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.

Please feel free to follow along each day, or dip in and out as you please.

If you would like to share your days on social media, please use the hashtag #natureadventcalendar

Week One

• A journal in which to record your thoughts & memories about this season of Advent. This will be your Family Advent Journal.

• 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 Family Advent Journal in which to record your thoughts & memories about this season of Advent.
• Ingredients to make hot chocolate.
• Candy Canes
• 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
• Ingredients to make Play dough:

• 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 Family Advent 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)
• Your nature journals, or heavy paper for sketching, plus your sketching materials of choice (watercolours, coloured pencils etc)
• 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 Family Advent 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

We’re almost there! Don’t forget to subscribe to the website, so as not to miss a day!

#natureadventcalendar