Sunday, January 1, 2023

January Radiant Roundup

 

Happy New Year, Friends! It's been a year of offering the Radiant Roundup, and I've been so grateful for the more practical organization method, opportunity to pull things out of the archives, and chance to share some new things in an easy & quick manner. If you haven't already subscribed, I'm also sending a brief monthly newsletter hitting the highlights for the coming month. You can sign up in the navy box to the right of this post. May God bless you richly in 2023!

Resources with a * mean that they contain free printables (or shareable digital files).


Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus: Feast Day January 3rd
Names of Jesus Mini Poster* 
The Significance of the Sign of the Cross Study*  (includes content on taking the Lord's Name in vain)
Mary, Mother of God: January 1st
Marian Ideas Collection* 

Epiphany: First Sunday after January 1st (traditionally January 6th)
Epiphany Home Blessing Kit* (Includes updates for the next few years)
*Original Post updated to include Home Blessing Booklets in Spanish*
Gifts of the Magi Bible Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: January 4th
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mini Study (Google Classroom Assignment)

Ordinary Time is perfect for growing in the virtues!
Virtues & Saints Bible Study* 3 guides for the Theological Virtues
Virtues & Saints Bible Study* 4 guides for the Cardinal Virtues


St. Thomas Aquinas: January 28th
St. Thomas Aquinas Mini Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

St. John Bosco: January 31st
St. John Bosco Mini Study* (Google Classroom Assignment)

Catholic Schools Week: Begins on the last Sunday in January
Saint Pennants- Perfect decor for Catholic Schools Week*

Resources for a New Year:
Start the year off with weekly readings and reflections with my books!
Through the Year With Jesus

Traditional Catholic Monthly Devotions:
Monthly Devotion Calendar Signs*




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January Catholic Kids Book List


January 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.

The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
The New Year
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Tomie de Paola
1/3- St. Genevieve
1/4- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
1/6- Epiphany
Where is the Baby King?- Henning & Atkins
1/22- Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn
1/28- St. Thomas Aquinas
1/31- St. John Bosco

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Saturday, November 26, 2022

December Radiant Roundup


Welcome to 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 and created a few new things for this year, 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!

Books for Catholic Kids- Advent, Christmas, & Feast Days for December
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.
What Advent Looks Like* Coloring Page
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)
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*

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

St. John: December 27th 


The Holy Family: December 30th
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
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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

December Catholic Kids Book List


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

New Liturgical Year

December Saints & Feast Days
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
12/12- Our Lady of Guadalupe
12/13- St. Lucy

O Antiphons: December 17th-24th

The Christmas Season 


The Holy Family: December 30th


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Sunday, October 30, 2022

November Radiant Roundup


November, the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
It's the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, a time that the Church Militant here on earth focuses our prayers on the Church Suffering. We also strive to orient our own gazes to Heaven, knowing that this life is only temporary. The days of Hallowtide- Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls- give us a perfect opportunity to teach kids about eternity and the hope that we have in Jesus. Here some activities for Hallowtide, as well as upcoming Saints' Feast Days and looking ahead to Advent on the last Sunday of the month.

All Saints: November 1st
12+ Ideas for Celebrating Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls Day*
Saint Scavenger Hunt*
Digital Saint Scavenger Hunt
All Saints Day Art Project
Beatitudes and Modern Saints Card Game*
All Saints Day Info Coloring Page*
Happy All Saints Day Coloring Page*
All Saints Day Litany Prayer Cards*
Saintly Friends Bingo Game (and book recs for Saint Pairs)* (all ages)
Saints Q&A Activity Book (5th-8th)*
Saint Trading Card Classroom Reward System (K-8th)
12+ Ideas for Celebrating All Saints Day* (K-8th)
Saint Pennants* (all ages)
Saint Pennants in more sizes*


New Resources: Saint Jeopardy Games
Each slide show has over 35 Saint trivia questions, set up in Jeopardy (answer, then question style). You can used these as is and play with your students, have a kid click through individually to test their knowledge, or make a copy and customize with Saints of your choice. (Note, these were originally based on the Confirmation Saints from my last couple of classes of students, so they truly are random. And there will be a few repeats between the two games. ;) )
Click here for Set One:

Click here for Set Two:



All Souls: November 2nd
All Saints and All Souls Day Letters*
All Souls Day Prayer Cards (Eternal Rest Prayer)*
Memento Mori Printables*
All About Relics Activity Book (5th-8th)*
12+ Ideas for Celebrating Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls Day*

New Resource: Memento Mori Visio Divina & Reflections
This slide show is intended for junior high and high schoolers to start a conversation on living each day with Heaven in mind, as well as praying for the dead. It included a recommended video, a set of art to use with Visio Divina, and a collection of Saint and Scripture quotes to use for discussion or journaling.
And here's a printable guide to the steps for Visio Divina the kids can use to help with discussion or a written reflection of the included art.

