Monday, December 9, 2024

All About Advent (Challenging!) Crossword Puzzle

I'm back with another activity to go along with All About Advent & Christmas! You know this whole blog is the fruit of what I am already creating for my classroom, and this activity is no exception. It's December, and sometimes we are just looking for something that will be meaningful...but take a little time if you know what I mean. :) I wanted to give my 7th graders an Advent activity that was actually a little challenging- to stretch their brains and push them to remember what they know and maybe learn something new. 

So I made this fairly challenging crossword puzzle about Advent with almost 40 clues... and I didn't give them a word bank! However, I did borrow several copies of my book All About Advent & Christmas (our pastor generously bought a copy for each classroom last year) so they all had the book to use as a resource.

It did turn out to be fairly challenging, but you should have seen how focused they were! If you need a little activity to occupy (and teach) older kids, I thought I'd share this challenging crossword puzzle. All of the info is pulled from my book, so it is the perfect companion to use alongside All About Advent & Christmas. Or you can use the version with a word bank if you don't have the book handy!

(P.S. Right now all children's books at StPaulCenter.com are 20% off with code ADVENT24 !)

Click here for the version WITH the word bank:

Click here for the version WITHOUT the word bank:

Click here for the key:

Need something for Advent, but not a crossword puzzle? I can help! Check out this post:

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Monday, November 25, 2024

December Radiant Roundup

  

It's almost December! Amidst the decorating and shopping and baking, here are some resources to help you and your kids keep your hearts focused on the reason for the Season. As I pulled posts from the archives, this round up grew larger and larger- but don't let that overwhelm you. Choose 2 or 3 things that suit your home of classroom and will help you pray as we look forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ. From books to crafts to meals to Saints and more, there are plenty of tools gathered here to pick from!


Last year Shari Van Vranken and I released our book All about Advent & Christmas: Sharing the Seasons of Hope & Wonder with Children, which you can find at The St. Paul Center here or on Amazon here:


And we've made a whole of resources for the Seasons of Advent and Christmas available for free. Posts are sprinkled below and in various blog posts, but you can find all of them here:




Check out this list for a huge list of books great for Advent & Christmas, as well as St. Francis Xavier, St. Nicholas, the Immaculate Conception, St. Juan Diego & Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fulton Sheen, St. Lucy, and the Holy Family.


The Advent Wreath:


Printable Advent Activities:
What Advent Looks Like* Coloring Page
Advent Family Traditions* (printable booklets about the Liturgical Year and December Feast Days)
Advent Traditions for Anyone and Everyone* (Info cards that are easy to display and share- one for the Advent Wreath, Jesse Tree, O Antiphons, Christmas Tree, Nativity Scene, St. Andrew, The Immaculate Conception, St. Lucy, St. Nicholas, Ven. Fulton Sheen, St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Advent Prayer Ring* (printable Bible verses for each day of the Season)
Advent Prayer Cards for Each Sunday (Year C)*





Digital/Shareable:


Decorating for Advent (simple ideas for decorating your home for the Season)
Advent Today (Youth Group Activity)


St. Nicholas' Many Gifts Bingo Game-Here's a fresh update of an old post! This game is set up so that each child makes their own bingo board. Blank boards and a list of words related to the life of St. Nicholas are provided, making this game perfect to play either after reading a story of St. Nicholas' life or to tell a fact about him as each word is called. Use gold chocolate coins or punch out yellow circles as Bingo markers.
St. Ambrose: December 7th
St. Ambrose coloring pages* (all ages)
Sweeter than Honey Psalm coloring pages* (all ages)
Included in the Advent Feast Days Booklet*

Immaculate Conception: December 8th (Transferred to Dec. 9th)
Immaculate Conception Block Print*
Included in the Advent Feast Days Booklet*

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen: December 9th
Ven. Fulton Sheen Activities* (all ages)
So, SO many activities under that tab!

Our Lady of Loreto: December 10th
Our Lady of Loreto Digital Scavenger Hunt (6th & up)

Juan Diego: December 9th
Our Lady of Guadalupe: December 12th
Our Lady of Guadalupe Block Print* 

St. John of the Cross: December 14th

Gaudete Sunday: December 15th

Christmas Activities:

St. John: December 27th 


The Holy Family: December 29th
Holy Family Block Print-Joseph, Terror of Demons* (Scroll to the bottom)

And just in case you are working ahead, here are a few resources for Epiphany & The Presentation!
Epiphany: January 6th (observed Sunday, January 5, 2025)
Epiphany Home Blessing Kit* (updated through 2026)
My Gift: An Epiphany Readers' Theater*
Gifts of the Magi Google Classroom Assignment

The Presentation: February 2nd
Joseph, Lover of Poverty Print (Two Turtledoves)* (Scroll to the bottom)

“For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." ~Matthew 1:18-24



You can find the links to the monthly Radiant Roundups here:


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December Books for Catholic Kids


December Catholic Kids Book List
Below are a few favorite titles that fit well with devotions and feast days this month! This list contains Amazon Affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I'd also love to encourage you to shop directly with the publisher or with your local bookshop, or try to request these at your local library! I'm sure I've missed some books that would be great for this month, so feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments! You can find my giant list of Catholic Kid Books by topic here.

All Month- The Season of Advent
The Jesse Tree
Advent Devotionals

New Liturgical Year

December Saints & Feast Days
12/1- St. Edmund Campion

12/3- St. Francis Xavier

12/6- St. Nicholas

12/8- The Immaculate Conception
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Tomie de Paola

12/9- Anniversary of the death of Ven. Fulton J. Sheen
12/9- St. Juan Diego
12/12- Our Lady of Guadalupe

12/13- St. Lucy

O Antiphons: December 17th-24th

The Christmas Season 
The First Christmas

Christmas Fiction

The Holy Family: December 31st



Book Lists By Month:
Click on the images below for book lists organized by feast days and devotions for each month:
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