A Mother's Shortcut to Heaven

I came to know about atrium two years ago from a blog I was reading. The mother who wrote the blog was explaining about how her children were attending atrium and its influence on their lives. I had no idea what atrium meant at that time which was a good thing because I went and explored a little bit more about it. This opened up a whole new avenue which I never knew before.

His favorite part is washing dishes.

I would have never known that he had interest in washing dishes if it wasnt for the atr

The atrium was organized by the Catechesis of Good Shepherd. It was started by Sofia Cavalletti in the year 1954. She and her friend jointly created a teaching methodology to introduce Catechesis to children based in their profound religious intuition. This method is based in the self teaching of Maria Montessori and allows kids to reinforce their relationship with God by using all their senses and freely reacting to His presence.

Washing hands

How beautiful right?? I fell in love with this the second I read about it and I realized that this is something I would love to introduce to my children. As a parent I know and believe that I don't need to worry much about my child learning English, Math or Science lessons because all the opportunities given through the schools and libraries in America for them to master in these subjects. But one thing which is totally removed from our entire school system and society is God and Faith.

Learning about the Liturgical Calendar and colors

Prayer table which the kids get to arrange

I want to give the first priority to God and Faith not just in my life but also in the life of my children. This could start with telling them small little stories and guiding every step throughout the day to helping them determine good and bad from a Christian perspective.

Atrium is a religious formation combining Montessori methodology and the liturgy of the Church. How perfect it is then for our children to be exposed to something as beautiful as an Atrium! Children gather in an “atrium”, which is a room specially prepared with simple yet beautiful materials.

Flower arranging table

Each week, the session starts with a short presentation of a story from scripture and materials like a model of an altar, sacristy cabinet, baptismal font, and various small images, which correspond to the parables and narratives from the Bible.

A little child, too young to read, needs another way to ponder a biblical passage or a prayer from the liturgy by working with these materials. I love this program and I wish this was available when I was growing up.

Altar

Good Shepherd explained

Children age 3 – 5 are put in one group. I wanted to send George last year but I was not able to find an atrium close by on time. This year I really tried hard to send him to the one which was organized by our homeschooling group. But by the time I registered, it was too late. I tried several parishes and finally was able to find one which is bit far. It is on Saturday mornings from 8:00 – 9:45. I was worried it would be too much for a 4 year old to be woken up so early on a Saturday to go to an atrium all year long. I was also concerned whether he would even be interested. To my surprise George loves the atrium and he looks forward to it. Yes, it is hard for him to wake up at 7 in the morning but he willingly goes to it every Saturday.

I am so glad I made this decision even though it was hard in the beginning because I was doubtful whether this is the right thing for George. But when you are doing it for the sole purpose of giving God to your child you see a special grace and an interest even from your child’s side. Sofia Cavalletti says " if we want to help the child draw nearer to God, we should, with patience and courage...seek to go always closer to the vital nucleus of things. This requires study and prayer. The child himself will be our teacher...if we know how to observe him."

One day staying inside the house made all of us tired. I could see the kids getting frustrated and I was running out of ideas to do with them. That means I better find something new to do or otherwise things are not going to stay the same much longer. Then there will be crying and timeouts, and I am going to lose control over myself. Not good! It was not too cold outside and the leaves were just starting to fall and why not put this energy to some use. Let us RAKE some leaves!!

I don’t usually come up with such good ideas especially in moments like this. Lord was just merciful J George always goes out with Sony to work outside. I have seen how capable he is at this age of doing outdoor cleaning and how hard he works with his dad. But I think this is the first time he worked with me outside and I was amazed. He grabbed that big rake and started doing some real good raking. He raked with me for almost an hour. Towards the end I asked him whether we should go inside and get some rest. He wouldn't allow me and he wanted stay until he places all the leaves in the paper bag. I am just so glad he enjoys doing this stuff. I gotta give some credit to Sony. He has trained him very well.