- We began with the BIG work, the La Fettuccia (Italian for ribbon). This work is a guided meditation on the creation of the world, and we think about all of the rocks, living things, trees, animals, creatures of the sea, etc. that God made, and the time which he took to make it. God spent a long time preparing creation for his final and most important creation: US! When God made man, he made him in his own image. It is pretty incredible to see that the powerful God wished to share his image with his creation, and even more incredible when he gives us the gift of his Son. The whole work is a meditation on the plan of God which includes all time, from before the creation, to the end of time and beyond--a time in which God will be "all in all"--a time called the Parousia.
- Many children have appreciated our new Altar work (thank you to the Mr. B, the parent who made this for us!). The work is actually a Level I material, but as we have many new children it is a wonderful material to have in our atrium. The children will use this work as a way to think about the articles of the mass, and have the opportunity to set up a miniature altar the way they would for Mass. We have a card material with the names and definitions for each article including the paten and chalice, the corporal and purificator, the tabernacle and ciborium, and the Lectionary and Sacramentary.
- Another special work that many children have loved is the pin map. The pin map is in our geography corner in the Level II atrium. I was especially impressed when a child who worked on this map all year last year was introduced to the "Life of Jesus" geography card packet. He saw the names of the cities where Jesus performed miracles or preached in his early ministry and could point to where they were on a mute map! I could not have done this! The geography work is very important for the children to help them conceptualize Jesus in time and space--the wedding feast at Cana has a whole new meaning to you when you know where Cana is!
- We have just finished our Advent work and it was a very special time for us in the atrium. My favorite part was the "Synthesis of the Infancy Narratives." Around the age of 7, children begin to make comparisons and actually "synthesize" the information they have been gathering for the first 6-8 years of their lives. The infancy narratives of Jesus are stories that they are all more or less familiar with: the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary, the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, the Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds, The Adoration of the Wise Men, and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The synthesis involves the reading these stories one after another, with the "nativity scene" type materials in front of them and we think about the similarities of the emotions of the people in the stories as well as the themes that are growing. In some sessions, the catechist invited the children to further synthesize what they have been working on in the atrium with the scriptures we just read. One child brought a priestly stole over to the work for the Adoration of the Wise Men because she felt that the priest was a wise man who was seeking Jesus. Another child brought the key to our miniature replica of a tabernacle over to the Visitation, because as more people understood that Jesus was coming, the mystery of God was being "unlocked" and opened for all to see. Another child brought the green cloth representing "Ordinary Time" or "the growing time" from the liturgical colors work over to the Presentation in the Temple work because he felt that Jesus was "growing" and it must have been spring because everyone was outside! Then the last child brought a small pool of water from our map of the city of Jerusalem to the Visitation because John the Baptist was in Elizabeth's tummy!
I can't tell you how excited we are to resume classes next week. I hope you continue to check out this blog as much as I hope we will find the time and inspiration to update it! God Bless!
~Mandie
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