Trinity Link up Reopened

I have a great craft in mind for Trinity Sunday that I will post soon, but in the meantime I wanted to announce that I have reopened the link up I hosted last year for the feast of The Most Holy Trinity.  This link up contains some great ideas for teaching the Trinity to children, but there is always room for more ideas, including reflections and meditations, so please add your links at the bottom of this post.  The link up will remain open until June 8 so you have plenty of time to link up your posts written on Trinity Sunday or even after.  

You will notice a number of links below from Saint Patrick’s Day because he used a trefoil or shamrock to represent the mystery of our One God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  If your post about Saint Patrick also mentions the Trinity you are welcome to link below.

Last year we made a lapbook about the Trinity and some Trinity stick puppets; you can read that post here.

I am looking forward to reading your links!  Include the button or a text link so others can find the party.  Please share this link up with others who may be interested.

Linking with: Catholic Bloggers Link up Blitz, Faith Formation in Young Children, Weekly Kids Co-op, For the Kids Friday

Notice: This blog may contain advertising links to venders I have an affiliate relationship with.  This means that if you click on one of these links, a window to that vender’s website will open.  If you shop for products on the vender’s site and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission on what you buy, even if you purchase items during a later visit.  I appreciate your support of this blog.  You can read more about how I choose my affiliate relationships here.

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Saint Catherine of Sienna: Cards for the Sick

I do realize that this post is late for the actual feast day, but making cards for sick is an idea that works for any day of the year.

I volunteered to teach Saint Catherine of Sienna to the children in my Catholic Moms group without realizing how difficult it might be to explain her achievements to children, especially pre-schoolers.  That is, until I found this idea to make cards for the sick on her feast day to mimic her dedication to serving and helping others.  

I also found an explanation at Catholic Culture about Catherine of Sienna’s teachings regarding God’s presence in the world.  According to the author of this post, even a five year old could grasp an understanding of how God is everywhere, including inside us and how we are also in God.  Read about it here.

So, armed with a fish in the ocean metaphor for God’s presence, some blank card stock cut in half and folded like cards, and some goldfish crackers for a snack, I drove my kids to our designated park.  This particular day, most of the participating children were pre-schoolers, so while they enjoyed the crackers, they did not quite grasp the fish in the ocean, ocean in the fish idea.  Did I mention we do this at a park?  Who can concentrate when the playground, swings, and sunshine are calling?

Also, most of the kids weren’t sure what to put on a card for a sick person.  I suggested flowers and butterflies.  I provided crayons, markers, stickers, stamps, and glitter glue.  Even so, I ended up with cards that looked more like a coloring exercise than get well messages, but really whatever the children create always makes a good card.  Most people appreciate the time and effort of a handmade card.  I have sent them off to a relative, and will report back soon on her reaction.

Even though most of the children didn’t quite understand the lesson, I still think this activity is a good idea, so maybe I will try it again next year.  How do you teach children about Catherine of Sienna?

Check back soon for my posts about activities honoring Mary Our Queen and The Most Holy Trinity (I also plan to re-open last year’s Trinity link up).

Linking with: Catholic Bloggers Link up Blitz, Faith Formation in Young Children, After School Party, We Made That, Kids Get Crafty, Weekly Kids Co-op

Notice: This blog may contain advertising links to venders I have an affiliate relationship with.  This means that if you click on one of these links, a window to that vender’s website will open.  If you shop for products on the vender’s site and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission on what you buy, even if you purchase items during a later visit.  I appreciate your support of this blog.  You can read more about how I choose my affiliate relationships here.

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Make Heart Rosary Decades to Pray for Others

"I’m participating in the Keeping LOVE in LENT Blog Link-Up 2013, hosted by Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints, Truly Rich Mom and Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families. We'll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Lenten sacrifices, prayer and good deeds, and how to carry them out with LOVE instead of a GRUMBLE. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of link-up entries.”

This Lenten season, I have resolved to pray the rosary with my children, at least several times a week.  I am always thinking about new ways to keep my children interested in the rosary, so we are going to focus our prayers this season on loved ones.  Each time we pray, we will think about a family member or friend who needs our prayers, or for whom we wish to pray.

I am hoping this will enable us to sacrifice our time with more prayer, to consider how we can help those we love by praying for them, to help them by performing good deeds, or to dedicate acts of kindness to them.

My children don’t have much patience for the rosary yet, so we usually only pray one or two decades at a time.  Last month, we made a rosary decade out of simple materials: long pipe cleaners and pony beads.  

I placed the pony beads on a small plate to keep them from rolling off the table.  My four year old strung the beads (she put 12 instead of 10, but I’ll explain how that works later).

Then, I formed the pipe cleaner into a heart shape by bending the ends over each other at the top of the heart and made a loop out of curling ribbon.  My daughter added four beads to the curling ribbon before I tied the loop.  This gives us the starting place for the rosary, so we can use one bead for the opening prayers, three for the opening Hail Marys, and then move onto the beads in the heart shape.  This also gives us a convenient way to store the rosary between uses.

The extra 2 beads on our decade rosary represent the prayer to Our Lady of Fatima and the Salvation prayer (often part of the rosary when it is prayed in Spain), which we pray to close our rosary when we say only one or two decades.  You could also make a full rosary this way by stringing beads on five hearts and linking them together before you close the pipe cleaners.

