Welcome! This blog is for the beginning catechist who has no materials and needs an easy way to make simple but beautiful creations for the children. It is mostly for the person who doesn't think they have any skills or inclinations in this area. These are tips and recommendations that I hope will be helpful. The following are Level I materials for 3 to 6 year olds.
Simplicity is the key. I tend to get very detailed, but that really isn't necessary. We must remember that the whole point of these materials is so the child can begin to meditate and contemplate the beauty of the Scripture they have just been presented.
The following are materials you will need to make the houses for the Nativity narratives. As I was wandering around ACE Hardware today, I came across already cut pieces approximately 10 inches high and wide, perfect for the walls of the small houses for the Nativity narratives. Some were smaller than others. So you would have to decide exactly the size you would want. You would want it to be smaller in width than the bookcase where they will be kept. At ACE or most hardware stores, someone will cut even a large piece of wood into any size you want. So if you are afraid of using an electric saw, this is the perfect option for you. I would also recommend "Liquid Nails" in a tube. This is the strongest glue I have ever encountered. In fact I've used it for a coat rack on the back of a closet door, hanging many heavy items. It is tough. This is for those people who do not like to hammer nails. Plus, you never know when the nail might split the wood.
So you lay your floor and glue your walls around it. I have always used photographs for models that I took during my training in Gilbert, AZ. Can you guess who my trainer was? You've got it. Our own dear Director, Mary Mirrione. Our atriums are located at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church in Sierra Vista, AZ.
Now to paint the outside and inside of the houses, I used Latex white paint and I put sand in it and mixed it. This gave the little houses a rustic stucco look. Now remember, I said I'm big on detail, but so much of this is not necessary. You can see there are windows. They make good handles for the children. This can be cut out by using a drill to make the hole. You'd need a big "bit" to do this. Anyone at a hardware store can help you to find this. Then get a very small hand saw and shape it. You can sand it to smooth it out before painting. If you like the look of the sloped sides of the house,
they were done with a jig saw. I drew the shape I
wanted in pencil before I did that. But again, they
can be square which is so much easier. I put a little piece of wood in the corner for a fireplace and painted it. Then I glued twigs next to the fire. With a small piece of wood, I made a little shelf with liquid nails. Oh, and I glued a twig under an old board I found in my yard so the roof would look very old and rustic.
The rug is a coaster. The miniatures I bought online. Google "miniature furniture." Oh, it's fun what you can find out in cyberspace. The world is your oyster. I made the little pillow and mattress on the sewing machine, but again these extras are not necessary. The Blessed Mother statue I bought at a ceramic shop, painted it and had it baked at that shop. The angel was on sale after Christmas. So the figures don't really have to match except that I would suggest they are of the same size in height and width. She was the smallest statue of Mary I could get to match the angel's size.
Well, I hope this helps with getting started on the Nativity Narratives and encourages those who think it can't be done easily. It's time consuming but is joyful work. You are meditating the entire time you work on it. It's wonderful! I can't think of a better way to spend my time, can you?
Simplicity is the key. I tend to get very detailed, but that really isn't necessary. We must remember that the whole point of these materials is so the child can begin to meditate and contemplate the beauty of the Scripture they have just been presented.
The following are materials you will need to make the houses for the Nativity narratives. As I was wandering around ACE Hardware today, I came across already cut pieces approximately 10 inches high and wide, perfect for the walls of the small houses for the Nativity narratives. Some were smaller than others. So you would have to decide exactly the size you would want. You would want it to be smaller in width than the bookcase where they will be kept. At ACE or most hardware stores, someone will cut even a large piece of wood into any size you want. So if you are afraid of using an electric saw, this is the perfect option for you. I would also recommend "Liquid Nails" in a tube. This is the strongest glue I have ever encountered. In fact I've used it for a coat rack on the back of a closet door, hanging many heavy items. It is tough. This is for those people who do not like to hammer nails. Plus, you never know when the nail might split the wood.
So you lay your floor and glue your walls around it. I have always used photographs for models that I took during my training in Gilbert, AZ. Can you guess who my trainer was? You've got it. Our own dear Director, Mary Mirrione. Our atriums are located at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church in Sierra Vista, AZ.
Now to paint the outside and inside of the houses, I used Latex white paint and I put sand in it and mixed it. This gave the little houses a rustic stucco look. Now remember, I said I'm big on detail, but so much of this is not necessary. You can see there are windows. They make good handles for the children. This can be cut out by using a drill to make the hole. You'd need a big "bit" to do this. Anyone at a hardware store can help you to find this. Then get a very small hand saw and shape it. You can sand it to smooth it out before painting. If you like the look of the sloped sides of the house,they were done with a jig saw. I drew the shape I
wanted in pencil before I did that. But again, they
can be square which is so much easier. I put a little piece of wood in the corner for a fireplace and painted it. Then I glued twigs next to the fire. With a small piece of wood, I made a little shelf with liquid nails. Oh, and I glued a twig under an old board I found in my yard so the roof would look very old and rustic.
The rug is a coaster. The miniatures I bought online. Google "miniature furniture." Oh, it's fun what you can find out in cyberspace. The world is your oyster. I made the little pillow and mattress on the sewing machine, but again these extras are not necessary. The Blessed Mother statue I bought at a ceramic shop, painted it and had it baked at that shop. The angel was on sale after Christmas. So the figures don't really have to match except that I would suggest they are of the same size in height and width. She was the smallest statue of Mary I could get to match the angel's size.
Well, I hope this helps with getting started on the Nativity Narratives and encourages those who think it can't be done easily. It's time consuming but is joyful work. You are meditating the entire time you work on it. It's wonderful! I can't think of a better way to spend my time, can you?
