Parent Child Retreats: Spiritual Experiences for Children Ages 3-6 And Their Parents [Paperback]

Mary Ann Figlino (Author)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Living the Good News Inc; 1 edition (August 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889108162
• ISBN-13: 978-1889108162
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,985,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, March 28, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Parent Child Retreats: Spiritual Experiences for Children Ages 3-6 And Their Parents (Paperback)

Beautiful ways for parents and small children to grow together AND individually. A child's perspective is an important but often overlooked area of adult spirituality.

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, February 10, 2010

By 

Maria S. Geerling "mgeerling" (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Parent Child Retreats: Spiritual Experiences for Children Ages 3-6 And Their Parents (Paperback)

I was hoping this book was about a parent guiding their child through a retreat, thus introducing them to the spiritual life in a special way. I had envisioned short but deep "spiritual experiences" shared between the parent and child one on one. I also envisioned it as being the "finding God in quiet reflection" sort of spiritual experiences, sort of a mini version of a good adult silent retreat, but of course with necessary discussion to guide the child.

This is nothing of the sort.

It is not an intimate one-on-one retreat at all. The parents do not lead the retreat. The spiritual experiences are not the "quiet reflection" sort. This is basically a guide for a team of leaders to put on a glorified vacation bible school weekend, complete with "gathering" time, snack time, craft time, "story and movement" time, "parent-child sharing" time and parent sessions.

Examples of the crafts include "Jesus is my friend" Cardboard tube windsocks, Mosaic Jack O'Lanterns, Cardboard tube napkin rings, Picnic baskets, Flower baskets and Paper plate fish, depending on the retreat theme.

Themes are: Fish Retreat, Bubbles Retreat, Valentine's Day Retreat, Kites Retreat, Easter Retreat, Mother's/Father's Day Retreat, Picnic Retreat, Candle Retreat, Thanksgiving Retreat, and Christmas Retreat.

I believe this book doesn't give children enough credit for their ability to understand the mystery of God in a deeper way. I recieved this at the same time as the book "The Religious Potential of the Child" by Sophia Cavalletti, which, while not giving guidelines on how to have a retreat with your child, helps parents understand the child's capability to understand and appreciate our beautiful faith.