An Explaination of the Mantilla for Children

Throughout history, women and girls have kept their heads covered to protect them from the weather but also to show honor to God.  A girl's long, beautiful hair is like a princess' crown.  It crowns her with glory and makes her special.  God designed every girl to be one of His most beautiful creatures.  When a girl covers her hair it does not make her less beautiful, it makes her more special.  She is showing that she is special and God's princess, but also set apart for God.

 

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Mary, Our Blessed Mother, has always appeared with her head covered.  She is the most beloved and special of any woman to ever have lived or that ever will live.  Her veil is a symbol of her fiat, her saying the most precious "yes" to God.  Mary said yes not just to being Jesus' mother, but to serving God always in every way.  She gave her whole self to God for His Plan, that is why she is most blessed.



When women and girls veil it is not to draw attention to themselves but to draw attention to God and that in turn makes them even more beautiful and radiant.  Mantillas are beautiful works of art in themselves.  They are a unique and attractive way that God sets girls apart and shows how precious they are.  The beauty of the lace conceals and amplifies, or make better, the beauty of the girl wearing it.

 

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As it says above, generations and generations of girls and women covered their heads.  In the south of Europe, it is very hot most of the year.  So, mantillas were created because they were a way to show modesty and honor, but the light, lacy fabric made them more comfortable to wear in the heat.  Popularity of mantillas for worship spread throughout the world and became the standard way that Catholic women and girls covered their heads.  In America, the tradition ended a few decades ago, but it beginning to come back again.  In Spain, mantillas are still worn for all of Holy Week, to bull fights, and other religious ceremonies and worship.

 

Traditionally, young and unmarried girls wore white mantillas, and married women and widows wore black.  However, today there are so many colors to choose from.  Many different styles, colors, shapes, and variations of mantillas exist but all for the same purpose, to veil the sacred and special.  Until recently, everything in the Church that was most special was veiled in exquisite lace and quality fabrics.  The most decorative veils were reserved for the Tabernacle, where Christ is present in the Eucharist, and the precious vessels that hold the consecrated Hosts for Communion, which is also the living Jesus.

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If you see someone with a mantilla and you want to ask questions, do so politely, I am sure that she would love to explain why she wears it, where she bought it, and what the devotion means to her.  If you are interested in wearing a mantilla yourself, talk to your mom and look online.  There are so many, many shops online that offer beautiful mantillas in all different price ranges.  The most important thing to remember about wearing the veil is that it is a devotion to God and an outward sign of an inner commitment to serve and love Him with all you have.  You may feel a little self conscious at first, especially if not many other girls are veiling, but I think you will quickly see that the veil draws your attention to the altar and your thoughts to God, and soon you will be so involved in the Mass you will forget about what anyone else thinks.

If any girls have questions, please leave them in the comment box or email me.  I am happy to answer or I could have my daughter answer.  Thanks and have a blessed week.

Food from the Josefina Unit Study in Seven Quick Takes

He finally slept!  Okay, I know that is completely off topic, but getting a few uninterrupted hours of sleep just felt so good, I had to share.  Below is the last official segment of the Josefina unit study.  I am going to post updates as we complete out study at home.  I plan on taking my time to get through this so that we aren't rushed and pressured.  Trying very hard to have a more relaxed year this time around.

1

 I have been wanting to try my hand at making my own tortillas for awhile now.  This recipe looks easy enough.

 

I also found this recipe for sopes, which is a variation on tortillas. It reminds me of the pizza fritte that my Italian family always made growing up.  I just realized a few weeks ago that I have never made them for my children, even though pizza fritte was a common treat on weekends and holidays in my house growing up.  Anyway, we may try this second recipe as well, once we get the hang of working with masa.  {PS: If you decide to make the pizza fritte, the best way to eat it is with the requisite powdered sugar, a thin slice of boiled ham, and some broccoli rabe that has been sauteed with hot pepper flakes and garlic1}

2

This next recipe is exiting because it is something else I have always wanted to do, make my own cheese.  The recipe in the Josefina cookbook that I purchased seems a little easier to follow, but this one is fairly easy as well. According to the cookbook this cheese was normally eaten for breakfast.

