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As I thought about how to approach observing the dedication to the Holy Name of Jesus this month, I recalled a favorite little book we own called Little Acts of Grace (which you can get a used copy of at Amazon for only a penny!)
When my children and I re-read Little Acts of Grace years ago, we enjoyed a simple little game of Giving a Nod to Jesus. Now, we have no need to play the game, though, since it has served its purpose, and my children consistently bow upon hearing Jesus' name.
Thus, I began searching for other ideas. In doing so, I stumbled upon the 24 Names of Jesus holiday unit study at EasyFunSchool last month, which I bookmarked, thinking we might use in an adapted form throughout this month. Upon further consideration, though, I realized that our family is not up for such a long, concentrated study about the different names of Jesus right now. So, I opted for a day-long, cross-curricular Holy Name of Jesus mini-unit instead. That way, I could draw my children's attention to the month's dedication, introduce/reinforce one of the names of Jesus, focus us on a small snippet of the Word, extend our study into other areas, and still keep up with other lessons, clubs, and activities we are committed to.
Planning the Unit
I based the Holy Name of Jesus mini-unit on our S.K.I.L.L. T.I.M.E + categories, which are as follows:
- Spell and Learn Words
- Keep Reading to Yourself (or Another)
- Illustrate and Write
- Listen to Reading
- Learn and Play with Language Arts
- Think, Read, and Write about Math
- Investigate and Problem Solve Using Math and Science
- Master Math Together
- Exercise Math Skills on My Own
- + Enjoy Other Topics and Studies
I also planned it so we could enjoy it all together. This meant including a wide variety of short activities that would appeal to (and have some learning value for!) my five-, eight-, and nine- -year-olds.
What I came up with had us:
- creating a page for our Faith Binders,
- playing a simple ball-toss word game,
- chatting about Greek letters,
- reading the Bible,
- exploring circles,
and more as we used and built upon ideas from:
- Catholic Culture,
- EasyFunSchool,
- DLTK-Bible,
- Wikipedia,
- Wikihow,
- Godtube,
- Youtube (more than once),
- For the Love of Teaching Math,
- NSA.gov,
- and Khan Academy,
We also used the fun book Sir Cumference and the First Round Table.
Get a FREE PRINTABLE PLAN!
I am thankful, of course, to those listed above who shared helpful ideas online that found their way into our Holy Name of Jesus Mini-Unit. In turn, I am passing that plan forward for you. You can find it here.
Please Share Your Ideas
I'd love to hear about your favorite activities, prayers, and resources for the Holy Name of Jesus. I'd also be interested in how you approach integrating learning about the liturgical year with other learning. Plus, I'd be delighted if you'd take time to share your go-to ideas and resources for February's dedication to the Holy Family, as well as for Lent. Please take the time to comment here or on our Facebook page with them. Thanks!
How do you introduce, explain, and observe each of the monthly dedications of the church with the children in your life?
