Catholic Homeschool Carnival

So gentle this time of wonder,
so holy His moment of birth,
so wondrous this gift of Life,
when Love was born on earth.

Love came down from His Heavenly throne and became man. For us and for our salvation.  Pretty amazing.  So how do we prepare? Well we are Catholic so that means that our preparations need to include prayer, sacrifice and above all joy.  This was the most joyful birth that ever occurred in humanity. Because of this humble birth, in a stable surrounded by beasts of burden, we can achieve eternal salvation and the gates of heaven will be forever open to us. With that in mind Advent should be a time when we, as Catholic home educators, draw our families more firmly into God's embrace. Advent is not only when we wait for Jesus but when He waits for us. We can make this a time to deepen our prayer life, to turn more charitably to our fellow man, to make sacrifices for others and to joyfully embrace the richness of our faith. We are blessed to have such a wealth of tradition to draw upon. A Carnival to celebrate the creativity and reverence with which our homeschooling community observes Advent is a wonderful way to deepen everyone's experience. So take a moment to brew a cup of tea, indulge in a gingerbread cookie or similar seasonal treat and transport yourself into the world of Advent.

So many moms have made Advent a true time of preparation.  Christine shares two posts about her family's love of Advent and their preparation.  Beauty of Advent  Beauty of Advent II. Love2LearnMom teaches her children that while Waiting for Christmas you can be assisting those in need. It is truly a beautiful way to pass the time until a humble Child is born.

Nancy tries to make our lives easier with her Advent Ideas. She wisely points out that once the shopping is done a quiet Advent is your reward.  Elena also had our best interests in mind when she compiled her  Resources for Advent and Christmas

Ruth has put a lot of loving effort into her Advent preparations. In Advent Wreath she shares her family's Advent ceremony. In Nativity Set we observe the gradual way her family makes ready for the arrival of the Infant. In Gifts for Baby Jesus we learn how acts of sacrifice and love become a warm bed for Our Lord.

Ruth's O Antiphon activities were inspired by Katherine's wonderful  O Antiphon House. Take a closer look at the details. This has to be my favorite craft of the season, thank you Katherine. Helen adapted this craft for her family, which is very busy due to a beautiful new addition, and came up with a Quick O Antiphon Project

Another brilliant cube idea was posted here on O Night Divine not long ago. Alice lit up the blog world with her Advent Cubes. The counting down theme is continued by  Rebecca with her Advent Log. This post gives details on the making of the log. Rebecca also shares her comprehensive Advent Devotions for week one. We will have to keep checking back for upcoming weeks. Let's not forget Margaret, she posts one of the wittiest and yet very reverent Advent plans I have ever read in Pardon Me Sir But Have You Seen My Advent?

Dawn, one of my favorite bloggers, makes merry with some wonderful craft ideas and an Advent Garden in That Time of Year.

If you are going to leave off your regular school and adopt a full Advent program or you are just wanting to add some wonderful Christmas and Advent literature to your lives Elizabeth has reviewed many books that could make up your entire Christmas library. She also has a Jan Brett Night Before Christmas Lapbook Plan, Jan Brett Gingerbread Baby Lapbook, and Advent with Tomie de Paola and Others reading plan. You could just work on these plans for Advent and your children would be learning and loving it all through the season.

While immersing in literature, please don't forget the beautiful music that always brings to mind Christmas.  St. Augustine said, "When you sing you pray twice".  Bridget , one of our guest authors here at O Night Divine, takes this maxim to heart while trying to incorporate music into her family's Advent Traditions. 

So many people choose a musical theme and feature that theme throughout the season. Wendy Pavlat writes:

Hey, I found our theme!  This year it is the song "People Look East."  We will take a verse each week, using the symbolism of the song to talk about different ways to prepare for Jesus coming.  The first verse mentions cleaning, decorating and table setting!  Since the verses run: guest, bird, star and angels (the Lord), we should also be able to work craft projects around them.  Since we are all learning the violin, we are learning to play the song, too!

