Make a Giant Rosary with Kids

Since it's officially "pool noodle season" I thought I would re-run this post for making pool noodle rosaries (which was originally written last Summer). Have fun! :-)

My daughter and I made a giant rosary out of pool noodles! This project is so much fun, such a great counting exercise, and a really good way to get kids excited about the rosary- plus, you can make it with just $3! Here's my daughter with our completed rosary.

For making your own, you can pick up most of what you need at the Dollar Tree.

Supplies Needed:

• 2 Pool Noodles of different colors. (One for the "Hail Mary" beads, and one for the "Our Fathers". Using a third color for the cross is optional). I used 1 pool noodle that was flower shaped, and one that was not.
• Clothes line (or any small rope)
• Scissors
• Bread knife (or other serrated knife)
• Cool Glue Gun

First, take the pool noodle that you selected for the Hail Mary's and slice it into thin beads. You will need 53 total.

The pool noodle you have selected for the Our Father's should be sliced about twice as thick as the others. You will need a total of 6 of these.

Now you're ready to start stringing! String 10 small beads, 1 large bead, 10 small beads, 1 large bead, 10 small beads, 1 large bead, 10 small beads, 1 large bead, and then 10 more small beads. It should look something like this:

For the rosary center, you can use a slice of a 3rd color of a pool noodle, or an extra Our Father bead. Poke holes in both sides with scissors, and bring your clothes line through.

Tie the two ends together tightly, and trim one side off.

Make another hole with scissors in the bottom of the rosary center, and bring the clothes line through like so:

Next, string on one Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's, and one more Our Father.

Now it's time to make the cross. Start with 2 pieces of pool noodle, one the length you want your cross to be, and the other slightly shorter.

Make 2 cuts half way through the pool noodle. The cuts should be as far apart from each other as your pool noodle is wide.

Cut between the 2 cuts to connect them and remove a chunk.

Repeat with your other cross section. 

Fit the 2 pieces together like lincon logs to complete your cross. You can stick them together with your cool glue gun. (A glue gun that is too hot will melt the pool noodle).

Make a hole in the top of your cross, string the clothes line through, and make the completing knot.

Ta Da! Giant Rosary!

These are so much fun, and I have some future plans for ours (especially during "R" week this school year). My daughter was really proud of it!

If you think this is a cool project, but you're planning on doing it later in the year, you might want to go ahead and get some pool noodles now because you can't find them when it's not Summer time. More importantly, if you make one, send me pictures! ;-) Happy Catholic Crafting!

As always, use caution when working with children, and never give them an inappropriate toy for their age. I can't imagine that these are safe in pools, so use with caution. Watch for choking hazards. Don't give children knives or hot glue guns. Safety first!
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