Enjoy Pentecost Birthday Cake!

When your daughter turns 12 on Pentecost and already had her meal requests in - including yellow cake and berries- you honor that request, layer on some symbolism, and... ta-da!

Pentecost Birthday Cake!

So easy peasy!

The three berries in the center remind us of our triune God and the fact that when Christ left earth after His death and Resurrection, the Spirit followed.

The large candle in the center represents Christ our Light and His promise to send the Holy Spirit.

The 12 smaller candles represent the Apostles and the tongues of fire which came down on Pentecost.

The 12 berries they are in represent the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit.

All the berries around the cake represent the people of many nations who were told about Christ, one to another, growing the Church.

Of course, two of the symbols of Pentecost are captured in this Birthday cake - the tongues of fire with the flames of the candle and the wind with the kids blowing out the flames. Red - the color of Pentecost - is also there.

What is not there is a dove - which could easily have been added with a picture of large figurine, if I had thought of it - and symbolic 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

This last omission was purposeful.  For, I could have put a ring of seven strawberries into hearts to remind us of the loving 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, but one of my children detests strawberries, so I opted not to cover too much of the cake surface in them.

You could do it though!

Because birthday child or not, Pentecost is a wonderful day for a birthday cake as a way to remember the birthday of the Church and our part within it.

Each of us is given 7 Gifts and, using those gifts, the 12 Fruits happen... Our Lord wishes us to continue the work of the Apostles - to spread news of Him.

Today - and every day - may we grow in relationship with our Lord and our neighbors.

Blessed Pentecost to one and all!

Go on a Blind Listening Nature Walk for Pentecost

The other day, my daughter told me she would like to go on more walks this spring and summer. Thus, as I was thinking about ideas for Pentecost this year, a Blind Listening Nature Walk came to mind.

Going on a Blind Listening Nature Walk as a family, with friends, or with a co-op or church group could be a meaningful faith, trust,  and nature experience.

What Concepts and Skills Does This Activity Teach?

Through a Blind Listening Nature Walk for Pentecost, children will focus on nature appreciation, sensory awareness, empathy, trust, listening, and remembering to follow the Holy Spirit's promptings.

What Is Needed?

This activity works best if you have two people per group, plus another person overlooking everyone as a second set of eyes for safety. 

Each partner group will need a bandanna or strip of cloth to work as a blindfold and a short rope or second bandanna.

How to Facilitate a Blind Listening Nature Walk

{Note: The photos in this post were taken on a quick test run of the activity near our home. I have done similar blind walks on trails and in drama classes before and am planning one with a Pentecost theme, but have no pictures of it yet, of course. So, I snapped these just to give you an idea of what it might look like. Imagine trails and woods instead of a patchy overgrown piece near the road.}

Stand at a trailhead and ask the children what they see. Talk about the beautiful things they notice. Ask if anyone notices any obstacles. Discuss how nature, like life, sometimes places obstacles or challenges in our way. At times, these challenges are easy to recognize and overcome.

Ask the children to make their way down the path a bit - perhaps 10 paces, looking carefully for anything that may trip them up.

Call everyone to a halt and ask if anyone had any trouble along the path.

Then, take out blindfolds and ask how our walk might be if we put them on. Ask for a volunteer to put a blindfold on and to make it 10 paces back down the path we just came.

Note changes in how the volunteer progressed - perhaps more cautiously, more slowly, with hands out, etc. 

Ask if the volunteer would feel comfortable going on a more difficult trail, or even off-trail with the blindfold on.

Chat about how, sometimes, in life, we face challenges and obstacles that can trip us up, sometimes, those challenges are not always easy to see on our own.

Explain that now it is time for everyone to try a Blind Listening Nature Walk challenge.

To do so, everyone should pair up and decide who will be the guide and who will be the walker.

Each guide then helps the walker put on a blindfold. The guide, then, holds one end of a short length of rope or bandanna and places the other end in the walker's hand, before the guide leads the walker around and about.

The guide should:

• make sure the walker is safe at all times.
• walk slowly and turn gently.
• let the walker know when to start and stop by tugging twice on the rope.
• find a path that seems interesting from an auditory perspective.

The walker should:

• keep eyes covered/closed—no peeking!
• keep the rope taut (so as not to crash into the guide!)
• allow self to be pulled along.
• start/stop when two tugs are felt.

Throughout the activity, neither the guide nor the walker should speak as talking spoils the “pure listening” aspect of the experience.

After a short period, have the guide and walker stop and have the walker take of the blindfold.

