Countdown to Christmas: Activity Advent

Christmas is so exciting when you are a child. I remember the huge build up to Christmas day when I was a child, christmas cards given out to classmates, all the end of year school activities, and excitement about going to stay with family for Christmas. For years now my family has had 3 generations of adults, but in the last few years we have started to add to the 4th generation, and the eldest of that generation are starting to be conscious of Christmas and all the excitement that comes with it. The bonus of having children who are beside themselves with the happiness of the season is that it can't help but rub off on the adults around them!

I have decided that for Mia's enjoyment, and my own, I am going to start a tradition of an activity advent in December. Ellie can join in properly in a couple of years when she realises how exciting Christmas is. I have been trying to come up with a mix of activities, and here is what we are going to do each day in December:

1. Take out the advent calendar my Mum made last Xmas.



2. Write santa a letter (Mia has been asking to do this for weeks!)



3. Make fimo ornaments. Here are some pictures of ideas:
   
   From etsy:
   

From meet the Dubiens:

From etsy:

From geekabella:

4. Make gingerbread men

5. Go to the library and get some Christmas books

6. Go to shop and let Mia pick a decoration each for her and Ellie

7. Buy a present for a child in need and put under Xmas tree in Coastlands. Talk about why we did this.

8. Make orange pomanders (Image from sjarmerende jul)

9. Buy a present for community in need from world vision and discuss where it will go and why they need it.

10. Collect things from the beach and use them to make decorations.

11. Decorate the tree.

12. Watch an Xmas movie with treats.

13. Photo with santa.

14. Make christmas mince pies and take them to an old peoples' home.

15. Make woven decorations from the crafty crow.

16. Take Xmas baking to friends.

17. Take food to the food bank and talk about why people need to use the food bank, especially over Xmas.

18. Wrap Xmas presents.

19. Make Xmas making and take to the maternity hospital for mothers and staff working over Xmas.

20. Pick up rubbish.

21. Go out for a family meal together.

22. Colour in Xmas pictures.

23. Sing Xmas carols.

24. Open 1 present from under the tree.


Depending on the weather and whay is happening I reserve the right to mix the days up a bit! In fact we have cheated and already done a couple of them. The food bank did a collection so we put a bag out, and Mia wrote her santa letter:


Who wants to join some of our new traditions?

I won something!!! And a challenge for all of us!

Guess what? I just won a giveaway from a blog! Very excited to have won 3 patterns from Sew Sweet Patterns who I blogged about a while ago because I bought 3 of their patterns! I can vouch for them as being easy to follow and well made. Last time I won something it was in a three, so hopefully that will happen again this time!

I also have a challenge to put to myself and invite anyone else who is keen to join. Hands on as we grow has put forward a 30 day challenge to have more hands on play with your kids. They will be putting an activity on that you can do easily with your preschoolers for the next 30 days. You can even get them emailed to you daily! I am going to participate, particularly as we have had a week away with my parents and I have been very lazy about doing anything exciting with Mia. Their first challenge is to write yourself a little mission statement about playing with your kids and also to record anything they are particularly interested and not interested in. Here are mine:

Mission statement: To spend half an hour every day in hands on play with Mia, and to not be distracted by chores, or things I would "rather" be doing.

Mia's interests at the moment: Drawing, making things from craft materials, baking, imaginative play, reading.

Right now I really need to go and turn Dora off (my half an hour lunch break while Ellie sleeps!) and we are going to make a playdough garden! Then its off to the library. Why don't you join me in trying to step outside your comfort zone and be a more exciting parent!?

P.S: Here is the playdough garden, with wildlife!!

Making a Mia

Mia has finally stopped having a sleep in the middle of the day. I guess I have done pretty well, she is over 3! I have vowed that on the days she isn't at preschool I will make an effort to do something fun and educational with her while Ellie sleeps.

Today we made a "Mia". I am sure that most of you have drawn around someone in chalk before and coloured them in, well we did a variation on this and decorated the outline with things from the garden. Stones for a face, grass for hair and socks, flowers and leaves for clothes, twigs for hands and flower pots for shoes. Mia was very proud of her "Mia". It was fun spending a half an hour in the sun with her being busy and happy.

Blog resolution and School Fair

My cousin Holly and I have made a pact to add to our blogs at least 5 times a week. Even if nobody else reads them we read each others, and with little kids we need something rewarding for ourselves in our lives! So now I have to think of some things to blog about!

Last weekend my parents were down our way. We decided to go to a local rural school's "School Fair". I grew up in a rural area myself, and I miss that aspect of my current suburban existance. If I had my way my family would go completely feral and live on some land in the middle of nowhere and raise pigs and chickens, but land costs money and you need a job to get money, so that won't be happening any time soon! My sister also came and took Quinn my nephew.

The kids (and the adults) had a great time! There was fudge and sausage sizzles, 50 cent books and $5 bags of clothes, bric-a-brac, toffee apples and balloons. Mia especially enjoyed getting her face painted and riding a pony.

Quinn enjoyed the petting zoo.

There were 21st century twists to the Fair, a cafe and organic veges for sale. And we only spent $11! And Nathan got his fudge and sausage, which he had been excited about all week.