August 2020

I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as we are. We are settling back in after a visit up north to our families. The kids really needed that time with cousins and grandparents. We were blessed to visit with my grandparents a few times. My Grandpa gave the kids lots of “elbow bumps” to replace hugs. He’s such a hugger, the poor guy couldn’t resist when our four year old (also named for him) innocently reached up and hugged him the day before we left.
We are preparing the best we can for the upcoming school year. I will be teaching Pre-K in our local classical school. I’m not sure what to expect along the way. Only God knows the future.

New Coloring Pages!

I am excited to have a bunch of new coloring pages made from sketches that I made for icons during the lockdown. These are uploaded into the months they are celebrated in-
St Brendan the Navigator May 16th
St Edmund King of England and Holy Martyr November 20th
St Charity (Agape) the daughter of St Sophia September 17th
St Irene of Chrysovalantou July 28th

St Natalia
August 26th

I received a request this month from a Mom making a “Happy Name-Day” banner with the patron saint for each person on it. I thought it was too cute not to share the idea! I was honored to help with such a special project!

Please remember I am happy to take requests anytime, Sparks is a free resource!

Current Projects

-Saints Felix, Regula and Exuperantuis- (preschism martyrs) Patrons of Zurich Switzerland September 11th
You may have seen in social media that I made an icon of these ancient saints for my in-laws, but I didn’t have time to make up the coloring page yet. I will have it for next month, so that its ready for their commemoration!

-We are continuing our family’s support of St Peter Rigena’s Orthodox Orphanage by building up a care package. If you’d like to contribute in some way to the care package, please email me. Anything sent will go in the package, 100% of any money donated fo shipping will be used for shipping the package.

July 2020

Hello Parents,

I’m going to format this a little differently. I find its starting to be complicated to find all the images available you now have to click pages and posts in different places. So I’m not going to post all the new stories into the posts anymore and I have already backtracked to copy everything into the website pages- streamlining it all!

If you have a request for an upcoming Name-Day or saint that you love, I am happy to help. There are SO many saints to choose and I love learning about new ones each month!

Contact me directly with your input or requests

casey@sparks4orthodoxkids.com

New for July

St Jacob Netsvetov, Enlightener of Alaska with a simple look at the massive geography of Alaska. Have you ever seen Alask overlayed on the continental USA- its MASSIVE! I hope it works as a nice compliment to the page of Our Lady of Sitka.

CLick HERE to go to Coloring Pages for July

Changes!

You may have noticed activities for bigger kids over the past couple of months. I always new Sparks would grow as my kids grow and we are taking those first steps! Our facebook name has also changed from Sparks for Orthodox Toddlers to Sparks4Orthodox to match the webpage and Instagram and open it up for future growth!

It looks like I may be heading back to work (as I am writing it is not firm, no contract signed) so I may not post as many things as fall arrives and I adjust to our new family routine! I have a few things sketched out to share, but if you have a request please give me plenty of time. I hope teaching Pre-K classes will spark some new idead for lessons as we return to Church school…

Current projects include-

-Revising the Pascha Coloring Books-Will be shelved for now, as I head back to work!
-Compiling and editing coloring pages for coloring book collections -Fall, Spring, Summer, and Winter. This one is coming in slow motion but still moving forward!
– You may have seen some photos of icons that I’ve been making for friends and family. I would like to be able to offer them online in the near future; it has been a blessing for my personal prayer time through this crazy spring.

We are aslo sending love and kids supplies to St Peter Rigena Orthodox Orphanage and School. If you are interested in more information about them,
https://orthodoxafrica.org/missions/saint-peter-rigena-orthodox-orphanage-and-school/

This is what I have done so far. Bible verses in their own langauge, but we’ll be adding each child’s patron saint, and atleast one more Bible verse- provided by Fr Hezekiah in their own language!

I discovered RedBubble a few months back and I have started creating products with my artwork. If you are ever looking to create something bigger with your kids as presents of a church go-bag please remember us.
Here is a sampling, but the images are available on multiple products

Click HERE to see the RedBubble Shop

June Coloring Pages

Saints Mary and Martha
Lazarus’ sisters & Myrrh Bearers
June 4th

Mary and Martha host Jesus at their house along with their brother Lazarus. Jesus was talking with His disciples.
Mary sat at Christ’s feet to listen to all He had to say. Martha was busy and distracted by providing hospitality and serving her Lord and guests food. She got frustrated and said to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister is leaving me to do all the work? So tell her to help.”
Jesus replied, “Martha, you’re so stressed out. One thing is important right now, and Mary chose it. I’m not taking it from her.”
(My retelling from Luke 10:38-42)

Martha and Mary show us strong traits for the faithful. Mary sat and listened, not to avoid work but out of her love for God and desire to learn more. Martha was busy serving, not to show off but for her love of her neighbor and desire to do good works. These are both traits all faithful should have but we must learn to balance them.

