Sanctus Simplicitus

I'm starting a little project with my son called Notebooking Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints. I recently found out about notebooking pages as a way to keep track of school projects and papers throughout the year in an orderly fashion as well as something presentable that the child can show family and friends. One of my little guys has taken up to learning about every saint that is mentioned and asking daily who the saint is on our Liturgical Year Bulletin Board.

I showed him one day Butler's Lives of the Saints, he isn't yet able to read on his own, but he was still in awe because the book was much bigger than his children's saint book. I asked if he wanted to learn about each saint listed there, being one for every day, and he was full of excitement. So I share with you our notebooking pages for the month of April Lives of the Saints. The goal is to share these monthly pages along with the saints for the Liturgical Year Bulletin Board. The bulletin board may not have as many as there are notebook pages as the ones for the board come from the mass prayers the Church has for each day where as the notebooking pages come from Butler's Lives of the Saints. Directions are included in the download but as always feel free to leave comments/questions below.


*** As an additional note! ***
Aprils Saint download for the Liturgical Bulletin Board had the wrong picture on the 29th for St. Peter of Verona. That file is corrected now and replaced, you may find it HERE as well. Pieces have also been added for Maunday Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday per reader request. God bless!

It's a little early yet for these Saint's feast day but a friend of mine is celebrating her Bulgarian born daughter being home (since her adoption) and wanted some special things to celebrate the day with. Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius are the patron saints of the Slavs. St. Cyril was the creator of the Cyrillic alphabet which is used in Bulgaria, Russia and many other countries. This made it the perfect fit for celebrating Catholic Bulgarian culture!

Saints Cyril and Methodius' feast day is traditionally on July 7th. So you may use these now or log them away for a few months down the road. Included in these three files are holy cards, book marks, a maze, a word find, Dom Gueranger's article from the Liturgical Year on these saints and a few notebooking pages. I hope you enjoy and find them useful. God bless!

~*~ UPDATE! ~*~ A new file is linked below that has a couple corrected items on the previous file AND A SECOND PAGE that allows you to fill in your own daily tasks instead of the pre-filled. God bless!

Many of you know about the Daily Tasks Download that was shared back in December, it will be included in the next season's Holy Simplicity planner. There are also plans to make it a bit more elegant with a color option. Color always seems so much more motivating!

I've been using the daily tasks page off and on since I shared it on the blog. I found that while all the space was nice it was sort of a waste of paper and I liked to have a weekly overview. Also I had another sheet with my weekly household chores on it so I was essentially using three items to plan my day (daily task sheet, cleaning sheet & Holy Simplicity Planner). By merging the two in one, the daily task and cleaning, I cut down some waste and gained some time. I also realized that while noting down daily goals they often would be too many for one day and ended up being weekly goals. There is a spot on this new form for weekly goals with all the other items from the daily task sheet.

What do you think? Should this be included for each week in the Holy Simplicity Planner? Should it be it's only daily planner? Leave it just a single download sheet? How would you use this form best?

Two more freebies for our readers! A great way to teach the order of the 10 commandments, something of conversation in our house more recently as the boys are learning them. They also seem to get reminded of certian ones throughout the day ;) What better way than to make it a game and with the special ones in our house any game that is moveable always captures the attention much better! The Matching the 10 Commandments with Moses gives them the opportunity to use their fine motor skills and strengthen those fingers!

The second printable is Ordering the Stations of the Cross- 'busy bag'. If you are aware of the busy bag craze you will know what these are about. Great simple games that can be contained in a small bag. Easy to take on the go and simple enough to entertain without too much instruction. This printable features the 14 stations of the cross on which the child places the correct number station (as marked on the clothes pin) to the correct picture and title. This one comes with an answer key so the child or the parent can check the work when it is complete. For those who can't read yet they can use the answer key to match up the pins and still have a fun, entertaining and educational time.

Feel free to share the printables, if you would link back to our website or give credit in some way that would be wonderful! May God provide you a most fruitful Lenten season! God bless!


Matching the 10 Commandments with Moses- Busy Bag Download

Ordering the Stations of the Cross- Busy Bag Download

The same wonderful friend of mine who generously shares her families St. Catherine Academy's Newsletter has allowed me to share her wonderful Lenten Lapbook. Created by a Catholic mother for her children using many resources. Here are a few files to help out in creating a lapbook similar to the one pictured above.

Stations of the Cross

Sacred Heart Stickers

Flower Stickers

Inserts for Lapbook

Crown of Thorns Image

A few directions:
Use the cross to count down the days to Easter by placing a Sacred Heart sticker at the end of each day, and the crown of thorns is where they keep track of their good deeds.

My Gifts for Jesus

Can you make sacrifices and acts of love for Jesus throughout the day?  The thorns are reminders of Jesus' love for us, and how much He willingly and lovingly suffered.  When you love someone, it overflows from your heart into action!  The love we pour into each small act is precious to Jesus.  At the end of each day, if you have tried your best to love Jesus during the day by being obedient, kind, and helpful, place a lovely flower sticker on a thorn (or draw and  color a flower "sprouting" on a thorn).  On Easter you will have a beautiful wreath(s) of flowers to give to our Risen Lord! (From a Year with God by Catholic Heritage Curricula)

Under each small picture is an explanation of what takes place in the Church on that day and why.  The little folder with Jesus and the Children is where they write down the sacrifices they are trying to do along with some of the bad habits they are trying to correct.  The Stations of the Cross cards are for them  to color.  The yellow envelope contains a picture of the Resurrection to open on Easter.  It is done on a purple file folder.


