Teaching Scripture to Children Video Course with the St. Paul Center

I’m excited to share with you a little project I worked on last summer- at the invitation of The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, I wrote an 8 part series about sharing the Bible with kids, and then we filmed it! (Emmaus Road Publishing, where my books Through the Year with Jesus and Through the Year with Mary came from, is under the umbrella of the St. Paul Center).

The study is intended to help parents and teachers feel equipped and inspired to read Sacred Scripture together with their children and students. Episodes include ideas for using the Bible through the Liturgical Year, in connection to the Mass, while praying the Rosary, with journaling and art, through the highs and lows of life, and more. 

Click here to watch a trailer of the course:

You know how much I like to share resources, so each talk also has corresponding handouts to help guide the grownups and printables for the kids. Over twenty pdfs are ready for you to download and use!

You can access all of it through the Emmaus Academy platform, a brand new resource from The St. Paul Center with courses from Dr. Scott Hahn, Dr. John Bergsma, Fr. Boniface Hicks, and more.

Here’s the official course description:

“The Bible is wise and powerful and holy, but it is not meant to be reserved for only the wisest scholars, most powerful leaders, or holiest saints. Sacred Scripture is a love letter from our Heavenly Father for each one of us—adult and child alike. Although the Bible can be lengthy and complex, it is still intended to be approached by even the youngest Catholics. With a little preparation and some helpful tools, parents and grandparents, as well as catechists and teachers, can help children encounter the Word of God in prayer and study. Discover how to open the Bible with kids of all ages to pray with Lectio Divina and Visio Divina, meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, bring the Sunday Mass Readings into your week, celebrate the liturgical year, and support the highs and lows of daily life. Learning how to pray with Scripture alongside your children is a gift that can last generations.”

You can click here to give the Academy a try with a 14 day free trial. Watch my Teaching Scripture to Children course, but make sure you check out all of the other resources which are being added to each month.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at hello (at) looktohimandberadiant (dot) com!

Lectio Divina Journal Starters in Spanish

If you've been around the blog for very long, you know that Lectio Divina is my favorite way to pray with Scripture both personally and with kids. It's a foundational part of my first book and something that I use constantly in my classroom.

I've learned over the years that having prompts to aid prayer and journaling is super helpful for adults and kids alike. We use these so much in my classroom that they are common language and are used independently as sentence starters by my students all the time. Thanks to the help of a generous LHBR reader, I now can share them with you in Spanish! Click below for a description of all four steps as well as a list of prompts.

Lectio Divina Español para tomar notas

For additional resources in English, check out the links below. With the Lectio Divina steps in Spanish, it would be easy to adapt the Bible Studies or Visio Divina projects for a bilingual or Spanish classroom/group/student.

Lectio Divina Printables in English

Lectio Divina Printables for Kids
Lectio Divina bookmarks for group Bible Study

Lectio Divina Graphic Organizer

Lectio Divina Journaling Pages

Bible Studies and Resources using Lectio Divina:

The Eucharist

Way of Light

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Blessed Virgin Mary Scavenger Hunt

The Archangels

Weekly Advent Reflections

Scripture to Combat Racism

The Transfiguration

Lenten Prayer Challenge

And using the companion visual prayer strategy, Visio Divina:

Lenten Visio Divina Gallery Walk

Art of the Blessed Sacrament Visio Divina Study

Sacred Art for Advent & Christmas

Preorder Bonuses for "Through the Year with Jesus"!

***UPDATE 2/7/21- Since the book is now available, I'm "closing" the preorder bonuses and have contacted the winner of the free workshop. However, you can access the free printables as tools to use alongside the book here!

Ok, you all are blowing me away with support for my new book! Thank you so much for all of your kind messages and encouragement. In case you missed it, Through the Year with Jesus: Gospel Readings and Reflections for Children will be out soon and is available to order at the St. Paul Center and on Amazon. You can read more details about the content and see a few endorsements here. If you've  already ordered and want to skip ahead, you can fill out the Preorder Bonus Form here. ;)

If you know much about new books, you know that preorders really matter, especially for a new author. And this year where normal speaking gigs and conferences and workshops are still unlikely, your early support is such a powerful way to help see this book shared. As a thank you, I've been creating a set of special preorder bonuses for you to use alongside the book or just throughout the Liturgical Year in your home or classroom. They are pretty open ended and I am already thinking of ways I'd like to use them myself! The printables are all available as pdfs in a Google Drive folder, so they are easy to access, download and print however you like. A preview of those resources can be seen below.

