Lego Gospel Companion Booklet: The Last Supper

    During the teacher summer, we all know that it is not truly a "break"; mainly because those hamster wheels in our minds never stop turning, ever, like not even when we are sleeping....anyone else ever dream of the classroom? My hamster wheel has been pushing me to create a resource that I can use when teaching Gospel stories with the younger age kids, who sometimes (not always), need some visuals and tactile reinforcement to build their engagement. So, of course, being a teacher of First Communion, and always trying to expand my library of resources, I created my first "Gospel Companion" booklet based on the story of the Last Supper of Jesus.

    This resource is simple; doesn't have the Gospel story in it (hence; companion), and uses LEGOS! My secret to success with elementary students. LEGOS!!!! What kid would not be interested in learning about the Gospel with Lego Jesus and apostles? It has full pages (if you want to use only a single page, or spread the lesson out over a few days), and half pages to create a booklet. I LOVE using booklets. In my mind, it helps keeps things organized and structured (this may not actually be true for everyone else, but it works for me!). Check out the resource here: Last Supper Gospel Companion Enjoy!

Sidenote: The pictures are black and white, but the actual resource is FULL COLOR :-)

First Communion Season in FULL Effect

Well if you happen to be a Catholic, or have a Catholic child, or are a teacher at a Catholic school, or are a faith formation Sunday school teacher, or maybe even just have a neighbor who is a Catholic....then you know, First Communion Season can be a PRETTY BIG deal around this time of the year. As a 2nd Grade teacher in a Catholic School, part of my job is to make sure all of our kiddos know whats up when it comes to this thing we call the Body and Blood of Jesus. Sounds.....well...let's just say...it's a Catholic thing! Everyone is familiar with the story of Jesus' Last Supper, where he instituted this tradition of breaking the bread and drinking the wine in memory of Him. As Catholics, this is the most Sacred part of our Mass, sharing this holy meal (aka Blessed Sacrament), and ACTUALLY receiving Jesus, in spirit, (FYI there are not body parts baked into the bread). So, with the lack of Catholic curriculum on the market these days, I thought.......for years....and finally designed some activities that the kids may not just roll their eyes at and read in .3 seconds then get over it. I have a few different activities that cover the basics of this First Communion thing we Catholics have going on. I really enjoy baking (UNCONSECRATED, obvi...) unleavened bread with the kids; they get so into the deets of how this tradition is so simple! Of course, they love the story of the Red Sea parting (insert sound effect here), and really grab onto the whole "well Moses told the Israelites, it's time to go, WE'RE FREE, so stop baking the bread, let's go run through the Red Sea" story. One of the awesome things about the Catholic Church is that it is an institution of age old traditions, so the whole unleavened bread story really shines through during First Communion season. Well here are the links to my First Communion creations, I have used them all, and the kids didn't think they were the worst thing in the world...or they just didn't tell me ;-)

First Communion Activity Packet
First Communion Slideshow for Beginners
First Communion and Unleavened Bread Activity

PS..I like to consider myself a Gladiator of God, you know, spreading the Good News as valiantly as possible...so this line of work is called "God's Gladiators"

If you want to check out a sample of the above links, here are their freebie versions!
FREEBIE First Communion Activity
FREEBIE Unleavened Bread Activity