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Rumer Godden (1907-1998)

2009-11-08T11:58:00Z

Born Margaret Rumer Godden, she grew up in India. In 1925, she opened a dance school which she ran for 20 years. During this time she published her first best-seller, Black Narcissus (1939). In 1949 she moved to England to concentrate on her writing. In the early 1950s, Godden became interested in Catholicism, though she did not officially convert until 1968, and several of her later novels contain sympathetic portrayals of Roman Catholic priests and nuns. Two of her books deal with the subject of women in religious communities. In Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy and In This House of Brede she acutely examined the balance between the mystical, spiritual aspects of religion and the practical, human realities of religious life. Rumer Godden died at the age of 90 on November 8, 1998.
(From Wikipedia)

Audio

2009-11-07T14:24:17Z

Audio books we've enjoyed this year:

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (still our favorite)

The Children of the New Forest (I hadn't read this, but found it surprisingly beneficial to our studies of American colonial history, though in an indirect way. Otherwise, it's a bit too boyish for my daughter and a bit too mature for my son, but still a good audiobook)

Ballet Stories (I would highly recommend these stories especially prior to taking a child to the ballet. It's so much more enjoyable if they know the story and you can download individual titles on the Naxos website)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Librivox - We liked Chip's voice for this story. I hadn't read it in years and was a little squirmy about a section or two, but the descriptions of autumn in New England were lovely.)

I am a bit partial to the Naxos productions. There are so many titles available and I tend to like the readers. There's no other reason than that.* Now I used to be absolutely opposed to abridged anything, but I think I'm going to have to look at it one title at a time. For example, they offer Anne of Green Gables abridged and I could never buy that. The writing is one of the very best parts, as I've mentioned here before. But as a way of sparking interest in a story we wouldn't otherwise read, I might be able to talk myself into it. My daughter flat out refused to open a Little House book until we read our way through the picture books, so in certain circumstances I can see it as helpful.

My insistence on audiobooks for the car has been wholly good. Not only are we making the most of time that would have otherwise been spent listening to Coldplay, the children's behavior is much better when they are engaged in a story. (Meaning I'm not yelling at them to just "Be quiet already! I'm driving!")

We will listen to A Christmas Carol (unabridged) coming up in December. I'm rather frightened of the new movie. I can't tell you how many great books were spoiled for me because I didn't like the movie or show. So I think some stories should remain in a child's imagination. If you have a favorite audiobook of this story, please let me know. I still need to look around. We very much enjoyed reading it last winter.

*I see it has become common on blogs to specify whether the reviewer has received free materials or other compensation. I have not. But if Naxos wants to send me a giant box of audiobooks, I will happily provide my shipping address. ;)

St Martin Lanterns and Songs!

2009-11-07T11:19:00Z

My children have been crafting today and had lots of fun creating their St Martin lanterns for his feast on the 11th November.

We used tracing paper, black cardboard, sticky tape, black wool, crayons.

I found some images on the net connected to St Martin, the first image is from a free colouring pages site called, 123 coloring. They have this webpage with many different geese images and we chose this one to use for the first lantern:

Click on image to enlarge.

Why geese? St Martin is associated with these loud but delightful birds, wikipedia says this:

"According to legend, Martin was reluctant to become bishop, which is why he hid in a stable filled with geese. The noise made by the geese betrayed his location to the people who were looking for him."

I printed up the images from the computer and allowed the children to trace the image onto tracing paper which also makes the perfect paper for making laterns being so transparent. They then coloured the image with crayons.

I used two wide strips of black cardboard to top and tail the image and then two thin strips of black cardboard along the edge, with more plain tracing paper on the other sides of the thin, black edges. It was then wrapped around into a tube and stuck together with tape. A cardboard bottom was cut for the floor of the lantern. Four stands of black wool attached at the top and it was completed.

Here is George's geese all lit up! I've used a small candle, similar to a tea-light, at the base, I put a bit of double sided tape at the bottom of the candle, before popping it in.

Here is another lantern, with Charlotte's image of St Martin.

To use that image click over to Charlotte's Waltzing Matilda blog where you can download the image.

The image below came from Kinderschule.

Click on image to enlarge.

My Faustina (12) worked on this image and coloured it beautifully:

Here it is being made into a lantern:

Here it is completed, ready to be lit:

Faustina holds it proudly!

The children really wish it was St Martin's day already, they had so much fun trying them out in the dark!

