Week 3 in the Atrium

Thursday morning atrium

Carrie Hulbert

This week was the best week in the atrium yet! I was so impressed with the children in our room, well behaved and quiet for the entire hour and thirty minutes. That's not easy for the little ones! 

The practical life works were popular - especially the cutting and pouring in our atrium. Some children were given a presentation using the model altar, learning names of items on the real altar at Mass.  Others were given a presentation using the globe to learn where Jesus was born - and in what a small place!  

It was a wonderful session in our atrium. It was beautiful to observe the children in their wonder. During our final prayer, we passed around the good shepherd to each child, and they loved holding him. Some even requested to hold him again. They were silent and prayerful during this time. Little minds are so precious.

Wednesday night atrium

Jennifer Francois

"So what did you do today?"  Maybe you've asked your child this question and received a less than informative answer?  It's very likely.  But let us assure you great strides are being made by the children in developing their atrium attitude and behavior.  We are learning to walk  slowly, talk quietly, and listen carefully.  One little 3 year old asked me to watch him and wanted to know if his "atrium walk was beautiful?"  I assured him it was.  

In order for our years in the atrium to be fruitful, the children must develop a spirit of quiet and contemplation that assists them in working with the materials in a thoughtful way.  Additionally, learning to choose a work, practicing the work multiple times and restoring the work to the shelf (known as "completing a work cycle") is key to developing a work ethic, for lack of a better term, in the atrium.  

What a difference 3 weeks has made!    Our first night (much to our horror) the children were using the Good Shepherd table as a slide and hiding spot for a game of hide and seek.  This past Wednesday they were ALL engaged in spooning shells, transferring jewels, working with the Russian nesting doll ( a very popular work), beading, the art shelf, scissors cutting exercises, dry pouring and folding. I might add that your children did all this themselves by first unrolling a work mat, choosing the work from the shelf, carefully carrying the tray with the materials to their work mat and restoring all the materials when they were done.

As you can tell, much of our time has been spent working with the Practical Life area.  As much as we are chomping at the bit to present some of the beautiful liturgical presentations to the children, we know that the more time the children are given to adopt a spirit of contemplation and focus, the more ready they will be to receive and reflect on future works.

However, several of the older children had been asking about our Altar corner and expressed a desire to work with it.  So if you have an older child in the atrium, you might ask him or her if they've had a presentation on the Altar.  During this presentation we talk about having a special meal at home and some of the things that might be present:  a table cloth, special dishes and maybe even candles!  At mass, we celebrate a special meal as well with special items found only at mass:  a paten, chalice and altar cloth.  But it is Jesus who invites us to this special meal at holy mass.

We are looking forward to spending more time with the children!

Click here for an excellent article on the importance of Practical Life and "helping the child to help himself". 



Cute Story     Rianna Brazee

Child (mine) kept asking when she got to go to the Antrum the "Ant Farm?" I asked to which she became mildly enraged and said "NOOOO the ANTrum" and I said "ant farm...?"  only when we were walking by on Sunday to go to choir and she ran to the door and said "are we going in the Antrum?" did I realize she was saying "Atrium"  She wanted to go back to the Atrium...be still my proud mama heart!