Lent in Our Home
Before Rosebud was born I worked in a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 3-6 Atrium for 3 years. To mark the beginning of Lent the children would color a card with the word "Alleluia" inscribed on it and then the cards were be placed in a large flowerpot and covered with soil. The children were allowed to sing their "Alleluia" songs one last time and then for the rest of Lent they replaced "Alleluia" -- such a "special, happy word" -- in any song with "Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm" (They loved it!) At the Liturgy of the Light celebration at Easter the Alleluia was dug up and they could finally sing it once again.
I wanted to do something like this with my girls this year but wasn't sure how until I saw this great, simple idea from Lacy at Catholic Icing. So, I copied it. :)
On Ash Wednesday, the girls enthusiastically sang Alleluia one last time, and then we "buried" it wrapped in gold and white tissue paper in a box. Then we wrapped the box in a white cloth(the liturgical color of Easter) and placed it in a drawer to be opened and brought out when Jesus rises from the dead.
Now at prayer time, they always want to sing (quite gleefully) the "Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm" song. :)
We also made this salt dough crown of thorns. ( H.T. Lacy again)
(I will say that perhaps I shouldn't have had them help to put the thorns into the crown, since I overheard Turtle telling Rosebud to "put those thorns in cuz they give Jesus boo-boos." Hopefully the right message is being properly conveyed -- at least to Turtle. I was glad to see that in the first hour Turtle had already said a spontaneous prayer and shared some of her pizza with Rosebud. Rosebud, on the other hand, thinks its a "Happy Birthday to Jesus" cake :)
I wanted to do something like this with my girls this year but wasn't sure how until I saw this great, simple idea from Lacy at Catholic Icing. So, I copied it. :)
On Ash Wednesday, the girls enthusiastically sang Alleluia one last time, and then we "buried" it wrapped in gold and white tissue paper in a box. Then we wrapped the box in a white cloth(the liturgical color of Easter) and placed it in a drawer to be opened and brought out when Jesus rises from the dead.Now at prayer time, they always want to sing (quite gleefully) the "Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm" song. :)We also made this salt dough crown of thorns. ( H.T. Lacy again)
I explained to them that the thorns are hurting Jesus and every time they say a prayer, or share something with their sister, or use kind words when they are upset, or help Mommy nicely, etc. they can take a "thorn" out of the crown and help to make Jesus feel better. (Mommy will take thorns out when she makes a sacrifice too, to help the thorns disappear :) I hope to find a way to decorate the crown with flowers on Easter Sunday.
(I will say that perhaps I shouldn't have had them help to put the thorns into the crown, since I overheard Turtle telling Rosebud to "put those thorns in cuz they give Jesus boo-boos." Hopefully the right message is being properly conveyed -- at least to Turtle. I was glad to see that in the first hour Turtle had already said a spontaneous prayer and shared some of her pizza with Rosebud. Rosebud, on the other hand, thinks its a "Happy Birthday to Jesus" cake :)
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