Catholic Activities

Thanksgiving Fish and Shellfish Recipes for Lent

2012-01-26T19:28:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving Fish and Shellfish Recipes for Pescetarian Diet and Vegetarians This article was written for Thanksgiving vegetarian recipes, but the food ideas work perfectly for lent. It includes harvest vegetable-based meals, fish, seafood and foods tweaked for the Mediterranean Diet. My husband and I are using this diet to meat my need to lose weight and both our needs to watch cholesterol. The Mediterranean Diet could also be called the lent diet or the Catholic social justice diet: it features locally grown produced, fairly traded foods, frugality, meatless meals, fish-based foods and an emphasis on simplicity and using what's on-hand. It gels perfectly with the lenten virtues of fasting, abstinence, prayer and almsgiving.

If you don't like fish or have kids who don't, you can offer up sufferings for the persecuted World Church. My Filipino friend could list many sufferings in her homeland that could be used as lenten sacrificial fast. On a lighter note, when I homeschooled, we used to make recipes from the Catholic Social Services Operation Rice Bowl prayer calender. I once served a recipe that was a porridge made of bananas, peas and onions. We did show solidarity with the poor and it made us give thanks for our many blessings. But it was not pleasant. Each year, my kids give thanks that mom's lenten experiments have never included that recipe again.

May these recipes bless your lent. Read on...

Free Printable Homeschool, Religious Cathlic Crafts from Around the World

2012-01-10T00:10:00.003-05:00

Free Printable Ethnic and Cultural Crafts for Social Studies Catholic homeschoolers, teaching a unit on Asia, African-American, North American, Latino or Celtic culture? Need some great free printable craft projects from these ethnic groups? Hewlett-Packard has many free crafts projects. These free printable craft activities make great projects for homeschoolers and teachers. Use these free printables for your next social studies, world history, literature or geography unit. Parents and families: need a project for your child to complete for a school project? Check these out. Free printable projects like these make excellent activities for special needs students also. Perfect for Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Patrick's Day and saints feast days from other countries. Read on...

Epiphany, Twelfth Night Party Planner

2012-01-02T19:04:00.001-05:00

Epiphany Party Planner Most students will return to school shortly, whether they are home-schooled or if they attend a traditional school. The Epiphany (Three Kings Day, Twelfth Night) holiday is celebrated in the Roman Catholic church and the eastern orthodox churches on January 6. It rounds out the Christmas octave. In many countries around the world, Epiphany is the major gift-giving holiday. Why not combine celebrate this lovely feast day with a party? Round out the winter vacation and holiday break and make the return to studies a positive time by celebrating Epiphany. Here are crafts, games, activities, printables, historical helps, religious devotions and party planning helps. Perfect for social studies, too. Activities for all ages included. Read on...

Free Printable Feast of the Immaculate Conception Activities, Lessons and Crafts

2011-12-08T12:56:00.002-05:00

Free Printable 'Feast of the Immaculate Conception' Activities: Lessons and Crafts December 8 marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception is one of six recognized Holy Days in the liturgical calendar. Here are free printable activities and lessons to celebrate this feast day. I've gone through all the noted Catholic websites and linked this article to children's liturgy activities that explore the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Mother. Read on...

Free Printable Blessed Virgin Mary Coloring Pages and Activities: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Immaculate Conception

2011-11-27T21:47:00.001-05:00

Free Printable Blessed Virgin Mary Coloring Pages and Activities Mary, the mother of Jesus, is honored on several different Catholic Christian holidays throughout the year. December 8, the Feast Immaculate Conception, January 1, Solemnity of Mary and August 15, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Here are free printable coloring pages of Our Lady in her different titles and roles. Read on...

Free Printable Catholic Games, Coloring, Activities

2011-11-15T10:16:00.001-05:00

Free Printable Catholic Games, Coloring, Activities With All Saints Day on November 1, the Catholic church moves into the countdown toward Advent and the church new year. Catholic school teachers, religious education instructors, homeschoolers and parents will enjoy these free printable games and activities. use these for lessons, party games, holy day activities and family fun. Read more...

Family Activities to Celebrate Holidays with a Sick Child

2011-11-08T14:22:00.003-05:00

At-Home Activities to Celebrate Holidays, Feast Days When I was expecting our 4th child, I had placenta abruptio (aka, flat on my back for weeks on end). The first incident occurred right before Christmas. We had to reinvent how we celebrated the holy days, as our activities were very much curtailed. I've also had little ones get sick on big events (Easter egg hunts, birthdays, parties). This article was written to help families, stuck at home for festivities, create at-home celebrations. Our children enjoyed some of our "family nights" as much as the regularly-scheduled festivities! This article was written for Halloween or All Saints Day, but the tips apply to any holiday. I've provided some "outside the box" ideas; tweak as you need! Adapt to holy days and liturgical events. All you need is a little inventiveness. Read more...

