Mary’s Little Crowns

Our daughter is part of a Schoenstatt Girls’ group called Mary’s Little Crowns (similar to Little Flowers). I had the pleasure of leading the activities with my friend in May. It’s our last meeting of the year, and it’s the Month of Mary. Here are my notes to sparkle your imagination!

We Become Mary’s Little Crowns: May 2010

Open with Ceremony
· Hand out cards with prayers and responses.

· Procession: Crowning the girls.
· Sing: “Immaculate Mary” or “Hail Holy Queen” - I had these and other songs playing from my ipod. I went to ITunes and got a great selection of kids songs about Mary.

I found this princess table cloth at Target for just over $1.

· “We can be her little crown, even when we’re not wearing a crown.”

The Crown:

Found these tiaras at Party City for less than $1 per crown. Add this Mary “Mother Thrice Admirable” Sticker if you’d like. Just print on a full sheet label paper and cut out to fit front of crowns. I used a hexagon punch.

  

Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth in Germany crown Mary at a large gathering of girls like yourselves . The original crown had been lost or stolen, so they decided to be MARY’S LIVING CROWN. 500 girls formed a crown with their bodies. Mary wants us to be her Crown and bring her love for God and for all people into the world.

 

We want to give our heart to Mary, become her Little Crown - glimmering in every thought, word and action. To help us get started, we are going to make a Mary’s May Basket which we will fill full of good thoughts and deeds.

Mary’s May Basket

· 8 inch paper doily, curl into a cone shape and tape/staple.

· Write RTA in the middle and/or add sticker

    *Regina = Queen *Thrice = Three *Admirablis = Admirable

· Add a ribbon loop for hanging.

· Give each girl a small baggie/envelope full of paper hearts, jewel shapes OR silk rose petals.

Instructions: Over the next week, write on your [hearts] what you have said, done or thought that was a beautiful jewel to add to Mary’s crown – and put them in your basket.

 

[Click here for an alternative printout for girls to track deeds. Can’t remember which website I found it at??]

 

This basket for Mary would be best put by a Mary statue or shrine in your home. So today, we are going to make a Mary statue!

Mary Statue

CLICK HERE for Mary coloring sheet. Print onto cardstock. You MAY WANT to cut these ahead of time.

Note: I designed this coloring sheet with text for this project, but can't take credit for the beautiful image of Mary and the medals. If you know the original artist, please contact me so I can give him or her proper recognition! :)

> Color, cut and tape/staple Mary into a cylinder-style statue.
>We used 3 glue dots. Just tear off sets of 3 from the roll (of 200) for each girl, stick down and peel the backing off.
> Add 12 shiny star stickers for a crown.

Rosary
Mary taught us to pray the Rosary. It’s the chains that bind satan down, and our prayer intentions are lifted to Heaven for the good of all souls.

Color this Rosary and pray a Hail Mary or Decade (if time allows).

TREAT: Some very tasty Rosary Cupcakes or Rosary Cookies

GAME: I had three small gifts for prizes. I had some beaded strtchy bracelets which I attatched a holy medal onto. I asked these questions, and whoever was first to answer got a prize. Trouble is, all the girls wanted a prize - so I suggest not doing as I did - instead bring some small treat to hand out to everyone else or not do prizes at all.

>What does RTA stand for?
.....Regina Thrice Admirabilis
>How many girls formed the Mary's Living Crown?
.....500 girls
>What country were they from?
.....Germany
>Can anyone spell Schoenstatt? (just kidding)
>How many stars are on Mary's crown?
.....12 stars
>What are the three ways you can add jewels to Mary's crown?
.....what you have said, done or thought  (kind words and good deeds and thoughts)


For Moms: I found a wonderful document about Exploring Mary and Motherhood (tips for moms and daughters) at Domestic-Church.com and recommend checking it out!