The final lantern is little Ambrose (4) he coloured in this image below that I found at Heraldry of the World:

Click on image to enlarge.

There he is peeping behind his creation!!

Running around in the darkness with their St Martin lanterns, we hope to make a couple of paper mache lanterns tomorrow to complete our line up and so I hope to share them soon.

We are now working on learning one of the traditional St Martin lantern songs, I found this music sheet here with the lyrics. HT: Pinewood Castle

Finally, here those English lyrics put to music in this youtube video:

We are all looking forward to this wonderful saint's feast day!

The lost tools of learning: will we ever find them?

2009-11-04T22:44:00Z

I've been doing a lot of off-blog debating these days. It concerns the direction our little homeschooling co-op turned public school option program is going.

We have been happily partaking of the federal trough of taxpayer funded homeschooling resources through a great program called Home Option Program of Education. What began as a few moms sharing teaching efforts in a Christian co-op has expanded to utilize public funds for teachers and facilities and is now looking at creating their own charter high school.

I went to a few charter committee meetings during the summer to share my ideas for curriculum and a classical education, having used such a method, with some degree of success, for the past 18 years of homeschooling. As one of the early members of the program, and with four high school graduates under my belt, I figured they'd want to listen to my ideas.

Boy, was I wrong!

Little did I know the charter committee had already decided their course of action would have no part in medieval ideas of classical education, for they had already charted their course for "collaborative learning" and "critical thinking."

There's nothing like having to do a little research in educational theories and methods to fully convince one of the merits of homeschooling. I just did another re-read of Dorothy Sayer's essay, The Lost Tools of Learning. I'd forgotten just how delightfully refreshing it is to read her essay, first presented at Oxford in 1947.

I was struck by just how appropos this excerpt is today. Perhaps even more so now than it was in 1947:

For we let our young men and women go out unarmed, in a day when armor was never so necessary. By teaching them all to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of the film and the radio, we have made certain that no aversion to reading shall secure them from the incessant battery of words, words, words. They do not know what the words mean; they do not know how to ward them off or blunt their edge or fling them back; they are a prey to words in their emotions instead of being the masters of them in their intellects. We who were scandalized in 1940 when men were sent to fight armored tanks with rifles, are not scandalized when young men and women are sent into the world to fight massed propaganda with a smattering of "subjects"; and when whole classes and whole nations become hypnotized by the arts of the spell binder, we have the impudence to be astonished. We dole out lip-service to the importance of education--lip- service and, just occasionally, a little grant of money; we postpone the school-leaving age, and plan to build bigger and better schools; the teachers slave conscientiously in and out of school hours; and yet, as I believe, all this devoted effort is largely frustrated, because we have lost the tools of learning, and in their absence can only make a botched and piecemeal job of it.

I would love to say that after 18+ years of homeschooling, I've gotten it right and I am doing a great job of introducing my kids to the lost tools of learning, but the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. I just hope my kids end up being smarter than me. Some of them already are!

Audio Books

2009-11-03T22:26:00Z

Just in time for the Christmas giving season. I can't tell you how much I love my Audible subscription. So, if you want to try if for yourself, here's an offer: Audible Starter Kit: Get 3 Audiobooks, Plus a Free Phillips Spark 2GB MP3 Player. Go for it.

A Homeschooler's Peer Pressure

2009-11-03T13:34:00Z

From my now-16-year-old
Anne
with
an
e:

"Hey, Betsy! Homeschooling peer pressure: I dare you to use the word 'indigenous' in a sentence."

First Mass in Arkansas, 1700

2009-11-01T12:00:00Z

On this day in 1700, Father Jacques Gravier, S.J., celebrated the first recorded Mass in what is now the state of Arkansas.

Quote of the Day

2009-11-01T12:18:00Z

There is no dart in the quiver of the godly soul for anything but the Divine target. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Peace of Mind

All Hallow's Eve Approacheth!

2009-10-30T17:38:00Z

Sunday is All Saints Day! I love the feast of All Saints, because it fills me with hope.

On All Saints, we feel the power of inclusion in this great cloud of witnesses ... we experience the hope and anticipation of one day joining them in God's presence.

And about All Hallow's Eve?

Well, for the record, we're a family that does Halloween.

It's become quite the Daddy-daughter thing over the years. Atticus and the girls plot out the best candy routes (amidst much giggling.) I emphasize the Catholic roots and connections (we also read about "souling" or "soul caking") and we often refer to the day as "All Hallow's Eve" rather than "Halloween" to reinforce what it really is.

