I can’t believe that we are already beginning the 4th, and final, YEAR of the Little Flowers Girls’ Club! It seems like just yesterday that my girls were just 3 and 5, and I was preparing for our very first meeting… As always, they were very excited!
Thankfully, this year, I had a chance to prepare over the summer. Since Wreath IV was created with older Little Flowers in mind, I had quite a bit of modifying that needed to be done for the younger girls in my group – mainly when it came to them being able to complete the monthly assignments to earn their patches. This resulted in the creation of a Wreath IV Lap Book – allowing them to simply (or with lots of detail, depending on their age and ability) fulfill some of the assignments from the Member’s Guides.
Like I have done in the past, our meetings this year will consist of Prayer, Coloring Pages, a Lesson on the virtue (or rather Gift of the Holy Spirit, since Wreath IV is all about the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit), Notebook Pages, the new addition of the Lap Book Mini Books, Snacks, and sometimes Games (when time allows). It is going to be another great year!
The meeting just flew by, with all the fun plans I had made that kept us pretty busy, that I kept forgetting to take pictures. Thankfully I did take a some before the meeting started, and a couple during, so I do have a few to share with you all today!
I had asked this wonderful priest to come and give a talk to the girls on Wisdom, but unfortunately he was transfered, after just two months of being in our area, before we were able to have our first meeting, so I had my girls watch this homily in preparation for the meeting. During our meeting,while going over the mini books, we talked about the gift of Wisdom and St. Teresa of Avila.
Wisdom is similar to knowledge and comprehension yet is it different. Wisdom offers us guidance and understanding of the really important things in life. Wisdom helps us to make good choices. It is like a compass within us. Conscience is a part of wisdom. We are born with wisdom but we learn how to listen and use it better as we grow and age. Sometimes we gain a deeper appreciation of wisdom and use it better as a result of making mistakes and learning from them.
Prior to the meeting I printed out all the supplies we would need for the whole year. I also thought that I would pre-make the actual Lap Book, but decided to have the girls do this during the meeting, so that they could see how it is done. I asked each of the girls to share something from the “My Catholic Faith” mini-books (which I had emailed to the moms for the girls to complete before the first meeting).
It was fun to see all the variety, stickers, artwork, and pictures that the girls included as they completed the pages for their Birth, Baptism, 1st Holy Communion, Patron Saints, etc.
- Color the Cover and add to Lap Book
- Add Definition and Motto for the Gift of Wisdom
- Complete the Saint Profile
- Complete the Convert Profile
- Add the correct Jewel to the Treasure Box
- Choose and write down your favorite “Quote from the Book of Wisdom” to share at the next meeting
We didn’t have nearly enough time to finish everything, but with all the extras necessary to get started, I figured we would run out of time. The girls went home with some unfinished mini-books to continue working on at home between now and our next meeting in a couple weeks.
For the notebook pages, I used the motto for Wisdom, A Love Song by St. Teresa of Avila, an image of St. Teresa of Avila, a definition on the gift of Wisdom from the wonderful book My Catholic Faith, a prayer to St. Teresa of Avila, and acrylic gemstones. You can download my document here.
(a symbol of St. Teresa of Avila) and a white candy Dove
(for the St. Teresa of Avila quote below). “Then I saw over my head a dove, very different from those we usually see, for it had not the same plumage, but wings formed of small shells shining brightly. It was larger than an ordinary dove; I thought I heard the rustling of its wings. It hovered above me during the space of an Ave Maria. But such was the state of my soul, that in losing itself it lost also the sight of the dove. My spirit grew calm with such a guest; and yet, as I think, a grace so wonderful might have disturbed and frightened it; and as it began to rejoice in the vision, it was delivered from all fear, and with the joy came peace, my soul continuing entranced. The joy of this rapture was exceedingly great; and for the rest of that festal time I was so amazed and bewildered that I did not know what I was doing, nor how I could have received so great a grace. I neither heard nor saw anything, so to speak, because of my great inward joy. From that day forth I perceived in myself a very great progress in the highest love of God, together with a great increase in the strength of my virtues. May He be blessed and praised for ever! Amen.
On another occasion I saw that very dove above the head of one of the Dominican fathers; but it seemed to me that the rays and brightness of the wings were far greater. I understood by this that he was to draw souls unto God.” – The Life, Chapter XX.
pray for us!
! Oh, and rumor has it that there will be a St. Therese Apron Giveaway coming up soon over at Catholic Cuisine… 😉
to the Girls, lots of 
and 
to all the kids. I think I need to find something for myself. Any suggestions?
from Stockmar/Amazon. It is also available in a color combination pack from 
(Magic Cabin also has a great 
