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I’m now offering a pack of 8 reproducible pages for you to use when you teach about the 50 States. If you use these for teaching about all of the 50 states you should end-up with a whole binder full of information!  Each set of pages can be printed off 50 or more times so you have one set for each state. (Print out as many as you need for one class or family.)  The cool and unusual part about these pages is that they are done with a Catholic twist. Download Below: Download these USA Notebooking Pages Here: Here is a page-by-page description of the set, so you can better understand what these pages are about: The Cover The cover page includes a map of the United States and each state’s name is written on the map. This can be used as a reference page while the kids learn the location and spelling of the states. General Information About the State – Page 1 The first page of this set is meant to be used for each and every state. You will need to print a new page for each state you learn. The page asks for general information about the state: The capital, the population, the crops grown in the state, the state bird and tree, etc. This information is common information which can be found in may state books including these: **************** Click on the images to read more about these books. This printable page includes short prayers for the state. It also has Catholic images which accompany the topic of learning. Map It! – Page 2 This next page is also meant to be used for each state. The child should add the abbreviation or name of all the states which they have learned up to that particular school day. They can use the cover page to help them if you like. It also has an empty flag so they can draw or add an image of the state’s flag. The extra area on the bottom of the page is for the child to draw a general outline of the state. Feel free to have them add other geographical information to the image they draw. Famous People and Historical Events – Page 3 The “Famous People and Historical Events” pages are used to help the child remember what people or events are relevant to each state.  These can be filled out throughout the school year or whenever you discover or learn about a famous person who lived in this state, or when you learn about a historical event that occurred in the state. This page may not be large enough for some states because you will find an abundance of information, or it may be barely filled for other states, but feel free to copy as many as you need. Places Made by God – Page 4 This page focuses on the places made by God. These areas would include the Grand Canyon, the Redwood Forest, a desert, a natural bridge, a waterfall, a cave, a lake, a volcano, a mountain peak, or any other natural beauty made by God! The child can draw a picture of the area or find a photo of the area and paste it in the image box on the page. Then they can write a short description of the natural beauty. Famous Catholic Churches and Shrines – Page 5 This page is one for you to fill in as you work through the school year. There are not a lot of famous churches and shrines in the USA, but you might be surprised at how many there are! I went to my Facebook followers for help to find some Catholic shrines and churches and they all gave wonderful suggestions. (Thank you for the help!) Several ladies recommended a great website called “ Catholic Places ” which has at least one famous church or shrine per state! You definitely need to see that website! It’s a goldmine for Catholic tourists or if you want to take a pilgrimage! Famous Places Made by Man – Page 6   Page 6 is just like page 4, except it’s meant to focus on manmade items and areas rather than ones by God. The child can find a manmade sight and draw a picture or find an image to add to the box. Then they can write a short paragraph about it. If I could go anywhere I’d go… – Page 7 This page is the final wrap-up page. This is meant to starch the mind of the child so he/she can dream of where they would love to visit. Then they can write about where they would go and why they would go there. It also has a few other prompts to give them a chance to image! Extra Writing – Page 8  This page is just an extra page to use when your child wants to add extra care and attention to one of the topics you are learning about. For example, if they want to write more about the Grand Canyon then this is an extra page to write more information. They can also draw more pictures or add more photos.  How to use these pages in your school day: Work to your child’s speed and understanding, but I recommend (for an average 4th -6th grade child) that you do one page a day and finish a state a week. For example, you could do page one (general information) on Monday and page two (Map It) on Tuesday. Then fill out some information on page 3 (Famous People and Events) on Wednesday. On Thursday you could work on pages 4 and 5 (God’s Awesome Sights and Famous Shrines and Churches).  On Friday you could complete Page 6 (Man Made Sights). NOTE: If you are looking for something quicker and easier, just do the first two pages for each state. I used this set for my 5th graders, but my 2nd grader only used the first two pages and skipped the other pages. My kids and I completed these pages using these two books HERE and HERE . We did get a little help from the internet on the famous shrines and we needed help discovering some “Sights made by God” or “Sights Made by Man”. If you are interested in using this printable set with your kids, I have it available above! God bless you all and have a joy-fulled day! ~JenMarie

