Keys of the Universe Albums

New products available at Garden of Francis:

Keys of the Universe Elementary Montessori Albums
CURRENTLY available: theory, biology, geography, history, language

Keys of the World Primary Montessori Albums
CURRENTLY available: theory, language, mathematics



These subjects are all fully ready to go - when you make your purchase you will have instant access to an immediate download. The download is available for 7 days, after which, if for some reason you need it again, you contact me for a replacement - but do try to keep it safe!

The remaining subjects COMING SOON!

Elementary:
      mathematics, music, art (supplement, not a main album), astronomy (supplement, not a main album)

Primary:
     sensorial, exercises of practical life
(Please note: within primary, geography, biology, music, and art are all included within the sensorial, language and EPL albums)

Miniature Bibles and Montessori Theory Albums

Elementary Montessori
Theory Album
ages 6-12
introduces adolescence
Print or Download

New Testament Bibles for
Origins of the Liturgy of the Word
Level 3

Miniature Bibles for History of the Gifts

These Bibles now available at Garden of Francis. 

We also now have miniature candle holders - perfectly sized for birthday candles. Sold in pairs.

Also available painted. 

Preparing for Great Lent

Whatever Christian denomination you are, Easter is the BIG day - the day our Lord and Savior rose from the DEAD. For many of us, Easter is a season onto itself. 50 days of celebrating in a particular way the gift we have each received. It only ends with the Pentecost - when the Holy Spirit gave birth to the Church.

Many denominations have a season of preparation for the Easter season. We call it Great Lent, or simply Lent (depending on your denomination).

During this time, we cut back, we re-focus, prioritize. 

Keep things quiet. 

Watch for the coming signs of spring - and the new life that is coming. Within the Church, we think of Christ's life, His suffering, His temptations, His humanity, and ultimately, His being God.

Many Catholics in the West refrain from meat on Fridays. There are deeper more spiritually intense fasts, including the cutting back on the number of meals each day, or the avoidance of all things meat and animal related, alcohol and olive oil throughout the 40 days of Lent as in the East.

At Garden of Francis, we want to help you on this spiritual journey, with respect to the various levels each person is at spiritually.

We are always open to further suggestions!

Some of our offerings:

Jesus Tree - similar to the Jesse Tree but focusing on the Suffering Servant. 
Varieties include

• Alternating days of prophecy and fulfillment in the New Testament. 
• Corresponding with the Western Church readings (this set will change each year)
• Corresponding with the readings of the Eastern Church
• Just an ornament for each Sunday - Western Church
• Just an ornament for each Sunday - Eastern Church
• Any customizations you like! 

Prayer Table Cloths - Family Altar Cloths 

These cloths can be simple or with lace; we have colors for each liturgical season, order individually or as sets. Made to order at any size. 

Statue Shrouds

Light-weight all-cotton cloths to cover your statues during Holy Lent.

Available in Black, Deep Red, or Deep Purple 

Pure, Simple Soap - vegan and olive oil free

Lent is a time for cleaning and for simplicity - this soap is perfect for both purposes. 

Find these and more here: 

Lent at Garden of Francis

Refreshed Organization!

I spent the last week of December doing some housekeeping - here and elsewhere.

The categories have all been freshened up, some with new images, some with new names.

We've pulled most of the custom-request and hidden items from their purely custom request category and established them in their own locations. So many images have been added or updated, and I am looking forward to expanding our product selection for liturgical seasons and Godly Play during the month of February.

Come visit and let me know what you think! I would also love to hear of any product suggestions you have!

Our new site map:

Homemaking

Learning

• General Education
• Academic Montessori
• Elementary Montessori - Adults

Modest Clothing

• Infant/Toddler
• Boys' Clothing
• Female Clothing
• Feminine Underclothing
• Gently Used Modest Clothing

Faith Formation

• General Faith Formation
• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
• Godly Play
• Liturgical Seasons
  • Advent & Christmas
  • Easter
  • Lent
  • Ordinary Time - Summer
  • Ordinary Time - Winter

Gift Certificates

Second-Hand Educational Items

Custom Orders

Clear-Outs

Jesse Tree for the Christmas Season

While it is too late to get a full Jesse Tree set in time for the start of Advent, they are still available for purchase and you'll be prepared for next year! In the meantime, we also have available a Christmas Season Jesse Tree set that continues the symbolism into the Christmas season, with 12 symbols taking your family from the day after Christmas until January 6th (our Jesse Tree sets include Christmas day, and this symbol can be added to your order upon request). Deadline for a timely delivery on the Christmas Season Jesse Tree is December 17th. Or are you looking for something to help with the O Antiphons? O Antiphon sets can still be ordered by clicking here (deadline for a timely delivery is December 7th). Remember, each set is made by hand and after you place your order, so customizations are easy to accommodate and you customized or not, you will receive a truly unique set of ornaments for your family's use. God bless you all this Advent season!

