In order to bear good fruit we must stay connected to Christ no matter where we go or what we do. I also tied in the idea of each one of us being loved and treasured by God by adding the names to the vine.

[tweetthis]Create an I AM the Vine Activity for kids with this bulletin board idea.[/tweetthis]

I Am the Vine Activity for Kids

To create the vine all you need is:

• brown roll of paper- I used mailing/shipping paper
• used grape leaves & grapes (fake of course)
• stapler for bulletin board or safe/removable tape for a wall

To create the vine and branches start at the middle bottom and gently twist the paper. Make the base of the vine wide and as each branch branches off it gets more narrow. Eventually, each branch ends at a point. I tore the paper into different sizes as needed and used a more flat and wide paper at the bottom. Then add grapes and leaves about by stapling them on the branches.

To create the name tags you need some cardboard cut into small name plates, foam letters, and string. I had the children add the foam letters to the name tags for their names. In order to keep it visually pleasing, I limited the colors to green, purple, and white. They then added a neutral string to the name tag that we used to hang it from the vine with tacks. You could also staple them.

Through all this we discussed what it means to be connected to the vine and what we do to stay connected. We also discussed how that because we are all connected to Jesus, the Vine, that we are all connected also to one another.

You can read the vine scripture passage in John Chapter 15.

 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5

Have an idea like this to share for celebrating Lent? Leave a comment or link with the Walk with the Saints Lent Link Up!

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I’m happy to announce that I am joining the Hearts for Home Blog Hop team as a hostess starting this week!

The Hearts for Home Blog Hop is a weekly blog hop that begins every Thursday morning. The theme of this blog hop is showing that our hearts are for our homes. Isn’t that a wonderful theme? I love that it’s so inclusive but that it gets right to the heart of the matter! You can link up post topics such as: homeschooling, marriage, parenting, homemaking, faith, budgeting, crafts, DIY projects and more! All posts must be family friendly. Each week I will feature the most popular post and  one or two of my favorites every week!

Please make sure to link directly to your post (not your main blog page) so we can find the fabulous post you want to share. Kindly make sure to visit some of the other wonderful bloggers who have linked up here.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.upsidedownhomeschooling.com/hearts-for-home/" title="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/upsidedownhomeschool/HFH150_zpsf22ef64f.jpg" alt="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Not a blogger? Not a problem. This is the perfect place for finding ideas and inspiration for fulfilling your role as a wife, mother and follower of Christ and they are all in one place. So grab that cup of coffee, hop around, read and be inspired!

Featured Lenten Journey Posts:

The most clicked post this week was from Amy @ A Nest in the Rocks:

And I loved these Lenten Journey posts:

7 DIY Lenten Crafts and Activities from Campfires and Cleats 

I loved the many Lenten thoughts and ideas in this post. It’s a link up also so there is a whole host of Lenten Journey ideas for keeping the love in Lent! But I fell in love with this simple watercolor crucifix project. So beautiful!

Curry Lentil Soup from Janelle Knutson

I thought this soup recipe looked wonderful for Lent and I would love to try it. I love lentils and beans but use them mostly in recipes or eat them with rice. I haven’t gotten too accustomed to putting them in soups, so it is a goal for me to try this recipe sometime during Lent. I’d love to do a family Stations of the Cross and have this soup some Friday evening before Lent is over.

  And now Link Up!

(*Note: If you link up it gives me permission to use one of your images should I choose to feature you and link back to your post next week.)

The post Hearts for Home Blog Hop: Lenten Journey Edition appeared first on Dymphna's Song.

Who better to draw us near to Jesus than His Mother Mary?

I have a Lenten study idea for you, Catholic homeschool mom. It’s called the School of Mary. It’s simple to do for a busy mother, not too overwhelming. Yet because it’s about Our Lord’s Body and Blood it’s very fulfilling.

I wrote School of Mary from a deep love for Jesus; body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist.

School of Mary isn’t my idea.

I don’t claim to be an expert or a theologian. Rather, I am a simple mother who has found in Mary a model for herself and for all Christians. I created this small booklet as a short reflection on Chapter 6 of Ecclesia de Eucharisitia. They should be read together. In this study, I don’t explain the encyclical. Rather, I re-present it as a believer, as a echo of my own faith experience. It would be a wonderful Lenten study because it’s not too long or too short and is perfect for personal reflection time.    Learn More

I can say, with no hesitation, that if you read each chapter and spend a few quality moments reflecting on the questions at the end of the chapter, the Eucharist will never be the same for you.  ~Fr. Kerry Ninemire, Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish of Junction City, KS.

The post Lenten Study Idea: School of Mary appeared first on Dymphna's Song.