Advent Practical Life

This post is way overdue! At the beginning of December, I met with Deb and Sarah to see the practical life they were putting together for Advent in the Good Shepherd Atrium. They did a great job and I took pictures to share on the blog, but in the busyness of the holidays I failed to post them. So today, as Deb and Sarah put together the practical life shelves for the very short season of Christmas, I am finally getting these pictures out to you!! 

Thank you so much Deb and Sarah for all the skill you bring and time you put into making our atria materials beautiful and meaningful!

Sorting beautiful blue beads.

Attaching clothes pins.

Using tongs.

Beginning sewing.

Grasping.

Scooping and pouring.

Buttoning and unbuttoning. We have made a set of these which includes each of the
seasonal colors and will add more when the children learn the skill of buttoning!

Nativity Nesting doll set. I wish I had a picture of them separated. The children love them! 

Here is Deb hard at work!

The left shelf.

The right shelf.

Deb has a green thumb and always has something beautiful growing in the atrium!

To learn more about why we have practical life in the atrium check out this post!

Advent in the Atrium

We are having a really lovely advent in the True Vine Atrium! The children have been working so well with real focus and joy. All of the History of the Kingdom of God work that we did this fall has made a big impact on how we are seeing the infancy narratives and prophecies. I've been amazed by the depth of the connections the children are making.

On Advent two, we took a look at the prophecies we learned in Level One of the Catechesis and began to synthesize them. I wrote about this presentation and a bit about the role of prophecy in a previous post. The conversation was so rich this year - and the children quickly pointed out several themes they saw in the prophecies. They talked about "little and big," the presence of light and darkness, and the Kingdom of God in the prophecies.

Later in the morning two children presented the scripture and material telling of Mary's visit to Elizabeth to the group. As we pondered what more we might learn about Mary from this moment, we compared the very humble way that Mary saw herself with the amazing role she was given by God. One child connected our work with the prophecies and our thoughts about Mary together in a beautiful way: He said that God took all of that light and the whole kingdom of God and put them in Mary! I've been thinking about his words ever since. What a blessing it is to be in the atrium in advent!

Sculpey Figures

Several people have asked about the Infancy Narrative figures we recently replaced so I thought I'd post a few photos of them. We generally make our figures out of sculpey polymer clay built on an aluminum foil base. Scupey is a great clay to use and I think it is attractive to the children. We occasionally have trouble with chipping or with the necks breaking on the people when they are dropped, but overall the figures are pretty durable. In the photo above you can see the new shepherd and sheep we made.

This is the Heavenly Host who appear to the shepherds in the field.

This is our new Joseph and Mary from the birth of Jesus.

And here is our new wiseman.

Advent Preparations!

Take a look at these advent elves! As we began our ninth advent with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd we found that it was time to replace many of the figures from our infancy narratives. Lynn, Sarah, Terri, Deb and I spent a day this week recreating wise men, Mary and Elizabeth, angels and sheep for little hands to hold this December. What a pleasure! Thank you to these special helpers!

Advent begins tomorrow! How will you be observing the season with your family this year? Check out the post, Advent Begins if you need some inspiration!

Advent Begins - Try This!

This Sunday we begin a new year in the Church and we start the season of advent! Observing advent is a great way to resist the busyness and commercialism of the holidays and to prepare for a meaningful Christmas. For a great overview of the season of Advent, take a look at this video from Busted Halo.

At Church, we will begin the season with a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for our Pantry Shelf Outreach program. This Friday, November 30th at 6:00 pm join us for dinner and advent wreath making! You can make an advent wreath for your home - everything will be provided for only $10! If you already have a wreath, pick up new candles and take a look at the daily meditation books and calendars that will be available. **

Sharon Pearson posted an article about advent calendars on her wonderful blog Building Faith. She includes links to some great online calendars for the season that you might like to explore. I'm really excited to try these very cool templates for Praying in Color from Sybil Macbeth. If you haven't heard about praying in color check out her books or blog to learn more. You might also like the Advent Conspiracy - take a look at the site and watch the promo video to discover ways to make Christmas more meaningful this year.

