For those who do not have the time or energy to make felt ornaments, I suggest printing out a "​Great Lent Calendar," by Many Mercies Blog, for each child and having him or her draw a corresponding symbol on their path each day following the reading.

(Note: I do not know who wrote the forward or translated this letter)

Advice to All Christian Women, But Especially New Brides
by St. Gregory of Nazianzus (“the Theologian”)

We are in Constantinople, in 384 AD. There is a festive event taking place: the wedding of two well-known youths of that time. They are both from upper class families.

The bride, Olympiatha, is a remarkable young lady, quite wealthy and a descendant of the imperial family. She is an orphan whose uncle Prokopios (an eparch of the Imperial State that is also her protector) undertook the responsibility for all of the wedding arrangements, including the invitation list. Olympiatha is marrying a wonderful man by the name of Nevrithios who is the eparch of Constantinople and overseer of the imperial fields.

According to the historians of that time, all of the “who is who” are in attendance of the wedding ceremony, including a sizeable group of bishops. St. Gregory the Theologian (the Patriarch of Constantinople and spiritual father of the bride) is unable to be present due to personal illness. He sent a personal letter to Prokopios expressing his regrets for being unable to attend due to illness. As the spiritual father of Olympiatha, he is pleased about the wedding and passes in writing his immense joy about the wedding of the “golden Olympiatha.” He calls her golden not because of her immense family wealth but rather her golden heart that is evident in the bride’s character and demeanor. In his letter, St. Gregory refers to her as “my child,” i.e., my spiritual child; as such, he is in position to know the depth of her character and quality of her soul as no one else.

Within his letter to Prokopios, he writes that “I am next to you, celebrating the event, and with you I place the right hand of the one youth upon the right hand of the other and then both of them upon the hand of God.”

Later on, St. Gregory sends to the young bride an original wedding gift: a poem with 111 verses, written in ancient Greek and with quite old-fashioned language (even for that time). Through this gift, he passes to his spiritual daughter the wisdom of pertinent advice and thus paints the ideal type of an Orthodox Christian wife.

+ + +

My daughter,

For your wedding, I, your spiritual father Gregory, offer you this poem as a gift. And I consider it to be the best possible advice a father could offer to his beloved daughter.

Listen to me Olympiatha: I know that you desire to be a true Christian. As such, be aware that a true Christian must not only be one but she must also appear accordingly. This is why I ask you to pay special attention towards your personal appearance. You must be simple! Gold, attached to precious stones, does not add any value to women of your stature. This is even more so with make-up. It is very improper for you to alter your face, which represents an image of God, for the sole purpose of attraction and admiration by others. Know that this constitutes vanity that is unbecoming of a young lady of your character. I therefore ask that you overcome the feminine vanity that is abundant among young ladies of our time and remain simple in your appearance. The expensive and fancy dresses must remain for
those women that have no desire for the life beyond and do not know what the meaning of spiritual struggle and attainment of virtues is all about; this type of woman cannot possibly comprehend the spiritual radiance and brilliance of a life in Christ. You have aimed towards greater goals and for a higher purpose for your life. These goals demand your full and undivided attentiveness and care.

First of all, you must respect and love God and immediately after Him you must respect and love your husband in the same manner as our Lord and Savior and in accordance with the instructions of our Holy Gospel. I thus ask you, how is it possible for a woman to love her husband in this manner if she has not met, has not respected and has not loved Her Lord and Creator in this same manner?

In your marriage, fondness, affection and love must be strong and persistent for him whom God has selected to be your life partner. This man is now the eye of your life and the delight of your heart. And if you ever perceive that your husband possibly loves you more than you love him, do not take advantage of his feeling by attempting to gain the upper hand in your marriage. That is plainly wrong as it is totally against the writings of the Holy Gospel!

You must respect him and love him unconditionally, as you love God. Be aware that you are a woman and you have an important and great purpose and destiny; however, your purpose and destiny is different than that of your husband who must be the head of your household. Set aside the silliness of equality among the sexes, that some of your contemporaries preach, and attempt to comprehend the obligations of marriage. In the realization of these obligations you will discover the great patience and endurance that is necessary to fulfill your family duties; it is in this manner that you will also discover the great strength that you as a woman possess.

