Enjoy Faith, Fun, and Food with St. Elizabeth of Portugal

When I turned the calendar page to July and saw that Saint Elizabeth of Portugal's feast day is this week, I decided we'd focus some of our fun and learning on her.

As I brainstorm some S.K.I.L.L. T.I.M.E + plans - and a simple Saint Tea, I thought I'd share them with you in case you, too, would like to weave saint-based learning, food, and fun unto your week.

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal S.K.I.L.L. T.I.M.E + Ideas 
{Disclosure:  Some of the links which follow are affiliate ones.}

S - Spell and Learn Words  

My daughter has been asking to play our spelling word game, so, we'll likely write "Saint Elizabeth of Portugal " on mini-white boards and then try to create as many words as we can from the letters within the saints' names within an agreed upon amount of time.  Before beginning our timer, we'll recall that every word has to have a vowel in it and, then, suss out what vowels (and r-controlled vowels) we could use in our words, such as:

/ă/	a
/ā/	a, ai, ea, ei, eigh
/ä/	a, au, augh
/ĕ/	e, ea
/ē/	e, ea, ee, ei, i, ie,
/ĭ/	i
/ī/	i, igh, ei, eigh
/ŏ/	o, ough
/ō/	o, oa, ou, oe, ough, oo
/ö/	o, oo, ou, u, ui, oe, ough
/ŭ/	u, ou
/ū/	u
/ü/	u, oo
/oi/	oi
/ow/	ou, ough

plus: er, ir, ear, ar, or

We'll also look for two-letter phonograms we might use (sh, gn, ng, and th) and, possibly, search out which consonant blends might help us form words (bl, gl, pl, sl, br, gr, pr, tr, sn, sp, st, and str). 

Then, we'll quickly recall some reminders of strategies:

• thinking of rhyming words (i.e. "pot", "lot", "bought", "sought", "tot", "brought", "thought", "fought", "rot", "ought", "taught", and "got)
• using plural "s" or "es" and 3rd person singular verb "s" or "es" (such as "pot", "pots", "brush", "brushes", "leap", "leaps", "go" and "goes")
• finding as many words as possible from just one word in the name before moving onto the next (as in finding "a", "an", "tan", "tans", "I", "is", "as", ""in", "sin", "tin", "tins", "it", "nit", "sit", "its", "nits", "ant", "ants", "at", "sat", "nat" and "nats" in "saint" before adding the letters in the word "Elizabeth)

From, there, it will be time to set the timer and find words.  Then, when the timer buzzes, my youngest will read his list, while the rest of us circle any words he had that we did, too.  Then, my second to youngest will do the same.  Then, my oldest will share, and, finally, I will.  Each of us will shoot for making as many words as we are years old!

K - Keep Reading to Yourself
 
The children, as always, will be able to choose their own reading for "Read to Self" time, including the following saint day selections which I was able to pull out of our home library.

"Saint Elizabeth of Portugal" in Once Upon a Time Saints

  

"Saint Elizabeth of Portugal" in In His Likeness

I would love other recommendations of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal reads, too, if you have any.

I - Illustrate and Write

 For copywork/studied dictation the children may choose from either of these quotes:

"God made me a queen so that I may serve others."

- Saint Elizabeth of Portugal

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

- Matthew 5:9

We might also write our own reflections or stories about being peacemakers and/or write brief narrations about St. Elizabeth of Portugal's life.

L - Listen to Reading


Since not all of my children are at a developed enough reading level to read "Saint Elizabeth of Portugal" in Once Upon a Time Saints, which is mentioned above, on their own, I may read it it to some or all of my children.  I will also likely read "St. Elizabeth of Portugal" along with its accompanying "Meditation: Peacemakers" in Little lessons from the Saints. 

I love the meditations in this book!

I may also read "Elizabeth of Portugal"  from Calling All Saints, which I particularly like because it talks about combining "tough love with a kind heart", something one of my children could do well to think about.

If you don't have access to any books that include Saint Elizabeth of Portugal in them, you might simply read the following online piece:

• St. Elizabeth of Portugal, which thoughtfully helps you imagine the courage, fidelity, generosity, charity, love, faith, patience, and strength of St. Elizabeth.
  

• St. Elizabeth of Portugal, Patroness of Franciscan Tertiaries, which includes the reflection:

  Do we attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with great reverence and awe connected in the spirit of prayer and genuine preparation?
  

• Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, which includes the reflection:
  The work of promoting peace is anything but a calm and quiet endeavor. It takes a clear mind, a steady spirit and a brave soul to intervene between people whose emotions are so aroused that they are ready to destroy one another. This is all the more true of a woman in the early 14th century. But Elizabeth had a deep and sincere love and sympathy for humankind, an almost total lack of concern for herself, and an abiding confidence in God. These were the tools of her success.

• St. Elizabeth or Portugal, which includes the reflection:
  "If you love peace, all will be well."- St. Elizabeth

• ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL: 'FOR, IN HER ISA SPIRIT INTELLIGENT, HOLY, UNIQUE', which is more detailed than the aforementioned selections

 
L -Learn and Play with One Another Using Language Arts

Among St. Elizabeth of Portugal's typical depictions, she is often depicted as a:

nun carrying roses, as in Santa Isabel Reina de Portugal// Museo Colonial de San Francisco. Santiago, Chile

 a woman carrying roses as in "Sancta Isabel Regina" (1893), by Francisco Vilaça

 a woman helping the poor and sick as in Saint Isabel of Portugal Healing the Wounds of a Sick Woman

a woman distributing alms as in Saint Elizabeth of Aragon, Queen of Portugal, distributing alms to the poor

We might choose one of these depictions and use it as inspiration for a pass-along story, where one of us tells or writes the beginning of the story, another the middle, and another the end.

T - Think, Read and Write About Math

The children  and I may create story problems related to Saint Elizabeth of Portugal based on her birthdate, death date, age of marriage, number of children, etc. 

 
I - Investigate and Problem Solve with Math

According to an article on America Needs Fatima, St. Elizabeth "mastered several languages, sang beautifully, and enjoyed a remarkable understanding of engineering and architecture. She herself designed and oversaw the building of several churches, monasteries and hospitals, developing her own 'Elizabethan Style.'"  And, according to the Anchor, " Portuguese churches have displayed replicas of her eight-sided crown in remembrance of her goodness and God’s grace."  With this in mind, I may challenge the children to design an eight-sided crown using our Brain Builders.  I may ask them to design a chapel altar with a cross on it, a hospital bed, or another structure, too.

M - Master Math Skills Together
 
I am sure the children will be surprised to hear that St. Elizabeth was married at the young age of 12.  So, we may use that number and our Cuisenaire Rods to review and practice math concepts, such as:

• Is 12 even or odd?  Prove it using rods.
• How many ways can you make the number 12 using rods?  What addition facts do these bring to mind?
• Can you make a square of 12?  What is 12 squared (144.)
• Let's count to 144 by 12's.  (You can look at your square for help.)
• What are factors? (Numbers you multiply together to get another number.), So, what are the factors of 12? (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12)  That means that (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12 can all be divisors, too, since a divisor is a number that divides another number evenly.)
• What is a prime number?  (A number that can only be divided evenly by one.)  Which of the factors or 12 are prime numbers? (1, 2, 3)

Alternately, since legend has it that Saint Elizabeth of Portugal once paid construction workers in flowers which miraculously turned to gold at the end of day's work, we may play a board game with coins in it, such as the Allowance Game.

E - Exercise Math Skills on My Own

I have silk roses and dried straw flowers that we sometimes use when praying the rosary with friends.  I may take these out so the children can use them as manipulatives for routine math work in honor of the miracles of bread turning into roses and flowers turning into coins.


+ Extra Learning and  Fun

• Virtues:  We will likely discuss courage, fidelity, generosity, charity, love, faith, patience, and strength in relation to St. Elizabeth of Portugal. Also, since she was so charitable, we may chat about and act on some form of service we can extend to those around us.
   
• Practical Life:  In honor of the bread-and-roses miracle, we will likely have a meal or snack time with "bread roses".  We may use GFCF tortilla wraps to try out something similar to these tortilla roses or I might have the kids experiment with making rose shapes from GFCF bread slices rolled out.  Alternately, I might just serve bread with some other rose-shaped food, maybe having the kids get fancy cutting strawberry roses. (I know I won't make mini apple rose pies this year, but want to save the idea for the future!)  

• Art Study:  We may examine the art pictured above, noticing details, color palettes, what we like, etc.

• Geography:  Of course, we will find Portugal on maps and globes.

As always, pending how the week unfolds, some of these ideas may not come to fruition this year and others may be substituted, but any which way, I now feel prepared to learn about and remember St.. Elizabeth of Portugal this year and in years to come.  I would, of course, love to hear your favorite resources, traditions, recipes, and ideas related to this kind-hearted saint as well.  Please do take them.

St. Elizabeth of Portugal, pray for us.