I personally look forward to Lent. Lent forces me to stop and refocus my daily life as well as my spiritual life. I try to remember to sacrifice and pray throughout the year, but Lent is that big push to try even harder. Most of the year, life becomes so busy and I get wrapped up in all the comings and goings that God can get pushed further and further down the list of “important things to remember. ” So Lent is such a great refocus time.      My husband and I have often used the days of Lent to focus on Jesus’ life with our children and we plan to again this year. So today I wanted to tell you about an eBook that Jon, my husband, and I have created. We joined together to create a set of eBooks for you, your family, and/or your classroom to use during this Lenten season. This file is for purchase in our shop. Click Here to visit our shop and purchase it! The main eBook,  is a 47 page eBook that contains a Bible reading for each day during Lent. All of the Bible readings are about Jesus and His life. The Bible stories begin with Jesus’ Presentation and continues to Jesus’ Resurrection. Each of the daily readings includes a beautiful work of art that depicts the story and a thought-provoking meditation that brings the story into your everyday life.  Here is one of the 47 meditation pages: This eBook is also accompanied by two other files. One of the files  includes images to make ornaments to hang on a “Jesus Tree”, and the other is a “Journey with Jesus Countdown Chart” Jesus Tree The “Creating a Jesus Tree” file, which accompanies the Bible story and meditation ebook is designed to help you create a “Jesus Tree” for your home or classroom. These pages include a set of the artwork images in miniature so you can create ornaments for your “Jesus Tree”. After reading and discussing the daily Bible story, have the children find the matching image and hang it on your “tree” or place it on a Lenten bulletin board.  To create the tree simply collect a handful of branches and arrange them in a jar or vase. Our tree is about 2 feet tall (from table to the top branch). If you can’t get real branches, many craft stores sell artificial branches. Some even sell artificial branches with lights! You could also hang them on a real or artificial indoor fichus tree, or arrange the images on a bulletin board. Add a picture each day! The Daily Countdown Chart The “Journey with Jesus” eBook also includes a Daily Countdown Chart! This cute chart will help younger kids keep track of the days they have completed and the number of days left until Easter! The child needs to color in one “stepping stone” each day during Lent. Start coloring the “Stones” on Ash Wednesday and color one a day until Easter! The little images on the chart correspond with the stories you will be reading in the “Journey with Jesus” eBook! ~*Companion eWorkbooks*~ The Companion eBooks can be used along with the “Journey with Jesus” Bible Reading and Meditation eBook. They are extra worksheets to reinforce the stories you have read and discussed. There are two different eWorkbooks. Copywork eBook 1 with Drawing Prompts The first companion book is great for younger children and has a page for each day of Lent. Each page includes a copy work section and a drawing section. The copy work section includes a Bible verse which has been taken from that day’s Bible reading and meditation. The lines are Primary lines. Journal eBook 2 with Art Prompts The second companion book is designed for older kids, and each page includes a drawing section, a Bible verse, and an area to add personal thoughts, a note to God or other Journal meditations. It can also be used as copy work if desired. This file is for purchase in our shop. Click  Here to visit our shop and purchase it! You can purchase these in our Download  Store! Have a blessed Lent! May you grow closer to Jesus! ~JenMarie and Jon says “Hi!” too!

To make our cross we used a few old wood pieces we had laying around our house. With our house under constant remodel, finding wood is easy! For those of you who are lucky enough to have a completed house, you could buy some thin lattice strips or other pieces of wood at your local lumber store (Lowes is great!). My  “Handy-Hubby” used two small screws to attach ours together, but if you don’t have a “handy-significant-other” string wrapped in a criss-cross pattern at the center should work, if tied tight! Lent Our Lenten Cross looks like this all Lent until Palm Sunday. I used a purple robe from our nativity costumes to drape over the cross, and I made a paper Crown of Thorns. For the instructions to make a paper crown of thorns click here . Palm Sunday Again I used a robe from our nativity costumes(I love to recycle!). The palm is paper. Click here for instructions on cutting a palm. Spy Wednesday I used glitter foam to make a blue bag with silver coins. I also added a black string to the bag. Holy Thursday Using glitter foam I made a chalice and host. I know this is not what Jesus would have had, but I wanted my kids to realize that Holy Thursday was the first Mass.  Good Friday I added a large black scarf, three red drops, and a red slit (cut from red glitter foam) and I added the paper crown of thorns . Holy Saturday It’s empty Easter Here I used another robe and a bunch of fake lilies. If you would like to make your own paper lilies  click here . Okay, That’s a lot of pictures!!  Hope that explains it all!  Have a meaningful Passion Sunday and Holy Week, and a wonderful Easter! God Bless. ~Jen-Marie

The feast day of the Exaltation of the Cross reminds us that Jesus was victories over evil! The cross is a sign of Jesus’ victory! That doesn’t mean we automatically will get to heaven; it means that Jesus has unlocked heaven’s door. It’s up to us to open the door. The only way we can do that is by showing God that we love Him. We need to give God our mind, soul, heart, and body. We need to do our every deed and action for Him! Each time we look at a cross or a crucifix we should remember that we need to give our lives to God because He gave His life for us so we would have the ability to enter heaven. This ornament depicts a cross towering over the world! It was created with tan, dark brown, and light blue felt. We used a green and blue permanent sharpie marker to draw the world on the light blue circle. We added silver glitter glue to the cross and around the cross and earth. We also added gold glitter glue around the tan felt area.  We added a threaded loop of gold thread and hung it on our liturgical tree! We will be posting Our Lady of Sorrows tomorrow! Hope you have a blessed day! ~JenMarie and Elizabeth

This cross is a fun, simple and FREE activity to create at Bible camp, while sitting at a campfire, or on a nature walk. It’s also great for Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha’s Feast day (July 14) All you need: (all free!!) two sticks (one shorter – one longer) a long stem of green grass. (about 1 to 2 feet long)You could use twine if you wish. Carefully tear off the grass blades from the grass stem. Criss-cross the two sticks so they are in the shape of a cross. Place the long grass stem behind the criss-crossed sticks.  Leave about 3 to 4 inches to use to tie a knot when finished.  Wrap the long end around the criss-cross sticks about 3 times. Then switch directions and wrap it around the opposite corners 3 times. Take both grass stem ends and knot them together. Use a knot like you use when you start to tie your shoe.  Use this knot two or three times. Break off the extra stem. That’s it! It’s great for bored kids on a camping trip! Hope you can use this idea! God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