You must surely be aware of how easily anger overtakes men. They cannot maintain and they often appear as wild lions. It is at this exact moment that a woman must remain stronger and display her superiority. You must play the role of the lion-tamer. What does a lion-tamer do when the beast starts
roaring? He becomes even calmer than usual and through kindness and persistence he overcomes his wrath. He speaks to him kindly, in a soft but firm voice, he caresses it, he attends to it, he pets it and little by little calmness is restored.

You must never criticize, scold or become derogatory towards your husband for something that he has erred. Likewise, you must avoid any contempt towards any inaction or indecision by your husband, even when the outcome is not favorable or something that you greatly desire or consider proper. Be aware that demons are always around attempting to penetrate your household, and break up the couple’s harmonious spiritual cohabitation.

You must share everything, joys and sorrows alike. The Holy Sacrament of Marriage has indeed made all common to both of you. This is equally important towards the daily obligations and duties as they apply to running the household; it is the only way that a strong foundation will be built for your marriage. Let both of you provide your views and opinions; in the end, however, allow your husband to have the final say.

When you observe your husband to be sorrowful, share in his sorrow and provide him the needed relief;
the support of the person closest to you in moments of sorrow and despair is of great value and relief. Immediately, however, let your facial expressions become calm, clear and collected; let peace prevail upon your demeanor and forego the temptation of any thoughts of despair. The wife is the calm harbor
for the sea wave-stricken husband.

Your presence within your home is irreplaceable; you must accordingly love your home with all the cares and concern of a dedicated housekeeper. You must view it and consider it as your kingdom and you should be judicious about how often you exit its entrance. Let your husband take care of many of the outside cares and obligations while you concentrate towards those within the home.

Be extremely careful with whom you associate and the company that you keep. Be especially careful of the social gatherings that you may be participating in. Do not allow yourself to enter entertainment centers of questionable background; these represent extreme danger towards your purity and the sanctity of your marriage. These types of social interactions remove the instinct of shame, eyes cross with eyes, and once shame is not there to guard from any impropriety, the demons are able to exercise
their influence and give rise to evils of unspeakable magnitude.

On the other hand, social interactions with friends of substance and of firmly grounded spiritual state must be pursued. In this manner, words of value get implanted within you and you either benefit from them or are able to confront and resolve any weaknesses that you may recognize. Concurrently, you are able to cultivate social interests and get to know people who will benefit your household’s spiritual state.

Do not be anxious to keep company or even appear in public and in the company of others for no reason. You should instead dedicate your precious time in the company of your wiser and more prudent relatives, priests, and seriously-minded people, young and old alike.

Stay away from conceited and ostentatious women whose mind is pre-occupied with external appearances and social circles, all for the purpose of vainglory and public display. This should be the same for any men that you consider respectful and spiritual but whom your husband has not allowed toenter your home, irrespective of how highly you may regard them. For is there anything more precious for you than your good husband whom you love so dearly?

Your thoughts must aim high but you must never behave as intolerable or snobbish.

I applaud women that are known by only a few men. Do not run towards worldly feasts and celebrations, even when those are for weddings or birthdays. It is around those types of gatherings that the passions of the flesh are aroused with the many dances, the drinking, the laughter and the false joys that are capable of deceiving and misleading even the pure and the wise. Always remember that purity is extremely fragile—it is like bee wax exposed to the rays of the sun. It would be prudent to limit and at times avoid the worldly feasts, even within the confines of your own home. If we were capable of controlling the desires and many appetites of the stomach we would be well served in our struggles against the many passions of our flesh; we would be in a position to conquer them instead of being subdued by them.

Keep your face calm and collected and do not alter it with extreme laughter or with grimaces of dismay, anger or disappointment towards others. Your ears should be decorated not with pearls but instead with the sounds of proper language and with locks for all the improprieties that may enter your nous [heart] through them. Thus, whether they are open or closed your sense of hearing will remain pure.

