This year marked the 500th Anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the door of the Wittenburg Chapel in Germany. To celebrate this, instead of having a homeschool Halloween party, we had a Reformation Celebration!
The kids dressed in Reformation/Renaissance type costumes.
We read through the picture book, Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World. Each homeschool family came up with an activity that goes along with Martin Luther's story and so when we got to the point in the book that went along with each activity, we would stop, do the activity and then go on with the story. It was a really cool hands on learning activity!
The first activity was a game called, "Coins in the Coffer". John Tetzel went town to town asking people to put coins in his coffer to buy indulgences for their deceased loved ones. The coins went to the rebuilding of the church in Rome. The kids tried to toss coins in the bucket for the "indulgence" of candy!
The next activity was using quill and ink to write the number 95 on a piece of paper and then nail it to a piece of wood.
In 1520, Pope Leo X issued Martin Luther a bull (a special letter sealed with a bulla) condemning Luther and ordering his writings to be burned. The pope also ordered that Luther report to Rome within 60 days or face excommunication. Martin Luther responded by burning the papal bull in the public square in Wittenburg. Each child was issued a bull and then we all went outside to burn them!
We ate Dirt Cake with gummy worms to represent the Diet of Worms - the meeting in Worms Germany called by the Holy Roman Emperor. Then the Serna kids did a dramatic telling of Luther's exit from the meeting. A "kidnapping" of Luther was staged and he was taken to the Wartburg Castle where he lived in hiding for a year because of the danger he was in. He only came out disguised as a knight with a beard called Junker George. It was there at the castle he translated the Old Testament into German and probably wrote the battle hymn of the Reformation "A Mighty Fortress is our God".
We also had a Cake Walk to the music of A Mighty Fortress.
We were given a coloring book of the 5 Solas of Martin Luther:
Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone
Sola Fide - Faith Alone
Sola Gratia - Grace Alone
Solus Christus - Christ Alone
Soli Deo Gloria - to the Glory of God Alone
It was a fun celebration and so educational!!
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