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I made using a wooden sectioned crate (you could use separate boxes or buckets), plastic play fruit and veggies, and a basket. In this game the kids organized the produce by putting red produce in the box labeled red, yellow produce in the box labeled yellow…etc. Younger kids could take the basket of produce to the wooden crate and sorted them. Older kids tossed the produce into the correct box.

Naomi as “St. Helena of the True Cross” She is such a ham!!

This article on discipline was sent in an e-mail from CHC back on February 16, 2010. The way it explains how to handle children is wonderful! I just wanted to share: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since it is almost impossible to homeschool in the absence of discipline, we offer ‘The Five C’s to a Happy Home.’ The first step in effective discipline is verbal correction . When an undesired behavior is first addressed, point out what the child did wrong, why it’s wrong, and an alternative, positive behavior. “We don’t hit the kitty; instead, we pet him, like this.” Now the child knows what behavior is not acceptable, and what is. The second step in effective discipline is that it is conversation-free . There is often a temptation to think, ‘well, maybe he didn’t understand the first time I told him not to hit the kitty, so I should explain again.’ Discussing the issue again invites the child to talk back, and can develop into a power struggle. Limit talk to a single, brief statement— ‘Remember, we don’t hit the kitty’– as you lead the child to time-out; do not respond to any outburst from the child. Words alone are not discipline; they are just words. The third step in effective discipline is consequences . Time-out can be an effective consequence if it is used consistently. Another excellent consequence is to remove the child from the scene. [He has to get down from the table and wait to resume eating until he is in control of himself and everyone else is done.] If the behavior centers around a toy or an object, the toy or object can be taken away for 24 hours. The fourth step in effective discipline is consistency . A child who has been disciplined inconsistently usually ignores correction, because he knows that he can get away with the behavior several times before anything happens. This is reward enough to keep the bad behavior alive. In contrast, a child who burns himself on a hot wood stove will not touch the stove a second time, for he realizes that the stove will consistently burn him each and every time he touches it. If a child has been disciplined inconsistently, he may test vigorously when a firm plan of discipline is put into place. But, if correction and consequences follow each time, the behavior will die out. Each time he hits the kitty, he goes to time out. The final step in effective discipline is “catching the good.” It is of paramount importance to be observant, catch the child doing the good behavior, and praise him for the improvement. “See how nicely you have learned to pet the kitty. Good job.” Praise stresses the correct behavior, demonstrates to the child that he can do it, and warms little hearts. If undisciplined children are ‘running the household,’ you may wish to drop school for a week and focus on the Five C’s. Pray for wisdom and the graces that Our Lord promises to all parents, then identify the worst behaviors and address those first. Announce to the children what will be expected from now on, and begin taking those five steps to reclaim your happy home. We keep all of you in our prayers and regularly have Holy Mass offered for your intentions. We truly appreciate your prayers for the CHC apostolate, also! In Their Hearts, Theresa Johnson http://www.chcweb.com/

May, the month of Mary, is on its way! Here is a fun art project for the kids so they can honor Our Blessed Mother during the gorgeous spring months. Supplies: Sheet of Paper A Flower catalog Picture of Blessed Mother Scissors Glue Instructions: Have the kids cut out their favorite pictures of flowers from the catalogs and glue them on a sheet of paper. The pictures should overlap so the paper underneath is not seen. You may also add a few pictures of bunnies, butterflies, and birds, etc. In the center of the flowering collage add a picture of the Blessed Mother. This can be taken from a prayer card, printed from the Internet, or cut out of a religious catalog. My daughter Rachel, who came up with this wonderful idea, helped Elizabeth make this example:   Simply Gorgeous! Just be sure to save all those flower catalogs you’ve been getting in the mail! If you’re like me you get at least one a week during the spring months!! Mother Mary, pray for us! ~Jen-Marie

Abigail as “A Princess Angel” I’m not sure what that is!?!? But she insisted!

A few years back our kids made personal prayer books. I bought small scrapbooks and patterned paper to fit in each page. I also saved lots of religious and nature pictures for several months. The pictures came from several sources, like religious mail, magazines, Christmas and birthday cards, as well as, gift wrap and any other things that I found, which were on their way to the trash. I typed up lots of nice prayers and printed them off. Each of the kids received a copy of all the prayers. Then they chose pictures to glue on the page with it. They had lots of fun making the books and it made prayer time more personal and easier to focus on. Here are some of the prayers I had typed up: _____________ Morning Prayer God, give me eyes that I may see, The treasures you have given me. And give me ears that I may hear, The words of faith that keep you near. Lord, give me strength when I am week, And may Thy goals be those I seek. Grant me courage when I’m alone, And when I face the great unknown. Send me a friend when I’m in need, And let me do a noble deed. That others, too, may somehow see, The One who lives and works though me. ~Clay Harrison ____________ Night Prayer Dear God, I thank you for this day, For all your gifts, for work and play. Forgive the things that I did wrong And make my heart grow pure and strong. Show all the world your love and light and let me rest in peace tonight. Amen ___________ Family Prayer God made us a family We need one another We love one another We forgive one another We work together We play together We worship together Together we use God’s Word Together we grow in Christ Together we love all men Together we serve our God Together we hope for Heaven These are our hopes and ideals Help us to attain them O God. Amen __________ Memorare Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen. _______________ Prayer To Your Guardian Angel Angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom God’s love commits me here, Ever this day, be at my side, To light and guard, Rule and guide. Amen. ___________ The Morning Offering O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. ____________ Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi Lord, make me a channel of thy peace, that where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that where there is error, I may bring truth; that where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that where there is despair, I may bring hope; that where there are shadows, I may bring light; that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted; to understand, than to be understood; to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. ___________ Children’s Prayer To Mary Dear Mother of Jesus, look down upon me As I say my prayers slowly at my mother’s knee. I love thee, O Lady and please willest thou bring All little children To Jesus our King. _______________ These are only a few of the prayers I typed and added to the books. For more prayers go to: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/index.htm

