With my recent unreliable levels of energy, I wasn't sure I was going to make a homemade advent calendar this year (see last year's here), but here it is after all...
I decided to once again do an 'advent activities' calendar, so each little stocking contains a small card with an activity written on it for that day. I've tried to not get carried away and to keep it realistic, just hope I've managed it. I found this beautiful origami paper at the local art store, then just folded each sheet in half and cut a stocking shape, glueing it around the edges to make a pocket into which the activity card could be inserted. Then hole punched each side of the top and threaded a ribbon through the lot before hanging it on the wall.
For the activities, I used our list from last year which I found it my notebook, fitted in activities we already had scheduled, and picked up a couple of ideas from The Artful Parent's Advent Calendar.
Here's our activity list:
- Get out the Christmas box
- Decorate salt dough ornaments (we made these last week)
- Write a letter to Santa
- Make paper snowflakes
- Choose a Christmas tree
- go to the library and get some Christmas books
- Paint snow on our 'window trees'
- Make paper chains
- Make gingerbread house pieces
- Put gingerbread house together and decorate
- Go on a light-filled train adventure (Bright Nights in Stanley Park)
- Learn a Christmas son
- Make presents for your teachers
- Make a wreath for the door
- Make something for Dadda
- Tell the Christmas story
- Paint a snowy scene
- Find some reindeer on a mountain (Grouse Mountain)
- Go out to see some Christmas lights
- Make mince pies
- Make something for the Winter nature table
- Go on a winter nature walk
- Make some bird treats
- Choose treats for Santa and his reindeer
As I said, I wasn't sure I was going to get around to a homemade calendar this year, so to cover myself I had already bought the one pictured above, an eeboo calendar, featuring artwork by renowned childrens book illustrator Melissa Sweet, whose work we are familiar with from the 'Baby Bear' series and the 'Hugaroo' books.
So now we have two... and at least some of it will be a surprise for me too!
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