Debrief the nature experience with questions such as:

• How did you feel during the walk?
• Were you nervous or uncomfortable?
• What types of sounds do you remember besides your partners voice?
• Did anything surprise you? 
• How did the experience of not seeing affect the way you listened along the trail?
• What other sensory information did you notice? 
• Do you think you could retrace your steps without the blindfold using auditory and sensory cues you recall?

Remind children that listening is a key skill in life... and in prayer.

Then, the guide and walker should switch places.

Connecting the Experience to Pentecost

After the walk, debrief the experience related to Pentecost.

Read or retell the story of Pentecost from the Bible, a Bible stories book, or memory. Discuss how the apostles were gathered and, perhaps, felt confused, afraid, alone, or somewhat "in the dark" after the experiences of the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension - how Jesus had left them, returned, then left them again.

Then, the Holy Spirit came.

The Holy Spirit is still with us - here to guide us.

We never need walk alone in life.  If we are open to the Holy Spirit and listen, the Spirit will guide us!  

Of course, let the conversation flow as it naturally does, being sure to make any points about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit that you can and, also, perhaps, sharing this verse from Galatians 5:25:

 If we live in the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit!

  Check Out Other Pentecost / Holy Spirit Ideas

Holy Spirit Lesson Ideas

Faith through Food and Fun: Ascension and Pentecost

Celebrate Pentecost with Symbolic Eats

Flashback to 2015

Come, Holy Spirit, Come

Get Low-to-No Prep Symbols of the Holy Spirit Lesson Ideas

Are you looking for low-to-no prep ideas for focusing on the Holy Spirit before Pentecost? 

Perhaps the lesson I did with a once-a-month co-op class I teach will inspire you.

The lesson requires few materials and can work just as well in a classroom as it can with a family!

Welcome and Introduction to the Liturgical Season

After welcoming students, I opened with a simple chat, which hit on these points:

• What season have we been in in the Church? (Easter)
• What season came before that? (Lent)
• How long is Lent? (40 days)  
• How about Easter (50 days)
• When does the Easter season end? (on Pentecost)
• What happened on Pentecost? (The Holy Spirit descended.)
• Who is the Holy Spirit? (the Third Person of God)

The Pentecost Story

I, then, invited the children to gather around me while I read "The Coming of the Holy Spirit" from The Children's Bible. (If you don't have this books, you could read the Pentecost story from any other Bible here or read about it in The Holy Spirit.)

While reading, I paused to engage the children in making wind blowing sounds and hand gestures, acting out what tongues of fire might look like, etc.  Then, after reading, I asked which signs and symbols of the Holy Spirit they noticed in the story.  Of course, after our sound-effect pauses, they remembered wind and fire!

Signs and Symbols of the Holy Spirit

I, then, asked if anyone knew any other signs or symbols for the Holy Spirit and suggested that we collect at least eight ideas on paper.

To do so, I handed out paper and led the students in folding it in half length-wise, then in half and in half again the other way, so each child ended up with eight rectangles.  Then, I offered markers, colored pencils, and pencils, and, in each rectangle, directed the children to write words and images to represent eight signs and symbols of the spirit.

1. Wind

As the children wrote or drew an image of "wind" in one rectangle, I explained that the original Hebrew and Greek words for "Spirit" can be translated as"wind".  I also suggested that the wind that appeared on Pentecost was reminiscent of the wind that blew over the waters at the beginning of Creation.  Further, I pointed out that the symbol of wind can call to our attention to the Holy Spirit breathing new life into the Church.

2. Fire

Then, we drew "fire" as we talked about how the tongues of fire at Pentecost were reminiscent of the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and also of the column of fire that the people of God were led by at night during the Exodus.

As a movement break, we got up and acted out following the column of fire.

We also talked about how fire has a transforming energy and the Holy Spirit can transform us.

3. A Dove

We talked about how the dove is one of the most common symbols of the Holy Spirit and thought of places in the Bible we have heard about doves: A dove signaled the end of the flood in Genesis and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove during Jesus' Baptism.  The dove tends to be a symbol of purity and harmlessness; when we are open to the Spirit, our love for God becomes more pure and our life is filled with less harm (or sin).

4. A Lamp or Rays of Light

We recalled the Easter Vigil and how candles lit up the darkness.  Then, we talked about how just one candle, light, or lamp can bring such a flood of light into a dark place, and, how, when one candle lights another, the darkness fades further and further away. 

We likened this to the Holy Spirit in the role of Enlightener - our source of insight, inspiration, guidance, and direction.