Oh, P.S., this article contains links for free printable Halloween and All Saints Day-specific crafts. If it's another event, check this blog or my other linked blogs for other holiday printables. For Catholic feast days, click around the tags list or type your search request in the bar. I've got printable activities for almost every major holy day and feast day.

Free Printable Catholic Games, Coloring, Activities

2011-10-31T15:43:00.003-04:00

Dia De Los Muertos - Day of the Dead Celebration and Party Activities

2011-10-25T21:18:00.003-04:00

Dia De Los Muertos - Day of the Dead Celebration and Party Activities The Latino culture has shared many rich traditions. Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), celebrated on November 1 and known as All Saints Day in the Catholic church honors deceased relatives. Here are activities and lessons to celebrate 'Day of the Dead'. In Mexico and other countries that commemorate 'Dia de los Muertos' or Day of the Dead, families gather in cemeteries and picnic near the graves of loved ones. There are also 'Dia de los Muertos' parades. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is similar to Memorial Day, except that there is less emphasis on nationalism, patriotism and military deaths and more focus on religious and ancestor remembrance. Dia de los Muertos decorations depict skulls and skeletons and may seem gruesome to those not familiar with Day of the Dead traditions. As an ESL teacher, we celebrated Day of the Dead in our classroom. Here are some activities we enjoyed. Read on...

Halloween and Trick-or-Treat Alternatives for Parents

2011-10-25T10:56:00.001-04:00

Halloween and Trick-or-Treat Alternatives for Parents As kids eagerly count down to trick-or-treat, some parents worry about Halloween. Safety and health issues, stranger danger, religious objections, too-scary decorations, older kids trick-or-treating, costume concerns: here are child-friendly Halloween and trick-or-treat alternatives. Perfect for Catholic families. Read on...

Free Printable Catholic Saints Paper Dolls and Coloring Page Activities

2011-10-08T19:01:00.002-04:00

Free Printable Catholic Saints Paper Dolls and Coloring Page Activities It's been inspiring to see that my most popular articles have been those about Ash Wednesday, Lent, Catholic faith and free printable homeschooling lesson plans activities. Here is yet another free printable Catholic activities website. I enjoy looking for free printable cartoon coloring pages, but my real passion lies in finding homeschooling and religious education free printables. I remember my early teaching days and late homeschooling career, sans computer. I must have made thousands of charts, drawings, graphs, games, etc. Alas, I am woefully inept as an artist, so the lesson plans that required drawing skills...lacked. But now, with the beauty of the Internet, we have access to free printable lesson plans, coloring pages, cut and paste crafts, games and more. Click here...

Free Printable Animal Alphabet Coloring Activities - Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

2011-09-18T21:01:00.003-04:00

Free Printable Plant and Animal Alphabet Coloring Activities I am a 10-year homeschool veteran to a family of four. We began homeschooling in 1996. I tailored our activities around the liturgical calendar and arranged topics to fit with the seasons and saints feast days. The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is celebrated on October 4. When our oldest was in first grade in Catholic school (before homeschool), Father blessed the pets. I forgot. Molly was worried that her kitty Oliver would not get his blessing. I asked the teacher if I could bring him the next day and she said yes. So myself, two little boys and one panicky cat set out for church. Oliver was duly petted and blessed. It was so endearing to see all the little ones trustfully bringing their animals to Jesus (in the person of the priest). I kept up this tradition homeschooling.

Pets and animals make a great theme for September and October. They tie in well with St. Francis. Here are free printable pdf packet featuring beautiful coloring pages based on each letter of the alphabet. Each letter is a full page size. The letter outline is filled with nicely drawn images of plants, flowers, vegetables and animals whose names begin with that letter. The pictures are arranged somewhat like hidden picture puzzles. As students color the pictures, there is a printable page for them to list the animals and plants they find, that begin with each letter. This activity is great for preschool-middle school and fits well for life science. Click here for printables.

CFI Atheist Group's 'You Don't Need God' Billboard Causes Furor

2011-09-04T14:32:00.002-04:00

CFI Atheist Group's 'You Don't Need God' Billboard Causes Furor CFI (Center for Inquiry), an atheist group, has made a bold statement on secularism, in the form of a billboard reading "You don't need God" posted along U.S.131 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Some local Christians are calling it anti-God, and they're pretty upset. Read more...

Free Printable Bible Coloring Page Activities: Old Testament and New Testament Stories

2011-07-19T22:24:00.001-04:00

Free Printable Bible Coloring Page Activities: Old Testament and New Testament Stories Teaching VBS- Vacation Bible School this summer? Or maybe your gearing up for CCD, Sunday School, Christian school, Hebrew school or homeschool in the fall? You will want these links for free printable Bible story, old testament and new testament coloring pages. Here are hundreds of free printable Bible story coloring pages from the old testament and new testament. Read more...

