Showing posts with label Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Days. Show all posts

Day 10

Advent

Isaiah 9:6-7 tells us that Mighty God, Everlasting Father will be born as a boy-child in the line of David.
John 1:1-3, and 14 tell us that the Word was God and the Word became flesh. Luke 3:23-38 gives His lineage.

Jesse Tree
Today's verse tells of Jacob's name being changed to Israel:

Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." - Genesis 32:28

That's a lot of story to sum up with our children, but very interesting!  A simple drawing of a ladder makes a nice ornament for today. If you are making ornaments, today would be a fun day for children to tie or glue a small ladder out of sticks or toothpicks.


To Explore

Christmas Ornaments!
The earliest known Christmas ornaments came from Scandinavia and they came in the form of stars, angels, etc. fashioned out of straw.  The first known ornaments placed on evergreen trees were fruit, as the trees were used on the feast day of Adam and Eve. They were known as Paradise trees and represented both a tree of sin and a tree of life.  Eventually, decorations included fruits and nuts and then other foods such as berries and cookies. Paper ornaments developed and became quite intricate. Ornaments were not created commercially until the 1800's. Glass ornaments originated in Lauscha, Germany.  F.W. Woolworth imported these ornaments into the U.S. in the 1890's.  Dresden, Germany gained notoriety for their embossed paper ornaments. 

Pickle Ornaments began as a fun game that rewarded the most observant child.  Whichever child finds the pickle ornament first gets a special gift from St. Nick. Though the majority of pickle ornaments come from Lauscha, it isn't a common German tradition and no one seems to know for sure how the tradition began. 

Christmas Around the World
There are so many wonderful traditions that come from Germany, they really deserve another day to explore.
To read even more about Christmas in Germany, visit:

To wish a Merry Christmas in German, shout "Frohe Weihnacht!"

Hands On 


  • Slice oranges thinly, dehydrate them (or bake low and slow on parchment,) and string with cinnamon sticks for a nice homemade ornament.
hip2save
sayyes
  • Paint stray puzzle pieces green and glue them into a wreath shape.  Dot on some red paint for holly berries.  Tie your puzzle wreath up with a ribbon to hang from the tree.
C.R.A.F.T.

  • My family's favorite homemade decorations yet are the paper star ornaments that we purchased last year from Hobby Lob$.5by for about 0 apiece. We all sat down at the table together with a stack of magazines and cut out our favorite pictures and designs to mod-podge onto our stars. Everyone ended up with ornaments that reflected their unique personalities. For example, my youngest covered hers in ladybugs, one son covered his in pictures of candy, and my computer-tech husband covered his in pictures of computer parts from his computer magazines. I used Gooseberry Patch catalogs to cut out old Christmas card drawings. True keepsakes!


Music

Sing about decorating those ornaments with a little Christmas Karaoke of Deck the Halls.


Rock Around the Christmas Tree with Brenda Lee:


Books
A beautiful children's story by Frank Peretti, involving Christmas ornaments, though set in July and not Christmas:



 




The Empty Hook


Games
Match 3. Click to move and match 3 ornaments in a row (like Bejeweled Blitz)


Movies
Today's movie suggestion has nothing to do with Germany nor Ornaments, but it is still my family's favorite - Elf!

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Day 9

Advent Verses

Zechariah 9:9 tells us the King will come, riding on a donkey.   Matthew 21:4-9 confirms that it happened just so.

Jesse Tree
I'm glad there is no such thing as Jesse Tree Police because my family takes a lot of liberties with this tradition. We only do Jesse Tree activities on weekdays (it's a busy month and we just can't fit everything in,) so we read Genesis 21:6 and talk about the birth of Isaac, but we then go on to the next set of verses that discuss Abraham's obedience in his attempt to sacrifice Isaac. 

 This is a difficult passage for young children to understand, but it was not an unheard of act for the times in which Abraham lived.  He would have known of the pagan customs around him that included human sacrifices, but he also would have had trouble understanding how his God could ask such a thing. Of course, we know that God's request was part of a different plan and was never intended to be carried out fully.  Whew!


Our verse for this passage is Genesis 22:8, where Abraham tells Isaac that God will provide the sacrifice.

"God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,"

This story is a picture to us of God's father-heart as His own son was offered as the ultimate sacrifice.  It is a heavy day for discussions, but it makes the heart cry with joy for what was done for us.


