As we unroll the ribbon we ponder creation - the great and loving act of God preparing the earth, plants, animals, and people. We remember redemption - God sending Jesus to live among us, and his life of compassion, his death and his resurrection. And finally we consider parousia - that great moment still to come when Christ will return and God will be all in all.
This material is very satisfying to the children, and it creates a frame of reference for so many of the works we have done and will do in the future in the atrium. It brings together science and theology, and integrates them into a seamless reality for the children.
I love the way that this work gently draws us into moral questions. The final portion of the ribbon is the history yet to be written, which will end in parousia. Who is writing these pages of the History of the Kingdom of God? We are! So how can our lives help to increase the light of Christ in the world? This is a great question to ponder!
This lesson helps us to contemplate the vast history of the Kingdom with wonder and humility and hold it in tension with the fact that we matter! We are part of this great history and with our choices we can help to bring our world closer to the Kingdom that God desires.
Leslie, this is beautiful! I love seeing the ribbon go all the way up to and through the altar.
ReplyDelete@Debra Thanks Debra! I love that too! We are lucky to have a great space for the fettuccia! I sure am enjoying your blog. Thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteThat last picture leaves me with very mixed feelings, because I feel that there is no room (metaphorically) in our GP classroom for running. "We walk more slowly here". Last week our newest member managed, barely, to contain his energies to a race-walk rather than a run. And I was pleased with him! I want our children to feel welcome in worship-space, to know that they belong, but to understand that we expect certain behavior and body-language... (And yet your photograph is so joyous and gorgeous...)
ReplyDelete@Storyteller I know just what you mean! I debated whether or not to put the picture in the post. That bit of running occurred toward the end of the presentation, and at the time I realized that things had gotten away from me. But it does capture the joy of the moment so I included it. The larger question of children’s behavior in Church is a good one. Helping children to learn to control their bodies, and discover peaceful and meditative joy and contentment is a real gift of the atrium, and it helps prepare children for appropriate participation in Church. But to tell the truth, I don’t mind a young child occasionally skipping to the altar for Communion. Sometimes their joy spills over - our sanctuary is large and can absorb the movement, and our congregation embraces children, so it doesn’t strike me as a problem.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if there are any other presentations that are specific to the creation verses. I am about to start homeschooling my six-year old (no Montessori school in our home town) and we are starting off with the Great Lessons. How do the Great Lessons tie in with the Catechesis? We are Christian, but not Catholic. I have visited two Atria here in Australia and so desire this flame to be lit in our studies.
ReplyDeleteHi Meg! With the Catechesis we focus on Jesus and the liturgy of the Church for the first two levels (3-6 year olds and 6-9 year olds) and save in depth study of Hebrew scripture for the third level (9-12 year olds) when the children have a better grasp of time and history, and an ability to think in the abstract. In level three there are several studies on creation. I’m not Montessori trained but I think the Fettucia and the two subsequent lessons we offer that relate to the History of the Kingdom of God (the Blue Strip and the Gifts Strip) probably link best to the Great Lessons. How exciting that you are beginning homeschooling with Montessori! Is there somewhere nearby where you could take Catechesis training? It is a wonderful formation experience and I know it would enhance your homeschooling so much. Thanks for reading and sharing a bit of your story! I'll pray for a wonderful year ahead for you and your little one! :)
DeleteLeslie got it right :) But I wanted to point out that the Montessori Black Strip (from which the Fettuccia was inspired) does not indicate passage of time in precise amounts such as the old version of the Fettuccia did. So it was interesting that in academic Montessori training that heavily pushes evolution time is not so precise, but in my original CGS training where the focus is on theology, the time used to be so precise. They have adjusted the official Fettuccia presentation in the meantime, but the material remains the same - and it is SO beautiful!
DeleteThanks so much for sharing your expertise Jessica! Its so helpful to hear your perspective!
DeleteHi Leslie
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the trainings are never held close enough to make them feasible to attend! I'm wondering whether you would be open to the idea of sharing the three lessons of the Kingdom of God via email? my address is athomewithmontessori@gmail.com
I thank you for your prayers for the year ahead - only three weeks to go!
Hi Meg, I'm so sorry that you don't have a good training option nearby. Do you have more intensive week or two week training that you can travel to in Australia as we do here in the States? I'm sorry but I'm not able to share presentations in that way. I'll email you more specifically why that isn't possible. I would love for your little one to have them and I really am sorry! Best wishes for a great year ahead!
DeleteI understand completely Leslie! I thought it couldn't hurt to ask, but also acknowledge the importance of using information within its proper context, and would really like to honour the Catechesis program as a whole, without picking it apart and losing the essence of what it is all about. I shall just have to put it out there and hope that one day an opportunity to complete the training in a manner that does not compromise my role as my children's primary caregiver.
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteI was searching for something (I can't remember what!) and just found your beautiful blog. I love this post about the Fettuccia and the children's sheer JOY :) This is one presentation that never seems to be a miss with the children - they always get something new out of it!
Hi Jessica,
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by my blog! I've been reading Catholic Hearts Domestic Church and stopped by Garden of Francis many times and really enjoy them! I love the fettuccia too, and have found adults often respond with the same joy and wonder as the children (me included!!). It was so nice hearing from you!
Hello if you are still out there!? I need to buy ribbon for the timeline. Where did you buy yours?
DeleteHello if you are still out there!? I need to buy ribbon for the timeline. Where did you buy yours?
DeleteHello Charlie - You can buy the ribbon from the Shepherd's Closet. Here is a link -http://www.shop.shepherdscloset.net/Ribbon-for-the-History-of-the-Kingdom-of-God-L2-HKOG-Rbn.htm
DeleteI didn't make our fettuccia, but I think our catechist bought the ribbon from a local craft store. I remember she died the tan with tea because she couldn't find the right color! Are you a member of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd USA? They would have all the specifics for the ribbons in the materials manual for level 2. Good Luck!
Hello! Love your site! Our church is in the discernment stage of adding Level II. We are signing up for training in Atlanta in Fall 2017. My question concerns room needed to do Fettuccia presentations. We're small church with limited resources. How do we emphasize line of KoG history in small space?
ReplyDeleteHi Katie, How exciting that you have training in your future! I love level II. So much to learn in there! I'm sure you'll get help with this in training but I know people do the fettuccia in all sorts of circumstances. The best thing is if the ribbon can extend in a way that allows you to see it from beginning to end. But I believe people have had to turn corners with it or even circle back. Over the years we have had times when we couldn't use the Church. Several times we have taken the children outside and stretched the fettuccia out down a sidewalk in front of the Church. It was wonderful! We do this work every year, early in the year so for us its possible to get good weather for it. I hope this helps! Thanks!
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