Free Printable Father's Day Greeting Cards and Craft Activities

2011-05-31T18:16:00.003-04:00

Free Printable Father's Day Greeting Cards and Craft Activities When Father's Day rolls around, it's sometimes hard to know what to get dad. Children may find themselves with little cash to buy something. Here are free printable Father's Day crafts and greeting cards that you can make at home. Dad will love your creativity and thoughtfulness. Remember St. Joseph and his love of baby Jesus. Read more...

Free Printable Lent and Catholic Easter Coloring Pages

2011-04-12T08:39:00.002-04:00

Free Printable Lent and Catholic Easter Coloring Pages - Associated Content from Yahoo! For Catholics and Christians, Easter is about more than just bunnies and candy. Easter is about the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here are free printable stations of the cross, rosary, saints and Easter bible story coloring pages. Read more...

Lenten and Easter Educational Almsgiving Devotional Activity

2011-03-24T13:39:00.002-04:00

Lenten and Easter Activity that Can Be Adapted for Any School or Group Activity The cardinal virtues of Lent include prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Here is family activity and homeschool lesson plan that addresses all those spiritual exercises and several of the Corporal Works of Mercy. Easy, inexpensive and educational, this activity teaches children about the world church. Read more...

Free Printable Bible Stories Coloring Pages for Lent

2011-03-15T18:54:00.000-04:00

Many of my happiest childhood memories involve the Bible stories and Sunday School activities. Crafts were pretty simple in the 1960s, but how I loved that big bin of broken crayons and coloring pictures our Bible friends and heroes. As an adult Catholic convert, mother of four and veteran homeschooler, I carried those early loves to my children. Here are free printable coloring pages of Bible characters and stories, perfect for Lent activities and crafts. Read more

Free Printable Catholic Lent Countdown Activities

2011-02-28T20:02:00.000-05:00

Our Lenten journey in the Catholic church begins on Ash Wednesday and follows Jesus Christ for forty days of suffering in the desert, up to Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. Here are free printable lent and liturgical countdown calendars to follow the forty days of fasting, prayer and sacrifice. Click here...

Free Printable Catholic, Religious and Educational Crossword Puzzles

2011-02-15T18:33:00.000-05:00

Catholic homeschoolers, CCD and religious education teachers, looking for free printable crossword puzzles for classroom lesson plans? Don't lose this link because there are over 3,000 free printable crossword puzzles available on it. There are Catholic holidays, religion, culture and world history crossword puzzles. Read more

Social Studies, Art, Math and Literature Lesson Plans for Saint Valentine's Day

2011-02-07T16:01:00.001-05:00

For St. Valentines' Day social studies, math, literature and fine art lessons, use the book called Saint Valentine written and illustrated by Robert Sabuda. Sabuda is a modern day author/ illustrator whose artwork is done chiefly with mosaics. The story itself tells the life of Valentine, a Roman physician who aided Christians whose faith was outlawed by the emperor and had to go into hiding in the catacombs (burial grounds) which ran under the city of Rome. Valentine was imprisoned and sent notes to fellow Christians from prison to encourage them in their faith. The Mosaic makes a perfect medium for the retelling of this story. Use these lessons to explore Saint Valentine's life using mosaics. Click here...

Lesson Plans for St. Valentine's Day

2011-01-24T18:55:00.000-05:00

Complete lesson plan on history of St. Valentine, the holiday and lesson follow up

keepsake Valentine craft project and treasure box. Includes how-to guide for design to make an easy keepsake craft from your recycle bin. Great for homeschool, Catholic school and Valentine's Day. Read more...

Free Printable Epiphany and Three Kings Day Crafts

2011-01-04T15:27:00.000-05:00

Epiphany celebrates the Twelfth Night after Christmas. Epiphany, or Three Kings' Day, on January 6, celebrates the visit of the Magi or Wisemen. Here are free printable Epiphany games and crafts to celebrate the holiday. Read on...

Free Printable Nativity Scenes and Manger Scenes to Color

2010-12-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

Each holiday season, I enjoy hunting up new and exciting crafts projects for Christmas. Here is a set of free printable Christian and Catholic manger scenes. Print these manger scenes for children to color, cut and paste and enjoy. Read on...

Free Printable Feast of the Immaculate Conception Lessons, Crafts, Activities

2010-12-10T17:29:00.000-05:00

December 8 marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception is one of six recognized Holy Days in the liturgical calendar. Here are free printable activities and lessons to celebrate this feast day. I've gone through all the noted Catholic websites and linked this article to children's liturgy activities that explore the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Mother. Read more...