Monday, December 7, 2009

One Wintry Night...Christmas Book Activity: Day 7


Let me introduce you to our Nativity Set.

It's plush. It's cuddly. And it's virtually indestructable.

Our children adore it.

I found it at Ollie's (a discount store) about three Thanksgivings ago, and boy am I glad that I snatched up this sweet deal, because I haven't seen anything like it since.

Question: Why do they make so many breakable Nativity scenes anyway? I mean, how is a kid supposed to resist the temptation to touch such inviting loveliness? I ask you...

...what are those adults thinking?


Our book selection today requires at least a four-year-old attention span.


I know this because my 2.5 year old sat through about one chapter then headed up to my bedroom and promptly settled in for a long winter's nap. (She has a sore throat, poor thing.)

She did stick around just long enough, however, to see a cool illustration of Adam and Eve holding a small white tiger...(which her favorite stuffed animal just happens to be)...but I digress.

As I was searching for good Christmas books to read to the children online, I remember seeing comments about other books that said, "If your kids don't already know the story of Christmas, this books isn't for them."

Well, the book One Wintry Night is definitely the cure for this complaint.

It tells the Christmas story in context, basically beginning with the Creation, and hitting the most significant events of the Bible straight through Christ's death and Resurrection.

At one point, our main character, a boy named Zeb asks, "...what I don't get is how a baby could save a world." The book answers this question quite nicely, but it is a long read.

However, I was actually surprised by how interesting the author made each story. It takes real story-telling skill to pick and choose words so carefully, to make the connection between each scripture story and to the story of Christmas so very clear, and to hold the attention of a very young four-year-old. This author did all of that.


Guy especially loved this picture in the book of the Creation of the world.



He used it as inspiration to make his ornament.


Pretty good, no?
Scarlett rejoined us for ornament-making.


The paint was not runny enough, because it is so old, but we managed.



Here is a link for instructions on how to make this ornament.

Very easy. Not that messy.


1 comment:

  1. Jocelyn,
    I LOVE those ornaments. I made some many many years ago before children and gave several as gifts. They are so pretty. I love your blog. Thanks for popping in over at my blog so often. I love getting comments but am terrible about replying to them!! Take care,
    Laura

    ReplyDelete