Epiphany Star

I love our new Epiphany Star! 

Read more about it here-  Try This: Epiphany

Try This: Epiphany

On a previous blog, Kate commented that she likes ideas that help her to bring the atrium home. I do too, and after reading her comment, I began searching (in my many books and blogs, and in my heart!) for some way to bring the season of Epiphany home this year.  After all, we have the wreath for Advent and the Nativity Scene for Christmas!

I decided to order this star shaped paper lantern with a light inside to hang in our living room during the season of Epiphany. On January 6th, after saying goodbye to the Christmas decorations, we can put up this special star in honor of the light that led the Magi to Jesus on the feast of Epiphany. I love the idea that it will remain throughout the season, until Lent begins, reminding us that Jesus is the light of the world, and helping us to follow Jesus in the season of Epiphany.

Unfortunately I had this brainstorm at noon on January 6th and couldn't find the kind of star I wanted anywhere!  Until the one I've ordered arrives, we are using some paper stars I made as room decorations for my daughter this Christmas. These are easy to make and would be great to use for an Epiphany tradition as well. I learned how to make them on a beautiful blog called The Magic Onions.

On Epiphany, our family read Matthew 2:1-12, which tells about the Magi, and talked a bit about it.  Then we prayed the Collect for Epiphany from the Book of Common Prayer and hung the stars. It was simple but lovely!

I'm hoping to find a way to integrate symbols of all the seasons into our home this year.  As we travel through the Church year together, I'll be sure to share my ideas on the blog.  Is there something you could do to make the season of Epiphany special for your family?  How about hanging a star in the living room, putting a special book from the library on a coffee table, or lighting a pretty white candle at dinner each night?  What will you do?!

Want to learn a bit more about the Season of Epiphany?  Check back soon!

Our Christmas Celebration

Here are some photos from our Christmas Celebration with the Good Shepherd and True Vine children yesterday. This is a laid back morning - we listen to the infancy narratives together while the children act out the scenes.  Children wear simple costumes and repeat back words from the scripture.  It's a nice chance for us to enjoy the infancy narratives as a whole with the younger children, after the excitement of the holidays is past.

I am just getting back into the swing of things here and should have some new posts for you soon.  Keep checking back, or better yet, subscribe to the blog via email with the form on the sidebar.  In the meantime, enjoy the photos!

Mary and Joesph with baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

The Angel Gabriel appears to the shepherds and sheep.

A multitude of the heavenly host appear to the shepherds.  (I love this one!)

Everyone gathers around baby Jesus to offer him gifts of our own.

The Christmas feast!  Thanks for the goodies parents!

 

Merry Christmas!

There are plenty of trees on the front lawn waiting to be recycled, but Christmas isn't over yet!  The season of Christmas is twelve days long and ends Thursday (January 6th) when we celebrate Epiphany.  One of my favorite Epiphany traditions is the arrival of the Wise Men - on January 6th the Wise Men from our home nativity scene end their long journey around our house and finally reach the Christ child on the mantle.  Thursday would be a nice day to gather your family, light a candle, and read Matthew 2:1-12, the scriptural account of the Wise Men's visit with Jesus.

For now, here are a few photos from our marvelous Christmas Eve Pageant to remind you of the wonders of the Christmas season.  Enjoy!

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.