Black Catholic History Month
Black Saint Litany* (2nd and up)

New Resource:
Black American Catholics Research Page* (4th & up)
Photos to print here and awesome coloring pages from artist Fabiola Garza here.
My students used all of these tools, some books, and online research to create posters about these six holy men and women.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini: November 13th
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Activity Books


Feast of Christ the King: November 20th
Christ the King Music Playlist

Thanksgiving: November 24th
Psalm 9:2 Coloring Page*
Psalm 9:2-I will give thanks bulletin board*

Feast of the Miraculous Medal: November 27th
St. Catherine Laboure: November 28th
Miraculous Medal Embroidery Pattern* and links to free resources

St. Andrew: November 30th

Advent: 1st Sunday of Advent- November 27th
What Advent Looks Like* Coloring Page
Advent, Christmas, Epiphany Ideas 2019
Advent Family Calendar (structure & activity ideas, includes an editable version)*
Weekly Advent Reflection Slides (Editable for Google Classroom)
Advent & Christmas Videos
Advent Music Playlist
Sacred Art Visio Divina for Advent (Digital Resources)
New Advent Resources
Printable Advent Wreath Candles*
Printable Advent Wreath Candles (Spanish)*
Printable Advent Wreath Candles (Dutch)*
Advent Traditions for Anyone and Everyone *
Advent Family Traditions*
Decorating for Advent
Advent Today
Favorite Advent Videos
Advent Trivia Jeopardy
Advent Prayer Ring*
Advent Prayer Cards for Each Sunday (Year C)*
Advent Weekly Reflections

New Liturgical Year Resources
The Liturgical Year Coloring Book*
Liturgical Year Calendar
Liturgical Year Printable & Colorable Calendar
Decorating for the Liturgical Year
Liturgical Year Board Game
Monthly Devotion Signs*
Ideas for Living the Liturgical Year in the Classroom*


Books
Books for November Feast Days

And Books for Advent & Christmas
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The Source & The Summit- Studying the Eucharist


We often spend a lot of time teaching kids about the Eucharist in preparation for their First Holy Communion, as we well should! But sometimes this great gift is then a mere mention in the textbooks of later grades. I want my students to see the Eucharist as integral to what we believe, literally "The Source and the Summit" as described in the Catechism, so I've been working on adding some new tools into my curriculum.

The activities below were created with my middle schoolers in mind, but could certainly be stretched to older kids or simplified for younger. We did them as stations, and there is a booklet with the student copies all in one place at the bottom of the post, or you could use any of them individually. The National Eucharistic Revival is a perfect reminder and opportunity to renew our focus on the Most Blessed Sacrament in our homes, parishes, and classrooms!

You can also find resources for other Eucharist projects and teaching about the Mass under the Sacraments tab here.

Click here for a page of recommended Scripture verses in the New Testament. I hung this up and the students chose their own passage for a Lectio Divina reflection, which can be found below.

Get a student reflection page for Lectio Divina here:

These Old Testament Typology passages are a great way to show that the Eucharist was concealed in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Click here for a list of Types of the Eucharist in the Old Testament:

This fill-in-the-blank page uses the NABRE translation of the Bible if you want to make it as easy as possible on your students to find the missing words. These would all make great memory verses to remind what we believe about the Eucharist!
Click here for a fill-in-the-blank of five important verses about the Eucharist:
In addition to Sacred Scripture, it is important to teach kids how to navigate the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There are tons of paragraphs in the CCC related to the Eucharist, but this page has them read a little from the section that explains the term "Source & Summit":

Here is a cover page/coloring page/mini poster to use with this unit:


And if you'd like to do these activities as a whole unit or offer them as stations, you can find the student handouts in this booklet:
Other supporting resources for the stations include this post on books about the Eucharist:


This post about using Visio Divina with Sacred Art about the Eucharist:

And this post about Bl. Carlo Acutis and his Eucharistic Miracles Website:
May Jesus, Truly Present in the Blessed Sacrament, help us keep our eyes fixed firmly on Him!

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