And as a special bonus, I'll also be randomly picking one person who preorders to win a free virtual talk or workshop with me! We've all gotten more used to doing things virtually, so why not take advantage of that and let me speak to your teachers, catechists, Bible study, or moms' group. We'll work together to choose a good time and the right topic for your group.  (***Update- for entries to be considered for the free workshop giveaway, they must be entered by 2/6/21!)

The rest of the preorder bonuses are available for everyone!

Some of the items included in the Preorder Bonus Printables Folder include:

-Liturgical Season Planning Pages

-Journaling pages to support praying with Scripture (for both older and younger kids)

-Liturgical Year Journal "cover" in three color choices

-Liturgical Year Journal tabs

-Jesus & the Children Coloring Page

-Jesus & the Children Watercolor

-Lectio Divina prayer guides (small cards and full page)

-Liturgical Wheel watercolor

I love how these Liturgical Season Planning Pages turned out.  I think they could help you anchor each Season with a printable to set up ways you plan to pray, serve, sacrifice, and celebrate, as well as lists of prayer intentions and inspirational quotes. Perfect to hang on the fridge or with your calendar or to add to a journal, and could be completed individually by kids or together as a family.

This Liturgical Wheel Watercolor printable is something great to hang up or add to a journal:

These journal printables are super flexible and could help you and/or your kids set up a journal following the Liturgical Year themes. Pretty "endpaper" cover options, tabs for the seasons, and journaling pages for both older and younger kids are included. I also added a Google Slides version for those of you that might want to use it digitally with a classroom:

This coloring page is from my sketch that was used as inspiration for the book cover:

And here's a little watercolor version too:

If you have preordered, you can fill out the form here.  Access to the printables will be shared in the Confirmation message, so don't miss that link! If someone preordered for you as a gift, you are welcome to still fill this out, or if you ordered multiple copies to give to others, you can share the printables with them. I appreciate your honesty as this seems to be the simplest way to manage getting you the bonuses asap and still allow me to attend to real life. ;) Again, thank you for your support and excitement for the book! I can't wait to see it at work in your homes and classrooms! (***Update- for entries to be considered for the free workshop giveaway, they must be entered by 2/6/21!)

New Editable & Shareable Resources for the Catholic Classroom

Hello! I hope you are hanging in there with whatever back-to-school looks like in your neck of the woods. ;)

For school, I am back in person in the classroom while also teaching some students virtually. At my parish, we are still finalizing plans but are looking at creating at-home whole family catechesis resources (and I'll certainly share what we end up making!).

I've heard so much feedback from many of you across both school and parish work how helpful it has been to have editable, shareable resources, allowing you to tailor them to the needs of your students and families and send over a digital platform. I shared six different sets of Google Slides with varying topics in this post in May, and I'm back today with a few more to add to the collection. 

The Details:

-Topics today include the Sacred Heart of Jesus, American Saints, and prep for the Mass

-Target age for the Sacred Heart and American Saints is junior high, but of course can be modified to go up or down. These two are actual projects/assignments that could be used for an individual study/grade. These could be taught in the classroom, assigned remotely, or used as a back up set of plans if you need a sub.

-The Mass reflection slides have choices that are intended to span across grade levels. This is a resource especially for those that might be watching the Mass via a livestream or in unusual circumstances to try and provide reverence before, during, and after the Holy Mass.

-These assignments were created in Google Slides with the intention of being assigned in Google Classroom. You can certainly download them in PowerPoint and send them through email, or whatever tool you are using to communicate with your students.

-They are totally editable. You just have to make a copy or download before making any changes. Delete, change, add-- make them work for your kids.