We talk about both All Saints and All Souls Day as they approach, and we discuss why we don't want to do evil-looking costumes. We plan our evening around Mass, first and foremost.

And then we have the chocolate-related fun.

Post-Mass, the kids don their costumes. And yes, I'll go in my usual costume: I dress up as a homeschooling mom, but no one ever guesses what I am. We often trick-or-treat at the local convent -- the sisters love to have visitors, and it's especially fun to see the elderly sisters take such joy in children.

Then, we execute The Plan: Candy Galore. Door to door, neighbors we know, family fun. For several years now (thanks for the idea, Fr. Dunne) the kids have said, "Thank you! God bless you!" to everyone and the reactions range from delight or surprise to odd looks. Anne-with-an-e, of course, has gotten too old for trick-or-treating, so she helps me hand out candy while Atticus leads the Chocolate Brigade down the street.

And, yes, we eat lots of candy. I let them eat it for breakfast the next day and I rarely give any of it away or complain that it causes cavities. We just enjoy it. That's what feast days are for, as noted in this fun article by Jeffrey Tucker.

One year, Ramona observed, "You can never have too much candy."

I replied, "Well, sometimes you can have too much at a time, but ...."

"But," Ramona said solemnly, "you can never own too much candy."

Not on All Saints Day anyway. It is indeed a day to celebrate.

And, just for fun, here's a virtual pumpkin to carve (h/t, from a couple years ago, to Danielle Bean.)

“The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican”

2009-10-30T10:07:00Z

Although he was born in Kiskeam, where his mother's family were from, in North Cork, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty grew up in Killarney, where his father was the steward of the old Killarney Golf Club when it was located in Deerpark. Hugh had a vocation for the priesthood and as a young seminarian he was posted to Rome in 1922, the year Mussolini came to power in Italy. He earned a degree in theology in just one year while studying in Rome, was ordained in 1925 and continued his studies for a further two years, earning doctorates in divinity, canon law and philosophy. He was a skilled diplomat and served the Vatican in Egypt, Haiti, San Domingo and Czechoslovakia. After a period of 4 years he was recalled to Rome and was appointed to the Holy Office. He was also devoted to golf, from his early years playing in Killarney while in Italy he played regularly with Count Ciano, Mussolini’s son-in-law, and with the ex-king Alfonso of Spain. His high standing in the social life of Rome would stand him in good stead during the Nazi occupation of Rome. In the autumn of 1942, the Germans and Italians began to crack down on prominent Italian Jews and aristocratic anti-fascists. Having socialised with these people before the war, the Monsignor now hid them in monasteries and convents, in his old college and in his own residence. In the spring of 1943, his operation broadened to include escaped British prisoners-of-war and shot-down allied airmen. He developed a network of safe apartments in Rome in which they could hide. By the end of the war he had helped over 6,500 Jews, American and British Soldiers escape from the Germans and his activities earned him the nickname “Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican” as he became the master of disguises, evading capture from the Germans when he had to leave the security of the Vatican to go on his rescue missions. After the war the Monsignor received many decorations, including, Commander of the British Empire and the US Medal of Freedom. The Monsignor retired to Cahirciveen for the last three years of his life and on 30th October, 1963 he sadly passed away. His death was mourned throughout the world, including a front page tribute in the New York Times.
(From the Hugh O’Flaherty Memorial Society Website)

Glory Stories and Homilies

2009-10-29T13:16:00Z

We have been listening to Glory Stories since Patrick was a baby, possibly even a few years earlier. As we drove to my parent's house after Mass one Saturday, we heard the story Treasure in Heaven: The Story of Saint Katherine Drexel on Sacred Heart Radio and we knew we had to buy theses CDs (each purchase assists Catholic World Mission in helping the poor). That year, our children received one each on St. Nicholas' Feast Day, some more (plus the coloring books) in their Christmas stockings, and even more CDs and coloring books in their Easter baskets. We were hooked and we still are. We listen to Glory Stories when we drive to Mass and at other times. The children really like them and so do my husband and I.

On Sunday, our pastor mentioned the words "Viva Cristo Rey" in his homily a few times and I wondered whether my children were paying attention. They are very familiar with these words thanks to the Glory Stories Viva Cristo Rey: The Courageous Saints of the Knights of Columbus and My Battle Name is Jose Luis!. Last night, I got my answer. As we sat at the dinner table, Patrick said, "So, Fr. Saguto knows about 'Viva Cristo Rey'. He talked about it in his homily on Sunday. He must listen to Glory Stories." At that point, all of the older children (4 and up) started to discuss Father's homily on rightful authority and standing up for Christ and the Church.