Click to download the story with a simple word game as pdf

sparks-mary-and-martha-word-activity Download

Select images are available on products through RedBubble. Slightly edited and formated but still black and white so you can make them special with fabric markers, paint and modge podge – create unique projects that will last almost as long as the memories.

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Sparks4Orthodox/shop?asc=u

A Mama Moment

I know there are many opinions about the ideas of “Mama time” and I don’t really have strong feelings about it. As a stay at home Mom, I’m here with the kids almost nonstop. Since the quarentine, I’ve been with them except a few grocery trips. So sometimes I need a break away from the kids and I think that is natural.
The other day my husband and I were talking. I realized that over the past few years, while I threw myself into life with my kids; I threw off the balance with my husband and I. By not “doing something for myself” I didn’t give my husband anything to support. Of course he praised my parenting and helps to give me with the kids.
My husband and I have been together since we were teenagers. We have always helped eachother reach goals. We support and push eachother better than we support ourselves. Its our balance. By living for my kids over the past six years I threw us off balance. I cared for my kids, and supported my husband. I felt burnt out.
I knew I needed a change. So I started painting again. It wasn’t about getting away from my kids. I felt I needed something for me. I started spending evenings in quiet prayerful time making icons.
Its been a couple of months, my husband has a wishlist growing (LOL- his birthday is coming up). Its no longer about having something for me. My kids are helping to Ghesso boards. In the morning, they compliment and comment on the progress of each painting. In the evenings, my husband works on his latest article or translation while I work.
I didn’t notice there was something missing until it was back. I feel better, less stressed and more patient with my kids. Its not about attention, its about feeling like I contribute beyond my kids.
It has been a bigger blessing for my family and a new service to the Church.
I guess my point is, if it feels like you need a break or that something is missing, let God guide you by His still small voice!

May Coloring Pages

Empress Helena

May 21st

When her son St Constantine (the Great) came to power he sent her on a mission to find the Holy Cross of Christ in Jerusalem. Even though she was in her seventies, she took the long trip. She traveled all over, clearing sites that are important in the life of Christ. She had churches build, and tore down pagan temples. She kept searching until she finally found the Holy Cross of Christ. She found all three (who died alongside Christ?) and a miracle showed her which one belonged to Christ!

Constantine’s Vision at the Melvian Bridge

This document is a one page story of the Vision of Constantine at the Battle of the Melvian Bridge. It is for slightly older kids, up to middle schoolers. Included with some small drawings to color in, and a list of terms to investigate. It makes a good history lesson for anyone interested in Church history or the Roman Empire. Please enjoy!

contantines-vision PDF

Download

Hymn for
Sts Constantine and Helen

Happy Name day for my son, FIL, SIL and all the Helens and Constantines out there!

Hymn from Compline
Lord of the Powers

Every Lent focuses on prayers but this year it seems especially fitting!

CLICK HERE for the May page
like St Constantine

I want to share a cool website that my husband showed me
Orthodox Unlimited has a T shirt line. You may want to check it out as you start to think about Father’s Day (next month). We usually make a Tshirt, but now that we live in a warmer place -I think we’re going to splurge on one he would wear in public!
https://www.orthodoxunlimited.com/

https://www.orthodoxunlimited.com/

Coloring pages for April

St George
April 23rd

St George grew up in Palestine after his father was martyred.His mom moved away to raise him but when he was old enough, he joined the military.
St George, the Victory Bearer, is a very famous saint for the story of how he saved a village from a dragon that lived in their lake. The pagan priests told the people to feed it children instead of fighting it. The brave St George, killed the dragon and freed the village from the dragon; and also from the terrible leadership of the pagan priests!

