This is my advice for starting your own Little Flowers Group.
1. Ask your priest if it is alright with him if you start the group within your Parish or chapel community.
2. Buy the starter kit from Behold Publishing. (I suggest you start with Wreath I no matter the ages of the girls). I suggest the complete starter kit with Leaders Guide, CD, and Activity Book.
3. Make copies of each Virtue Checklist in the appropriate color. For example Wreath I, St. Catherine of Siena, virtue faith, color yellow. All checklist for St. Catherine of Siena are in bright yellow.
4. Purchase a large binder to hold all the colored checklist, corresponding saint coloring sheets, and memory verse for the Wreath you are working towards. Separate each Saint and corresponding sheets with dividers for easy quick access especially as girls join the groups at different times or miss a class.
5. Create a memory verse sheet for each saint to be studied. Include a small colored picture of the saint and the complete memory verse from the song. These are very handy when you play and practice the saint song at each meeting.
5. Create a sign up sheet for the first few classes that requires the parent to give their contact information. Creating sheets ahead of time looks more professional and help me to remember to ask for that information. Communication is key to success.
6. At the very first class: introduce yourself, establish a set meeting time (I suggest twice a month for one hour meetings) and the time allotted for each meeting (we kept our meetings to one hour which was excellent and parents appreciated we always kept things moving and productive. BE FIRM about keeping all meetings with the set time limit). BE UP FRONT WITH PARENTS AND EXPLAIN THEY MUST BE INVOLVED WITH THEIR DAUGHTER AT EACH MEETING. EACH PARENT AND DAUGHTER WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TEACHING ABOUT A SAINT AND PROVIDING A CRAFT THE RELATES TO THE SAINT . This is so important. Delegate responsibility not only because it takes pressure off the leader but because each girl and their parent take ownership of their faith and catechesis!
7. Meeting Agenda: Our meetings, begin with prayer, introduction to the saint, craft, snack, practice song, dismissal prayer.
8. Second Meeting, model how you want the meetings to go by you volunteering to teach the first saint, activity, and bring snack. At the end of this meeting, have each parents sign up to teach a saint and bring snack. We found it was just easier if a family was responsible for everything for one night. This worked out BEAUTIFULLY for us. I was amazed at the ideas that came from each family for their saint activities!
9. Plan out any service activities and big events you would like to see happen within the first 3 meetings. Time moves very quickly when you are only meeting bi-monthly so stay on top of things. Sketch out the schedule for the year being careful to monitor holidays and days off of school. We met on Monday evening even if the girls had a holiday from school, because we found it easier on the families to keep things consistent. CONSISTENCY IS KEY! If you are not consistent you look like you don't know what you are doing or that this is not an important group.
10. Create a blog to share ideas, pictures, and information with not only your group but other Little Flower Groups from around the world.
MOST IMPORTANTLY PRAY! PRAY HARD, PRAY OFTEN, PRAY! Many blessings. Don't forget it isn't you doing all these things but the Holy Spirit working through you. I have so enjoyed the time I spend with our Little Flower Group it has been much more spiritually uplifting than any other group I have been involved with.
