miércoles, 3 de diciembre de 2014

Advent Calendar

" Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time" -Laura Ingalls Wilder


First day of December has already arrived and we have prepared an Advent Calendar to share with everyone.

An Advent Calendar is a special calendar used to count or celebrate the days in anticipation of Christmas. It originated in the 19th Centurty from the protestant area of Germany. Protestant Christian families drew a chalk line for every day in December until Christmas Eve. But not long after, commercial entrepreneurs started replacing the ephemeral chalk lines with printed calendars. The first known Advent Calendar dates back to 1851. Nowadays it is usally a thin rectangular card with 24 doors. Each door is numbered 1 to 24 and behind each door there is a Christmas scene, a poem, a small gift or treat like a chocolate item.




Our Advent Calendar is very easy to be done. All you need is some post-it notes and number them 1-24. It's a good opportunity to revise ordinal numbers as well.



Children take part by writing a message under each number such as:
  • give somebody a hug
  • write a thank you note
  • dance
  • give an orange to your friend at school
  • have a walk in the city
  • feed the birds in the park
  • play a boardgame
  • hide 1 euro in a summer cloth
  • call your grandma and say "hi"

     The best part of this activity is that they will have a laugh and come out with many more ideas.

     

     This activity can be done with various groups, so they prepare the hidden messages for other students as well.


     Yesterday was the first day and they all promised to hug somebody. We'll be dancing on the 10th. How about you? Any ideas for these Days of Christmas?

    p.s Pearson has also created an online Advent Calendar. Take a look here:
          http://pearsonelt.es/adventcalendar/
          and Cambridge as well :
          http://www.advientos.com/destinatarios-publico.php?fecha_pc=2014-12-2%2023:59:59


    Keep counting days!
    Alexandra 



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