Related, we talked about Rays of Light and recalled the Annunciation and how the Holy Spirit came upon Mary.  We looked at images of the Annunciation and saw the rays of light - thinking about how the Holy Spirit sends us rays of light from Heaven.

5. A Cloud

We talked about how clouds provide life-giving water, like the Holy Spirit.  We also noted that clouds frequently in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible - the pillar of cloud that led the Hebrews by day during the Exodus, the cloud when Moses received the Ten Commandments, the cloud when Jesus ascended into Heaven, and more.  Moreover, we chatted about how clouds, in Bibles and religious art, often appear with an image of light - symbolizing God, who is mysterious and hidden, but also luminous and revealing. 

6. Water

Of course, when water came up, we talked about how it signifies birth and life, representing the life-giving action of the Holy Spirit at Baptism.  We also recalled many times in the Bible that water is significant - Jesus' Baptism, the water that flowed from Jesus' pierced side and is depicted in the Divine Mercy image, water from the rock, and more

7. Oil

We discussed how Sacred Chrism is used at baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders and how the Oil of the Infirm is used for the sick or injured. We also recalled some of the places in the Bible oil is used - by priests in Hebrew Scriptures consecrated in the power of the Holy Spirit, to consecrate the meeting tent, the Ark of the Covenant, and its furnishings, to make Saul King, to make David kind, etc. We recognized that oil reminds of us the Holy Spirit uniting us with Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One.

8. A Hand or Finger

We talked about how Jesus blessed people and healed the sick by laying hands on them, and, in His name, the apostles did the same.  We also talked about how "It is by the finger of God that Jesus cast out demons". 

We then chatted about how God' s law was written on tablets of stone "by the finger of God" and how, later, the Spirit of the living God wrote, not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

The Holy Spirit is written in our hearts.  The Holy Spirit can bless and guide us. 
 

All of this conversation was presented with leading prompts and questions, drawing the children's ideas out and helping them to make connections.

Since we had some religious art and a picture Bible on hand, we also paged through to related images and stories when appropriate.

Come Holy Spirit, Come

Once we had captured eight signs and symbols of the Holy Spirit on our papers, I asked the children to cut their papers on the folded lines to make cards. As they did so, I asked if anyone had ever heard a prayer to or about the Holy Spirit.  Then, I read the children, Come Holy Spirit, Come:

Come, Holy Spirit, 
fill the hearts of your faithful.

And kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit
and they shall be created.

And you will renew the face of the earth. 

Lord, 

by the light of the Holy Spirit 

you have taught the hearts of your faithful.

In the same Spirit 

help us to relish what is right 

and always rejoice in your consolation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

I suggested that although this prayer may be a it long for some of them to memorize and pray right away, we can all remember and pray one line from it whenever we need extra strength or guidance - Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Then, to help us remember that very brief prayer, we used two children's sets of cards to play a "Go Fish" game with the signs and symbols of the Holy Spirit, but, instead of saying, "Go Fish", we said, "Come, Holy Spirit, come," when drawing cards from the "fish" pile.

The children loved this!

Holy Spirit Kites

Finally, I asked what happens when we don't let the Holy Spirit into our lives - we get stuck!  However, when we do, when we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we are moved!

To help us remember to let the Holy Spirit move us, we ended out class by making "Holy Spirit Kites".

Basically, we colored and cut out patterns of doves and, then, folded and stapled them into 3-D shapes with wings out (almost like a paper airplane).  We punched a hole in the tail, tied ribbon to it, then, ran around, noticing how when we moved, the kites flew, and remembering: We must allow ourselves to be moved by the Holy Spirit!

The children loved this activity, too!

Two More Ideas for Kinesthetic Kids!

Because my students had a lot to say when we were drawing out different signs and symbols of the Holy Spirit, then, enjoyed playing the Come Holy Spirit, Come card game and flying their kites so much, we ran out of time before I was able to present two more "on your feet" activities.  Thus, I had to "back pocket" my final two lesson ideas for use in our next class (which will be this month). 

These ideas are ideal for kinesthetic kids that prefer movement activities to drawing/crafting ones.

1. Build a Holy Spirit Teaching Prop

Using their choice of Stackadoos, Picasso Tiles, or SmartMax Build & Learn, challenge small teams of children to build a prop that can be used to teach something or tell a story related to signs and symbols of the Spirit.  (Legos, K'nex, or even recyclables and odds and ends from your craft closet could be used for this challenge, too!)