Now is the time to figure out how to make this advent special for you and your family. It doesn't have to be much - light your wreath at dinner, say a special prayer together at bedtime, create a prayer wall out of post it notes that everyone can help build or make a prayer chain to mark the days until Christmas. Make time to volunteer and donate money to those in need during this holy season. Take a little time now to decide how you would like to grow closer to God this advent! You'll be glad you did!

**Don't worry - wreaths, candles, booklets and calendars will be available in the Front Hall at Church on Sunday if you can't make it to the Spaghetti Dinner!

Advent and Christmas at Home

In this season of Advent is there a feeling of peace in your home? If not, you are not alone! This is such a busy time of year, and with so much to do it can be hard to create that quiet sense of expectancy and joy that Advent offers. And yet, with Christmas just around the corner, now is the perfect time to cultivate spiritual moments with your family.

My Mom is a deeply spiritual person, and has always had a gift for sharing the spirit of God with others. Looking back on my childhood, I'm amazed at the way that she juggled her many tasks, and still made herself present and available to my brother and me. She always seemed to find joy in each moment (she still does!!). And somehow she did all this without me noticing her effort!

Mom also had a special gift for creating moments of quiet peace and joy in our home around the holidays. I remember Sunday evening "services" we held as a family, praying and lighting our Advent wreath, choosing charities for our Christmas donations, and many evenings sitting together by our tree. Somehow in the midst of Christmas craziness Mom created moments where we could experience the wonder of Jesus and love of God as a family.

As an adult, I realize what a special Mom I have, and just how difficult it is celebrate Advent and Christmas at home. I read a lovely blog called The Magic Onions which often helps me to remember the joy of the present moment. Recently on the blog, the post Creating a Christmas Mood from another blog called Waldorf in the Home was recommended. I enjoyed reading this article so much that I wanted to pass it on to you.

The author, Esther Leisher tells us that creating a Christmas mood at home begins with preparing ourselves. This is something my mother knew well! Children are sensitive to our feelings, and I've noticed how quickly my anxiety and my excitement can pass through the house. This article is a great reminder that having a peaceful and open spirit in the holidays can help to create an atmosphere where contentment and joy can dwell.

Esther's suggestion that we create a dramatic moment for Christmas is such a good one, and again reminds me of so many special moments from my childhood. I loved hearing about the beautiful candle lighting ritual Esther created for her family and how it evolved as her children grew.

If you would like to learn more, I encourage you to read Creating a Christmas Mood and look for insights and ideas that can help you create spiritual moments in your own family. It doesn't have to be difficult! Simple things like gathering around the tree in the evening, lighting candles, singing songs, reading from the Bible, and praying together can awaken your family to God's presence! Make a plan and give it a try!

Many blessings to you and your family this Advent!

One More Map!

Geography materials are an important part of our Advent preparation in the atrium. Click on geography works in the atrium to read more about why we teach geography and the map work that we do in the Good Shepherd and True Vine Atria at this time of year.

In October, I posted pictures of the beautiful map work that the children in the True Vine Atrium were doing in anticipation of our Church pilgrimage to Israel. Since we've been back, Sarah and I have had a great time finding the places we visited on our maps and sharing stories about them with the children. Recently another child applied himself to map-making and did an amazing  job! I just had to share a few photos of him and his beautiful map with you here. Enjoy!

Advent Blessings

Are you ready for Advent? It all begins tomorrow, November 27th! I love Advent - it encourages me to focus on the spiritual meaning of Christmas, and it allows me to find peace in the midst of a very busy month. Of course, this helps me to help my family to do the same! Learn more about Advent with this short video from Busted Halo.

