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mamaslearning
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Posted: Feb 29 2012 at 4:18pm | IP Logged Quote mamaslearning
Being fairly new to the Church, can you explain pros/cons of using the BC for children? Is there anything equivalent that is newer? If I don't use it am I missing out on a "must have" resource?

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Posted: Feb 29 2012 at 5:50pm | IP Logged Quote mathmama
Personally I love it. I love the format, I love that it isn't wishy washy watered down nonsense. I think having the kids memorize clear questions and answers will serve them well when they face challenges to their faith when they are older.

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Posted: Feb 29 2012 at 9:35pm | IP Logged Quote kristinannie
I plan to use the BC as a part of our religious education. It is funny you posted this because I just heard the over 50 crowd at Adult Ed tonight rail against BC for not teaching why the church believes what it believes and complaining about the dryness of the memorization. However, I think it is a great way for kids to really know the tenets of our faith which is something really lacking in most faith formation programs at church. I am not going to rely on this alone, but I am definitely going to use it!

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mamaslearning
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Posted: March 02 2012 at 11:23am | IP Logged Quote mamaslearning
Thanks!

I'm trying to decide how to spend my limited budget for the new year and I can't decide if I need the BC or not. I'm planning on using Faith and Life 3 as the core religious text, and I'm wondering if I could spend the $10 for the BC(and answers) on another subject and pick up the BC next year?


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SallyT
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Posted: March 03 2012 at 12:05pm | IP Logged Quote SallyT
Consider picking it up used. I actually got our rather battered copy off a freebie table at a homeschool group meeting once, and we've used it for years. You can also find free .pdf versions online, I think, though I don't have a link right now.

I don't actually, formally, make my kids memorize the questions and answers. We use the BC as a read-aloud, taking each lesson very slowly, and spend a lot of time on the questions at the end. All my children have enjoyed this, and it's prompted a lot of very good discussion over the years. My kids also participate in our parish Faith Formation program, and the feedback I get from their teachers has been that they're the "answer kids" in their classes, so clearly the lessons stick!

This isn't all we use for "religion," by any means: we also read saints' lives and the Bible, those little Fr. Lovasik books on aspects of the faith, read Marigold Hunt (currently, both A Life of Our Lord for Children and St. Patrick's Summer)) and My Path to Heaven. Plus we pray Morning Prayer and Compline from the Liturgy of the Hours, and sing hymns daily. And we go to Mass more or less daily. So the BC is one aspect of a fairly varied "program," but it offers something all the other elements don't, which is a clear spelling-out of what we believe as Catholics.

Incidentally, my family and I are also relatively recent converts -- we came into the Church in 2007. The BC was invaluable to my older children, who were 13 and 9 when we became Catholic, as they discerned where God was leading them. My youngest kids are now 8 and 9, so what I'm describing as our "religion course" is what's possible with kids that age (the LOTH is just now a viable thing with them). Still, we've used the BC in tiny increments at much younger ages -- it's just that the older they get, the more the discussion part of it becomes valuable, though even at much younger ages, they've had amazing insights and revelations as we've read through it.

Sally

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CrunchyMom
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Posted: March 03 2012 at 12:15pm | IP Logged Quote CrunchyMom
You might also look at the St. Joseph First Communion Catechism. I am using it with my 7 year old (receiving FHC this summer), and we like it. We're also reading Marigold Hunt, Angel Food, and Fr. Losavik, but the FCC is a little more child friendly than the straight Baltimore catechism even though it is the same format. The pictures are charming, and the answers are a little easier for smaller ones.

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Posted: March 03 2012 at 12:33pm | IP Logged Quote JodieLyn
I don't think it's the version for the younger kids but The Baltimore Catechism is online

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Becky Parker
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Posted: March 03 2012 at 2:33pm | IP Logged Quote Becky Parker
CrunchyMom wrote:
You might also look at the St. Joseph First Communion Catechism.

This is our favorite for 7-8 year olds. My kids have a knack for remembering the pictures and the lesson that went with them. And, even though it's for young kids, there is a lot of meat in there! I learned a bunch from this catechism when we first started homeschooling.

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mamaslearning
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Posted: March 28 2012 at 12:20pm | IP Logged Quote mamaslearning
I found it used at a really cheap price, so I picked it up and still have plenty funds for the other books I need. Yeah!!


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Barbara C.
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Posted: April 18 2012 at 12:43pm | IP Logged Quote Barbara C.
We use The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 1, which I believe is slightly different than the original Baltimore Catechism. I make my 3rd grader copy all of the answers to the Catechism questions for one lesson per week, and then the next day we read through the entire lesson and discuss it. We don't do memorization.

I think it has a lot of clear and concise explanations for what the Church teaches, and I've actually learned a few things/gained new perspectives by going through it. We don't use it by itself, though. We also do saint stories, and once a week we say the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Next year, I'll be using the St. Joseph First Communion Catechism with my first grader in preparation for FHE in addition to the Family Formation program with all the kids.

I don't think the Baltimore Catechism is a "must-have", but I think it is a valuable resource (among many) and it works well for my family. (I am personally not a fan of Faith and Life, at least the early books, and I am pretty sure that my oldest would hate it even more than me.)

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