As far as your eyes, they are the ones that display the contents of your soul. Let them be the source of blush and virgin purity that pours below your eye lashes. This way, your presence and eyesight will invoke modesty, decency and the shame of innocence to all that lay their eyes upon you, perhaps even your husband! It is best and for many reasons that you keep your eyes closed or indifferent to the events around you and you should make it a habit to always maintain your sight low.

And now for your tongue. Your husband will always be your enemy for as long as your tongue is uncontrolled, even if you are to be blessed with thousands of other talents. A foolish tongue often endangers even the most innocent of people. It is preferred to maintain quiet, even in cases that you are correct. This is because you risk the expression of an unintended improper word or characterization. No matter how greatly you desire to say a lot, it is best that you limit your words and instead choose your presence to be a quiet one.

Be attentive even of the manner that you walk; it matters greatly towards a prudent presence.
​
And now pay close attention and be mindful of the following advice: You must never exemplify or maintain an uncontrollable desire for the flesh. Persuade your husband to respect the holy days of the Church and the fasting periods. This is because God’s laws are of much greater importance than the
image of God. Be mindful that the institution of marriage was established by the Son of God to aid His creation so that a balance is maintained, as some depart this world while others arrive.

If you have benefited from this old man through some spiritual words of value I ask that you keep these words and advice guarded well within the depths of your soul. In this manner, through everything that you have benefitted and through the grace of your moral stature, you will be capable of healing your excellent husband and well known politician from the evils of vainglory and pride that constantly surround him.

This is my gift and heirloom that I offer to you. And if you desire my blessing, I pray that you become a vineyard of descendants, with many children, and many children from these children, so that our God may be glorified by more of us, for it is for Him that we are born and to Him that we should aim our earthly paths.
​
Your spiritual father,
+Gregory
Patriarch of Constantinople

I want to say something about this prayer, which my spiritual father wrote and gave me almost 20 years ago now:

"O Lord Jesus Christ our God Who didst come into this world not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give Thy life as a ransom for many. Help me, I beseech Thee in my ministry of caring for the children Thou hast given me. Enable me to be patient in tribulations, to instruct with a meek and gentle spirit, to reprimand with inner tranquility and a sober mind, and to serve in humility of heart with love. May I thus live in Thee alone, by Thee alone and for Thee alone showing forth Thy virtues and leading my family upon the path of Thy saving commandments. That we may glorify Thee together with Thine unoriginate Father and Thine all-holy Spirit both in this world and that which is to come. Amen."
​
​When our family came into the Church in 1996, large families were extremely rare and very few Orthodox homeschooled. I myself, grew up in a very broken home and desperately desired role models to look up to. As a part of my conversion process to Christianity, I became convicted that children were a blessing from God and that homeschooling was the easiest way to live a God-centered lifestyle and to transmit our growing faith to our children. But at the time, few shared those convictions in Orthodoxy and the Internet wasn't a source of extended community support yet. So rather than providing me other women I could look up to, God provided me a spiritual father who would help heal me from my past wounds and transform our life spiritually. He authored this prayer in one of his especially poignant letters he sent when I was particularly down and depressed. I later received a blessing to share it on the Paidea Classics website as well as a couple of his letters that I also had.

Monasticism has something deeper to offer than peer support. Not only does the ascetic life of monasticism help the spiritual father or mother to understand and have compassion for the ongoing struggle of self-denial and constant serving of others demanded by motherhood, he or she better understands sin and suffering and helps you overcome temptations, and transform sorrows into means of ascent and spiritual growth.

Today, there is a lot more material out there being written and published to help families. But there remains a special chrism of spiritual fatherhood (or motherhood), that cannot be put into books and generally goes unnoticed by the mainstream Orthodox public. But in the case of this prayer, it is important for me that people realize it is the product of a holy monastic life, steeped in ceaseless prayer, and serving others through the role of spiritual fatherhood. It is a selfless gift to the Church by a person who is looking to acquire nothing from it himself.

