May 6 - Mother Mary Wooden Bookmarks

Our Holy Mother is honoured as we put a new twist on an old favourite - the bookmark.

Although we generally aren't all that crafty in our homeschool, we still try to make time to be creative in fun ways.  Our creations aren't perfect, but our love for Mary is evident in this fast, fun and useful project  - a wooden bookmark created in the image of Mary. 

This project began with wooden sticks in the shape of people.  You can find these cute little sticks at education and craft stores.  The bag we bought gave both a male and female template.  We used both in our creations.

Next we used gel pens in various colours to decorate our sticks.  We kept the colour selection simple - blues, yellow, gold, and white - colours associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary.  NOTE:  Do not use any water based or felt tipped pens as they will be absorbed into the wood and run with the grain. 

The task given to the children was to draw Mother Mary in her mantle.  Little details such as a black belt to show pregnancy or different coloured layers to create a fuller mantle, added life to each creation.  The faces were tricky, but I simply reminded the children that love and honour do not require perfection.  Google eyes were added for fun and ease.  Once the artwork was completed, a little ejaculation of choice was then printed on the bottom.  You can see in the picture below that each child has their own creative style and idea of what the Holy Mother looks like. 

Once completed, these little ladies fit perfectly into novels with the ejaculation portion remaining in the book and the figure sticking out of it.  These are easy to make, fun to do, and encourage reading.

That Resource Team