5 Ways to Celebrate the Annunciation

Don't forget:  This year the Annunciation has been moved.

Why? 

Because the Annunciation always falls on March 25, exactly nine months before the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas unless March 25 falls on a Sunday of Lent, during Holy Week, or during the octave of Easter. Then, the date of the Annunciation is moved.

When is it moved to and why?

The Church considers Masses for the Sundays of Lent, any time during Holy Week, and any time from Easter through the Sunday after Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) to be so important that even the Marian feast of the Annunciation cannot replace any of them. So, when the Annunciation falls on a Sunday in Lent (before Palm Sunday), it is transferred to the following Monday. If it falls on Palm Sunday or on any day in Holy Week, it is transferred to Low Monday, the Monday after the Sunday after Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday).

So how can we celebrate?

(1)  Go to Mass, of course! 

Mary's "yes" to God made way for Jesus to come to Earth as a person.  Our "yes" to God by participating in Mass allows Him to come to us in the Eucharist.  The Annunciation may not be a Holy Day of Obligation, but it most certainly is a perfect day to make an extra effort to get to Mass.




(2)  Pray the Rosary - or at least a decade of it. 

The youtube version above has some lovely artworks of the Annunciation included in it. A Cookie Rosary can offer ideal symbolism:  For, the Annunciation forecasts the blessed event of the Nativity of Christ, thereby illustrating the cyclical nature of the liturgical year. The circular shape of the cookies can remind us of the cycle of the Liturgical year as well as the endless love of Christ for us.  (A circle has no beginning or end; it just keeps going around!)

If you young ones have trouble with the Rosary, maybe some of the strategies I have used in the past can help you.

(3)  Respect life! 

This feast is an important one in the defense of life, for God loved us so much that He became on of us, taking on our human nature by becoming an innocent, completely dependent infant.  Honor that by teaching children (and adults!) about the high value God places on human life.  Pray for the unborn.  Offer time, talent, or treasure to a friend or stranger that is with child.  You could even get crafty, decorating bibs and onesies for newborns.

{Disclosure: Some of the links that follow are affiliate ones.  Should you click through them and make any purchase, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.}
 
Or, you could enjoy some pro-life books with your children.  Some favorites of ours are:

The Preborn Christ

Before You Were Born

Angel in the Waters

We also enjoy The Altar Gang's Skif and AJ's Fantastic Voyage- a favorite fun pro-life DVD!

(4)  Paint a Peg Doll.

A friend of ours painted a lovely Annunciation peg doll as part of a Marian Swap we did.  The doll even contains lilies (symbolic of the Virgin's purity) and an open Bible (symbolic of the Isiah 7:14 prophesy).

(5)  Put together a last-minute treat and story time.

We did this last year and it turned out beautifully!  Stories, treats, prayers, even art study! 

O God, who willed that your Word should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man, may merit to become partakers even in his divine nature. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
~Collect Prayer

Have a blessed Feast of the Annunciation!

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Happy Easter!

We wait in darkness, then shine with His light.

We rejoice!

The tomb is empty!

HE IS RISEN!

We gather in joy, thanksgiving, and hope!

For, yes, the stone has been rolled away, and He is risen!

Alleluia!  Praise the Lord!  His sacrifice brings new life.

Joy!

Abundant joy!

The tomb has been broken open.

Death has been overcome.

Alleluia!

Happy Easter!

I pray this Easter season is one one that fills you with hope and joy!

Carole P. Roman Writes Fabulous History Books for Children! {A Review}

A couple of years ago, my family was happily introduced to children's author Carole P. Roman when we reviewed several titles from her If You Were Me and Lived In... collection.  Since then, we've revisited those titles quite a number of times when working on self-directed projects, sharing at co-op classes, and studying different cultures and historical periods; thus we were delighted to add to our children's history book collection by reviewing three more titles from Carole P. Roman books and collections this past month:

If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time (Volume 9)
 

 
If You Were Me and Lived in...Viking Europe: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time (Volume 3)  
 

If You Were Me and Lived in....the Mayan Empire: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time (Volume 4)

A Well-Written Collection of Children's History Books

Like all of the books in the If You Were Me and Lived In... historical collection, the three books we reviewed this time were written for children ages 8-15, but can appeal to younger and older folks, too.   
 

