Saturday, November 26, 2022

December Radiant Roundup


Welcome to December! Amidst the decorating and shopping and baking, here are some resources to help you and your kids keep your hearts focused on the reason for the Season. As I pulled posts from the archives and created a few new things for this year, this round up grew larger and larger- but don't let that overwhelm you. Choose 2 or 3 things that suit your home of classroom and will help you pray as we look forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ. From books to crafts to meals to Saints and more, there are plenty of tools gathered here to pick from!

Books for Catholic Kids- Advent, Christmas, & Feast Days for December
Check out this list for a huge list of books great for Advent & Christmas, as well as St. Francis Xavier, St. Nicholas, the Immaculate Conception, St. Juan Diego & Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fulton Sheen, St. Lucy, and the Holy Family.
What Advent Looks Like* Coloring Page
Advent Traditions for Anyone and Everyone* (Info cards that are easy to display and share- one for the Advent Wreath, Jesse Tree, O Antiphons, Christmas Tree, Nativity Scene, St. Andrew, The Immaculate Conception, St. Lucy, St. Nicholas, Ven. Fulton Sheen, St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Decorating for Advent (simple ideas for decorating your home for the Season)
Advent Today (Youth Group Activity)
St. Nicholas' Many Gifts Bingo Game-Here's a fresh update of an old post! This game is set up so that each child makes their own bingo board. Blank boards and a list of words related to the life of St. Nicholas are provided, making this game perfect to play either after reading a story of St. Nicholas' life or to tell a fact about him as each word is called. Use gold chocolate coins or punch out yellow circles as Bingo markers.
St. Ambrose: December 7th
St. Ambrose coloring pages* (all ages)
Sweeter than Honey Psalm coloring pages* (all ages)
Included in the Advent Feast Days Booklet*

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen: December 9th
Ven. Fulton Sheen Activities* (all ages)
So, SO many activities under that tab!

Our Lady of Loreto: December 10th
Our Lady of Loreto Digital Scavenger Hunt (6th & up)

Juan Diego: December 9th
Our Lady of Guadalupe: December 12th
Our Lady of Guadalupe Block Print* 

St. John of the Cross: December 14th

St. John: December 27th 


The Holy Family: December 30th
The Presentation: February 2nd
Joseph, Lover of Poverty Print (Two Turtledoves)* (Scroll to the bottom)

“For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." ~Matthew 1:18-24
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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

December Catholic Kids Book List


December 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- The Season of Advent

New Liturgical Year

December Saints & Feast Days
12/3- St. Francis Xavier
12/6- St. Nicholas
12/8- The Immaculate Conception
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Tomie de Paola
12/9- Anniversary of the death of Ven. Fulton J. Sheen
12/12- Our Lady of Guadalupe
12/13- St. Lucy

O Antiphons: December 17th-24th

The Christmas Season 


The Holy Family: December 30th


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Sunday, October 30, 2022

November Radiant Roundup


November, the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
It's the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, a time that the Church Militant here on earth focuses our prayers on the Church Suffering. We also strive to orient our own gazes to Heaven, knowing that this life is only temporary. The days of Hallowtide- Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls- give us a perfect opportunity to teach kids about eternity and the hope that we have in Jesus. Here some activities for Hallowtide, as well as upcoming Saints' Feast Days and looking ahead to Advent on the last Sunday of the month.

All Saints: November 1st
12+ Ideas for Celebrating Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls Day*
Saint Scavenger Hunt*
Digital Saint Scavenger Hunt
All Saints Day Art Project
Beatitudes and Modern Saints Card Game*
All Saints Day Info Coloring Page*
Happy All Saints Day Coloring Page*
All Saints Day Litany Prayer Cards*
Saintly Friends Bingo Game (and book recs for Saint Pairs)* (all ages)
Saints Q&A Activity Book (5th-8th)*
Saint Trading Card Classroom Reward System (K-8th)
12+ Ideas for Celebrating All Saints Day* (K-8th)
Saint Pennants* (all ages)
Saint Pennants in more sizes*


New Resources: Saint Jeopardy Games
Each slide show has over 35 Saint trivia questions, set up in Jeopardy (answer, then question style). You can used these as is and play with your students, have a kid click through individually to test their knowledge, or make a copy and customize with Saints of your choice. (Note, these were originally based on the Confirmation Saints from my last couple of classes of students, so they truly are random. And there will be a few repeats between the two games. ;) )
Click here for Set One:

Click here for Set Two:



All Souls: November 2nd
All Saints and All Souls Day Letters*
All Souls Day Prayer Cards (Eternal Rest Prayer)*
Memento Mori Printables*
All About Relics Activity Book (5th-8th)*
12+ Ideas for Celebrating Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls Day*

New Resource: Memento Mori Visio Divina & Reflections
This slide show is intended for junior high and high schoolers to start a conversation on living each day with Heaven in mind, as well as praying for the dead. It included a recommended video, a set of art to use with Visio Divina, and a collection of Saint and Scripture quotes to use for discussion or journaling.
And here's a printable guide to the steps for Visio Divina the kids can use to help with discussion or a written reflection of the included art.

