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The practice of “giving up” something for Lent isn’t only for children. The Lenten sacrifices of adults can lead to true changes of heart and spiritual growth. As Lent begins, we encourage you to make a firm commitment to keeping the Lenten practices and growing ever closer to Christ. You may find this daily Lenten calendar (English, Spanish) from the USCCB a useful resource.
Read the post “When Is a Chair Not a Chair?” as we celebrate the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle on February 22.
Every week in the GROW newsletter, you will find helpful tips for teaching your Gospel Weeklies lesson, a reflection on the Sunday Gospel, and information about our online resources and seasonal activities. Here are tips for teaching the Gospel Weeklies lessons this week:
Videos of Sunday’s Gospel
Use these videos as you discuss today’s Gospel. Please preview all videos you plan to share with your class:
Mark 1:12–15
Jesus Tempted in the Desert with Lego (playful portrayal)
Satan Tempts Jesus
Gospel Readings and Reflection for Kids—Mark 1:12–15
Holy Heroes: 1st Sunday of Lent
Videos for Lent
Lent Webinar for Kids! Songs to Journey with Jesus during Lent, Featuring Miss Heidi and John Burland
Ash Wednesday & Lent in 60 Seconds. With LEGO!
Lent: Catholic Central
Lent in 3 Minutes
Cardinal Timothy Dolan: What Is Lent?
What Is Lent?
Holy Heroes: Ash Wednesday
The Stations of the Cross with Bishop Barron
10 Fun Things You Might Not Know About Lent
Faith, Fun, and Celebration: Lent Episode (featuring John Burland)
Seeds
Lesson Theme: Jesus tells God’s Good News.
For this lesson, you will need crayons, pencils, scissors, tape measure, a story coloring page (one per child), and a Church Year calendar.
As we enter the Lenten season, Seeds celebrates the growth of the children, both in size and ability, and in being living members of the Church, God’s family.
If you cannot have an aide to help you with the ‘Watch me grow during Lent” activity on pages 3–4, you can send a note home to parents asking them to measure their child and fill the “Height” space to complete activity.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
Extending Activities
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
Bible Bag: Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole
Promise
Lesson Theme: Jesus teaches us to be faithful.
For this lesson, you will need crayons, pencils, scissors, glue or tape, a Church Year calendar, and parent notes about the prayer box activity. Plan ahead to borrow The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn from your school or public library. If your classroom is equipped for it, you may use this video to share the story. You may wish to plan for an aide or aides to assist with the prayer box activity. We suggest that you separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 and make one prayer box in advance.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
Bible Bag: Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole
Good News
Lesson Theme: Lent is a time to grow in faith.
Some songs about Noah’s ark are “Noah’s Song,” “The Arky, Arky Song” (Rise and Shine), and “The Animals Went in Two by Two.”
Bring your map of Galilee from the 1/21 lesson or locate Galilee on a classroom map. Use this when you ask the children why Jesus went to Galilee following his time in the desert.
Send the “Faith in Action Lenten Calendar” home with the children to complete the suggested actions and spell the scrambled word each week. Bring your own copy to class each week to remind them.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
God’s Story: Noah
Venture
Lesson Theme: Lent gives us time to grow.
Remember to switch out the colors in your prayer space to violet for Lent. While it’s the same color as was used during Advent, violet stands for repentance during Lent. This lesson begins a series of activities that focus on our Old Testament ancestors. This week, the story of Noah is Sunday’s First Reading. This will lead to a discussion of covenants, which transitions well into making Lenten commitments. Students will need scissors and tape to complete the Lenten activity on pages 7–8. Assign partners to complete the review on page 8.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Lenten Gospel Acclamation
Noah’s Ark
Visions
Lesson Theme: Lent prepares us to celebrate Easter.
Share with the students that this Sunday’s Gospel shows Jesus facing temptation in the desert. Jesus is our model of how to withstand temptation and choose the right path. Use the cover activity to begin discussion of Lenten commitments and sacrifice (fasting, abstaining).
The First Readings for the Sundays in Lent focus on Old Testament figures. This week, the students will student the story of Noah and the flood, with an emphasis on the covenant that God and Noah enter together. Note for the students how a covenant is different from a commandment. God commands Noah to build an ark; God and Noah make a two-way promise, a covenant, after the flood.
For the activity “Can Your Class Be Convicted of Being a Christian?” (pages 6–7), the students can reference pages 49 and 51 of their What the Church Believes and Teaches Catechism handbooks. This is a class activity, so we suggest setting up the classroom as a courtroom, if possible. Challenge the students by asking: How would you prove to someone that you’re a Christian? Work through this activity together.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
Lenten Gospel Acclamation
Noah’s Ark
How CRS Rice Bowl Helps Your Local Community
What Is Charity? Water
Feeding America – How We Work
Image credit: chollak via cathopic.com
