Our Virtue Lessons For Homeschoolers
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"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." - Phil 4:8
What is a virtue?
A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God. CCC:1803
"Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 15:2
Children develop good moral character and first begin to recognize good virtuous living in their families. Catholic parents have an obligation to train their children according to God's laws. As children branch out into the world and begin meeting people outside their immediate family, their ability to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and injustice, Godly and worldly things needs to grow in strength as well. Our Lord asks us to not only preach our faith but also to live it. But how can we teach our children to do this at such a young age? Through daily prayer, regular mass attendance, reading God's word and other uplifting literature, and tangible practice, children can learn about the virtues in a permanent way.
Our Virtue Lessons are designed to be used one virtue at a time, on a daily basis, over the course of a month. With a weekly core lesson, daily reinforcement with scripture discussions, prayer, and the incentive progress sheets, children learn quickly how to practice the virtues well. Even the very young and the "I'm too old for this" set can glean wonderful faith building essentials from these materials. Don't let the graphics fool you, faith and fun can go hand in hand.
"A wise teacher makes learning a joy; a rebellious teacher spouts foolishness." -Proverbs 15:2
Created out of a need to teach our children about their faith and how to put it into practice, we spent many years creating and designing Our Virtue Lessons. Five years ago there were no character building products for homeschoolers that were fun, hands-on, affordable, and easy to get in Canada. There was even less to choose from if you were Catholic and looking for faith reinforcement. There were quite a few resource books, but nothing specifically geared toward children themselves. Our Catholic family needed to start teaching good moral development to our two children in a hands-on way, and there was nothing available. After much prayer, we began putting together ideas, learning about PC publishing, searching for the right graphics, and starting the core ideas for this program. Our goals were to:
1. Create a fun, tangible way to teach children about good moral behaviour from a Catholic perspective.
2. Provide our children with real life examples of good virtuous Catholic living.
3. Teach our children to recognize good and poor examples of good moral behaviour.
4. Provide a way for them to track their learning and moral growth progress.
5. Allow for different learning styles and ages to participate at the same time.
6. Fit it into our homeschool day without feeling overwhelmed.
7. Oh yes, and all the materials had to be cool, cute, and fun...phew!! (Was that all we needed to do? )
After much revision and many graphical changes, we came up with something that our children just loved doing. During this process we found that our children, like many other Christian children (or adults for that matter), had a hard time recognizing sin in a practical sense. Without being able to recognize the face of sin, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is half-hearted at best. Our kids needed real life examples. They needed a fun way to track their own growth as well as faith and prayer support too. And, so after years of creative work, here we are!
In each lesson you can expect to find:
A core set of printable sheets used to define, explain, and reinforce the virtue itself including positive and negative examples
Aesop's Fables and matching copywork that match the virtue
Half Sheet reminder poster
Reinforcement prayer card
Bible passage suggestions
Corresponding literature and reading suggestions
Literary discussion cards
Achievement of Completion certificate
Additional worksheet packet of corresponding activities
Extra activities including projects, games, or F3 pieces.
The Virtues
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Consideration |
Courage |
Determination |
Joyfulness |
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Kindness |
Love |
Modesty |
Responsibility |
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Thankfulness |
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