My Little Advent (Updated for 2013)

NOTE: updated files for 2013:
Advent cards 2013
Advent calendar 2013
Christmas calendar 2013-2014

With Thanksgiving being later in November this year and the first Sunday of Advent being THIS Sunday, I’m in a little frenzy trying to work out all the homeschool Advent retreat and our Thanksgiving, and refine our own Advent plans, especially while having a computer on the fritz. But I think my retreat plans are all nailed down and I just need to make my way to a copy center, so I don’t use up all my toner.

I thought I would share the little projects we will be doing. Our retreat is aimed for the Kindergarten to 2nd grade crowd. While Advent is interspersed with all sorts of feasts, I wanted to present a more unified idea that will go through the whole of Advent.

The first is preparing the manger. I did this a few years ago, adapting Alice’s Take-Along Mangers. We painted the mangers brown, I cut raffia and gave each child a baggie to fill the manger, or an alternative is a list of good deeds and prayers printed out on yellow paper. This is the list I’m presenting: Manger Straws

For our Baby Jesus I use a wooden little people, man size 2 3/8″. These are available at the local craft stores. The children use permanent marker to draw the face. Then I have pieces of flannel to line the manger and wrap baby Jesus.

The second project is based on inspiration from Maryan. I bought loose-leaf rings for chore reminders and had extras. While I’m not providing lanyards, simple pipe cleaners made into a circle or shoestrings can hang these little cards on doorknobs. (I’d love to find a place to get purple lanyards inexpensively. Anyone have any suggestions?)

File: My Little Advent cards 2012

These are business card size, are meant to print on cardstock, and then cut out and hole-punched and put on loose-leaf rings such as these or found in your local office supply store. There is a picture and simple thought for each day of Advent until Christmas.

Note that the margins are very small on these documents, and some printers might not print to the edge.
The Companion Calendar:

Files:
Advent calendar 2012

Christmas calendar 2012-2013