Easter Holiday Shenanigans

We had a beautiful and busy Easter holidays. Here's some of what we got up to.

The Boy went to see a Red Bull Formula 1 Car. Cool with a capital C.

Ballet Girl sailed the Solent in a yacht, the TS City of London, with fellow cadets. They were storm bound for two days so they also explored the Isle of Wight including the Needles. She was hoping to achieve her Offshore Hand One but managed to achieve Offshore Hand Two so she came home thoroughly delighted, happy, exhausted and made up!

Monkey Girl sailed to the Channel Islands on the square rig galleon, the TS Royalist. She climbed to the top of the mast to tie the sails, steered the boat, did night-watch, saw a pod of dolphins riding the bow wave, achieved Offshore Hand One and came back sun-kissed, wind-swept and happy.

Panda Girl and The Boy had a brilliant morning training their cousins in the art of spying. Happy Days!

Guitar Practice

Easter Vigils

Following their great grandmother's shepherd's pie recipe.

Receiving cadet qualifications

Birthdays parties

Hanging out with the cousins

The Boy completed a two-part British Cycling Mountain Bike Course. He loved it!

English Heritage with friends

The Boy built a giant nest as part of an activity at the local forest center. 

I was inspired and we (I say we, I mean husband and son) built another one in our garden! 

Panda Girl continues to draw her beautiful drawings.

Panda Girl and The Boy came runners up for their Motte and Bailey from our project last year, in an English Heritage members' competition. They won themselves some vouchers and the Boy bought this with his :) :) :)

My Wonderful Panda Girl spent two nights in a forest as part of her Camp-craft course. Fun!

The Boy asked to go to Bekonscot Model Village for his birthday. I do love him.

He also had a football party :)

I had a birthday too. Getting younger though ;)

Taking the new long-board for a spin.

Sunbaby is walking and bringing sunshine to us all. 

She had her first birthday and was delighted with her candle. :)

My two big girls

Catholic A - Z, Part 4 (U - Z)

The fourth and final part of our Lenten Thematic Unit. We've learnt so much!

U - Unleavened Bread

Jesus and his disciples had gathered together to celebrate the Jewish feast of the Passover, which commemorated the Israelite exodus from Egypt. We made unleavened bread which was eaten to celebrate the cutting of the first sheaf of the new barley harvest in springtime. It was eventually incorporated into the Passover Feast and took on a new and deeper meaning: that of the bitter taste of slavery, the haste of their departure and the corrupting influence left behind. St. Paul refers to this in the Easter Sunday epistle.

 The Boy broke the bread as Our Lord would have done.

V - The Visitation

John the Baptist's birth signified the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Our Lady went to visit Elizabeth, his mother, (90 miles!) and the baby leapt for joy in her womb, We watched a lovely video depicting the Visitation and the Magnificat.

The kiddies searched through our faith books for images and passages about the Visitation.

And they found the Visitation in the Bible.

We stretched our legs at the ruins of a local church and located the nave, apse and pulpit as per last week's work about Cardinal Newman's oratory.

W - Westminster Cathedral

Westminster Cathedral was built in the late 1800s in Neo Byzantine Style. We talked about the Byzantine Empire, its roots and the fall of Constantinople, and we looked at icons and Byzantine mosaics. So interesting to feel the Eastern Roman Empire influence in Byzantine mosaics.

And then we made our own.

X - St. Francis Xavier

St. Francis Xavier rocked! What a great, lovely, kind, incredible man. We loved his story and The Boy is considering taking him for his Confirmation saint.

Y - Yahweh

God's name is mentioned 6800 times in the Old Testament. In the Hebrew Old Testament His name is Yahweh. Yahweh asher yahweh translates as I am who I am which is the response God gave to Moses when he asked who He was.

Z - Zacharius, Zachary, Zaccheus and St. Zita

Fun Z pictures of Zaccheus in the tree trying to get a better vantage point to see Jesus.

And finally, St. Zita. Cook and happy servant - an inspiration to worn out people everywhere!

We're done! We finished! A whole Catholic Alphabet finished in time for Holy Week.! We ended our thematic unit with an Easter Garden.

A Blessed Easter to you all.