Enjoying the Journey Through August

FAITH:

♥ The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ♥
- 2nd Our Lady of the Angels
- 4th St Dominic
- 5th Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome (Our Lady of the Snows)
- 6th Transfiguration of Our Lord
- 8th Blessed Mary McKillop
- 8th St JohnMary Vianny( The Cure Of Ars)
- 9th St Theresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
- 11th St Philomena
- 12th St Clare of Assisi
- 14th St Maximillian Kolbe
- 14th Vigil of the Assumption
- 15th Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- 16th St Joachim
- 17th St Hyacinth of Poland
- 18th St Helena
- 21st St Pius X
- 21st Our Lady of Knock
- 22nd Feast of the Queenship of Mary
- 24th Our Lady, Health of the Sick
- 24th St Bartholomew the Apostle
- 26th Our Lady of Czestochowa
- 27th St Monica
- 28th St Augustine
- 29th Beheading of John the Baptist
- 30th St Rose of Lima

♥ HOMEMAKING:
- make sure we have a heap of hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows and our favourite Snowflake cookies.
- make a night of baked potatoes with the works
- try different citrus fruits that are in season
- dry some orange slices for Christmas prepartions
- make some old fashioned 'candies' from books
- have a back to back film feast of our favourite trilogy movies
- start looking at what we need to o for Spring Cleaning ie. washing all the blankets and quilts
- make some Gingerbread cookies( we usually only have these for Christmas so will have to do them quite different.)
-Make Snowmen out of Marshmallow- have a contest to see who makes the best one
- watch my Tasha Tudor DVD's for inspiration and relaxation
- make and wear Aprons of different styles
- make little pinafore aprons for little girls
- check the spring summer clothes and make a list of any future needed purchases
- make a list of books needed for Christmas studies and other Lesson studies
- make the little girls Mob Caps
- make Arwen a Sunbonnet

♥ CRAFTS:
-Continue to make silk puppets for story telling(Me)
-Make some wooden painted or felt saints
-Make Shadow puppets
-Make silhouettes
-Build a bird house for birds to nest in for spring
-Make some new items for Month of Immaculate Heart of Mary.
-Make some 'mantel letters' for Bookcase display.
-Freshen up the notice board as it looks tired.
-Make the Seasons Round Exchange Projects for sending off
-Make Catkin children on branch
- make fences and railings for young ones play
- make plywood doll houses that string together as rooms
- make wooden dolls for Arwen, carved from branches
- make a large horse type animal for outside for playing on
- continue with making of Christmas presents
- start to make crib figures for Christmas and work on thes over the next few months
- make awnings for playstand
- make a folding play house or camp for little ones
- embroidery workshop

♥ NATURE:
- watch for the migrating birds coming and going.
- observe the changing daily patterns of the Wallabies, possums, water birds, ducks, rabbits, and other small birds we see regularly.
-Choose one Small square and see how nature varies within over a period of 3 weeks

♥ GOALS:
- Make sure Breakfast is started on time with everyone together and the Devotional Readings and Saint for the Day.
- To have Lesson time start on time each day.
- Continue early rising for early night routine
- Have Night time routine down pat: Dinner, clean up, teeth , prepare little ones if not done earlier, Bible Story, Rosary, Night Time Read aloud. Then off to bed for Eden down for Private reading time. Prayers individually and My Good night Prayers with them.
Older children free time (or help get 3 youngest to sleep, not Arwen, if needed) and work on Assignments or free time for personal activities or Reading.
- keep my desk tidy
- have all my lesson plans completed and computer areas tidy
- plan an exercise programme that actually is achievable for all(me included)
- set up an obsticle course for children to navigate when ever they want

