HOMESCHOOL PRESCHOOL: LETTERS B AND C

This is an ongoing series on our homeschool preschool adventures. You can read more about what curriculum we're doing and why here:

What Little Kids Think About Homeschooling

Doing this "letter of the week" type curriculum has led me to REALLY notice how uncommon certain letters are in the English language. I is sneaky. It's a vowel, so it appears often, but is still uncommon as a beginning letter. Therefore our week really centered around ice and insects.

This was one of those weeks where I went off book a lot.

Take, for example, our illustrated letter I. I've decided to save each of the letter sheets and make an alphabet wall in the kid's room (will update with a picture later!) That really only works with making the letter out of, relatively, long lasting objects. Most of the recommendations for I were making the letter out of ice or icing - not really going to work on my wall.

Instead, I had John cut out "ice cubes" out of blue construction paper and glue those onto our traced letters.
I have zero pictures of this because I took the opportunity for longer preschooler activity to make dinner. Sorry, dinner wins.

I have been following the youtube channel What's Up Moms for a while now. One mom made a video back in the summer about ice activities with kids. I decided to try out ice painting!

Each cube is between 1/3 and 1/2 paint and the rest water.

I used some paints I found on the side of the road. Yea college town!

Remembering to put toothpicks in the cubes halfway frozen would make this a lot easier. I just had John wear some latex gloves and he got a solid lesson in what it is to hold something frozen!

I made a black ice paint. That was stupid. John liked to cover all of the colors with black, but I got this picture before he finished his plan of color annihilation. 

Once we finished with the week, it occurred that many of those Frozen (movie) themed activities and food that have flooded Pinterest would be super applicable for this week. Oh well.

We did lots of insect hunts! We found an Insect eyewitness book at the library as a kind of kid field guide, and John carried it with him all over the neighborhood.

Finding the multiple colonies of flying ants was not my favorite part of the week, but John LOVED it.

That is not spilled rice. Nope, nope, nope.

We did learn about the difference between arachnids and insects. John was very interested in the builder insects: bees, ants, etc. 

There is a farmers market on the next block from us once a week, and there is a honey booth. Being Berkeley, the beekeeper brings empty hives, different honeycombs, beeswax blocks, and beekeeper equipment with him to show to curious little kids. John was fascinated by the honeycomb that was somehow made into these perfect little shapes by the mouths of bees. 

There were not too many I books on the list, but John did like Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni.

A bug that is also a measuring tool? John was sold.

Catch the previous installments of this series:

7 THINGS THAT HAPPENED THE FIRST WEEK OF PRESCHOOL HOMESCHOOL

HOMESCHOOL PRESCHOOL: LETTERS B AND C

PRESCHOOL HOMESCHOOL: LETTERS D AND E

YOSEMITE!

PRESCHOOL HOMESCHOOL: LETTERS G AND H

True Compassion: Valuing Others More than They Value Themselves

Yesterday, California Governor Brown signed into law the so called "Right-to-Die" Bill (ABX215). Physician assisted suicide will now be legal in California, as it already is in four other states.

What really got to me was Governor Brown's reasoning for signing the bill:

"In the end, I was left to reflect what I would want in the face of my own death. I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to consider the options afforded by this bill."

What I find interesting is that more often this "option" is not so much a comfort for the patient, but an out for the family/friends.

If an ill person is so sick that they do not value their own life more than the feelings of others - it is our job to value it for them. That is what it means to show love and compassion to a person in pain.

It is our failure, as a society, to learn how to deal with the pain and suffering of others that has led us to this warped world where patients give up their lives to make things "easier" for their families.

Terminally ill patients did not walk into that doctor's office thinking they would only fight until they were not supported  anymore. That idea seeps in through the little failures of their supporters: failure to smile, to show hope, to just be there, to laugh, to find joy.

To a lesser degree of consequence, I see the building blocks of this failure in many other situations. The new mom isolated at home and completely over her head with this perfectly needy newborn.
The homeless man who misses the days when people would look him in the eye on the street.
The elderly woman who loves people but feels no one is interested in the musings of an old woman.

What they all need is to be valued for their personhood first and foremost.
Not for what they can give society.
Not for how little demand they place on others.

People are worth fighting for because life is worth living. Period. No qualifiers. No maybes. No exceptions.

