To help you to celebrate the approaching Winter Solstice on the 21st of December, there’s a free ‘Signs of Winter’ journal resource for you to download. Perfect for a winter nature hunt!
Happy exploring!
Lynn
Free Winter Solstice Resource
Author: raisinglittleshoots
A Charlotte Mason inspired home educator, person of faith, knitter, lover of the outdoors. Author of Exploring Nature With Children: A complete, year-long curriculum
The Winter Light Bundle: three devotionals from Christmas to Candlemas (for tired hearts who still want to show up)
There’s a particular kind of tired that settles in around Christmas time for me.
Not the “I stayed up too late wrapping” sort (though that’s real too), but the deeper one, the kind that comes through the darkest weeks of the year.
And yet… if you’re anything like me, you still long for something that feels solid, holy, and unforced.
Not a big, shiny spiritual overhaul.
Not a list of perfect practices that you’ll “keep up with” until January 3rd.
Just a small, steady light.
A candle. A verse. A moment of quiet.
A way to keep your heart turned towards God when life is full, messy, tender, and loud.
Introducing: The Winter Light Bundle.
It’s a gentle devotional journey that carries you through the whole winter threshold, from Christmas to Candlemas, in three doable parts.
Purchased as a bundle, the three resources together are $21. ($27 when purchased separately.)
What’s inside the bundle
1) Light in the Darkness — A Devotional for the 12 Days of Christmas
Because Christmas isn’t one day. It’s an entire season.
This devotional is for the days after the big moment, when the world moves on, but your soul is still trying to catch up. Each entry follows a comforting rhythm (so you don’t have to think or plan): a Scripture anchor, a gentle reflection, a simple nature-based practice, and a candle-lighting prayer.
It’s like being given a hand to hold through the holy hush of Christmastide.
2) Word for the Way — A New Year Devotional
I know the New Year can feel like pressure.
Goals. Reinvention. “Be your best self.”
It’s utterly exhausting.
This is different.
Word for the Way is a gentle devotional that helps you discern a guiding word for your days. not as a productivity tool, but as a prayer. A way of listening. A way of asking: “Lord, what are You inviting me into this year?”
Soft. Spacious. Grounded.
3) The Year of Light — A Gentle Winter Journey with God (Midwinter to Candlemas)
This is for the stretch of winter that can feel the hardest: the long middle.
The celebrations are done. The weather is still grey. The energy is low. And yet… beneath the surface, something is beginning.
This journey walks you from Midwinter to Candlemas with a gentle structure and a sense of sacred meaning , without demanding daily perfection. Think of it as tending the hearth: small faithful acts, repeated quietly, until warmth returns.
Who this bundle is for
This is for you if:
- You want to stay connected to God through winter, but you’re tired and overwhelmed
- You crave a devotional rhythm that feels simple, beautiful, and doable
- You love faith that is grounded in real life , candles, seasons, creation, a lived-in home
- You’re drawn to a slower, older-feeling Christian practice: gentle, earthy, quietly reverent
- You’ve been through a hard year and you don’t want to perform your spirituality anymore; you want to rest into it
No perfection required. No “falling behind.” No guilt.
Just light, offered again and again.
How to use it (the simplest way)
If you like a tidy plan, here’s the natural flow:
- Christmas to Epiphany: Light in the Darkness (12 Days of Christmas)
- New Year (any week you choose): Word for the Way (7-day reset)
- Midwinter to Candlemas: The Year of Light (gentle winter journey)
But you can also do it in the way real people do:
start late, skip days, come back, light a candle anyway.
This bundle is built for that.
From my home to yours,
Golden Afternoons and Quiet Prayers: A Different Way to Begin the Year
There is a particular kind of January afternoon light that I love.
I’m sure that you will know the sort I mean, when the sun is already slipping down by three o’clock, and the whole house goes a little golden. The washing-up is stacked by the sink, there are books and blankets on the sofa, and someone has abandoned a half-finished jigsaw puzzle on a side table. Outside, the garden is bare and quiet. Inside, everything is a little bit messy, a little bit tired… and yet somehow tender and beautiful too.
These are the moments when I remember why I care about home, and family, and faith, and slow, very ordinary days.
Not the “perfect” days, but the real ones.
A house full of ordinary holiness
Imagine this with me for a moment:
It’s late afternoon. The sky is turning that soft blue-grey and the street lamps have just clicked on. There’s a pot of something simple bubbling on the stove.
You wipe the table, light a candle, and call everyone through for dinner.
