Traveling Thursday~ Antietam Battlefield

Back in November, our Catholic homeschool group had a chance to visit a local civil war battlefield. We were lucky enough to have Father visit Antietam Battlefield with us! It was wonderful that Father could tag along with us on his day off. He is a huge civil war buff and provided the children with a wealth of knowledge. 

We had a terrific guide who was great with the kids. He shared a ton of information but made it interesting for the kids. No boring tour guide here! The kids, Father, and all of us moms learned a lot.

Maryland Monument

The battle at Antietam is the bloodiest one day battle in American history. So many lives were lost. 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or went missing after a long and bloody twelve hour battle. It is truly sacred ground.

Dunker Church

Burnside Bridge

Bloody Lane

We were blessed to visit the battle field on All Soul's Day. We were given special permission to hold Mass in the historic Dunker Church. Father held Mass and the children (and the moms) were able to experience a wonderful opportunity. I had never experienced Mass outside of a Catholic church. It was a the first time the kids and I had ever seen the black vestments used. Many of of us had never seen the black vestments used. They were beautiful.

After Mass and our tour, we headed over to the National Cemetery with Father to pray for the souls buried there. We felt honored and humbled for this time to reflect on the people who fought there, died there, and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

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Wordless Wednesday~ A Christmas Kitty

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Classically Catholic Memory Delta Year~ Week 2 The Sacrament of Confirmation

We continued on with our lessons on the sacraments with the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Dove of the Holy Spirit

Bernini

Vatican

Neither of my kids have made this sacrament yet, but will be in the next few years. We spent a little more time on this sacrament since they hadn't received it yet.

We read all about the sacrament in the Baltimore Catechism and then we went over the lesson about the  Sacrament of Confirmation I found online.

After our discussion, I had them watch this wonderful talk that Father Barron gives on the Sacrament of Confirmation.




Michael and Therese then worked on a few worksheets that went along with the lesson.
Confirmation Worksheet
A lesson on the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit for older kids with a wonderful video.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit Worksheet

For a fun way for them to learn about the Seven Gifts of the Holy, they worked on a Gifts of the Holy Spirit Craft from Catholic Inspired.

Finally to close out the lesson on the Sacrament of Confirmation, I did a an interactive lesson. I originally found the main idea online a few years ago and sadly, I do not remember where I found it. I did change it a little to fit my younger religious education classes.
I created a simple print out if you want to do it at home your kids! You can find it here.

                                         

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Classically Catholic Memory Delta Year ~ Week 2 The Seven Sacraments~ Baptism

Week 2 from CCM is all about the Seven Sacraments. So for 2 weeks, the kids and I talked about the Seven Sacraments. We did a brief over view of all 7 sacraments.

Worksheet from Catholic Mom

Coloring Page 

For note taking practice, I had the kids write down the seven sacraments into their religion notebooks. The first sacrament we talked about was Baptism, since this is the first sacraments we receive as Catholics.

I found a wonderful lesson on Baptism from Our Lady of the Rosary Library. Father William J. Cogan offers this lessons on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Baptism Craft from Jennifer over at Catholic Inspired!

Worksheet on Baptism from Catholic Mom.

Baptism Craft worksheet from Sadlier Religion.

Here a few more resources I found while searching the internet.

Lesson on the Baptism of Jesus
Lesson 1
Lesson 2

Coloring Page 

We discussed the symbols of Baptism.
Worksheet

Baptism Lesson for Younger Children
Fun Activity Worksheet

Baptism Coloring Page

Baptism Lesson for Older Children

                                          

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Our Weekly Wrap Up~ Week 4

The weeks just keep flying by! So much has been going on the past few weeks. Christmas break has come and gone. It doesn't seem possible that our 2 week break is over. We are finishing up our first week back to school. We are a little behind this year, heck who am I kidding, we always fall behind. Thank goodness we tend to homeschool year round. My theory is as long as we complete the work, it doesn't matter when they finish.Last summer the kids had off and bored at least this summer they'll have plenty to do.

What we've been up to...
We have had a lot going gone. Our days have been filled with co-op classes, field trips, vacation to Colonial Williamsburg, parties, home ec. club, errands, rehearsals for Therese, opening night for Therese's play, Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, and of course trying to get some school done in there. Our two weeks off went by too fast if you ask me. Busy, busy, busy!
We went from 67 degree weather for Christmas to 30 degree weather. Talk about one extreme to another. What happened to a gradually approach from winter. No snow yet, but the kids sure do want some.

