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Title: What Color Is the Season?

Grade level: K–2

Overview: In this activity the children will be introduced to the seasons of the Church’s liturgical year. They will learn about the significance of each season and the colors used during each season. They will learn about local seasonal customs and practices and about customs and practices in other geographical areas. Over the course of the school year the class will compile a book about these customs and practices.

Objectives: The children will:

1. learn to identify the colors used in each liturgical season
2. learn the significance of each liturgical season
3. learn about special customs and practices (Mardi Gras, Pinatas, seasonal foods) associated with each season, both locally and in other geographical areas
4. compile a book about the liturgical seasons and the various customs and practices associated with each season

Suggested Time Allowance: The class can work on this activity in seasonal segments throughout the school year. Ideally, each new segment will begin two to three weeks before the start of a new liturgical season.

Resources/Materials: a computer with Internet access and email capability

Activities/Procedures:

1. Approximately two to three weeks before the beginning of a new liturgical season, have the children brainstorm a list of seasonal customs and practices that take place in their families and/or in the parish.

2. Arrange to have the class correspond via email with classes at schools or parishes in other parts of the country (or in other countries) to share information about the special things they will be doing at home and in their parishes to celebrate the coming liturgical season. Just go to the Keypals home page at www.teaching.com/keypals/. The service provides an incredibly easy-to-use interface and database to quickly locate and contact a student or a class from around the world.

3. When three or four classes have responded, have your class email its list of customs and practices to each collaborating class, along with a list of the school names, geographical locations, and email addresses of all the participating classes. This will allow all of the partner classes to email their lists of customs and practices to each other.

4. As lists of customs come in from the collaborating classes, have the children use the computer’s word processing software to enter the information onto pages for the book the class will be compiling. (Note: An older student or an adult may have to help the children with the computerized copying and printing.) Depending on the number and variety of the responses, you can either give each custom its own page or group the items according to geographical area or type.

5. Have the children acknowledge each list as it comes in and thank the children in the other classes for their contributions to the activity.

6. When all the responses have been entered and the book pages formatted, have the children illustrate the pages. (Note: If the students have access to a computer drawing program such as Kid Pix, you might want to have them use it to prepare their illustrations.)

7. As the section for each liturgical season is completed, have the children put the pages together in a binder. (Note: You might want to print the pages for each season on paper of an appropriate seasonal color.) At the end of the school year (or as each seasonal segment is completed) make copies of the pages for every child in the class. Make sure, too, to send copies, either by email or by "snail mail," to all of the collaborating classes.

Links: The following Web sites offer valuable background information for the teacher or catechist:
http://www.CyberFaith.com
http://www.monksofadoration.org/lityr.html
http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/documentText/Index/2/SubIndex/38/ContentIndex/102/Start/97 http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/documentText/Index/2/SubIndex/38/ContentIndex/98/Start/97

Assessment: The children will be evaluated on their ability to name the liturgical seasons and the colors associated with each season, to explain the significance of each season, and to describe customs or practices associated with each season.

Catechism Correlation: An approved edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church can be found online at www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm. Among the paragraphs that relate to the seasons of the liturgical year are #524 (Advent) and #1168–1171 (Easter).

Created by:Jan Gagen, Director of Religious Education for Saint Mary Nativity Parish in Joliet, Illinois. She has been active in Religious Education for the past fifteen years as catechist, coordinator of primary grades, and director.

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