I was temporarily stunned. Patrick, my son who says he wants to be a priest, but also complains about going to Mass (like a lot of little boys), actually listened to our pastor's homily. My son, who sits on his Daddy's lap or lies down in the pew and looks like he is trying to sleep during Mass, actually heard and remembered our pastor's words. I interrupted my children's conversation to ask, "Was it Patrick who just started talking about Fr. Saguto's homily?" Everyone answered in the affirmative, including Patrick.

Long live Christ the King!

This Mother's Rule of Ten

2009-10-28T19:00:36Z

Danielle Bean: 10 ideas for every day | I was touched by the ten words of mom-wisdom from Denise Jonas that Lisa shared over the weekend. Reading through her list made me think about what I would put on a list of my own. Here’s the list of 10 pieces of advice I came up with as helpful reminders for moms …

When We Were in the Mountains

2009-10-26T22:04:00Z

When I was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant is a poetic story of childhood days and evenings spent growing up in the Appalachian mountains. It is a story of contentment, being with family and with God and finding joy in the little things.

The following is inspired by this book. We borrow the refrain, changing it only slightly to "When we were in the Mountains..." It was written as a group effort by the five oldest boys and recounts some of the things we did with our time in these beautiful mountains.

When we were in the mountains we went apple picking. The apple trees were so old and twisty. Alex said they looked "haunted."

There was a dog at the orchard and he followed us everywhere we went that day.

Zachary worried that if he picked an apple he might wake up and realize he was dreaming again, but he picked five or seven great big apples and he didn't wake up.

Later, Mom made a huge apple pie.

When we were in the mountains we carved pumpkins and toasted the seeds. Nicholas named his pumpkin, "Punky." The seeds were crunchy and tasted a little bit like nuts.

When were in the mountains we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway and sang along to Bluegrass Gospel Tunes. You could see the clouds up close.

We saw Christmas tree farms and cows and horses and even a stag with antlers one day.

When we were in the mountains we had a picnic lunch almost every day.

When we were in the mountains we hiked to the top of Grandfather Mountain. We went to a fudge shop up there and saw a real Bald Eagle.

There were many caves along the trail. At the top, we walked across a mile high swinging bridge. The people looked like ants and the cars looked like matchboxes from up that high.

When we were in the mountains we hiked around a mountain lake.

We saw fresh beaver teeth marks on the trees.

At one place there was a flood and we had to cross through mud balancing on logs.

The rotting Rhododendron tree leaves smelled tangy by that lake, like someone's sweaty feet.

When we were in the mountains we spent our evenings by a campfire roasting marshmallows or working on our puzzle. We saw some places that were on that puzzle.

When we were in the mountains we went to the gem mines. Simeon found sixteen Emeralds and Jacob found a big heavy Ruby shaped like a cylinder.

Some of those gems had rainbows inside of them.

When we were in the mountains we didn't want to be at the beach or anywhere else in the world...

...because we were in the mountains and we liked the mountains very much.

Photo credit: Everyone, including fellow travelers who offered to take our picture.
Written material by Simeon, Alex, Jacob, Zachary, and Nicholas

Danielle Bean: "Speaker" doesn't quite capture it

2009-10-27T12:03:25Z

This week at Fallible Blogma, Matthew Warner is hosting Support a Catholic Speaker Month, a round-up of some of the Catholic speakers who bless and inspire us. When Matt asked me to write, I volunteered to profile Danielle Bean. That...

Baby Einstein is Dead! Long Live Baby Einstein!

2009-10-26T19:47:12Z

There was a lot of hoopla about Baby Einstein over the weekend. To understand it, you need a brief backstory – and then some deeper backstory, too.

A month and a half ago, Disney announced in a press release that it was going to begin issuing refunds for its Baby Einstein videos: buyers of the DVDs can return them to Disney for $15.99 or exchange them for other products.

However, nobody noticed – not until this past Friday, when the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCCF) issued its own press release. In that statement, the CCCF claimed that the refund offer was a victory for the organization, borne out of its ongoing campaign against Baby Einstein and the makers of other baby DVDs.

Within hours, the New York Times suggested that CCCF had won a major concession, and Disney's refund offer "appear[s] to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect," an assessment soon repeated by the Wall Street Journal and in other publications.

