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Marybeth
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I recently set up a prayer corner in our living room for the family. My son doesn't really use it. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions regarding how to encourage its use? We have books, holy cards, a rosary and statues for him to browse and use. I just love the concept from the atrium he attended this past year.
Thank you!
Marybeth
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Elizabeth
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Dear Marybeth,
We have a miniature Mass kit and prayer cloths in liturgical colors. We have a Good Shepherd, the sheep and the paddock, some figures and a table for the last supper, a wooden Noah's ark, some puzzles with Biblical scenes, holy cards, picture Bibles, etc. The best way to get them to use the prayer table is to use it yourself. We start the day in there with prayer. When prayer intentions come up during the day, we'll go light a candle and pray. Then, as they get the idea (particularly since they see it done in the atrium), they will apporach and ask to light a candle and pray.
I love to keep an eye for things to add to our atrium at home and the children love to make little shrines on the prayer.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Glenn
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This is so interesting! I love the idea of a prayer spot, but what is an atrium? Thanks.
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Glenn
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Marybeth
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The atrium is the space used by the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. It is the gathering space in which the children learn about God and do their "work". It is based on the Montessori method of child learning/development. Here are two really interesting books which explain about everything in greater detail...
The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti
Listening to God with Children by Gianna Gobbi
I read the listening book first b/c I am part of book club which reads Catholic parenting books.
God bless,
Marybeth
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Marybeth
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Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for the advice. I am going to add a few more things slowly and really try after breakfast each day to spend some time in prayer in our corner. I think lighting some candles will really interest my ds b/c each week after Mass he loves to light some for intentions.
God bless,
Marybeth
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alicegunther
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Our "prayer corner" is really the family room. The main focal point of the room is a large statue of Our Lady of Fatima on top of a white fireplace mantle. Currently, it has two candles on either side, a bowl of holy water, and two vases full of fresh flowers. At other times of the year, our display changes somewhat. (Up until about a week ago, the Easter Candle was prominently displayed along with a Fontanini Resurrection Scene.) The only thing that always stays is the Fatima statue.
Nearby, in a drawer, we keep Rosary beads for all family members, picture books showing the mysteries of the Rosary, and a few of my current spiritual reads (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Louis de Montfort, Fatima in Lucia's Own Words by S. Lucia, and Princesses of the Kingdom--the story of Jacinta Marto and Nellie Organ by Leo Madigan).
Having a special place for prayer is so important, and it really puts my children in a reverent, prayerful mood when they sit quietly together by the statue in the evening.
By the way, I had an idea for a portable "prayer corner" craft some of you might be interested in:
Materials:
Plain white box with attached lid (opening like a cigar box)--available at the craft store, or just use a cigar box!
Small plastic statues such as Our Lady, the Holy Family, the Sacred Heart or St. Joseph
Religious items needed for prayer, but small enough to fit in the box--Rosary beads, a scapular, holy cards, a small prayer book or Bible
Sheets of pretty paper
Beautiful stickers of flowers or crosses--anything that could be used to decorate the outside of the box
Velvet to adorn the inside
If the children are old enough, have them line the box with velvet--otherwise you could do this step for them. Then let them decorate the outside of the box any way you like. Floral stickers might appeal to girls, but something a bit more masculine would work for boys. Provide as many options as possible, including colorful tissue, gold foil, markers or paint, and holy pictures.
Once the box is decorated, it is ready to be used as a "portable prayer corner." Have the children keep their holy objects in it, but when they are ready to pray, open the box and turn it so that the lid sits on the table, and the box itself stands sideways. Set up the statue of Our Lady (or any statues) within it so that the box frames the statue and creates the look of a little "altar." Alternatively, beautiful pictures could be permanently affixed to the inside of the box so that the pictures are seen when the box is set up this way.
Use the pretty paper to keep lists of prayer intentions and names of deceased relatives and friends.
By the way, I am planning a similar project for our Little Flowers group May Crowning next week, only the girls will be decorating "prayer tote bags." I picked up little colored plastic shopping bags along with assorted sparkly floral stickers. The girls will decorate the bags with the stickers and then use them to hold the rosaries, small BVM statues, scapulars and holy cards they receive in the bags. The bags will make it easy for each little girl to go off to a corner of her house and say her Rosary or just think about Our Lady.
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Karen E.
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alicegunther wrote:
By the way, I am planning a similar project for our Little Flowers group May Crowning next week, only the girls will be decorating "prayer tote bags." I picked up little colored plastic shopping bags along with assorted sparkly floral stickers. The girls will decorate the bags with the stickers and then use them to hold the rosaries, small BVM statues, scapulars and holy cards they receive in the bags. The bags will make it easy for each little girl to go off to a corner of her house and say her Rosary or just think about Our Lady. |
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Oh, Alice,
I love your ideas! Could you just email me an idea a week? Then my homeschool will run much more smoothly and be much more creative .... That's not too much to ask, is it? 
