Sunday, December 12, 2021

Our Lady of Guadalupe {Free Block Print!}

 Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! (and Gaudete Sunday!)

“Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need
anything more? Let nothing else worry you, disturb you.”
—Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego, December 12, 1531


Our Lady of Guadalupe one of my favorite Marian apparitions, and one of my favorite images that I created in my block carving Names of Mary series last year.


Today on Instagram, Stephanie Weinert shared a beautiful reflection on her sweet son Beckett and OLG's connection to care for the unborn. In honor of Beckett and to encourage prayers for Our Lady's intercession, I'd like to share a free print of my OLG carving with you. I hope that you display it in your home and when you see it are reminded of the dignity and worth of each individual person made in the image and likeness of God.


Click here to download the pdf so you can print your own 5x7" image:

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make intercession for the holy Church, protect the sovereign Pontiff , help all those who invoke you in their necessities, and since you are the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from your most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, of sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life of burning charity, and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us!


And if you are interested in more info on Our Lady of Guadalupe, the apparition has a whole chapter in my book Through the Year with Mary! Complete with a kid friendly explanation, full color artwork with discussion prompts, reflection questions, a prayer, and a connection to Jesus, the goal of the book is to help you have good conversations with your kids! 

Click here to find in from my publisher the St. Paul Center or here to find it on Amazon!

Sunday, December 5, 2021

Through the Year with Mary Giveaways!

It's launch week for Through the Year with Mary! I'm so excited that my new book will be arriving in time for Christmas and so you can use it to walk through the new year with your kiddos! You can read more about the book, including what early reviews said about it, back in this post. You can order your own copy from my publisher or on Amazon (affiliate link).

I'd like to celebrate with you by offering a set of Marian themed giveaways. You can enter here on this blog post simply by leaving a comment with the item you'd be most excited to receive and your email address. You can also gain more entries over on Instagram!

Giveaway #1 


This giveaway features items all made by me! :)
-A signed copy of Through the Year with Mary
-An original Miraculous Medal inspired embroidery hoop 
-Set of seven original 5x7" block prints featuring titles of Mary
-New Eve block printed canvas zipper pouch
(Winner chosen and contacted 12/8/21, US addresses only)


 

Giveaway # 2



This giveaway features a collection of lovely Marian goods for both adults and kids to help you celebrate Mary all year long. Some of these items were sent to me by their creators and some I've purchased, but regardless I'd love for you to go visit their websites or shops and follow them on social media.
-A signed copy of Through the Year with Mary
-Five prints of different Marian titles from Jordan Avery Art
-Set of Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary Blocks from Almond Rod Toys 
-Hand painted Immaculate Heart of Mary Wood Slice and Mary's Garden Statue from In The Loft of Sue Dow 
-Two sets of Marian temporary tattoos from Just Love Prints 
-Holy Family Print from Providential Co  
-Marian stickers from Studio Senn 
-Hail Mary Print from Sweet Little Ones 
-Marian Titles vinyl sticker from The Simple Saints 
(Winner chosen and contacted 12/10/21, US addresses only)


Giveaway #3


-Winner can choose from a signed hardcover copy or an ebook version of Through the Year with Mary
-A set of 31 Marian coloring pages from Catholic Paper Goods. This digital download is perfect for using as a companion to the Marian Feast Day stories in TTYWM. I provide the stories, prayers, and art, and Shari gives you a coloring page for kids complete while or after listening! Along with the picture, they include the title and Feast Day date right on the coloring page.
(Winner chosen and contacted 12/12/21, Open to international winners if ebook chosen)


Bonus Activity Book

And while the preorder window is closing, I'm leaving this awesome activity book open for you to download for free. Just click on this image and fill out the form to get your download.

Thank you for your support of my writing projects! I hope and pray that both Through the Year with Mary and Through the Year with Jesus are a blessing to your homes and classrooms for many years to come.


Remember, you can enter here on this blog post simply by leaving a comment with the item you'd be most excited to receive and your email address. You can also gain more entries over on Instagram!

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Advent Activities for Home and Classroom

Happy Solemnity of Christ the King! If you'd like some music to celebrate, here's a playlist for your prayer and enjoyment: Christ the King Music Playlist

And that means it's almost time for Advent! The wonder, the hope, the light- and the focus on a newborn King come to save us. Here is a collection of free ideas, activities, and printables to help your family and classroom enter into the Season. 

(Just a reminder- you are always welcome to share these resources with your classroom or parish-  I'm happy to be of help! When possible, I always appreciate a link back to the original blog post or a mention of looktohimandberadiant.com.)

First up, here is a "schedule" of suggested Advent activities for each week, perfect to add to a classroom newsletter or parish bulletin. The links all send the reader to free resources, like videos, printables, and music playlists. Or you are welcome to pull ideas from this and send them individually! 

Or here is an editable version that you can tailor to your students/program:


And now here are some links to individual activities or resources. Some of these are new, and some are old favorites- so sometimes they will just open straight to the resource, and others will send you to the original blog post with all the details. You can also look under the Liturgical Year Tab above for a list of past posts.

Weekly Advent Reflection Slides for Google Classroom (include videos, art, Scripture, Lectio Divina, and prayer)

Sacred Art for Advent and Christmas- This set of Google Slides contains 20 pieces of sacred art for the Season, as well as steps for Visio Divina for older and younger kids. Perfect to pull up on a big tv, smart board, or projector!


