Thursday, October 8, 2015

7QT: All the Fall & Teaching About Halloween


Congrats to Kelly & Jen on seven years of Seven Quick Takes!  This is only the 27th time that I have written and linked up, but it is always a great place to find new blogs for reading and making connections.  Hop on over to This Ain't the Lyceum and check out the celebration!


Because it is oh-so-wonderful right now in central Illinois, I am going to write about all the things that I am loving about fall.  But I'm not talking your typical sweater-wearing-pumpkin-spice-drinking-bonfire-sitting kind of list.  (trust me, I love all those things, too.) This is more of a list of an unexpected pieces from the season that I relish.

[1] I love that this is the only time of the year I actually want to see the colors red, orange, and yellow in my home and wardrobe.  Colors I hate strongly dislike December-September become mainstays October-November.

[2] I have just about as many decorations for fall as I have for Christmas.  Five fall wreathes too much for one apartment?  Say it isn't so.


[3] Fall is my absolute favorite time to be a farm kid.  The beauty of farm ground during harvest and the celebration of the yield of another year's work can't be matched.

[4] On that note, I love the way that my dad smells in the fall when I hug him.  It is a unique combination of corn dust, motor oil, dirt, and a slight hint of moth balls.  It's the best.


[5] I love the bounty of the harvest season.  Especially now with the trends of farmers' markets, food co-ops, and farm to table restaurants, even those whose feet have always dwelled on concrete can appreciate and understand what a good and abundant time of year this is and remember with gratitude God's provision.

[6] The dropping temperatures give me cause to layer on the hoodies and stack up the quilts on my bed.  I prefer to sleep with the windows open as long as possible, and will let my apartment stay cold just for the fresh air and the excuse to drink another cup of coffee while wrapped up in a blanket.


[7] And finally, my number 7 favorite thing about fall right now is looking forward to teaching my fifth graders about Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls Day.  Honestly, a few years ago I would not be including Halloween in that mix.  But ever since Bonnie started planning stellar Catholic All Saints/Halloween parties and asked/helped me create some resources for teaching about Halloween, I have so enjoyed sharing with my students the truth behind the traditions.

If you have kiddos of your own or teach or are a catechist, please click on the image below for several free printables including a mini coloring book and several coloring pages about the Catholic-ness of Halloween, All Saints, All Souls, praying for the dead, heaven, hell, and purgatory, relics and more:

So what are some unexpected things that you are all about in the fall?  And don't forget to go visit Kelly for more Seven Quick Takes!

4 comments:

  1. Hi Katie. I love harvest time, too. And keeping the windows open. Where did you get your "now thank we all our God" sign? You probably made it, you crafty girl!

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    1. Kindred spirits, Grete :) I did make it- it is just normal colored chalk on a fake chalkboard. A friend just painted chalkboard paint on the back of an old wooden sign (actually advertising Marshall-Putnam County 4-H Swine projects- it was from our county fairgrounds! :) ). I have enjoyed changing up the quote for the season every couple of months. When you get your new house done, I bet you and your girls would love a chalkboard wall :)

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  2. I am trying to print the wonderful Finding Truth in Halloween book and only get blurred lines when I click on print. I am new to following blogs. Educate me please?

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    1. I'm so glad you found it, but sorry you are having trouble printing. Here are my suggestions:
      1. I've checked the links and google drive files, and they are all active and there are no lines or blurry words. (Also, are you trying to print from the post Finding Truth In Halloween ? Make sure you have clicked over to the original post and are not trying to print the images instead of the actual files.)
      2. It might be a conflict with your browser. I would recommend viewing them on Google Chrome or Firefox- I haven't had any problems with either of those.
      3. When you are ready to print the files, I highly recommend downloading them first and then printing from the pdf viewer (like acrobat). This can solve lots of problems. I do not recommend printing straight from the browser- it tends to mess with formatting and fonts.
      4. If you try those steps and still have trouble, please email me at katherine (dot) bogner (at) gmail (dot) com and will send you the pdf directly.
      Thanks so much!

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