Grotto for the Nativity of the Blessed Mother

“Before the birth of Jesus, the world had never witnessed such a day as the birth of Mary. As this child appears in the world on the 8th of September, the devils may not realize that their long-foretold defeat has arrived and that at last the woman has appeared who is destined to crush the head of the enemy of mankind.”

from The Mother of God and Her Glorious Feasts

CatholicPlayground’s version of a grotto to celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Mother…

We used a batch of both regular rice krispie treats and chocoate rice cereal to create the grotto…

  … alternating small “blocks” (approximately 1  1/2″ x 1  1/2″) to give the grotto a brick-like appearance.
Use a flat spatula to compress the rice krispie treats while still in the pan.  Let them cool and set up completely before cutting.
Alternate light and dark “blocks” in a semi-circular shape until the grotto is high enough.  Gradually, we put fewer blocks in each row until we reached the top.

…candy rocks around the base for decoration…

So easy to make and kids of all ages will love to help!