Families are very busy today. It can be difficult to make a connection with parents, let alone foster collaboration on the home front in support of what children are learning at school.
Providing parents with a concrete way to connect with what a child is being taught in the classroom – in the form of activities that are engaging and adaptable to children of varying ages – is a great way to help engage families in nurturing faith formation at home.
The 50+ Catholic Scouting Religious Activities from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) are free resources that do just this.
My own experience as a religious education teacher at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Fort Wayne, Indiana illustrates the fact that many parents are searching for ways to help foster growth in the faith at home – they just need a place to start.
One December, I shared with students Catholic Scouting Religious Activities about Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in advance of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I purchased patches from NCCS, so students could earn something tangible after they completed the associated Religious Activities. The students showed their parents the patches they earned, and I received numerous calls from parents who wanted to know more about Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin so their families could learn about them together. I sent home the teaching aid for those two Religious Activities to help parents learn about them and engage further with their children at home.
This take-home resource proved so popular with parents that I continued sending home one Religious Activity teaching aid each month with students, so families could engage in the activities at home and learn more about their faith together.
Sharing Religious Activities with families helped parents realize that they didn’t have to navigate this area alone. Many young parents are overwhelmed with simply raising children and aren’t equipped to assist in all areas of life. By sharing the teaching aids, they had more time to BE with their families, with less time spent preparing a lesson. This also gave me the opportunity to catechize the parents. We all need help at times navigating our faith life, and leaning on others helps all of us to grow. Knowing that there were other age-appropriate teaching aids available on the Catholic Scouting website helped these families’ faith life grow. They began praying the Rosary at home and learned about other facets of their faith. I made lifelong friends with these families because I shared the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin!
Kendyl Santos, who teaches Grade 5 at Blessed Sacrament School in Belleville, Illinois also uses Catholic Scouting Religious Activities in her classroom. “I utilize Religious Activities during my religion period or when I have extra time in the day,” said Santos. “The activities are interesting and help instill the ideals of the Catholic faith into our students.”
Recently, Santos used Religious Activities from the American Saint Series, which focuses on holy men and women who have had a big impact on the Catholic American landscape. The Religious Activity about St. Kateri Tekakwitha was especially impactful for students, who identified her as their class’s “adopted saint” for the school year.
“I also used Religious Activities in the Rosary Series, which help students learn the mysteries of the Rosary and how to pray the Rosary,” said Santos. “All of the Religious Activities are very useful resources for teachers, and they are free and easily accessible.”
There are currently seven Religious Activity Series available, as well as a special Eucharistic Revival Activity in support of the National Eucharistic Revival and another series, Religious Trail, being developed now. The Rosary Series has five activities that teach young people about the Rosary. The Marian Series has five activities that examine Marian Feasts commemorated in the United States. The American Saint Series provides an opportunity for Scouts to learn about great men and women who influence American Catholics. The Modern Saint Series offers Scouts examples of 20th and 21st century men and women who made an impact on Catholics around the world. The Faith Series provides Scouts an opportunity to learn about key elements of Catholic tradition and teaching. The International Series offers activities designed to help Scouts understand their connection to the Universal Church and fellow Catholic Scouts in the global community, as well as understand our shared responsibility to care for the Earth. There is also a Heritage Series that includes long-standing Religious Activities to which some groups share a special devotion.
Catholic school educators planning for the new school year may want to incorporate Catholic Scouting Religious Activities into their lesson plans as a free resource that provide real-life examples of ways to engage with each lesson. Each Religious Activity features a downloadable teaching aid with learning opportunities, hands-on exercises and links to additional related resources, with different options for various age levels of students. As an example, here is the downloadable teaching aid for Blessed Carlo Acutis, a teen who will soon be canonized as the first millennial saint.
Teachers are also invited to order Religious Activity patches for students who complete an activity. A person doesn’t need to be a Scout to earn a Religious Activity patch and kids often enjoy having a tangible way to show what they’ve accomplished. Download this handy overview of all the Religious Activities along with images of their patches.
While a person doesn’t need to be a Scout to use Catholic Scouting resources, it’s good to know that Catholic Scouting is a time-honored—and fun—way to support Catholic educators’ and parents’ efforts to raise children to become responsible, well-rounded adults. Catholic Scouting helps kids grow up to be good citizens and faithful Catholics.
Want to learn more about Catholic Scouting resources or explore starting a unit at your Catholic school? Contact the National Catholic Committee on Scouting using this quick and easy inquiry form.
Have questions about Catholic Scouting Religious Activities? I would be happy to answer them! You can contact me at the email address below or 260-414-9172.
Theresa Dirig
is chair of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting Religious Activities Committee and current Catholic school religious education teacher.
tscoutlady@yahoo.com