And in Spanish: (and I forgot, they are in Dutch too!


Booklets for families on praying with the Advent Wreath, celebrating Saint Feast Days in December, and an overview of the new Liturgical Year:



Advent Family Traditions: There are about ten different cards like this highlighting various traditions celebrated during Advent.



Advent YouTube Video Playlist- wide range of videos for little ones up to high schoolers.

Advent Jeopardy  and a second Advent Jeopardy game here ( There are a few different games for Advent and December Saints are available if you search "Jeopardy" over in the search bar, but some of them need some reformatting, fyi. They don't always transfer well to Google Slides! Best option is to download and use in PowerPoint.)

What Advent Looks Like Coloring Page

What Christmas Looks Like Coloring Page (or use the whole Liturgical Year Coloring Book)

O Antiphons Bible Study and Creative Project (Google Slides for Google Classroom)

O Antiphon Coloring Book (and mini version for Ornaments or decorating)


Seeking Our Savior Detective Journey in English:

And Spanish:
And there are tons more, especially projects for Christmas and Epiphany in this list of links!

May this Season draw all of us closer and closer to the Light of the World!

Monday, November 15, 2021

Favorite Books for Catholic Kids- Growing List!


I'm not doing a great job of keeping up with my Katie Reads posts- but it probably is because I've been reading way more than I have time to blog! ;) This year I'm up to 60 books on my personal read list, in addition to who-knows-how-many children's books. Instead of trying to catch up, I thought I'd update my growing list of Catholic kids' books and re-share them with you here.

A few notes:
-Some of these books I've inherited, a lot I have purchased, and some were sent to me by the author/publisher, but all of them are books I have used/gifted/recommended in my classroom or as a DRE. I'm only sharing with you what I like and use.
-This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. That means that if you click through and purchase something, I will receive 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!
-By recommending these books, I am not saying they are perfect.  Their quality is somewhat dependent on the age and interests of the kids reading them as well as the support and background knowledge they have.  As always, you should preview and make the decision as to what is best for your kids or classroom (possibly thinking about some of the qualities I talk about in this post).
-Obviously there are tons of books that you could find Catholic themes within (virtue, symbolism, etc.) but these are books with explicit Catholic content and I've sorted them into a "genres" below.
-These lists are roughly organized from youngest interest level to oldest.  They are also far from complete and I invite you to chime in with your favorites in the comments.  Feel free to book mark this post as I will come back and continue to add to it!
-As this list grows, it can be hard to find things! I use this list and the keyboard shortcut CTRL + F (or Command + F on a Mac) to search on the page all the time! You can do the same with a key word to help you find a certain topic or Saint.


The Bible
Overall Scripture:

Old Testament:

New Testament:
Through the Year with Jesus- Bogner, Katherine
The Gospel for Little Ones- Roche, Maite
Jesus, Savior of the World, Marlyn Evangelina Monge
Seek and Find: The Life of Jesus- Geert de Sutter

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Tomie de Paola
Compendium of Marian Devotions- Fr. Ed Broom


Saints (Individual)
(Organized alphabetically, not by age)

B
C




(St. Charles Lwanga and Companions) The Saint Chronicles Collection 3



D


E

(Elizabeth Ann Seton) The Saint Chronicles Collection 1

(Elizabeth of Hungary) Roses in the Snow- Jackson, Dessi

F

G
H



I
(Ignatius of Loyola) The Saint Chronicles Collection 5



J

(St. Jerome Emiliani) The Saint Chronicles Collection 1








K


L




M





N

O

P



Q

R


S




T


U

V
W

X

Y

Z




Saints (Collection)
(Organized from youngest readers to oldest)
Cloud of Witnesses- Warner, Katie
Picture Book of Saints- Lovasik, Fr. (and others in series)


Prayer
Memorized Prayers:

How to Pray and Types of Prayer:


Journals and Devotionals:
Be Yourself! Journal for Catholic Girls, Amy Brooks
Family and Communal Prayer:

The O Antiphons
The First Christmas
Christmas Fiction

 

Lent/Easter

Stations of the Cross Books For Kids- Post with twelve options and lots of detail!
Walking with Jesus to Calvary: Stations of the Cross for Children- Burrin, Angela
The Stations of the Cross for Children Written by Jerry Windley-Daoust and illustrated by Vicki Shuck
15-Minute Stations of the Cross For Kids Written by Jared Dees and illustrated by Ezekiel Saucedo
The Way of the Cross Written by Juliette Levivier and illustrated by Anne Gravier
Stations of the Cross For Kids by Regina Doman, illustrated by Chris Lewis


Sacraments
All:

Baptism:
Chosen! Jenna Guizar
The Sacraments in Action (Includes Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation)

Confirmation:
The Sacraments in Action (Includes Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation)

Eucharist:
The Sacraments in Action (Includes Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation)

Reconciliation:

Anointing of the Sick:

Holy Orders:

Matrimony:



Church Teachings/Q&A
Kiddie Cat- Warner, Katie


Vocations

Pro-Life


Activity Books

Short Stories/Picture Books
Before Austen Comes Aesop: The Children's Great Books and How to Experience Them- Blomquist, Cheri (great guide for discerning reading the great books with your children)
Novels/Chapter Books
The Phantom of the Colosseum, Sophie de Mullenheim