Black Catholic History Month
Black Saint Litany* (2nd and up)

New Resource:
Black American Catholics Research Page* (4th & up)
Photos to print here and awesome coloring pages from artist Fabiola Garza here.
My students used all of these tools, some books, and online research to create posters about these six holy men and women.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini: November 13th
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Activity Books


Feast of Christ the King: November 20th
Christ the King Music Playlist

Thanksgiving: November 24th
Psalm 9:2 Coloring Page*
Psalm 9:2-I will give thanks bulletin board*

Feast of the Miraculous Medal: November 27th
St. Catherine Laboure: November 28th
Miraculous Medal Embroidery Pattern* and links to free resources

St. Andrew: November 30th

Advent: 1st Sunday of Advent- November 27th
What Advent Looks Like* Coloring Page
Advent, Christmas, Epiphany Ideas 2019
Advent Family Calendar (structure & activity ideas, includes an editable version)*
Weekly Advent Reflection Slides (Editable for Google Classroom)
Advent & Christmas Videos
Advent Music Playlist
Sacred Art Visio Divina for Advent (Digital Resources)
New Advent Resources
Printable Advent Wreath Candles*
Printable Advent Wreath Candles (Spanish)*
Printable Advent Wreath Candles (Dutch)*
Advent Traditions for Anyone and Everyone *
Advent Family Traditions*
Decorating for Advent
Advent Today
Favorite Advent Videos
Advent Trivia Jeopardy
Advent Prayer Ring*
Advent Prayer Cards for Each Sunday (Year C)*
Advent Weekly Reflections

New Liturgical Year Resources
The Liturgical Year Coloring Book*
Liturgical Year Calendar
Liturgical Year Printable & Colorable Calendar
Decorating for the Liturgical Year
Liturgical Year Board Game
Monthly Devotion Signs*
Ideas for Living the Liturgical Year in the Classroom*


Books
Books for November Feast Days

And Books for Advent & Christmas
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The Source & The Summit- Studying the Eucharist


We often spend a lot of time teaching kids about the Eucharist in preparation for their First Holy Communion, as we well should! But sometimes this great gift is then a mere mention in the textbooks of later grades. I want my students to see the Eucharist as integral to what we believe, literally "The Source and the Summit" as described in the Catechism, so I've been working on adding some new tools into my curriculum.

The activities below were created with my middle schoolers in mind, but could certainly be stretched to older kids or simplified for younger. We did them as stations, and there is a booklet with the student copies all in one place at the bottom of the post, or you could use any of them individually. The National Eucharistic Revival is a perfect reminder and opportunity to renew our focus on the Most Blessed Sacrament in our homes, parishes, and classrooms!

You can also find resources for other Eucharist projects and teaching about the Mass under the Sacraments tab here.

Click here for a page of recommended Scripture verses in the New Testament. I hung this up and the students chose their own passage for a Lectio Divina reflection, which can be found below.

Get a student reflection page for Lectio Divina here:

These Old Testament Typology passages are a great way to show that the Eucharist was concealed in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Click here for a list of Types of the Eucharist in the Old Testament:

This fill-in-the-blank page uses the NABRE translation of the Bible if you want to make it as easy as possible on your students to find the missing words. These would all make great memory verses to remind what we believe about the Eucharist!
Click here for a fill-in-the-blank of five important verses about the Eucharist:
In addition to Sacred Scripture, it is important to teach kids how to navigate the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There are tons of paragraphs in the CCC related to the Eucharist, but this page has them read a little from the section that explains the term "Source & Summit":

Here is a cover page/coloring page/mini poster to use with this unit:


And if you'd like to do these activities as a whole unit or offer them as stations, you can find the student handouts in this booklet:
Other supporting resources for the stations include this post on books about the Eucharist:


This post about using Visio Divina with Sacred Art about the Eucharist:

And this post about Bl. Carlo Acutis and his Eucharistic Miracles Website:
May Jesus, Truly Present in the Blessed Sacrament, help us keep our eyes fixed firmly on Him!

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November Catholic Kids' Book List


November 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- All Saints Day!
Cloud of Witnesses- Warner, Katie
You Were Born to Be a Saint, Kortnee Senn
Sleepytime Saints: A to Z- Michael and Marcy Kelleher
An Alphabet of Saints
Lily Lolek, Future Saint, Warner, Katie
Saintly Rhymes for Modern Times- Bausch, Megan
Picture Book of Saints- Lovasik, Fr. (and others in series)
Saints for Young Readers for Every Day- Wallace, Susan
Light of Heaven: A Children's Book of Saints, Adalee Hude
Light of Heaven, Saints Coloring Book, by Adalee Hude
Fools for Heaven, Stephanie Petters
Light of the Saints, Cory Heimann
In the Footsteps of the Saints (any in series)
Loyola Kids Book of Saints- Welborn, Amy
Saints and Their Stories- Giraldo, Maria Loretta
Saints Tell Their Stories- Mitchell, Paula
Our Friends in Heaven, Volume 1 & 2- The Daughters of St. Paul
Saints Around the World- Hunter-Kilmer, Meg
Heroes of Virtue- Sheridan, Robert
How to Be a Hero- Harrell, Julia
The Book of Saints and Heroes- Lang, Andrew
Ablaze: Stories of Daring Teen Saints- Swaim, Colleen
Radiate: More Stories of Daring Teen Saints- Swaim, Colleen
Stories of the Saints: Bold and Inspiring Tales of Adventure, Grace, and Courage
A Saint a Day: 365 True Stories of Faith and Heroism, Meredith Hines
The Saint Chronicles (Series)- Multiple Authors
Illustrated Lives of the Saints- Hoever, Hugo
Complaints of the Saints- Hill, Sr. Mary Lea
Encyclopedia of Saints- Bunson
In Caelo et in Terra: 365 Days with the Saints- The Daughters of St. Paul
Brilliant: 25 Catholic Scientists, Mathematicians, and Supersmart People- David Michael Warren and Jaclyn Warren
Pray for Us: 75 Saints who Sinned, Suffered, and Struggled on Their Way to Holiness, Meg Hunter-Kilmer (For older kids, contains more sensitive topics)


