December 1st is Monday and I have been looking into our Advent Calendar. I have taken ideas from We Are THAT Family
http://www.wearethatfamily.com/2008/11/our-family-advent.html and my dear friend Carrie, she has some great ideas with daily scripture to re-enforce the project or theme of the day.
http://minimemitchells.blogspot.com/2008/11/christmas.html.
Here is what I am looking at for this year (most of it taken from We Are THAT Family and Carrie's blog):
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December 1} Send a letter to a child. It's such a great way to teach your kids about others. Read I John 4:10
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December 2} Make Santa’s list. Write a letter to Santa and drop off at Macy's Department Store, they donate to a charity for every letter they receive.
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December 3} Let your light shine! ask: How can we do this? Read John 1:5
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December 4} Build a fort from blankets & sheets/ Read a Christmas book in the fort!
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December 5} Lay on the trampoline and stargaze, talk about your dreams for the future.
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December 6} Make cookies.
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December 7} Watch a Christmas Movie.
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December 8} Make paper snowflakes (
here's some great patterns) Read Ecc. 3:13
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December 9} Play a board game.
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December 10} Pray for pour people. Read Luke 1: 39-45, Mary visits Elizabeth.
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December 11} Work on Awana teacher’s, Choir teacher's and School teachers gifts.
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December 12} Leave little notes of encouragement all over (i.e. the mailbox, grocery story, park, etc.). Read Psalm 100
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December 13} Bethlehem Night (at church). Discuss the differences between living in Christ days and now.
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December 14} Watch a Christmas Movie and make hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows!
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December 15} Give $5 to someone (find a needy person). Read Rom. 5:8
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December 16} Make a gingerbread house.
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December 17} Talk about Missionaries and pray for them. Isaiah 12: 5-6
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December 18} Make a birthday card for Jesus. Put it under the tree.
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December 19} Sing Christmas songs.
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December 20} Have a Happy Birthday Jesus party, make a cake and give him a gift- such as being good that day, making a wise choice, talking nicely, being kind to a sibling etc. Go look at Christmas lights.
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December 21} Make something for our neighbors (a card, cookies?).
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December 22} Make a spinner
http://www.thetoymaker.com/{
December 23} Take bubble baths with Christmas confetti (
recipe).
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December 24} Read Christmas story from the Bible. Open Christmas Eve gift from Mom and Dad (pajamas).
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December 25} Talk about Jesus, what it must have been like to be born in a manger, what the sky looked like, the 3 wise men, how there was no place for them to stay except with the animals, etc.
What does your Advent Calendar look like?
Posts
Here is Amy's tree, she has Dora as her tree topper.
Here is Emily singing with the Girls Scouts at a Nursing Home last weekend.
Here is Emily at her teachers house having a Girl Scout party. We made Chocolate Crackles, a messy cookie to eat because of the powder sugar but so worth it. It is almost like a little brownie bite but better. These are one of Emily's favorites!
The Girl Scouts had an ornament exchange and this is the ornament Emily won.
Our Nativity set has grown. Thanks to Mr. Jolly our Elf, he left the girls a few boxes which included the Little Peoples Inn at Bethlehem, the Little Drummer Boy and the Three Wise Men sets. What a thoughtful gift from Mr. Jolly!
Here is Amy at one of her two school parties where she got to visit with Santa and Santa gave her a gift.
Here is Emily at her school's choir performance the other night. They were little elf's and the cutest thing was when they sang "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" as Emily fits that picture very well!
Here is Emily at her school party on Friday as Santa made a surprise visit.
We were in the kids corner where our assignment was to play games that were played the night Christ was born. There were marbles and dreidel which Emily plays very well.
Here you can see Emily signing the census.
Here is Amy signing the census.
The girls had so much fun. We were only signed up to volunteer for one hour but we ended up staying two hours.
Here are Emily and Amy with a Roman Soldier.
Emily went to jail and I had to pay two coins to get her out.
Then it was the most anticipated experience of the night. We saw the "CHILD"!
The girls were in amazement.
This picture would have made a wonderful Christmas card.
What a blessing and honor it was to participate with my girls in this re-dramatization of the night that Christ was born!
Here is Amy as the presentation was done. I didn't get that many pictures because I was video taping her performance.
Here is a cute close up of Amy back in the Choir room!
Sweetheart, you made Mommy so proud! You were like an angel up there!
Well, we have been doing our 25 days to Christmas count down and having fun. Yesterday the girls received their "Elf on the Shelf" and boy was the excitement great! We sat down as a family and read the book and then the girls came up with a name for their Elf. The ones that were flying in the air were "snow, bell, skipper, nibbles, peppermint, spy"and finally the one the girls agreed on "JOLLY"!
Amy drew a Christmas mouse and also colored it an used sequence.
Our project on Monday was making little Christmas trees (using pine cones) and decorating them with sequence (as ornaments). They came out cute.
Here are Emily's!
Here are Amy's!
