The purpose of these descriptions is to give adults a better understanding of what the children are experiencing and learning in the atrium. There are about 50 presentations given over the three years children usually spend in the Level I atrium, and they are divided into 11 subjects (see below). The presentation is the first time that a material is introduced to the children. After they have seen a presentation, they are free to return to the material as often and as many times as they would like. They usually work with several different materials during each atrium session.
In these presentation descriptions, there will be references to the two principal books that are part of the catechists' formation at Level I: The Religious Potential of the Child by Sofia Cavalletti and The Good Shepherd and the Child: A Joyful Journey by Sofia Cavalletti, Patricia Coulter, Gianna Gobbi, and Silvana Q. Montanaro. If you purchase these books through the National Association of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (www.cgsusa.org), you will help support the Association and its work.
Please remember that these explanations are intended for adults. If you have children in the atrium, they may not be able to articulate all that they have seen and experienced in the atrium as described in these explanations, but they are still learning and growing at a very deep level.
Level I Presentations
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