We did process 6 of our roosters for meat. This was our first time doing it and I have to say it definitely makes you appreciate your food a little more. The kids did an amazing job. Now we have 6 organic free range chicken roasters in the freezer. I think it's important for kids to see where there food comes from. We still have 20 chicken...1 head rooster, 3 young ones, and 16 hens. We are loving the fresh eggs!!

In our homeschool....
Things have been a little crazy. We are slowly getting back into the swing of school. I spent Monday preparing/organizing  lessons for the next few weeks. It feels good to back into the groove. We still need to straighten up the school room, but hopefully that will happen this week. The kids have been loving their science co-op class. They have been learning about water animals. They've been doing Apologia's Exploring Creation with Zoology: Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day. The mom leading the class has been having the kids work on a ocean box and a lot of fun educational projects have been done. She has found some amazing experiments for them to try. Right before Christmas break, she had a fun class where they watched Finding Nemo and the kids had to name all the different sea life they saw. They love going and are really learning a lot of great information.!

What I have been working on......
Well after completing seven fish costumes, a bird costume, a costume for All Saint's Day, and Halloween I've taken a little break. The fish and bird costumes for the play turned out great. For Therese Halloween costume and All Saint's Day costume, I created a colonial gown. She decided to go as Saint Maria of the Incarnation.
I had planned on finishing up my tree skirt and the stockings I had been working on last year, but never got around to it. Oh well, there's always next year.
My goals for the spring are to sew some more stuff and really get my etsy hop off and running. I plan on making a few First Holy Communion gowns, so if you have a sweet little girl making hers this year stay tuned!

What I've been reading.....
A fellow homeschool mom has started a book club, so I am reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin.

What they kids have been reading.....
Michael is reading another Red Wall series book.
Therese has started reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins .

                                            

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Traveling Thursday~ Colonial Williamsburg

Our American history journey continues on with our day at Colonial Williamsburg. We've already visited Jamestowne and Yorktown, so there's no better place to finish our trip than at Williamsburg!

The kids had never been to Williamsburg and it had been way too many years since I had been there. So many things have changed! It was a beautiful day and a wonderful way to help the kids learn about Colonial America and the American Revolutionary War. A subject we learned about last year with our CCM history.

We started our day at the Governor's Palace.

The interior was beautiful. The attention to details in homes and on furniture always astounds me. People took so much pride in their homes. 

After touring the inside, we headed outside to the kitchen where a charming lady was preparing some food in the palace's kitchen. The deserts look yummy but I think I'd pass on the other stuff.

From the kitchen, we wandered into the gardens. I can only imagine what it was like to sit among the shade trees and see the beautiful flowers blooming. They even had a small maze we explored.

After visiting the palace, we started to stroll down the cobblestone lanes. I love how the streets take you back to a time long ago. It would amazing to step back and time and visit the people from that time. We could learn so much from them. I'd love the dresses. I have always loved the historical gowns from years ago. Studying historical costumes was a highlight for me when I studied abroad in in London during college.

We explored various homes and gardens. We stopped by and visited different shops like the shoemaker, the silversmith, the apothecary, the milliner, the basket maker, and the gun smith. Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable. I love how they helped teach the kids a few new things.

We watched the horse drawn carriages pass through the town. Therese even got up close and personal with 2 beautiful horses. They loved the attention she gave them.

Of course, we stopped and ate at a tavern. The food was wonderful and the atmosphere was perfect for our day back in colonial America. We ate at the Shield's Tavern. We were led down into the basement and ate by candle light. Therese and I ate a delicious salad created from items grown right there in the town. 

The kids both got a few souvenirs. Therese picked out a hat that a very helpful shopkeeper helped put on. She looked beautiful. She wore the hat later on in the month with her Halloween costume.

Michael picked out a game called Shut the Box. I picked out some wonderful smelling lavender soap. I LOVE lavender. 

We had a fantastic time discovering America's history! It was a great way for the kids to bring all the lessons they had last year to life. Hands on learning again! I love getting the kids involved in their learning. It truly does help them learn and it provides wonderful memories for them and us.

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Wordless Wednesday~ The Epiphany

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