Tot School- Advent

~E is 31 months old~

The entire month of December we have focused our Bible lesson and Tot School time on preparing for Jesus' Birthday. 

 I divided the nativity story into 25 days with a coloring page.  We would review days we had already done and talking about the new page each morning during breakfast.  Then after breakfast E would usually work on coloring his page.  Sometimes it took several days for a page to be colored.

We also did a Jesse Tree activity each day.  A Jesse Tree uses daily Scripture readings through the month of december from from creation to the birth of Jesus with the goal of better understanding the person of Jesus.  The devotion and pictures we used came from here .   We didn't turn them into ornaments, but instead plan on turning them into a home made flap book.  I'll post pictures when completed.

We reinforced the lessons being taught to E in his Bible Class through Community Bible Study.   We hung the pictures on the fridge and continued to sing the song he learned in Bible Class.  It was quite a catchy tune and he would reference it as we talked about the Nativity story.  One night we even heard him singing it to himself when he was supposed to be going to sleep. 

We decorated the tree and the house for Jesus' Birthday and talked about how Jesus was the best gift ever given.  "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Cor. 9:15

We made a birthday cake for Jesus and sang him Happy Birthday on Christmas Day.

We set up a nativity set that my grandfather made.  We didn't put Jesus in the manger until Christmas morning.  This is the picture of Ephraim placing him in the "manger bed."

This next picture really makes me smile.  Here E is moving Mary close to baby Jesus so she coul "watch baby."

Then Christmas morning after breakfast and before opening presents Daddy read the Christmas story using the coloring pages we had worked on all month

While Daddy read we illustrated the story using the nativity set. 

It was a great Christmas this year.  I think it might be the only Christmas we will have where in E's mind it really was innocently all about Jesus' Birthday.  Today he came and asked me if we could "do more celebrate Jesus' birthday."  I told him that every day could be a celebration of Jesus' birthday because Jesus was the best gift ever given.  Then I explained that we can celebrate by loving God, by obeying Him, and by loving other people. 

December has been a very sweet month for us.