In my home it’s certainly not a Pinterest tablescape , it’s mismatched mugs and a slightly faded cloth, but the candle makes everything feel softer. Someone tells you about a funny thing that happened at work. Someone else is grumpy and doesn’t want to talk. There’s a dog under the table, or perhaps a cat eyeing up the butter dish, or even nobody at all except you, and the Lord, and the quiet.
And yet, as the tiny flame flickers, you feel it:
This life matters. These small moments matter. This is where God meets us.
Not in the “New Year, New You!” fantasies, but here, in the in-between light of midwinter, with chipped plates and piles of laundry and people you love who are sometimes gloriously, maddeningly human.
The pressure of “New Year, New You”
At the very same time that this golden light is falling across our tables, the world is shouting something different at us:
Make a plan.
Set your goals.
Be more. Do more. Fix yourself. Fix your house. Fix your body. Fix your family.
It’s exhausting.
Especially if you’re:
- already tired to the bone
- juggling children, work, health, and a home
- neurodivergent and easily overwhelmed
- or just a gentle soul who feels everything very deeply
You may love the idea of living an intentional, faith-filled year… but the reality is you’re seeing January through a fog of washing, worries, and low winter light.
The result? Often we do nothing at all. Or we write wildly unrealistic lists and then feel we’ve failed by the second week of January.
What if there was another way?
A year that begins in the dark
I’ve been wondering, for a long time now, what it would look like to begin our year the way the Bible so often begins things:
- Not with noise, but with listening
- Not with a spreadsheet, but with light in the darkness
- Not with demands, but with prayer
To trust the God who “guides our feet into the way of peace” to set the tone for the year, not the algorithms, not the adverts, nor our own anxieties.
I found myself dreaming, through Advent and Christmas, of a winter rhythm that felt more like this:
- Midwinter: a quiet page, a candle, and an honest talk with God about what feels tired and what still feels quietly alive.
- The Twelve Days of Christmas: little pockets of noticing; gathering small “lights” from our days, a moment of laughter in the kitchen, a walk in the cold air, a line of Scripture that glows a bit more brightly than the rest.
- Gentle January: sitting down at the table with a cup of tea and all those little scraps of noticing, and gently shaping them into a few kind directions for the year. Not a masterplan, instead just a handful of sentences that say, “Lord, this is what seems to matter right now.”
- Candlemas: standing on the threshold between winter and spring, and placing the whole tender bundle of our hopes and longings into God’s hands, asking Him to bless and guide the year ahead.
No rush. No “shoulds”. Just a slow, steady turning toward the Light.
The Year of Light
A Gentle Winter Journey with God from Midwinter to Candlemas
What The Year of Light really is
The Year of Light is not a planner and it’s not a list of goals.
It’s a quiet companion for these midwinter months; a guided conversation between:
- your own heart,
- your home and family life as they actually are,
- and the Lord, who already knows what this year will hold.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Simple, hand-holding prompts to help you listen at Midwinter, even if your brain is foggy and you feel you have nothing to say.
- A gentle pattern for the Twelve Days of Christmas (or any twelve days that you choose), to help you gather small “lights” from your everyday family life.
- A kind, step-by-step way to shape those little glimpses into a few core intentions for the year, the sort that can live alongside school lessons, park play dates, chronic illness, and everything else that real life brings.
- A Candlemas blessing you can use to place your year into Jesus’ hands, with a tiny ritual you can do at the kitchen table with a sprig of green and a candle.
- A simple weekly question you can return to, over and over, so your Year of Light doesn’t stay in the notebook, but quietly filters into your days in tiny, doable ways.
It is written for the life that you actually live.
You will need:
- a notebook or journal
- a pen
- and a willingness to meet God in the winter dark and see what small light He might offer you.
Come and walk this winter path with me
If something in this has stirred a little “yes” in you, a longing for golden light on the kitchen table, for ordinary days threaded with prayer, for a year that feels guided rather than driven, then I’d be honoured to have you join me.
The Year of Light is now available as a printable PDF in my shop.
It’s a one-time purchase you can return to every winter, at your own pace.
My prayer for you:
That in this winter season, you would know the One who
“gives light to those who sit in darkness…
and guides our feet into the way of peace.”
May your days be held in that Light,
in all their golden, ordinary glory.
From my home to yours,
Lynn
WINTER SOLSTICE WEEK | EXPLORING NATURE WITH CHILDREN
This week in Exploring Nature With Children is ‘Winter Solstice Week – The Solstice itself falls on the 21st.
