Advent Calendar Project
Offered by Brother Paul Fitzgerald Objectives To have students prepare for the celebration of Christmas by using activities which will nourish their faith life To personalize the students’ celebration of Advent To involve students more closely and actively in the liturgical season of Advent To make use of the student’s creativity and artistic ability
Grade Level This project worked well with 8th graders and would work well for middle school and junior high students. Senior high students may find it too “childish.” Preparation The teacher should make a sample calendar by following the directions just in case the grids don’t match up (they did before being scanned). The teacher should also bring in a commercially made Advent calendar when introducing the project so that students will have a clear idea of the end product and be inspired. Due Dates Introduce the project and set the due dates with enough time so that students will have the calendar ready for the first week of Advent. Having the students submit the activities first will give the teacher a chance to easily review the activities which students have chosen and give time for any corrections that students might have to make. I have found that if I glue the two pieces together, there is a greater chance of success. School glue or paste or a hot glue gun will work. Evaluation Ways of evaluating students’ work are up to the teacher. I tended to reward punctuality, creativity, the ability to follow directions. I docked points for mediocre activities, and late, sloppy work. Material The grid for the art should be printed on a heavy bond or card stock. Source I can’t claim ownership of the original idea. I modified an Advent calendar project for class use. I would like to acknowledge the original source, no longer possess it.
Advent Calendar Project
Step 1 – Creating the Activities In the spaces below, list activities which you can do each day of the month of December up to, and including, Christmas. What kind of activities are suitable? These can range from taking time out for give minutes of quiet prayer to performing a service for a family member. the activity should be something which you can do, something that will help you grow in faith, hope and love. the activity should have no personal names. (For example, “Today I will be kind to Susan” should properly be written, “Today I will be kind to my sister.”) Sample Activities Here are some sample activities. You may use some of these, but it is best to come up with ideas of your own. As God for help to be both a giver and receiver of forgiveness Give at least $1.00 of my own money to charity, the missions Spend 5 minutes reading in Chapter 40 of the book of Isaiah in the Bible. (see note below about the Bible) Be friendly to a classmate you don’t know or like Read about the life of St. John the Baptist Offer to do some chores for your mother Write a letter to a distant friend or relative Visit a senior citizen in a retirement home
Reading from the Bible If you so desire, you may choose some of these readings from the Bible listed below for activities, but limit yourself to NO MORE THAN FIVE. Isaiah 6: 1-13 Isaiah 40:1-18 Ruth 1:1-22 Matthew 1:18- 2:23 Isaiah 7:1-17 Isaiah 41:8-29 Ruth 3:1-8 Luke 1:5-38 Isaiah 8:1-18 Isaiah 48:1-21 Micah 4:1-14 Luke 1:39-80 Isaiah 13:1-22 Isaiah 49:9-26 Micah 7:7-20 Luke 2:1-32
List of Activities that I Will Do During December: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. Christmas Day. Step 2 – Transfer the Activities to the Grid Each of the activities are to be transferred to the grid. the center box is reservered for Christmas Day. Each activity must be neatly printed in ink and must be within the margins of the box. You may used different colored inks. Step 3 – Create the Art For the Front of the Calendar Drawings, old Christmas cards, cut-outs from magazines, etc. may be used to decorate the front of your calendar. The art may be drawn directly on the cover sheet, or items may be glued to the cover sheet. NOTE: It is important to keep to the indicated direction. If you are gluing pieces to the cover, be sue they are not too thick because of the next step.
Step 4 – Cut Our and Number the Doors With the supervision of an adult, use a sharp instrument (utility knife, X-acto knife, single sided razor blade) to cut out the doors. PLEASE BE CAREFUL! DON’T CUT YOURSELF OR YOUR FURNITURE! Vary the way the doors open by leaving either the right, left, top or bottom uncut so as to act as the hinge. You may even make a center cut and have two hinged doors for some boxes. On the front side (where the art work is) number the doors from 1 to 24 in a random pattern, except for the center door which is reserved for Christmas Day, December 25. Step 5 –Give your Cover (with the art work) to your Teacher Who Will Attach the Activities
DUE DATES: 25 Activities transferred to the grid are due_______________________________ Completed Cover with doors cut are due