May you have a blessed Lenten season!

A little crafting tutorial to share for the Feast of Saint Valentine, inspired by a pin on Pintrest. A fellow blogger was using up candy canes from Christmas and made a heart shape with two left over ones. Seeing this and knowing the story of the Candy Cane, it seemed the most perfect treat for Saint Valentine's Feast Day!

The Legend of the Candy Cane
“A humble man wished to use his candymaking art to make a Christmas gift for Christ that came straight from his heart. First he shaped the candy into a shepherd's staff, a "J" - to stand for the name of Jesus, who was born on Christmas Day. He used white stripes to symbolize Jesus' virgin birth, and His sinlessness and purity during His time on earth. Finally, he colored the candy with stripes made out of red, to represent the scourging and the blood that Jesus shed. He had created the Candy Cane, to remind us during this season that Christmas is a sweet gift of love - Jesus is the reason.”

Saint Valentine sent hearts of parchment to those imprisoned for their Faith. On the Feast of Saint Valentine let us remember the Candy Cane heart for one of God’s most dear friends who shed his blood for LOVE of Him whom created Him.

“This saint fought even unto death, for the law of his God, and feared not the words of the wicked; for he was set upon a firm rock.”

-Antiphon of St. Valentine

Welcome to the second week of our St. Valentine's Keeping It Catholic Monday. Tomorrow is the Feast of Saint Valentine! To read our first post on St. Valentine with his story taken from Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints visit HERE. To inspire us all to keep such a wonderful feast day Catholic there is an article below and then after that several printable and activities for children. May you have a blessed and holy feast day tomorrow!

Today the article shared is from  "Practical Aids for Catholic Teachers" by Sister Mary Aurelia, O.S.F., M.A. (Sisters of St. Francis, Millvale, Pa.) and Rev. Felix M. Kirsch, O.M.Cap., Litt.D. (Capuchin College, Catholic Uniersity, Washington, D.C.) Impr. 1928

St. Valentine's Day - February 14
To the Teacher: The feast of St. Valentine will give the Catholic teacher a splendid opportunity to encourage children to send messages and greetings of Catholic import and meaning to their friends instead of such that are not only foolish but often pagan in character and which take the form of valentines, as they are called. What purpose does it serve to let the children cut out hearts, darts, cupids, and the like, to send to their friends? How much better to suggest to the children to make religious pictures and booklets to send to their friends! A message of cheerfulness and encouragement to the sick, to those in affliction, in imitation of the thoughtfulness of St. Valentine is much better. The sending of valentines has assumed great proportions. Catholic teachers can start a crusade against this custom by introducing a counter movement which will serve to perpetuate the real motive that actuated St. Valentine. It will not do merely to frown on the custom or to voice disapproval; to combat it effectively something better must be substituted. This plan has been tried in some schools with great success. It appealed, not only to the children, but to the adult members of the family as well. If the children cannot make booklets, introduce the custom of sending holy pictures. It will be a good investment, even if the teacher must supply the pictures. Children do not usually make much use of holy pictures unless they are taught to mount them on construction paper or paste them in booklets. This is an interesting occupation for them and at the same time much good can be accomplished if they study the picture and write a sentence or two under each.

The courage of St. Valentine
The story of St. Valentine is very interesting and it shows that even when the saints were suffering every kind of pain and torture, they had the courage to go on and do all they could to help others. St. Valentine was a priest who did much good among the people. At the time he lived, wicked men were trying to kill every one that believed in Christ. They were especially anxious to kill those that were teaching the people to know Christ. St. Valentine was not afraid, but he went about doing his work, helping his people. When he was put into prison he did not forget his friends. He spent his time praying for them and in writing little letters to them. He tied these messages around the necks of pigeons and sent them to his friends. You can imagine how glad they were to get a letter from the good Father Valentine as they called him. These letters cheered the people and helped to make them strong in their faith. Now you know why people send valentines. However, instead of sending such silly messages as some people are sending today, we shall send kind letters to the sick, the poor, the helpless, to cheer them in their sufferings. That is what St. Valentine did. 
I have a little plan for you. I know you will wish to be like St. Valentine and make others happy. Now you say, "How can we do that?" I shall tell you. It is very easy. Suppose you make a booklet containing some beautiful pictures of the Infant Jesus or the Blessed Virgin or some other saint. I know you can make somebody happy by sending them such a booklet. What do you think of my plan? Do you wish to do this? To whom can we send the booklets? That can be easily settled. There are many children in hospitals or in orphan asylums. Don't you think they would like your little books? Would it make them feel better? Would St. Valentine want you to do that? Make up your minds today which pictures you wish to use for your booklet. You can paste the pictures into it during your spare time. Tomorrow we shall get them ready to send away. While you are making booklets, think of St. Valentine and the messages he sent to his friends. Ask him to help you make others happy, especially those that are sick or in trouble. 
Practice:
1. I will make the best booklet I know how to make
2. I will not spend any money on silly valentines, but I will make pictures or booklets to send to my friends.

Hearts good and true
Have wishes few
In narrow circles bounded,
And hope that lives
On what God gives
Is Christian hope well founded.

Small things are best:
Grief and unrest
To rank and wealth are given;
But little things
On little wings
Bear little souls to Heaven.
Fr. Faber