Advent Activities

Whilst it's fun to just open the advent calender and light the candles why not come up with a list of advent activities that your can do each day together in the lead up to Christmas.....

I have been looking for ideas....... here are a few of my favourite..... click on the link for each one to go to their blogs....

and finally......

What ever you choose today have a great advent.....

Kids Crafts - Advent

Children love the anticipation of Christmas and there is nothing more exciting than counting down the days leading up to that big event......

So instead of buying a chocolate filled Advent Calendar why not make your own - with the kids help of course......

Here are a few easy but effective ideas to inspire you that you can all make leading up to the start of Advent...

all these ideas are really simple and you probably have most of the materials to hand - obviously minus the gifts inside.......

if you want more ideas check out pinterest there's loads of ideas there......

Build a Bug a Home

 - Shoebox or any small cardboard box

A selection of bug friendly materials, here are a few suggestions of what to use and what kind of animals you might get moving in:

............Straw and hay make great bug hibernation sites
............Twig bundles - bigger insects love these
.............Dead wood brings in beetles, woodlice, and ladybirds
.............Dry leaves mimic the forest floor and will bring in all kinds of bugs
.............Loose bark chips will attract beetles, centipedes, spiders, woodlice – all the animals that                            break down wood
.............Old garden canes or a piece of wood with some holes drilled in it make a great home for                            solitary bees
.............An old terracotta flower pot turned upside down makes a great spot for a bumble bee nest –                      try adding some nice soft moss to entice them in!

The most important thing is to use natural materials that bugs love, so get creative and don’t limit yourself to these suggestions – you could add pine cones, old slates or bricks, anything you fancy (some people even put their old woolly jumpers in their bug houses). 

As a bonus, most of us already have some great bug house material just lying around in our gardens, so you can do a bit of recycling too.

Here are some of the bug houses I found on line....... 

or how about this one????

The above idea came from 'the bug club' website - click on the bug below for the link

Seussville

If you and your children love green ham and eggs; one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish; and (our absolute all time favourite) the sleep book - I think we can recite the whole book by heart!

You are all going to love this site - it's a gentle celebration of all things 'cat-in-the-hat'

There are loads of things to do here from printables to colour-in, learning and fun activities to do along with games to play and recipes to try.

Even if your child isn't quite old enough to fully interact with the site all the colours and animation will fascinate and entertain them.

We all love this site it's fabulous......

Check it out - here's the link.......

I couldn't write about Dr Seuss with out a few quotes........ 

• Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

–      The Lorax

• A yawn is quite catching, you see like a cough, it just takes one yawn to start other yawns off. 

–      The Sleep Book

• It is fun to have fun but you have to know how.

–      The Cat in the Hat

• Don’t give up! I believe in you all! A person’s a person, no matter how small!

–      Horton Hears a Who

• A host has to put up with all kinds of pests, for a host, above all, must be nice to his guests.

–      Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose

• So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact, and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.

–      Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Calendar Fun

Every year my nieces, Bethan & Jelly (nickname for Genevieve), have made their father a calender for Christmas.

Originally the pictures for each month were collages or finger paintings and hand prints but as the girls grew up the calender has become more & more impressive.

This year they have progressed to planning; staging & taking the photographs; editing & they also plan to upload the pictures to get the calender published.

This year the aim is to take loads of pictures of Timothy (my well loved bear) in loads of different places & poses.

So far he has visited France on a boat

 and played boule,

Posed with a impressive Knight

and I have no idea whats going on here!

The girls are having so much fun doing this and it is teaching them all about photography & editing. They are really inspired.......

If you and your children want to have a go at this all you need is a digital camera or phone.

Most catalogues and supermarket chains offer a publishing service on line and you just have to upload your chosen photo's. It's quite cheap to do - you can even have a mouse mat or a mug printed if you wish.
 My brother loves receiving this each Christmas and it is always in pride of place in the kitchen. Mike (my brother) has kept every single one and it has been a great way to look back & remember special events.

Math Dice

This a really simple way of practicing maths.To play we just roll a pair of dice, put the two numbers in the box and then add them up - simple.

I have laminated ours so we can use it again & use our white board markers on.

Just go to the link below to download a printable of the above chart and then find two dice & 'let 'em roll'

Math Dice

Cork Boats

Another simple craft idea & a good use for all those left over wine corks stashed around the house.

follow this link below for the full SP

We have made them on a rainy day & had races in the tub; made them outdoors on a sunny day & had races in the stream and taken them to the beach for rock pool fun. Everyone can make a different colour sail & decorates them as well.

Cork Boats