  

3

I am hoping to purchase and learn to use a mortar and pestil.  It is something that I have never done and I think it will be fun to learn how to with the kids.  I have seen some reasonably priced ones on ebay so I am keeping an eye out for the best deal.

  

4

Refried beans are a favorite of my children.  We a big bean and rice eating family already so Mexican fare is always one of our favorites.  This recipe is very simple and would allow us to make refried beans without any extra chemicals or preservatives.  

  

 

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The Josefina cookbook also had recipes for sopas (soups).  This one looks delicious and I know would be a hit with my family. It is also easy to prepare with minimal ingredients.  

  

  

6

Tamales are a bit more work than the other recipes listed, but are a hearty meal especially on a cold winter night.  This could be a perfect dinner for Our Lady of Guadalupe day.  Tamales can be filled with anything from chicken and pork to seafood and vegetarian.  This recipe offers a list of  traditional fillings as well as recipes for making the fillings.

     

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Lastly, could we really celebrate Mexican cuisine and not have Mexican hot chocolate?  I plan on buying a traditional mixing stick.  There are several brands of Mexican chocolate available and also a recipe for a homemade blend here. Since we have nut allergies in our home, I need to do more research to see what brand we will be using.  There is also a cute, little song about making hot chocolate that you can find printables for here.

I have additional ideas on my pinterest board.  Have a great weekend. 

Josefina Unit Study: Fashion

Here is a quick post about my plans for the fashion portion of the unit study.  I apologize for the short style here--another rough night with the little one!  I am hoping that it is just teething and the teeth will break through soon, he is usually so pleasant!

Anyway, my hope in this part of the unit is to make an outfit for Cowgirl, with her help to learn some basic sewing skills and also an outfit for her doll. I found patterns for Josefina clothes, here.  Doll clothes go quickly but are also difficult to do on the machine because of the tiny arm holes, however right now we are working on hand sewing still so that isn't so much of an issue.  The link above also has patterns for FREE that can be printed out for all of the original Pleasant Company dolls.  Definitely worth checking out.

To go with the doll dress, I plan to have Cowgirl weave a rebozo using her lap loom, like this one.

 

 If you do not have a lap loom, you can easily make one with some cardboard, tape, and yarn.  Check out this link to show you how. I am thinking that the rebozo should be about 3-4" wide and about 16" long.  There is also this adorable knitting pattern for a doll poncho that I would love to make, it is very easy and a quick project for those who know how to knit. 

 

Part of this fashion portion of the unit includes making girl sized clothes.  This is not as hard as it sounds, trust me I am not a skilled sewist but have tackled both of the following projects easily.  The first is an absolutely darling skirt that is perfect because you can easily adjust the width and length to fit your daughter perfectly.  If you created it in a red calico bottom with a dark brown sash, it would be perfect for dressing up as Josefina.  I would also add a 2-3" wide white, cotton, ruffled lace, like eyelet inside of the bottom hem to give the illusion of a petticoat.

 

This next project is so easy and a great way to create modest dresses for your girls for a small price.  When I last made these dresses, we used long-sleeved shirts and adult skirts from the thrift store.  I simply cut the bottom portion of the shirt and the waistband of the skirt off and then sewed the two raw edges together.  The dresses were modest, pretty, and very comfortable.  Even if you are using all new material, these are still a bargain to make and with no sleeves nor collars to stitch, a great first sewing project for those who have never made a dress.  

You could make this with red calico, brown sash, and long sleeved, white shirt for a quick and comfortable Josefina outfit, or create a style all your own.  It is a very versatile pattern.  The important part is having your daughter create a dress herself, just like Josefina did. These can be machine stitched or hand-sewn.  A great opportunity to practice those stitches!

For a rebozo, we are going to use long looms that I received as a gift two Christmases ago.  The children picked them out for me and have been impatiently patiently waiting for me to use them.  If you have never used the long looms before, here is great pattern for a shawl.

I have additional ideas for this unit on my pinterest board.  An important point to discuss in creating these clothes is both practicality and modesty, two virtues that all of Josefina's clothes posses.  They are versatile, easy to work in, built to last, but also very feminine and modest.  Josefina covered not only to protect her skin but because her faith was central to her life and thus flowed modesty.  I just remembered that I never posted the talk on mantillas for children.  I will put that on my list of what to do next, busy days and sleepless nights have left me a bit dazed!:)

Thanks for visiting.  Is there anything you would add?  Any tips or tricks to share?  Please leave a comment, even if it just to say hello.

