Week 1:
Missionary Childhood
Missionary Childhood Lesson
- Read the Missionary Childhood lesson as a family, or watch this video for small children that will tell you the story of one of the great miracles that converted thousands of people to Christianity at once!
Advent: This covers Missionary Advent Prayers and how advent is celebrated in countries around the world
https://news.enidanmarketing.com/hubfs/MCA/MCA_Twinsburg_Advent.pdfCountry Spotlight: Mexico
https://news.enidanmarketing.com/hubfs/MCA/MCA_Twinsburg_Mexico.pdf– Saint Spotlight – Saint Juan Diego
https://news.enidanmarketing.com/hubfs/MCA/MCA_Twinsburg_Juan_Diego.pdf
Main Ideas
- Missionary Childhood will meet St. Juan Diego from Mexico, who got to see our Blessed Mother, Mary!
- Learn the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Juan’s role in it!
- Act out the story as a family.
- St. Juan Diego’s fest day is December 9th.
- The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is December 12th.
- December 3rd is also the feast day of St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of missions! (Last month we learned about St. Francis Xavier and Russia.)
- December 6th is St. Nicholas’ feast day.
Color
- Follow this link for some great coloring pages for your child. To do these online is especially challenging and requires some practice and a good deal of patience! This one has a lot of detail. You can print these out, or your child can color them online (no special computer or programming necessary!) Here you will find an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mary!) After learning about the symbolism in the image, you may find this especially interesting.
Come!!
Mary asked that a church be built to honor her in Mexico. We, too, have built a grotto to honor Mary, and to serve as a place of prayer for the conversion of hearts!
Please participate with us on Tuesday, December 8th, when Bishop Edward Malesic and Fr. Michael will officially dedicate and bless our grotto. You can join us in person at 6:30 near Fr. Michael’s house, in the front of the church. If you cannot join us in person, it will be live-streamed on our parish Facebook page.
Cook!
Try a new recipe from Mexico!!
- Homemade Churros
- Chicken Tamales – A Christmas favorite!
Activity
- Do this activity on Our Lady of Guadalupe. There is much symbolism in the image that Our Lady left on Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak)! Parents and students alike will be fascinated to learn about this! Lessons courtesy of Loyola Press.
- Student Lesson
- Parent information for review and discussion with student.
Share
- As a family, retell the story of Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe or, if you’re feeling adventurous, act it out! Be sure to recall the many miracles that you remember from this story.
Week 2:
The True Story of Christmas
Main Ideas
- God – the Creator of the universe – came into our world! He came here as a tiny infant, born of the Virgin Mary.
- God wants us to acknowledge his great love for us, and the great gift He gave us of His only Son, Jesus.
- God came here to rescue us from sin and death. This is what Christmas is really all about!
- Advent is that season of the Church when we prepare out hearts and homes for Jesus. We anticipate His birth, His coming back again, and the presence of Jesus in our lives today.
Watch
- Christmas lesson for grades 4 and 5.
- Parent guidance for leading your child through the lesson, courtesy of Loyola Press.
- Student worksheets
Color
- Coloring page of Jesus in the manger. You can print out for your child, or they can color on the website!
Activity
- Possible activity – we are working to get a cutout of a shepherd for your child to step up and be part of the nativity of our Lord! Great photo op! (We will sanitize regularly for your safety!)
Advent
Don’t forget Advent! Look back to your Advent calendar, or consider how you can prepare your heart to receive God’s love this Christmas!
Pray
Practice prayers, including Angel of God, Sign of the Cross, Our Father, and participating in the Holy Mass.
Week 3:
Preparing for Christmas
Main Ideas
- Help each other prepare for Christmas. How can your child help you? Encourage him/her to get involved and be helpful!
- Remind your child to be loving like St. Nicholas, and gentle like Jesus.
- Come to church – see below for ideas during covid!
- Parents – consider what difference it makes to you, that God came into our world – that Jesus was born for us, a Savior, Christ our Lord. Talk about this together. Say a pray of thanksgiving to God for this gift.
- Help your child to reflect on this amazing act of God: to enter our world, helpless and vulnerable, to save us from certain death. All we have to do is to choose to follow him in all things. What does this look like for you? How can you better respond to this incomprehensible love of God?
Family Activity Ideas
- Get to church somehow! We are well prepared to greet you safely for Mass, with sanitizing after every Mass, social distancing, and every other pew blocked off. We cannot stress enough the importance of coming to Mass and participating in person whenever possible! Still, we understand that, for some of you, that just isn’t possible right now. Consider making an appointment with Mrs. Smith for a private visit to the church to come inside and see the Advent wreath, the Nativity, and all the other holiday decorations! The church is open until 3pm every day, but we can arrange later times for you, too!
Activity
- Do this activity to help you reflect on the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
- Prayers of the Holy Rosary
- An activity worksheet. Please do questions 1-6. You will need to use your Bible to look up the answers.
- Use this link to reference the mysteries of the Rosary as you pray.
Scripture
Be sure to read the Christmas story from the Bible (even a children’s Bible will be fine!) This will make a great family tradition to continue from here on! You will find it in Luke 2:1-20.
Pray
Set aside 30 minutes and pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary in the quiet of your room. Take your time. Think about why these mysteries are called “Joyful.” Pray for your family as you begin each decade of the Rosary.
Week 4:
Extra Fun for Christmas Break!
Movie
The Nativity is a good video for older children that tells the Christmas story with a good look at Mary and Joseph.
Activities
- Christmas Carols – Not just a Joyful Sound – Interactive Crossword puzzle (Have your sound on!)
- Christmas at my house word find! This is an interactive online activity. Be sure your volume is on. It will reset a new way every time you play, see how many of these things you can find around your house.
Reach Out
Even though we’re not doing much socializing, reach out to your neighbors and family during this time. Perhaps drop off a “goody bag” for them, with a card letting them know you pray for them. Little ones can add pictures they’ve drawn or crafts they’ve made. Video chat with friends and relatives and share the real Good News of this holiday!
Check In!
Email me your success stories! Photos are most welcome; we like to get excited about your success, too!!