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Creative Godly Play at Home – Parables

Written on February 9, 2012 by Deb Chitwood in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Godly Play

Wooden Peg Doll Good Shepherd and Polymer Clay Sheep (Photo from Explore and Express)

I have a number of posts about Godly Play, including posts about using Godly Play at home. More and more often, parents are finding creative and inexpensive ways to use Godly Play concepts to make the Bible a living part of their home environment.

Last autumn, I wrote about Creative Godly Play at Home – Old Testament. Please refer to that post if you’d like resources to help you get started using Godly Play at home. My other Godly Play posts, especially How to Add Godly Play to Your Homeschool and Fitting Montessori-Based Religious Education into Your Home, have helpful resources as well.

Parables in Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Programs

Between Epiphany and Lent, most Montessori-based Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs in churches introduce parables. In this post, I’ll be sharing some resources from both Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for introducing parables. The videos are especially helpful in showing traditional Godly Play presentations. Just choose what you feel will work best for your family.

My daughter, Christina, at 2½ using Catechesis of the Good Shepherd materials in our church atrium, 1993. (Parable materials are also on the nearby shelf.)

The parable materials in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd are often beautiful 3-dimensional wooden materials, whereas many are made of felt in Godly Play. While I love the CGS materials, the Godly Play felt materials are generally more practical for home use (unless you have a carpenter in your family who would enjoy making materials for you). I have links to some examples here that work very well for home use.

The parable posts from Thoughts from the Sheepfold give a helpful overview of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd parables.

Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way has some fascinating posts about Godly Play parables.

Godly Play 101: The Genres from Explore and Express explains the basics of the sacred stories, parables, and liturgical lessons in Godly Play.

Creative Godly Play Ideas for Parables

You’ll find scripts for presenting parables in The Complete Guide to Godly Play: An Imaginative Method for Presenting Scripture Stories to Children (Volume 3) by Jerome W. Berryman (the current version of all the Godly Play parable scripts).

Young Children and Worship by Sonja Stewart and Jerome Berryman has patterns for making materials and older versions of scripts.

Parable of the Good Shepherd

This is the foundational parable for both Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Some wonderful ideas for home use:

Sneak Preview (Parable of the Good Shepherd materials from Explore and Express – photo at the top of this post)

Good Shepherd Lesson (Photo from We Don't Need No Education)

The Good Shepherd from We Don’t Need No Education

The Parables of Jesus (The Parable of the Good Shepherd): A Lesson for a Sensorimotor Preschool Experience Inspired by Godly Play from Training Happy Hearts

Good Shepherd and Sheep (Photo from Discovery Days and Montessori Moments)

Good Shepherd at Home (a lovely home version based on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) from Discovery Days and Montessori Moments

Good Shepherd Learning Activity and Craft (a version your child can make) from Catholic Icing

Parable of the Good Samaritan

Parable of the Great Pearl

Parable of the Sower

Godly Play – Parable of the Sower (my post)

Parable of the Sower from Training Happy Hearts

Parable of the Leaven

The Parable of the Yeast (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd lesson that works well at home) from Discovery Days and Montessori Moments

Parable of the Mustard Seed

Parable of the Mustard Seed (Photo from Watkins Every Flavor Beans)

Parable of the Mustard Seed from Watkins Every Flavor Beans

Parable of the Mustard Seed from Explore and Express

Adapting Godly Play for the Inclusive Classroom (pdf with helpful ideas) from Stranmillis University College (insights for Godly Play in general and specific thoughts on the Parable of the Mustard Seeds)

Parable of the Loving Father (Parable of the Prodigal Son)

Parable of the Loving Father from The Wonder Circle

Judy Jowers at Flickr – Godly Play sets for many Bible stories, including parables.

I’d love to hear how you’ve introduced parables at home (or in your church)!

Tags: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Godly Play, Montessori-based religious education, Parable of the Good Shepherd, parables

Creative Godly Play at Home – Old Testament

Written on September 27, 2011 by Deb Chitwood in Godly Play, Montessori Homeschool Classroom and Materials, Montessori-Based Religious Education

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Noah's Ark (Photo by Julie at The Adventures of Bear)

I love both Godly Play and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, two Montessori-based religious education programs for children. I also love the creative use of Godly Play at home.