-The Sacred Heart and American Saints projects are multi day assignments- otherwise they would be way too long! You can use them multi day, split them up, or just delete slides you find less important to create a shorter task

***All of the resources needed for the tasks are readily available- like public websites or docs I've created. If you share the slides with your students, make sure that they can access all of the links as well. For example, if you have a closed Google Domain (many schools are) they will not be able to open any of the Google docs I have linked because I am outside of their domain. You will have to make a copy, save in your own Google Drive, and link. (Unfortunately, I get A LOT of student access requests to docs shared by their teachers, but I can't even email them back because of domain permissions. It breaks my teacher heart to not be able to help them- so if you are in a closed Google Domain, keep that in mind!)***

Mass Reflection Slides:

These slides were designed to help teachers maintain an atmosphere of reverence before and after Mass even if circumstances are out of the ordinary- like watching a livestream or attending Mass in a new location. For example, right now my class participates in school Mass every Friday, but alternate weeks we are in the church and in my classroom watching a livestream. Immediately following, we are able to receive Holy Communion, but as you can imagine, it is a challenge to create an environment fitting of the Sacrament in a regular old classroom. 

To help, I've been leaving the lights off to keep the focus on the smart board, encouraging the kids to fully participate with responses and postures, and also using these slides before and after Mass, as well as for a time of thanksgiving after receiving Communion. The were created with our whole school in mind, so there are lots of options and needed variety for different grade levels or amounts of time available.

Even after we move past the strange circumstances of Mass at present, I am planning on continuing to use these to set the tone before we walk over to the church and after as well if time is available. It's nice to be doing something differently right now that actually will be fruitful even under more normal circumstances! :) These also could totally be used at home or inspiration for prayers or songs in the car on the way to and from Mass as a family.

Click here to open the Mass Reflection Slides:

America the Beautiful Saint Study:

This study is based on the At-Home VBS I shared earlier this summer, but turned into a junior high level research project with a choice based culminating activity. It is a self led five day project where the students chose four Saints (one each day) to research and on the final day create a project synthesizes some of their new knowledge. In my classroom, I'm supplementing with some short videos, but those are a little harder to share in this format so you can add your own if you think that would be of help. ;) You could adapt this for younger students by choosing which Saints to study as a class and then working together to fill out the biography forms. You could also stretch to last more days by adding more Saints or expanding the final project.

Click here to open the American Saint study:

Sacred Heart of Jesus Study:

This study is based on another At-Home VBS I shared earlier this summer, but turned into a junior high level research project with a choice based culminating activity. It is a self led five day project where the students study different aspects of the Sacred Heart (symbolism, Saints with devotion to, 12 Promises, Scripture Study) and on the final day create a project synthesizes some of their new knowledge. This one does include embedded videos for each day. You could certainly stretch this by adding additional days of Lectio Divina or Saint study (those days have multiple choices) or expanding the requirements for the final project.

Click here to open the Sacred Heart study:

Know of my prayers for all of you, your families, students, parishes, and schools! I was already in the habit of praying for my blog readers daily, but it seems to be even more important now. Don't hesitate to reach out if there is something I can be doing or sharing that might help all of us!

Lenten Visio Divina Gallery Walk

Lent is quickly approaching (I promise a round up post later in the week!) so I'm busy planning activities for my students to help them enter into the richness of the Season.

On new thing I want to do with them is a gallery walk of Lenten art. I found a selection of art about the Paschal Mystery which are all in the public domain. I had them printed at an office supply store on 11x17 paper and will have them laminated at school. Each page only cost $.60, so for less than $5 I've got a collection mini posters of classic art for my students to learn from and pray with.

I plan to use these as part of a Lenten retreat where they will be hung on the wall and students will have time to walk, look, pray, and journal. I adapted the guidelines for Lectio Divina to work with Visio Divina- "Divine Seeing." I hope that the steps (which are familiar to my students) will help them slow down and really ponder this art.

If you'd like to try the same, the art I chose is available here in two sizes, as well as the Visio Divina Guide.

