The cross means there is no shipwreck without hope; there is no dark without dawn; nor storm without haven.
Pope John Paul II
– CS Lewis
Leaders! Please leave your craft/snack/game suggestions and links in the comment section below!
St. Monica Quiz
(All questions are based on information given in the biography in your Little Flowers Member’s Guide except for the Bonus Question. Answers are at the bottom of the page.)
1. Where was St. Monica from?
a. France
b. Italy
c. India
d. North Africa
2. Who was St. Monica’s son?
a. Emperor Constantine
b. Pope John Paul II
c. St. Augustine
d. St. Benedict
3. When did St. Monica live?
a. 332-387
b. 703-762
c. 37-103
d. 1932-1999
4. Where did St. Monica follow her son to?
a. Madrid and Barcelona
b. Rome and Milan
c. Las Vegas and New Orleans
d. Paris and London
Bonus: How many children did St. Monica have?
a. 1
b. 7
c. 3
d. 5
Ivy facts
- There are about 10 species of ivy.
- In certain areas ivy used to be called “Lovestone” because of its clingy nature.
- Some types of ivy can climb up to 100 feet above the ground.
Flower Meaning
Hope must encircle and cling to your heart like the climbing ivy. You must keep a firm hold of Christian hope, you must cling closely to it, and never let it go, for such is the will of God.
– Rev. Frances Lasance, The Catholic Girl’s Guide
Nothing is far from God.
St. Monica
Quiz Answers: ɔ :snuoq q ˙4 ɐ ˙3 ɔ ˙2 ɐ ˙1
We did window clings with puffy paint. I printed an image of an ivy leaf and placed it in a plastic bag, one for each girl. They traced it and filled it in with puffy paint. Wait til it completely dries, then peel. It’ll stick to glass. Too thin, it breaks, too thick takes forever to dry. Aim for a good even layer. Hope this helps! From Leader: Annie B.
Not an “Ivy” craft, but instead of a craft for this meeting, we planted some Daffodil bulbs for the virtue of HOPE. We planted them (with permission) around the school where we meet. The girls were delighted that they bloomed in the Spring and when we could talk about the virtue of Industry and remember our hope and hard work in planting them. From Leader: Anna N.
Another idea… “stained glass” votives:
“We shall cling to that promise like ivy to the lamppost of Christ – the Light of the world.” Our Blessed Mother is called “hope for sinners”…
•Pre-cut squares of tissue paper in a variety of colors.
•Print and pre-cut a variety of images of Mary (or St. Monica) from online, sized to fit the votives.
•Pour decoupage glue in some kind of little cups for each girl (I cut apart and used the plastic “cups” the votives were packaged in.)
•Have a paintbrush for each girl, large enough that the work doesn’t get too tedious (these brushes will likely get ruined, decoupage glue is hard to get out of them.)
•Lay down newspaper, the glue can be difficult to get off some surfaces.
•”Paint” glue on part of the votive, then stick on the the picture of Mary/St. Monica, then stick on the tissues. Fill every hole so that you get a stained glass effect. It is best to overlap the tissue paper squares. Try to monitor that only a thin layer of glue is used, it will make the next step go smoother.
•Once the votives are dried a bit carefully “paint” on the decoupage over it all so that it protects it and creates a glass like effect. This is the part that can cause some problems, especially with little ones, if the votives aren’t dried a little then too much glue can cause the paper to rip and move. A parent could do this step. Allow the votives to dry before handled too much.
https://skimac.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/candlemas-crafts-ideas/
From Leader: Carol
Super easy, not quite in the “craft” category, but I love this page because it features both St. Monica and St. Augustine.
http://www.catholicplayground.com/a-coloring-page-for-august-28th-saints-augustine-and-monica/
To make it more “crafty”, try this technique with cooking oil to make the colored pages translucent:
https://lessons4littleones.com/2015/12/16/how-to-turn-a-coloring-page-into-a-stained-glass-window-decoration/
God bless,
Michele
I picked up little wooden hinged boxes at the craft store – approx $1 each. The girls decoupaged /glued silk ivy leaves to it. Decoupage or glue with a paint brush. Could also use paper ivy. They connected the ivy leaves using a brown or green marker so it was a vine. Inside the box lid can glue the memory verse for that month. (have it pre-printed for them). Not sure if this is easy enough for five-year-olds…
Joyfully,
Sharon
We decorated mini Hope chests…you can paint them or use markers…ivy stencils or glue ivy from the dollar tree. Sometimes, if I can’t find a craft to match specifically to the flower, saint, virtue, &/or color, I get a Christian themed craft from oriental trading that corresponds to the season…Halloween (Christian pumpkin sand art, reflective pumpkin necklace for them to wear trick or treating)…
Christmas (stained glass window using tissue paper – three kings, nativity scene, Christian ornament)…I’ve found all of those things on Oriental Trading at a good price… From Leader Tiffany W.
I got little wooden boxes that the girls may or may not have painted white (it’s been a while) and I got green paint and ivy stencils and they stenciled them. I was also able to find a stamp with the word “hope” on it that they were able to stamp on top. Every girl loves a little box they can put things in. Hope that helps!
Beth
I struggled with coming up with a snack to fit the theme,
but finally decided to make chocolate leaves using a leaf
candy mold that looks kind of like ivy leaves and put them
on top of cupcakes. Perhaps you could incorporate some
aspect of that with your girls, and combine craft with
snack?
God bless, Sharon