Letter of the Week Craft; A is for Angel

Yay! Our first letter of the week religious craft is completed :)  The kids had a blast putting this together; they love any craft that deals with toilet paper rolls or pipe cleaner! Each week we will have a religious craft pertaining to the letter we are learning. Enjoy!

This craft is super easy, even for a 2 and 4 year old. Here is what you need:

*Toilet-paper roll
*5 pipe-cleaners (2 one color, 2 another color, and another yellow/white for halo)
*Yellow & white construction paper
*Christmas tinsel 
*Clear packaging tape
*Black marker

First, twist 1 piece of the same colored pipe cleaner to the other piece to form the angel's wings (butterfly shape). 

Next, once you have formed the wings, twist 2 pipe cleaners of a different color around them (this will give them a multi-colored look). Tape the wings on back of the toilet-paper roll.

Then, once the wings are intact, cute out a circle from your white construction paper and some hair from the yellow paper. Draw a cute face on the circle. Tape the hair to the face, and then tape them to the inside-front of the toilet paper roll.

Last, take your final pipe cleaner and twist it into a circle leaving a few inches sticking out on the bottom (so that you can tape it to the back-inside of the toilet paper roll). Then, twist the tinsel around the halo! Finished!

                                  

All Saint's Day; Making a St.Lucia Crown

Today, the family worked on our All Saint's Day costumes...even my husband helped....Bless him :) We focused on my daughter's Saint Lucia crown. It's so simple to make your own...here is what you need:

*A wire hanger
*Pliers
*4 ft of Christmas garland
*3-4 battery-operated candles

     Step 1: Bend the twisty hook part of the hanger with your pliers until it's completely unwound.

     Step 2: Measure the circumference of your child's head. Whatever the circumference, measure 

     your hanger to it +add an inch depth to fit the width of the garland around the hanger. 

     Step 3: Once you have the wire measured to fit, bend one end to the other and twist to secure it. Make sure there are no sharp edges poking out.

     Step 4: Wrap the garland around the wire weaving it in and out until completed. 

                  Super simple and ready for our battery-operated candles

                                                     St.Lucia deep in prayer :)

                                                         

                                               She really likes her costume

                                                      Fascinated by the candle :)

Letter Recognition Using an Alphabet Bag :)

Learning letters can be fun, especially with an alphabet bag :) Our letter of the week is A, so I filled our fun polka-dotted bag full of "A" things. This sounds simple, but it ended up being a little tricky. In the mounds of toys, I found a plastic apple, a toy ambulance, a glass angel, and an alligator slipper. 

When beginning the lesson, I explained to my kids what we were going to do with the alphabet bag. I then proceeded to tell them what the letter of the week was going to be and to think of some things that started with "A." If they guessed the word, I pulled the item out of the bag. If there was any items left, I had them take turns picking an item out :)

This activity is great because the kids love the suspense of "what's in the bag?" It also builds their vocabulary and helps them associate your "letter of the week" with real life items. 

After we pulled all the items out of the bag, I write the mommy (capital) "A" and baby "a" (lowercase) on my whiteboard and then write out all the words that were in our bag (alligator, ambulance, angel, and apple). 

The rest of the week, we will continue with the bag and maybe add a few items. We will also practice writing mommy "A's" and baby "a's." We also have a religious craft that goes with this....which I'll post later on (it's an angel) :) 

A Visit to the Ney Nature Center :)

On Saturday, the family headed to Ney Nature Center for their fall festival. Though a bit chilly, we survived without frostbite or complaints from the little ones :) I would have to say our favorite part of the day was the prairie grass maze and hayride which toured the Ney farm and one of the many nature trails that encompass this beautiful park. 

                        Me and the kiddos hiding in the prairie grass maze :)

           A nice view of the maze:) Don't you love how my husband got the baby in the pic:) So cute:)

               Our hayride tour guide :) What a knowledgeable and nice guy 

All Saints Day Matching Game

With All Saints Day around the corner, I thought it would be fun to make a Saint's matching game for either your child or your All Saint's Day celebration :) Enjoy :)

Our Newest Purchase...Antique Desks for Homeschooling

Yay! I've always wanted antique school desks....thank you Saint Anthony for helping us find some :) And at an amazing price.....three for $27.00. Can't wait to rearrange our front porch into a schoolroom :)

Religious Icon For Little Girls :)

In a world full of Dora's and Strawberry Shortcakes, it's difficult to come upon a religious icon that appeals to young girls.

