Christmas is my favorite time of year. Actually the whole last quarter of the year is my favorite; from Halloween to Thanksgiving and ending the year with the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As the weeks in November fly by, my thoughts turn to Christmas.
I was going through things in my craft room, and I came across an advent I had made for my kids years ago. It is nothing more than a little gift card tin. I cut out 24 individual cards and pasted ideas for us to do as we counted down the days until Christmas. I decided to resurrect that idea and turn it into a printable for others to enjoy.
“While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” ~ Luke 2:6-7
Some ideas were designed to help me get things done that HAD to be done, while at the same time engaging the kids. Things like Decorate for Christmas, Get a Tree, Decorate the Tree, Hang Lights are all examples of things that HAD to get done. Then others were solely designed for the enjoyment of the kids. I’ll recap just a few of those ideas in this post.
Borax Crystal Snowflakes
This was one that I truly enjoyed. My son did it again in Kindergarten and I still have his snowflake hanging from the rear view mirror of my car. These are super neat to make and awesome for the science geek. These ornaments will turn white as they age, but they do start out very clear, crystal clear in fact (lol). I like them both ways and treasure mine still today that my kiddos made me.
For an excellent tutorial on how to make these check out realfoodrn.com for instructions.
“And so the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’ ” ~ Luke 2:10-11
Bird Seed Ornaments
There are many different ways to do this one. Some with peanut butter some with lard. The important thing here is to keep it as natural (and simple) as possible when you are working with kids. Not to mention the birds who will be eating them!
FoxFarmHome.com has an excellent recipe and tutorial for these not to mention lots of other really cool stuff! You should check them out!
“‘And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying,” ~ Luke 2:12-13
Cinnamon Ornaments
This is one of my personal favorites. I love making these because they are super simple and while they are baking for hours it makes the whole house smell like cinnamon!! You can find lots of various recipes out there but again, I like to keep things simple. I made these at least 15 years ago and its time to make some new ones. They have long lost their smell but they are so cute that I held onto them anyway.
I used mini cookie cutters for mine. As a side warning, if you have dogs beware, they may eat them off the tree. I lost a few my first year to our Lab Mix who found them so irresistible. These ornaments are non-toxic so no harm done, but who wants their pet eating up all their ornaments?? Check out bakedbyrachel.com for a super easy non-toxic recipe!
“‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among the people with whom He is pleased.’ When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’” ~Luke 2:14-15
Peppermint Scented Play Dough
You can really do any scent for this and you will find lots of recipe options on Pinterest. I personally love peppermint and so does my son, so this is one of our favorites. If you have never made play dough, it is surprisingly easy to make. It makes you start to wonder why you spent all that money for it at the store! (And homemade smells better too!)
This is another non-toxic recipe made with all edible items (unless you use essential oil instead of extract.) Food coloring can also make this lots of fun. But beware it can dye little ones hands to some degree.
YourModernFamily.com has a super easy tutorial on making peppermint scented play dough.
“And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manager. When they had seen Him they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.” ~ Luke 2:16-17
Santa Science Lab
This is especially fun if you have science driven children. Santa Science Lab ideas are very sensory driven and fun. Make sure you have a camera and are prepared to take video and snap shots. (Also be prepared to clean up a mess.) But who ever said science wasn’t messy?
Check out LittleBinsForLittleHands.com for lots of great Santa Science Lab experiments! Your kids will have a blast!
“And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all hat they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” ~ Luke 2:20
25 Other Ideas
On my advent activity sheets I have 25 other ideas that you can choose from. Like I said I picked 24 that I felt would fit best with my children and our schedule and made a tin for them to choose one out each day. Another idea if you print them to card stock, you could hole punch and string with twine or yarn and hang on your Christmas tree. If you number them, they would have to search for that day’s activity to take off the tree and complete. Many ways to make this countdown work for you and your family. I hope you have a very blessed holiday season!
Check out my freebies page for bookmarks, scripture cards and more. Also check out my blog archives for more topics!
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