It’s Time to Pray for Christians This week has been an emotional whirlwind. From the inauguration and the first of this administration’s official actions to the Women’s March and other forms of social demonstration, this week has been overwhelming. Regardless of your political leanings, regardless of your religious inclination, regardless of your situation in life, there is one thing we, as […]
Felt Nativity Advent Calendar When my daughter was 3 and starting to become very aware of the holidays, I wanted to try to keep Christmas as non-commercialized as possible. For us, that means focusing the holiday around the Nativity and the biblical story. I also wanted to find something that she could interact with to engage both her creativity […]
Church Quiet Books When board books and the contents of mom’s purse weren’t quite cutting it during Mass to keep our then 18 month old engaged, I decided to create a quiet book to help her (and my husband and I) remain calm during our weekly church services. After using it successfully for 3 years and another child, […]
Stations of the Cross Mat Stations of the Cross can provide powerful imagery throughout the year and especially during Holy Week (the week before Easter). Many churches offer a “walk through the stations” during Lent, but this liturgical occasion may be difficult for younger children to grasp, and many Stations of the Cross may be too graphic or abstract for […]
Lenten Pretzels Soft pretzels are a staple at baseball games and pubs, but did you know they began as a Lenten food in the early centuries of Christianity? While still a time of fasting and self-denial, Lent in our modern times is significantly more lenient than it was originally. Early Christians deprived themselves of eggs, fat, milk, […]
Lent Nature Walk After hearing about The Easter Walk and considering activities for Lent this year, I decided that we would turn one of our many outdoor adventures into a Lent-themed scavenger hunt! Please feel free to use the printables here or develop your own; either way, I hope it will be a rewarding experience for you and […]
Bury the Alleluia–A Lenten Tradition Since the mid-5th century, churches have abstained from singing or reciting “Alleluia” (“praise the Lord”) during Lent as a form of verbal fast to increase anticipation for Easter Sunday. In order to make this liturgical tradition more relatable to our kids, we choose to physically bury the “Alleluia” in our home. Here’s how we do […]
Ash Wednesday Craft for Kids What I used: Template for face Crayons/colored pencils/etc Palm leaves (and 1 tsp olive oil) OR charcoal (1) Print this template for drawing a face. It also lists the phrases that your priest or pastor may say when administering the ashes. Have your child color the face as they would like. (2) If using charcoal […]
Butterfly Metamorphosis Craft Tutorial When looking for a butterfly craft to do with my preschooler and our early elementary friend, I knew that I wanted something that highlighted the metamorphosis and made it more of an activity in fine motor skill as well as creativity. Here’s what I came up with: What I used: Caterpillar Clothespin Black pipe cleaner […]
Re-framing St. Valentine’s Day While Valentine’s Day may seem like just another “Hallmark Holiday” (has anyone outside of the Midwest ever heard of “Sweetest Day?!”), the day does have religious and historical significance. Here are some interesting tidbits: There is no one St. Valentine. In fact, there were both a priest and a bishop named Valentine, and both men […]
Preparing for Easter with a Lenten Tree When trying to make religious occasions accessible to kids, it seems as though the “holy grail” of them all is Lent and even, to a certain extent, Easter. We got through Easter last year with my then 2 year old by telling her that we were celebrating Jesus “going to heaven.” She accepted this explanation […]
Lent Activities Round-Up for Toddlers-Preschoolers For most children, the concept of “one week” is a difficult length to comprehend. Trying to explain to a small child that Lent lasts for 40 days is nearly impossible. Instead of asking them to commit to an activity for 40 days or ignoring the season all together, try picking one small activity, act of […]
Mommy Wars: The Biblical Alternative Have I mentioned that I LOVE the Advent season, especially as a mom?! Okay, I have, but here’s yet another reason: The Visitation. In a world where the phrase “Mommy Wars” is in common parlance, I’m on the lookout for positive role models for female relationships. At this stage of my life (early motherhood), there […]
Advent Musings from a Mother-in-Waiting Most people would agree that the season of Advent is filled with tremendous anticipation and excitement whether it’s the celebration of Christ’s birth, the presents under the tree, or an overdue paid vacation. I loved my first Advent season while pregnant for this exact reason. The whole world seemed to mirror my own excitement and […]