Here’s a simple idea to make for the kids if they are doing a skit of Our Lord entering Jerusalem or use it to decorate your home for Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday).  It’s just a simple paper palm! You’ll Need Green construction paper and scissors. Fold the paper in half longways. Cut out a half leaf shape with a thin stem. Now cut out wedges.  Be sure the leaves, which are left behind, are pointed and the bottom of the leaf, at the steam, is flat. Open it and you have this: It’s great for decorating on Palm Sunday! I used one to decorate our Lenten Cross… God Bless. ~Jen-Marie

Saint Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! So I wanted to share a set of Catholic Valentine’s that I created for this special day. This set includes 6 different cards. These cards can be used as flat mini cards or larger folded cards. These would be great for kids or adults to send to friends and relatives for the special feast day! Or use the images to create your own homemade Valentines!  Just download the file and print out the pages of your choice – as many as you need. It’s best to print them on photo paper or stock paper and then cut out the cards.  There are 6 mini cards or two folded cards per page.  Write your special message on the back of the mini cards or on the inside of the folded cards. This 13-page file is sold in our shop: Click here This file is for purchase in our shop. Click  Here to visit our shop and purchase it! Enjoy and God Bless! ~JenMarie _____________________________________________ On a personal note:   I mentioned in a past post that I was having a few health problems. I have a lump and pain in my gut, near my hip bone. The doctors are unsure of what the problem is. The doctors think it may be an inflamed lymph-node that could rupture and there is a small fear of cancer and/or a hernia. So, I will be going for surgery this coming Friday (Jan 7th) . The doctors will fix what they can and try to see what the problem is.  I’m not sure how long I’ll be out, it depends on what the surgery shows, so I may or may not post soon.  Please pray for the doctors, my family, and myself.

In the Catholic Church,  November is dedicated to the Holy Souls. So I thought I’d share a few simple and meaningful activities you can do with your kids. Before I talk about what we can do for the souls in purgatory, I want to talk about who these souls are and why it’s important for us to help them. Purgatory is filled with the souls of people who have died with God’s Grace on them but they are not yet holy (aka: sanctified) enough to enter into Heaven. They are in a middle spot between heaven and hell. In Purgatory these souls are meant to be purified so they can enter into eternal life in heaven. Our prayers and good works are the key that they need to enter heaven. There are countless ways to help the souls through prayer and sacrifice. I’m going to share just a few that you can do with your kids so they can see how they can help, too: 1. Take a trip to the cemetery to pray: Take a trip to your parish cemetery to pray a Rosary. This is a great visual reminder of who we are praying for. It helps to make an imprint in a child’s head and it makes the reality of who they are praying for more real.  This trip can be made at anytime, but we like to go on the feast of All Souls (Nov. 2). Feel free to go several times during the month of November – remember the entire month is dedicated to the Holy Souls. (Not that you can’t pray for them after November – they ALWAYS need prayer.) Don’t let bad or cold weather bother you. If you plan to go an a specific day and it ends-up being cold or rainy, go anyway. You can pray in your vehicle while you are parked at the cemetery. Its better to go and stay in the car than not go at all. Also, going on an extra cool and windy day is an extra special sacrifice! 🙂 2. Take time each day to say an extra prayer: Make a list of your family and friends who have died and be sure to add” all the other souls in purgatory” or ”for the least prayed for souls” to your list. Then each night, say an extra prayer for them. I highly recommend that you pray the St. Gertrude prayer. Our Lord told St. Gertrude that this prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well. Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. 3. Light a candle in November for the Holy Souls: Take a few minutes after Mass to light a candle for the Holy Souls. You can do this each weekend during November. You can also decorate around a special candle at home or school for the souls. Add some pictures of your deceased relatives and friends around it. If you don’t have pictures, just make a list to set beside your candle. 4. Offer it up! Don’t forget to offer up your bad days, your difficult events, or your painful or uncomfortable times. These may be sad times, but you can use these sad times for good. The souls in purgatory need our help. If you offer these bad things as a prayerful sacrifice to Jesus, He can turn them into good. So remember to ”offer it up.” each time you have something bad to deal with. You can also go to Mass and offer that as a sacrifice for these souls. The Mass is the most perfect prayer and a wonderful way to help the souls in purgatory! So make a special trip to Mass for these souls. 5. Give it up! Another way to sacrifice is to give up something you love. For example, don’t take a desert and offer that up as a sacrifice for the souls in purgatory. Or give up your seat for someone. Let your brother or sister have your turn to pick a movie. These are just a few ways you can give something up to help the souls in purgatory. Remember: **Do to others as you would what want them to do for you.** I’m sure that if you were in purgatory you would want the help of those who could help you, so please try to help these poor souls who need your help so desperately! God bless you all with joy and peace. ~JenMarie