The first 450 years of Church history is a foundational time period during the establishment of the Church of Christ. All later history depends on the precedences set during these early years. Paidea Classics initial publications focus heavily on this critical time period.

I have uploaded a pdf sample of Stories from Church History, Volume 1.
http://www.paideaclassics.org/…/stories_of_church_history_%…

You can see how it correlates with A Children's History of the Church here:
http://www.paideaclassics.org/…/9/6/2/996246…/finaldchildren’shistoryofthechurchsample.pdf

Here is a sample of Stories from Church History, Volume 2.
http://www.paideaclassics.org/…/volume2storiesfromchurchhis…

These three volumes including Stories from Church History, Volume 2, which is coming out, hopefully by the end of August, provides good coverage of the first 450 years of Church history. 

A Children's History of the Church is the history spine which connects the overall events of history during this time period together, describing in more detail the councils, the heresies, and major happenings of various geographical regions. While the two volumes of Stories from Church History compliment it by providing short stories of major historical figures and saints, often only briefly mentioned in A Children's History of the Church. These short stories more effectively capture the child's heart and interest in the historical narrative. The history spine alone would be too dry and fast paced. The stories alone would fail to provide necessary context in relationship to the greater story line and major concurrent events. The three volumes together provide comprehensive and balanced coverage that is both broad in scope while also engaging, helping the child to figuratively enter into the experience being shared in story form.

There is a chart in the appendix of both volumes of Stories from Church History that correlate the stories with the pages where their references are found in A Child's history of the Church. This chart is intended to simplify lesson planning. A reading can be done first from A Children's History of the Church, which is then followed by a complimentary short story.

Paidea Classics also publishes, and carries titles from other publishers, that compliment this time period as well. These volumes together, form a very comprehensive study of the early Church that is both informative and a joy to read. 

"The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" 
(Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 111:10)

A homily by a hieroschema monk that can apply to the transmission of wisdom to our children:
.....................................................................................................................
Homily

The first 2 verses in today's Gospel read: "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
St Anthony the Great once commented on this excerpt from the Gospels and his words are preserved for us in the writings of St John Cassian in the talk of the Egyptian monk Abba Moses on discretion. So Abba Moses spoke as follows:

"I remember that while I was still in my youth, in the region of Thebaid, where the blessed Antony lived, the elders came to him to inquire about perfection, and it was discussed at great length what virtue or observance could preserve a monk always unharmed by the snares and deceits of the devil, and carry him forward on a sure and right path, and with firm step to the heights of perfection. And each gave his opinion, and some said it consist in zeal in fasting and vigils, because a soul that has been brought low by these, and so obtained purity of heart and body and are more easily united to God, others said in despising all material things, as, if the mind were utterly deprived of them, thus it would come more freely to God, as if from then on there were no snares to entangle it; others thought that withdrawal from the world was the thing needful, i.e., solitude and the isolation of the hermit's life, since living in this way a man may more readily commune with God, and cling more especially to Him; others laid down that the duties of charity, i.e., of kindness should be practiced, because the Lord in the gospel promised more especially to give the kingdom to these; when He said 'Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred and ye gave Me to eat, I was thirsty and ye gave Me to drink, etc..'" 

​"Then at last the blessed Antony spoke and said: 'All these things which you have mentioned are indeed needful, and helpful to those who are thirsting for God, and desirous to approach Him. But countless accidents and the experience of many will not allow us to make the most important of gifts consist in them. For often when men are most strict in fasting or in vigils, and nobly withdraw into solitude, and aim at depriving themselves of all their goods so absolutely that they do not allow even a day's allowance of food or a single penny to remain to them, and when they fulfill all the duties of kindness with the utmost devotion, yet still we have seen them suddenly deceived, so that they could not bring the work they had entered upon to a suitable close, but brought their exalted fervor and praiseworthy manner of life to a terrible end.'"