Today, an angry Disney fired back. Susan McLain, the General Manager of Baby Einstein, wrote that the CCCF press release was a baseless publicity stunt by the CCCF director, Susan Linn. Disney isn't admitting the baby videos are ineffective. Instead, the company believes that consumers find value in the product. They said a money-back guarantee is actually their standard policy.

This battle actually goes back a few years. In 2006, CCFC – an organization affiliated with Harvard Medical School – filed a FTC complaint against Disney and another manufacturer, Brainy Baby, alleging that the companies were engaging in false and deceptive advertising. According to the complaint, both companies were advertising that their videos were educational and beneficial for babies' development.

But their evidence against Baby Einstein’s false advertising wasn’t very strong, because by then, Disney had toned down its claims. It was only calling the Baby Einstein line "a rich and interactive learning experience."

Before the FTC made any decision, then President George Bush lauded Baby Einstein during his State of the Union address in January 2007. He heralded the creator of the company and videos, Julie Aigner-Clark, as "represent[ing] the great enterprising spirit of America."

Later that year, University of Washington scholars including Dr. Andrew Meltzoff and others, published two studies on how watching baby videos lead to a decrease in language acquisition for infants and toddlers. We wrote about this study in NurtureShock.

So who was going to win, Bush or the scientists?

In December 2007, the FTC split the baby. The FTC said the science seemed a bit confused and inconclusive, but more importantly, both DVD companies had recently changed their marketing campaigns. Both had removed overt claims that watching the videos improved children's development. Disney's website had changed to focus on how the videos were a tool to enhance parent-child interaction. So no FTC action was necessary.

This past weekend, a couple bloggers, Joe Miller JD and Jonathan Liu wondered aloud if actually it was the publication of our book, NurtureShock, that triggered Disney's policy change. Our book came out the same week Disney issued its refund policy.

We honestly don't know if we were a factor at all. But to write NurtureShock, we did something the CCCF apparently did not – we went back and got the entire history of the Baby Einstein company’s evolving claims about their products, back to Aigner-Clark’s very first press release. We used an internet archive called the Wayback Machine, which allows users to go back in time to see what a website looked like years ago.

The first 1997 press release from Baby Einstein made absolutely incredible claims about how its videos prevented neuron brain death:

"The Baby Einstein Company today announced the release of Baby Einstein, the first developmental video to combine visual and linguistic experiences that facilitate the development of the brain in infants ages one to 12 months.... According to cognitive research, dedicated neurons in the brain's auditory cortex are formed by repeated exposure to phonemes, the unique sounds of language. Studies show that if these neurons are not used, they may die. Through exposure to phonemes in seven languages, Baby Einstein contributes to increased brain capacity."

Baby Einstein had that statement on its website for years. But there was no proof that the videos changed brain development at all – on a neural or cognitive level.

Over this decade, Disney has completely dialed back the claims about Baby Einstein. It could afford to, because it still benefits from the suggestive power of the brand – from the false claims made long ago.

Mica Mica Parva Stella

2009-10-26T13:44:00Z

Our Roman Roots by James Leek has been our favorite first Latin book-- and Numbers Six and Seven went through it with a group of friends as I have done with the older ones, in three different states! Here's the two Latin classes at the library singing the first Latin song they ever learn, and will never forget. Watch for teacher Number Three.

Book Review Bonanza Part VI

2009-10-26T14:23:00Z

This is my second to last review of the bonanza. I think.

Last school year, at some point, I saw a blurb on Love2Learn Blog that Hillside Education was seeking students' renditions of The Creation of Adam to be used as the cover art for a new book. It just so happens that my homeschool curriculum (Mother of Divine Grace) encourages the occasional copying of works of art, and it just so happened that the art work Billy was studying included this piece by Michelangelo. Naturally, I had him copy it, and I sent it in.

His copy was not selected for the cover. But that's okay.

As a thank you for participating, Margot Davidson (who IS Hillside Education), sent Billy a copy of In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home by Mary C. Gildersleeve.

This is a gem of a book. The first part of the book explains what she means by creativity, and why she feels it is important to foster it in your home.

The second part has some suggestions for various crafts (no photos or exact instructions as she wants students to fill in the gaps with their own imagination). Each chapter includes a different category of craft (for example: needlecrafts), and she thoughtfully lists the Dewey Decimal numbers you would need to find appropriate books at the library in those related categories.

And in the appendices, she includes an annotated bibliography and a list of online resources for shopping.