If you have an advent wreath it's time to pull it out! If not, stop by the Advent table in the Great Hall at Church and pick up a ring and a new set of candles. Just the simple act of having the wreath on the kitchen table and lighting it each evening at dinner or at bedtime makes Advent special. I know it isn't a great use of resources, but I have to admit that I am a firm believer in using new candles every year (rather than continuing to use old ones). Having never-been-lit candles in the wreath conveys exactly where we are in the season of Advent. Stop by the table to pick up a flyer about using an Advent wreath and about observing Advent in your home.

Rev. Peter is offering an online Advent book reflection on our Christ Church Facebook page this year! We are reading From Holidays to Holy Days: A Benedictine Walk through Advent by Albert Holtz, OSB. Each morning, beginning Sunday, November 27th, Rev. Peter will post a reflection on the reading for the day on Christ Church's Facebook page. Everyone is welcome to read along, and join the conversation by adding your own thoughts and reflections on our page. You can buy the book from Church Publishing or from Amazon. You can even download it for Kindle if you have one!

Booklets with daily meditations for children, adults, and families are also available at the Advent table at Church. Stop by and find something to help you mark the days as we prepare for Christmas! You'll be glad you did!

Peace and blessings to you this Advent!

Tour of the Atrium: Life of Christ~Christmas

It's a funny time of year for it, but I wanted to share a few photos of the shelves in the Good Shepherd Atrium that we use to meditate on the events surrounding Jesus' birth. These shelves hold prophecies, infancy narratives, and the geography materials.

On top of the first shelf from the left, you can see the prophecies. The prophecies give us insight into who Jesus is, and the children enjoy tracing and illustrating them in the Advent season. You can learn more about the prophecies in another post, called Advent Prophecies in the Atrium.

The infancy narratives are kept on the first and second shelves from the left. These include small 3-D people and furnishings, along with environments (such as a house or stable) to place them into, and a booklet which isolates the specific scripture being considered. Children love to work with these materials year round and wonder about Mary's visit to Elizabeth, or the appearance of the angels to the shepherds in the fields. You can read more about this work in another post called The Infancy Narratives.

The third shelf from the left holds the geography materials, which help us to know that Jesus was a real person, who lived in a particular place and time. These are favorites with the children who love to run their fingers over the topographical map of the Land of Israel and find the three cities which meant so much to Jesus. You can read more about these materials in the post Geography.

In addition to these materials, there are several extensions on top of the second and third shelves from the left, including packets of images for tracing that correspond with the infancy narratives, and maps to trace, label with the city names, and color. Advent is always a joyful time in the atrium!

The Infancy Narratives

Advent is the perfect time to introduce (or re-introduce) children to the person of Jesus.  In addition to geography works and prophecies, we spend a lot of time in Advent exploring the infancy narratives - the scripture that tells of the events surrounding Jesus' birth.  We aren't just telling cute baby stories or even just recalling historical events with the children. Instead we want to encourage the children to wonder at the mystery of incarnation - God loves humanity so much that God chose to become human and live as one of us. The infancy narratives teach us a lot about who Jesus is, and about how God works in the world.

Over the first three years in the Good Shepherd Atrium the children become familiar with the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary to tell her she will be mother to Jesus, Mary's visit to Elizabeth, the birth of Jesus and the visit of the Shepherds, Jesus' presentation at the Temple when he meets Simeon and Anna, and the visit of the Wise Men. We have many beautiful materials to help even the youngest children extend their meditation on these rich narratives - each includes 3-D figures and a simple environment to explore.  Often an adult (or another child) will read the scripture while the child moves the figures.

This week in the True Vine Atrium we celebrated the coming of Christmas by looking at the infancy narratives as a whole.  It was a beautiful experience, as the children brought together all that they have learned over their years in the atrium, and meditated once again on these beloved stories. We focused on the theme of the light of Christ and noticed how it spread - first to Mary, then to Elizabeth and John, to the shepherds, and to even to the wise men who traveled from so far away. I was amazed at the children's ability to sit in quiet joy and contemplate scripture, particularly at this exciting time of year!

As we grow close to Christmas, I wish you joy in quiet moments with your family.  Be alert for the light of Christ as the news of Jesus' birth spreads to you and yours this holiday season!