An ornament for today could be a picture of a ram's head or a small child's toy of a ram or sheep.  Remember, there are no Jesse Tree Police, so if your ram happens to look more like a reindeer...well, use your imagination and squint when you look at it and it might look more like a ram.


To Explore
Santa Claus! This figure has a rich history worth learning. Originally known as Nicholas of Myra (where he became a bishop,) he is now associated with many names and legends. Born in present day Turkey, he was raised in the Christian faith by wealthy parents who died while he was still a youth. He used his inheritance to assist those in need, dedicating his life to serving God. The anniversary of his death is celebrated on December 6th as St. Nicholas Day.

Many children around the world put out shoes or stockings on December 5th, and wake up to find chocolate coins or oranges in them. This tradition comes from the story of Saint Nicholas and the Three Daughters. Some versions of the story say that Nicholas gave gold balls rather than coins, which are represented by the oranges. 

Twas the Night Before Christmas is a poem that was written by Clement C. Moore as a present for his children.  It was published in a newspaper and became instantly popular.  This poem has been a key influence on the Santa Claus figure whom many children adore. His shape, color, and expressions that we all think of when we see Santa all originated with this poem.  The names of his reindeer, his use of a sleigh, all give a hat tip to Mr. Clement C. Moore. A beautiful version to read is a 1912 version with illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith, which is available free online.

Sinterklaas and His Servant is a book by Jan Schenkman, which spoke of St. Nicholas bringing presents down the chimney, but also had him riding rooftops on a white horse after traveling by steamboat from Spain.  The St. Nicholas Day Song, still sung by Dutch children tells this story.  

 These traditions, and many others worldwide began with a very special, very real person: The real Saint Nicholas.

To read about the legends associated with St. Nicholas, see here. Another beautiful site dedicated to sharing the true story of St. Nicholas is the St. Nicholas Center.

Christmas Around the World
Our English name of Santa Claus derived from a version of the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas: Sinterklaas. The Feast of Sinterklaas is a distinctly Dutch tradition.  What a perfect time to celebrate Holland!

To read how Saint Nicholas is received in the Netherlands, visit here.

Some Dutch traditions are a tad ornery, but in their gift giving, they emphasize the unique efforts that go into giving the presents and not on the monetary value of the presents.  This is certainly to be admired. 

A distinctly different addition to the Santa Claus story can be found in the Netherlands celebration of a character known as Zwarte Piete. Parents might want to use caution in investigating this part of the story with kids present. Some images shown in search engines are frightening and others, quite racist.  For an explanation, see here.

In Dutch, Happy Christmas is said as "Prettige Kerstfeest!" 

Hands On
The beautiful design sometimes found on these cookies comes from intricate cookie stamps, as shown below. (recipe here)

  • One Dutch tradition is sharing uniquely disguised presents and requiring an elaborate hunt for them. What a fun day to have a scavenger hunt! Surprise a family member today by placing a note for them by their plate or some other conspicuous location which leads them to another note, leading them to yet another note. Eventually, the clues should lead them to a prize. Clues can be drawn pictures for younger children or more complicated riddles for older children. "Brrrrr, it's cold in here!" could lead to an envelope in the freezer.  "You're so sweet, much like the bowl I'm hiding in!" could lead to the sugar canister. Visit here for more (and better) ideas. 
white lights on wednesdays
Meet the Dubiens
  • Letters made from chocolate are very popular in Holland.  If you are feeling ambitious, try melting almond bark into alphabet letter forms for the initials of the recipients' names. You could also paint the letters onto waxed paper.
  • Though often used to refer to the Netherlands, Holland is actually just one small part of the Netherlands.  For more background information, visit this World Atlas entry.  Label a map for a great geography lesson today.
kitchen fun with my 3 sons
  •  Sinterklaas Poems are very popular this time of year in Holland; try your hand at writing poems today!  Here is a popular Dutch Sinterklaas lied (song):
Sinterklaas kapoentje,
Gooi wat in mijn schoentje,
Gooi wat in mijn laarsje, 
Dank je Sinterklaasje!

Santa Claus ladybird,
Throw something (some stuff) in my shoe,
Throw something (some stuff) in my boot,Thank you Santa Claus!


Music
Up on the Housetop, lyrics found here.
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, lyrics found here.


Books

 The Legend of Saint Nicholas




Rich with history, but probably more appreciated by adults:




 Fun tale of the Baker's Dozen:






Games



Movies






Veggie Tales (We love this one!)