"'Therefore we shall be able clearly to recognize what it is which securely leads to God, if we examine with greater care the reason of their downfall and deception. For when the works of the above mentioned virtues were abounding in them, discretion alone was lacking, and did not allowed them to continue to the end. Nor can any other reason for their falling off be discovered except that as they were not sufficiently instructed by their elders they could not obtain judgment for Christ says, "if the light which is in thee be darkness, how great will that darkness be!" For no one can doubt that when the judgment of our heart goes wrong, and is overwhelmed by the night of ignorance, our thoughts and deeds, which are the result of deliberation and discretion, must be involved in the darkness of still greater sins.'"

Here St. Anthony is speaking of discretion in reference to ascetic labors but today we find ourselves in such an atmosphere both in the world and the Church that we need discretion concerning correct understanding of our Orthodox Faith. Yes, are we holding fast to the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints? We find ourselves in the midst of varying conflicting opinions even in the Church. So we need discretion, the eye of our souls must be whole. How can we acquire this discretion? What can safeguard our hearts from error?

Something very helpful which can be expressed in one word is piety, or evsevia in Greek or blagochestiye in Slavonic. This is a holy humble blessed fearless fear of God in which there is peace. It is the core of our life in Christ. St. Theophan the Recluse explains it like this: "the standing in awe before God in the heart. This fear is the guardian and defender of the state of grace." And he goes on to instruct: "Steep yourself in this godly fear, reflect deeply upon it, and impress it firmly upon your conscience and heart. Revivify it constantly within yourself, and in its turn it will fill you with life." 

In another place he says: "We should always hold fast to the fear of God it is the root of all spiritual knowledge and all right action. When the fear of God rules in the soul everything goes well both within and without. Try to kindle this sense of fear in your heart every morning before you do anything else. "

Let us, then strive to fulfill St. Theophan's instructions. And remember this is not an intellectual acknowledgement that he speaks of, or a working of the brain but rather that of the heart. For he said, "Try to kindle this sense of fear in your heart" and "stand in awe before God in the heart." Then we shall be able to perceive with our heart, again I want to stress that this is not to understand with the brain but to perceive with the heart--as our Lord shows us in the parable of the sower for He says that the word is sown in the heart and those that understand with their heart bear fruit. May God grant us this and so discern the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Amen.

Following Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy makes implementing a classical style of education much easier for the larger or more stressed homeschool family. Her philosophy also harmonizes well with Orthodox patristic teaching.  Paidea Classics is working to put together resources to support the implementation of a Charlotte Mason style education for the Orthodox Christian homeschool. To watch slideshow presentations, go to: 

​An initial book list for Ancient history, upper elementary through middle school (there will likely be additions to this list over time):

Ancient History for the fluent reader, 
late elementary through middle school

Literature:

The Old Testament

The Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox

The Law of God, by Fr. Seraphim Slobodskoi (better choice for early Elementary)

The Law of God, by Fr. Daniel Sysoev (better choice for upper Elementary through adulthood)

Lessons in the Old Testament, by Fr. Serge Kotar (3rd Grade Curriculum from St. John of Shanghai school in San Francisco)

A Sacred History for Children, Edited Nancy Mirolovich; Illustrated Gabriela Moustardas 

Our Young Folks’ Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews and the Jewish Wars 

Our Young Folks’ Plutarch (a children’s versions for Greek and Roman lives):

A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys (Greek mythology)

Tanglewood Tales (Greek mythology)

DK Eyewitness Books: Mesopotamia

DK Eyewitness Books: Ancient Egypt

DK Eyewitness Books: Ancient Greece

Ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Persian Costume

Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors, by Marian Broida (activity book)

Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors, By Marian Broida (activity book)

Gilgamesh the King (I recommend this version for high school as well, because the original is quite pornographic in nature)

The Revenge of Ishtar (I recommend this version for high school as well, because the original is quite pornographic in nature)

The Last Quest of Gilgamesh (I recommend this version for high school as well, because the original is quite pornographic in nature)
​
The Golden Goblet, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Mara, Daughter of the Nile (some romantic content)

