Our Easy GFCF Pentecost Breakfast Tea

{DISCLOSURE: There are Amazon affiliate links in this post.  We thank you for clicking through them to make any purchases you planned to make today.  Doing so does not cost you any extra, but it does bless us with a small portion of your purchase price.}

As anyone who read about our no-fuss gluten- and casein-free First Holy Communication desserts might realize, I am all about ease when it comes to celebration here.  Still, I like at least a modicum of nutrition (or at least not downright unhealthiness) to our treats.  So, this is what I came up with for our Pentecost breakfast celebration this morning:


Decoration

• On the table is our "party tablecloth", an ivory-colored tablecloth that Mike and I received for our wedding that has come to signify celebrations in our children's minds, with a red "runner" on top of it (which is really a scarf I received in a Christmas exchange some years ago.)

• Red and yellow candles to signify the Pentecostal tongues of fire and a white one to signify Christ the Light.

•  I placed seven paper "tongues of fire" with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit written on them on the table.

• As a visual, we opened The Action Bible that Luke received for his First Holy Communion to the first page of the Pentecost story (which Luke read us last night as part of our bedtime stories!)

•  I hung a small stuffed dove ornament that I made during some childhood class or group years and years ago and still have.

Food

• A Fruits of the Spirit Bowl:  Because my children prefer not have their "preferred" fruits mixed with their less-desired ones, making fruit salads is a waste in our home.  Thus, I simply put 12 varieties of fruit in a bowl and left a knife and placed a knife and peeler nearby for my sensory-kid to do his thing with.  I chose fruits that at least one child favors so everyone can find some produce power to eat:  apple, apple-pear, banana, blueberries, cherry, clementine, grapes, kiwi, pear, pineapple chunks, raspberries, strawberries.

• Tongues of Fire:  My children LOVE juice wigglers, so I made organic cranberry juice blend wigglers, which Luke and Jack cut into "tongues of fire" shapes.

• Birthday Cake for the Church:  Since Pentecost marks the church's birthday, I made 12 gluten- and casein-free orange-coconut cupcakes to represent both the 12 apostles and the 12 Fruits of the Spirit.  Because we had some special cupcake holders I scored after Easter on deep sale that sort of look like flames, our cupcakes also represent the tongues of fire.  (And because Luke does not like frosting, they went unfrosted.)   On each, I placed a birthday candles, both as another representation of the tongues of fire that descended on Pentecost and as, of course, birthday candles.  These cupcakes surrounded a small cake topped with Daiya "cream cheese" for Whitsunday.  That cake had a larger white candle in it to represent Christ our Light.  It also had seven raspberries on it to represent the Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

• Whitsunday Shakes:  I made white for Whitsunday shakes out of coconut milk, vanilla and frozen bananas.  

• "Fire" Juice: Juice is a huge treat for my children, so instead of tea, we had organic cranberry juice blend -- red for fire.

Activities

• Being the Great Wind and Happy Birthday to the Church:  Sure, in the Bible, the great wind comes and then the tongues of flame do, thereby beginning the church.  However, we did things backwards.  The flame came first and, then, after singing Happy song for the church, our children enacted the Great Wind to blow the flames out.  (And, yes, of course we mentioned that Christ's light and the light of the Holy Spirit should never figuratively be blown out even though we were blowing the candles that represent them out for fun!)

• Tongues of Fire Descending Play:  Juice wigglers beg playing with even if manners say that food should not be played with.  So, Nina led her siblings in having "tongues of fire" descend upon us.

• Fruits of the Spirit Quiz:  Using the Catholic Toolbox's Fruits of the Spirit File Folder game cards as inspiration we enjoyed a little oral trivia.

• Prayer:  Among our prayers, I read St. Augustine's beautiful words to the Holy Spirit as printed in Year with God : Celebrating the Liturgical Year. We also prayed that we'd be open to the Spirit at Mass and throughout our day.

• Spontaneous Play:  As I cleaned up breakfast, our Nina began a performance for me complete with puppets, song and props, singing with joy and filled with the Holy Spirit.  So sweet!

We  pray your Pentecost is filled with all the Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit.  We'd love to hear about your traditions and celebrations.

  
Please feel free to share about them in comment here or on our Training Happy Hearts Facebook page.  If you leave a link to an idea, I will pin it on the Training Happy Hearts: A Call to Faith Formation in Young Children Pinterest board.