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:
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