogs list the most recent "comments" in the sidebar for easy viewing. I would like to do this too, but haven't figured out how. This way, if someone comments on an older post, you won't miss it. If you want to try to figure it out, or have a hubby/friend who could do it, go ahead! My dh could do it but he's swamped at the moment...

Isaiah prophecy

(Sara:) I was asked which verses of Isaiah 9 I read to the children when introducing Week 1 of our Advent voyage. I read several of the verses of the whole chapter, as it's one of my favorite prophecies in the entire OT! I think it's a careful balance to not give the children too many words, but enough to get a "flavor" for the particular Scripture passage. I read maybe 8 verses total - the ones I thought were most understandable.

In "real" atrium presentations I have seen, the children were read surprisingly lengthy passages of Scripture; however, they are first introduced in a general way, so the children know what basic message to listen for, and then summarized again afterwards. I picked the "main passage" of Isaiah 9 to print on cardstock, along with a visual picture. (I'm going to use Anne's clip art instead of Moira's!) C. wants to use tracing paper to trace the calligraphy. Also, we have been reciting this verse together every night after we say our usual meal prayer. C. loves doing things like that! (If he couldn't read, maybe I wouldn't do it.)

Finally, as a way to prepare C. for this particular passage, we spent about 10 minutes in complete darkness before beginning the presentation!! We called it "experiencing living in darkness." We were waiting for daddy to come home from work, and the boys thought it was pretty neat. It's hard to see where you're going! You might bump into something and get hurt! It's lonely! What a perfectly sad symbol for the life that so many people are living today!

post worth sharing...

The first atrium I visited was in the home of my friend who first got me interested in Montessori. There's a post here on her blog with photos from her classroom and the Advent presentation in their current atrium, which is no longer in her home.

Advent, Week 1

Except for the figure of Isaiah, which is baking, here are my materials for reflection during week 1 of Advent. The meditation is Isaiah's prophecy of a great light to come to those who live in darkness.

artwork for Advent presentations

(Anne:) I found the clipart in Moira's album for the Advent presentations....a little lacking. They were hard to see, not very good representations of the event and as Maria Montessori says, you need to give the children things that are beautiful. So with that in mind, I looked for artwork to replace them. Here is what we found. I printed the large size for the cards (on white cardstock) and shrunk it mini to glue on their candles of the Advent wreath. (So they won't be able to color them but as Amy said, they'll get more out of seeing a picture that is meaningful and beautiful than coloring something that isn't. Well said, Amy!)

Introduction

Hi, I'm Anne (the "friend Anne" Amy referred to making CGS figurines with). I've posted comments before but never formally introduced myself yet! I have two sons, ages 3 and 1 and I happily stay home with them full-time! I'm very excited to begin Advent and the CGS presentations!

the Final Countdown...

Advent beings in just 4 days! I'm planning on doing the first presentation Sunday evening before dinner, and the second one on Monday. Am I ready yet? After all my planning ahead, no, I am not, but getting closer! One hang-up I've had is with the Sculpey I bought a while back. Unlike previous Sculpey I've bought, these packs have been hard & brittle - exactly what it says it's NOT supposed to be on the wrapping! But I did dig out our Advent wreath last night. Each year after Christmas is over, I put everything away in the far back corner of our storage room. After all, I won't be needing those things for a whole year, right? And each year in December I wonder, why did I store it all the way in the back, where it is now hidden by tons of other stuff?

Perhaps the thing I love best about having a dedicated class-room is that the "older" boys can do things in there while not being bothered by the baby, or that involve things that are not baby-proof. We have been emptying out the classroom this week and today the older boys get to put up their own small tree and other decorations. They don't have to worry about T. tearing it all down, and they are SO excited. Let's see if Mommy can get motivated, too!

Pencil Holders

(lynnette:) I have always thought that the pencil holders that I have seen in pictures of Montessori classrooms were eye-catching. I decided to make a set for our classroom.

I used vegetable cans so that they would all be the same size. I covered them with construction paper and packing tape. Saving the cans took the most amount of time. I am hoping that it will help make a more peaceful environment for our classroom.

golden beads,etc....

(Sara:) welcome aboard, Lynnette! I know you've been busy with your move. I just want to tell you ladies that the past couple weeks I have not felt well - zero energy - and unlike most of you, I don't have pregnancy to blame it on (well, I'm pretty sure...) I finished a strong round of antibiotics last week and since then I have been completely wiped out. I've done some "golden bead" Montessori math with C., and that's about it! Just trying to stay sane. So if you don't see many posts from me for a while, that's why. I'll try to catch up when I can.

