Enjoy a St. Valentine Potluck Picnic and Nature Walk with a FREE St. Valentine Nature Scavenger Hunt Printable!

It is said that St. Valentine was a priest and doctor who, at one point, had a young, blind girl under his care. It is also said that St Valentine would take the girl on long walks where they would pick flowers for her to smell.

Taking a cue from their walks, a nature walk with those you care about seems an ideal way to celebrate part of St. Valentine's Day.

That is just what my children, some friends, and I enjoyed last year on Valentine's Day: a St. Valentine Potluck Picnic and Walk and using a St. Valentine Nature Walk printable that I had whipped up and am sharing now here.

Enjoy a St. Valentine Potluck Picnic!

With a traditional theme of love, it is easy peasy to whip up a wide variety of snacks and dishes to share at a St. Valentine picnic as this sampling from our picnic demonstrates:

Juice Wiggler Hearts

Gluten Free Muffins with Gummy Ducks (since one of St. Valentine's symbols is birds)

Probiotic Gummy Ducks (since one of St. Valentine's symbols is birds)

Beet Puffs (Red for Love)

Tofu Hearts Filled with Heart-Healthy Vegetables

Clementine Hearts

Black Rice with Tofu Hearts

Seaweed Snack Hearts

Learn about St. Valentine with a Nature Scavenger Hunt!

You can also enjoy a St. Valentine Nature Scavenger Hunt using the FREE printable here.

On it, kids can sketch what they find, check things off as they take photos of them, or write notes about what they find.

Ideas for things that can be searched for and discussed are:

• something that offers comfort: In 3rd such Rome, Emperor Claudius II persecuted Christians. It is said that St. Valentine and St. Marius comforted fellow Christians during the persecutions.

Checking out roots.

• an interesting root: As a doctor in the 3rd century, St. Valentine likely made medicines by pounding and grinding roots and other natural things.

• an herb or edible plants: St. Valentine was a doctor and priest. He likely made poultices using herbs and plant matter.

Entwined Things.

More Entwined Things

• two entwined things: In the 3rd century, Emperor Claudius II wanted to increase his troops. He believed single men made better soldiers than married ones, so we forbade young men to marry. St. Valentine defied Claudius edict and encouraged young couples to come to him in secret to be joined in the sacrament of marriage.

Snow can be converted into water, the kids said.

• something that can be converted: After St. Valentine was arrested for illegally marrying couples, he is said to have been brought before Claudius, who was impressed by him. Claudius attempted to convert St. Valentine to Roman Paganism, but, instead, St. Valentine attempted to convert Claudius to Christianity.

This cool pattern frozen into the ice made the kids think that you could "write" messages on ice.

• something you could write a message on: When imprisoned, St. Valentine was said to be tended by a jailer, Asterius, and his blind daughter, who was very kind to St. Valentine, bringing him food and messages. St. Valentine and the girl developed a friendship and, toward the end of his imprisonment, Valentine was able to convert both her and her father to Christianity.

A tree growing around a wheel sure seemed interesting!

• something beautiful or interesting to look at: It is said that Asterius’ daughter was blind and St. Valentine miraculously restored her sight.

It's a heart!

• something with a heart-shaped: It is said that before his execution St. Valentine wrote a farewell message to Asterius’ daughter to thank her for her friendship and encourage her in her love for Christ and that he signed the message affectionately "From Your Valentine.” This phrase lives on even today. 

 
On the nature hunt printable, there is also a "free space" for St. Valentine, whose patronage includes affianced couples, against fainting, bee keepers, betrothed couples, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greeting card manufacturers, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travelers, and young people.

Symbols for him include birds, roses, a bishop with a crippled or epileptic child at his feet, a bishop with a rooster nearby, a bishop refusing to adore an idol, a bishop being beheaded, a priest bearing a sword, a priest holding a sun, and a priest giving sight to a blind girl.

St. Valentine was executed on February 14th, 273 AD in Rome and the valentine has become the universal symbol of friendship and affection shared on each anniversary of the priest's execution -- St. Valentine's Day.

Take Time to Explore!

Of course, part of the fun and blessing of a Potluck Picnic and Nature Walk on St. Valentine's Day is simply being with those you love and care about and letting explorations take you where they will.  

Here are some snapshots of the fun we had exploring.

It truly was a blessed and beautiful St. Valentine celebration!

I pray with our FREE printable and inspiration from the snapshots and explanations here, you might enjoy a similarly blessed and beautiful time.

You can find other nature study, outdoor ideas, and free printables here, too.

If you go on a St. Valentine's Day Nature Scavenger Hunt we'd delight in hearing about it or seeing your snapshots. We also always welcome your ideas for living the liturgical year with children - especially outside, so, please, share here or on our Training Happy Hearts Facebook page.



