Monday, October 28, 2024

Vocations Awareness Bulletin Board

Vocations Awareness Week is Nov. 3-9, 2024

This fall we were so excited as a school community to have three alumni enter into seminary and religious life! Wanting to spread the word and celebrate with our current students, I asked if we could create a display in time for Vocations Awareness Week highlighting the vocations that have grow from our school. Once we settled on the location, the project became bigger than I imagined, both literally (this bulletin board is much larger than I expected- almost 12' across!) and figuratively (because the response was so wonderful- I've run out of room to feature everything)!

With the extra space, I decided to create three sections:

  1. One part highlighting specific vocations from our parish and school
  2. One section honoring our pope, bishop, pastor, and parochial vicar, as well as seminarians from our diocese
  3. And one part for "future" vocations- offering prayer cards, novenas, etc. for all students as well as highlighting different religious communities 

In addition to creating my own info to hang on the board, I also reached out to some religious orders to see if they could send us any brochures or prayer cards- and boy, they came through! We received some awesome vocation swag to share with students! We also receive a poster and prayer cards from our Diocesan Office of Vocations, so this was a perfect central location to include everything. I wanted the board to be something interactive that encouraged the students to walk by and take something home with them.


And after creating this bulletin board, I've already had requests to share info about how I made it. I've created a sharable version of everything that I can, but this is definitely a bulletin board that will need to be customized to your school or parish. I've tried to make a few tools to help you get started and hopefully can aid with inspiration! Also, don't be intimidated by this giant board- remember it was bigger than I was planning and I had to fill the space! You could make a board honoring and supporting vocations that is any size- the most important part is to encourage your students to be praying for those in discernment, praying for those living our their vocation, and praying for their own future vocation. 

P.S.- Just a note- we are already talking about making something to specifically honor and uphold marriage later this school year. The intention of this bulletin board was to highlight Vocations Awareness Week, which primarily focuses on the priesthood and religious life. So still more to come, not forgetting about the very important vocation of matrimony!

Here's all the details!

Items to add to the bulletin board

  • Contact your diocesan vocations office (posters, prayer cards, etc.)
  • Contact local religious orders (brochures, prayer cards, resources)
  • Contact religious orders that have sisters/brothers serving in your diocese
  • Reach out to other religious orders that you respect
  • I would also recommend looking at the affordable resources available at Vianney Vocations. They have tons of brochures, booklets, and prayer cards that would be great for a vocation board (in addition to curriculum and books)
  • Add coloring pages, printable prayer cards, brochures, etc. highlighting vocations, prayers for vocations, patrons of vocations, etc.
  • Books to borrow about vocations

I added these awesome "Prayer for Priests" letter and St. John Vianney coloring page, both available from the talented Shari of Catholic Paper Goods as an easy activity kids could take with them. (Just a note, if you are planning on making copies of these for a whole school/parish, please make sure that you are reading her terms and using her license for bulk copies. Thanks for honoring the work of Catholic artists and creators!)



Title
I printed this out on brown kraft paper cardstock and cut it by hand, but you could do something similar with die cut letters or a cricut!
Click here for the "Here I am Lord" title with one letter per page (letters approx. 8.5" tall):

Click here for the "Here I am Lord" title with two letters per page (letters approx. 5.5" tall):


Template for highlighting individual vocations:
Click here for an editable template to display the pope, bishop, pastor, seminarians, etc. When you open this file, it will automatically make a copy so you can add your own information and photos. It also includes some saint quotes and headings that are also editable.