The golden bead materials are great. I didn't really understand how many extensions they can be used for until Karen's albums showed me. We've been adding numbers like 582+316... then moved on to adding with regrouping like 649+485. Then we subtracted & multiplied numbers in the hundreds. And this is just for fun! It isn't "school work" or anything he has to do! I have a haunch that doing "big" numbers like this, from the beginning, will make doing math on paper less intimidating later.

Finally, just wanted to share this idea: I've read that in "real" Montessori schools, the school room gets emptied out at the beginning of each new year. I fell in love with this idea, and plan on clearing off all our shelves in January when we begin a new year in our home. (That is, if we're still living here. Still don't know about that yet.) I think there are many advantages to this. Plus ds # 2 will be turning 3, and I'll need to make room for his work also. Hopefully I'll be full steam by then...

intro

(lynnette): I am the mom of dd(3.5) and ds(18 months) and our third blessing is due in January. I am getting more and more excited about the Montessori world as I read everyone else's ideas. feeling inspired to get movin'!

gold, frankincense, & myrrh

(sara:) for a couple years I've considered buying a kit of real gold, frankincense, and myrrh; I've seen it before in religious catalogs. I think I'm going to splurge on it this year, to show with the Epiphany presentation. (Jan. 6th this liturgical year.) The Wise Men have such a beautiful story to tell us, and these gifts have such rich symbolism.





I have found numerous sites that sell these packages. The cheapest is here. It's a small container and it doesn't claim to have a "certificate of authenticity" like the other sites. This site here has a larger box for $20. And this one here for $30 is about the same size and might be basically the same thing, but has a beautiful etching on top of the box that isn't shown on the other one. Sure, I'd like to splurge for the larger boxes, but am considering the $20 version. Regardless, I'd be happy to give a few pieces to each of you!

Also on Epiphany Sunday I think I'll make dh watch the movie The Fourth Wise Man with me. (We own it.) It's nicely done.

a 3-year plan!

(sara:) Well, I know you aren't all planning on home schooling or even necessarily interested, but because of some circumstances going on in our life, I decided to go ahead and write down my "curriculum" plans for home schooling the next 3 years. (Go ahead, call me crazy!) I've been researching & thinking about our options for a long time, I just hadn't actually sat down, made some decisions, written it out, and looked at prices. Mostly so I'll have all the links in one place (for myself), I'll post my plans here. Need I say, we'll tweak as we go! [I'll asterisk the books I've already bought or read.] Because C. has already learned what they teach in kindergarten (except for how to tie his shoes,) I have decided to begin "First grade" in January and spend 1 1/2 years on the material, and follow that with 1 1/2 years of "second grade". I think our home schooling will follow the calendar year, rather than the school year.

My educational goals fall under 6 categories, and that's how I'm lesson planning. I'm listing several books below, but will be supplementing with a ton of library books and supplemental materials as needed.


1. Theology. Long term goals for the children: to hear about & experience God's love, to grow in faith, to experience communal worship & the liturgical seasons.

First grade - family prayer & Mass attendance, liturgical season activities, visits to church outside of Mass, CGS presentations, *St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism no. 0, *Faith & Life grade 1, daily quiet time.
Second grade - same except Faith & Life grade 2 and I'll consider Moira's CGS album for ages 6-9.


2. Character. Long term goals for the children: to form character, improve self-control, gain self awareness, and understand the virtues.

First grade: complete the sensorial album (which means - do as much as we want!) & read books about the saints and other heroes.
Second grade: continue saint and virtue study, in particular with these 3 books: *Devotional Stories for Little Folks, Once Upon a Time Saints, and *Little Acts of Grace.


3. Practical Life. Long term goals for the children: to learn what is needed for survival & independence, to learn to contribute to the good of our family and society. (everything from hunting to construction to investing!)

First grade: complete the practical life album
Second grade: follow interests and let dh plan the year.


4. Community. Long term goals: to learn to interact peaceably with others, to communicate well, and to understand other cultures both past & present.

First grade: Complete the Montessori language album, continue with *Phonics Pathways, memorize poetry, explore all 7 *continent kits and map puzzles, read many "living books" together and narrate 1/month. Listen to books on tape. Begin *Prima Latina together. Begin a history timeline and notebook and cover the years 5000BC - 400 AD using the Usbourne Book of History and supplemental library books following his interests.
Second grade: same, except cover years 400-1600 AD, read CHC Map skills Level B, narrate literature twice a month, and instead of Phonics Pathways use CHC Speller Grade A.


