I'm not one for the chocolate calendar’s that you can buy in stores. Since miss3 came along I made a very simple felt calendar that we have used until this year.
I just loved the idea of the kids having a Christmas activity a day leading up to Christmas so I made up some activities getting ideas from here and here along with a few of our own to specialise it to our family, community and christmas activities we have participate in. I also wanted to make sure that it was not all about the kids so added in some community service activities that suit their age and also activities that were free, cheap to make it affordable.
The activity tags were "gift cards" that I stuck the activities onto the back.
We had the Advent Calendar given to us a few years ago and never has a use for it....but now it has come in handy as it fits the purpose of this calendar nicely.
this is what we came up with:
- Decorate the Christmas tree
- Go shopping for a new decoration (this is a family tradition that the kids get to pick a decoration each year fro the tree. When they leave home they will have a box of decorations to take with them)
- Make a Christmas craft with mum
- Write a letter to Santa
- Ge a photo taken with Santa
- Visit the lights on Harrowfield St
- Visit the temple view lights
- Go to the Santa Parade
- Family sleep over in the lounge watching a christmas movie
- Make Christmas cards
- Make a gingerbread house
- Make a Christmas gift for your teachers
- Go shopping for Christmas gifts (they get to pick a present from the $2 shop for each family member)
- Wrap Christmas presents
- Make Hot Chocolate and listen to Christmas carols
- Read a Christmas story
- Shop for a gift for the Christmas wishing tree (this goes to kids in NZ that would not normally get presents)
- Pick a Christmas treat for the food bank
- Write and send a card to your sponsor child (every member of our family has a sponsor child from world vision. The kids children are the same age as them so they are part of our global family)
- Watch a video message from Santa
- Go to a Christmas eve service at Church
- Christmas Dinner with the J family (this family are close family friends that are more like Aunty and Uncle that we have a special dinner with at Christmas)
- Make Christmas Cookies
- YAY Christmas Day!
oh I love love love this idea!! I am so going to do this too, and I love that you've done all the hard work thinking about it so it will be even quicker for me to organise one for OUR family... heehee :-) Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteheheh Im glad to make it easier for you. Enjoy Lyn :) it is going to be so much fun.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you blog about it so I can see what you do :)
The list is in no particular order. I have it ordered in the pockets.....will share each adventure as we do them :)
Hey - great idea about the sleepover! Going to put the airbed up by the christmas tree for our two big boys so they can sleep in the living room at the start of the school hols. Cheers! Great blog xx
ReplyDeleteThanks for the message. Hope your boys enjoy having a sleep over by the tree :)
ReplyDelete