Thank you so much Wendy for sharing this. It is an inspiring idea. Love2LearnMom has another inspired idea, a Marian theme for their advent. Marian Songs for Advent allows us to listen to some exquisite music as well as giving a few resources for more. Imagine the beautiful imagery that you can incorporate into a Marian themed Advent.

Well you don't have to because Helen has written a post, Marian Themed Advent. Helen has put a great deal of thought and research into teaching her children to find Our Lady referenced in salvation history. Her unique treatment of the Jesse tree tradition is worth reading. Since many people find their path to ad Jesum per Mariam (to Jesus through Mary) Helen also offers us a daily Mary Vitamin.

"Mary Vitamin is a daily email support for Marian mental prayer. Each day members will receive a brief Marian quote with a corresponding Marian meditation and resolution. The Mary Vitamin is designed to make mental prayer a little simpler and bring Our Lady into your day in a systematic way."

I can tell you from experience this will significantly deepen your prayer life and make your Advent much more meaningful.

Many of you know of my dear friend Alice and that everything she does she does with great love. This has been well taught to her beautiful children.  Read An Epiphany and make sure to have a hankie handy. Maureen also teaches a great lesson in love in Christmas Wrapping. The two year old in question has become a lovely young lady who should someday have a two year old just like herself!:)

Maureen, the thriftiest of homeschoolers, shows the wisdom of staying on budget and true to your principles in Christmas Presents On A Budget.   I find that people do really appreciate creative gifts and even if you are not on a tight budget there are a lot great ideas to be had there.

Have you ever been alone at Christmas? Leticia had that experience once and in a truly Christ-like way she chose to be joyful and had a wonderful Christmas In London.

Before we end this wonderful Carnival please keep these people in your prayers.
Please pray for Lorrie and her family. Ask God to comfort them in their loss.
Please pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby for Jen
And keep a brave little girl named Frankie in your prayers, she needs a heart operation

Also check out these reviews; Beautiful Crafts That Teach, John Paul II Movie and Christmas Turtles by Sara Ann Denson.

So our Carnival comes to a close for another month. Eventually we will pack up the ornaments and take down the tree. We will store our Christmas books and sheet music and make our homes ready for the  new year. We will thank God for this season and for the community that we have formed here on the internet. A community that enriches our celebrations, offers wisdom, comfort and in every way lifts us up and draws us closer to Our Heavenly Father.

From all of us at O Night Divine....

Merry Christmas

Comments

[leticia]

Maryellen, this is a wonderfully diverse carnival that I will be visiting again and again! Nice work!

[Love2learn Mom]

Lovely carnival - thanks for everything!

[Nancy C. Brown]

Thank you, I can't wait to peruse all the information. Happy Advent!

[Alice Gunther]

Mary Ellen, you have outdone yourself, as usual, with a Carnival we will never forget. Thank you, as always, for your kindness toward me in particular and for everything you do to make the world a better and more holy place.

[Ana Braga-Henebry]

Wow.. Just beautiful! I am enjoying it a tidbit at a time. Thanks for all your work!

[Ana Braga-Henebry]

Wow.. Just beautiful! I am enjoying it a tidbit at a time. Thanks for all your work!

[matilda]

I will pop in and out of here all day. Thank you for all your hard work!

[Jennifer in TX]

Mary Ellen,
Thank you for taking the precious hours out of your busy day to do this. The carnival is lovely!!

[Christine]

Mary Ellen,
Thank you for taking the time to be the hostess of this carnival. You have done a wonderful job putting it together. I pray you and your family have a blessed Advent and Christmas!

[Maureen Wittmann]

Mary Ellen, awesome carnival! I may be spending the next few days checking out all the great blog entries! Thank you!!!

[Suzanne Temple]

This is such a great carnival! Thank you so much!!

[Ruth Tucker]

Wow! This is absolutely incredible. I will forward this to my friends. Thanks for all you have done.
God bless. Ruth

[Dawn]

Mary Ellen, this carnival is an absolute blessing! Thank you so much for putting together such a joyous post!

[Rebecca]

You did such a wonderful job with this carnival, Mary Ellen! Thank you so much!