The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone

​The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

The Wanderings of Odysseus, by Rosemary Sutcliff

Black Ships Before Troy, by Rosemary Sutcliff

Hittite Warrior

Archimedes and the Door of Science
​
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine

God King: A Story to the Days of King Hezekiah

Herodotus And the Road to History

Victory on the Walls, A Story of Nehemiah

Book of Centuries:

Actual bound book as Charlotte Mason used in her schools

Book of Centuries Source Book: The Ancient World (in development)

Ancient History Portfolio and Timeline (A curriculum inspired by the book of centuries idea though not actually following Charlotte Mason’s philosophy. Developed by an Orthodox Christian. Recommended for ages 9 and up)

Ancient History Portfolio Junior (recommended for ages 5-10)

Poetry and Copywork:

Lives of Old Testament Saints in chronological order from the prologue including Troparia for copywork is in development.

Quotes from Proverbs, hymns from Exodus.

Nature Study:

Glory to God for All Things! Nature Journal

Citizenship/Virtue Study:

From I-ville to You-ville, by Angeliki Delecha

Lives of Old Testament Saints

Proverbs

Here is a listing of free e-texts of classic children's literature covering ancient history from Baldwin Project. I have not read most of these and cannot speak for their quality, appropriateness, or intended age. But having them separated from the general list may aid in lesson planning. It would be nice to have these arranged chronologically in the future with a short description. Maybe I can get that done at some point. There are other sites with public domain children's literature as well. Hopefully, in time, I can also include them in a master list in chronological and geographic order.

The first book in this list is "Our Young Folks' Josephus," a book Paidea Classics has published with illustrations. 

Our Young Folks’ Josephus (From Abraham until the Fall of Jerusalem)

Cyrus the Great (Persia 600 BC)

Darius the Great (Persia 550-486 BC)

Xerxes (Persia 519-466 BC)

The Hammer (Jerusalem 174 BC)

Our Young Folks’ Plutarch (Greece and Rome 820 BC-69 AD)

Plutarch’s Lives for Boys and Girls (Greece and Rome 820 BC-69 AD)

Children’s Plutarch: Tales of the Greeks (820 BC-69 AD)

Aesop’s Fables (Aesop’s life: 620-564 BC)

The Aesop for Children (Aesop’s life: 620-564 BC)

The Story of the Greek People

The Illiad for Boys and Girls (8th or 7th century BC)

The Odyssey for Boys and Girls (8th or 7th century BC)

The Iliad (8th or 7th century BC)

The Odyssey (8th or 7th century BC)

Stories from Plato and Other Classic Writers (428-348 BC)

Stories from the Greek Comedians

Stories from the Greek Tragedians

Old Greek Stories

The Story of Greece

A Story of the Golden Age of Greek Heroes

Historical Tales: Greek

The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Before Achilles (Greek Mythology)

Gods and Heroes (Greek Mythology)

Four Old Greeks

Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men (Greek Mythology)

Tanglewood Tales (Greek Mythology)

A Wonderbook for Girls and Boys

The Golden Porch

The Heroes (Greek Mythology)

Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew

Stories of the Ancient Greeks

Stories of the East from Herodotus

The Story of the Persian War

The Story of the Greeks

Stories from Greek History

Callias–The Fall of Athens (5th century BC)

Three Greek Children

A Young Macedonian

Our Little Athenian Cousin of Long Ago

Pictures from Greek Life and Story

Pyrrhus (318-272 BC)

Famous Men of Greece

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)

Cleopatra (69-30 BC)

Lords of the World

Children’s Plutarch: Tales of the Romans

Famous Men of Rome

Lucius. Adventures of a Roman Boy

Pictures from Roman Life and Story

Roman Life in the Days of Cicero (106-43 BC)

Stories from Ancient Rome

Stories from Livy (59 BC-17 AD)

The Story of the Romans

Stories in Stone from the Roman Forum

The Story of Rome

Historical Tales: Roman

The Aeneid for Boys and Girls

Romulus

Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children (ancient English poem)