Written in story-like form with full-color illustrations, each book packs a lot of information into an engaging format and encourages readers to place themselves in the shoes of someone living in a different era in history. 

For younger children, the books make a great introduction to different time periods and cultures.  For older children (and adults!) the books offer an opportunity to review prior knowledge while discussing interesting facts, concepts, and historical figures.  The illustrations and style of writing invite all ages to learn and enjoy with the books!

Each of the books in this series also has extra features: a glossary, factual information about historical figures, lists of gods, etc. This works to bridge the books from being interesting reading about historical time periods to working as more classic children's research books. 

We find our books from the If You Were Me and Lived In... historical collection work equally well for enjoyment and for targeted learning.  When we snuggle up to enjoy them as read alouds, wonderful discussions and connections ensue.  When we are diving into historical studies and independent projects, we revisit the books as resources. For us, Carole P. Roma's children's collection makes history engaging and easy to access. 

The Children's Thoughts

When I sat down to write this review, I asked each of my children which their favorite title was.  Since they each chose a different title, I thought I would have them write specific title reviews for you.

My daughter, at ten, had this to say about her favorite title:

If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America is basically about the pilgrims.  It is about a boy, and takes you through what the pilgrims were, why they left England, why they left Holland, and what life was like when they reached the New World.  It said how boy and girl pilgrims dressed and talked about how they spent time.  It gives a good, quick summary of what it would be like to be a pilgrim.

If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America is my favorite of the books we got for this review, because I like American history better than other history, and I like this book's design.  The illustrations are simple, but help you see the main points.  I also like how the the text in most of this book is white printed on a dark background.  It makes the text pop out more.

 

The story itself is simple and fun.  I listened to part of it read aloud without looking at the illustrations and was able to get pictures in my mind.  I have a lot of background about pilgrims.  However, I learned something new: The pilgrims used corn in a lot of things.  Many other books don't talk about food so much, unless they are books about food.  This book, like all the books in this series, helps you see what a normal person's everyday life is like.

Most books about history are about famous people.  I like this one, because it tells what it would be like for an average person in daily life  I would recommend this book to people who want an easy overview of colonial America with fun illustrations and the point of view of an average person's life.

My twelve-year-old son liked If You Were Me and Lived in...Viking Europe best.

I like the Middle Age time period a lot, so the Viking book was my favorite of the ones we got to review this time.  I actually even prefer this Viking one to the the middle ages book that we reviewed before, because I prefer Norman, Danish and English history to books about the general middle ages, so reading about the Vikings was interesting.

I learned some new things in this book.  For example guests drank from horns so they could not put down their drinks until they were done or passed their drinks along. (It's disgusting that they passed drinks along.)  There are 24 characters in the Viking alphabet.  And, you measured your age by how many winters you lived through. 

Most people just know Vikings pillaged and conquered.  In this book, you learn that not all Vikings did that and can also learn what Vikings did when they weren't fighting.  In fact, they did not even have a standing army.  Instead, men fought for the king when they were needed, but, at other times, they lived regular lives.

This book talks about food, clothing, customs, famous Vikings, and more.  It was informative, and I would recommend it to people who like history. It's a story that helps learn as is you were there in Viking times.

My seven-year-old son could not decide between liking If You Were Me and Lived in....the Mayan Empire best because of its illustrations or liking If You Were Me and Lived in...Viking Europe because of its story, so he decided to tell you about both books.

I liked all the books we got!  My two favorite were the Mayan and the Viking book.

I liked the Mayan book, because it has well-done illustrations.  They have a darker palette and are cartoonish, but still realistic.  (The plants on page 12 are so real, and so are the corn, vegetables, and forest in the book!) The illustrations compliment the text.

For example, on page 14, it talks about how shells were crushed to make paint and the picture is of someone painting the walls.  I can imagine what life was like.

I didn't like the illustrations in the Viking book as much, because they look more blurry to me and have white splotches and dots on the, like on the clothing, the ground, ...  What I liked about the book was the information.  I didn't know a lot about Vikings before, but now I know more.