Creative Godly Play at Home

I have a number of posts about Godly Play, including posts about using Godly Play at home. Parents are finding creative and inexpensive ways to use Godly Play concepts to make the Bible a living part of their daily home environment. I like to think of this as creative Godly Play at home. Emily at Watkins Every Flavor Beans describes this well in Godly Play: Part 1:

“When I talk about godly play in the home I’m not talking about using the curriculums that are available. I am introducing the idea that we should have a way for children to play with the Biblical story and Christian practice on a daily basis. Our godly play table … is played with often for several days and then will sit un-played with for awhile, just like other toys in the house. But, the Bible, children’s Bibles, prayer book, electric candles (which we light in prayer), Biblical figures and props are all there when Jonah wants to play (by which, I mean ‘use his imagination to seek understanding’ – that is my definition of play).

“Often Jonah’s cars and other toys join in the adventures of the biblical figures. I am reminded that the biblical story is not fragile, and that, by bringing in other toys, he is understanding the story in new ways and making applications of biblical truths outside the Biblical story – that is so exciting! At times I listen to his play and see what he is understanding spiritually, what he is wrestling with, and sometimes what he is misunderstanding. I rarely address these issues while he is playing alone, but will engage him in conversation or a retelling of a story later to help clarify if I think it is needed.”

Help in Getting Started

I encourage you to take Godly Play training if you have the opportunity (it’s wonderful!): Godly Play Isn’t Just for Children. But if you don’t have the opportunity to take the training or make the traditional materials, you can still add Creative Godly Play to your home quite easily.

Some ideas and resources: Fitting Montessori-Based Religious Education into Your Home

While Creative Godly Play at Home activities don’t always follow the standard Godly Play scripts and may include Bible stories outside the traditional Godly Play curriculum, they still include hands-on materials and storytelling to help make the Bible stories come alive for young children. Emily at Watkins Every Flavor Beans has resources for getting started in Godly Play: Part 2

Church of the Holy Spirit has Godly Play information and scripts.

I highly recommend reading as much about Godly Play as possible. The following books have scripts for fall Godly play presentations:
The Complete Guide to Godly Play: An Imaginative Method for Presenting Scripture Stories to Children (Volume 2) by Jerome W. Berryman
Young Children and Worship by Sonja Stewart and Jerome Berryman

Be sure to watch this video and notice the slow, deliberate movements the storyteller uses when presenting a Bible story.

Use wondering questions. In Godly Play, an important part of the storyteller’s role is leading a “wondering” period in response to the story. The main wondering questions are:

I wonder what part of this story you like best?

I wonder what part is the most important?

I wonder where you are in this story or what part of the story is about you?

I wonder if there is any part of the story we could leave out and still have all the story we need?

Old Testament Creative Godly Play Ideas that Work Well for Home Use

Old Testament stories are typically presented in the autumn in a Godly Play curriculum, so I’ll include some ideas for Old Testament lessons I’ve found online.

Creation Lesson (Photo from School in a Pink House)

Creation from School in a Pink House

Creation Cards (Photo from We Don't Need No Education)

Creation Cards from We Don’t Need No Education

Creation from Watkins Every Flavor Beans

Adam and Eve (Photo by Julie at The Adventures of Bear)

Creation from The Adventures of Bear

Creation Cards and Second Creation from A Bohemian Education

Adam and Eve from Our Country Road

Adam and Eve from The Adventures of Bear

Noah’s Ark from The Adventures of Bear (photo at top of post)

Noah’s Ark from A Bohemian Education

Tower of Babel (Photo from Our Country Road)

Tower of Babel from Our Country Road

The Great Family from Building Godly Play

Abram and Sarai – The Great Family from The Adventures of Bear

Isaac and Rebekah (Photo from Our Country Road)

Isaac and Rebekah from Our Country Road

Joseph and Joseph at Home from Watkins Every Flavor Beans

Baby Moses (and the Tower of Babel) from A Bohemian Education

The Ten Best Ways to Live Presentation (Photo from Explore and Express)

The Ten Best Ways to Live from Explore and Express. Sheila from Explore and Express has also used Godly Play in creative ways with other groups of children.

