Holy Family Home Educators
Little Flowers
Girls’ Club Information
Little Flowers Girls’ Club
Little Flowers Girls’ Club provides young girls ages 5 years and up with an opportunity to gather and learn about their Catholic faith and heritage. Little Flowers was developed by a Catholic mom of nine, Rachel Watkins, and is based on Fr. Lasance's Catholic Girls' Guide. During the meetings the girls hear, read and learn about the saints of the Church and study the virtues. They learn what it means to be a Catholic girl and are given a strong foundation upon which to build their future vocations, whether they are called to a life of consecration to our Lord, as a single woman, or as a wife and mother. Within the meetings the girls gain friendships and experience a social environment that nurtures, supports, and celebrates their Catholic faith.
Little Flowers Meeting Time and Place
We meet every third Thursday of the month at 2:30 pm.–4:30 pm. in the basement of the St. Paul Newman Center at Wichita State University, 1810 N. Roosevelt, 67208. (We meet concurrently with the HFHE Blue Knights boys group.) Our first Little Flowers meeting will be on September 20th. We will study St. Catherine of Sienna and the virtue of faith.
Required Members Materials
This is HFHE fourth year to
offer the Little Flowers Girls’ Club. There are three different Wreaths
or years of study. A fourth year, which concentrates on studying the
fruits of the Spirit, is also available. We have decided to return
to Wreath I this year. The girls will need a copy of Little Flowers
Girls’ Club Members Guide1. You may purchase the guide online
for $3.85 at www.sacredheartbooksandgifts
Optional Members Materials
There are additional materials available, but they are optional for our Little Flowers group. We do not include these materials in our meetings, but individual families can use them at home if they want to add to their daughter’s Little Flowers experience. Nine virtues are included in each of three different Wreaths. There are badges for the virtues that are earned by studying the saint associated with the virtue, memorizing scripture verses, and studying the Catechism. Sashes, vests, skirts, bandanas, t-shirts and other items are available as well.
Leaders Materials
The leader’s guide and additional support materials are provided by HFHE. They include Little Flowers Girls’ Club Wreath I Leader’s Guide, Wreath I Craft Companion, and Little Flowers CD Wreath1 and 2. The materials are shared among the volunteers, so be sure to remember to get the materials from the previous month’s volunteers.
Leaders Responsibilities
We have nine meetings during the year. We begin in September and end in May. What has worked well in the past is to have two parent volunteers co-lead a meeting. For example, one parent leads the lesson portion of the meeting while the other leads the crafts portion. The co-leaders split the cost of the materials for that month’s meeting.
Also, the volunteers are responsible
for set up and clean up. Please do not hesitate to ask others for help,
but usually everyone is very good about pitching in anyway.
Because of the large enrollment of 28 members this year, I have decided that it will be better to split the girls into two groups according to age. Group 1 will have the 4-6 year olds, and Group 2 will have the 7-11 year olds. This means that the Leaders will lead two meetings during the year. They will present the same saint/virtue to both groups, making slight modifications according to the age group. I know this means additional work for the Leaders, but I believe it will be more beneficial for the girls to be in smaller groups. Please let me know which meetings you would like to lead. (The sign up sheet is included as an attachment.)
Snack Volunteers
The Little Flowers and the Blue Knights share the snack time together, so we need to have three parent volunteers for each meeting. HFHE provides the paper plates, cups, napkins, and plastic ware. Water is provided for drinks as well. Pitchers for the water are in the kitchen. Please let me know for which meetings you would like to provide the snacks. (The sign up sheet is included as an attachment.)
Finding Substitutes
If for some reason a volunteer is unable to lead her meeting or bring snacks, she is responsible for finding a substitute.
Suggested Little Flowers Meeting Format
A “SUGGESTED” time frame
for the meeting might be:
2:30 pm: Begin with prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and prayer of St.
Therese)
2:35 pm: Introduction of
the virtue, saint, and the memory verse and lesson time
3:00 pm: Craft/Guest Speaker
3:30 pm: Clean-Up
3:45 pm: Snack Time
4:00 Games/Songs/Free Time
4:30 pm: Closing Prayer and Departure
Little Flowers Contact Person
If you want to enroll your daughter(s) in Little Flowers or have any questions or suggestions, please contact Erica through the Yahoo Group.
Last Updated: 09/12/2007