Perhaps the best part, aside from the library numbers, are the blank spaces she includes for you to fill in with your notes or other resources. The book is meant to be written in and referenced often. I found the online resource section particularly helpful as I was trying to plan my Christmas shopping.

Aside from a heavy bias in favor of knitting (an admirable craft, but I prefer sewing), this book is excellent. I recommend it to those who want to encourage creativity in themselves and their children but do not know where to start. It is also a good resource for someone, like me, who enjoys one particular craft but wishes to support her child's interests in different crafts and needs some help on how to do that.

If you do happen to get the book, all the artwork submitted for the cover contest is inside, including Billy's. As I mentioned, Billy received this book for free, and I was under no obligation to review it. I have received no other compensation for this review. The book is enough. Thank you, Margot.

Quote of the Day

2009-10-26T10:00:00Z

Charity is the bond of brotherhood, the foundation of peace, the mainstay and security of unity, which is greater than both hope and faith, which excels both good works and martyrdom, which will abide with us always, eternal with God in the kingdom of heaven.
St. Cyprian of Carthage, On Patience (3rd century)

How to Keep the "Catholic" in "Catholic Homeschooling"

2009-10-25T04:51:00Z

Sometimes, I receive emails from potential homeschoolers who ask, "How do I keep the Catholic in Catholic homeschooling?"

Good question. And it's one that we revisit from time to time to make sure that our Catholic homeschool is in line with the Church and our beliefs.

The shortest answer to the question is: live and grow in your own faith then share what you've learned with your children.

The longer answers:

Incorporate the liturgical calendar into your life.
We use a combination of CHC's A Year With God and also the ideas that gleaned from http://4real.thenetsmith.com/default.asp. The site is huge, so we mostly visit the Life in the Domestic Church section. It has ideas on incorporating feast days and other holy days into one's schedule. To be honest, it can be overwhelming sometimes to read the sheer scope and scale of some activities. So, what we do is to choose just one or two days per month to celebrate. Some folks do more, but we are happy if we can just celebrate a few of them in style.
Participate in the life of the parish with your children.
We heard this at a conference. The speaker mentioned that many moms may help out or do work for church but might not do things with their children in tow. She mentioned taking the kids to Eucharistic adoration. Even if it's just for 10 minutes, she said, try and do it. And if you're driving past a Catholic church on your way somewhere, stop to say hello and pray there before you reach your destination. She also mentioned going to daily Mass when possible with one's children.
Bring the saints into the fold of your family.
Get to know and love the saints, then share these stories with your children. The saints are part of our family.
Celebrate your child's name day.
For Miguel Pro's feast day, we always read about him, tell stories and have yummy Mexican food. Why? Because Miguel is my son's middle name. Celebrating the day of one's saint is an easy, sweet way to draw children into a deeper relationship with Mother Church.
Incorporate the Rosary or devotions into your family's nightly prayers.
Pray the Rosary together. Or the chaplet of Divine Mercy. Doing these little acts of grace really can bring blessings into the hearts of your children. If the children are wiggly or have problems sitting through an entire rosary, do an abbreviated version of it or watch "The Animated Rosary for Children" or sing it. The Catholic Church is rich with opportunities to pray in different ways.
Include stories of the saints or from Scripture into seat work.
My daughter's reading comprehension book is one about saints. She learns about the saints, plus there are questions for reading comprehension. Have your children read aloud stories of the saints or parables. Let their copy work become poems and prayers from Catholic authors or lyrics to good Catholic music.
Go to Mass more than once a week with your children.
You can go to the morning or evening Masses during the week. Some churches have a noon Mass ... and a crying room for mothers with little ones.
Do Catholic notebooking.
We use a lot of notebooks for school. For example, one of our binders is from a unit study about saints that we did a while ago. We'd read about the saint, look up his/her country on the globe, cut out a picture and decorate it, then the child would either narrate to me what they had learned or would write three sentences about the saint. We keep in on our bookshelf by the dining room table, and often, the kids will take out the binder and look through it. When they hear about new saints or read about one or get a holy card from somebody, they add to the binder. This coming year, we'll start a notebook about the Mass.

The key in doing this/reading this is to not feel overwhelmed by how everyone else is doing it and completely is about finding one's best path for one's family.

This Day in Jesuit History

2009-10-25T11:45:00Z

On this day in 1567, St Stanislaus Kostka arrived in Rome and was admitted into the Society of Jesus by St Francis Borgia.