♥ RITUALS:
- have as many read alouds by the fire as possible
- change the liturgical bookcase to the Immaculate Heart theme.
- change the seasons table and areas to reflect a new look for this last month of winter.
- check liturgical colours for Mr Pine and Altar daily and change them -- rotate whose 'job' this can be.
- continue with 15 minute cleaning jobs and daily chore list
- keep the 5 min tidy up happening
♥ LEARNING:
-Finish Indian Study as it isn't progressing well
- Plan together and start a Spiderwick Literature Themed Study
- continue with Africa in Geography(from lesson plans that aren't published yet)
- continue reading at Lunch time--current book The Heroic Messenger
- do circle time EVERY day with little ones
- encourage Rogan's reading
- captivate Moran and Myffwyn's interest in learnign to read.
- prepare Rogan for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion
- have a story telling night with people coming in character, based upon the Medieval ritual of feasting with the bard telling stories.
- adapt Shakespeare Plans to suit our needs
- adapt Liturature for The Young Lady to our needs for the older girls
- especially celebrate St Rose's feast day as this is one of Autumn's confirmation saints.
- also on the 8th as the Cure of Ars is one of our family favourite saints and Saxon is especially looking to him for Confirmation.
- look at the twoPolar regions and compare the two; discover what animals live on each
- make an igloo out of sugar cubles
♥ SPECIAL DAYS:
- 9th Nanny's Birthday
- 13th Stephen's Birthday
- 14th Hans Christian Anderson's Birthday
- 28th Kynan's Birthday

-28th Tasha Tudor Day(we will do this on the 29th)
- More details for this to be sorted out in lesson plans BEFORE the day arrives

Have a most enjoyable and Blessed month ♥
Blessings,

Pentecost Plans

♥♥ Pentecost(Whitsun) was the name given to a Jewish agricultural festival to indicate that it took place on the fiftieth('pente"-five)day after Passover. It was on this day that the twelve disciples of Jesus(now including Mathias in place of Jesus) met with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and others. While the disciples were "all with one accord in one place...there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing wind."(Acts2:2.) A powerful current gathered up the disciples as if on the in-breath of God, and, taken hold of by this divine inspiration, they became aware of "cloven tongues like as of fire" which "sat upon each of them." The story goes on to recount that the twelve were "filled with the Holy Ghost" and were able to speak on such a way that "every man heard them...in his own language."♥♥♥from All Year Round

Plans for the Day♥♥♥
♥♥Readings for Pentecost Year B


♥Books♥
Tell the story from the Betty Lukins book using the Felt board and characters
-Read the New Catholic Picture Bible
-The Very First Christians
-IBelieve: The Nicene Creed
-The Apostles of Jesus

♥Activities and Crafts♥
-Blow up a heap of Ballons and then release them to fly like the Holy spirit.
-Make a Whitsun couple ♥The Nature Corner
-Make Mary and the Apostles from wooden people or needle felt them or sew felt them
-Make Whitsun dove mobile ♥The Childrens Year
-Flying Rice bags!and Streamers! ♥The Childrens Year
-Butterflies ♥The Childrens Year
-Make some bookmarks:
-dove shape with a red ribbon and put the gift of the spirit on one wing, and fruit of the spirit on the other
-Whitsun dove wings ♥All Year round
-Fairy streamers ♥All Year Round

-Do some of the activities and colouring in from the list below.

♥♥"From the earliest centeries, the dove has been used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The symbolism was inspired by the Gospel report of Christ's baptism and is still popular today. From medieval times on, in many parts of central and eastern Europe, the people hung artfully carved and painred wooden doves over the dining table as a constant reminder to the family to venerate the Holy Spirit." ♥Catholic Traditions in the Home and Classroom

♥All Seasons Wreath♥
-add yellow and red streamers to the doves we made for Ascension
-make sure the Family altar cloth is red

♥Cooking♥
-make bread dough and make into a dove shape
-Make a cake and ice with white cream, draw a dove shape and have 7 rays coming out from the dove (representing the 7 gifts of the Holy spirit)
and surround the cake with 12 strawberries (representing the 12 Apostles and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit).

♥Table Decorations♥
-Red table cloth with little cut out doves sprinkled on top
-Large Candle in middle as centre piece with small candles and white flowers around
-In centre of the table have a basket of plastic fruit with a 'fruit of the spirit' tied on it. At the end of the meal have everyone take turns to pick a fruit.
This fruit will be the virtue to work on during the year.
-Dove shape placemats
-At each place have:
-a cookie with a red lifesaver stuck on in the middle and a red candle in the middle ♥The Year and our Children

♥Main Meal♥
Fried Chicken, mashed potatoe, and green veges
-if we can a 12 fruit salad ♥Catholic Cuisine