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Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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alicegunther
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Karen E. wrote:
Oh, Alice,
I love your ideas! Could you just email me an idea a week? Then my homeschool will run much more smoothly and be much more creative .... That's not too much to ask, is it? |
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Oh, Karen, I am the one who always learns from you! Many thanks!
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Genevieve
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What are the picture books showing the mysteries of the rosaries?
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alicegunther
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Genevieve wrote:
| What are the picture books showing the mysteries of the rosaries? |
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The one we have is called "The Holy Rosary Illustrated," with classic illustrations of the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries. There is no author named, but the publisher is Gerffert, Long Island City, NY.
I liked the illustrations, so I purchased five copies to allow each of the children to hold a book during the Rosary. The older three also read the small scripture passage included beneath the pictures. (These books are nice, but any small rosary book or pamphlet with pretty pictures would be a suitable replacement.)
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alicegunther
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Dear Mary Beth,
Re-reading your original post, I realize that my responses were a bit off topic. I was writing about what our "prayer corner" is like without saying a word about how we encourage its use! The way I do it is by scheduling prayer time as part of the day. For you, this would be especially good because you have so many interesting things for him to use. (Yours sounds more kid friendly than mine. Except for the books and rosaries, I do not have anything set up for their personal use. I have during different phases in the past though.) They also see me using it and often find me reading or praying there, especially if they come downstairs for something (like a drink of water) after they've been put to bed. I think this has encouraged them, because I've noticed one or two of my children going in there to pray when something is bothering them.
Oh, and the month of May reminds me that when my children were little, we used to do a Marian craft every single day and then make a big production out of presenting the crafts to Our Lady at the May altar in the evening. We would sing "Immaculate Mary" and pray and sometimes even take a picture of the girls with their crafts. This certainly encouraged them to use the "prayer corner"! How I miss the days when I had time to do these things!
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Marybeth
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Alice,
Your first post was wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question. I so appreciate it!!! I'm going to set up some crafts over the next few days. What a wonderful suggestion. I did get a photo album to put our prayer cards in so I thought we could slowly begin to work on that. Thanks again for your posts.
God bless,
Marybeth
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Genevieve
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Alice,
I found a rosary picture book similar to the one you described; I wasn't able to find the one you had. It is The Illustrated Rosary. What I really liked about it is that pictures they featured for each mystery are art masterpieces by artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael etc. The book fits into the size of my palm. My 2 yr old loves it. I've also found Rosary Illustrated and Rosary Album I was really excited about the later because it had a drawing for each bead! Unfortunately it doesn't include the luminous mystery.
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alicegunther
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Genevieve wrote:
| I found a rosary picture book similar to the one you described; I wasn't able to find the one you had. |
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How beautiful, Genevieve. This book looks so great, I am tempted to buy it (and probably will . Many thanks for the link.
Amazingly, I was looking up something unrelated at Catholic Heritage Curricula yesterday and discovered that they sell the book I recommended in my original post. Please scroll down to the Holy Rosary Illustrated. The books are $2.75 each, and $25.00 for a package of ten.
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ALmom
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Thanks for the idea about the portable prayer corner as that seems to be the key. We've had various prayer corners set up and usually have an area in the kitchen where we pray morning prayers and we do have different children who change out decorations, pictures, etc according to the liturgical season.
However none of the spots where the family congregates together is real conducive to private prayer as there are so many of us. It works fine for the toddlers but we have found it nice to set up small corners in every room so there is someplace to go to get away from the chaos. I have found some of the older children have set up statues and such on their dressers. But I like a transportable box for each child with personal meditation and prayer aids. This would also keep the clutter down.
Thanks for the idea. We know one project now.
Janet
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alicegunther
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Genevieve, I hadn't checked your second link until now. You too found the Rosary Illustrated at CHC. That's the one!
Many thanks to Janet for the gracious words. I'm so glad you'll be making portable prayer corners!
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Love, Alice
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Marybeth
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What a wonderful price for such sweet books. Thanks for the link!
Marybeth
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JennGM
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Mentally planning our prayer corner for our new house and reading this thread I thought I would toss an idea for you. In our family we use a flip easel for visual pictures during the family rosary or Stations of the Cross. My mom had originally bought something like this years ago (I was 6) and then recreated it for her daughters who now have children. I've put some instructions on Catholic Culture. We use the pictures from Leaflet Missal. I also leave the easel open on the appropriate pictures for feast days like Pentecost, Resurrection, etc. to add to our visual display.
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Glenn
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Does anybody know where I could purchase a children's Mass kit for my children to use? They love to pretend they are celebrating Mass.
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Genevieve
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alicegunther wrote:
Genevieve, I hadn't checked your second link until now. You too found the Rosary Illustrated at CHC. That's the one!
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To think, it was right there under my nose.
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Genevieve
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Prayer corners