Advent Prophecies in the Atrium

In Advent we spend time exploring prophecies from Hebrew Scripture. It seems quite appropriate as we prepare for Christmas to listen to the words that comforted and challenged those who watched and waited for the Messiah before Jesus was born.  In atrium we learn that prophets are those who listen very closely to God, and share God's plans with the people.  (It isn't too early to wonder if we might be prophets too!)  The prophecies are a marvelous way to discover more about Jesus.  The prophecy above is the first one that we learn, and it is always remembered and loved by the children.  The image of Jesus as the light is one that we hear often in the atrium, and one that resonates with the children.

There are five prophecies in all that we meditate upon in the Good Shepherd Atrium. In the True Vine Atrium we hear three more, and we spend time looking at the prophecies the children know from Level One as a whole. We wonder, what themes are woven through the prophecies? One of my favorites is the the theme of something great coming from something small: God coming to earth, not as a great warrior, but as a little baby. Tiny and unimportant Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. A helpless baby named Everlasting Father and Mighty God!  This dichotomy of great and small is a delight to the children, and a concept we encounter throughout the year. God seems to love small things, perhaps small people most of all!

Children often extend their meditation by copying and illustrating the prophecies themselves. Older children like to find the prophecies in their Bibles.  







This Sunday is the third Sunday in Advent!  Light your pink candle and enjoy!

Geography

Just before the season of Advent begins, we introduce geography works to the children in the Good Shepherd and the True Vine Atria. Through the geography works, we establish the foundational understanding that Jesus was a real person who lived in a specific place in the world. Our goal is not the accumulation of facts, but to help the children enjoy discovering the real places where Jesus was born, lived his ministry, died, and rose again.

Beginning with three year olds in the Good Shepherd Atrium, we locate the land of Israel on a globe and, using a raised surface map, focus on the three principle cities that were so important in the life of Jesus - Nazareth (where Mary lived, and where the Angel told her that she would be the mother of Jesus), Bethlehem (where Jesus was born) and Jerusalem (the city that Jesus loved, where he died and rose again). Later older children in the Good Shepherd Atrium work with a puzzle map of the regions and waterways of the land of Israel.

In the True Vine Atrium we begin to explore the land of Israel in depth with pin maps.  The regions, mountains, waterways, and cities that we learn about in the Christian Scriptures are located and marked.

Booklets extend this work, exploring the geographical features of the region and the cities in more detail, and include Bible references so the children can read more about the places they are discovering.

Not surprisingly, the maps become a reference point for many works in the room year round.  This begins in Advent, as children explore the scriptures that tell of the birth of Jesus.  We love our maps!



Tomorrow is the second Sunday in Advent!  If you have an Advent wreath, you can light the second blue candle tomorrow!  Enjoy some quiet time with your family.

Celebrating Advent in the Atrium

Last Sunday (Nov.28th) was the beginning of the season of advent, the time the Church sets aside for us to prepare for the great feast of Christmas. Each season of the Church year is represented by a color, and the liturgical color for advent is blue. You will see blue in Church on Rev. Peter's chasuble, hanging from the pulpit and lectern, and behind the altar on the dossal curtain.


TRY THIS: This Sunday in Church, mention the change in liturgical color to your children and give them a chance to share what they know.  Notice the places where you see blue together, and take a look at our beautiful advent wreath.

In the atrium, we have a handful of seasonal celebrations throughout the year and we really enjoy them. Last Sunday in the two lower atria, we celebrated the beginning of advent with a procession and changed the cloth on our prayer tables from green to blue.  We also set up our advent wreaths and lit the first blue candle for the the first Sunday of advent.  Here are some pictures from the True Vine Atrium celebration for you to enjoy!

The procession. Each person carries something we will need for our celebration.

Placing the wreath.

Placing the candles into the wreath.

Each person adds some greenery to the wreath.

Adding the greenery.

Each week we sing a special advent song before lighting the candles.

Our first candle is lit!

Have you checked out our new Church webpage?  Click here to take a look!