The Tabernacle (Exodus 25-27) from Building Godly Play

Daniel and the Lion’s Den from A Bohemian Education

Jonah (Photo from A Bohemian Education)

Jonah from A Bohemian Education

Judy Jowers has ideas for many Bible stories at Flickr.

In addition to allowing your child to work independently with the Godly Play materials once they’ve been presented, you could also provide hands-on activities or crafts as follow-up responses to the story.

Ravens Feeding Elijah Practical Life Activity (Photo from Princess and the Tot)

For example, Judy Jowers has a photo of a creative Godly Play lesson on Birds Feeding Elijah. The Princess and the Tot has a hands-on practical life activity to go along with the story.

Have you used some form of creative Godly Play at home?

Tags: Creative Godly Play, Godly Play, Godly Play at home, hands-on Bible stories, Montessori-based religious education, storytelling

Fitting Montessori-Based Religious Education into Your Home

Written on July 26, 2011 by Deb Chitwood in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Godly Play, Montessori Homeschool Classroom and Materials, Montessori-Based Religious Education

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Montessori-Based Religious Education Shelves in our Homeschool, 1994.

I’ve written a number of posts about two beautiful religious education programs that are Montessori based: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) and Godly Play. I truly believe they can make religion come alive for children.

I also wrote about How to Add Godly Play to Your Homeschool. Even so, I think it can be intimidating to think of preparing a Montessori-based religious education program at home when you consider how expensive the materials can be and how beautiful many of the wooden materials are. While I love the beauty of well-crafted wooden materials, they often just aren’t practical for a homeschool unless you have access to a helpful woodworker.

Interestingly, as I was searching for creative ways to prepare CGS and Godly Play materials, I found this post published today at Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way – The Materials Aren’t the Key. I love this quote:

When Jerome Berryman began his teaching, he used shelving made from boards and cinder blocks, and only one presentation material: figures for the parable of the Good Shepherd, cut from construction paper and placed in a shoe box he had spray-painted gold.

And I love this quote from the article “Store not your treasure here below”:

One of my Godly Play trainers told us that the best presentation she’d ever seen was done with clothes pegs and pine cones!

My Family’s Montessori-Based Religious Education at Home

When my children were little, I started an atrium and was the catechist in a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program in an Episcopal church. There, we had beautiful wooden materials. I also used some CGS lessons and ideas at home with my children.

But our home “atrium” was much different from the one at church. Our home “atrium” consisted of one shelving unit in our homeschool classroom with prayer materials, a candle snuffer polishing activity, and a number of materials that were simply purchased (often on sale) at our local religious supply store (photo at top of post). The figures were plastic, which wasn’t ideal, but they still gave my children a hands-on religious-education experience.

In CGS, the scripture is read as part of the lesson, whereas Godly Play uses storytelling without the actual scripture reading. Often, I would read the Bible scripture while my son or daughter moved the figures, or my son read the scripture while my daughter moved the figures. We were able to use this for a number of Bible stories that weren’t actually part of the CGS curriculum but that worked well with our current unit study.

Ideas from Other Bloggers and Sites

A number of bloggers give wonderful inspiration with creative ideas for using Montessori-based religious education at home. Often, wool felt is used instead of wood, or Bible figures are created inexpensively with other materials such as wooden peg dolls. Wooden peg dolls are a great option for many of the figures.

