09/10/2015 Venerable Moses the Black

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all are having a wonderful day. We have had a fun-filled and busy day. 🙂

Today we remember Venerable Moses the Black. He was called “the Black” because he was Ethiopian. He was a slave when he was younger until he committed a murder, then his master banished him. He then joined a band of robbers and soon became their leader. Sometime later he repented of all of his misdoings and moved into a desert monastery. One night, the same band of robbers he was previously a part of invaded the monastery. Saint Moses, still having all of his strength, was able to capture the robbers before anyone was hurt. The robbers realizing their leader had become a monastic and joined him out of their deep respect for him. He later was ordained a deacon. Later on in his life he was granted the vision of an invasion of the monastery. He warned the other monks to leave, but he stayed behind and accepted this as the end of his earthly life.

You abandoned the Egypt of the passions, O Father, ascending the mount of the virtues with fervent faith. Taking the Cross of Christ upon your shoulders, and being glorified in godly works, you proved to be a model for monastics, O summit of the fathers. Pray unceasingly with them that our souls may find mercy!

For our “Circle Time” this week, we are using:

• The Thursday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• The Fruit of the Spirit
• I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas
• ROY G. BIV – color song

For our “Main Lesson” we worked on our unit study of the fruits of the spirit. Today we talked about the third fruit of the spirit, peace. I had Theia color a bird coloring sheet and then glue buttons on the flowers in the picture. We talked about things that make us feel peaceful and not to worry about anything, but to trust God. We reviewed the scripture verse Matthew 6:34.

For our “Science/Nature” time we talked about plants and how they are living too, just like animals. We did a work page out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find all of the living things.

For our number study, we worked on the number “2” again. We practiced tracing the number 2 and did a page out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find the items that were grouped into two.

For our “Structured Play Time” we did some baking. We made some blueberry bread using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free baking mix.

We also went to the park today:

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 1 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That is the end of our day and our week. I will be back on Monday. I hope you all have a great weekend!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/09/2015 Venerable Pimen the Great

Hello Everyone,

We had a very busy day today. We spent a long time out at the park, which was nice because the weather was nice outside this morning – not too hot, but it threw our school schedule off a bit since we usually do school first thing in the morning. I can’t wait for cooler weather so we can go outside later in the day.

Today we remember St. Pimen. He joined a monastery with his two brothers, Anoub and Paisus. When their mother came to visit them, they asked of her to wait to see them until the coming life with Christ, and to please allow them to pray for her instead. Pimen became known as a great instructor among the other monks and the governor requested to have a visit with him. He refused the visit to avoid any fame. He wished to remain hidden and humble. He was a great spiritual guide to many monks. One of the lessons he taught was to, “Fear God, Pray Often, and Do Good to Your Neighbor”.

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! Our Father Pimen, pray to Christ God to save our souls! Troparian, Tone 8

For our “Circle Time” this week, we are using:

• The Wednesday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• The Fruit of the Spirit
• I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas
• ROY G. BIV – color song

For our “Main Lesson” we worked on our unit study of the fruits of the spirit. Today we talked about the second fruit of the spirit, joy. We did a cute project – I had Theia glue pom poms on the word “JOY”. We talked about things that make us joyful and the scripture verse Phillipians 4:4.

For our “Play Time” we worked on a maze out of our Brain Quest workbook:

We worked on the letter “C” today. We did an activity out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find all of the big “C’s” and little “c’s” and color them in. We also did a work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook where she practiced tracing the letter.

For our “Art” lesson we made some cute little octopuses out of pipe cleaners:

That was the end of our school day. I will let you all know what we do tomorrow.

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/08/2015 The Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. Ours was very long one! We had a baptism that we attended on Saturday. That was a very beautiful and special service to be a part of. Sunday, we had Liturgy, then in the evening we went to the “Labor Day Lift Off” balloon glow at Memorial Park here in Colorado Springs. Monday we just stayed home and did some house projects because Theia was a little under the weather.