When the Emperor Diocletian pusecuted Christians, St George sold all his belongings and went to the Emperor to bear witness as a Christian. We call him a soldier of Christ.
The Emperor knew him, he was a well known soldier, so he talked with George about just sacrificing to a Roman god so he can go home. But George would not deny Christ. The Emperor was furious and had guards arrest George -off to be tortured.
He continued to torture George in different ways. One day, the torture was so bad that the Emperor thought George was dead. He ordered his body removed but when they picked up his body, an angel healed him and George was able to stand up. Oh the Emperor was enraged! He came up with new tortures. He even brought in sorcerors to drug George because he thought that magic was protecting George. Not magic, his guardian angel was keeping George safe.
Word spread around the city about the miraculous St George. People came to visit him and be healed by him in the prison! Politicians announced they were christian. Even the Empress knew that George’s God was The Saviour. Emperor Diocletian beheaded many of these people but he was trying to save George by forcing him to sacrifice to the false Roman gods. George stood his ground before the pagan statues of their false gods. He called the demons out and the statues shattered! The crowd went crazy, not understanding what was happening; everyone ran!
The Empress Alexandra, yelled out praises to the all powerful God. That was the last straw, the Emperor announced both George and his wife, Alexandra would be executed.

Empress Alexandra
April 23rd

The Empress Alexandra was married to the Emperor Diocletian. He killed many Christians trying to maintain the pagan ways. Christians could be arrested just for following Christ.
She was in the pagan temple when St George called the demons out and all the statues broke. She called out to the God of Truth. The Emperor was so angry that she betrayed his false gods that he had her sentenced to death along with St George. She did not struggle, but she did faint on the way to the execution.
People thought she was dead and somehow she escaped the angry Emperor Diocletian.
Nobody heard from her again until after he died.
Diocletian passed their daughter Valeria off in marriage to a follower of the pagan gods. The Empress Alexandra had secretly raised her as a Christian and she didn’t want to marry Galerius. Her father didn’t care, she had to marry him so that he could be the new Emperor. Her dad retired.
When Galerius died, the new Emperor Maximinus also wanted to marry her. She refused, and her dad wasn’t there to make her; so the new Emperor kicked her out of the country. This is when we hear that Alexandra is still alive! Someone must have snuck her out of the palace when she fainted, everyone thought she had died!
They lived in Syria until they heard that Emperor Maximinus had died.

St Elizabeth the Wonderworker
April 24th

Elizabeth’s parents brought her to a monastery to grow up in a life of prayer and service to God. Elizabeth grew up and continued to live as a monk. Her prayers were heard by God and through His mercy she healed the sick.

She fasted very strictly. She would eat nothing but greens and vegetables, refusing bread or non-fasting foods. During Great Lent, she refused all food.
She was just as strict with herself in her prayer life. She would not look up. She followed the example of the Tax-Collector.

What do you remember about the Tax-Collector? How should we act, to follow his example?
Can you think of any other kids who’s parents gave them up to live in God’s house?

New coloring pages for March

Saint Tikhon

March 25
*He is celebrated and commemorated many different days

Saint Tikhon was from Russia. He was ordained Bishop at only 32 years old. He came to the United States around 1900 as a missionary in the early years of our Church in America. He worked hard concecrating churches, founding a monastary; and even estabolished the Diocese of the Aleutians and North America. He worked alongside St Raphael of Brooklyn to prepare and concecrate the Cathedral in New York, and went on estabolish St Tikhon’s Seminary in Pennsylvania (named for his patron).

He returned to Russia before World War I and was elevated to Patriarch in 1917. When things got really bad for Orthodox during the war, St Tikhon called on the Orthodox to unite; repent and continue the faith with all their strength. He also protected the priests from getting arrested by telling them not to talk about politics. St Tikhon spoke out himself often, mostly to calm people. He also spoke out against the government destruction of Church property; and was arrested. The government continued to kill and persecute the Christians and destroy places of worship.
When the priests were told to sell things from the parishes to buy food for people, St Tikhon went to court to protect his priests again. He said the priests were innocent, it was his fault. He was arrested and spent a year in prison. The soldiers told him the Church was destroyed. St Tikhon was desprate to get out and rebuild what he could, so he pledged loyalty to the Communist Government.
All the stress of the war and persecution wore down St Tikhon until he fell asleep in the Lord after Liturgy in 1925.
+Biographical information from the Synaxarion Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church and may be different from other accounts