BAPTISM GIFTS - FOR GODPARENTS

This is the final installment in my unintentional series on Baptism gifts! Catch the previous installments here:

BAPTISM GIFTS - FOR GODPARENTS

BAPTISM GIFTS - FOR BABIES!

I have never had the honor of sponsoring an adult through RCIA, but these are the gifts I have thought of for such an event!

If an adult is getting baptised, they are almost certainly getting the other two sacraments of initiation as well. Therefore, many of these are also gifts I would consider giving for a First Communion or Confirmation as well.

Holy water font

I love all of the little home reminders of our faith! This is identical to the font I have at our front door, but I also like the idea of having them in bedrooms so everyone can bless themselves before going to sleep and waking up.

If you really want to bring this gift home, remember to bring a little holy water bottle to fill from the same font as their baptism. How cool would it be to have some of the actual holy water used in your baptism?!

Rosary with their patron saint

St. Therese rosary from etsy shop MorningStarGoods

There is a very wide selection of handmade rosaries available on etsy. I really like the idea of getting one that is modeled with their patron saint in mind. Some, like this St. Therese rosary, even contain special relics. This one holds a little dirt from around St. Therese's coffin taken in 1910 (a third class relic.)

Remember to get the rosary blessed before giving it. I like the idea of having the priest who baptised them - or another special priest from the conversion process- do the blessing.

Letter Book

This one takes some advance planning, but I really like having people who were important to the baptismal candidate write letters about their memories of his/her journey in the conversion process, and their hopes for their future as a full member of the Church.

Suggestions for letter writers: RCIA leaders, sponsor, parents, godparents, RCIA classmates, siblings, and anyone else who was close to the person during their conversion.

This could easily become a scrapbook of their RCIA experience.

It could be as complicated as your little crafty heart desires!

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I hope someone finds these ideas helpful! Let me know if I missed your favorite!

Baptism Gifts - for Godparents

Yesterday we did baptism gifts for babies, now what about baptism gifts for adults?

For Godparents

We've given gifts to two sets of godparents so far with our two children. These have ranged from the silly to the very sentimental. I'm including all of those here to capture the flavor of your chosen godparents!

Silly

I think these t-shirts are funny and good for those early years godparents.

From etsy shop TshirtsUniversity

From etsy shops bobstshirtcompany

We got the godfather t-shirt for John's godfather. It was funny and appropriate to the person who would appreciate the joke.

Personalized

 I really like giving personalized mementos that can also be useful. The etched mason jar is probably one of my favorite ones.

Sentimental

From etsy shop MarieLoveJewelery

If you can't tell, I'm a big fan of etsy. I really like these keychains which are religion infused, but practical enough for everyday use.

I'm not including it here, because it was an unusual situation to have a grandmother as a godmother, but we gave my mom a grandmother Christmas tree ornament as her godmother gift.

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The correct answer to yesterday's "what did I get the baby for his baptism" questions was....

The mass book!

While it was not this exact mass book, mine did not have the baby teether additions, I really like the idea of adding them. Someone else needs to have a baby get baptised so I can get this one!

Baptism Gifts - For babies!

I have a baptism to attend in an hour, so it makes perfect sense to write up some of my favorite baptism gift ideas. Right?

Here are some gift ideas for the new little Catholic!

Patron Saint Statue

3.5 inches tall in reality.

I like getting these little pewter statues because they are a real religious object that little little kids can play with and be (reasonably) safe. aka. nearly impossible to break.

I try my best to get their patron saint, but sometimes it's a saint that has special meaning for their parents about this baby.

Fabric mass book

These are from the etsy shop BabiesBowTiesRibbons

Some brilliant person made a fabric printing that are most of the responses we have at mass! Etsy people have sewn them for you, and occasionally added fabric tags and teethers so baby is super entertained at mass.

If you want to sew one yourself, I found the fabric!

CCC Saint Movie

I LOVE these movies! If the child has a patron saint included among the CCC movies, I would get that in a heartbeat! 

The Day the Sun Danced (Fatima) and St. Patrick were my favorites growing up.

Children's Bible

I like children's bibles! Here are the ones I use with my kids. Pictures are clickable links!

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Now, who can guess what I got for this little one's baptism today? 

