Our gift to John for his birthday was a
child's Mass kit--everything the priest uses in miniature! It goes without saying that this is a big gift for a three-year-old, but it is something we want in the home to foster vocations and John is old enough to start being exposed to it.
When John was opening his other gifts with the family around, the scene became chaotic and exuberant, so Chris and I made a fast decision to have him open this gift alone the next day when he could focus. This kit comes with a Montessori-style teacher's guide for how to introduce each piece, so I'll need to study that and do some exercises with John. They're supposed to be enjoyable and essentially child-led, when the child is ready. I believe this is the same kind of kit used by
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
We examined different Mass kits and chose this one made of real materials (brass, glass) rather than the plastic or cloth ones. It will require greater supervision, but we think it teaches important lessons. And, yes, each piece is available for purchase individually if (when) it becomes broken!
Two of John's favorite pieces so far are the bell and candle snuffer, the latter of which he got to use for real when we lit our Advent candles for the Second Sunday of Advent.
He also enjoys lifting the thurifer and the thingy (I don't know my vocabulary yet!) that holds the altar light. He told me this morning that his hands were shaking while holding it suspended in the air and I said that we has to grow strong muscles for God, so now he's talking about his big muscles for God. John greatly admires the altar boys at church, which is how it should be.
When John was opening his other gifts with the family around, the scene became chaotic and exuberant, so Chris and I made a fast decision to have him open this gift alone the next day when he could focus. This kit comes with a Montessori-style teacher's guide for how to introduce each piece, so I'll need to study that and do some exercises with John. They're supposed to be enjoyable and essentially child-led, when the child is ready. I believe this is the same kind of kit used by Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
We examined different Mass kits and chose this one made of real materials (brass, glass) rather than the plastic or cloth ones. It will require greater supervision, but we think it teaches important lessons. And, yes, each piece is available for purchase individually if (when) it becomes broken!
Two of John's favorite pieces so far are the bell and candle snuffer, the latter of which he got to use for real when we lit our Advent candles for the Second Sunday of Advent.
He also enjoys lifting the thurifer and the thingy (I don't know my vocabulary yet!) that holds the altar light. He told me this morning that his hands were shaking while holding it suspended in the air and I said that we has to grow strong muscles for God, so now he's talking about his big muscles for God. John greatly admires the altar boys at church, which is how it should be. 
love this one!!! so *soooo* much better than the cloth ones I've seen.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of friends participating in Good Shepherd and have nothing but wonderful things to say about this program! I chose not to b/c we werent that close to the place and the time just didnt' jive with us (4pm-5:30) - with our big crew, that's a crazy time to be in marietta traffic.
sorry for the rambling! Have a great week and thanks for sharing John's Mass kit!
We have the same Mass kit! I absolutely love it! The cloth ones are "cute" but I think this is much better to help instill a sense of reverence-- and care for the materials used at Mass. I would like the Baptismal kit one day too.
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