Celebrating the Advent with Children

I shared on Facebook that I did not grow up doing an Advent calendar, so when I tried to figure out what to do (I wanted more than a lift-a-flap-for-chocolate-every-day calendar), I was sort of at a loss. It's been a couple of years in the works, but I finally have an advent calendar that is going to be fun and age-appropriate for my little people. Feel free to use what you want, adapt what you need to, and add your own personal touch. Younger ones will enjoy making crafts to go along with each day and finding the "hiding" pieces to the nativity scene. I was disappointed to find that the donkey is not actually in the Bible accounts of the Christmas story. In fact, it doesn't appear in connection with Jesus until the Triumphal Entry. I chose not to use the donkey as part of the nativity scavenger hunt, but feel free to use it if you find an activity that does not suit your family and it needs replaced.

I made my own Advent calendar out of a muffin tin. I bought a magnet sheet and cut circles to cover each muffin compartment, then I decorated it with Christmas scrapbook paper and numbers I cut out of foam.

I typed the "say aloud" parts of the script, cut them out, and put them in the appropriate compartment for each day of December leading up to Christmas.

 

To do this exactly like I did (which you don't need to, of course), you will need two books for each child (or one book and a personal letter), dark chocolate, flashlights, characters from the nativity scene or pictures of them (Mary, Joseph, 2 angels, 3 wise men, stable, manger), candy canes, treasures from when kids were a baby, coins, Christmas music, star-shaped treat or craft, coins for each child, bubble bath or bath salts, grapefruit, crown activity, Lifesavers, and a game the family can play together. And a Bible, of course. I hope you and your family enjoy the Advent season!

1.       Read John 1:1-2.
“In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.”

Before time began, God had a plan to save the world. Jesus was already with God in heaven. (We gave watches to our children that we had bought them as gifts. Other ideas include giving each child a wrapped Christmas book or a personal letter so they have their own words from you about the advent season. Or you could do a scavenger hunt with a watch.)

 

2.       Read John 1:3-5
“All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without hi. Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not understood it.”

God knew that darkness and sin would enter the world through Adam and Eve, and we would need a Savior. Let’s enjoy some dark chocolate to remember the darkness that was in the world before Jesus came. (Other ideas:  have hot chocolate, have a bath in darkness and play with Glo Sticks)

3.       Read John 1:6-9
“A man came who was sent from God. His name was John. He came to give witness about that light. He gave witness so that all people could believe. John himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

Jesus would be the light to take away darkness. Let’s have 10 minutes of extra flashlight time in bed to celebrate Jesus being the Light of the world. (Or play flashlight tag or have everyone hold a flashlight while you tell bedtime stories)

 

4.       Read Luke 1:26-38.
“In the sixth month after Elizabeth had become pregnant (with John, who we talked about earlier), God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He was sent to a virgin. The girl was engaged to a man named Joseph. He came from the family line of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

The angel greeted her and said, “The Lord has given you special favor. He is with you.” Mary was very upset because of his words. She wondered what kind of greeting this could be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his father David of long ago. He will rule forever over his people, who came from Jacob’s family. His kingdom will never end.

“How can this happen?” Mary asked the angel. “I am a virgin.” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth is old. And even she is going to have a child. People thought she could not have children. But she has been pregnant for six months now. Nothing is impossible with God.”

“I serve the Lord,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me just as you said it would.” Then the angel left her.

An angel appeared to Mary, a young unmarried woman, and told her she was going to have a child. Let’s do a scavenger hunt and find Mary. (You can hid a piece of your nativity set or use a picture)

An angel appeared to Mary that day.

Find Mary where the youngest women in our house stay.

 

5.       Read again the passage about the angel appearing to Mary.

The angel said she was to name the child Jesus, and He would be the Son of God. Let’s do a scavenger hunt to find the angel.

                Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid.

 Find the angel where we find God’s words to us today.

6.       Read Mathew 1:18
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary and Joseph had promised to get married. But before they started to live together, it became clear that she was going to have a baby. She became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph was a godly man. He did not want to put her to shame in public. So he planned to divorce her quietly. But as Joseph was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. She is going to have a son. You must give him the name Jesus. That is because he will save the people from their sins.”