While I was preparing for this post, I also thought about another way to mark our rosary prayers during Lent.  I drew a heart on a paper plate, and drew circles to represent the Hail Marys around the heart, as well as reminders for the other prayers to create a visual to mark the decade.  

In a previous post, I suggested marking your progress through the rosary on a tabletop with beans or pasta or other small items.  Creating a pattern on a plate to mark with objects as you go gives smaller children a visual to follow along, and can offer them variety during rosary time.  A quick an easy version could also be made using heart shaped paper plates (maybe you will find some on clearance after Valentine’s Day) and round or heart shaped stickers.

With our heart shaped decade rosary and our heart rosary plates, I hope we will remember to face Lenten prayer time with love this season.

We may also try the rosary prayer sheets designed by my friend Jennifer at Catholic Inspired; these sheets include images of the mysteries and also contain a pattern to mark progress through the rosary.  In another post, she shares great tips for praying the rosary as a family.

Welcome to those of you visiting from the Keeping Love in Lent Blog Link up and Follow Frenzy.  I look forward to your comments about whether you think this type of rosary aid might be useful for your family.  Also, do you find your children are able to think about others during prayer time, or do they tend to focus on themselves (what they want, how they need help, how they will do penance)?

Check out the Lent reflections participating in the Keep LOVE in LENT Blog Link-Up 2013! We'll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Lenten sacrifices, prayer and good deeds, and how to carry them out with LOVE instead of a GRUMBLE.

Discover new Catholic Blogs to follow!

Equipping CatholicFamilies: Keep LOVE in LENT

Call Her Happy:40 Simple Lenten Activities for Kids

Lenten Love: Little Acts of Love

Building Rocks (pending)

Grow the Roses: Keep Love in Lent

Family At The Foot Of The Cross: Loving Service 

Catholic Homeschooling Joy: A Lenten Activity

JOY:Keep the Love in Lent

Twenty Tuesday Afternoons: Tuesday # 11: Pancake Tuesday / Keeping Love in Lent

Campfires and Cleats: Why a Failing Lent Really Isn't

Harrington Harmonies: Make a Lenten Holy Hour

A Mommy of Three:Good Deeds for Lent

Loving the Semi Country Life: Lent:special time to reflect and keep the love in lent

Written By the Finger of God: A 7 Step Lenten Plan

Mommy Bares All: Giving Up and Making Space for Love this Lent

The Irish Lassie Shop: Seek God Everywhere

Hand-Maid with Love: Living Lent, Loving Lent

Words On Heaven: IN THE DESERT FOR 40 DAYS

On The Way Home: Keeping LOVE in Lent

Homeschooling with Joy: Keep Love in Lent

Mountain Grace: Keep Love in Lent

Eyes On Heaven: I am Choosing to Live

Joy Alive in Our Hearts:"God's Love at Work"

Life of Fortunate Chances: Love is Fun: Keeping Love in Lent

Fifth of Five: Keep the LOVE in Lent

I Blog Jesus: for Praying our Loud!

Overflow: Loving Lent with Little Ones   

This Cross I Embrace: Keep LOVE In Lent

Sole Searching Mamma: 15 Ways to Experience a More Meaningful Lent
Catholic All Year: My Biggest Lent Fails and How I Learned Mortification...
Four Little Ones: Keeping Love in Lent
Gaels Crafty Treasures Keeping Love in Lent
Bear Wrongs Patiently: Lent for the Scrupulous
Rosary Mom: Keeping Love in Lent
LoveLetters 7.10: Teacups {Keeping the Love in Lent}
Little Saints in the Making: Keep Love in Lent
Blessed with Full Hands: Keeping love in Lent- Praise Him
Normal Chaos: Our Own Personalized Lenten Journey
These Little Blessings: Gifting Love this Lent
The Cajun Catholic: The our Father; a lenten reflection
Truly Rich Mom: Keeping Love in Lent... Even When It Is Difficult
GATHERING GRACES:Keeping LOVE in LENT
SaIsa Pang Sulyap - Fullness Of His Love

Liturgical Time: Keeping Love in Lent - Finding Balance
Grace Loves Iggy: love in lent
Sacred Oysters: Empty (Keeping LOVE in LENT)
Tercets: Make Heart Rosary Decades to Pray for Others     
The Diary of a Sower: Our Lenten Prayer Tree

A Living Garden -- Giving for Others with Love: Keeping LOVE in LENT

Homegrown Catholics: Motivated by my childrens' activities {Lent}

MyBroken Fiat: Keeping Love in Lent... Barely

Journey to Wisdom: Keeping Love in Lent: Bands of Love

Softening My Heart: An Anniversary Lesson during Lent

Coffee Moments With Sam: Alot about Love...

Linked with: CatholicBloggers Link up Blitz, Faith Formation in Young Children, What are you doing this Lent?, Better Mom Monday, Welcome Home, Saints and Scriptures Sunday, Motivational Monday, Tactile Tuesday, Kids Get Crafty, We Made That, For the Kids Friday, Weekly Kids Co-op, New Evangelists Monthly

Notice: This blog may contain advertising links to venders I have an affiliate relationship with.  This means that if you click on one of these links, a window to that vender’s website will open.  If you shop for products on the vender’s site and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission on what you buy, even if you purchase items during a later visit.  You can read more about my advertising policy here.

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