♥♥"In England, the day of Pentecost is known as Whitsun, or Whitsunday, meaning 'white-Sunday.' It has long been a tradition to wear white on this day, perhaps as an acknowledgement of the purity of the spirit, perhaps as a reminder of the moment of joining in the Church community at Baptism and Confirmation." ♥All Year Round

♥Colouring Pictures♥
--colouring page
--other colouring Pictures from Catholic mom
-ascension colour pic
-stained glass colouring pic
-dove colour pic
-dove flying colouring pic

♥Enjoying Nature♥
-once again kite flying with the kites made on Ascension
-Bubbles
-use the streamers made from Ascension
-put butterflies made above on sticks like streamers and run as well.
-look and identify birds in backyard or area


♥Heap of Pentecost ideas:♥

-Lots of ideas
-Catholic Mom ideas
-Holy Spirit
-Symbols of the Holy Spirit
-More Pentecost ideas
-Gifts of the holy spirit
-Pentecost Puzzles:
-Pentecost song:

♥OTHER IDEAS♥

-Family activites
-Pentecost Play

- Teacher Planet resource page for Pentecost
--Work sheet
--Pentecost spinner

--Pentecost crossword
--Pentecost decoder
--Pentecost word jumble
--Pentecost word search
--twelve disiples word search

--Holy Spirit mobile

--More word searches

Blessings,

Plans for Ascension Day

Ascension Day:
"Easter week and the days thereafter are ones of happiness and Christian Joy in the life of the risen Lord. Although the Church includes the Feast of Pentecost int the Liturgical season of Easter, Ascension Day is actually the feast that terminates the events of the Saviours life on earth.
This feast has been celebrated since the earliest Christian times, and by the fourth century had spread to throughout the entire Christian world of that time.
It was an old European custom to eat a bird on that day because Christ had 'flown' to Heaven. In Western Germany, bakers gave their customers pieces of patry made in the shapes o fvarious birds. In England, the day was celebrated with games, dancing and horse races. In Central Europe, families went hiking and on picnics."--Catholic Traditions in the Home and Classroom.♥

Plans for the day ♥♥♥

♥ Books:
Read from the bible about Ascension and to the little ones from The Catholic Picture Bible.

♥ Take down the Large crosses from the hill.

♥ Activities and Crafts:
--Make a kite from various materials- cross frame with paper or plastic cover.
--Make a flying Streamer bag-- All Year round.
--Home made wind mills with coloured paper on stick.
--Make a parachute out of hanky or small piece of fabric , tie to the parachute a small figure, ie a small gnome or other wooden figure and drop over balcony.
--Make a butterfly mobile from tissue paper and pipe cleaners-- The Children's Year.
--Wrap streamers of ribbon around a piece of dowel, glue well, and let children run with them-- The Children's Year
--Dove Mobile Spiral -- The Children's Year.
--Blow bubbles with bubble wands with home made bubble mix and wands.
-- Blow up ballons and have ballon races or just batting them around.

--Colour in Ascension day picture and dove colouring picture.
--Or fill in dove shape with scrunched up tissue/crepe paper.
--Felted picture using fleece and either place on as in Magic wool or dry felt a picture.

♥All Seasons Wreath:
--Fluffy clouds and doves floating around using some of the activities crafts.

♥ Enjoying Nature:
--Have a kite flying contest with the kites made and an outdoor picnic/afternoon tea.
--Run around with steamers made from above.
--Lay down and just watch the cloud movement.

♥ Cooking:
--Make a dove cake: cut out dove shape using a picture of a dove from a slab cake or make slab cake and put dove shape on top with white cream on chocolate background.
--Dove cookies from cutouts again. Ice with white icing or trace like gingerbread cookies at Christmas.
--Cook meringue's as they are really light and could represent air or clouds.

♥ Main meal:
--Chicken probably Apricot with white rice and ice cream for sweets.


♥ Table decorations:
--Green tablecloth with glitter and stars on the cloth.
"The stars on the green cloth show the connection we now have between heaven and earth because of Jesus' ascension. The flowers show that Jesus' words and works are flowering even now on earth."-- The big book of Catholic Customs and traditions. ♥
--Place mats of cloud formations, printed out and laminated.
--Place cards of cotton wool with each persons name on it.
--Laminated book mark of the Ascension.
--Statue of Divine Mercy, Sacred Heart, and Good Shepherd, Circle this with flowers.

Blessings,