St Hilarion the New

The Father of Palestinian Monasticism
March 28th

St Hilarion spent many years as a hermit. The Lord worked many miracles through him during his life. He cast out demons, diverted a river to water crops and sometimes God shared what would happen in the future with him.
In the year 754 soldiers broke into the Pelekete monastery church in the middle of services for Great and Holy Thursday. They were looking for icon-venerating-believers. They dumped the Communion on the ground. Saint Hilarion was arrested with 40 other monks. They were killed because they venerated icons. The soldiers hate was so strong that even after they killed the monks, they continued to beat, burn and cut their bodies.
St Hilarion and the other monks are martyrs.
Saint Hilarion is remembered by name because he left behind writings about the spiritual battle he faced as a monk.
See the link below to the archeological project at St Hilarion’s monastery. As the father of Palestinian monasticism, he would be happy to know it is open to the public. Despite the war and political turmoil, local authorities keep it open.
https://www.wmf.org/project/tell-umm-el-amr-saint-hilarion-monastery

The Sunday of Orthodoxy is March 8

Be ready for processions with icons or crosses from home. Its a great day to give lamenated icons of their patron saints or the Church’s patron.

Please visit Pascha Preparations for Lenten pages and activities

A Mama Moment for March

I don’t know about you but I do some of my best pondering while housekeeping. I needed to clean the bathroom and mop the kitchen floor. I’m not sure what prompted it, but my mind wondered into the story of Abel and Cain. My kids enjoy this story. I use it when we need to talk about controlling our temepers. My second son inherited my terrible temper. I tell them about the two brother’s and Cain’s uncontrolled temper.
So I was on the kitchen floor scrubbing up splatters, and I thought. I wonder if Cain’s retort, “Am I my brother’s keeper” was a snipe at the fact that his brother got to be the sheppard. So I asked my husband to look into the Greek word for sheppard, and the phrase Cain used for “brother’s keeper” to see if it was related to sheppard.

Dr Newman reported back that no, they don’t seem to be related-

The Greek is: οὐ γινώσκω· μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου εἰμὶ ἐγώ;
the word keeper is: φύλαξ which means guard, like an armed guard of a city. The word for shepherd is: ποιμήν which comes from an Indo European root *peh2 (to protect). The etymological meaning of shepherd is similar to guard, but the etymology of φύλαξ is unknown.

So its not the play on words that I thought it may be, but Cain is being much sharper than I realized. “Am I my brother’s bodyguard?”

No great conclusion, just something for all of us who fight a temper to think about, maybe the next time you’re scrubbing.

February

Saint Simeon and Prophetess Anna
February 3

When Mary, the Theotokos, and Joseph, Jesus’ Stepfather, brought little Jesus to the Holy Temple they met these elderly people. They were not a married couple.

Saint Simeon was a very educated man, he was working in a group of 70 scholars to prepare the Holy Books of the Old Testament (the parts of the Bible from before Jesus). While he translated the Book of Isaiah he came across something that didn’t make sense to him. The sentence said that a virgin would give birth to the Christ (Isaiah 7:14). Virgins can’t have babies so he was about to change it from “virgin” to “young women” when an angel appeared to sttop him. The angel said this word is correct, don’t change it; and you will see this baby with your own eyes. So Simeon waited, he visited the Holy Temple and waited until he was a very old man.
Anna the Prophetess had lived in the Holy Temple since her husband died as a young woman. She never left and spent her days praying and fasting. She was now in her eighties. When she came up to pray, she met little Jesus. The Apostle Luke tells us that she told everyone about The Redeemer, Jesus (Luke 2:36-38).

St Raphael of Brooklyn
February 27th

St. Raphael was born in Syria. He was a smart boy and got scholarships throughout his schooling. He taught Arabic and Turkish before going to semenary at The School of Theology at Halki and then graduate work at the Theological Academy of Kiev.
Eventually he became a missionary to the United States, to support the immigrants struggling here. Only two weeks after arriving, he started setting up the Chapel dedicated to St Nicholas in Manhattan. He traveled around the country visiting Arab-Christians from New York to San Francisco. While he visited with these communities, he encouraged them to continue the Orthodox faith at home when there was no priest nearby. He told them to pray and read the hours. Saint Raphael published an Arabic language book to help them, The Book of True Consolation in the Divine Prayers. He also worked to find priests and recommend local men for seminary. Saint Raphael build the Antiochian Cathedral of St Nicholas in Brooklyn as a permanent home for the Arab Orthodox community.
Saint Raphael’s work as a misisonary helped to grow and organize the Orthodox communities to the point that the new Bishop Tikhon couldn’t visit them all. He needed help. In 1904 Father Raphael became the fist priest to be concecrated as Bishop in the USA!
As Bishop, he had less time to travel to all the communities across the US, so he started a magazine to share news and teach about the faith.
Bishop Raphael noticed that the kids in New York who couldn’t speak Arabic were not in Church. In his short time in the US he learned English and he knew that children are the future of the church, so he created evening schools and started promoting English in worship. He found an English service book to recommend in parishes.

