New Testament Lap Book

I have received a number of emails asking how History is going this year, so I thought I would take a few minutes to finally post pictures of what the boys have been working on these past few months.

Connecting with History Volume II is broken into 7 Units.  Since Unit 1 is broken into 2 parts, we focused on completing Units 1-3 during the fall and are now beginning Unit 4.

In addition to the assigned reading and a few of the suggested activities, my boys worked on putting together a beautiful New Testament Lap Book from Homeschool in the Woods to go along with the topics covered in Units 1-3:

Unit One, Part 1  ::  Preparation for the King (63 B.C. - 1 B.C.)
Unit One, Part 2  ::  The Roman Empire (63 B.C. - 1 B.C.)
Unit Two ::  The Arrival of the King - Jesus the Messiah (AD 1-33)
Unit Three ::  The Spread of the Kingdom - Age of the Apostles (A.D. 33-99)

As we worked our way through the Units, I gave the boys various "Mini Books" to complete which were then stored in a Zip Lock Bag until they were ready to assemble the Whole Lap Book.  This worked very well, since it was completed a little bit each week over a few months time.

It was a great Lap Book, and I am sure I will be using it again when the girls are older!  Here are some pictures:

~ Front Cover ~

~ Inside Front Cover ~

 Prophesies Fulfilled:

Postcards from Paul:

I loved how they could insert the Postcards, containing the writings of St. Paul, into the mailbox, and then close it and put the flag up or down! Very cute! 

Fruits of the Spirit:

Lineage from David to Jesus:

The Crucifixion, Ascension and Pentecost:

~ Behind the Yellow Flap ~

Paul's Missionary Journey's:

The Miracles of Jesus:

The Beatitudes:

 

These were made into a "Pie Book" and then inserted into a pocket. 

The Birth of Christ:

I also loved the beautiful pop up books included in this kit!

~ Behind the Green Flap ~

The Twelve Apostles:

The Parables of Jesus:

As the boys learned about each Parable they illustrated it in their books. 

The Resurrection:

The Last Supper:

The boys loved that once they put this book together, and moved the tab at the bottom, you could see the words "This is my Body" on one side and "This is my Blood" on the other.

~ All Done! ~ 

Here are most of the books the boys read while creating this Lap Book:

Life of Our Lord for Children
The First Christians: The Acts of the Apostles for Children
Jesus by Brian Wildsmith
Mary: The Mother of Jesus
Just Like Mary
Mary My Mother (St. Joseph Picture Books)
Good Saint Joseph (St. Joseph Picture Books)
Jesus With Us: The Gift of the Eucharist (First Communion)
The Miracles of Jesus
The Parables of Jesus
The Man Who Never Died: The Life and Adventures of St. Peter, the First Pope
Saint Peter the Apostle
Apostles of Jesus
Adventures of Saint Paul
How to Be a Roman Soldier
Ben Hur: A Race to Glory - DVD
Ben Hur Radio Theater - CD

* I read A Life of Our Lord for Children aloud, and we are still working on finishing The First Christians: The Acts of the Apostles for Children, also as a read aloud.

Amy's hosting an auction...

... for this beautiful St. Therese Doll,
just like the one she made for Rose which is such a treasure! 

The proceeds will be donated to help Marci's daughter,
so please hop on over and consider placing a bid.

Planet Cookies

Since the girls were baking cookies today (to paint for P week) and the boys wanted to join in the fun, I decided to have them paint the Planets.  While the girls were busy with their own cookies, the boys cut out various size circles from the dough and then had so much fun decorating them after they had been baked.

Unlike the last set of planets they painted, which drove me crazy since I really had no place to put them, these won't last long!   ;)

Well, I am off to clean up the disaster in my kitchen and start dinner before Hubby gets home... Hope you all had a great day!

Craft Basket Wednesday

My friend Amy has been hosting a "Craft Basket Wednesday" for a couple months now, and although I've wanted to join in I just haven't found the time for much "crafting" lately.

However, this week I've been working on finishing up a little set of Carmelite dolls, which had been sitting in the cupboard since the fall.  It looks like Amy and I are both making Carmelites this week!!

Yesterday I added their eyes, and I am still trying to decide if I want to add mouths and perhaps some praying hands as well. Or perhaps I should add a crucifix and roses and turn them all into little mini St. Therese dolls... What do you think?

While I am at it, I thought I would also share a picture of my St. Catherine of Siena.  I painted her awhile back and never did post a picture.  I am hoping to make another one like her for one of our Goddaughters!

So, what crafts have you been working on lately?

Updated to add these other views as well: 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Hip Hip Hooray!

My Daybook ~ January 25th

Outside my window... lots of leaves and pine needles from the windstorms of last week.

I am hearing... A Flower Fairy Alphabet and my children singing along as they color pictures of the Pansy Fairy.  It's such a fun CD!

I am thankful for...  the support being shown by this wonderful online community.  Thank you to all of you that have donated to help Marci and are praying for her family.
May God reward you for your kindness and generosity!

I am praying... the Angelus every day at noon thanks to the bell chimes on my iTouch.

From the kitchen...  I'm doing much better about making sure I am eating well, getting plenty of protien and not overdoing it on sugar.  Did you know that the Costco muffins have over 600 calories in each one?  Yikes!  No wonder I was gaining instead of losing weight!

From the learning rooms...  The boys are plugging away at their various subjects.   The girls just began "P" week.  We've read about Michael and the Pansy Fairy, and will be learning more about St. Patrick, Penguins, Peacocks, and making Petal People!   The girls will also be making a treat, or two, from the Pink Princess Cookbook.  The Pink Princess Pudding sounds Perfect for P week!  (Thank you Charlotte for Pointing out this fun looking cookbook and Amazon for your free trial on Prime shipping!)

Living the Liturgical Year at Home... Since today is the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, we'll be coloring Charlotte's lovely coloring page and read at least part of Adventures of Saint Paul.  This coming Sunday we will celebrate the feast of St. John Bosco with Skillet Lasagna and a family movie night, as usual.

I am creating... a little set of painted wooden Carmelite nuns for the girls.  Painting St. Odelia and Our Lady of Altagracia during O Week has me excited about painting a few more saints.

I am wearing... a Bamboo Belly Bandit and it really seems to be helping, especially my lower back and posture.

I am going... to watch the first episode of Emma online this week.  I'm so excited!

I am reading... or rather, am planning on reading these posts, via my iTouch, the next time I sit down to nurse Rose.  Sounds like just what I need right about now!

Pondering these words... from St. Francis de Sales:

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. 
Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,
even if your whole world seems upset.” 

I am hoping... that I will have the energy and motivation to go to our annual "Mom's Night Out" at my friend Stasia's Friday night.   It sounds like so much fun, and it would be so nice to see everyone, but driving anywhere (let alone 45 minutes each way) with Rose right now completely overwhelms me.  We'll see...

Noticing that... there is a HUGE difference between 5 and 6 children.  I think I have finally reached the point of not being able to take all my children grocery shopping with me.  Actually, just taking Rose is more than I can handle right now!

I am very thankful for my Hubby who has been doing some of the shopping, the groceries available on Amazon, and Alice.com. (Thank you to the person that left the tip on Alice.com on my last Daybook post!)  I just ordered Pledge, Paper Plates and Paper Towels, as well as a few other things and my total was only about $12 AND they ALWAYS offer Free Shipping.  I have a feeling it is going to come in very handy in the upcoming weeks.

(Here's a link for $10 off, after you've spent $50, if you are interested in signing up! It's free!)

Around the house... a couple bags of these are hiding in the kitchen cupboard. Ssshhh!!

One of my favorite things... My Catholic Faith. This book, which was originally printed in 1954, has had a permanent spot on the end table in our living room and is one of my very favorite books of all time.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

• Try to go to the Post Office and Library at some point, or ask Hubby! ;)
• Hockey Lessons on Saturday for the boys. They started last Saturday and had so much fun!

A Picture thought I am sharing: