Monday, November 30, 2009

Advent Calendar Traditions - Writing Out The Christmas Story And Activities - An Unplugged Project

This weeks Unplugged Project theme, at Unplug Your Kids, was writing. I thought the timing of the theme was perfect, as this is the time of year when we're all writing. The kids are busy writing lists of the things they want for Christmas, and the things they'd like to give (but mainly of the the things they want - I mean, they are real kids, after all). And, I'm busy writing out "to do" lists.

These lists of mine are true works of fiction. You could find them in the fantasy section of your local library, or bookstore, if they ever happened to be published. Or, they might be shelved next to the volumes of Greek mythology, as I'm sure it would take an act of herculean effort to actually complete one of them. But, you have to start somewhere in a day, and making a list is where I start. At least with a list, I know if something remains undone, it's only because I didn't have time to get to it, and not because I totally forgot about it.


At the top of my list today, happened to be another writing project. That is, it's my project today, but over the course of the next month, it will become the children's project. Today, I'm writing out the Christmas story, dividing it up into 24 sections, cutting it apart, rolling up the slips, and stuffing them into an advent calendar.

We actually have three different types of advent calendars. One holds a fun Christmas related activity for each day until Christmas. Another type, holds little pieces of chocolate, to make our holidays that much sweeter. And, the last, which I already mentioned, will hold a bit of the Christmas story for each day.

Just to mix things up a little, I'm starting off with the version of the story found in Revelation 12. You know the one with the dragon waiting to devour the baby as it's being born. It's not the usual telling, but it gives a nice fresh point of view. Then, we'll transition to Luke, and end off with Isaiah, for three different perspectives on the same story.

Finally, because the children normally have a verse as part of their copy work each day, I'll have them copy out the story, little by little, and encourage them to illustrate it, as they go. So, by Christmas Day, they should each have their own, handwritten, version of the story to keep.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

1 comment:

Ticia said...

I'm sure using the Revelation 12 one would confuse the heck out of my preschoolers, but they would love it! I'll have to remember it for later, you know when they're old enough to remember something like that.