This game is fun for young and old!! The game players search through the beads in the container to find items, but they are not allowed to open the container!! It was addicting fun for everyone! I made this using a large clear container, melting craft beads, and items to find. You might be able to use a soda bottle, but a large jar with a wide mouth works best. The larger opening allows you to put larger items in. A large peanut butter jar might be good. I filled the container half full of beads and I added items to find. I wrote down what the items were as I put them in the container.  I used things like charms and jewelry pins, fancy buttons, stationary supplies, craft supplies, sea shell, etc. Once you have everything in, seal the jar shut with tape or glue.  I added about 60 items, some larger, some small.  I made a check list of the items so the kids could see if they found everything. This was a hit among the older kids!

Rebekah as “St. Elizabeth of Hungry” This cute costume was created with a princess costume from a local department store. We added a basket with some roses and fake bread. NOTE: This information and the images are meant to inspire you to make your own costume. I’m sorry, these costumes are not for sale.

Since we have so many little ones running around the house it has been hard to display projects that the older kids make. The little ones often get into things and disturb them or break them. However, I discovered that an old fish tank can serve as a perfect solution to the display problem. It works very well! The tank is just the right height so all the kids can see what’s in it, and they can tell each other and anyone who comes to the house about the things they found or made without fear of it being destroyed. Plus, the light makes it nice to see the items and the glass makes dust less of an issue. Only one problem: I can’t fit the really big stuff in the tank, but most of the things the kids make or find are small, so that’s not often a problem.

This is a project to decorate a blooming tree for the month of May. Because the month of May is the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary, decorating a flowering tree with images of Our Lady’s life and apparitions is certainly appropriate! Our kids had a grand time decorating the flowers for the tree! The tree turned out so lovely, but the my photos just don’t do it justice! Each flower has a center with an image of  Mother Mary, Mary portrayed in different nationalities, moments in her life, and her apparitions. The little ones loved learning more about Mary as we talked about each of the pictures. To make this tree you will need: small images of Mary  Flower shapes A tree to decorate ideas for a tree: indoor artificial or live tree, dead tree branches arranged in a flower pot or vase, tree shape cut out of colored paper and taped to a wall or bulletin board. Artificial flowers and leaves to decorate tree. (optional) Construction paper ~ purple, blue, pink, yellow, and orange for flowers (optional) Construction paper ~ Green for leaves (optional) Crayons, glitter glue, craft gems, and other craft items for decorating the flowers (optional) glue scissors thread needle Instructions: Once you have the tree to decorate and have added artificial flowers and leaves, if desired, decorate both sides of the flowers that have been cut out of construction paper using crayons, glitter glue, craft gems, etc. as desired. Then, glue a Marian image on both sides of the flowers. Use a needle and thread to make a looped hanger for each and hang the flower/picture on the tree. It so nice I’m not going to want to take it down after May!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ God Bless. ~Jen-Marie

A friend of mine sent me a link to this blog: Pondered in my Heart They are hosting a Marian Artist Trading Card swap. It’s open to all ages. Basically, You create 5 pictures of Our Blessed Mother and mail them to Kimberlee along with a self-addressed stamped envelop, and she will send cards from others of the same age. They must be postmarked by May 28. Sounds like fun, I’m sure some of my kids will love it!! Thanks, Kimberlee! Read her blog entry with all the information here: Our Lady Art Card Swap

Making a floral crown for a Marian statue Often, we like to make a crown of flowers for our statues of The Blessed Mother during the month of May. Making a crown can be a bit tricky, but this is the easiest way I found to make one…. You will need: variety of artificial flowers – appropriately sized for the statue you are crowning cloth ribbon – enough to tie around the statue’s head the statue you would like to wear the crown hot glue scissors Instructions: Tie the ribbon around the statue’s head and knot it in the back. Cut off the extra ribbon.  Hot glue the flowers onto the ribbon,  start from the back sides and work to the front of the crown. You may use a bottle or bowl of similar size (instead of the statue) to hold the ribbon while you glue on the flowers. This will help you avoid getting glue on the statue. Place the ribbon back on the statue’s head occasionally as you add the flowers just to check how it’s fitting and looking.  Mother Mary, Pray for us! God bless, ~Jen-Marie