Tools for the bulletin board
Here are items that I ordered from Amazon to complete the bulletin board:
(Contain affiliate links)
  • Clear brochure holders, 12 pieces in 2 different sizes (these have been perfect! My only issue is that I quickly ran out of space!)
  • Clear flat tacks (I used these to attach the brochure holders to the bulletin board- and they have held quite well. They are a little longer than regular thumb tacks and the flat head is necessary so the items don't get stuck as they are pulled out, which would knock the whole thing down.)
  • Clear shelves (these are excellent in theory, but have not worked as well using thumb tacks- a couple have fallen down a few times. I think they would be excellent if you were actually able to screw them in to the wall!)
  • Bulletin board border- just in case someone wants it! I wanted something neutral and not to flashy, with a nod to our school colors (maroon and gold) so this was a great fit

Book List
And click here for a post with a list of great books about Vocations:

St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us!
St. John Vianney, pray for us!
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Books about Vocations for Catholic Kids


Here are some great children's books about Vocations! Of course, it is also super helpful to read the biographies of Saints who followed God's plan for their lives through a particular Vocation, but these books are more generally about the characteristics and callings of Holy Orders, Religious Life, and Matrimony. If you have any other book suggestions for these categories, feel free to share them in the comments!

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. That means that if you click through and purchase something, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. I'd also love to encourage you to shop directly with the publisher or with your local bookshop!


Books about Holy Orders
Books about Religious Life
Books about Matrimony
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Thursday, October 10, 2024

Saints Around the World Extension Activities


If you've been paying attention to good Catholic books for kids over the past few years, I bet you know about Meg Hunter-Kilmer's incredible Saints Around the World. It's an amazing treasury of 100 Saints from... you guessed it- all around the world. The one page biographies use an energetic storytelling style and are accompanied by beautiful, detail rich original illustrations by Lindsey Sanders. So, so many of the Saints and Blessed included aren't the "typical" favorites- there is such variety and originality in the holy men and women that are included. When I say that this book is popular and well read in my classroom, that would be an understatement!


SO, have you heard about the new Saints Around the World for Little Ones Collection? Pulled from the same list and using the same lovely illustrations, Meg rewrote the stories to be just right for younger readers/listeners. These books are sorted into sets of 15 Saints that have something in common, like being young, being adventurous, or being talented.

The books are a little smaller and the paper is nice and sturdy, meaning that sticky toddler fingers or eager page flipping isn't going to damage the book. While I really appreciate the full length book for use with my junior high students, the new collection still includes the pertinent details- date, feast, location, illustration, and a shorter biography, so they are actually still perfectly usable in my classroom (and even make for a nice modification for my lower or struggling readers.)


You can see a side by side comparison of the original book on top with the entry about the same person in the book from the new collection on the bottom:

If you'd like to order the Saints Around the World for Little Ones Collection, or any of the books individually, I have a special discount code for you! You can use code BOGNER10 for 10% off any part of the collection. That code is only good until 10/25/24, so go grab a set now (even if you want to stash it away for Christmas!)

You can find them individually here ($8.95 each) or as a whole set here (on sale right now and if you stack my coupon code, that gets the whole set of six down to $40.46!)


And you know me, you better believe I was going to find a way to use these new resources in my classroom. They also have a lovely map and full set of 100 stickers that match the book (for only $9.99! such a great price!) I decided to make an info sheet (we often call it a mini poster to make it sound fancy) where the students could collect all the pertinent biographical info.

Because of some weird scheduling, I had the opportunity to give one of my 7th grade classes a challenge. With the extra time we had together, could they make 100 mini posters of 100 Saints from all over the world? Could they get it done quickly so that we could hang them up for All Saints Day? And could they work together to share books and be willing to learn about Saints that they weren't familiar with?

With a resounding yes, they were able to! Several other teachers in my school have the original Saints Around the World book in their classrooms, so I was able to borrow several copies. I also made this activity so that I could be completed using either the original book or the shorter books. You can see how I made one poster from each version in the photos above and below. (Again, awesome for future planning activities for students with varying reading levels!)

The students worked hard and loved crossing Saints off the list. They had a major incentive because when they completed a mini poster, they got to go and place the sticker on the map. When all the Saints were in the right spot on the map, we knew that all 100 posters were done. Everyone loves stickers! 

