Free Catholic saints activities for homeschooling lesson plans

So you know that November 1 is Catholic All Saints' Day. But I say why wait till fall to get to know the saints? As Catholic homeschooling mum, I followed the liturgical calendar and tailored lessons around feast days. And you can too, using these free printable Catholic saints coloring pages, crafts and activities. Explore the lives of saints and use them to frame lesson plans. 

* Catholic Mom's All Saint's Day activities page has printable crafts and coloring pages specific to that holy day, plus tips for celebrating a Catholic holidays. Visit the Catholic Kids home page for free printable liturgical lesson plans for CCD and religious education lesson plan. Each week's gospel is discussed and age-appropriate activities linked: free printable puzzles, word searches, study sheets, crafts, Bible verses, games and activities. 

* ABCatholic has a free printable Catholic alphabet coloring book with images of saints, Bible stories and sacraments.  

* Waltzing Matilda features handmade free printable Catholic saints coloring pages. The blog moderator has drawn images for sacraments and liturgical use also. 

* Paper Dali is another mom blog with homemade free printable saints coloring pages. Some are free and some must be purchased.free her Etsy shop. Scroll around for the freebies. All are very attractive and well worth the nominal fee. 

* Catholic Icing offers handmade All Saints' Day printables and crafts. Read through the blog posts and sidebar menu for crafts, games and printables. 

* JClub has free printable Bible and Catholic saints coloring pages. 

* EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) Kids offers free mass readings, prayer activities, crafts and coloring pages for children. Users must create a free account with user name and password. 

Lenten fasting: Catholic diet hacks and social justice weight loss tips

Are you having trouble losing weight no matter what you try? It could be because you're missing a few basic ingredients to weight loss. I know from personal experience struggling. I call these my "Catholic diet hacks" for social justice weight loss because they are based on the church's teaching on Lent. Use them to gear up your Lenten fasting.  These tips are part of how I lost 100 pounds without drugs or weight loss surgery. 

Mardi Gras is a Catholic festival season that culminates on Fat Tuesday and takes the faithful into Ash

Wednesday and the penitential season of Lent, The commonly known practice is Lenten fasting or

choosing something to give up for Lent and it's not just for the Catholic. Everyone, Catholic or not,

should quit feasting on Fat Tuesday and pick an addiction to give up for Lent. Don't worry, that's no

religious agenda, just common sense. Lenten fasting is healthy for everyone! Give up junk food for

Lent and you might lose weight, illness, debt, and depression! You don't have to fast for religious

reasons but a spiritual fast can be very healing.

And spiritual fasting isn't necessarily religious, it's a mind-body connection, an examination of

conscience, a personal reflection that frees the mind and soul of earthly trappings. Fasting is a very

Zen experience. Lent, Ramadan and Yom Kippur are ritual purgative fasts. Fasts such as the Buddhist

nyungne bring the elements of the self into focus and unity. Abstaining from mindless indulgences

and addictions, at least for a time, helps to align thoughts, actions, words and feelings. Lenten fasting

helps get priorities straight. Whatever addictions you give up for Lent will have less hold over you.

You find it easier to diet and lose weight as cravings aren't so intense and you are more easily

satisfied.

The Tao of Lenten fasting is inner cleansing through outward deprivation. On Shrove Tuesday and

Ash Wednesday a Catholic is "shriven" or purified and readied for prayer, meditation and almsgiving

and taking up the cross and following Jesus. Think of something negative that has a hold on you to

give up for Lent. Lenten fasting helps you concentrate on essentials. Beat depression and gain

confidence and strength knowing you're stronger than your cravings. If you offer your Lenten fasting

for particular intentions, you develop awareness of, sensitivity to and solidarity with the needs of

others. So you lose weight but also selfishness. 

Being less focused on things can help you get out of

debt. You have more money to help those in poverty. This is the best medicine for depression!

Fasting is positive for health reasons. Abstaining from meat, alcohol, fats, sugar, sodium, junk carbs,

candy and dairy can help you lose weight and illness. In times past, people refrained from eating all

of these things during Lent. Now, a Catholic will generally choose one thing to fast from. If you have

trouble deciding? Pick meat or sweets to give up for Lent. You can lower bad cholesterol without

medication just by eating more fish and less meat and dairy. Drinking less alcohol helps cleanse the

liver which helps you lose weight. Try fasting on bread and water twice a week, You may shed 20

pounds during a Lenten fast, making no other lifestyle changes. Refraining from eating sweets and

caffeine, and practicing emotional health exercises can help you wean from an antidepressant and

beat depression naturally. A Lenten fast can heal obesity, depression, save you money and find your

inner joy!

Halloween alternative trick-or-treat activities for Catholic Christian kids: educational games, crafts, recipes, give-backs, party ideas

Halloween is a top-grossing holiday and consumer spending will hit record highs in 2014 predicts U.S News and World Report. Young and old alike eagerly anticipate trick-or-treat, spending an average of $80 per person on costumes, spook house venues, decorations and candy. Not everyone looks forward to Halloween, however. Some children are terrified by scary costumes. Parents don't want them to miss out on the fun, just avoid the creepier aspects. Is it possible to celebrate a haunt-less Halloween? Absolutely! Here are alternative trick-or-treat activities.