Here are your hints!

1. It's on this list.

2. His patron saint is St. Gabriel the Archangel 

3. He's 4 months old

What do you think?

Friday Update!

Linking up with This Ain't the Lyceum for another Friday of 7 Quick Takes!

It has been a busy week around here in little ways. Here are some of my favorite things this week beginning with the Feast of the Little Flower!

1. Therese had a name day!

Therese with St. Therese!

 This was Therese's first name day we could pesudo-celebrate. She's still too little to pick what's for dinner, but she did get to eat her favorite food (spaghetti) and squash it all over her face.

The utter joy of food squashed above your eyebrows...good times.

2. John is blossoming as a "shadow dancer"

Check out these sweet 3 year old moves.

He might have some Peter Pan auditions in his future.

3. The Ants are Swarming!

We took a walk around the neighborhood as an "insect hunt" for letter I week. It was the day after a very much awaited (but very light) rain. The. Ants. Are. Swarming!

This was the best picture I got because they had started crawling over my feet. Yeah. That was fun.

We found three separate colonies doing this on two blocks.

I thought we were just going to find rolly pollys, dragonflies, maybe a beetle or two. Oui.

4. Rain/threat of rain means introducing the kids to children's museums!

We have a pretty awesome children's museum, Habitot, within walking distance of our house (or short bus ride.) Yet I have not taken the kids there the whole time we've lived in Berkeley.

The angry grey sky (and closed library) meant they finally got to enjoy its offerings.

They have a painting wall and the kids can make it as messy as they want. 

He was pouring water upstream so Therese's boat would float. Sweet sibling love!

5. Elderly priests are awesome

I like to do the southern thing of going up to groups of friendly-enough people, and saying "Can I sit with y'all?" in the cheeriest voice I can muster. I meet great people this way.

My personal favorite this week was an elderly Salesian priest. Mostly because he said this:

"Well, I'm originally from Italy, but when Hitler invaded Poland I ran the other way. And I found the Salesians! So I suppose that worked out."

6. Papal Magic Tricks

This is not real. I repeat, not real.

But is it hilarious? Yes, yes it is.

7. Game night!

Tonight is our parish young adult game night with the Jesuit formation house guys. I'm pretty excited about it, and it rounds out my success in hanging out at church more nights than not this week. Winning!

What I Learned from a Bunch of Religious Men

Linking up with Blessed Is She this morning on #BISsisterhood to talk about wholeness.

I live at the base on an area called "holy hill" in Berkeley, CA. There are a LOT of religious orders, schools, and formation houses around here.

I had the honor of attending the installation of the new Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) President last night. The installation mass was held at our parish, and celebrated by our bishop.

I figured a number of religious would attend, but there is knowing and there is seeing.

On my way to the church, a car pulled up and parked on the other side of the street. About six, young, habited Dominicans got out. Some pedestrians actually stopped and stared. The men were not bothered by this in the slightest (at least so it seemed.) They had already spotted more of their brothers, and were joined by men of a number of other religious orders.

Even though they are all part of different orders, with very different daily work and charisms, all of these guys are a whole entity when it comes to God. They were largely young and vibrant - people who had answered this call not all that long ago.

I wonder how many of them would have been friends had it not been for the church? How many of my friends would I never have met if not for the church?

It got me thinking about how different my life is because I've chosen to be a practicing Catholic. I met my husband via a Catholic website. I met my current friend group through the parish young adults group. My "outside the home" activities all center around the parish or Catholicism in some way.

I might not have chosen this life without the push and support of the church. It's actually a lot of work, and would be nearly impossible if not for the spiritual, emotional, and physical support I have recieved from my parish community.

I might have landed here eventually, but I might not. I might have gone down a lot of wrong roads and dead ends if not for the gentle guidance of the church. I can't say I would have been a very good person without this help. At the very least I would have a lot of unnecessary baggage.

The thing with all of those roads that the church tries to warn us from pursuing, you don't walk through it unscathed. You come out bruised and hurting - even those times when you don't want to admit that truth to yourself.

I'm eternally grateful for the church's efforts to keep me whole. She's always trying the prevent the harm I might even believe is a good at that moment. And when I don't listen - something I'm still working on - she offers a way home. All I have to do is say yes.