Advent Activities

Finished our Advent activities this week!  I'm excited to share in this time daily with the kiddos.  Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means 'coming.'  It is a season of waiting and preparing for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.   How awesome is that?!  A daily project we can tie to our relationship with Christ and our desire to serve Him through serving others.  I love it! 

I didn't want to spend money on the Advent project this year, so I went with simple things I had around the house.  I used:

12 red note cards
12 red envelopes
12 green note cards
12 green envelopes
24 clothes pins (the plastic kind b/c I think the wood ones can be dangerous for a 3 year old)
a long ribbon
number stickers

I had Gabe and Lily attach number stickers to each envelope.  We could have just written the numbers on, but I liked the idea of involving the kiddos in some way and Lily knows her numbers, but not how to write them.  This way, she could participate.

I printed my activities out, cut them with some craft scissors, glued them to the note cards, stuffed the envelopes (without sealing in case I want to use them again next year), and hung them on the ribbon in our dining room.

We also use the calendar on the right.  We pop an M&M in each day.  It helps the kiddos to each have something to open daily.  They take turns pretty well.

Looking forward to beginning this weekend!

Here are the activities we decided on:

1. Bake a batch of cookies to take to a neighbor!
2. Draw a card and mail it to Great Mimi!
3. Sing a Christmas song AS LOUD AS YOU CAN!
4. Think of 3 things you are thankful for that start with the letter G!
5. Think of 3 things you are thankful for that start with the letter L!
6. Go to the store and buy a new toy to donate to someone in need!
7. Create homemade ornaments for Grampa and Mimi and Gigi and Mr. Ken!
8. Call an aunt or uncle and pray with them!
9. Have hot chocolate with whipped cream while reading Christmas stories together!
10. Write down 5 ways we can pray for our friends!
11. Write down 5 ways we can pray for our family!
12. Make 2 special Christmas cards… Mail one to Grandma Rachel and one to Grandma Pettus!
13. Bake a batch of cookies to take to a friend you have not seen in a little while!
14. Pick out 5 books a piece to donate to the library!
15. Pick out 3 of your toys to give to a friend!
16. Make something special to give to your teachers – something that will make them smile!
17. Work together to figure out what 3 gifts the Wise Men brought to baby Jesus!
18. Bake a batch of brownies to take to a neighbor!
19. Write a Christmas card and mail it to someone serving in Missions far away!
20. Discover all you can about King Herod and how he felt about Jesus!
21. Make a Christmas gift for Pastor Michael and his family!
22. Write a letter to the Lydia, Esther, Jonathan, Nathan and Daniel in Brazil!
23. Choose an animal from Gospel for Asia to purchase with money from your piggy bank!
24. Make a Christmas craft to display or to give to someone you love!