·         Truck-or-Treat/Trunk-or-Treat. Organize a group of friends to pass out candy from the trunks of their cars or truck beds. Choose a non-spooky theme, like Disney movies, and host a costume contest. Families can even decorate vehicles in keeping with theme.

·         Educational costumes. There's a whole world of non-scary costume ideas to choose from. Children can dress up as characters in books, children shows or nursery rhymes. They might dress as famous people, favorite animals or in occupational attire. Encourage kids to create costumes from recycled materials. This saves money too.

·         Safe houses. Ask around your neighborhood to find out who plans to decorate with a haunted theme. Map out a trick-or-treat route that bypasses those homes.

·         Candy hunt. Maybe you live far from town or in a rural area? That makes trick-or-treat challenging enough as it is. So skip door-to-door. Instead, hide candy in the yard and let children hunt for it. Let children dress in costume. If you have a large piece of property, this could be a great adventure!

·         LARP candy quest. Turn your backyard or house into a non-scary, live-action role play Halloween video game. Decide on a theme. Children invent a character and create costumes. Parents or older siblings might draw a treasure map, set tasks children must complete or write riddles to help little ones find candy.

·         Life-size Candyland. Create a living Candyland board game in the backyard. Invite neighbors to participate. Adults dress as characters and create stations based on the game. Here's a life-sized Candyland Pinterest board with loads of costume and prop tutorials.

·         Harvest gala Forego the Halloween theme altogether and focus on fall. Set up autumn crafts and game stations in your barn, backyard or garage. Make a hay maze. Hide candy in leaf piles. Carve or paint pumpkins. Bob for apples. Make popcorn balls. Serve cider and donuts.

·         Nursing home trick-or-treating. Here's a win-win idea: children get to trick-or-treat in safe, controlled environments and lonely elderly folks get to enjoy Halloween with the kids. Check senior homes in your area for trick-or-treat opportunities.

·         Pay it forward. Teach children that Hallween can be about giving as well as getting. Turn one of above-listed ideas into a fundraising event. Sell tickets and donate the proceeds. In lieu of a fee, collect canned goods for a food pantry. Gather animal care supplies for your local Humane Society.

Be sure to film the frolics share video copies with family far away. Halloween doesn't have to be scary to be fun. It just takes is a little ingenuity and resourcefulness for everyone to have a good time.

Free St. Francis Day activities, coloring pages lesson plans, printables

October 4 the celebrates the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Catholic Church

. Among other things under his patronage, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals. On his feast day, some Catholic churches and schools observe a charming little rite known as the blessing of pets. Folks bring their beloved pets to mass to be prayed over. It's an event that young and old enjoy. In the spirit of the good saint, here are free printable animals coloring pages and free printable St. Francis activities for children to celebrate! If you know of a Catholic church that blesses pets, why not bring your kids and animals--you'll all enjoy it!

Visit Real Life at Home for free printable St. Francis lesson plans in a packet. Print games, coloring pages, activities and worksheets of saints. Learn connections to Pope Francis, who is a Franciscan and has taken his name from Francis of Assisi. Print a liturgical calendar of Catholic saints, including Saint Francis, free from Catholic playground. For free printable animal coloring pages, visit Coloring Book Fun. National Geographic Kids has realistic animal coloring pages from A-Z to print. This link opens on the animals A-I page but click the link at the bottom for coloring pages of animals from J-Z.

For more detailed, educational animal coloring page printables, don't miss Edupics. There are over 1,600 animal coloring pages: some are even suitable for middle school and high school biology and science lessons! Hello Kids has hundreds of free printable animal coloring pages. Some are easier and geared for preschool or special needs students. Some are more challenging. Coloring.ws, from children's learning printables giant DL-TK has free printable coloring pages of animals from A-Z.Print every animal kingdom and phylum: insects, fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Free printable saints coloring pages, activities to celebrate St Joseph, Catholic Labor Day

With Labor Day approaching, Catholic families should be focusing St. Joseph the Worker. He has several feast days but May Day (the worldwide Labor Day) is the one devoted to his cult as patron saint of workers. Use these free printable Catholic saints coloring pages, crafts and lesson plans to explore St. Joseph.

* Catholic Mom's All Saint's Day activities page has printable crafts and coloring pages, plus tips for celebrating a Christian Labor Day. Visit the Catholic Kids home page for free printable liturgical lesson plans with age-appropriate activities linked: free printable puzzles, word searches, study sheets, crafts, Bible verses, games and activities.

* Catholic Playground has free printable Catholic saints coloring pages. They're alphabetized and listed according to the Catholic liturgical calendar. Check out the free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages.

* St. John the Baptist Religious Education has a plethora of free printable saints coloring pages. There are also printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages. There are coloring pages of Bible stories, Miracles of Jesus, parables and life of Christ.

* ABCatholic has a free printable Catholic alphabet coloring book with images of saints, Bible stories and sacraments.