Because of this, I consider myself blessed to have come across the book series Alice in Bibleland by Alice Joyce Davidson.

Alice, a little blond girl around the age of 4-5 years old, is modestly dressed, and travels to Bibleland via her Bible that has transformed in to a "great big giant screen." Here, she witnesses firsthand some of the greatest stories in the Bible; Noah, Jonah, the Nativity, Moses, David & Goliath, Easter story, and many more. Like Dora, these stories have great adventure appeal, but with a religious and valuable twist.

Not only does my daughter have a religious icon to look up to, but is now learning and memorizing stories from the bible! Thanks to the writer, memorizing these stories is a lot easier because she implements rhyming into each one of her books to help convey God's word to little ones :)

Now..I'm just waiting for someone to make these books into a movie :) Wouldn't that be nice!

Praying the Rosary with Kids :)

Teaching your young children how to pray the rosary can be a little tricky at times....especially if the beads are too small and they can't keep their busy fingers on the right one. 

For praying the rosary I suggest making a color-coded rosary. Each colored bead signifies a prayer to help young children maneuver more easily. To accompany the color-coded beads, make color-coded prayer cards. If the "Glory Be" bead is green, make the card green. 

If you're too busy to make one, you can purchase this "How to Pray the Rosary Craft Kit" Just click on the pic below :)

20 Fall Activities To Do With Your Family :)

Can't decide what to do on this beautiful fall day? Too many options...or too many opinions from your little ones? Make it easy...and draw an activity out of a hat. 

I've created a sheet of 20 different activities to partake in this season. All you have to do is print off the sheet, cut out the activity strips, fold them, and stick them in a hat, baggy, or basket. Have children take turns drawing an activity once a day! :) 

I like the surprise! Have fun!

Fall Pumpkin Fun :)

The crisp fall breeze is a sign of pumpkin picking time :) On Sunday, we packed up the car after church and headed to Barten's family-owned pumpkin patch in New Prague, MN. Barten's offers a wide assortment of pumpkins, gourds, fall decorations, straw bales, corn shocks, broom corn, and more.

                                       Look at all these cute wagons that the kids can  haul 
                               their pumpkins in :) Love it!

                               Hanging out in the mound of pumpkins :) One of my            
                                    favorite pics we took there!

Look at all the different variety of pumpkins :) God's endless creations :)

                                                And all the neat looking gourds :) 

Thousands of Pumpkins! Pumpkins Galore :)

Look at that cute teepee for the kids to hangout in :)

Fun beanbag pumpkin toss game :)

             Stuck in the stick house :) One of the many places to take a pic :)

                            Look at those Monster Pumpkins!!!....and neat snake gourds :)

                                                                 Beautiful fall decorations :)

                                               Festive photo shoot on the old-time wagon :)

                                 Tea party on the wooden mushroom table....so cute :)

                   Pushing around his cute miniature wagon.....his favorite part of the day! :)

5 Ways to Commemorate the Feast of St. Therese of the Little Flower

1. St. Therese Little Flower doll and book set available through the website Catholic Child. Book is 32 pages long and is appropriate for ages 3-8.

2. St. Therese Coloring Page/Paper Doll available through the website Paper Dali. This is so neat because you can also download the paper doll's accessories through the website. Accessories include a crucifix and a bouquet of roses.

http://paperdali.blogspot.com/search/label/Saint%20Therese%20of%20Lisieux

3. My Catholic Family: St. Therese of Lisieux DVD available through the website Catholic Child. 30 minutes. Ages 3-9

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4. Pin the Habit on St. Therese Game available through the website Under Her Starry Mantle. 

                         http://starrymantle.blogspot.com/2009/10/pin-game-for-all-saints-party.html

5. St. Therese DVD available from www.amazon.com. Click on picture below. This is a well made movie, but more for adults. 

                           

                                           

Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels

To commemorate the feast day of the Holy Guardian angels, I recommend checking out one of my favorite websites for catholic coloring pages, printables, and paper dolls. Paper Dali has a beautiful St. Michael coloring page to help your children remember this special day. :)

http://paperdali.blogspot.com/2010/08/saint-michael-archangel-el-arcangel-san.html

Saint Michael Prayer

Saint Michael the Archangel

   defend us in battle.

  Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the     

                                                 devil

   May God rebuke him, we humbly pray

 and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host
 by the divine power of God

                cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, 

      who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls
   Amen