St. Valentine, pray for us!

Snacking with the Saints: St. Dorothy

{Disclosure: Some links which follow are affiliate ones.}

I just love when whole food snacks and saints go together!

That's just the case on February 6, when apples make a perfect snack for celebrating Saint Dorothy. Just set a basket with three apples and three real or faux roses on your table, and you'll be all set for an easy saint day snack.

Or, if you want to get fancy and have time for more elaborate snack preparation, you could make vegan / paleo / glute-free / grain-free apple roses as directed at Nest & Glow, Apple-Honey Roses as found on Feed Them Wisely, or any of the more conventional apple rose recipes that can be found through a quick online search.

Inspiration for a Simple St. Dorothy Feast Day Snack

Source: Wikipedia

When Saint Dorothy, who was martyred, was on her way to be killed, a young lawyer named Theophilus mocked her belief that when she was dead she would be transported to a heavenly garden filled with flowers and fruit.

"Send me fruit and flowers, then, when you are dead," he taunted.

Source: Wikipedia

Later, a boy - thought to be an angel- carried three apples and three roses to Theophilus who then converted to Christianity.

A Prayer Before Snacking

Between Grace and snacking, pray this prayer found on Prayers to Our Saints.

Prayer to Saint Dorothy

By the radiance

Of thy holy life

Thou did'st draw

The two sisters united

In spirit into the Eternal Light;

And did'st send roses

And apples from Paradise

To Theophilus.

O Dorothy, as fellow-contestants

You were counted worthy

Of divine glory.

Ask that we who praise

You may receive

The forgiveness of our sins.

Amen.

You might also read the child-friendly biography of St. Dorothy at Crusaders of Christ, which reminds us:

Today let us pray especially for someone who is far away from God, so that he will return to our Heavenly Father.

Additional Ideas for Celebrating St. Dorothy's Feast Day

Source:Wikipedia

Along with your snack, you might also enjoy:

• Coloring the image of St. Dorothy available as a free pdf download at Crusaders for Christ while reading about Saint Dorothy in Once Upon a Time Saints, Saints Lives and Illuminations, The Book of Saints and Heroes,  Story Library of Saints Volume 1, or online at CatholicSaints.info or  Crusaders of Christ.

• Making playdough roses as described at Nina Beth Creates.

• Praying for Christians throughout the world who are still persecuted.
  
  

  

  Source: Wikipedia

• Doing a picture study of images of Saint Dorothy, who was a particularly favored subject of German and Italian artist.

• Preparing for spring gardening or doing some indoor gardening, since St. Dorothy is patron to gardeners among others.
  
  

  

  Source: Wikimedia

• Learning more about St. Dorothy and what was happening around the world during the time in which she lived. (A quick snapshot for this can be found by viewing page 7 of the St. Dorothy presentation at prezic.com. You can also read more about St. Dorothy at Sensus Fidelium.)

May learning more about St. Dorothy bless you and yours and encourage you to come closer to Christ.

I would love to hear about your favorite traditions, resources, and ideas related to St. Dorothy as well as any other Snacking with the Saint inspirations you might offer.

Saint Dorothy, pray for us.

Get FREE Printable Apostles' Creed Copywork in Cursive and Printing

Have you been looking for a free Apostles' Creed copywork printable?

I was doing so earlier today as I prepared lessons for the coming weeks.

When I could not find one, I decided to make a simple one myself and am sharing it with you here.

The printable includes a cursive model:

A print model:

And a blank line sheet:

That way, your children can choose to practice printing, cursive, or both. (Just print extra blank-lined pages if they want to do both printing and cursive.)

It also has a double thick line at the base of each line to help children remember to "ground" their letters, and spaces between words on the model to help children remember to leave spaces between words.

I hope this simple sheet blesses your and yours as you work on practicing prayers and handwriting.
You can find more free, printable prayer copywork here!

May your day be blessed!

Add This Sweet Saint Book to Your Collection!

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

As I was preparing for this week's feast days, I pulled out a favorite little saints picture book of mine - Boys Saints for Little Ones by homeschool mom and authro Kimberly Fries of My Little Nazareth - since it contains two of this week's saints: 

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. John Bosco

I also went to share an image of a review I thought I had written about the book on Facebook to remind others who have it to pull it out this week and to suggest to those who don't that they consider adding it to their collection.

Sadly, when I went to do this, I realized I had never finished writing and posting a review of the book after author Kimberly Fries so kindly sent me it for review.

What?!

I was quite upset with myself, because I love author Kimberly Fries and illustrator Sue Kouma Johnson's work and did not mean to be so long in sharing it about it.