Here are some helpful links to help with your studies:
- 10 Things About The December Solstice
- What happens during the Winter Solstice (video)
- Billy Nye explains the seasons (video)
- How to Draw Trees in Winter (Tutorial)
- Exploring the solstice & equinox – nature journaling
Exploring Nature With Children is an open and go curriculum. To make it even easier, I have created a free calendar for you to download. There’s a direct link in my profile.
If you’re following along with the community over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello! Think of it as your virtual home school co op!
To enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum, this week’s hashtag will be: #ENWCwintersolsticeweek
Happy exploring!
Light in the Darkness
For most of the world, Christmas is over almost as soon as the wrapping paper hits the floor. The turkey leftovers are packed away, the recycling bin is overflowing, and by Boxing Day the shops are already pressing us towards the next thing.
And yet, within the Church year, Christmas has never been just one day.
Instead, it is a whole season: twelve holy days set apart to linger, to listen, and to dwell with the mystery of God made flesh.
If your heart longs to stay with Christmas just a little longer this year, to rest in the light of Christ rather than rushing straight back into ordinary life, then Light in the Darkness is written just for you.
What is Light in the Darkness?
Light in the Darkness is a 12-day Christmas devotional for adults, written as a gentle companion for the traditional 12 Days of Christmas.
Rather than adding more pressure or a long to-do list, this devotional offers a slow, spacious way to move through these days. Each entry invites you to:
- Draw close to Jesus Christ, the Light of the world
- Notice and delight in God’s creation
- Weave tiny, meaningful rituals into your ordinary winter days
- Make room for quiet reflection, hope, and peace
It’s an invitation to treat these days as holy ground; small pockets of time where you step away from the noise and into the light.
A Gentle Rhythm for All Twelve Days
One of the most comforting aspects of Light in the Darkness is its simplicity. Each day follows the same gentle rhythm, so you’re never having to “figure out” what to do next. You can simply arrive as you are.
Every day includes:
- A Bible Verse
A short passage of Scripture to anchor the day and set the theme, so your reflections are rooted in the Word of God. - A Gentle, Nature-Based Ritual
A simple practice that helps you meet God in His creation, perhaps stepping outside to notice the winter sky, pausing to feel the warmth of a mug between your hands, or lighting a candle as dusk falls. - A Thoughtful Reflection
A short, accessible reading to help you sit with the theme of the day: light, hope, presence, guidance, peace… all through the lens of Christ’s coming. - A Candle-Lighting and Prayer
A quiet liturgy for your own home: light a candle, speak the prayer, and let the words draw your heart back to the One who is Light of Light, very God of very God. - Space for Your Own Thoughts and Prayers
Each day offers room to write. Jot down a line of gratitude, a whispered plea, or a simple “Lord, be near.” This becomes, over the twelve days, a small record of your walk with God.
The repetition of this pattern is intentional. Familiarity becomes a doorway to depth. You don’t need to perform or produce, only to return, again and again, to the light.
Meeting God in His Creation
The practices in Light in the Darkness are all nature-based, but designed to be very simple and accessible. You do not need a wild landscape or a perfect life to use this devotional, just a willingness to notice.
You might be:
- Standing by the back door, watching the rain trace lines down the glass
- Looking up at the first star that appears in the late afternoon sky
- Holding a sprig of greenery from your Christmas wreath
- Listening to birdsong in the cold, clean air
These small acts become prayers: a way of recognising that the God who created heaven and earth is the same God who came to dwell among us; the same Christ whose light still shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
For Weary Hearts and Hopeful Souls
Light in the Darkness is especially for you if:
- Advent has been busy, and you long for a slower, more reflective Christmas season
- You love the idea of the 12 Days of Christmas, but you’ve never quite known how to observe them
- You are drawn to nature and the changing seasons, and you’d like your faith to feel rooted in the real, created world around you
- Your heart is tired, and you need gentle, hopeful words rather than demands or to-do lists
In each ritual, reflection, and prayer, my hope is that you will glimpse the kindness of God. As the Magi once followed the star, my prayer is that you too will follow the light of Christ, trusting that He will guide you into deeper faith, quieter joy, and the sure knowledge of His presence.
He is the Light that no darkness can overcome.
A Small Companion for a Holy Season
If you are ready to mark the 12 Days of Christmas not as an afterthought, but as a tender, intentional season of grace, Light in the Darkness is here to walk beside you.
You don’t need elaborate plans or perfect conditions. Just a candle, a few quiet minutes each day, and a heart willing to turn again towards Jesus Christ, the true Light of the world.