* Waltzing Matilda features handmade free printable Catholic saints coloring pages. The blog moderator has nicely-drawn images for sacraments and liturgical use also.

* Paper Dali is another mom blog with homemade free printable saints coloring pages. Some are free and some must be purchased.free her Etsy shop. Scroll around for the freebies. All are very attractive and well worth the nominal fee.

* Catholic Icing offers handmade All Saints' Day printables and crafts. Read through the blog posts and sidebar menu for crafts, games and printables.

* JClub has free printable Bible and Catholic saints coloring pages.

* EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) Kids offers free mass readings, prayer activities, crafts and coloring pages for children. Users must create a free account with user name and password.

Use these coloring pages to plan a Catholic Christian Halloween that celebrates All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These can help create saints costumes for All Saints' Day parties too. Use for year-round CCD, religious education, VBS and Children's Liturgy of the Word activities.

Free printable St Valentine activities, lesson plans, coloring pages for Valentines Day

The story of St. Valentine has nothing to do with flowers and candy or Valentine's Day as we celebrate it on Feb. 14. Except in one way (we'll get to that). It has nothing in common with romance as we know it. But Valentine's story is spiritually romantic. Valentinius was a Roman Christian priest. In those days, this was not popular. In fact, it was downright illegal.

Then-Emperor Claudius II decided he'd make marriage illegal too--so men would give up women go fight his battles. Not exactly an even quid pro quo. But Claudius wasn't the most savvy guy. Anyway, Valentine understood human nature better. He performed underground marriages so people could keep sanctified romances and holy love. Valentine was jailed for his pains.

So, being a helpful and proactive kind of guy, Valentine wrote notes of encouragement to his fellow incarcerated. He signed them "Your Valentine." There grew the card-sending tradition--the only part of the real meaning of Valentine's Day that is practiced today. Valentine was martyred on Feb. 14. It became a holy day--holiday--in the Catholic church.

Predictably, the spiritual bits of the story are ignored for the commercial. True, Valentine's story is based on legend, but most stories of antiquity are oral tradition. Anyway, it seems a more fitting expression of the holiday than just flowers and candy. If you do too, here are free printable Catholic St. Valentine activities and lessons.

Catholic Inspired has free printable St. Valentine activities. You can print St. Valentine worksheets, games and crafts from Catholic Icing. ABC Teach has printable lesson plans based on the Legend ofSt. Valentine. Busy Teacher has over 100 free printable Valentine's Day activities. Some are the secular hearts and candy valentine crafts. But there are some Catholic history-based printables too. Lastly, Catholic Greetings has free printable Christian valentines to share.

Children might be encouraged to print valentines and send to lonely old people and shut-ins. That would be very loving. Here's how the dear saint ended his "valentines" "Be of good cheer. Don't lose hope. Your Valentine (sign name)" (very loosely translated from the Latin). So how about you? Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Or is it just too gimmicky? Let us know in comments below.

Free printable Advent Jesse Tree crafts, activities, coloring pages for Catholic Christmas countdown

Advent is the Catholic Christmas liturgical season leading up to Christmas. For four weeks, we pray, fast, read Bible passages on the gospel Christmas story and give alms to the poor. The theme of Advent is to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus. One way is to pray an Advent calendar. Another, related to the Advent calendar is to follow a Jesse Tree.

The Jesse Tree is an ancient visual aid the shows the lineage of Jesus. The basis comes from the Old Testament Bible passage "a root shall spring up from the stump of Jesse's lineage." This Bible foretells the birth of the Messiah and that He will come through Jesse, King David's father. . During Advent, symbols are hung on the Jesse Tree to represent Bible characters and people in Jesus's family tree.

Here are free printable Jesse Tree devotional activities. Each night, have children color one symbol place it on the Jesse Tree. Do this as you light candles on the Advent wreath and candles and read and pray from the Advent calendar. The Jesse Tree ends by adding images from the O Antiphons, another ancient Advent to Christmas series of prayers.

Life Your Way has a set of free printable Jesse Tree ornaments with Biblical symbols. 

ERIERCD has several pages of Jesse Tree coloring pages to print free. Print in black and white and have kids color. Jesse Tree ornaments include apple tree (Adam and Eve). Ark and rainbow (Noah), tent (Abraham), cradle (Sarah), coat (Joseph), stone tablets (Moses), Harp (David), ladder (Jacob), tambourine (Miriam), crown (Solomon), anchor (Ruth) lion and lamb (Isaiah), mallet (Deborah), trumpet (Joshua), lion (Daniel), well (Rebecca), house (Elizabeth), lily (Mary) hammer (St. Joseph) Chi Ro (Jesus). The Reformed Church in America has more free printable Jesse Tree symbols to color. Catholic Icing has more printable Advent Jesse tree crafts. 

1+1+1=1 has a free printable Jesse Tree booklet with devotions, prayers and crafts to make. The Jesse Tree can be made in many ways. In times past, it was a Christmas tree. Some families use a tree made of paper or a cloth banner with detachable ornaments. In our family I use a small table top tree with child-made ornaments and symbols. We add one each day.