Flowers for the Theotokos

Materials

• Scissors
• various colors of construction paper
• thin-point and thick-point markers in various colors
• tape
• stapler

Procedure:

Divide the class into four groups. Tell them that in many Orthodox churches, flowers are blessed at the Feast of the Dormition. Ask them to make large paper “flowers” for the Theotokos, to display on the wall of your classroom. Assign each group one of the four feasts you have studied over these four weeks. Have each group design a flower. With the materials you have provided, the students can make petals, each with one of these identifying words or phrases written on it:

• the name of the feast
• a line or phrase from the tropar or kontakion of the feast that tells something about it
• the date of the feast (Nativity 9/8; Entrance 11/21; Annunciation 3/25; Dormition 8/15.)
• one or more names of other people involved in the feast and/or shown in the festal icon

Let the groups design and arrange their flowers in any way they choose. They may want to have several “blank” petals interspersed with those they write on; they may choose to make a round flower or another shape; they may want to decorate their flowers, and use various colors of construction paper. Have them add a stem and leaves and then put the parts of their flowers together using tape and/or staples so that the finished products can be displayed on the classroom wall. Use the completed flowers as a review of the feasts that have been part of this unit of study. Then, have the class members help you decide how to arrange them in a wall display.