Mary was afraid to tell Joseph that she was pregnant because they weren’t married yet. He could have had her put to death, but he was very kind to her even though he didn’t understand it all. Find Joseph where your kind Daddy sleeps.

7.       Read Luke 2:1-5
In those days, Caesar Augustus made a law. It required that a list be made of everyone in the whole Roman world. It was the first time a list was made of the people while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be listed. So Joseph went also. He went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea. That is where Bethlehem, the town of David, was. Joseph went there because he belonged to the family line of David. He went there with Mary to be listed. Mary was engaged to him. She was expecting a baby.

Mary and Joseph headed to Bethlehem so they could be counted for a census so that the Caesar would know how powerful he was and how many people would pay their taxes to him. Please receive the gift of money to remember Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem for the census.

8.       Read Luke 2:6-7
While Joseph and Mary were there, the time came for the child to be born. She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. There was no room for them in the inn.

There were no inns available, but a kind innkeeper let them stay in his stable.
                The stable is where Baby Jesus slept his first night.
                Find our stable where we keep suitcases for a flight.

9.       Read Luke 2:6-7 again.

Baby Jesus was born in the stable, and Mary wrapped him in warm blankets.
                Being born in a stable isn’t quite the norm.
                Find Baby Jesus where he can keep very warm.

10.   Read Luke 2:6-7 again.

Baby Jesus slept in a manger bed full of hay.
                A manger would feed the cows and the sheep.
                Find the manger where our baby boy sleeps.

11.   Read Luke 2:8-12
There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were looking after their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.

The shepherds were out taking care of their sheep when an angel told them the good news. These candy canes are shaped like a shepherd’s staff and will remind us of the shepherds in the field who were working hard at every day jobs when they received the Good News. (If it’s not a school night, you might want to “camp out in the fields” by letting the family sleep in sleeping bags in the living room. I also would like to make baby blankets to donate to the crisis nursery.)

12.   Read Luke 2:13-18
Suddenly a large group of angels from heaven also appeared. They were praising God. They said, “May glory be given to God in the highest heaven! And may peace be given to those he is pleased with on earth!”

The angels left and went into heaven. Then the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby. The baby was lying in the manger. After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

The shepherds told everyone about the Baby Jesus being born. Let’s act out the story of Jesus’ birth to retell the story. (You can also retell the story with puppets or have kids create a news report.)

 

13.   Read Luke 2:19
But Mary kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. She thought about them over and over.

Let’s get out your baby books and look at things that I treasured from when you were a baby. (You can also give a Dove Treasure candy, a trinket, or a coin).

14.   Read Luke 2:13-14 again.

The angels sang praises to God, and the shepherds rejoiced with them. Let’s listen to our favorite Christmas music and sing praises to God too. Then we will search for the second angel in our nativity.
                The angels sang together in a large group.
                Find the angel where we keep some soup.

15.   Read Matthew 2:1-8
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. This happened while Herod was king of Judea. After Jesus’ birth, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the child who has been born to be king of the Jews? When we were in the east, we saw his star. Now we have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard about it, he was very upset. Everyone in Jerusalem was troubled too. So Herod called together all the chief priests of the people. He also called the teachers of the law. He asked them where the Christ was going to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied. “This is what the prophet has written. He said, “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are certainly not the least important among the towns of Judah. A ruler will come out of you. He will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for the Wise Men secretly. He found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem. He said, “Go! Make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, bring me a report. Then I can go and worship him too.”

King Herod was searching for Jesus, pretending that he wanted to worship him. Let’s search for words from the Christmas story in this word search puzzle. (Make your own word search puzzle at http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp . For younger kids you can do a lift-the-flap book or play hide-and-seek. )

 

16.   Read Matthew 2:9-12
After the Wise Men had listened to the king, they went on their way. The star they had seen when they were in the east went ahead of them. It finally stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. The Wise Men went to the house. There they saw the child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures. They gave him gold, incense, and myrrh. But God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they returned to their country on a different road.