When Bishop Rapheal fell asleep in the Lord in 1927, the Syro-Arab Mission to the US had 30 parishes with 25,000 faithful.

I hope these coloring pages and stories are helpful and useful in lessons with your Sparks.
I would love your feedback to make this resource better and more applicable to your work.
Feel free to comment or message me on Facebook and Instagram or email me through the blog.
Constructive feedback is welcome!
I’d also love to see what your Sparks have created!

Sparks has more to offer

If you enjoy these please concider a coloring book-

View this post on Instagram

Color Your Way into Pascha: Presented by Sparks for Orthodox kids -as available on Amazon

A post shared by Sparks For Orthodox Kids (@sparks4orthodox) on Jan 28, 2020 at 6:10pm PST

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1796731684/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

37 pages begining with the Triumph of Orthodoxy to Pentecost. It includes hymns, and saints, all the days of Holy Week, Doubting Thomas and many more. $10 plus shipping on the link to Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1796742805/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

25 pages of images to help focus your Spark through Holy week. This smaller version is intended to be easier for travel to services. $8 plus shipping at the link to Amazon

If you are in need of a new “go bag” please see the link for a number of images and styles of bags.

Totes by Sparks4Orthodox

If you are interested in this, click the link. It is available on a number of products- bags, adult and kids T-shirts

Jesus snuggles T-shirt

A Mama Moment for February

Something for you,
to spark you on an adult level

I’ve seen the icon for the Presentation of Christ in the Holy Temple many times. I’ve heard sermons about the Righteous Simeon waiting years to see the Christ; fulfilling a promise from God.

Every year a women standing in the middle of that icon has gone all but unnoticed. This year, I’m taking some time to think about the Prophetess Anna. We know that she was widowed as a young women and lived in the Holy Temple serving others. She lived a life of prayer and fasting. We learn about her in Luke 2:36-38 while he tells the story of Christ’s presentation.-

33And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Personal speculation-
I’ve often wondered at how Mary was prepared for motherhood, who raised her? We know that the Saints Joachim and Anna brought her to the Holy Temple when she was weaned (so about 2-3), and died shortly after. We know that Mary spent much of her childhood in the Holy of Holies and was educated by the priests. We also know that she was working on a new tapastery to cover the door to the Holy of Holies when the Angel Gabriel appears at the Annunciation.
But who taught her to sew, embroider or weave?
I don’t believe its a cooincidence that Anna was on her way to pray as Mary brought Jesus to the Holy Temple. Mary would have known her routine from childhood, afterall she hadn’t been gone very long. This may be a glimpse at a very special relationship between two faithful women of God. This may be the mother-figure who raised up the Theotokos.

January

Nativity Blessings!
We are done opening gifts but the season of Nativity continues on.

Venerable Desert Mother Syncletica

Syncletica’s family was from Alexandria. As a young girl she loved and did what pleases God. People said she was beautiful and she was from a wealthy family. So when boys started to visit her as a teen, she made it clear she did not want to marry. She spend her time praying and fasting.
When her parents died, she gave away everything in the house. Sold her family home and took her little sister to live in the desert.
Stories about her spread around and soon other women and girls came to live in the cave with them. She lived to be an old lady, about 80 years old before she became very ill and fell alseep in the Lord.

Name Day Fun!

Here’s something fun to help celebrate name days with your little sparks!

Patron saint Pegdolls

I had so much fun making these for my little Sparks
that I would like to offer these as special orders
for your Sparks too!

*Painted dolls to order will be $15 (like these shown).
*I can also draw out the line-work and faces to order for you and your Spark to paint for $5.

Payments will be via Paypal, prices include shipping. Prices negotiable for orders of 3 or more dolls.

Please email me with any questions, or to request dolls at

casey@spark4orthodoxkids.com

New Coloring Pages!

Current Projects

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New for July

Changes!

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Saint Tikhon

St Hilarion the New

The Sunday of Orthodoxy is March 8

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Sparks has more to offer

If you enjoy these please concider a coloring book-

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Something for you, to spark you on an adult level

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Name Day Fun!

Share this:

Something for you,
to spark you on an adult level