I learned that their houses were shaped a little like boats, their mothers were called moder, and women wore broaches with richer women wearing necklaces that attached to the broaches.  The book was filled with facts about the Viking's clothing, home life, gods, and more. I learned some stuff!

I would recommend this series to people who want to learn facts about history or review history.  The books in this series are like stories with facts about history which make them fun to read!

Who Is Carole P. Roman?

Carol P. Roman is a mom who took a dare from one of her sons to write a book and has since gone on to author over dozens of children's books and to win over 100 awards for both her fiction and non-fiction books.

Among her books are the collection I have been talking about and also:

• If You Were Me and Lived in… Cultural (for ages 4-9+), which takes readers into geography and culture.

• Captain No Beard (for ages 3-8), which offer male and female characters (modeled after Carole's grandchildren) who get up to fun and adventure as they use their imaginations and teach tender lessons about sharing, stranger dangers, asking for help, bullying, and more.
  
  
  
  

• Bedtime Series, One to Ten (for ages 4-8), which teaches readers to evaluate a problem by giving it a number and to put it into the right perspective.

• Rocket-Bye (for ages 2-8), which was Carole's love letter to my grandsons in the form of a trip to the stars.

• Can a Princess be a Firefighter? (for ages 2- forever), which was Carole's love letter to her granddaughters, encouraging you to reach for your dreams.
  
  
  

• Oh Susannah (for ages 7-12), which is Carole's newest series which presents life lessons in short chapter books. 

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We've reviewed several of these before and find the history ones are our hands-down favorite!  Carole P. Roman just has a way of integrating plenty of history into one readable picture book.

Bonus:  Carole offers free worksheets to go along with some of her books on her blog for those that benefit from those sorts of things.

Learn More

If you'd like to hear what others think about Carole P. Roman books, click through to find links to reviews from 100 Homeschool Review Crew families!

You can also visit Carole P. Roman on social media at:

• Facebook:  Carole P. Roman, Award Winning Author
• Twitter:    @caroleproman
• Instagram:  @caroleproman
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6A9PDx7NdBgYUN1giUOp0A

 

Have You Asked Your Child to Narrate His First Holy Communion Banner {and Been Pleased that Your Child Is "Getting" Holy Week, Too)?

Is your little one making a First Holy Communion banner this year? 

If so, I encourage you to ask your child why he chose to design it the way he did.  Doing so can provide wonderful insight into your child's understanding of his faith.  I know did for me!

Since today was "Banner Day" in my youngest's First Holy Communion class, last night my son asked his big sister to quick-sketch his ideas for his banner as he described them to her. 

Then, my son set to work making his banner with her help and mine.

When my son finished gluing on each design part, he held his design up proudly.

Then, he went to work using glitter glue to add his name and a few design details.

Finally, he explained the symbolism of his finished banner to me:

This is my banner.  Why I have the cross is in the middle is to represent that Jesus dies for us to make up for our sins.  I put the host and wine, because I wanted to represent that God's time is all at once, and ,when He died for us then, for Him it is now, too.  He shed His blood for us and gave us the Eucharist across time so we can be strengthened in our faith. 

I have a heart at the top to show Jesus' love for us.  The gold is because Jesus is so rich in love. 

My name is in blue to represent our Mother Mary, because it is her color.  It also represents the water - some of the miracles of Jesus - and the sky for heaven.  Why I have the yellow is because its represent our Lord Jesus' cross shining.  When we receive the Eucharist, we shine with Christ's love and faith.

My son was too shy to offer the explanation of his design's symbolism in front of his whole class this morning, but he said I can share it here to inspire you to ask your child for a personal First Holy Communion Banner narration. 

Surely, having my son narrate the why behind each of his design choices illuminated for me his current understanding of the Eucharist.  Coincidentally, it also helped me recognize that he is "getting" the significance of the Triduum and how Christ's sacrifice at Calvary connects to the sacrifice of the Mass.  

The Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, our invitation to participate in the sacrifice of the Mass.  May we each connect the dots and grow in faith and love, strengthened by our Lord.

