Week 7: Icons in Our Narthex – King David

Week 7: Icons in Our Narthex – King David

In November, our parish has a “Youth Sunday” where our Sunday School students have an opportunity to do tasks around the church just like everyone else. Each class is assigned something to do for that Sunday. This year, the 3rd/4th grade class was asked to...
Week 6: The New Testament

Week 6: The New Testament

The goal for this week is to explain the different sections of the New Testament. It’s important to place the Bible in context of its layout, content, and how we use it in our daily life – both in our worship and in our own personal, daily reading....
Week 5: The Old Testament

Week 5: The Old Testament

The goal for this week was to learn some basics about the Old Testament. Within the Old Testament, each book is grouped together by theme: The Law, Books of History, Books of Wisdom, and the Prophets. We used Fr. Jon Emanuelson’s Old Testament banner as a visual...
Week 4: Saint Romanos the Melodist

Week 4: Saint Romanos the Melodist

This week, we learned about Saint Romanos the Melodist since we commemorate him on October 1st and he is part of our 4th grade GOA curriculum. The main goals for this week were to learn about the life of Saint Romanos, find where he lived on the map, listen to the...
Week 3: The Septuagint & Symeon the God-Receiver

Week 3: The Septuagint & Symeon the God-Receiver

This week, I wanted to present a basic introduction to the Bible for my students. Some of my students knew a little bit about the Bible and some had zero experience with it, other than what they hear in church. One of my students told me, “I don’t think we...
Week 2: Patron Saints & Namedays

Week 2: Patron Saints & Namedays

This week, I put together an introductory lesson on patron saints and namedays in preparation for our year-long project on our class’ patron saints. The goal of this lesson was to review, or introduce (depending on the student), the celebration of namedays and...
Classroom Prep & Week 1: Welcome to Class!

Classroom Prep & Week 1: Welcome to Class!

After creating a rough outline of my lessons for the year, I was able to start planning how I wanted to set up my classroom. The classrooms at our parish were recently re-painted. The teachers were asked to only hang visuals on the bulletin board and not to use any...
Sowing Seeds in Our Sunday School Classes

Sowing Seeds in Our Sunday School Classes

I’m talking to my students about our upcoming year of Sunday School as the room morphs into a well-trodden path along side of a field. I’m sowing seeds within the hearts of these young children as we talk about their patron saints and the upcoming feast of...
Planning Our Upcoming Orthodox Church School Year

Planning Our Upcoming Orthodox Church School Year

This coming school year, I am thrilled to be returning to the church school classroom! I haven’t taught Sunday church school since having my youngest two children, so I’m pretty giddy about teaching again. I’ll be teaching 3rd and 4th grade at our...
How to Naturally Dye Eggs with Onion Skins for Pascha

How to Naturally Dye Eggs with Onion Skins for Pascha

Several years ago, I set out on a quest to successfully dye a batch of eggs red using yellow onion skins. My first two attempts failed to even come close to that desired deep red I was told could be achieved using them. I searched and searched online and was basically...
Facing the Mirror of Motherhood

Facing the Mirror of Motherhood

Once upon a time, I thought my primary role as a mama was to nurture my children – physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Time – and many children later – have refined and broadened that perspective. I still think this is a primary role of mine,...
A Study of North American Saints

A Study of North American Saints

This past autumn, my kids and I embarked on a semester long study of North American saints, ignited by a love of Saint Herman of Alaska. My goals for this project were: to read about the lives of these saints, locate where each saint passed away (for consistency sake)...
In Our Garden: Panagia’s Tears

In Our Garden: Panagia’s Tears

A couple of years ago, I ran across a bracelet on Ancient Faith Publishing made of seeds called “Panagia’s Tears” or “Tears of the Mother of God”.  I found the story of the bracelet fascinating and ended up buying it for my daughter for...

traditions: Jordan Almond Favors

I had several people ask me to show them how I made the Jordan almond favors for my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding this weekend.  Honestly, they are much easier than they look and I’d be more than happy to share how I put them together over about four...
Teachable Moments from The Hunger Games

Teachable Moments from The Hunger Games

*This is a post I wrote three years ago as a guest author for another Orthodox website.  I’m re-posting it on Illumination Learning for those of you who have children currently interested in The Hunger Games series or would like to use it as a framework for a...
D.I.Y. Orthodox Gifts

D.I.Y. Orthodox Gifts

For many years now, I’ve spent a couple of days in November gathering family photos from the previous months that year and then create a calendar for the upcoming year for my parents, siblings, and in-laws on Shutterfly.  The calendar has become a treasured gift...