Today we remember the Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia, the married saints. They were only married one year before St Adrian’s martyrdom. They lived in Nicomedia under the rule of Maximian. Some of Maximian’s soldiers had captured 23 Christians and brought them to the Praetorium for torture and their martyrdom. Adrian, who was the head of the Praetorium, added himself to the list of Christians after witnessing the steadfastness of the martyrs. His wife, Natalia rejoiced when she heard about this because she was a secret Christian. She encouraged her husband during his martyrdom and she later died of her former suffering.

Your holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia, O Lord, through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God. For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. Through their intercessions, save our souls! Troparian, Tone 4

For our “Circle Time” this week, we are using:

• The Tuesday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• The Fruit of the Spirit
• I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas
• ROY G. BIV – color song

For our “Main Lesson” we started a unit on the study of the fruits of the spirit. Today we talked about the first fruit of the spirit, love. We did a cute project of a caterpillar with a tomato out of a paper bag. We talked about the verse John 15:12.

For “Our World” we talked about the sense of touch and what “soft” objects feel like. We did the work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook.

For our “Number” study we studied the number “2”. We did a work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook.

For our “Structured Play Time” we had fun learning how to do Hopscotch!

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 4 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That was the end of our day! I will let you all know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/03/2015 The Holy Apostle Thaddeus

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all well. We are having a busy day here today, but I will take a quick break here to tell you about what we did for school today.

Today we commemorate the Holy Apostle Thaddeus, one of the 70 Apostles. The Lord sent him to Edessa to do his ministry. Edessa was his birthplace and it is also where he had previously gone to take the Holy Napkin to Prince Avgar. When Avgar kissed the Holy Napkin, he was healed from his leprosy, save for one spot on his face.

The Lord sent Thaddeus back to Avgar to baptize him and to minister to the people there. Once Avgar was baptized the rest of his leprosy was healed, and shortly thereafter, all of Edessa was converted. Thaddeus also preached in Syria and Phoenicia. He reposed in Beirut.

O holy Apostle Thaddeus, witness of God, Who appeared in the flesh for our sake, You brought the light of saving grace to those in darkness and were revealed as an excellent physician to those in Edessa. Wherefore shelter those who fervently seek you.

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Thursday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• 5 Little Monkeys
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We reviewed all of the days, what we remember each day, and how the Church is our guide for the whole week.

For our “Our World” Lesson we worked on a page out of our Brain Quest workbook. Theia had to match the objects that belong on the dining room table and draw a line to their proper place, and do the same for objects in the kitchen.

For our “Number” study, we went over the number “1”, We did a work page out of our Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook.

For our “Structured Play Time” we did some baking. I had planned to have Theia help me bake some bread, but I am making a cake for a baptism over the weekend, so it turned into baking cakes.

Lastly, we had “Art”. This was actually rather frustrating. We had scheduled a “Tie Dye in the Park” with some other homeschoolers. Apparently, the event was cancelled without me knowing. So, we went to the park and there was no one there. Then, I decided to go to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies so we could do the Tie Dye at home, but Hobby Lobby doesn’t sell plain white toddler T-Shirts. They have 0 Months – 2T, then it jumps into youth sizes. 😦 So, we didn’t get to do our Tie Dye, but we did at least play at the park while we were there.

Well, I hope you all have a nice weekend. I will be posting again on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday – yay!).

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/02/2015 Holy Prophet Samuel

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I hope you all are well. Today we learned about the Holy Prophet Samuel. His mother, Hannah, who was barren, dedicated him to God when he was three years old. When he was only twelve years old, it was revealed to him that the Philistine’s would take the Ark of the Covenant. He preached repentance for salvation to the people, and they loved and respected him very much. When he knew he would pass away soon, he appointed Saul as king. When Saul turned out to be such an awful king, he appointed David to be king. He then passed away and Israel wept for him.

