Meditating on the Annunciation with children

As you may know, I am a trained catechist with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program. CGS helps children build a personal relationship with God by creating a prayerful environment for the child; sort of a quiet retreat away from the world.  While the children are in the atrium, they are taught to think deeply about the mysteries and miracles found within the Bible.

One of my favorite meditations is on the Annunciation.  Using simple materials, the catechist demonstrates the wonderful miracle that occurred when the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary. The passage from Luke is read from the Bible, and then a variety of "wondering" questions are asked to help the children ponder this wondrous event.

After Mass on the feast of Immaculate Conception, I went home and gave this presentation to my daughter, hoping to reinforce the Gospel reading that she had heard that day at Mass.  Here are a couple of photos of the materials I used to tell the story:









The diorama is made from a photo box covered with plaster cloth and then painted.  The figures are purchased Fontanini pieces.  Unfortunately, Angel Gabriel is larger than the diorama; I'll be working on that.

I've left the materials out for my daughter to work with over the past few days.  Today I noticed that she borrowed something from her doll house and added it to the diorama:  a baby.

I guess it just didn't feel right to her that the Blessed Mother was without Baby Jesus!