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The Liturgical Calendar (or the Church's Year)

"Purple and Green, Red and White....."

With the Liturgical Calendar the children see the importance of preparing for the 3 big feasts of the church:  Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.  They also see how important the "growing time" (i.e. Ordinary Time) is!

Today we unveiled one of the the most impressive works of the Level 1 Atrium:  the Liturgical Calendar, which teaches that Christ is the center of our year and that there are cycles and patterns to our worship.  This particular calendar (made from a sort of masonite material that was just leftover packing stuff from a furniture shipment) is MUCH bigger than I've ever seen.  These are usually the size of a large dinner plate and are usually made of wood.  This just goes to show:  you can make these works with whatever you have handy and modify to suit your group.  The gentleman who made this is a seasoned grandpa, so he made chunkier pieces that are safe both because they are too big to choke on and because there are no pointy pieces.

For single use with just a few children you could make this with construction paper or make necklaces with colored pony beads (thanks to Dominican Sister Mary Charles for the necklace idea!).

Your liturgical calendar needs to have 3 concentric circles.  The outer ring separates the year into the Cycle of Easter and the Cycle of Christmas (the largest rings seen above).  The medium-sized ring should be made of 52 equal-sized wedges (in our design the 3 feasts of the year--Easter, Christmas and Pentecost--become rays that take the place of 3 of those wedges).  The smallest ring defines the seasons:  Advent, the Christmas Season, Ordinary Time, Lent, and the Paschal Season.

Once the wood is cut and primed, you're ready to paint!  

 It's a confusing puzzle to create and to put together, so just keep singing the song to yourself as you go:

"Purple and green, red and white
Are the colors of the year..........
Purple for preparation,
White is for celebration,
Green is the growing time,
Red is for Pentecost."

Paint the Pentecost wedge with red.  Later you can add the dove as the symbol for the Holy Spirit.  Note:  some atria use flames as the symbol for the Holy Spirit.  You just need to be consistent across the works in your room.

I wanted the lettering to look nice, so I used a compass to create a guideline.

I found a pretty font, printed out the words I needed for labeling, wrote them onto my calendar pieces and then went over that with a Sharpie.  These steps took a LONG time of careful concentration!

I also made a control chart by tracing all of the calendar pieces onto an old piece of foam core,  labeling everything and coloring it in.  That way the children can move everything from the puzzle to the control chart and back again. 

So far, the only complaint I've had is that the symbol I painted for Pentecost looks like an airplane instead of a dove!

Lots of focus!

One important thing to point out:  while a clock goes around clockwise, we use this calendar counter-clockwise to remind us that "God's time is not our time."

Many thanks!

Thanks very much to this friend of the Legion of Mary for creating this work!

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The Playgroup: Saving Civilization, One Week at a Time

When your kids are little the years may fly by, but the days can drag on!  That's why being part of a weekly playgroup can be a lifesaver, both for you AND your child.  It's okay if the other kids aren't exactly the same age as yours, and it's okay if at first it doesn't seem like you'll have anything in common with the other moms.  

Other ok things: 

• if dads come, too; 
• if you are WAY older/younger than the other moms; 
• if you have WAY more kids than the other moms; 
• if you work out of the home;
• if you have a tiny apartment and can't host a playgroup yourself.

Let me explain.  Playgroups are about encouraging one another, not competing.  They are about getting out of the house (or seeing fresh faces if you're hosting it at your house).  They are about sharing your struggles and ups and downs, not trying to act like you've got your act together at all times.  They're about giving and getting advice; begging for prayers when you're scared or worried; borrowing bassinets, getting the low-down on babysitters.  This playgroup has been a ministry to moms with young children as part of my work in the Legion of Mary, an international organization to which I belong.

Our playgroup has been at my house just because my house and backyard are ideal for small children (I used to run a small Montessori school here).  I realize that some playgroups rotate to different houses, but the advantage to staying in one place is that the kids become accustomed to the environment and to one set of house rules.  I don't mind tidying up once per week and I try to keep things somewhat baby-proofed.  

Years ago, when we just had two small children and were living in an apartment I asked the apartment complex management if I could use their clubhouse once per week for a Mom's group or story time.  Not only did they say, "Yes!" but they also let me use the office photocopier to make a newsletter for our group.  Another time, when we lived in Ohio, the local library let me use a meeting room in order to host a Red Cross First Aid or CPR class for me and my mommy friends.  These are just two examples of ways you can organize a playgroup without the worry of cleaning your own home!

It's a blessing now that I can host our weekly playgroup, providing coffee and a comfortable setting.  At first I was providing snacks each week, but now moms usually offer to bring something.

The key to a good playgroup is, first, some ground rules.  Ours has 3 written rules:

1. RSVP the night before (e-mail works best)
2. Don't come if you or your child is sick
3. Only bring children who are up-to-date on their childhood immunizations

Your playgroup can have a different set of rules, but those are ours.  I think we'd agree we also have some unwritten rules, such as:

• we don't gossip;
• if we are sharing a struggle related to marriage or home life we try to stay positive and remember the sacred nature of a family;
• the kids and moms help to clean up before they leave; and
• we kind of keep the morning more "Mom-focused" than "child-focused."  What do I mean by that?  I mean that instead of bending over backwards to keep the kids entertained and happy, we try to make the most of the opportunity for adult conversation.  We keep things simple.  If we need to re-direct a child or intervene, we try to do it and get back to yacking.

The friendships I've made have been a real blessing over the past two years.  At first the mommies came from my neighborhood and church, but then others joined in.  Some members have moved or have had to step out for a time due to changing nap schedules or morning sickness, but we've also had a new mommy and little boy join us, too.  Two mommies have had new babies and more are expecting, so I guess our group may be growing!

What about you?  Have you had or wanted to have a playgroup?  If so, what have been your ground rules?  Challenges?  Joys?

Step 2 Wagon for 2

Step 2 Wagon Trailer

Toddler Slide

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Flower Arranging

Flower arranging is a traditional element of Montessori curriculum.  It dovetails well with some of our other activities around here, such as weekly Legion of Mary meetings (where fresh flowers are required) and weekly visits to residents at a nearby assisted living facility.

But how to transport the precious posies?  One workable solution is to save the 4-pack Starbucks Frappuccino packages.  (We buy these for long, cross-country drives and save the empties.)  The glass bottles look a little like the old-fashioned milk bottles (*love*) and the handle on the cardboard carrier is, well, handy.

Now for the gratuitous cute baby photo of Alleluia in a hat.

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