You were given as a precious gift to a barren womb, and offered as a fragrant sacrifice to your Lord. You served Him in truth and righteousness. Wherefore, we honor you, O Samuel prophet of God, as an intercessor for our souls. Troparion, Tone 2

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Wednesday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• 5 Little Monkeys
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Saturday today. Saturday is a day that we take time to remember those who have fallen asleep in the Lord. Whenever there is a Liturgy service on Saturdays, the priest makes special supplications for the departed. We can bake a special dish to be blessed called koliva and present it as an offering along with our prayers for any departed loved ones.

For our “Play Time”, Theia did a maze activity page out of our Brain Quest workbook. She did really good. The maze was to help a little girl find some flowers to pick. We went to the park and found some dandelions to pick. 🙂

Next we worked on the big letter “B” and little letter “b” again. We did a work page out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find all of the big “B’s” and little “b’s” and color them in.

For our “Structured Play Time”, as mentioned above, we went to a park and I had them find some flowers. The only flowers we could find were dandelions. 🙂 After that they got to run around the play ground and play with some friends. Theia was being a very adventurous girl on the “big kid” play set.

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 2 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That was the end of our day! I will let you all know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

09/01/2015 Holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates

Hello Everyone,

Today was a very busy day! We were able to get all of our lessons done this morning though!

Today we remember Holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates. He was an officer in the Roman Army under the Emperor Maximian. He was a secret Christian. When he was leading his men into battle he told them that if they called upon the one true God before battle, they would be victorious. They did so, and won the battle. Some jealous men gave him up as a Christian and the Governor then arrested him, tortured him, and threw him into prison. The emperor Maximian ordered him to be released. He did not want him arrested for being a Christian, but told the Governor to find some other reason. After his release, he aided in baptizing 2,593 soldiers in a river. The Roman army found all of these men during the baptism and beheaded them all. This river became a spring of healing. The Bishop, Peter, gave all of the martyrs honorable burial.

You renounced the glory of earthly rank and inherited the kingdom of heaven; you adorned your incorruptible crown as with beautiful stones. You led an army of martyrs to Christ, and with the angels in the never-fading light you found Christ the never-setting sun. Together with those who suffered with you, holy general Andrew, ever pray to Him that He may save our souls. Troparion, Tone 5

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Tuesday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• 5 Little Monkeys
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Friday today, and how the cross is celebrated on Fridays (as well as Wednesdays). Also, how both days are fast days. We talked more about the cross. I let Theia decorate her Friday page however she wanted. So, she chose to use glitter today!

For our “Nature” lesson we did a work page out of our Brain Quest workbook. We talked about living and non-living things. Then, we went outside to try and find some living things. We found a lot of bees on one of the bushes in the backyard and the girls had a lot of fun watching them.

For our “Number” study, we learned the number One and did a work page on “1” out of our Brain Quest workbook.

For our “Art” we made some really cute popsicle stick critters. Theia made a giraffe and Apfeya helped me make a mouse – but then she took it apart before I could take a picture. 🙂

Thats all for today! I will let you all know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

08/31/2015 Saint John of Rila

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend. We enjoyed our visit to Dormition Skete in Buena Vista and had a very busy weekend after that! 🙂

Today we remember Saint John of Rila. He is a very special saint to those in Bulgaria as he was a spiritual ascetic in Bulgaria. He was orphaned when he was very young and went to work as a cowherd to provide for himself. One day he lost a cow and her calf. His master became very angry with him, beat him, and told him to go find the pair. He did find them, but they were across a raging river. He was able to retrieve them by saying a prayer, throwing his coat on top of the river, and walking across it. It is unknown at what point in his life he was tonsured a monk, but he did flee into the wilderness and lived in a cave for 12 years. After that, he began living in the hollow of a tree. Aside from the grasses around him, he survived by eating beans that God allowed to grow right next to his home. The more people learned of him and his miracles, the more they came to visit him. Trying to flee celebrity, he moved into the mountains once more and spent the remaining time of his life in a cave.

Your life was a foundation of repentance and a model of compunction, an image of consolation and spiritual perfection, equal to the angels, O venerable one. You persevered in prayer, fasting, and tears, O Father John; intercede with Christ God for our souls. – Troparion, Tone 1

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Monday Song (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• 5 Little Monkeys
• Humpty Dumpty
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Thursday today, and how we remember two things on Thursdays. We remember the 12 Holy Apostles and Saint Nicolas. We talked about who the Apostles were, that they were Jesus’ followers, and how they preached and spread Christ’s teachings around the world. Then we talked about Saint Nicholas and how he loves children very much and is a special Saint for children to pray to. He is the real “Santa Claus”.

For our “Our World” lesson we did a work page out of the Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook about different types of food. We talked about healthy foods and foods that are special treats. Then I had Theia play with her food cutting kit and she served us all up some healthy veggies, fruit, and bread.

For our “Letter” study, we traced the big “B” and the little “b” on a work page out of our Brain Quest workbook.

Next, we had “Structured Play Time” where we worked on puzzles.

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 1 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That was the end of our day! I will let you all know what we are up to tomorrow!

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

08/27/2015 The Forefeast of the Dormition of the Mother of God

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a nice day. Today was our last day of school for the week. We finished the first week! Yay!

Today is the Forefeast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. We are coming to the end of the Dormition Fast, and tomorrow is the Feast of the Dormition. We will be going to visit the monastery in Buena Vista tomorrow for the Feast Day – it is the Feast Day of Dormition Skete!

The Theotokos was visited by the Archangel Gabriel three days before her repose. He reveled to her that she would pass in three days time. All of the Apostles came to her bedside, from wherever they were in the world, by way of clouds, so they could be with her when she reposed. The Apostle Thomas was late, and when he came to say his goodbye, thats when it was revealed that she was translated into heaven. The Troparion of the Forefeast brings us together on this day in gladness. The Theotokos is about to depart from earth to heaven.

Dance with joy, O peoples! Clap your hands with gladness! Gather today with fervor and jubilation; sing with exultation. The Mother of God is about to rise in glory, ascending from earth to heaven. We ceaselessly praise her in song as truly Theotokos. -Troparion, Tone 4

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Angels (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• My Cross (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• I am a Little Toad
• 6 Little Ducks

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Wednesday today, and how the cross is celebrated on Wednesdays. Also, how Wednesdays are fast days. We talked about the cross and all that it symbolizes. It can be a sad thing to remember, because it was the tool used to kill our Lord Jesus Christ, but it is also a symbol of victory over death. Christ rose from the dead! We talked about how St. Helen was able to find the true cross of Christ. I let Theia decorate her Wednesday page however she wanted. So, she chose to color it pink and then glued on sequins.

For our “Our World” lesson, we did a work page out of the Get Ready For Kindergarten workbook about what objects in the house belong in which room of the home. For example, in what room would you find a bed?

Then, for our “Number” study, we reviewed the number Zero and did a work page on “0” out of our Brain Quest workbook.

For our “Structured Play Time” we had a pretend picnic on the living room floor – complete with watermelon, chocolate milk, sandwiches, carrot sticks, and cake for dessert. Some of our favorite stuffed animals joined us!

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 8 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101.

That was the end of our week! I hope you all have a great weekend – we will be back on  Monday.

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

08/26/2015 Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

Hello Everyone!

Today was a very busy and very fun day. We had liturgy this morning at the Saint Maximus chapel here in Colorado Springs because today is the Feast Day of Saint Maximus the Confessor. We would like to wish many years to all of the faithful here that attend the Chapel of Saint Maximus as well as to the girl’s cousin, Max Tadros, and our dear friend Max Mills! Our Bishop made a special visit to do a Hierarchical Liturgy which was very special for those who attended.

Another Saint who we commemorate today is Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk. He received the monastic habit when he was 34 years old. He was ordained as the Bishop of Voronezh and served as bishop for seven years before retiring to the Zadonsk monastery for the remainder of his life. He was found to have wonderworking relics that healed many faithful.

From your youth you loved Christ, O blessed one. You have been an example for all by word, life, love, faith, purity, and humility. Therefore, you now abide in the heavenly mansions, where you stand before the throne of the All-Holy Trinity. Holy Hierarch Tikhon, pray for the salvation of our souls. Troparian -Tone 8

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Angels (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• My Cross (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• I am a Little Toad
• 6 Little Ducks

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Tuesday today, which is the day we remember Saint John the Baptist. We talked about how Saint John was the Forerunner of Christ, born to the Theotokos’ cousin, Elizabeth. We talked about how Elizabeth and the Theotokos were pregnant at the same time and how when the Theotokos came to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, Saint John leaped for joy knowing that they were in the presence of Christ! Saint John was also known as Saint John the Prophet, so he has three titles – Saint John the Baptist, Saint John the Forerunner, and Saint John the Prophet. He is such a special Saint that we remember him every Tuesday.

For our “Play Time” today we went outside and played with sidewalk chalk! Theia actually drew a sun all by herself with the sidewalk chalk!

Next we worked on the big letter “A” and little letter “a” again. We did a work page out of our Brain Quest book where she had to find all of the big “A’s” and little “a’s”. She also used socks to make shapes of the big letter “A” on the floor.

For our “Structured Play Time” we made some fasting and gluten free chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

For our “Art” we made some really cute octopuses out of toilet paper rolls, paint, google eyes, and sequins. They turned out really cute!

That was the end of our day! I will let you know how tomorrow goes.

In Christ,

D. Kyriake

08/25/2015 Holy Martyrs Anicetas & Photius

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful day. Our day has gone very well so far. 🙂 Today we commemorate the Holy Martyrs Anicetas and Photius. Emperor Diocletian had made a trip to Nicomedia to persecute and kill the Christians there. Saint Anicetas was the governor of Nicomedia. He boldly confessed his faith in Christ and was arrested and tortured. They threw him to the lions, but the lions only fawned over him and played at his feet. He was subject to other tortures before his death. His kinsman, Photius joined Anicetas in his martyrdom and they both suffered in Christ together.

Your holy martyrs Anicetas and Photius, O Lord, through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from you, our God. For having your strength, they laid low their adversaries and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. Through their intercessions, save our souls! Troparion – Tone 4

For our circle time this week we are using:

• The Angels (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• My Cross (from the Garden of the Theotokos)
• I am a Little Toad
• 6 Little Ducks

We worked on our main lesson out of the Garden of the Theotokos. We talked about Monday today, which is the day of the angels. We talked about how their are nine different types of angels and how they all have different jobs. Then we focused on talking about our guardian angel.

Next we worked on our “Nature” unit. We talked about weather (Sunny, Windy, Snowy, Rainy) and then we went on a walk outside and talked about what the weather was like. Today it was sunny with a little breeze. 🙂 Then Theia did her weather work page out of her Get Ready For Kindergarten book.

After that we began our “Numbers” study. We started with the number zero. Theia worked on her work page out of her Brain Quest workbook. She had to practice tracing the number and circle the trees with zero apples on them.

Then, we had our “Structured Play Time”. The girls both worked on a couple puzzles together.

Lastly, we worked on chanting. We studied the Tone 4 Troparion using Tone Tutor 101. Theia sang with me while we practiced chanting and Apfeya really enjoyed just listening! It was a lot of fun.

When their daddy gets home Theia will do her “Share with Daddy Time”.

Tomorrow is the Feast Day of our chapel, the St. Maximus Chapel. So, we will be attending liturgy in the morning at the chapel. After that we will begin our homeschool work.

In Christ,

D. Kyriake