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lapazfarm
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If you could choose the 10 most important faith concepts (or topics)for your children to understand fully, what would they be?
The reason I ask is that my dd, JBug has some learning disabilities that make it hard for her to retain knowledge like most kids. Traditional programs will not work for this child (in any subject, not just the faith). Programs that emphasize memorization are out.
So what I want to do is just choose one faith topic to serve as our focus for each month of the school year. I figure 10 topics learned well are better than 50 that go in one ear and out the other.
I just need to decide which 10 topics are the most important. For example, do I choose the 10 commandments (though I think she already knows those)? The Beatitudes? The 7 sacraments? Mary? The Saints? Which ones? Yikes! I'd love some input!
What do you think? Which 10 topics would you choose?
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Theresa
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JodieLyn
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Church Authority is the first thing that comes to mind. When you know you can trust the Church to give you the information you need, you don't necessarily need to memorize it. I would choose to teach how to find information and reliable sources for information. I would teach how to look up things in the Bible so that she can check herself what a verse says or what the context is. I would teach stories from the New Testament. Stories will lend themselves to remembering better than lists.
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stefoodie
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pro-life issues 
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LLMom
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I would say the 10 commandments, the laws of the Church, the sacraments (I would spend a month on Holy Communion, baptism,confirmation, and penance each) and group the others that don't pertain to her right now like Holy orders, Extreme Unction, and Matrimony. So that would be 5 months on the sacraments alone, but there is a lot of meaty topics on each of those. I would also spend time on the Blessed Trinity,the Blessed Mother, and maybe creation and the fall of man.
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Lisa
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Betsy
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Well....I think our Faith can be boiled down to Eucharist!. If you understand the true presence you really have it all. Dr. Scott Hahn is even promoting the idea that the whole new testament can be boiled down to the Eucharist.
Eucharist, for me, would be #1
Next would be love for Mary, because she is the surest and quickest way to Jesus
Then the Rosary,
Then the Stations of the Cross.
Okay, 1.5 might be the Mass.
And, I would end with these 5 items. You can spend you life studying them and never exhaust the depths of Faith or ever be lead astray.
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JennGM
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I really think taking the Apostles or Nicene Creed and breaking it down like the Catechism in workable chunks to apply to her life. It doesn't have to be Q&A and memorized style. I thought this site had some basic approaches, and I agree with both books as very good basic ones.
And then expand through the Bible, the Liturgy, and the Magisterium.
What is important for her is to continue to grow in love and knowledge of Christ, building her personal relationship with Christ (her spiritual life). This is a daily endeavor that must always grow.
I don't think the homeschool materials for an atrium sufficiently capture what the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. I am trying to think how to capture this at home....I will be taking Level III in a few weeks which is 9-12 (but really until adult) and I will be pondering your question. What are these key elements to take with her? I think reading some of the CGS books by Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi would really help you relate to Jbug. The higher levels of course recognize the child is at a different plane, so there is less manipulatives. but it is all based on Bible and the Liturgy and is just beautiful.
Not completely helpful to your question at hand.
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Erin
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JennGM wrote:
| I really think taking the Apostles or Nicene Creed and breaking it down |
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Seconding this, and as Betsy said, the Eucharist which is at the heart of our Faith.
Currently I'm preparing my two girls (12 & 9) for Confirmation and I had to give serious thought as to what is important. Parred down and came up with a plan, which really helped me see clearly, like your 10 must haves.
Also preparing ds7 for FHC and Eucharist is a must.
ETA: Just thinking it might help you if I shared my plans, for me they gave clarity for the basics of Faith.
Preparation for First Confession
Preparation for First Holy Communion
Preparation for Confirmation
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knowloveserve
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Apologetics.
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MichelleW
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I also have a learning disabled child. These are the things I would emphasize:
1. God made everything and everything He made was good. I would spend lots of time (which you already do) looking at the amazingly cool and beautiful in nature, talking about the way everything God made praises Him by being obedient to the design He gave it, talking about good stewardship of what He made.
2. God loves me. It is worth taking lots of time with this. I think this is so hard to learn, but it is a vital foundation of our faith. There are so many references and illustrations of this in the Bible, but there are also lots of illustrations of this in her life.
Christ and His sacrifice fit are part of this foundational concept.
3. I love God back, and I show this by obeying Him. I praise Him by being who He designed me to be.
4. God is Holy. This concept is important for understanding why sin separates us from Him. He is not rejecting us when we sin, we are stepping out of His Presence and when we confess we step back in.
5. Jesus said the most important thing we can do is to love God and to love others. How do we do this, how do many of our daily habits keep us from this?
6. I would teach and say the Glory Be often. It teaches/reminds us that God is the same always. It has been a huge learning tool (in addition to be a great prayer) filled with aha! moments.
7. The Mass
8. The Eucharist
9. The liturgical year, rhythms, patterns, consistency are so great for kids with learning disabilities. The fact that God is in the fasting AND in the feasting, that sometimes we don't feel like celebrating but it is time to do so, or feel like fasting, but the time is now, teaches about God's constancy. This has been so important for my son to feel connected to God. He is often overwhelmed by the world, but knowing that God remains consistent when everyone and everything else does not has been foundational for my son.
10. Prayer. There are many ways to talk to God. Memorized prayers are just one (beautiful) way. What are other ways to talk to God? You can just talk because He is Present. You can listen. You can just be beside each other. You can invite Him to look at bugs with you, or draw pictures with you. You can thank Him for the things He has made, or for being with you.
This is not the same list I would make for my other kids, but I like this list for my special needs kid. I think it keeps his heart pointed in the right direction.
Blessings!
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JodieLyn
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Just wanted to come back and explain why I said Church Authority.
It's really hard to investigate every question that might ever crop up about Catholicism. But when you know you can trust the authority manifest in the Church then you don't need to figure out each item for yourself. You can know that there is a good reason for something and rest in that until you have the time/energy/desire to learn more yourself.
And I was thinking that for someone who struggles to learn those things, that learning that you can trust the Church's decisions for us would be very useful through out her life.
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Erin
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Theresa
I'm assuming visuals would help Jbug retain. Was reading Willa's post this morning and she linked to these Faith Formation resources
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lapazfarm
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Thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies. Very helpful. 
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Theresa
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guitarnan
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I love Michelle's list (everyone else's, too, but I think hers is great for a child like yours, Theresa.
I would add in saint stories, though. We all need the saints as examples and prayer partners and, well, friends. Their real-life struggles are ours. Saint Brother Andre Bessette could not read, yet he accomplished great things. St. Joseph of Cupertino struggled mightily to learn the necessary lessons so he could become a priest, and his priesthood was filled with miracles and blessings.
Lovely thread, everyone! You've made me smile on a difficult day!
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lapazfarm
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guitarnan wrote:
I love Michelle's list (everyone else's, too, but I think hers is great for a child like yours, Theresa.
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I agree and I think that is the way I am leaning, though I really like the idea of using the Creed as an organizational scaffold, too.
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Theresa
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Theresa
Recommending Inos Biffi's An Illusrated Catechism, covers the Creed, 10 Commandments, Sacraments as well as prayer.
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Erin
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: If you could choose only 10
