Father Says...

Mid-July. So, I guess it's time to start thinking about this autumn's CCD classes!

So, do your kids ever get antsy and start squirming in their seats? (Okay, you can stop laughing now.) REALITY CHECK: most kids, especially those who have been in school all day or who just came from Mass, cannot easily sit still for a whole hour of CCD. So what do you do? Scold them, struggle the rest of the class time with their inattention and lose your temper? (Okay, maybe it's just me who has done this.) Of course you don't do that. You help them manage their sensory needs. (i.e. You let them move.) So, how do you do this without losing valuable teaching time? Ah, that's where Father Says comes in.

I had an absolutely brilliant 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Hite. Just when we kids were about to melt down, miraculously, it was time for song, usually with movements! Amazing, huh? I can still sing songs about Father Abraham (with the crazy body movements) and counting to 10 in Spanish. So, in imitation of this wise woman and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I decided we would have a game, with MOVEMENT, during each class. The most popular of these games was Father Says.

Father Says is just like Simon Says, except the children are practicing words and movements they need to know to worship God. Since I have first graders, this covers a lot! Rules of the game are exactly the same. Here's the basic content I used:

Father says...
Do the Sign of the Cross
Genuflect
Kneel
Stand up
Bow
"The Lord be with you." (R - "And also with you.")
"Alleluia!" (R - "Alleluia) Not during Lent
"Lord have mercy." (R - "Lord have mercy.")

It only takes a few minutes, and it a great deal of fun. And, as you know, repetition is very important to learning new things! See what else you can add to my list. Then stand up and move a bit!

Blessed be God.

Listen....

Okay, it's been a while. My sister asked the other day about my blog, and I listened.

Listen.

It is Lent. How many of you have chosen a penance which involves greater silence? Perhaps giving up TV or your iPod or the radio in the car? How many are going to pray silently at Adoration or go a few minutes early to Mass for some extra quiet listening?

Listening -- it is essential for any good catechist. For any good Christian!

I had a lesson in listening this past Sunday. Our CCD rooms are in the parish hall, with those folding walls dividing the room into four classes. So, there is a gap in the middle through which you can see the other classes. Well, the combined 3rd/4th grade class was watching a video as we began our lesson, and the TV was set in a spot where it could be seen from our table. I was oblivious because my back was to the gap in the wall, and, well, I was not listening for that. Fortunately, one of my students raised his hand and asked, "Mrs. Z, can we sit somewhere else? The video is distracting me." Thank you, God, that he asked instead of zoning out or wrestling between competing sensory inputs! We have a big room and few children, so we went to sit on the floor where we could NOT see the TV. And our lesson went well.

Listen. Maybe we should all take a minute, even during class, to just listen and to observe. What may be distracting in my classroom? Move to different locations to see what the kids are seeing and hearing.

Listen more. What are the kids telling you with their words or their body language? Do they need to move around? Talk more? Take quiet time? Need to pray? Ask questions? Share stories?

I think we're going to watch a video next week. I think I'll be careful where I place the TV!

Blessed be God!