History’s Heroines is the history club that I lead for Newt and several other 9 – 11 year old girls (and one 16 year old Jr. Leader). Each month I assign a different remarkable woman from history. The girls choose their own sources to study about her, tracking those sources on a study log. They meet at my home one afternoon a month to discuss her life, share original writings inspired by her life and do a fun activity.
For January’s meeting we planned to discuss the amazing Mother Teresa.
Newt was slightly less than excited. She perused the biography shelf at the library and chose to read Mother Teresa’s Alms Bowl. It’s not terribly long, but still informative. Although she began this month’s study reluctantly, she soon found the subject far more interesting than she expected.
I love the discussion that takes place in these meetings. The girls expressed that they were both inspired and amazed by the life of service that Mother Teresa lived. They talked about ways that each of them could make a difference in their families and communities. I was impressed with their willingness and drive to make this world a better place.

After our discussion, we moved on to the activity. This month, in honor of Mother Teresa, we did a service project.
Kathryn, my Jr. Leader, did an excellent job teaching the girls to make a great, easy fleece scarf. The girls were able to learn/practice using mats and rotary cutters and sewing machines.

Sidenote: Yup, we still have a mix of plywood and 1970s vinyl flooring. It’s a process.
Each girl made two scarves, one to share with the needy (I’m taking them to a local shelter) and one to keep.

While the girls are all sure to be warmed by their scarves, I was warmed by their willingness to share.

If you are interested, here are PDFs of the printables I created for the meeting:
Mother Teresa Study Log
Mother Teresa Notebooking Page
Writing Prompts for Mother Teresa
Feel free to download and print them for your own personal or educational use.

Next month: Lucille Ball and Chocolate Making