by Mindi Popovich-Schneider

Ah, curriculum. How on earth do we fit in all the sundry bits of knowledge that we want our children to learn? History, math, geography, biology…and most important of all, our faith! It can feel like there simply aren’t enough minutes in the day to fit in all the information that we need to transmit.

In our most recent Saint Macrina Lecture, both of our speakers addressed the need to “encounter” material—or the things that we are trying to learn about. Of course, the best way to do this when it comes to teaching our children the faith is to go to church, to experience the Liturgy alongside the hosts both visible and invisible. But it can be difficult to know how to enrich our children’s understanding of the Liturgical Cycle from home. That is why we’ve compiled a fairly comprehensive list of activities to complete alongside the feasts of the church.

Just in time for Ascension and Pentecost, we offer a collection of resources from all around the Orthodox internet world. For example, to teach children about the Great Commission, you might complete this dye-mixing experiment. Or perhaps you’ll make cloud marshmallows to commemorate Christ ascending into the clouds. Or maybe you want to practice the festal troparion leading up to Pentecost. Included in this document are many lesson plans/discussion guides for the major feats of the Church, as well as for significant saints.

While this is a pretty long list, we know that there are tons of incredible resources out there. If you know of a resource we ought to add, please email us at office@saintemmelia.com!