Here are some posts I think are especially helpful in providing ideas that work well at home:

Godly Play: Part 1, Godly Play: Part 2, The New Godly Play Space and other Godly Play posts from Watkins Every Flavor Beans

Godly Play information and scripts from Church of the Holy Spirit

Adapting Godly Play for the Inclusive Classroom (pdf with helpful ideas) from Stranmillis University College

Wooden Peg Doll Good Shepherd and Polymer Clay Sheep (Photo from Explore and Express)

Godly Play posts from Explore and Express (Photo from Sneak Preview)

Godly Play materials posts from Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way

Godly Play posts from All Play on Sunday

Godly Play posts from Our Country Road

Godly Play - Adam and Eve (Photo by Julie at The Adventures of Bear)

Godly Play posts from The Adventures of Bear (Photo from Godly Play – Adam and Eve)

Godly Play sets on Flickr by judy_jowers

School: Opportunities for Reflection and Prayer from Spiritual Child Network

The Atrium Environment from Thoughts from the Sheepfold

Catholic Montessori Album/Manual Update from Montessori Candy

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Home Altar Work (Photo from Training Happy Hearts)

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at home from Training Happy Hearts.

Good Shepherd and Sheep (Photo from Discovery Days and Montessori Moments)

UPDATE: On 8/17/11, Discovery Days and Montessori Moments published a lovely example of a good shepherd and sheep for at-home use with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Have you created any materials for Montessori-based religious education at home?

Tags: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Godly Play, Godly Play materials, homeschool, Jerome Berryman, Montessori-based religious education

Godly Play – Parable of the Sower

Written on April 5, 2011 by Deb Chitwood in Godly Play, Montessori-Based Religious Education

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There was once someone who did such amazing things and said such wonderful things that people followed him. As they followed him, they heard him speaking about a kingdom. The kingdom was not like the one they were in. It was not like one that anyone had ever visited. It was not like any kingdom anyone had even heard about. So they had to ask him, ‘What is the kingdom of heaven like?’

One day when they asked him that, he said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like when a sower, someone who scatters seeds, goes out and scatters seeds along the path….’ (The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Volume 3, p. 105)

When to Present the Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower is most often presented before Lent in churches with Godly Play programs. In my Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training, I was told that there was no liturgical time for the Parable of the Sower, and I’ve often heard of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs presenting the Parable of the Sower during Lent.

If you have a homeschool, you might even want to present the Parable of the Sower as part of a gardening unit. Do what works best for your own family. While I always recommend taking Godly Play training both for your own knowledge and spiritual formation (see GodlyPlay Isn’t Just for Children), your child can benefit from a Montessori-based approach to religious education without your having the best training or materials. (See How to Add Godly Play to Your Homeschool.)

Godly Play Scripts and Materials

The current Godly Play parable scripts are in The Complete Guide to Godly Play: An Imaginative Method for Presenting Scripture Stories to Children (Volume 3: 20 Presentations for Winter) by Jerome W. Berryman. Young Children and Worship by Sonja M. Stewart and Jerome W. Berryman contains both scripts (although not the latest versions) and patterns for making the materials. Many homeschoolers find Young Children and Worship the simplest for home use, although all the Godly Play books are helpful.

Many of the materials for church-school use are wooden. For home use, wool felt often works well. If you use the patterns in Young Children and Worship, you can also color and mount the materials on poster board or even just color and laminate the materials.

Presenting the Parable of the Sower

There are variations among Godly Play storytellers as they put the stories in their own words, but the following YouTube video gives an idea of how you can present the Parable of the Sower.

The video shows the important role of the wondering questions. In Teaching Godly Play: How to Mentor the Spiritual Development of Children, Jerome Berryman talks about the importance of parables and the wondering questions:

Only those who have the ears to hear will hear. This is why it is important for children to encounter parables during childhood so they can develop the ability to hear with their own ears what Jesus was communicating when he spoke in parables.

The fundamental wondering questions for the parables are variations on: ‘I wonder what this could really be?’ It implies that there is more to what is real than ordinarily meets the eye. (p. 47)

Parable of the Sower (Photo from Training Happy Hearts)

Training Happy Hearts has a Godly Play inspired lesson on The Parable of the Sower with many related activities.

I’d love to hear of your experiences using Godly Play in your home or church school!

Tags: Godly Play, homeschool, Montessori-based religious education, Parable of the Sower, Teaching Godly Play, Young Children and Worship

Montessori-Based Lenten Activities

Written on March 10, 2011 by Deb Chitwood in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Godly Play, Montessori-Based Religious Education

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Montessori-based Lenten Tray

I wrote before about the Montessori-based religious education programs called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Godly Play. (See links at the bottom of this post.) Both programs have beautiful activities to enrich the experience of Lent and Easter for children.