So, with no further ado, let me set the record straight: Boy Saints for Little Ones is one fabulous little saint book that is perfect for more than just little ones!

Why do I say this? Because my children are now 9, 12, and 14, and I find myself pulling out Boys Saints for Little Ones often.


What I Love About Boy Saints for Little Ones

Boys Saints for Little Ones provides a simple, beautiful introduction to (or review of) 12 inspiring male saints through a short biography, quote, vibrant illustration, and explanation of symbols for each saint.

Although the brief biographies in Boys Saints for Little Ones are written simply, they are not oversimplified. Rather, they are easy, short explanations that key into things children can grasp, retain, and relate to, such dreaming of becoming a knight, helping others, persevering through hard things, and more.

Not too detailed nor esoteric, nor too simplistic and dull, I have found the short biographies in Boys Saints for Little Ones perfect for reading to little ones who visit, offering my dyslexic child to read for practice, and reading to all ages when celebrating saint days.

The quotes at the end of each biography are well-chosen, such as "The greatest kindness one can render to any man is leading him to truth." - St. Augustine. These quotes can be used for memory work, copywork, or just to inspire!

Likewise, the bright and engaging painted illustrations in the book can inspire children to remember things about the saints and to connect with Catholic art.

Each illustration contains a special symbol that children can associate with the saints, such as the traditional symbols of St. Francis of Assisi's stigmata and the dragon that St. George slays, or the original symbols of a light-blue halo around St. John Bosco's head and musical notes surrounding St. Gregory. These symbols can help children recall details about the saints while also inspiring them to look for the rich symbolism inherit in other Catholic art. 

For a 30-page book meant for little ones, Boys Saints for Little Ones packs in enough to make the book in purpose as children grow - first engaging with bright illustrations, then inspiring with well-written text, then offering opportunities for copywork, memory, and art study. Plus, since the book is slender and has full-page illustrations, it is ideal for slipping into a bag to bring to saint day celebrations where it can be read aloud and then decorate a feast day table!

My Children's Thoughts

Each of my children has read Boys Saints for Little Ones on their own and has revisited the book when we have used it on feast days.

Some of the things my children said when I asked them about the book are:

"I like how they just have a short blurb about each saint - not a whole, long, big story - just enough to get you interested."

"I really like how every saint has an illustration and how the illustrations are big and painted. Some of them I really like, such as the one on the cover and the St. Thomas Aquinas one."

"I like the simpleness of the illustrations, but how good they look, too with the color schemes."

"I also like how they give a quote for each saint."

"I also like how it has some of the more popular saints - like St. Patrick and St. Francis of Assisi - and some less popular saints like St. Gregory."

"My favorite part was about St. George." 

"They tell about the symbols and colors in the paintings to help you search for meaning. What a great way to engage younger children." 

"The amount of white space on the page and large font make it easy to read." 

"I like the big print. It helps you read."

Obviously, kids appreciate this book!

Learn More

Boys Saints for Little Ones is available on Amazon for $12.99.

Since the book contains short biographies of 12 saints, it makes a perfect read on their feast days. A listing of each saint's feast day is the only thing I think the book lacks, so I will add one here for easy reference:

• St. Thomas Aquinas - January 28
• St. John Bosco - January 31
• St. George - April 23
• St. Patrick  - March 17
• St. Ignatius - July 31
• St. John Vianney - August 4
• St. Maximilian - August 14
• St. Augustine - August 28
• St. Gregory - September 3
• St. Pio - September 23
• Blessed (now Saint) John Henry Newman - September 24
• St. Francis of Assisi - October 4

Boys Saints for Little Ones can also be a great resource for:

• All Saints Day, since you could base a game on each saint in the book or use the symbol ideas to create easy and unique costumes.

• copywork, since there is a quote at the end of each biography.
• practice with narration. The biographies are short and can provide brief, pointed practice with listening then narrating details back.

• writing. Older children can note how the author picked and chose interesting, relatable, and/or inspirational details to share about each saint's life and can use the examples of the biographies in the book when writing biographies of their own.
• seeking inspiration for art projects. The paintings in the book are vibrant and text boxes draw attention to symbolism in art. These could inspire children to create their own Catholic artworks rich in symbolism.

• introducing or reviewing saints. Since the biographies are brief, they can quickly spark further research and/or act as a catalyst for children to remember more that they have previously learned about the saints.
• reading practice. One of my children has dyslexia and appreciated the large font, ample white space, and simple language used in this book which made reading this book easier than reading some others.
• gift giving. Simple, beautiful, and inspiring, Boys Saints for Little Ones would make a wonderful gift for Baptism, First Holy Communion, Christmas, or Easter.