All Month- Black Catholic History Month
Fr. Augustus Tolton- Liturgical Training Press
Julia Greely- Secret Angel to the Poor, Maura Roan McKeegan
Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood, Michael Heinlein
Thea Bowman: We are Beloved, Karianna Frey
From Slave to Priest: The Inspirational Story of Fr. Augustus Tolton, Hemesath
Abba Moses, Andrew Votipka


11/2- All Souls Day
Heaven is a Wonderful Place
Today Someone I Loved Passed Away
Sometimes Life is Just Not Fair: Hope for Kids Through Grief and Loss

Saints & Feast Days
11/3- St. Martin de Porres
Mother Cabrini: Missionary to the World- Keyes
11/17- St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Saint Elizabeth's Three Crowns- Thompson
11/18- St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
The Life of Jesus- Alex, Ben
11/23- St. Clement of Rome
The Miraculous Medal- Mary Fabyan Windeatt
11/28- St. Catherine Laboure
Saint Catherine Laboure- Trouve


11/27- First Sunday of Advent
A Little Camel for Baby Jesus- Gianola, Maria
Guess Who's in the Manger: A Christmas Story- Howie, Vickie
Where is the Baby King?- Henning & Atkins
The Cure for the Christmas Crazies- Hartmann, April
A Child's Christmas ABC Book- Thigpen, Paul
A Child's Christmas Counting Book- Thigpen, Paul
The Birds of Bethlehem- dePaola, Tomie
The Night of Las Posadas, dePaola Tomie
The Legend of the Poinsettia, dePaola, Tomie
The Legend of Old Befana, dePaola, Tomie
Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing, Welborn, Amy
Angela and the Baby Jesus- McCort, Frank
24 Christmas Stories for Little Ones
Santa's Priority, Tom Peterson
The Little Star, by Anthony DeStefano
A Child is Born- Winthrop, Elizabeth
The Tree of Jesse- Kortnee Senn
Jacob's Gift- Lucado, Max
The Crippled Lamb- Lucado, Max
Voices of Christmas- Grimes, Nikki
Aaron's Secret Message, Pfister, Marcus
The Fourth Wise Man- Summers, Susan
The Night the Saints Saved Christmas- Jagla, Gracie
Celebrate the Season; Twelve Short Stories for Advent and Christmas- Lynch, Diane M.
Sisters of the Last Straw #5: The Case of the Christmas Tree Capers, Karen Kelly Boyce
Christmas Around the Fire, Ryan N. S. Topping
The Jesse Tree Advent Journal, Lumen Ecclesiae Press
O Come, Emmanuel, Kendra Tierney
The Family of Jesus: A Jesse Tree Scripture Study, Michele Chronister
Tomorrow I Will Come, A Little Guide to the O Antiphons, Michele Chronister
Create. Destroy. Redeem. Advent Journal- LifeTeen
Joy to the World- Stefanick, Chris
Advent and Christmas One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens, Katie Prejean McGrady & Tommy McGrady
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Friday, October 28, 2022

Favorite Kids' Books About Jesus in the Eucharist



What a gift we have in the Eucharist. That Jesus is Truly Present- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity- is a mind blowing, miraculous mystery! Helping kids understand the importance of the Mass and the significance of the Eucharist is no easy challenge, but fortunately we have some great tools to help! Here are some of my favorite books about the Eucharist and the Mass to share with kids.

I've divided them up in a set of categories, but didn't label them by age- I really think that most can stretch from young to old! The picture books can still be read by older kids by using them to dive deep into symbols and meaning. The more complex graphic novels and stories also have awesome pictures that can also be used with the younger kids to talk about the parts of the Mass. The guides are great for all to use while participating in the Mass. Lots of options to add to your kiddo's collection!

(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!)

Read-Alouds that Help Prepare for Mass



Stories with Eucharistic Symbolism









Stories of Eucharistic Miracles





Books for Learning the Articles of the Mass

Guides for Praying Along with the Mass


With Jesus Always: My Mass Book by Sadlier Publishing




Those are some of my favorites- how about you? What books would you recommend to share the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist with your children and students?
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