May these twelve days be, for you, a time of resting in the love of God, noticing the beauty of His creation, and letting the light of Christ gently fill the corners of your ordinary life. Find out more & download the sample here.
From my home to yours,
Sanctuary of Home ~ Winter Edition
This week, in the middle of fevers and cups of hot honey lemon, & lemon ginger tea, I finally finished something very dear to my heart:
Sanctuary of Home ~ Winter Edition.
It’s a gentle, guided companion for December, January and February, which can be three of the most challenging , most tender months of the year.
The theme is Stillness & New Beginnings. Not “New Year, New You”, not hustle or pressure, instead:
a slower rhythm for your home
small prompts to notice the light returning
space to breathe, pray, journal and exhale
It’s written especially for women who long for a sense of holy, homely sanctuary.
Brew a cup of tea, light a candle, and join my to reflect upon a scripture, a short reading, and gentle invitations to tend your heart and your home.
If you’d like a companion for the winter months, something simple, soulful and realistic, you can find Sanctuary of Home ~ Winter Edition here.
May this winter bring you pockets of peace, even if life feels a little wobbly at the edges some times.
From my home to yours,
WINTER BIRD STUDY WEEK | EXPLORING NATURE WITH CHILDREN
Next week in Exploring Nature With Children is ‘Winter Bird Study Week’.
Here are some useful links to help with your studies:
- Drawing Birds Tutorial by John Muir Laws
- Feeding Wild Birds: What, When, How, & Why
- Make a DIY birdseed wreath
- Are Crows the Ultimate Problem Solvers? BBC
- Seeing Like a Bird BBC
Exploring Nature With Children is an open and go curriculum. To make it even easier, I have created a free calendar for you to download.
If you’re following along with the community over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello. Think of it as your virtual home school co op!
To enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum, this week’s hashtag will be: #ENWCwinterbirdweek
Happy exploring!
THE SANCTUARY OF HOME ~ WINTER EDITION
Winter asks different things of us, doesn’t it?
By December we’re lighting candles at tea-time, juggling end-of-term tiredness and Christmas preparations. January arrives with its “new year, new you” noise when all we really want is a quiet nap and a hot drink. And then there’s February, that peculiar in-between month , still grey round the edges, but with the faintest whisper of spring at the hedgerows.
It’s beautiful, yes. But it can also feel heavy, and a little bit endless.
That’s why I’ve created The Sanctuary of Home – Winter: a gentle, faith-soaked companion for December, January, and February, shaped around the theme of Stillness & New Beginnings.
This isn’t a workbook to make you “do more.” It’s a soft, steady guide to help you to notice what God is already doing, right where you are: in your kitchen, at the sink, under the blankets, on your walks, around your table.
What is The Sanctuary of Home ~ Winter?
The Winter Edition is a downloadable, printable guide you can tuck into a folder or slip into your homemaking basket.
It’s organised month by month:
- December – Light in the Darkness
Welcoming Christ’s light into long nights, tending your home as a small lantern of hope, and finding simple ways to mark Advent and Christmas without exhausting yourself. - January – Hidden Roots & Quiet Growth
When nothing looks impressive on the surface, God is still working under the soil. January’s pages are about beginning again gently, deepening your roots in Him without elaborate plans or impossible resolutions. - February – Standing on the Threshold
Still winter, but not quite. We pay attention to the “almost” of early bulbs, restless weather, and the in-between places in our own hearts, and learn to wait with God on the edge of spring.
Each month gives you three simple strands:
1. Our Monthly Anchor
A short reflection, carefully chosen Scriptures, and a monthly prayer you can return to again and again.
You’ll find:
- A seasonal reflection to set the tone for the month
- 1–2 Bible passages to sit with
- A written prayer in gentle, everyday language
- Ideas for carrying those verses and words through the month in tiny, practical ways
This is your “big picture” – the spiritual thread that runs quietly through your days.
2. Our Weekly Connection
Four weekly pages for each month, each including:
- A short Scripture focus with a Head–Heart–Hands reflection
- A nature prompt rooted in winter, low sun, frost, birdsong returning, early bulbs, restless skies
- A Gentle Homemaking Ritual – small, do-able practices that weave faith into the home you actually live in (not the one in glossy magazines!)
- A Sharing the Season idea, a simple way to bless family, friends, or community without fuss
Think:
- blessing the shoes by the door as you tidy them
- creating a “harbour” table that signals a pause in the middle of busy days
- a late-winter washing day turned into a prayer for newness and refreshment
- listening to February’s birds as early heralds of God’s “new mercies”
These are not extra tasks. They’re simply invitations to reimagine what you’re already doing as places to meet God.
3. Our Daily Spark
A very small daily rhythm (3 steps) that you can tuck into even the most tired days:
- Pause & Notice – a single, concrete way to pay attention: your inner “weather,” the soundscape outside your window, a little patch of living green, the feel of your hands at the end of the day.
- Pray & Invite – a short prayer or breath-prayer drawn from the month’s theme.
- Give Thanks – one line in a diary or notebook, noticing God’s peace, provision, or “small easing” that day.
These “sparks” are designed to be held lightly. If you can only manage one line of thanks in your notebook, that’s truly enough.
Who is this for?
The Sanctuary of Home – Winter is for you if:
- You long to live seasonally and faithfully, but your energy is limited.
- You crave simple, rooted practices rather than big programmes or elaborate rituals.
- You want to gently invite your family into prayer and Scripture, without a lot of pressure or performance.
- You love the idea of noticing nature, but need someone to say, “Just look at this one tree… this patch of sky… this birdsong…”
It’s written with home-educating mums and home-makers in mind, but it will serve anyone who wants their home to be a quiet place of grace in the winter months.
You don’t need a perfect house or a perfect family. You just need a willingness to say, “Lord, meet me in this real life of mine.”
Why I wrote it
Winter can be hard on the heart.
We’re indoors more, sometimes lonely, sometimes worn thin. It’s easy to feel as though nothing much is happening – in nature, in our homes, in our spiritual lives.
I wanted to create something that:
- honours winter as a sacred season, not just “the waiting room for spring”
- meets you with kindness if you’re tired, overwhelmed, or discouraged
- helps you discover that God is quietly at work in bare branches, muddy paths, stormy skies, and ordinary laundry days
- offers you peaceful structure without demanding you become a different woman overnight
If Gathering & Gratitude was the song of autumn, then Stillness & New Beginnings is the winter refrain:
a slowing, a deepening, and a very gentle leaning toward the light.
My prayer is that these pages will sit beside you like a quiet friend through the winter months , reminding you that Christ’s light has not gone out, that your home (exactly as it is) can become a small sanctuary, and that even now, beneath the soil of your own days, God is growing something new.
Download the sample, & purchase via this link: The Sanctuary of Home – Winter
From my home to yours,
Advent Journals, Small Wonders, and a Gentle Way Into the Season
Every year I seem to be taken by surprise when Advent arrives.
The diary is suddenly full, the sky darkens before tea-time, and my best intentions for cosy readings and quiet candlelit devotions can easily slide to the bottom of the list. Perhaps you know that feeling too: you want to enjoy a meaningful Advent, but life is already quite full, and the thought of adding “one more thing” feels impossible.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the way in is not through grand plans or complicated activities. The way in is through small noticing.
A single candle lit before breakfast.
A robin on the garden fence.
A child’s scribbled star in the corner of a page.
This is where an Advent journal, and especially a Nature Advent Journal, has become such a gift to our family.
Why Nature Belongs in Advent
Advent is the Church’s waiting time, a season of longing, watching, and quiet hope. Outdoors, the natural world is doing exactly that: resting, waiting, conserving its strength for spring.
To pair Advent with nature is to let the world around us teach us how to wait:
- Bare branches tracing prayers across a winter sky
- Frost on the grass catching the first light
- The long, early darkness reminding us to treasure each small flame
When we step outside, even briefly, we are reminded that God’s story is not confined to our four walls. Creation itself is speaking of light, life, and renewal.
What Is an Advent Nature Journal?
When I talk about “Advent journaling,” I don’t mean a perfect scrapbook filled with elaborate artwork (unless that delights you!).
I mean a simple notebook that becomes a home for your Advent days. A place where you and your children can gather:
- Little sketches of what you notice outside
- Weather notes and first-frost dates
- Snippets of Scripture or carols
- Prayers, questions, and small gratitudes
- A pressed leaf or feather taped inside
These notebooks become genuine treasures. When I look back over past Advent journals, I see more than drawings and words; I see children growing, traditions forming, and my own heart slowly learning to pay attention.
You might have one family Advent journal, or one for each person. There is no right way to do it. The key is to keep it simple and to let it be a gentle companion, not another measuring stick.
