Activities from our advent calendar - the first week

We could hardly wait for the time when we could open our handmade advent calendar. Its pockets contain one or more activities for each day. Here's what we have been doing the last week:

The 3rd of December - paper snowflakes

Except from going to a local Christmas concert for kids, we have made some nice paper snowflakes. When I was a kid, it was one of my favorite winter activities.

Snowflakes can be linked together in a nice garland, like the one on this photo.

 

You can even  make these cute balerina tutus :



 

Not sure how to cut snowflakes? Look here.

4th of December - making greeting cards

Here is what we created with some cardboard, paper cut from magazines, a glue, cotton pads and pastels:

5th of December - cleaning the boots and doing another season's greetings

Kids in Europe traditionally put their clean boots on the window at the night of 5th December, because they believe St. Nicholas will bring them a gift and leave it in the boots if they have been good all year.

6th of December - visiting local outing site

Lots of Christmas lights, just enough to make a child happy!

Source : gorica.hr

7th of December - 'decorating the tree'

The Older keeps asking when are we going to decorate theChristmas tree. Since we traditionally decorate the tree on Christmas Eve, I gave her to "decorate the tree" in this way:

I found a picture of Christmas trees in the advertising catalogues, which overflooded our mailbox these days more than ever, so I cut them, and let her to make decorations. I think you can guess which cartoon character is this week's favorite.

8th of December making paper chains

50 centimeters of snow fell during the previous night, so we had a lot of winter fun, but we still found time for some crafting.

Paper chains are another nice way to use old catalogues or wrapping paper scraps. I believe that many of you remember this activity from your own childhood.

Cut the paper into strips, then paste it so you get a chain link, and continue to do so on until you have used all the strips. Paper chains can be used as a convenient holiday decoration, especially if you're doing it from wrapping paper scraps.

List of linky parties I participate in: