Plans for the advent calendar

I have tried to do advent activities previously but for one reason or another we never managed to do all of them.  This year, having had more experience and more realistic expectation of our abilities, I am going to attempt it again.  We might just succeed, given that we are only going to do one manageable activity each day.  My plan is to have the academics done by lunch time in December, so we will have the afternoons to complete each activity and have time to get the house ready for Christmas.

These are our advent activities, in no particular order:

1. Make the advent calendar
2. Read The Nutcracker
3. Make Christmas cards
4. Post Christmas cards
5. Visit a Christmas market
6. Choose recipes for Christmas
7. Make mince meat
8. Listen to Christmas music
9. Make Christmas lanterns
10. Do some activities related to The Nutcracker
11. Make nature-based Christmas crafts
12. Learn about Christmas story in great art works
13. Watch a performance of The Nutcracker
14. Make Christmas cookies
15. Attend a medieval Christmas party
16. Put the tree up
17. Make mince pies
18. Learn about the history and traditions of Christmas
19. Visit friends in the neigbourhood to deliver Christmas gifts
20. Drive around the neighbourhood to see Christmas lights
21. Christmas food shopping
22. Make Christmas treats for our birdie friends
23. Make paper chains
24. Make garlands

Today being the first day of December, the logical activity to do is to make the advent calendar!  I gave Tiger a pack of pre-cut card baubles and some art supplies, and he spent a long time decorating each one differently.

Tiger decorated 19 baubles while I had some fun and did five of them.

The next step is to paint the numbers at the back of the baubles with two layers of gold paint.  I had three small wooden clips that I painted in gold and glued Christmas-themed foam shapes on them.

Finally, gather the strings, ribbons and clips to hang the baubles up.

Tiger helped to put the baubles up.  We have decided to place them in random order, just for the fun of it.

Since our advent calendar does not have compartments to store messages, I have written the list of activities onto gift tags, which I will stick onto the back of the relevant bauble each evening to be ready for Tiger the following morning.

This post is linked up to:
1) Homeschool Mother's Journal: November 30, 2012
2) Collage Friday
3) It's a Wrap
4) TGIF Linky Party #56
5) Weekly Wrap-Up