Gift Certificates at Garden of Francis Venues

Gift Certificates now available for use at Garden of Francis! Purchase a card for yourself or as a gift for someone else - you have the option of sending it by e-mail or printing it out to give to a loved one.

Teachers, parents, catechists, friends, family - we have items for many tastes and interests.

Garden of Francis Main Site:

Garden of Francis on Etsy:

Garden of Francis on Artfire:

Keys of the Universe Online Montessori

Visit us at Keys of the Universe for more information on the course.

You can still pay at the Garden of Francis page - and I'll send you the enrollment information....

OR you can pay directly from our Keys of the Universe course page. (see the link above for more information!)

See you there!

Elementary Online Course - Available for Enrollment

Give the Child the Keys of the Universe!

At primary Montessori level, we give the children the keys to the world - now at elementary Montessori, we are going to give them Keys of the Universe. 

We will get started on August 1 with a small group of participants - you can now enroll by paying here:
Garden of Francis - Payment Page for Online Courses

For more information, please click here to visit the information page.

We are just working on the final details on our main website - and it will soon be publicly available!

How exciting!

Online Elementary Course to Start Soon!

It is set to open on September 1, 2011 - See our blog post over here for more details!

The course will be primarily for homeschoolers, but is also useful for anyone working with the elementary age child (ages 6-12+) in a Montessori school, or for supplementing another school experience.

Free Shipping at Garden of Francis

Over the past several weeks and continuing into the upcoming weeks, we are transitioning our site over to all free shipping.

There may continue to be a $5 handling charge on items that require special packaging, therefore you will not see the free shipping label on all items.

International orders have a flat rate of $20 for shipping. If you are ordering lightweight items that can be shipped first-class, please contact us to see about a separate shipping rate. As always, international customers receive free shipping on orders over $200 for Canada and $350 for all other countries.

Garden of Francis on the Web and Elsewhere

We have had several requests to participate in area craft shows, homeschooling fairs and other venues. We look forward to this possibility in the future.

If you have a particular place you'd like to see us at - or a particular product you'd like to see on display, please let me know.

I am more than happy to send products for sale or display, as well as for reviews and giveaways.


In the meantime, we can always be found at the following locations on the internet:

Garden of Francis – Main Website
Garden of Francis on Etsy – Webs Site
Garden of Francis – Etsy
Garden of Francis – Zibbet
Garden of Francis – Artfire
Garden of Francis – Blog
Garden of Francis – Twitter
Garden of Francis – Facebook

Soaps at Garden of Francis

To sum up our soaps at Garden of Francis:

unscented, all-natural - as basic as you can get.

We keep all the glycerin for a full-body soap - all the natural glycerin remains to make our soaps naturally moisturizing (please note that moisturizing levels still depend on the type of oils used with the lye). Our soaps can be used in soap-making (melt-and-pour) the same as pure glycerin soaps.

For more information, please see our soap page here on our blog.

Made Upon Order at Garden of Francis

We want to be sure that you like all items from Garden of Francis - and we strive to maintain minimal inventory besides supplies and materials. Therefore, many of our items are made specifically for you when you place your order.

Anywhere you see the above icon at Garden of Francis, you know that your item will be made after you order it - just to your specifications if any.

For more information, please see this page.

Thank you all and I look forward to providing materials for your home, school or atrium!



Montessori News: Materials and an Elementary Online Homeschool Course

Interested in elementary level Montessori as a homeschooling family? We have a short survey, we would *love* to have you complete. It will provide direction for the development of an online Montessori training course at the elementary level. For years, I have seen the primary level course offered and it is time to have an elementary course for those families wanting to continue Montessori but still don't have time to pull all those internet and print resources together and make it happen at home.

Online Elementary Montessori Homeschool Course



Seeking Montessori materials? Look on Etsy! Search teammontessori for authentically Montessori materials and support handmade artisans striving to provide quality materials for their own family and yours!


As always, Garden of Francis can provide for your Montessori and other educational needs. Take a look and see if there is anything we can do for you!