2. Let the "Holy Spirit" Lead You Through and Obstacle Course

Talk about how life is filled with challenges or obstacles. Then, ask the children to spend 1-2 minutes placing chair and tables around the room to represent obstacles.  

Then, blindfold someone and challenge them to walk across the room without bumping into any obstacles.  Is it hard to do on your own?

Suggest that we do not have to walk alone in life.  If we are open to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will guide us!  

Have another person act as the Holy Spirit for the person with the blindfold, offering verbal commands about where to step right, left, etc.

Take turns being blindfolded and giving guidance to navigate the obstacle course, all the while reminding students of Galatians 5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit!

To quiet and center children after these activities, the following prayer would be lovely.  (It can also be used for copywork!)

St. Augustine's Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, 

that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, 

that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, 

that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, 

to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, 

that I always may be holy.
Amen.

You may also draw inspiration from these posts:

Faith through Food and Fun: Ascension and Pentecost

Celebrate Pentecost with Symbolic Eats

Flashback to 2015

Come, Holy Spirit, Come

Celebrate Pentecost with Symbolic Eats

Happy Pentecost!

(The pictures in this post are from our 2015 breakfast, since we've yet to have our 2017 celebratory meal, and I've realized I never shared any of our 2015 snapshots.)

Last night, I realized that we did not have a single fresh fruit in our home, which absolutely would not do for Pentecost.  So, out went two of my children and I, so the kids could help me pick out 12 fruits for our annual Pentecost meal.  We always include fruit in our Pentecost meal to remind us of the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit:  charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.

While we were at the store, the children and I also purchased fruit juice to make juice wigglers with. Our juice wigglers will be cut into seven flame shapes with a dual symbolic purpose:

• to remind us of when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and their followers, filling them with enthusiasm and replacing their fear with courage so they could go forth and share Christ's story.
   
• to help us recall the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.

As in years past, our fruit and wiggler flames will be served alongside something to represent a cake - for the birthday of the Church on a table with red candles and dishes - since Pentecost's liturgical color is red, representing the zeal of those who open their hearts to the Holy Spirit and the dynamism of the Spirit itself.

After singing happy birthday to the Church, we'll blow our candles out, remembering wind as a symbol of the Holy Spirit and the driving wind that surrounded all of the apostle on the first Pentecost - the same breath of the Holy Spirit that strengthens and challenges us all on our faith journey.

We'll also, of course, have some water, symbolic of the Holy Spirit and representing new life and the commitment made at the time o our baptism and renewed throughout our faith lives.Finally, on the table, will be a representation of a dove, since the Holy Spirit descended "like a dove" and hovered over Jesus when he was baptized, and, thus, continues to be an enduring symbol of peace.
Before we eat, we'll pray the prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord,
by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

 

{Disclosure: There are affiliate links contained in this post.}

During and after our meal, we'll continue the slim book we've been reading for the past few days, The Holy Spirit, which currently sells for less then $1.50.

You might also enjoy reading about our 2014 and 2016 meals.

Come, Holy Spirit, Come, kindle in us the fire of your love and help us shine with your light in this world.  Whenever anything dims our fire, ignite us anew.

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

What a blessed Pentecost it has been here.

It started with this year's version of our now-traditional annual Pentecost meal, which included a GFCF waffle "cake", eggs, and fruit.

Over our celebratory breakfast, we enjoyed praying, chatting about "faith through food", eating, and reading about Pentecost together.

Then, by the children's request, we had a final egg hunt of the year as we transitioned from the Easter season back to Ordinary Time.

After that, it was off to Mass, where the Pentecost decor grabbed our attention before Mass, and, I was invited up at the end of Mass to share a witness talk on how Christ has grabbed my attention, changing me as he has called me to live in closer relationship with him.

When preparing for that talk, and while offering it, I stayed open to the Spirit's promptings and it was evident.  The went so well.

The rest of our day went well, too.  It was filled simple blessings, such as family time on bikes and a dad keeping his son safe as his son tested new skills.

As Mike helped Jack, while Jack laughed and yahooed with joy, I thought about how Our Father has always kept me safe, no matter what adventure I have been up to.  When He's close, there is safety and joy.

Yes, this was truly a blessed kind of day here - one where we focused on faith and family... where we lived our vocations with the Spirit guiding us.  Praise be to God.

I pray your day was filled with blessings, too.

Happy Pentecost!

Faith through Food: Ascension Day and Pentecost

Faith through food! That's something we embrace around here.

Two days ago, we enjoyed part of our Ascension Day celebrations with an easy, meaningful picnic on our front lawn.

