First Day of Advent

Today is the first day of Advent. Advent is always the fourth Sunday before Christmas. We celebrate this day in several ways. After dinner when it is dark we light the first purple candle on our wreath. We remind the kids of what the wreath and candles symbolize. Then we count down the days in several different ways. Jay reads from our book (Bartholomew's Passage, this year) While the kids color a page from their coloring book that I made from here:
http://www.dltk-bible.com/advent/index.htm. Then this year we want to teach them some traditional Christmas carols so Jay might get out his guitar and we will start singing. I think we might start with "Away in a Manager" and of course we also like the other ones like Frosty and Rudolph.
Each morning during school we will do our Jesse Tree and put up a piece of their nativity scene. I will post a picture of the nativity scene later tonight. It is a craft from Oriental trading and each day they put up a piece leading up to baby Jesus.
I hope you enjoy the first night of advent tonight. The count down is on and I hope you have a blessed time with family and friends and always remembering the "reason for the season" Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Merry Christmas

Elf Yourself

I wanted to share a fun site that you will love doing with your family. It is called:elfyourself.com We did it last year and my niece made one for us and sent it to us for this year. You will crack up laughing and the kids will love it.

Merry Christmas

Free Advent Calendar

Here is a free Advent Calendar filled with activities for you to countdown to Christmas while you're waiting for the big day. Be sure to check the Calendar every day for recipes, crafts, games and lots more fun things to do.
http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/unitssubjhol/a/advent125.htm

Merry Christmas

Getting to know your friends---Christmas Edition

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.
Feel Free to copy and post your answers on your blog but be sure and leave me a comment so I can come visit yours.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? Thanksgiving weekend (except this year we put it up earlier since Anastasia will be gone)

4. When do you take the tree down? After new year

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but going lowfat this year

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Mandy doll

7. Hardest person to buy for? This year---Alexa

8. Easiest person to buy for? This year- Joshua and Anastasia

9. Do You have a nativity scene? Yes, several.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't remember

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Polar Express and all the old classics of Rudolph and Santa Claus is coming to Town

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Little things like extra school supplies in July

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes for those White elephant gift exchanges

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sugar cookies

16. Lights on the tree? Mulit colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have so many I like them all but I would have to say I especially like "Mary did you know?"

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? We traveled one year to Disneyland and then decided home is the best place for Christmas

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all.... Rudolph!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star on the big tree, Angel on Anastasia's

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Gifts from extended family and Anastasia's birthday gifts on Christmas Eve. Then other gifts Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Everyone's lack of Christmas spirit on Black Friday, not having enough money for gifts I am wanting to get

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Whatever my kids are into that year.

Favorite Unit Study and Book

I wanted to share a great site for a free unit study. The unit study is called : A Blessed Christmas: A Unit Study Approach To Studying The Symbols of Christmas. I have had this for a couple of years and each year we pick several activities to do.

http://www.easyfunschool.com/Blessed.pdf

Another wonderful book that our family loves is The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel. It is filled with so many great activites and on it's cover it says: "Helping Children Find Jesus in our holiday traditions" This is what I love about it, everything points back to Christ. If you can't buy it check to see if your local library has it and be sure to add it to your own Chritmas list.

Merry Christmas

The Polar Express

I am so excited that tomorrow we get to go up north to Williams, AZ and ride the Polar Express. The kids can't wait!!! It is a magical ride complete with cookies, hot chocolate, a reading of the story and then of course arrival at the North Pole and a visit from Santa. We will stay at a local hotel afterwards and then come home on Saturday.

We are starting the season early with this adventure as it books up quick and this was the only weekend spot left. They have these rides through out the country so you should see if there is one near you. Just google "The Polar Express" to find out. If not be sure and not just watch the movie but also read the book with your kids as well. You can even have your own Polar Express mini party. Check out these two sites for great activities to do with the book.

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/thepolarexpress/fungames.shtml

http://www.teachingheart.net/polar.html

Merry Christmas

Christmas Unit Study

Here are some websites that have various unit studies about the symbols of Christmas. Just FYI I have checked out most sites but cannot vouch for everything on them so be sure to use your own judgement.

http://www.athomeschool.com/unitstudy/christmas_symbols_index.html

http://ww2.netnitco.net/~legend01/xmas97.htm

http://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/lapbooks/christmas_symbols.htm - This is a great site for making a lapbook and it's free!!!

This should get you started looking around. Have fun!

Merry Christmas

Jotham's Journey

Have you read any of these for Advent before?They are awesome stories of adventure, supense and intrigue that will delight your family this Christmas season. This trilogy (Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage and Tabitha's Travels) by Arnold Ytreeide is an incredible series. It all starts with Jotham's Journey which I am excited that they have finally put it back in print. You read one chapter a night followed by a short devotional. Read one book per year rotating each year. We don't have Tabitha's Travels yet but I can't wait because it will be back in print this summer and we will have it for next year. This Christmas we will be reading Bartholomew's Passage. The stories have fictional characters woven into and related to real people of the Bible and each story winds its way to that very special manger in Bethlehem.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

Here is a picture of our Jesse Tree. The basket is where the ornaments are kept and I displayed some for the picture.

Merry Christmas

The Jesse Tree

Isaiah 11: 1 "Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. "

The Jesse Tree is a new tradition we are incorporating this year. We actually participated in a swap last year with making the ornaments but didn't get to use them. So we are eager to this year.
If you have never heard of the Jesse Tree I will explain it and give you some links and you might want to add it to your family tradtions. To summarize, we are putting a small (2ft.) tree on a table in our school room. Beginning on December 1, we will add one ornament each day. The first ornament represents creation, and we read a little devotional on creation. Then each devotional takes us through the Old Testament, showing how it all pointed to Christ, until Christmas Eve, when we finish.
Here is a great site for getting started easily. I will post some pictures of our ornaments tomorrow.
http://www.shalfleet.net/advent/makeajessetree.htm
I have two great books that you can get to use.

The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean

The Advent Jesse Tree: Devotion for Children and Audlts to prepare for the Coming of the Christ Child at Christmas by Dean Meador You can look them up on Amazon.com

I hope you enjoy!
Merry Christmas