SAA Plans for 2010-11: Sacrament Prep for BamBam

I am so excited! I love this time of year when I search and search and plan and plan and search some more for the right blend of resources for loving, living and learning in the heart of our home!

Next year, I'll be preparing BamBam for his First Reconciliation/First Holy Communion!  I've got some plans all set (since I did this with String Bean and LegoManiac a few years ago -- and actually remembered to save everything!) but was trying to find a new, active, visual way of helping him understand -- without having to do a BUNCH of re-creating the wheel, as it were.

Well, some sweet fellow homeschooler mentioned Lapbooking with a Catholic Twist and the Faith Folders that she creates.  They are all wonderful, but the ones I'll be using for Sac Prep next year include:

• The Holy Mass Double Faith Folder
• The Sacrament of Holy Eucharist Faith Folder
• The Sacrament of Confession Faith Folder

I'd buy all of 'em, but we'll stick to those for now ....

Go check out the cool lapbooking ideas she's got ... btw, she is donating 50% of the profits from sales of the  Year for Priests Faith Folder  in Ryan Barrett's name to Autism Speaks and Friar Suppliers.  Cool huh?

 

Feast Day: St. Athanasius of Alexandria

Today is the feast of St. Athanasius of Alexandria -- he is the patron saint of our home-learning adventures:  Nine years ago, when dh was applying to study over in Austria, he had to write a commentary on one of St. Athanasius' major writings.  At the same time I was discerning whether or not to pull my older two from parochial school and home-educate (as a dear neighbor had done with her two boys).  Prayers to St. Athanasius for both the application and discernment about home-educating proved very efficacious!

When we needed a name for our "school", we unhesitatingly asked St. Athanasius for his patronage.

Here's our school logo:

St Athanasius of Alexandria ... continue to watch over SAAcademy ... continue to bless us as we strive to live, love and learn in the heart of our home!

[Note:  since today is Sunday, we'll party for St. A. tomorrow!]

It's the most wonderful time of the year ...

No, not Christmas ... although that is my favorite time of the year.

No, it's sitting-down-and-planning time for St. Athanasius Academy, now resident at Hilltop Farm.

All summer long (and even further back for some things), I've been planning the home-learning adventures for Lego Maniac (10), String Bean (9) and BamBam (6). I haven't commited anything to paper yet as I always wait till just before we start ... primarily because I get so excited about the stuff we're going to do that I can't wait to start, so this gets me "pumped up"!

I will start the actual putting-it-in-writing over the next two weeks for a proposed start date of August 31st. I'll be posting my plans and ideas and books over the next couple of weeks, but I did want to mention a suggestion for those of you who have not yet "put it in writing", either.

If you scroll down my left-side bar, you'll see an ad for Michele Quigley's planners (and other cool home-learning tools). I don't get a kick-back for this ad, but I am blessed to know Michele and her family-owned company, Family Centered Learning! FCL is aptly named -- all of Michele's products (including the free, Charlotte Mason-inspired but Catholic curriculum co-authored with Kathryn Faulkner, Mater Amabilis) are there to help the Catholic homeschooler become more family-centered through use of their products. With 10 children of her own, Michele knows the value of a dollar and tries to keep her product costs minimal while providing a beneficial product. Check out her site and you'll see freebies abound ... tips and techniques and menu-planners and liturgical calendar ideas and more.

The family always comes first for Michele and her products are a shining example of that!

Don't be fooled by others with similar names ... Michele and Family-Centered Learning are amazing and are unique.

If you haven't bought a Catholic planner for the school year, yet ... head on over to FCL and order one for you and all the women in your life ... and the men ... and the students too! The planners are exactly what hs moms (dads and kids, too) need to keep track of school while also catering to the spiritual needs of the whole family with the day's readings, saints and other Catholic information all ready for you and yours to celebrate!

And check back here next week for our plans for the coming months ... there might be some ideas and suggestions that will help you and yours on your own learning adventures!