Inexpensive Nativity Scene Your Family Will Enjoy Making

While bought nativity scenes are beautiful. They are often easily broken. There is something really magic in the family making a nativity scene of their own, and doing it together.

For the stable

Tree Blue

Materials you will need:
Cardboard box or small wooden crate Match box Brown Paper Cardboard Gold Glitter Toy sheep, cows, goats, camels and a donkey Short pieces of straw

Instructions:
Cover the cardboard box in brown paper. If you are using a crate you don't need to cover it Place the straw on the floor of the stable Place the animals at the back of the stable Cover the matchbox inner with brown paper and place on the straw. This is the manger. Fold a piece of material to look like a baby and place it in the manger. Cut out a star from the cardboard. Spread glue on both sides and sprinkle gold glitter on the star. Hang it above the stable.
For the characters

Materials you will need:
6-7 toilet roll inners 6-7 ping pong balls Scrap pieces of material Gum Paper Tissue Paper Tin foil Pieces of wool Glue

Instructions for Mary, Joseph and Shepards
Cover each toilet roll inner (keep three separate) with scraps of material. You could use sacking cloth for the shepards. Use blue for Mary and choose a color for Joseph. Glue a ping ball on each inner for their heads. Glue headdresses on each one and tie a piece of wool around their heads. Draw their faces using a fine permanent marker.

Instructions for The Three Wise Men
Cover the three remaining inners with pieces of bright colored gum paper. Using tissue paper, tin foil or wrapping paper create a different cloak for each Wise man. Glue to one side of the inner. Glue their ping pong ball heads on. Make headdresses for them too, or fashion crowns out of card or gum paper. Draw their faces using a fine permanent marker.

Place the characters in and around the stable. You could also make an angel in the same way using white material and silver glitter.

Have a wonderful, memory-making family time!!

Inexpensive Nativity Scene Your Family Will Enjoy Making

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Advent I: Celebrating Advent with Your Family

This year we will be celebrating Advent for the first time. Although I have a Christian background, I only just discovered this often overlooked celebration. In my research on Advent I came up with some very interesting activities I can do with my boys. I am really looking forward to it and pray that they enjoy it as much as I will.

What is Advent?

Tree Blue

The word Advent means the coming or arrival. Advent is separated into two events - the Advent of the Christ child and the Advent of the Second Christ. Thus Advent is the celebration or anticipation of the Christ child and Christ's Return. Historically Advent is also known as the start of the Church Calendar.

When?

Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent.

Colors of Advent:

Purple - to welcome the Advent of the King (4 purple candles)Blue - sometimes blue is used as well as a symbol of Royalty

Rose - 1 rose colored Candle (3rd lighted candle)

How?

Celebrations of Advent vary depending on the church you attend and which parts you'd like to emphasize for your family. Below you will find what we have chosen to include in our celebration. Please feel free to use these ideas in your own celebrations.

This year we will be purchasing a live wreath for our Advent wreath. The wreath is used to symbolize the new and everlasting life given to us through Jesus the Christ. The wreath has 5 candles - 4 go around the circular wreath and 1 goes in the middle. We will be making Bees Wax Candles this year in preparation of lighting the Advent Wreath.

Symbolism of the Advent Wreath:

The circle of the wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life. Candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son. The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent, which themselves symbolize the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ. http://cresourcei.org/cyadvent.html

Colors of the Advent Candles:

Each Candle is lit on a Sunday. The first is the Candle of HOPE. The second is Joy, the third (rose colored) is Peace, and the fourth is Love. The final candle - Center - is the Christ Candle and is white and is lit on Christmas Eve.

The Jesse Tree:

You could also make a Jesse Tree during this time. A Jesse tree traces the lineage of Jesse to the Christ Child. You can make the symbols with your children while sharing the stories of each symbol.

The Festival of Light:

You can celebrate this festival in a number of ways. It is celebrated in many cultures throughout the world. The celebration we have chosen to do this year is the Spiral. This is especially nice with a large number of children.

Foods of Advent:

Stir Up Sunday Bread Pudding

Saffron buns

St. Lucia

Advent Biscuits

Recipes for Advent

Advent Cookies

Advent Recipe Calendar - (christmas-baking.com)A recipe for everyday

Cookie Advent Calendar for Children - (easyfunschool.com)

Advent I: Celebrating Advent with Your Family

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