By Allison Burr In the greatest of ironies, a recent issue of Harvard Magazine has condemned parents being at home with their children all day, even while the governments across America have now required it for the past several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My efforts to recast homeschooling in a less-threatening light are rooted in two things: teleology and practice. In the most recent issue of Harvard Magazine, Erin O’Donnell presents Dr. Elizabeth Bartholet’s arguments against homeschooling and her radical call to ban the practice entirely.* Dear me. My fellow 2 million homeschoolers and I must have unwittingly ruffled her feathers somehow, to be subjected to such … [Read more...]
How Children Disturb Society
by St. Sebastian Dabovich The responsibility of parents for their children is very great. They are, in fact, the earthly guardians in custody of the children of Almighty God, their Heavenly Father. Teach the little ones. Yet before their minds are capable of retaining impressions—speak to their hearts, mold them to the form of the beautiful and holy. Make over them the sign of the life-giving Cross. Teach them to distinguish from other pictures a painting of our good Lord, or His Holy Mother, and some Biblical sketch. At first, the child may not know, but it can easily be made to feel that God always sees it, when it is naughty, etc. While He was on earth, working out for us our salvation, … [Read more...]
Moses – The Ten Commandments
This week the lesson focuses on the Exodus and the Ten Commandments. The children will see similarities between their parents who care for them (protect them, feed them, guide them) and God who cared for the Hebrews (protected them from the Egyptians as he led them across the Red Sea; fed them manna; guided them with the pillar of fire). Parents provide the best example of a loving, caring, protecting, and authoritative God. In this week's lesson, they also learned of the Ten Commandments, "rules" God provided to us all, just as they all have "rules" provided by their parents. We thank you all for the continued prayers you provide for out little L.A.M.B.S.! … [Read more...]
Moses – Early Life
This week the LAMBS are picking up their journey through the Old Testament with the story of Moses from his birth up to his encounter with God on Mt Sinai. Discussion will be on the difficult task God asked of Moses, and his fear of facing Pharaoh. As the children are very young in our group, the emphasis will be on God protecting Moses and the Hebrew people...much the way their parents protect them. As we have progressed through the Old Testament, the focus for our young LAMBS has been on God our Father. The lessons have drawn similarities between God's relationship with the OT characters, and their relationship with their parents who provide a tangible "model" for them. Please continue … [Read more...]
Completed Jesse Trees
Here are the finished Jesse Tree Projects from the LAMBS. I am so happy to see that they are all very different, and very creative! I want to thank the parents that devoted the time to help their children with this project, and with their weekly lessons, we could not be successful without you! … [Read more...]
Presentation of the Theotokos
This past week we celebrated the feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos, and this week the children will learn about this feast. They will hear the story of the child Mary running up the steps of the Temple and entering the Holy of Holies and why that is important. The children are continuing to work on their Jesse Tree projects as well. Please remember to keep our little LAMBS in your daily prayers, and thank you for the prayers you have already provided. … [Read more...]
Jesse Tree Project
This week the children will begin working on a Jesse Tree. This project will last throughout the Nativity Fast. Beginning with their lessons on Abraham, the children have been working on a creating family trees and a family tree for Abraham. The Jesse tree is at its root, the family tree of Jesus (pun intended!) Jesse was the father of David, an ancestor of Jesus from both Mary and his adoptive father, Joseph. Traditionally, the Jesse tree is begun on the first day of the Nativity fast and each day an ornament is added to represent a different ancestor (Apple for Adam, for example). This year, with a shortened fast, we will have the children work on 20 of the ancestors. At the end of the … [Read more...]
Joseph in Egypt
In their last lesson, the LAMBS learned about Joseph and his brothers who sold him into slavery. This week, they will learn "the rest of the story." Joseph is a pivotal part of God's plan for his people, Israel. Through Joseph's story, the children will see how God protected the Israelite people from the famine. What had seemed to be a terrible fate for Joseph was actually part of a bigger plan, a plan that was able to save a nation because Joseph loved and trusted in God. Life can sometimes seem unfair, and it seemed particularly unfair to Joseph. The children will think about times they were treated unfairly and how they felt about the person/persons that wronged them. Were they able to … [Read more...]
Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors
The story of Joseph and his coat of many colors is one of the better known Old Testament Stories. For the LAMBS, it provides opportunities to talk about families, and the relationships between siblings and parents. They will describe their favorite memory of family life, and their least favorite. They will talk about Joseph's relationship with his father, and his relationship with his brothers. They will learn how the decisions and actions of Joseph's brothers influenced his future. Their families influence the children's lives every day, and help to shape their futures. As their ASONA family, please pray for our LAMBS in your daily, God-pleasing prayers. … [Read more...]
Jacob
This week the LAMBS will learn about Jacob, from his and his brother Esau's birth, receiving the birthright blessing from Isaac, the vision of the ladder, marriages, and reconciling with his brother. There is a lot of story to learn this week, and the focus for them will be on the cheating and lying the characters participate in. Why did the characters lie? Cheat? What were the consequences? Did lying and cheating catch up with the characters in the story? Do they lie? Cheat? Why? Please pray for our little LAMBS to act and speak honestly this, and every week! … [Read more...]