Boys Saints for Little Ones certainly can inspire children to deepen their faith and follow in the footsteps of the saints!

Image from My Little Nazareth

My Little Nazareth publishes a host of other wonderful faith-focused books, too, including plenty more gems for little (and bigger!) ones and a prayer book for women.

I encourage you to check out there ever-expanding line of Catholic books!

Watch the book trailer on YouTube:

Connect with My Little Nazareth

 Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube 

Easy Eats for St. Angela of Merici's Feast Day

Want an easy meal addition for January 27?

Buy grapes.

Yes, grapes!

According to ST. ANGELA MERICI (1474 - 1540) FEAST DAY - JANUARY 27TH, grapes symbolize:

1. the Eucharistic blood of Christ.
2. St. Angela de Merici's family vineyard.
3. the cluster of women St. Angela of Merici drew together as the first teaching congregation of women in the Church, the Company of Saint Ursula.

Thus, grapes can become a simple addition to your feast day table that offer an opportunity to discuss St. Angela de Merici's love for Christ, her family history, and the fact that she founded the first "secular institute of religious women" who lived at home, had no special habit, and took no formal vows, but still practiced virginity, poverty, and obedience..

For a bit more feast day table fun and culinary history exploration, since St. Angela of Merici was born in Northern Italy in the 1400's and died in the 1500's, you might add some 15th and 16th century Italian dishes to your table as well.

Our family did this last year, choosing to try Fungi di Monte (Mountain Mushrooms), which was only a hit with my husband and me...

...and Menestra d'herbette (Herb Soup / Pottage of Greens), which only three out of five of us here liked.

Thus, it looks like I will be browsing the collection of authentic recipes at Medieval Cuisine once more this year to find new inspiration! 

I will also, once again, be browsing my own past collection of ideas at Answering a Request for St. Angela of Merici Activities.

Find more ideas!

That post includes more ideas and links than I used last year with my children, so it will be worth me revisiting and could be helpful for you, too.

Among the ideas from the post that I put into practice last year were:

• praying a short prayer found at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church with my family: 

Saint Angela,
you were not afraid of change.
You did not let stereotypes keep you from serving.
Help us to overcome our fear of change in order to follow God's call and allow others to follow theirs.
Amen.

• watching a brief video from Catholic Online that offers a quick overview of St. Angela Merici's life:

• enjoying a virtual sightseeing tour while learning about St. Angela Merici:

This, of course, led my crew into discussing and looking up incorrupt saints after dinner, which may or may not be something you wish to unfold depending on your family's sensitivities.

Any which way - no matter what else you choose to do to celebrate - grapes make an easy and meaningful addition to your table when introducing or learning more about St. Angela of Merici.  Might I suggest, then, that you put some on your shopping list this week?

St. Angela of Merici, pray for us.

Simple Meals with the Saints: Our Lady of Banneux

Have you done your meal planning for the upcoming week yet?  If not, might I suggest putting Belgium waffles on the menu?

January 15 is the feast day of Our Lady of Banneux, an apparition of Mary that appeared to young girl named Mariette Beco in Banneux, Belgium between January 15 and March 2, 1933, saying "I come to relieve suffering," and "Believe in me and I will believe in you."

Thus, it seems an ideal day to put a white lace or blue tablecloth on the table (since Our Lady's traditional colors are blue and white and Belgium is famous for lace) and, then, to enjoy some Belgian hot chocolate and Liege waffles while reading, praying, and chatting about Our Lady of Banneux. 

(Or, if you are trying to reduce salt, oil, and sugar like I am, you could make 2-Ingredient Waffles an Oatmeal waffles.)

Along with these, be sure to have some water.

Why?

It will can remind you that on January 18, 1933, when the Virgin appeared to Mariette a second time, she led her from her house to a spring which she said would bring healing to all nations. 

After grace and before eating, you might also want to pray the following prayers, which appears along with others on the the Banneux Notre Dame site:

Prayer of the International Union of Prayer

Mary Virgin of the Poor,

You lead us to Jesus, source of grace, and you come to alleviate our suffering.

We implore you with confidence:
Help us follow your Son with generosity, and to belong to Him unreservedly.

Help us to welcome the Holy Spirit Who guides and sanctify us.

Obtain us the grace to look like Jesus everyday more, so that our life will glorify the Father and contribute to the salvation of our Brothers.

{Some links which follow may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases}

Source: Amazon

You could also read a copy of the Our Lady of Banneux Coloring Book if you have one, and, if not, you could read about Our Lady of the Poor and the apparitions online.

For more ideas about celebrating and learning with Our Lady of Banneux in mind, see 15 Ways to Celebrate Our Lady of Banneux's Day.

Get More Ideas!

Our Lady of Banneux, pray for us!