Also, may God bless all children preparing for First Holy Communion, guiding them to a deep and beautiful understanding of faith and an unwavering desire to receive our Lord in the Eucharist.

Make Fun Fuse Bead Designs Without an Iron or Glue {A Review}

Are you looking for fuse beads that you don't need to use an iron on to make stick together? Super Beads by Zirrly are it!  All it takes to use them is water, wait time, and what comes in the package!



We received a Mega Pack of Super Beads for review and have been having fun with them.
 
My daughter (10) said she wanted to describe them for this review.  She said:

"I think Super Beads are great for passing time.  They are also good if you want to improve your fine motor skills and make designs.  You can make multiple types of stuff. 

In the kit we got, you had your boards and your beads, a water bottle, and you also got pixelated pictures that go underneath your board.

You place the beads on the colors that show on the picture to make a design.  You have to make sure the line on the beads is facing up. That's pretty easy, but not when the electricity has gone out.  (We did some by candlelight.)

After all your beads are on the board, you press the design down nice and tight, and, then, the cool thing about Super Beads is that, instead of ironing them, all you have to do is spray them with water and wait about an hour (or more!) and, then, use a special little tool that is included to remove them from the board.  It is sometimes hard to remove them, but not too hard.

Once you peel your designs off, you can set them out throughout your house or play with them.

Oo, if you touch the beads, you have to wash your hands, and wet hands stick to the beads.  Use dry hands!

We made two elephants with our friends, a turtle, an apple, and I also made a little sign.

We still have lots of beads.  I am going to use them more, and I think crafty people would like these.

When I asked her sons for their input, my twelve year old said:

"I enjoyed making the apple with my friend, and we sent it home with him.  The things we kept, I don't play with.  It takes a very, very long time to make things, and, then, I never even play with them.  So, they are not very worth it to me, but if you like that kind of stuff, then, they'd be good.

They take a lot of patience and use fine motor skills."

 
My other son, at seven, said:

"They are beads that stick with water.  I like using them to make signs.  Sometimes they pop off the boards, and you have to use one particular side of the beads, so you have to be patient.  It takes over an hour for it all to be done.  It is worth it depending on what type of person you are.  If you need to practice fine motor skills, it is good.  If you are crafty, it is good.  If you want to pass time, it is good."

As you can see, the consensus around here , then, seems to be that:

•  The beads are not hard to use, but take patience.
• You get a fine motor skills working with the beads.
• Crafty kids like these beads.
• The beads are fun to share with friends.
• You can easily pass time with these beads.  

 

We have used our Super Beads on multiple occasions so far, including during an Art-Music, and Poetry club meet up when the children made designs while listening to poetry read aloud and classical music playing, at a playdate when then kids wanted to make signs for a "town" they are making, and during a power outage when the children chose to pass time using the beads by candlelight.

We inadvertantly discovered that the beads make a great sensory fun tool for littles, too.

Our young friend (who knows not to put small things in his mouth - which would be a caution for other young friends) had fun playing and pouring with the beads when he wasn't placing them into designs the other children.

The Mega Pack comes with:

• 4500 Super Beads (including limited oranges and blacks and plenty of whites)
• 5 X 4 Assorted Design Templates (which means you have repeat designs, not 20 different ones)
• 2 Spray Bottles (which are used to wet - but not soak - designs so they can fuse together)
• 4 Boards (which connect together for larger design patterns)
• 1 Design Tool (for removing your designs fro the boards once they dry)
• Instructions

We did find some defective beads in our kit, but not too many, and we still had plenty more to use and are enjoying doing so! 

Learn More

Zirrly sells a variety of fun kits with crafts meant for ages 5 and up.  Some are:

• Jungle Animals
• 3D Animals
• Birds
• 3D Car and Truck
• Spinning Tops
• Jewelry Set

See what 100 Homeshcool Review Crew families made with Super Beads by clicking through the banner below.

Find Zirrly on social media at:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zirrly-1488221441475359/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/zirrly/?eq=zirrly&etslf=NaN           
• Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/zirrly_/?hl=en           
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtsk7AY7EYG91LieNgsFy2A/featured?view_as=subscriber