Almost a New Josefina Post

Well, as my brother-in-law would say, "long day."  Little Man was up until about 6:30 AM and then only really slept until 8.  That on top of a jam packed day has led to a very short post.  I wanted to let you know that I updated my pinterest board for the Josefina study in anticipation of my next post on fashion.  I hope to be able to pull that together tomorrow.  Thanks for the patience and let's hope we all have a good night!

Josefina Unit Study Part I: Faith

Here is the first installment in the Josefina Unit Study series.  For our first step, I have decided to focus on "Faith" since that is what drew me to doing a unit study on Josefina in the first place.

I.  Family Altar

 I have always wanted to have a family prayer chapel, our home just didn't lend itself to that type of space.  However, after reading The Little Oratory, I realize that it isn't the grandeur, but the presence and use of a prayer area that is important.  I am working on formulating where our very little oratory will be and gathering items to create it as a focus of prayer.  Even if you have not read The Little Oratory, although I hope you do, you can create a spot for family prayer within your home.  Josefina began each day with her family, offering prayers to God.  

My oratory is just a small shelf, I recently found a white linen napkin at the thrift store to use as my linens.  I am now working on gathering some religious articles throughout the house to place on the shelf for our oratory.  You can see example of different types of oratories on the link-up page.

I will post pictures of my own once it is together.

II.  Morning Prayer Routine

  You may already have a routine, but this is something that I really took away from the Joesfina series. The entire rancho stopped each morning to offer their day to God.  While we always strive to pray before school begins, to be honest it hasn't become a concrete routine.  In building the oratory, I am also looking to build the routine of prayer that will center there.  As a family, put together a simple liturgy to begin your day.  It does not have to be long or complicated, the point is that you do it and do it every day. 

My own prayer routine for our family so far includes A Morning Offering, a hymn, a psalm, the St Michael prayer, and an additional prayer correlating to the season, feast day, or monthly dedication. 

 

III.  Our Lady of Guadalupe

While Our Lady of Guadalupe is not specifically mentioned in the Josefina books, she is the catalyst for the deep roots of Mexican Catholicism.  So, a study of her appearance and message is essential in understanding the faith of Josefina and her family.

Here are the books and resources I plan to use:

 available from the Catholic Company

 also available at the Catholic Company

from Christianbook.com

  which I found from our local library, but is also available here.

 and this movie available at Netflix.

Here are some activities to do for this part of the unit:

• Catholic Icing's Our Lady of Guadalupe craft collection has something for everyone. 
• Jennifer at Catholic Inspired also has some wonderful ideas for homemade decorations for the feast day on December 12th.

 

• This is my favorite new find!  We celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe every year, so I am always looking for new activities and crafts.  These are adorable!!  
•  Paper Dali has a beautiful collection of printables as well.
• Of course, Jessica has a wonderful plan for a fiesta for Our Lady of Guadalupe that ties in all the symbolism of the miraculous image and story of the apparition.
• Lastly, I plan to make miniature shrines with the kids, perhaps from Altoid boxes that are reminiscent of the miniature shrines found in Mexico.

IV. Santos

The art of creating Santos came from the prohibitive cost and effort it would require to bring statues and other sacred art to the Americas when early missionaries came.  Instead, missionaries sought out local artisans to create representations of the faith and saints in native materials and styles.  The santos are carved from wood, then painted, and often dressed in elaborate clothes sewn from fine fabrics.  Thus a new form of sacred art was born.  Santos are often processed through the streets on large platforms decorated with colorful flowers and ribbons.  Now, I am not a skilled wood carver, but I want to have the children create saints that can be used in our oratory as part of this study.  I decided to use Jennifer at Catholic Inspired's design for the dressed peg dolls.  I hope to add some lace and gold to make them look more Mexican.  These dolls are easy to make, though, and always turn out so nice (although not as nice as hers)!  We have made several over the years.

  

  

a traditional santos

V.  Prayer in Spanish

While I do not plan on spending too much time learning Spanish during this unit, I do hope the children learn a few new words in the language.  The Diocese of Little Rock has a wonderful list of common prayers in Spanish.  My plan is to have the children learn the Guardian Angel prayer, mostly because it is nice and short.  If they are motivated, we may learn the Ave Maria (Hail Mary) as well.