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Day 8

Day 8, the second Sunday of Advent


Advent Verses

The second week of Advent begins today, and for me, there is a change in the air. Last week introduced an anticipation and hope that held such excitement! This week issues in a sweet reverence. Our candle this week is also traditionally purple as a color representing repentence.  It is called the Bethlehem candle to remind us of the place God had prepared for Christ. Five hundred years before His birth, God was already sharing the location plans for the birth of our Saviour. He prepared a place for Joseph and Mary. Through John the Baptist He led men to prepare the way of the Lord. This is traditionally a week of preparation.

Another name for this Candle is the Peace Candle. Our peace was purchased at a price. Our dear Saviour gave much that we might have peace with God. Isaiah 9:6 calls Him our Prince of Peace. Most of our verses this week will speak of the price He paid; the price foretold long before it happened.

Today's verse is Micah 5:2, which told us He would be born in Bethlehem; specifically, the Bethlehem of Judea. There were several villages in Palestine that shared the name Bethlehem, but God left no room for confusion here. Matthew 2:1 confirms this birthplace.

No studies for today but we can't wait to start again tomorrow!

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Day 7

Advent Verses
Genesis 12:1-3 & 22:18 describes a promise to Abraham.
Matthew 1:1 & Galatians 3:16  confirm and expound.

Jesse Tree

Because we make our Jesse Tree a part of our Christmas School Routine, we don't do Jesse Tree lessons on the weekends. You can find many resources that will take you through every day of Advent on our Jesse Tree main page.

Traditionally, the next verse is about the birth of Isaac.  An appropriate ornament for today is a baby cradle. A verse following this theme would be Genesis 21:6 which ironically mentions laughter, referring both to Sarah's laughing when she heard she would have a son in her old age and to the laughter that came into their lives upon the birth of their son, Isaac. Isaac is Hebrew for 'laughter'.


To Explore
Bells!
It seems we see them all over during this season.  Why during Christmas?  Bells have been around for thousands of years as a way to announce occasions.  They rang to mark joyous occasions.  They rang to mark unhappy occasions.  They rang to warn of impending danger.  They rang to call commuties to gather.  They are rung during Christmas to announce the celebration of Christ's birth. 




Christmas Around the World
Hungary!
Hungarians enjoy celebrating Christmas twice! Once on Dec. 6th for St. Nicholas' Day and the second on Christmas Eve.  Hungarian children enjoy a Christmas tree, too, but they do not participate in the decorating.  In fact, they do not see the tree until Christmas Eve.  After supper, children are told not to enter the room, but to listen for the angels.  When the angels are finished decorating the tree, they ring a bell announcing to the children that they are leaving and that it is safe to come in.  After presents are exchanged, many families attend a midnight mass.  The next day, Christmas Day, is set aside for visiting with family. 


To wish a Merry Christmas in Hungary, try saying "Yokararácsony!"

Hands On (cooking, coloring, creating)
joys of boys jingle bells


crafts for all seasons snowman bell


For a jingle bell activity, nothing can beat turning up the volume to Jingle Bell Rock and dancing around the house together.

For a rhythm game, pass a bell from player to player as each participant sings only one syllable of the song "Jingle Bells".  One person would get to sing "Oh", another sings "what", and yet another sings "fun" and so forth until you've finished the song...."it is to ride in a one horse o-pen sleigh, hey!"  But you can't sing your syllable until the bell has been handed to you, creating a fun and interesting sounding song.
Music

 So many Christmas songs that sing of bells!

 Carol of the Bells is a favorite, this brief history explains that it wasn't originally a Christmas song at all!

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 I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
This song was originally a poem, written in 1864 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  The tune was added in 1872 by John Baptiste Calkin.  Two stanzas were omitted in the final song because they referenced the Civil War.  Here is a beautiful rendition by Harry Belefonte:

And here is a modern twist to this beautiful old hymn:


Books

Games
This is a sweet game with beautiful music. Click to make your bunny jump up to ring a bell and then continue leaping from bell to bell to accumulate points. Orisinal's WinterBells

I have one other subtle link to tie in bells and Hungary.  Trace the connection with me, starting with the famous line from It's a Wonderful Life, that says "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings."  The main character in that movie, Jimmy Stewart, was also the main character in another of my favorite Christmas movies: The Shop Around the Corner, which takes place in Budapest, Hungary. How's that for a link?? You might be more familiar with the remake, known as You've got Mail.

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