A Simple Daily Rhythm for Advent
For those who would like a bit of structure, here is a rhythm you can use right away. It’s the same shape I use in my Raising Little Shoots Nature Advent Calendar, but you can adapt it freely:
- Create an Atmosphere of Reverence, Wonder, and Devotion
Light a candle. Turn off bright overhead lights if you can. Take a deep breath together. Advent doesn’t need to be long to be holy. - Read a Short Scripture Passage
A few verses is enough. Let the words sit in the air. You might read them twice. - A Moment of Silence and Prayerful Response
Just thirty seconds of quiet can feel very powerful. Invite each person to offer a one-sentence prayer or gratitude if they wish. - An Outdoor Invitation and an Indoor Follow-Up
Step outside, even if only to the doorstep: notice the sky, the temperature, a plant or tree. Indoors, respond with something very small – a sketch, a line of poetry, a note in the journal, or a simple craft. - The Advent Journal
End by adding something to the journal: words, a picture, a tiny taped-in treasure. Over time, these little fragments build into a rich tapestry of the season.
This daily pattern need not take more than 10–20 minutes, yet it creates a steady, gentle heartbeat for Advent.
Three Simple Ways to Begin (Even If You’re Very Tired)
If your energy is low this year, here are three tiny practices you can try, whether or not you use any curriculum at all:
- The “Window of the Day”
Choose one window in your home as your Advent window. Once a day, stand there together for a minute and quietly notice what you can see. In your journal, write a single sentence:
“Grey sky, one crow, cold wind.”
That is enough. - One Small Sketch
Keep coloured pencils and the Advent journal in a basket. Each day, invite everyone to add just one small picture: a candle, a mug of cocoa, a berry, a star, a favourite ornament. Over time, the pages will fill with colour and memory. - Weather & Wonder Line
At the bottom of each day’s page, draw a little line for the weather (sun, cloud, rain, frost) and one word for “wonder”; something that delighted or comforted you.
“Rain / robin.”
“Frost / kettle singing.”
None of this needs to be grand. Advent is made of small faithfulness.
Where the RLS Nature Advent Calendar Comes In
I created the RLS Nature Advent Calendar precisely for parents who long for this kind of gentle, grounded Advent but don’t have the time or energy to plan it all themselves.
It’s a simple, open-and-go resource with a calm, repeatable rhythm, so you can stop worrying about “what to do” and simply be present with your children.
Each day includes:
- A prompt to create an atmosphere of reverence, wonder, and devotion
- A short Scripture reading
- A moment of silence and invitation to respond in prayer
- One outdoor activity and one indoor activity, all rooted in nature and the season
- Guidance for using your Advent Journal in a way that feels natural and sustainable
The focus is not on ticking boxes or crafting elaborate scenes, but upon layered learning , returning to the same stories and seasonal patterns year after year, each time noticing something new.
Many families tell me they come back to this curriculum every Advent, adapting it as their children grow. One year might be full of paint and glitter; another might be mostly candlelight, reading, and a few lines in a journal. The resource is there to support you through all of it.
If you’d like to take a closer look, you can download a free sample.
For a little while, you can also use the code ADVENT20 for 20% off the full Nature Advent Calendar.
You Haven’t Missed It
Perhaps you are reading this after Advent has already begun. Please know: you have not “missed it.”
You can start an Advent journal on the 1st, the 10th, or the 20th of December. You can begin with a single candle tonight and add a page tomorrow. Grace does not run on a strict timetable.
My hope is that, whether you choose to use the Nature Advent Calendar or simply borrow a few ideas, you will find a way to step gently into this season:
- with your feet on the earth,
- your eyes open to the small gifts of the natural world,
- and your heart quietly turned towards the One who is Light in the darkness.
Wishing you and your family a slow, wonder-filled Advent.
From my home to yours,
CHRISTMAS PLANTS WEEK | EXPLORING NATURE WITH CHILDREN
Next week in Exploring Nature With Children is ‘Christmas Plants Week’.
Here are some helpful links to help with your studies:
- Holly, Ivy, and Christmas Plants
- How to Draw Plants Video series: John Muir Laws
- How to Choose a Christmas Tree
- The Holly and the Ivy. Christmas carol video
- Making Your Own Christmas Wreath: Video
- Christmas wreath printable: Twinkl
Exploring Nature With Children is an open and go curriculum. To make it even easier, I have created a free calendar for you to download. There’s a direct link in my profile.
If you’re following along with the community over on Instagram, do pop over and say hello! Think of it as your virtual home school co op!
To enable you to connect with other families working through the ENWC curriculum, this week’s hashtag will be: #ENWCchristmasplantsweek
Happy exploring!