Quick and Easy Fixings!



(Note: Some of the links below are affiliate ones so you can easily see the products if you are not familiar with them.)

Having had a busy week and with life promising another full day, I needed to keep prep for the meal easy.  So, out came:

• toasted Vans GFCF Waffles
• Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread
• So Delicious Vanilla Cultured Coconut Milk
• fresh blueberries
• defrosted organic raspberries (since one of the children does not favor blueberries)
• Silk Pure Dark Chocolate Almond Milk 
• pure maple syrup
• cashews (for some protein)

At the head of the blanket, I also placed a statue of Jesus and Luke's copy of the The Action Bible opened to the page that depicts the Ascension. 

Faith through food! That's something we embrace around here.

Image Credit: Holy Heroes

Had we had more time for a picnic, I also would have put out a few things from one of our favorite apostolates, Holy Heroes, such as their Triumph of Jesus coloring book (which is half-off right now!) and their Glorious Mysteries CD.  But, revisiting those needed to wait for another day.

(Heads up:  For a limited time there is also a free coloring pages download of the Ascension on the Holy Heroes site, which you might want to grab for next year!)

Reinforcing the Readings with Food
 

Food at the ready on the blanket and grace prayed together, Daddy kicked off our faith through food time with a prayer from Why Catholic? Journey Through the Cathechism Live. 
 

 
Then, it was time to reinforce the Ascension day readings from the Bible through preparing and eating food, chatting and reading a portion of The Action Bible.

 
As I describe just how our food-and-faith chat unfolded, it might seem like it took a long time.  Honestly, the entire food-prep and chat portion of the "lesson" lasted less than ten minutes.  Then, further reading and conversation over the meal carried on for maybe a half an hour.  So, truly, I think anyone - even those with a tight mealtime schedule - could enjoy similar faith through food times on future Ascension days.  Our lesson was short, simple and oh so yummy!

First, we poured our Silk milk - a feast day favorite around here that we can tie quickly into anything.  In the case of Ascension day, it is brown, like the earth, and a sweet treat, like God's love shown to us through Jesus coming to earth and rising to open the Heavens!

Then, we all took served onto our plates.  I asked the kids why I might have chosen waffles for our Ascension Day lawn picnic.  What might they symbolize? Our brief discussion led to the ideas that:

• Waffles are round, like the earth is often drawn. Jesus came to the earth to be with us and stayed here many days.  He also rose after he was killed and stayed on earth for about 40 days before ascending into Heaven.

• The shape of a waffle is a circle.  Much like a circle never ends, neither does God's love for us.  Also, like a circle, Jesus came from Heaven to earth and went back to Heaven.  Waffles are also round like hosts, through which we receive Jesus at Mass.

• The waffles are brown, like dirt.  For us, they would represent the earth from which our Lord ascended into Heaven.

Next, for some, came the spreading of our "butter" and the idea that Jesus came to earth to spread God's love and that his disciples do the same. The apostles spread truths about God and our job is to do so as well.

Then, came yogurt (or rather, cultured vanilla coconut milk) topped with berries.  The children quickly piped up that these represented the sky into which Jesus ascended.  We also commented that the yogurt is white, a color of purity, like Jesus is pure and is sweet, like Jesus' love and that the fruit reminds us of the fruit of the Spirit, whom Jesus sent to guide us.  (Most of us put our yogurt and berries on our waffles, but our pickier eaters had them on the side!)

Finally, came the kids' favorite part of a waffle meal: the syrup.  I let the each pour a generous portion of pure maple syrup atop their waffles, asking while they did so, "What did God pour down on people shortly after Jesus ascended?"  The Holy Spirit!  We then chatted about how we see the Holy Spirit in our lives and how we can let the Spirit move us in sharing our faith, God's love and His light with others.


Then, as the children ate, I read a chapter from The Action Bible, which we chatted further about, before letting conversation move in completely organic ways.  The meal was brief but meaningful and fun.  I hope you might be inspired to enjoy a similar on with your children, soon.

Flashback to Our Easy Pentecost Breakfast Tea

 

Flashback to 2015

Next Sunday would actually make a fabulous day to try out faith through food.  I know that I plan to revisit some of the food ideas we enjoyed last year at our Pentecost Breakfast Tea!  Replete with symbolic foods, simple decorations, prayers and activities, that meal was a hit.  I just love when I can share faith, food and fun all in one with my children and hope you are inspired to do similarly.

How do you combine faith, food and fun in your home or classroom?  What Pentecost plans are unfolding for this year?