Supplies: A Nature-themed Advent Calendar

Here is a list of supplies you will need to follow along with the nature-themed advent calendar, which begins on December 1st.

Week One

• A journal in which to record your thoughts & memories about this season of Advent.
• Ingredients to make hot chocolate.
• Candy Canes
• Your nature journals, or heavy paper for sketching, plus your sketching materials of choice (watercolours, coloured pencils etc)
• Secateurs, or robust scissors
• Old newspapers
• PVA glue
• Small paintbrushes (ones that you do not mind using with glue; the glue will spoil them somewhat.)
• Lots of glitter! Here is a biodegradable option, for those who would like to consider the effects of micro plastics on the environment.
• Cotton thread
• Garden wire
• Garden twine
• Large sheets of paper: I like to use brown wrapping paper, lining paper is another option.
• Poster paint
• Small cookie cutters (festive ones will be extra special!)
• Potatoes ~ you can see where this is headed 😉

Week Two

• Your ‘Mother’s- journal’ in which to record your thoughts & memories about this season of Advent.
• Ingredients to make hot chocolate.
• Candy Canes
• Your nature journals, or heavy paper for sketching, plus your sketching materials of choice (watercolours, coloured pencils etc)

• A selection of Christmas books to read aloud

Some of our favourite nature-themed Christmas stories:

• The Christmas Kitten by James Herriott
• Night Tree by Eve Bunting
• This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar
• The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
• The Cobweb Curtain by Jenny Koralek
• The Tale of Three Christmas Trees by Hunt/ Jonke
• A Wish To Be A Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe

• Bird seed to top up your feeders
• 300g salt
• 360g plain flour
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 250ml warm water
• optional extras:
  • Cinnamon & ground ginger (1 tsp each)
  • Peppermint essence (a few drops) and red food colour dough
  • Food colour & glitter. Here is a biodegradable option, for those who would like to consider the effects of micro plastics on the environment.
• Dark-coloured crayons
• White paper (printer paper is ideal)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Metallic marker
• Blank cards and envelopes (or make your own cards from folded coloured cardstock.)

Week Three

• Your ‘Mother’s- journal’ in which to record your thoughts & memories about this season of Advent.
• Ingredients to make hot chocolate.
• Ingredients to bake your favourite Christmas treat
• A pencil
• Felt-tip markers or poster paints
• Metallic marker
• Varnish or PVA glue & a suitable brush (non-essential)
• Ingredients to make a favourite mulled drink (If you wish to follow my recipe, you will need a bottle of apple juice, a cinnamon stick, a couple of cloves, and an orange.)

Week Four

• Your ‘Mother’s- journal’ in which to record your thoughts & memories about this season of Advent.
• Ingredients to make hot chocolate.
• Wild bird seed, suet balls
• A favourite Christmas film

Some of our favourites:

• Elf
• The Polar Express
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• Home Alone
• The Grinch

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