The wise men followed the star to find Jesus when He was a toddler. Tonight we are going to make some star-shaped cookies to remember how God led the Wise Men. (You could also eat a STARburst candy, go outside and look at the stars, or make a star-shaped craft.)

 

17.   The first Wise Man brought Jesus a gift of gold. Take these shiny coins to remind you of the gold that the Wise Men brought Jesus. Then find our first Wise Man.
                A gift of gold the Wise Men did bring.
                Our Wise Man is hiding in a baseball bank thing.

 

18.   The second Wise Man brought Jesus a gift of incense. Incense made things smell good. Tonight you get to take a bath with fragrant bath salts. As you soak in the tub, remember the fragrant gift the Wise Man brought to Jesus. Then find our second Wise Man.
                The incense gave things a good smell.
                Our Wise Man is hiding with the bath gel.

 

19.   The third Wise Man brought Jesus a gift of myrrh. Myrrh was a spice that was probably later used on Jesus’ body after He was crucified. Though it smelled good, it was bitter because it foreshadowed the sacrifice that Jesus would make later for our sins. Tonight we will have a snack of grapefruit, which is both sweet and bitter, and remember the gift of myrrh. Then find our third Wise Man.
                Myrrh was a gift that smelled really nice.
                Our Wise Man is hiding where we keep our spice.

20.   Read Matthew 2:13-16
When the Wise Men had left, Joseph had a dream. In the dream an angel of the Lord appeared to him. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to come back. Herod is going to search for the child. He wants to kill him.

Joseph got up. During the night, he left for Egypt with the child and his mother Mary. They stayed there until King Herod died. So the words the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true. He had said, “I chose to bring my son out of Egypt.”

Herod realized that the Wise Men had tricked him. So he became very angry. He gave orders concerning Bethlehem and the area around it. All the boys two years old and under were to be killed. This agreed with the time when the Wise Men had seen the star.

The wicked King Herod wanted the wise men to tell him where Jesus was, but they didn’t. Nobody could kill King Jesus without his permission. Tonight we are going to play Checkers to see who will be kinged. (You could also go to Burger King, decorate paper crowns, or play King of the Mountain).

21.   Read John 3:16. Jesus’ birth brought to us the greatest gift of all, the gift of salvation. For those who believe in Him, He is our lifesaver. Let’s enjoy some Lifesavers to remember who truly saves our lives from sin.

22.   Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He spent a lot of time learning God’s Word in the Temple. Today we will go to church to celebrate the birth of our Savior and learn more about God’s Word.

 

23.   Read Luke 2:39-40
Joseph and Mary did everything the Law of the Lord required. Then they returned to Galilee. They went to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong. He was very wise. He was blessed by God’s grace.

One way we become wise is by reading books. Tonight you get a new book to read as you remember that Jesus grew in wisdom through the years.

24.   1 Corinthians 1:18 says that the gospel is foolishness to those who reject it. They think it’s just a game. We will enjoy a game together tonight but remember that the cross—to us who are being saved—is the power of God. This is the real thing—not a game!

The Circus is in Town!

I am loving how the kids reenact all the fun events in their life lately. After we dogsat for a few days, they created dog food, water bowls, and beds for their stuffed animals. After watching Milo and Otis, their stuffed animals had puppies and kittens. After seeing the dog show at Purina Farms this week, they created an obstacle course in our living room for their animals. Now it's the circus. Some friends gave us tickets, and my in-laws took them to the circus last night. Since they got home pretty late, they weren't able to tell us much about it. But today, we got to see it through their eyes. It was very fun to see how they interpreted what they saw.

 

Meet Curly the Clown. He is perfect for the job!

 

 

And Little Sissy, Tightrope Walker and Animal Trainer

 

Little Sissy's best trained lion jumping through the fiery hoop

 

The whole crew: Curly the Clown, the Mistress of Ceremonies, and Animal Trainer/Acrobat

Spring Recital--The Classics

Big Sissy had her third piano recital a few weeks ago. This first was very casual--in a coffeehouse. That was a good way to start out, in my opinion. The second was a Christmas recital in a nursing home. That was fun because the residents loved seeing the kids and singing along. This third recital was very formal. Big Sissy's teacher wore a tuxedo, and the students got all dressed up and each played a classical piece. They performed at Steinway piano gallery, where they sell pianos worth more than our house. I'm sure the owner was a bit nervous as the students came in and tickled the keys to see what it was like to play such a nice piano.

I was so proud as Big Sissy flawlessly played Irish Washerwoman AND still sort of remembered to smile when she was done. I love listening to her use her gift. Unfortunately, there were so many students and so little space that we didn't get to invite the grandparents this time. So...this is for you. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujuh_XNP454

How to Host a Murder

We have been with our small group from church for over 6 years. They've seen us through a lot. In fact, we didn't even attend the church for about a year and they still let us come to the small group while Hubby thought he was going to pursue ordination with another denomination. I knew we had gotten comfortable with each other when, at the Christmas party, we played Quelf together. That game involves dressing up as crazy things, yelling out crazy things, and generally throwing all inhibitions out the window.

 

This weekend we played an old (we had to listen to a cassette tape for part of it) game called How to Host a Murder. We were transported to 1940, and the Nazis were invading France. We had one chance to escape by boarding a 5:00 train by invitation only. We got our character descriptions ahead of time, and we were to dress in character and stay in character throughout the game. I was a young, beautiful princess with a quick temper. I had a great time dressing up for the part (as I tend to do). I wore my headpiece, long gloves, drop pearl earrings, and choker from my wedding. I borrowed a fur coat from a friend, pearls from my grandma, and some more bling and a train case from my mother. Add some vintage red lipstick and an updo, and I was ready!

 

 

Our wonderful hostess, Susan, made the evening even more fun by serving French food. I offered to pick up French fries or make French toast for the evening, but she said she had it covered. We started with an appetizer of cheese crackers--including brie, my favorite. During the first round of the game, we each got a book with more details about our characters and information we needed to disclose by the end of the round. Other details we learned but we were not to share unless pressed (in the case it couldn't be avoided).

 

The characters included me, a double agent disguised as a mysterious business man, a duke, a reporter, a seamstress/author, a weapons dealer, a perfume heiress who loves to host fancy parties, an airplane pilot, and his young navigator son.

 

 

We had two more rounds while eating a dinner of beef bourguignon, mashed potatoes, and French bread. These rounds revealed more clues, sordid details about our private lives, and made us all look like potential criminals. The final round revealed the murderer:  dum dum dum dum.....*drum roll*....

 

Princess Idelle Chatter. Me! Shocking, isn't it? Here I am posing behind staircase spindles...I mean bars.

 

Even my husband, who does not enjoy theatrical events nearly as much as I do, had a great time. I'm going to be looking for an updated version so we can do this again sometime. It's fun to see a new side of people you think you already know. And don't worry...the body bag is hidden somewhere it will never be found.

Roller Skating Club

Big Sissy got roller skates for her birthday and has spent most free moments since November putting them on in the basement and skating around in a circle between our boxes and laundry down there. When she's feeling generous she lets her siblings put them on. Little Sissy and Little Buddy both got some for Christmas, so they have formed the roller skating club. Little Buddy's are inline skates: "the hard kind with skinny wheels." He is doing awesome though. Over Christmas break, Big Sissy choreographed a show for the parents and we were invited downstairs to watch. We had the sweetest strawberry milk in the universe and day-old popcorn for our treats. It was perfect.

 



 

Hippopotamus for Christmas

Big Sissy is very musically inclined. She cried today because she had to practice piano, and it broke my heart. I want so much for my children's passions to align with their gifts. I feel it's my job as a parent to help them figure out what those gifts are and steer them in the right direction. Part of the pain is discipline. I understand that all too well. Part of my gift is teaching, but I cry when I have to study to teach something--even though I love the end result. I know. It doesn't make sense. It's human nature to fight against the things that are hard, I suppose. Even still, Big Sissy has fallen in love with this song this Christmas (and has picked out the melody on the keyboard). She would probably never get in front of a group to sing this, but she did give me permission to post it for my friends and family. That's a big deal. With no further ado..."I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas."