Advent

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Home : 2004 : November : 27

Advent
By Rosie

I am also a third grade teacher in a Catholic school. There were some great ideas for religious crafts/activities posted on the third grade page. I am out on leave now but normally we would be celebrating Christmas around
the world by reading some of Tomie DePaola's books (The Legend of the Poinsetta, The Legend of Old Befana, The Night of Las Pasadas) and talking about the way that people celebrate the birth of Jesus in different countries. We make a chain of good deeds. I give the children four strips of paper and they write one good deed for each week of Advent. I also give each child a paper ornament

and they write their gift to the Baby Jesus on the ornament and decorate it. You could arrange the chain into a wreath or a tree or use it to decorate a tree. We were planning to do a Las Pasadas procession this year but since I am not returning until after the holidays it won't be happening this year. As a school we do a giving tree and collect shoe boxes of goodies that are sent to a charity that distributes them in the third world. We put up a tree in the lobby and the children bring in hats, scarfs and mittens for the poor.

In terms of a writing assignment I have the children write an eyewitness account of the birth of Jesus. They write about the events as if it is happening in front of them.