Click here for the Lent Gallery Art in 11x17" format:

Click here for the Lent Gallery Art in 8.5x11" format:

Click here for the Visio Divina Guide:

Lectio Divina with Kids: Printable Resources

Lectio Divina, or "Divine Reading" as time praying with Scripture, is a priority in my classroom. I use this beautiful prayer technique weekly with my 6th-8th students, and I love the flexibility and potential it presents us. Personally, Lectio has really helped me add depth to my time reading and praying with Scripture and I firmly believe that it can be used with any age as well as bear fruit both individually and in groups.

I posted a year or so ago about the graphic organizer I use to introduce and reinforce Lectio Divina in my classroom, but the more I teach, the more I'm learning tips and strategies to guide students who learn and communicate in varied ways. I still have my original chart hanging up, but often add notes around it on the white board and a couple of weeks ago added these additional resources, which are the ones I will leave up once the students are used to referring to them.

One strategy that has worked well to explain the difference in the steps is using simple symbols:
Lectio- Read- Hold up the Bible- Read to understand
Meditatio- Meditate- Point to your head- Think about how the passage connects to your life
Oratio- Pray- We talk to God
Contemplatio- Contemplate- We listen to God (this one is the most over simplified, but you can't exactly show a visible example of Contemplatio)
So the pattern Read- Think- Pray- Listen is an easy guide for them to remember, and I think makes Lectio Divina accessible even to preschoolers. I've attached a printable below that might be helpful for younger students.

For my middle schoolers, they have the steps memorized, but to hold them accountable and to slow them down, I have them journal a little bit about each step. It's certainly not a requirement for praying Lectio Divina, but helps adapt it for classroom use. We often talk the about the passage together, hitting on Lectio and Meditatio. The students then write down a few reflections and move on to Oratio and Contemplatio individually.

While it is something they are capable of doing, I also know it's not easy, so I try to support (especially the 6th graders) with some prompts. I finally got them all typed up into nice printables instead of just scrawls on our board. ;)

The individual page is great to tuck into their Bible or folder where they work on their Lectio Divina reflections- especially for students who are having a harder time with the concept, or you can cut it into fours to use as cue cards. There is also a set with the same info each on a full page, which works great for mini posters in your classroom.

I hope that these resources help you feel equipped to share Lectio Divina and deeper prayer in Scripture with your students and children! Here are all the printables for you to use:


Click here for the Visual Cue Lectio Divina Cards:

Click here for the Lectio Divina Journal Starter cards:

 Click here for the four 8.5x11" mini posters:

And for a couple of other posts about Lectio Divina, click on the following photos.

Go to this post for both a filled in and a blank graphic organizer about the steps in Lectio Divina:

And this post for these simple Lectio Divina bookmarks, including recommendation for praying Lectio Divina in groups:

Lectio Divina Graphic Organizer

I've written before about using the Lectio Divina method of praying with Scripture, and it remains my favorite way to read the Bible both with adults and with my students. In my new job teaching jr. high religion, we have a Lectio Divina task once a week and I've noticed that especially the 6th graders, who are new to this method, need a little support. Rather than continue to repeat the answers to the same questions, I decided to make graphic organizer they can put in their prayer journals. You can get your own copy at the end of the post.

And to make an easy reference tool, I also made it into a poster version to hang in the classroom. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen how I made this- I projected the graphic organizer onto my smart board, and with the touch sensitivity turned off, traced it onto a piece of chart paper. I don't usually go to that much work when I am making an anchor chart, but since this is one I anticipate leaving up for a long time, it is nice to have it neat and easy to read.  I also think that it is a strength that the chart matches the student version, helping them recognize and retain the information.

If you'd like to use this graphic organizer but have different prompts or questions for your students, I also made a blank version you could have them fill in themselves. Or you also could use it as a guideline for Lectio Divina notes on a particular Scripture passage.  How ever you use it, Lectio Divina a beautiful way to help your students, small group, or yourself to engage with the Bible!

Check out this post for printable Lectio Divina Bookmarks and a seven part Way of Light Bible Study for teens or adults.

Click here for the graphic organizer:

Click here for the blank graphic organizer: