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It can sometimes be a very frustrating task, getting kids to cooperate at daily prayer times..beyond just meals that is. I'm sharing the bare bones of our morning/evening routine with you, so that we might encourage each other in the daily struggle to teach our kids to pray with their whole   mind, body and soul: to learn that communicating with God is an ongoing relationship and gift of love that requires effort, attentiveness and sacrifice. Here is what we do....please comment and post your tips for others. May God strengthen and illumine us as parents! MORNING PRAYERS - before breakfast and school Stand and make the sign of the Cross or bows to begin Light individual candles at vigil lamp (vigil lamp is constant flame in our home in front of our icons using olive oil as our continuous offering to God for His presence and blessing. A big void is noticed if this light goes out. Try it for a month and see!) "Through the prayers of the holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God,...

Try putting the words of the Theophany troparion in order in this interactive activity, offered free to all online. http://www.hamatoura.com/GreetingCard/Greetings.php?subject=Theophany%20of%20Jesus%20Christ&link=07JesusTheophany-En Also, refresh your knowledge of this feast by watching this great resource in English: Do you know what the ax means in the tree? What were the poignant words of St John the Baptist? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE6jI6jPXqE#t=91

Now is a good time of year to pay close attention to color in the Orthodox Church, and how it's used to underline the moods appropriate to the season or special feastday. Many changes have probably already occurred in your local parishes to signify the Lenten season. This is a good opportunity to review the significance of the colors with your teens and children to enhance their experience and understanding. On evenings like Forgiveness Vespers and Holy Saturday, the change of color can be seen mid-service! In the Orthodox Church, there are typically six liturgical colors used: white, green, purple, red, blue, and gold. (Later, black vestments also came into use, and in various regions scarlet orange or rust as well) Most typikons/rubrics for our Orthodox jurisdictions seem to specify either "dark" or "bright" colors according to what the priest or parish might have available, but there are some common practices for the major feasts we can look at. Changes ca...

Just wanted to share our small craft that we'll be doing with kids ages 3-12 for Christmas. We've ordered these very reasonably priced wooden photo frames, which includes a latch backing and clear photo protector. The children will decorate with glitter paint, markers, pencil, beads, crayon,sparkle stars and more...and we will insert an icon of their choice from the Nativity selection.  Here is the site to order the ornament frames and other craft goodies http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=15805&keyword=ornaments&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch=&Brand=&Price= We're either considering printing various icons ourselves, to ensure the proper size, or we may even have the children color their icon first. If you are also planning a craft idea or lesson, please do share! The beginning of our fast begins before you know it. How time flies~

 "Children of all ages are invited to enter into the feast day of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ in this second book offered by the Sisters of All Saints Greek Orthodox monastery. Here you will find the rich and poetic words of Orthodox hymnography and illustrations based on traditional byzantine iconography. This humble offering will inspire every reader to worship and bow down to our Creator who became incarnate for our salvation." ORDER NOW the second book of this series as a Christmas gift for your families. Contact the Sisters at hagionpanton@gmail.com All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Direct Archdiocesan District P.O. Box 802 1676 Middle Rd. Calverton, NY 11933

"When we teach our children to be good, to be gentle, and to be forgiving- all attributes of God; to be generous, to love their neighbor, to regard this present age as nothing, we instill virtue in their souls, and reveal the image of God within them. This then is our task: to educate both ourselves and our children in godliness; otherwise what answer will we have before Christ's judgment seat?... Let us be greatly concerned for our wives and our children and for ourselves as well. The good God Himself will bring this work to perfection, so that all of us may be counted worthy of the blessings He has promised." - St John Chrysostom  (Whose feast is celebrated today, Nov 13)

There is a new website dedicated to offering excellent line-art icons and developing an on-going collection of Orthodox clip-art which makes for terrific icons to color with children. It is called the  "Orthodox Illustration Project" and can be found online here: http://www.orthodoxartsjournal.org/announcing-the-orthodox-illustration-project/ Keep the colored icons of your budding iconographers in a nice keepsake folder or photo album and display the Saint on his/her feastday in a prominent place in your home throughout the year. We have a simple 8x10 frame that our family rotates daily with the Synaxarion of the Church. Before you know it, you might have half the year complete in images! Remember not to dispose of icons, blessed or not, into the garbage. Let's teach our youth together to respect these holy images, which should be burned and the ashes buried. Pictured to the right are the icons of the Holy Mandili, a Church, and Saints George & Demetrios