Advent Activities: How To Make The Advent Calendar (Day 01)

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Each year on the first day of Advent we set up our Advent Calendar. This is generally the day that I sit down and work out what this year’s order of Advent activities will be. We already have an Advent Calendar, a quilted wall hanging with pockets into which I place small squares of paper on which I have written that day’s activity. Part of the fun of each day in Advent is matching the activity number on our paper to the activity in our Advent box.

If you don’t already have an Advent Calendar that is suitable here are two options for you to make your own. One involves sewing, and the other does not, but both are simple activities that will not take too much time!

The NO SEW option – Bunting439660_87540985

You will need:

  • Assorted papers in Christmas colours OR 12 paper doilies
  • Twine
  • Hole punch
  • Texta or pen

What to do:

Cut 24 triangles of the same size out of paper. Punch a single hole in the two top corners of each triangle. (For doilies cut in half and then punch a single hole in two corners along cut edge). Number each triangle/doily from 1-24. Thread twine through the holes, threading each triangle on in numerical order. On the back of each triangle you can write the activity for each day. Hang on the wall, or across a window.

The SEW option – wall hanging1320872_45390491

  • Two cotton tea towels
  • Coat hanger
  • Laundry marker or fabric paint
  • Sewing machine and thread (you can hand sew if you prefer)

What to do:

Set aside one tea towel, this will be the wall hanging. Feed one end through the coat hanger, overhanging about an inch on the other side. Pin, then sew along the bottom of the coat hanger. This is how the wall hanging will hang.

Cut 24 rectangles and squares in varying sizes from the second tea towel. Arrange to fit on first tea towel. Number each rectangle/square from 1-24 and pin in place. Sew around three sides of each shape to create a pocket. For this Advent calendar you can write the day’s activity on a small piece of paper that fits in each pocket.

As we make our journey through Advent you can write down for each day what activity we undertook as a reminder for next year!

Click here for the list of supplies you need for the week.

Originally posted 2013-12-01 23:47:17.

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