Using the Theme Throughout the Year 2016
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Using the Theme Throughout the Year 2016 Theme: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Symbol: House Icons: St. Basil’s Family, Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple, Presentation of the Lord in the Temple Theme Songs: “We Will Serve The Lord” and “As for Me and My House” http://www.antiochian.org/festivals/cf/theme-song-2016 Lesson Plans: Downloadable lesson plans are provided by AODCE for age levels ranging from preschool to high school: http://www.antiochian.org/festivals/cf/lesson-plans-2016 Reference Books: Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home by Fr. Anthony Coniaris A Guide for the Domestic Church available from God With Us Publications Throughout the Church School Year: Use the logo and/or symbol on name tags, room signs, letterhead, bulletin boards, posters, crafts, gifts, and incentives. Crafts Related to the Theme: “As for Me and My Household” Craft Kit http://www.orientaltrading.com/as-for-me-and-my-household-craft-kit-a2- 13658361.fltr?prodCatId=550055+1967 “All Families Need a Stable Foundation” Sign Craft Kit http://www.orientaltrading.com/stable-foundation-sign-craft-kit-a2- 13663435.fltr?prodCatId=550055+1967 http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/bible_themes_-_joshua.html Websites Related to the Theme: http://www.familyshare.com/growth/as-for-me-and-my-house-we-will-serve-the-lord http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-lesson-serve-god-joshua-23-24/ Website Related to the Family: http://www.goarch.org/archdiocese/departments/family/ Other ideas may be found on AODCE’s Social Media Pages: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aodce/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orthodoxchristianparenting and https://www.facebook.com/orthodoxchristiansundaychurchschoolteachers WordPress: https://orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/ https://orthodoxchurchschoolteachers.wordpress.com/ Saints Festival: This is especially good in the month of October as an alternative to Halloween, but it can be held at any time. Have the children dress in costume as a saint or Biblical figure. Take this opportunity to teach the children about the lives of St. Basil the Great and his family. Bake Cookies: Bake and decorate house-shaped cookies. Cookie cutters in this shape can usually be purchased. However, if they’re not available, create a house template on a new manila file folder, place it on the dough, and trace around the shape. Bake the cookies, then have the children decorate them. Gingerbread “people” can also be baked and decorated. You may want to package the cookies in a cellophane bag tied with ribbon and the theme typed on a small piece of cardstock. (See photos above.) Make Gingerbread Houses: Pre-baked gingerbread house kits are available if you don’t want to make one from scratch. (Houses can also be made out graham crackers.) Students can decorate a house in each class, then put them on display. The houses could be auctioned off and the money raised could then be donated to a charitable organization. Children can make a house at home with their families and bake and decorate gingerbread “people” to represent their family members. They can take a photo of the finished product and display the photos at church. Another idea would be to make gingerbread “churches” instead. Candy Houses: This idea can be used as an incentive gift that children receive when they have completed a milestone or received a certain number of stickers on a chart for good behavior, etc. Take some of the Food for Hungry People Lenten coin boxes. Tape wrapped candy to the boxes. Write a note that says: ENJOY THE SWEETS THEY ARE YOUR REWARD BUT WHEN YOU ARE DONE FILL THE BOX AND “SERVE THE LORD !” Students can receive another sticker when they return their filled coin box. Lift-the-Flap Craft: This idea was provided to the Department of Christian Education by St. Mary Sunday School in Palos Heights, Illinois: “ We created a tabloid sized (11x 17in.) house with the icon provided split up. Students wrote information on a flap that was attached to cover the saint’s icon.” The finished craft will look similar to this: St Macrina the Elder St Basil the Great St Basil the Elder & St Emily As for Me & My House, We Will Serve the Lord St Macrina the Younger, St Peter , St Naucratius, St Gregory Suggestions for Teaching about the Creative Arts Family of Saints Objectives: Students should be able to tell parents at least one thing about each of the 8 Saints pictured in the icon. They should also be able to explain why the home is like a “little church” and how family members can support each other in serving God. Here are some ideas for presenting the objectives: Using provided stories about the saints, teachers can either read to their whole class or have groups work together to discuss the 8 Saints. Each student will be given a blank house with flaps representing “windows” over each Saint. They will write ideas to remember and draw a symbol to represent what that Saint is known for (i.e. scrolls for writings, trees for forest). High School - breaks into groups and reads the stories to explain to the rest of the group about their Saint(s). They pick out 3 things they learned about each saint to write on their flap. Middle School (6-8) - same as high school. Students think of a symbol to remember each saint and draw it on the flap. Intermediate (3-5) - teachers read stories to the class and come up with a symbol to remember the saint, break into groups to talk about 3 things they want to remember about each saint, and draw a symbol on each flap Primary (K-2) - teachers read stories to the class and come up with a symbol and 3 things to remember about the saints; write it on the board and have the class put a symbol on each flap. Preschool - teacher reads stories to the class and draws a symbol for each saint. Children then draw/color that symbol on the flap. Serving Others: Jesus served others and He wants us to do the same. Volunteer together as a family. You may want to help others by working at a homeless shelter, food bank, etc., or consider these charitable organizations: Habitat for Humanity and Project Mexico (building homes) or The Treehouse (http://wichitatreehouse.org/) which helps economically challenged moms and children with basic necessities and programs. Celebrate the Feast Days: Celebrate the feast days of the Presentation of the Theotokos (11/21) and the Presentation of Christ (2/2) as examples of the family, through ritual, making God the center of their lives. Celebrate the feast days and learn about the saints of St. Basil the Great’s family: • St. Macrina the Elder – 1/14 http://orthodoxwiki.org/Macrina_the_Elder • St. Basil the Elder - 5/8 or 5/30 http://orthodoxwiki.org/Basil_the_Elder • St. Emilia – 5/8 or 5/30 http://orthodoxwiki.org/Emily • St. Macrina the Younger - 7/19 http://orthodoxwiki.org/Macrina_the_Younger • St. Basil the Great – 1/1 http://orthodoxwiki.org/Basil_the_Great • St. Gregory of Nyssa – 1/10 http://orthodoxwiki.org/Gregory_of_Nyssa • St. Peter of Sebaste – 1/9 http://orthodoxwiki.org/Peter_of_Sebaste • St. Naucratius https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naucratius Additional resources: http://myocn.net/saint-macrina-elder-bridge-theology/ • Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Series II, Volumes 2 (Sozomon), 5 (Gregory of Nyssa), 7 (Gregory Nazianzus), 8 (Basil) • The Cappadocians by Anthony Meredith SVS Press, 1995 • The Asketikon of St. Basil the Great by Anna M. Silvas, Oxford Early Christian Studies, 2005, • Gregory of Nyssa, The Letters, translated and written by Anna Silvas Brill, 2007 • Wandering, Begging Monks by DF Craner, University of California Press, 2002 • Virgins of God by Susanna Elm, Clarendon Paperbacks, 1994 • Macrina the Younger, Philosopher of God, by Anna Silvas, Brepols 2008 • Fathers of the Church, St. Gregory Ascetical Works translated by Virginia Wood Callahan, CUA Press, 1967 • The Life of St. Macrina by Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, translated by Kevin Corrigan, Peregrina Publishing Company 1996 • https://books.google.com/books?id=C7UCAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA105&lpg=PA105&dq= Saint+Naucratius&source=bl&ots=ORaD2SMGQ3&sig=2R05Xy9FI5sABY- axOMGDAjyBi0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=da2aVeu0OY6cyASM7JDQAw&ved=0CFAQ6AEwC A#v=onepage&q=Saint%20Naucratius&f=false .