This week, with December just around the corner, Roy was thinking about Christmas. All the decorations are up in the shops, and people are already starting to make gifts. Roy loves Christmas, but he thinks this might be a little early to begin celebrating - Advent, the Church season of preparation for Christmas, hasn't even started yet. That is the one area of Christmas Roy is willing to think about this early - Advent Calendars. He loves getting up to open the little window and see what is behind it. This year, he wanted to try making a really old fashioned one, so he experimented a bit and came up with his own design which he would like to share with you. So this week, Roy Creates An Old Fashioned Advent Calendar.
You Will Need:
- 2 pieces of A4 paper (one may be printed with Advent Calendar Designs, downloaded from below)
- 1 flattened manilla folder or coloured cardboard
- Scissors
- A craft knife
- A ruler
- A pen and pencil
- Masking tape or sticky tape
- Glue
- Glitter and glue (Roy used glitter glue to reduce the mess) and a cotton bud or paintbrush to apply it with
- Christmas stickers
- Colouring pencils
Optional: Roy really likes old fashioned designs, so he decided to use one of his old Christmas Postcards as his Advent Calendar front. You can draw your own picture if you like, or Download Advent Calendar Images. Roy made his A4 size, but print them however large you like. If you make your own design, you will want coloured pencils or pens or paint and a paintbrush
Method:
- Draw 24, 3 sided boxes onto the back of your picture, using a light pencil. To make sure all of Roys windows were the same size, Roy cut a little cardboard template which he drew around. It was 2.5 by 2.5 centimetres.
- Note: you use 24 flaps because the 25th day is Christmas. You want to mark the days leading up to Christmas.
- Get an adult to help you use the craft knife and cutting board to very carefully cut the flaps in your picture. Cut along the three lines you drew, but don't cut the 4th side. You want doors, not holes!
- Cut the manilla folder in half. You want one piece big enough to fit your picture on. Roy made his bigger and cut it down later.
- Put a dot of glue in each corner of the plain A4 sheet and glue the picture to it, carefully making sure they are lined up together. Then, use the masking tape to tape the two pieces of paper firmly onto the manilla folder backing.
- Use the pen to write numbers on the flaps. You can write the numbers in order, or make them random around the picture, like Roy did so you can have the fun of searching for the window each day.
- Now, carefully pull back the flaps, trying not to crease them, and put a sticker behind each window. You could write something behind the window instead if you wanted, or draw a picture, but Roy liked the stickers (readily available from Craft and $2 Shops).
- Cut strips from the other piece of manilla folder to hide the masking tape and glue them around the edge of your Advent Calendar. Trim the calendar so it is neat and tidy.
- Use the glitter to highlight any parts of the picture you like. Roy used white glitter on the snow and Santa's hat.Be careful not to glue the windows shut!
- Wait for December 1st and enjoy!