For those who are curious, it took a class of 25 7th graders two 50 minute class periods to do all 100 Saints. But you wouldn't have to use them this way! It could be an individual assignment, a weekly project where you read one story and everyone completes a sheet on the same Saint, a book report to work on for your child at home, etc. Lots of options!


Want to have your students do some research on Saints from around the world? Or give your children at home a little project to work on?

Click here for a pdf to download and print

OR click here for an editable Google Slide that students could complete digitally

If you're doing this as a class project, or if your family would like to keep track of the Saints you've studied, here's a list that you can check off. (This was absolutely necessary when I had a whole class making posters- I had the list up on the smartboard and we crossed off each Saint as they chose them. They were so excited to mark off the last of the 100 Saints!)

Click here for a digital slide

Or click here for a pdf:


And don't forget, the code BOGNER10 for 10% off any part of the collection is only good until 10/25/24!
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Tuesday, October 1, 2024

October Radiant Roundup

Month of the Most Holy Rosary
Happy Month of the Most Holy Rosary! There are SO MANY wonderful things to celebrate this month, and I've packed tons ideas into this edition of the Radiant Round Up. 
 
To start off, here are lots and lots of ideas for learning and praying with the Rosary:
Rosary Resources in Spanish*


St. Thérèse of Lisieux: October 1st




Guardian Angels: October 2nd
Guardian Angel and St. Michael Prayer Cards (K & up)


St. Francis of Assisi: October 4th
St. Francis of Assisi Coloring Page*(all ages)

St. Faustina Kowalska: October 5th
Divine Mercy Watercolor Art* (printable coloring page-2nd-6th)
Divine Mercy Melty Bead Craft* (printable pattern and examples-2nd-8th)
Pop Out Divine Mercy Chaplet* (2nd-6th)

Our Lady of the Rosary: October 7th

Pope St. John XXIII: October 11th
Two Popes, Two Saints* Trivia about St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII (4th & up)
Play Scripts/ Readers' Theater* about the miracles of St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII (4th & up)

Bl. Carlo Acutis: October 12th
Eucharistic Miracle Investigation* (version for younger & older kids) Also in Spanish

Pope St. John Paul II: October 22nd
Two Popes, Two Saints* Trivia about St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII (4th & up)
Play Scripts/ Readers' Theater* about the miracles of St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII (4th & up)

Sts. Simon and Jude: October 28th

All Hallows Eve/All Saints Day/All Souls: October 31st-November 2nd 
Since these feasts are so interwoven, you'll find ideas for Halloween along with All Saints & All Souls. I'll include these and more in the November Radiant Round Up!
Mass Offering Cards* (2nd & up) also in Spanish
Memento Mori Printables* (2nd & up)

October Catholic Book List
Click here for a list of books for Catholic kids that fit well with devotions and feast days this month! 


Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

You can find the links to the monthly Radiant Roundups here:

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October Books for Catholic Kids

October Catholic Kids Book List

Below are a few favorite titles that fit well with devotions and feast days this month! This list contains Amazon Affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I'd also love to encourage you to shop directly with the publisher or with your local bookshop, or try to request these at your local library! I'm sure I've missed some books that would be great for this month, so feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments! You can find my giant list of Catholic Kid Books by topic here.


All Month- Respect Life Month
Saints & Feast Days

10/2- Guardian Angels

10/4- St. Francis of Assisi
10/5- St. Faustina

10/7- Our Lady of the Rosary

10/9- Our Lady of Champion
The Woman in the Trees- Bell, Theoni

10/9- St. John Henry Newman

10/12- Bl. Carlo Acutis

10/15- St. Teresa of Avila

10/16- St. Gerard Majella

10/17- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

10/18- St. Luke

10/19- St. Isaac Jogues

10/22- St. John Paul II

10/31-11/1- All Hallows Eve & All Saints Day

Any great October books I missed? Please add your suggestions in the comments!

Book Lists By Month:
Click on the images below for book lists organized by feast days and devotions for each month:
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