Tt Faith:

Just like this week's saint is one of our most beloved, so is Tomie de Paola one of our most
beloved authors and illustrators. Spend this week pouring over the treasure of stories he has
given us to enrich our faith and learning a little bit about the man who has used his talent so well.

Biography and Links

On Being an Artist

For Mom's Reading Basket

Stories to Enjoy "T" is for Tomie de Paola:

Angels, Angels Everywhere

Pascual and the Kitchen Angels

The Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica

The Night of Las Posadas

Strega Nona Stories

Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland

Tomie De Paola's Book of Bible Stories

The Clown of God

The Lady of Guadelupe

Francis, the Poor Man of Assisi

The Parables of Jesus

The Miracles of Jesus

Country Angel Christmas

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Christopher the Holy Giant

The Legend of the Poinsettia

Books about St. Therese:

Therese (DVD, Used with discretion)

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

St. Therese and the Roses: Vision Books

The Little Flower

God's Little Flower

God's Little Flower Coloring Book

St. Therese and Her Family Paper Dolls

Glories Stories Volume II: St. Therese and the Knights of Columbus

Ideas for "T Week:"

This week, give one another the gift of TIME. Here are some ideas for spending TIME
TOGETHER during "T Week".

T is for team: Attend a baseball game together, or pop some popcorn and watch one on TV.

T is for tree: Find one you can help your child climb, or plant a new one.

T is for teepee: Build one out of sheets and have lunch in it!

T is for "Twist": So turn up the oldies and dance the night away.

T is for Take-Out: Treat yourself to some to some this week and spend the time you earn back
playing board games.

Suggested Books for Read-Alouds and Narrations (These are to be narrated both verbally and
artistically. For the younger children it is often fun to keyboard an oral narration for them and then
ask the child to illustrate the printed page.)

T is for Trickster Tales (by Gerald McDermott):

Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest

Jabuti the Tortoise: A Trickster Tale from the Amazon

Papagayo: The Mischief Maker

Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest

Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa

Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti (An Owlet Book)

Writing
For the next few weeks, children can dictate or write the stories told in the Mother Goose rhymes.
That is, instead of reciting the rhyme, they can tell what happened in prose.All children should
illustrate their stories. Stories written by younger children can be used for reading practice. The
written narrations are used by all the children in our families for Lively Language Lessons.

Uu and Vv week

Faith:

St. Valentine

The Very First Christians

The Very First Christmas

The Very First Easter

Read about these saints in the Loyola Kids Book of Saints:

St. Vincent de Paul

Read about these heroes in the Loyola Kids Book of Heroes:

Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan

Ideas for "U and V Week:"

Decorate an umbrella with your favorite flower fairies.

Have a Vacation Day. Play together, visit a nearby tourist attraction, lie on beach towels and
pretend you're in the sunny tropics...whatever makes it feel like vacation to you. Look at vacation
photos and share favorite vacation memories over dinner.

Suggested Books for Read-Alouds and Narrations (These are to be narrated both verbally and
artistically. For the younger children it is often fun to keyboard an oral narration for them and then
ask the child to illustrate the printed page.)

The Velveteen Rabbit

Under the Cherry Blossoms

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Lonely Firefly

The Very Quiet Cricket

The Umbrella

Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell a Lie

A Visitor for Bear

Growing Vegetable Soup

Ww Week

Picture Book Science--W is for Weather:

It's Raining Cats and Dogs: All Kinds of Weather and Why We Have It
Flash, Crash, Rumble, and Roll
The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm
What Will the Weather Be?
Weather Forecasting
Down Comes the Rain
Feel the Wind

Faith:

Faith Enlivening Works by Brian Wildsmith:

Jesus

The Easter Story

Exodus

Joseph

St. Francis

More about St. Wenceslaus:

Stephen's Feast

Read about Wenceslaus in the Loyola Kids Book of Saints

Ideas for "W Week:"

W is for Water: Brainstorm ideas for some watery fun this week--swimming, water guns, water
balloons, water color painting, a field trip to a watery destination like an aquarium or beach. Make
your own list and have fun with water.

W is for Weather: Use this site for some weather experiment fun.

Make a paper whale.

Suggested Books for Read-Alouds and Narrations (These are to be narrated both verbally and
artistically. For the younger children it is often fun to keyboard an oral narration for them and then
ask the child to illustrate the printed page.)

Childhood Favorites:
Winnie the Pooh

Warm As Wool

Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears

White Bear, Ice Bear

When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry

What If?: Just Wondering Poems

Meet the Author--W is for Audrey Wood:

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear

The Napping House

Balloonia

Silly Sally

Alphabet Mystery

Alphabet Adventure

Piggies

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

Xx and Yy Week

X is for eXperiments
The Everything Kids Science Experiment Book
The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions
Science in Seconds for Kids
Big Book of Play and Find Out Science Projects (and all the other Janice VanCleave books

You Can't See Your Bones with Binoculars

Jessica's X-Ray

Y is for You!
Just Like You

Did I Tell You I Love You Today?

Faith:

Read lots of MaX Lucado books this week in honor of letter X:

A Max Lucado Children's Treasury
The Oak Inside of the Acorn
Because I Love You
Just the Way You Are
If Only I Had a Green Nose
You Are Mine
You are Special
Your Special Gift
A Hat For Ivan
All You Ever Need

Read about St. Francis Xavier, and St. Francis Xavier Cabrini in the Loyola Kids Book of Saints

Author Study: X is for BeatriX Potter

The World of Peter Rabbit (This is the complete set and well worth the investment, as these are
treasures you will visit again and again throughout childhood and well into the adult years.) Click
here for even more Beatrix Potter inspiration--Mom is sure to be inspired, too.

Author Study: Jane Yolen

Owl Moon

How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?

How do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms?

Welcome to the Green House

Color Me a Rhyme

Zz Week

My Visit To The Zoo

100 Animals To Spot At The Zoo

National Zoo Board Books

Z Is for Zookeeper: A Zoo Alphabet

Read about St. Dominic de Guzman in the Loyola Kids Book of Saints

A favorite faith-themed alphabet book:

A is for Altar, B is for Bible

Author Study: Z is for Paul Zelinksy and Charlotte Zolotow (we couldn't pick just one):

Rapunzel

Rumpelstiltskin
 Hansel and Gretel

Knick-Knack Paddywhack

The Wheels on the Bus

The Sun's Asleep Behind the Hill

Swamp Angel

I Like to be Little

Over and Over

Big Sister and Little Sister

Suggested Books for Read-Alouds and Narrations (These are to be narrated both verbally and
artistically. For the younger children it is often fun to keyboard an oral narration for them and then
ask the child to illustrate the printed page.)

Childhood Favorites

Our focus this week is on great alphabet books. We've picked 26 of our all time favorites.

The Angels' Alphabet

The Butterfly Alphabet

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

This is the Ambulance Leaving the Zoo

Eating The Alphabet

Allison's Zinnia

The Real Mother Goose ABCs

A Handmade Alphabet

I Spy: An Alphabet in Art

Jambo Means Hello

K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo

L is for Loving/Let's Fly from A to Z

Mousekins ABCs
New Testament Alphabet in Rhyme

On Market Street

A Prairie Alphabet

Quilt Alphabet

The Racecar Alphabet

AbeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art in ABCs in English and Spanish

A is for Annabell

Underwater Alphabet

A is for Abigail

The Extinct Alphabet Book/Elfabet

The Z was Zapped