VI.  Mantilla

There is not much discussion of the mantilla in the Josefina books, although it is mentioned that she wears one at Christmas and American Girl sells an outfit that includes a traditional mantilla.  I have not been able to find an explanation of the matilla for children.  So, i am going to come up with my own.  Sometime by next week, I will post my mantilla lesson.  It will be brief and child friendly, but still explain the devotion well.  

As a final project for this part of the unit study, we are going to make a mantilla for Cowgirl's dolls.  Now she does not have a full sized Josefina doll, so I am developing a pattern for a mini-doll one as well as a full sized doll mantilla.  Please stay tuned.  I will have that project posted next week.

Anyone have any other ideas for sharing our faith by studying Josefina's history, story, and culture?

Josefina: The Lapbook

To start out my series on the "Josefina: A Catholic American Girl" unit study, I am going to present a small list of resources that can be used for creating a lapbook, as well as supplemental printables.  I am linking to orginial sources, if any of the links do not work, please let me know and I will try to update.

The lapbook that I plan to base mine on, is one created by my talented friend, Jessica at Shower of Roses. She used mini-books from the Homeschool Share site.  I intend to make the same lapbook, however I am going to include a fold down flap to fill in information about Our Lady of Guadalupe and other Catholic people and traditions that tie into the story--stay tuned for that information in my "faith" section of the series.  Homeschool Share has a whole collection of mini-books for all the American Girls and they are free to print. Cowgirl and I completed their Felicity lapbook a few years ago.

Gather Your Resources

Jessica has a list of resources that she used in her unit study.  Below I also have shared some websites I have found helpful.  Most of these books are available through public libraries, although some have been thinning out their American Girl collection. Another good source is ebay for used versions, Amazon also sells most of the books new and used.  We have purchased several as used ex-library copies and have been very happy with what we received.

• American Girl Publishing offers fun printables that are geared for bookstores to use during release parties for new books.  They are free to print by anyone and contain a great mix of activities.  **It appears that in the past couple of weeks this website has been redesigned and no longer includes the historical dolls.  I will keep trying to hunt down the original activities in the meantime.  Sorry.
• American Girl Curriculum is an online curriculum guide designed for teachers.  Much of this is geared to use in a classroom setting with groups of children but can be adpated for a homeschool setting.  It includes printable worksheets, lesson plans, and answer keys.  Free for all to print.
• Rancho de las Golondrinas is the "official" home of Josefina.  It is a great place to visit if you are ever in that area of the country.  If that is not possible, the article that is linked still has some useful information as well as additional links to check out.
• American Girl Playthings offers free PDF doll clothes patterns for all of the historical characters.  We do not have a full sized Josefina doll but are going to make some of the clothes on this site to dress up another doll for this unit. 
• The National Park Service has information about the Santa Fe trail as well as a game that can be printed.
• AmericanGirl.com has a page dedicated to Josefina with games, activities, e-cards, and more.  If you click on the parent/teacher resources you can find a unit study on Spanish culture and the settlement of the southwest.
• American Girl Wiki gives a summary of the stories as well as background information and links to discover more about the story characters.
• Lastly check out this website for history, culture, and travel information about New Mexico.

A Catholic American Girl

This is a very short post to introduce you to my next project.  Did you know that there is a Catholic American Girl??? I didn't realize it until recently.  Cowgirl has begun reading through the Josefina story books and it suddenly hit me--unit study!!!  Then I started reading The Little Oratory, and I thought--Catholic unit study!

In the next few weeks, I will be outlining a unit study that will be divided into four main topics: faith, food, fashion, and fun.  We may even throw a little fiesta and fandango in there, too.  (I may be more excited about his that Cowgirl!)  So stay tuned...

I plan to have this all laid out with plenty of time to use it next school year as a homeschool study, Church book club, or extra family fun.  If you do not have the Josefina books, check your local library.  I actually got a great deal on a number of Josefina related books and items on both Amazon and ebay.

Any suggestions of what should be included in our study?

Come back and see my "Christmas in Almost-July" post--lots of helpful hints and links.