5. Creation. Long term goals: to appreciate and understand God's creation.

First grade: complete Montessori math album and begin using Right Start math program. Spend as much time outside as possible. Begin a nature binder and write once a month. Begin a science binder and spend 6 months reading each of these books: Usbourne Encyclopedia of the Natural World, the Human Body Discovery Book, and Extraordinary Plants.
Second grade: Same, except write in nature journal once/week and for science spend 9 months each on planet earth and outer space. (books still to be determined.)


6. Art and PE. Long term goals: to experience the beauty of art & music, to grow in physical strength and health, to learn good sportsmanship and healthy past times.

First & Second grades: Continue listening to classical music daily, study violin, piano, recorder & percussion, learn to swim & play soccer, lots of free outdoor play, use *Child-size Masterpieces and the *Catholic How-to-Draw.

Christmas

(Amy:) This is what we will be using for the Nativity presentations. It is made by Toy Workshop. I got it on eBay but it is available from target.com (and elsewhere). It does not have an angel so I have to come up with one...any ideas? (The one we made for Advent is the same size as this baby Jesus, so I need something bigger).

Advent materials

(Amy:) My friend Anne and I made these last Saturday with fabric scraps and glue guns. They are the two prophets, Gabriel, Mary, and an expectant Elizabether (see the tummy shot below).

We bought enough of the wood figures for all of Moira's presentations and each paid less than $12. The twine belts are hemp from Hobby Lobby's beads aisle. These apostles were our inspiration.

Introduction

(Amy:) I stay at home with my ds-4, dd-2, ds-1, and expecting #4-June. This is my first-ever blog post and Advent will be our first venture into CGS.

Geometric cabinet

(Sara:) I have been contemplating how to present the geometric shapes to C. for 2 years! (This is a sensorial activity.) I just couldn't put out the money for one. It is one of the most expensive materials! So recently I purchased the PDF file of 3-part-cards of the geometric shapes from Alison's. I printed, laminated, and cut them. Then, I cut out 6 shapes from foam board (I'll try to add a picture later) and I cut out all the other shapes from poster board. (It's a lot of work cutting out that foam board, and I mostly wanted them for the pentagon - decagon shapes.) I used a hot glue gun to add beads to each of the shapes. It's turned out good enough for now!

Math!

(Sara:) Today I did a math presentation with C. for the first time in quite a while. I am mostly using Karen's albums. There are 215 presentations in there, and they follow a sequence. Today we did the 100 chain with arrows. Tomorrow we're going to tackle the 1000 chain (a very long project!) during T's nap.

I got the chain (along with the 1000 chain & wooden box) for $36 @ Alison's. (This was one of my "big" purchases last year.) I also purchased the arrows there (including 2 plastic continers), for $15. The arrows I could have made, but it would have been quite tedious & time consuming, which I'm just not in the mood for right now! I have already made 10 bead & 100 bead squares myself, and that was a big time sucker, but cheap, as I already had almost all the materials on hand. I'd be happy to show pictures of these upon request.

Advent materials

Okay, I'm going to start off with a post on my Advent presentation materials. Lynnette requested a pic of the little angels I got at HobbyLobby. One is for the Annunciation presentation, and one for the Stable. They were $2, plastic, small, and have beautiful details.

Next, pictures of my stack of as-yet-unformed Sculpey, and a little wooden chair I found @ HobbyLobby. I have 2 chairs & 2 tables, for decorations for the homes of Mary & Elizabeth. I look forward to putting these 7 presentations together! Materials for CGS are supposed to be very simple.

to my fellow contributors...

(Sara:) For those of you invited to participate in this discussion & sharing blog, I'd like to ask a few things:

Go ahead and try submitting a post once! Introduce yourself (first name only) and maybe share what projects you are currently considering or working on. Once you've posted once, you might get addicted, as I have. :) Please type in a LABEL or two with each post, so that everything will be categorized. For example, if you want to discuss the Advent presentations, appropriate labels would be CGS (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) and Advent. I will label this post For New Members.

At the beginning of your post, how about putting your name (as I did here) so that we can see at a glance who is writing. Thanks. Any other ideas?

Welcome!

A blog for us to share ideas for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd materials & presentations, as well as all other Montessori and home schooling ideas!