You can use ideas from Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Godly Play at home to help your child experience the Mystery of Easter. Here are some ideas you can use from either or both programs during Lent.

Some ideas from Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

You could adapt these ideas as needed for your home:

Bury or put away the “A” word for Lent, and dig it up or bring it out again on Easter.
Prepare a child-size prayer table with purple cloth for Lent. Add items such as a candle and Bible.
Prepare a Lenten tray with materials that would be meaningful to your child. In our church atrium where I was a catechist, I had real seeds, herbs, fabrics, and a crown of thorns from the Holy Land Exhibit in Minneapolis along with a basket of prayer cards. The tray in the photo is one example of a tray that could be used for a wide age range at home.
Introduce the geography of Jerusalem during Lent. In our church atrium, we had a wooden model of Jerusalem for lessons in Lent. That wouldn’t be practical for home use, but you could emphasize places in Jerusalem that correspond to events in Jesus’ life. Perhaps you could purchase or print out a map of Jerusalem and add little wooden figures to the appropriate places in Jerusalem as you tell the stories of Jesus’ life during Lent.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Model of Jerusalem

Follow Thoughts from the Sheepfold for more ideas from Catechesis of the Good Shepherd during Lent.

The Spring 2011 newsletter from St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Goleta, California, tells about the Lenten themes used in its three levels of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atria.

Some ideas from Godly Play

Churches using Godly Play vary somewhat in their presentations of lessons during Lent. The Complete Guide to Godly Play: An Imaginative Method for Presenting Scripture Stories to Children (Volume 4) by Jerome W. Berryman is especially helpful for Godly Play during Lent.

Jerome Berryman’s introduction from Lesson 1: The Mystery of Easter:

Lent is the season when we prepare for Easter. These six weeks are a solemn time, overflowing with meaning, when we view life from the perspective of our existential limits and the sacrifice of Christ….Storytelling Tip: Remember that this story is called the Mystery of Easter, not the Mystery of Lent. The fullest meaning of Lent is that it gives us time to prepare for the great Mystery of Easter, the principal feast of the Christian Church. Similarly, we recommend that you not call the material a “cross puzzle” but always refer to it as “the material for the Mystery of Easter.”

If you don’t have the book, here’s a preview of Godly Play, Volume 4 with Lesson 1: The Mystery of Easter.

Young Children and Worship by Sonja M. Stewart and Jerome W. Berryman is also very helpful. This book has patterns and presentations for the Lent/Easter lessons, although the presentations aren’t the latest versions.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ashtabula, Ohio, shares its first three lessons for Lent.

Whether you use actual Godly Play lessons, you can create a Godly Play table or shelf during Lent. Probably the most extensive resource for Godly Play at home and creating a Godly Play table or space is Watkins Every Flavor Beans.

Here are some blogs that use Godly Play at home or with group ideas for Lent that can be easily adapted for home use.

Watkins Every Flavor Beans has a series of posts on Lent.

Explore and Express has the following Lent posts: Celebrating Lent with Children, Godly Play: The Mystery of Easter, Nature Table: Lent, and Easter Club posts.

Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way has a number of Godly Play Lent posts.

Faith at Home has a more general but still helpful Ten Godly Play at Home Tips for Parents.

Here are my previous posts about Montessori-based religious education at any time of year:

Making Religion Come Alive for Children

Godly Play Isn’t Just for Children

How to Add Godly Play to Your Homeschool

Other Lenten Resources

Although not necessarily Montessori-based, there are many links to wonderful Lenten activities for families in our Living Montessori Now Community.

We also have a discussion about Montessori-based religious education in our Living Montessori Now Community.

UPDATE: I have a post on The Silence Game with activities and a prayer table that work well any time of year but would be especially meaningful during Lent. I also have a Lent Pinterest board.

This post has been added to Helpful Homeschool Hints, Lenten Link-Up, and Lenten Link Party at Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way and Explore and Express.