| Christ Jesus, the Way
Home and Family
What is My Child Learning?: Kindergarten
Unit 1
Chapter 1 I Am Special
Your child is exploring a fundamental truth of faith: God loves us and we are special. God created us out of love, and God has given each of us special gifts. The children will be celebrating the fact that God loves all people, just the way they are. God actually loves everything about them! How does God's love make you special?
Chapter 2 All About Me
Your child is focusing on the wonderful gifts God has given us: our bodies and our minds. Your child is learning that God gave us bodies to help us know the world, and that God gave us minds to be able to learn and to think. Your child is exploring the wonderful gifts of God in the ordinary activities of life — seeing, touching, smelling, tasting and thinking. Your child is learning to look for the extraordinary presence of God in all the ordinary events of each day. What gifts do you bring to God's creation?
Chapter 3 Feelings
Your child is learning that expressing feelings is good and that there are appropriate ways of showing feelings. Feelings are a great gift God, but they can be complex. Your child is being reminded that God wants us to be happy and that the first step in expressing feelings is naming them. Your child is being guided to use words that describe feelings, to discover appropriate ways to express feelings, and to realize that other people have feelings, too. How do you express your feelings to your child?
Chapter 4 God's Love
Your child is exploring God's love in creation, and learning that even though we cannot see God, we can see God's love alive in all of creation. Everything God made is good. Your child is learning to be open to God's love revealed all around us. When people show they love and care for us, we are experiencing God's love. God shows us love through the love of others. When was the last time you were in awe of God's creation and the power of God's love?
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Unit 2
Chapter 5 Jesus
Your child is learning what Jesus taught about love. Through the stories that Jesus told, your child is discovering more ideas about what God's love means. Your child is learning that Jesus taught us to love God first and then to love others. Your child is exploring ways to show love to God and to other people in his or her life. In what ways do you show love to others in your life?
Chapter 6 Good Words
Your child is learning about using good words to communicate love and respect. Your child is learning that God has blessed all people with the ability to make choices. Your child is exploring what good words are and how to use them. In prayer, the children are learning to use good words to praise and thank God. In what ways do you use good words to show thanks and praise to the people in your life?
Chapter 7 Good Things To Do
Your child is exploring ways to show love through actions. Your child is learning that friends are a blessing from God. You child learns that having friends is an important part of growing up. Friends are important part of growing up. Your child is discovering ways to care for friends. By caring for friends, your child begins to understand how much Jesus cares for him or her. Your child will hear the story of the Good Shepherd who takes care of his own. In what ways do you express your care for your friends?
Chapter 8 I Can Pray
Your child is focusing on the importance of prayer. Your child is discovering that he or she can talk to God, and that God listens. Your child is exploring ways to pray. Your child will participate in a special prayer by asking God for a blessing on someone important to them. This ritual includes a blessing that reminds all the children that they are in God's care. In what ways do you bless your child each day?
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Unit 3
Chapter 9 My Family
Your child is learning about the different types of families and exploring things about families. He or she will have the opportunity to talk about his or her own family and hear about the Holy Family—Jesus and his family. Your child will discover that Jesus did the same sorts of things with his mother and father as your child does with your family. Your child will thank God for the gift of family. What are some of the ways that your family can celebrate God?s love?
Chapter 10 Friends
Your child is learning about friendship and what is involved in being a good friend. Your child will learn about what friends expect from each other and how they treat each other. Your child will explore the idea of Jesus as a friend, and in particular what Jesus teaches us about being a good friend. How do you make room for Jesus? friendship in your life?
Chapter 11 Being Together
Your child is learning about the value of community. He or she will explore the concept of the neighborhood. Your child will explore how families live in neighborhoods and that neighbors help one another. Your child will talk about things that he or she can do in the community to be a good neighbor. Your child will talk about how he or she can apply what Jesus taught about helping others to the neighborhood setting. How can you reach out to someone today?
Chapter 12 Caring for Animals
Your child will learn about animals as part of God?s wondrous creation. Your child will talk about animals and what these creatures are able to do, and how they provide for us. Your child will have the opportunity to talk about his or her experiences with animals, particularly pets. The theme of interdependency of all of God?s creation is also stressed. Your child will take the time to thank and praise God for the gift of animals.
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Unit 4
Chapter 13 I Belong
Your child is learning that he or she is part of a church. The emphasis will be placed on the Church as a group of people who gather together to pray, learn about God's love, and do things for other people. Your child will learn that God calls and welcomes everyone to the Church. What are your earliest memories of going to church?
Chapter 14 My Parish
In this chapter your child will go a step further in learning what it means to belong. He or she will focus on belonging to a parish and will talk about his or her own parish. He or she will learn about the name of the parish they belong to and the things parishioners do together in the parish: pray, celebrate, help others, learn and grow. What do you treasure about your parish?
Chapter 15 My Father's House
Your child will discover the many wonderful things that are found in a church. Your child may be able to name some of these things for you. The symbols will take on an added significance when you share how they help us pray. Your child will learn that holy things should be treated with reverence because they help us remember God. What objects in your home give it the identity of being a Catholic home?
Chapter 16 I Am Catholic
Your child will hear the word catholic referred to for the first time in this unit. Initially, your child will work with words that describe his or her family. This will help him or her understand that the Church family has its own words too. Those who celebrate Mass regularly will be familiar with the words on which this chapter focuses. Is Catholic identity a distinct part of what it means for you to be a Christian?
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Unit 5
Chapter 17 Memory
Family stories and memories are important to everyone. In this chapter your child is learning that the Church family shares stories and memories about Jesus. These and many other stories are found in the Bible. One of the things Jesus wants us to remember is that he is always with us. What are your favorite family memories?
Chapter 18 Being Alive
It is God who gives us life and we celebrate it as a wonderful gift. Your child is learning about the sacrament of Baptism and about how the Church celebrated when he or she was baptized into the Family of God. What do you remember about when your child was baptized?
Chapter 19 Holy Days
Celebrations are an expression of who we are. In this chapter your child will be introduced to holidays and holy days. On holy days, the Church remembers Jesus, Mary, or one of the saints. Your child will be thinking and talking about his or her favorite holiday celebrations. What is your favorite holy day?
Chapter 20 The Mass
In this chapter your child is being introduced to the Mass. The Mass is an important way that we remember Jesus. Your child will be investigating the actions of the Mass, as well as the people involved, including him or her self. Which parts of the Mass are most significant for you?
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Unit 6
Chapter 21 Be A Helper!
In this chapter your child will explore the topic of helping others. He or she will learn about how Jesus needed helpers and how he asked his helpers to tell others about God’s love. Your child will discover how to be a helper of Jesus by helping others. How do you show your child the importance of helping others?
Chapter 22 Care
Jesus cares for us and for our needs. Jesus helps us love and care for one another. In this chapter your child will discover, through words and actions, how to become a kind and caring person like Jesus. Do you have a way that you could use to help your child remember to be kind and caring towards others?
Chapter 23 Caring for You
Fundamentally, this chapter deals with self-respect. Your child will learn how important it is to take care of his or her own body as a gift from God. Your child will discover that caring for his or her body leads to a happy, healthy and holy life, and will give him or her a body with lots of energy for praising God! How do you show self-respect for the gift of life God has given you?
Chapter 24 The Good of All
God gives each of us gifts – talents and abilities – to share with others for the good of all. In this final chapter your child will learn how he or she is a part of the big picture of creation because he or she has God-given gifts to be shared with others. This chapter focuses on relationships with others. What gifts has God given you, and how do you share them with others?
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