I do enjoy the hush of late November. The days draw in, the kettle boils often, warm lamplight pooling in dark corners of my home.. In our old British rhythm, the Sunday before Advent, Stir-up Sunday, arrives like a gentle knock, reminding us to gather, to pray, and to prepare room.
Traditionally we would stir the Christmas pudding and pray, “Stir up, we beseech thee…,” each family member taking a turn with the wooden spoon and a wish. Domestic work as devotion.
This is exactly the heart behind A Nature Advent Calendar, a simple, open-and-go companion that begins with an introduction to the season of Advent, and an invitation to celebrate the British tradition of Stir Up Sunday, then guides you through Advent with a quiet, devotional rhythm that honours both the natural world outside your window and the Church season we’re keeping inside our homes.
A gentle rhythm you can actually keep
Each day follows a short, steady pattern:
- Create an Atmosphere of Reverence, Wonder, and Devotion
- Scripture Reading
- A Moment of Silence & Prayerful Response
- An Outdoor Invitation
- An Indoor Activity
No busywork. No pressure. Just enough to keep the season calm, gentle, and meaningful.
And because our memories ripen on paper, keeping an Advent Journal is woven throughout, for you and for your child. Think of it as your keeping of the light: a line of Scripture, a pressed leaf, a quick sketch of the dusk sky, a few sentences of gratitude.
For the home-educating mother
You carry much. Advent doesn’t ask for more of you; instead, it invites a gentler shape to what you already do. Two ideas that you may wish to try:
Idea 1: Fold Advent into the work you’re already doing.
- Morning time: light the candle, read the day’s Scripture, sing one verse of a carol.
- Nature study: the Outdoor Invitation is your lesson, observe, label one thing, and date the entry.
- Language arts: copywork from the day’s verse or carol; older children may write three sensory lines from their time out of doors.
Idea 2: Choose an “enough list” (not a to-do list).
- One Scripture, one outdoor noticing, one small making. If all you manage is the candle and two minutes of quiet while dinner simmers on the stove, that counts. Secret: the stillness is the lesson. When you light a candle and everyone pauses, even for thirty seconds, you are teaching something larger than facts: attention, self-regulation, reverence, and the capacity to hear the small voice within. Children who practise tiny pockets of quiet learn to notice: their breath, the robin outside, the way Scripture lands on the heart. That noticing is the root of all true education.
If energy is low or littles are wriggly, keep a basket by the door: hats and mittens, a hand lens, colouring pencils, a glue stick, small journals. Ten minutes outside + five minutes to paste a leaf into the Advent or nature journal and write the date is a perfectly good Advent day.
If this sounds like the season you’re longing for, you’ll find A Nature Advent Calendar in my shop, ready to print, pop in a folder, and begin on Stir-up Sunday. May it keep you company, and help you to make a home where reverence is natural, and wonder is never far away.
Use code: ADVENT20 for a seasonal, 20% discount.
From my home to yours,
