4Real Forums: Advent/Christmas Notebooks/Scrapbooks

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Topic: Advent/Christmas Notebooks/Scrapbooks

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MarilynW
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Posted: Nov 25 2006 at 7:24am \| IP Logged

I would really appreciate any ideas about where to begin. I have a 5 week Advent/Christmas/12 days of Christmas plan - where we will be reading a lot of books,doing activities relating to the books and to the Liturgical calendar, making crafts, making gifts etc - and I want to scrapbook/notebook this - but have no idea where to start.
We have so many traditions - e.g. our Advent Wreath, Jesse Tree, St. Nicholas Day traditions, Las Posadas, Nativity Play, St. Stephen's Day traditions, Three Kings etc - and I want the kids to write about them, take photos and put them in a book of all we do.

I have never done a lapbook - thought it is on my list of New Years resolutions to research. And I do not think I want to do something specific to one book for feast. I just want to record all our activities.

It will be kind of like a 5 week Unit Study - and all our work will be tailored to Advent/Christmas - I am just not sure how to organize it. Use Scrapbooks/notebooks that we stick stuff in/binders?

Thanks for your help.

Marilyn

MichelleW
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Posted: Nov 25 2006 at 12:55pm \| IP Logged

This sounds like such a great idea! My children are still a little young to do this, but last year I decided to do something like this for myself.

I have a 3-ring notebook, and I plan to add to it every year (since I know that I will forget something). So far I have:
-a page for our Advent wreath that includes the symbolism and all the readings
-a page of Jesse Tree readings
-several pages of Jesse Trees ornament patterns
-recipes for our special seasonal foods
-calendar of what we usually do for each day during this season
-Old Testament prophecies relating to the Wisemen
-a journal section for spiritual lessons the Lord has taught ME this season

I'd like to add:
-illustrated carols
-scripts and pictures for our Nativity play

I am a great fan of 3-ring notebooks. They are so easy to manipulate and you can always add and take away. The down side, is that it really is fun to make little miniature books. This year we are making little books for Christmas gifts, so that helps with my need to make tiny, cute books...

Michelle

MarilynW
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Posted: Nov 26 2006 at 2:25pm \| IP Logged

Thanks for the ideas Michelle. I think I will go with the 3-ring binder - I looked at scrapbooks, Strathmore Sketch books and big composition books. But the binder seems to be more flexible. I got a slab of Christmas scrapbook paper from Michaels - and we have lots of Christmas stickers and Nativity stamps, and red and green cardstock. I will also get page protectors and we should be good to go.

I thought of making the Christmas notebook part of their Liturgical Year Notebooks - but it is going to be sizeable so I think we will keep it in a separate binder.

I treated myself to the Susan Branch Christmas Memories book this year (5 year one) - just an easy way to scrapbook - and I am so pleased that I have actually started it - stuck in this year's Christmas photo and newsletter!!!

Marilyn

Lora
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Posted: Nov 27 2006 at 3:33pm \| IP Logged

What great ideas!!! I have been thinking about having the kids do a liturgical lapbook but a notebook is a way better idea. I didn't know how I would fit everything into a lapbook. I was thinking about maybe having one for each season. Myabe we could use the binder idea to be able to add to every year but fix up a lapbook as more of a review or brief overview of the season. I have no idea really what I am doing but I just have to dive in and make mistakes.

A question about the notebook. Do you put everything in page protector?

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Lora ~ wife to Mark and mama to 6 girls, 1 boy and one on the way

MichelleW
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Posted: Nov 27 2006 at 3:44pm \| IP Logged

You know Marilyn, you've inspired me. I think we will 3-hole punch our St. Nicholas lapbook and put it into an Advent/Christmas/Epiphany notebook. They aren't too young, this is going to be so fun! Thanks for the push Marilyn!

Lora, I use page protectors a lot but not for everything. How's that for vague?

Michelle

MarilynW
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Posted: Nov 27 2006 at 4:49pm \| IP Logged

Hi Michelle and Lora

I am just trying to get everything organized for our binders. Here are the sections I am considering:

Introductory section - listing our family traditions for Advent/Christmas/Epiphany. (I will have them list and illustrate but also give them a copy of my word document which has links etc)

A section for each of the following - Advent Wreath, Jesse Tree, Creche/Nativity, O Antiphons/Christmas Novena. Copies of the blessing prayers,readings, history and narrations from the books we read eg. Saint Francis(Tomie de Paola), The Jesse Tree (Geraldine McCaughrean. Also any Catholic Mosaic work on any of the above. They will take photos of our wreath, Jesse Tree, O Antiphon House etc and put in their binders.

Saint Nicholas will have his own section - with the activities from Saint Nicholas center, narrations from the books we read, Catholic Mosaic suggestions, coloring pages, photos of the crafts, icon work etc. Also copies of recipes for Saint Nicholas goodies.

Section on Saints and Feast Days in Advent - details fo any activities we do/books we read eg Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadelupe, St. Juan Diego etc

Section on Saint Nicholas/Christmas traditions around the world.

Section on favorite books read, movies watched, music/carols

Section on Advent/Christmas family outings - eg Nutcracker, Festival of Nine Lesson and Carols, visits to historic houses (eg for us Mount Vernon or Sully Plantation or Oatlands Plantation by candlelight), visits to nursing homes etc

Section on the 12 days of Christmas, Epiphany etc

This is my plan anyway. I was trying to think of my purpose for the notebook - I guess to give them something to remember all our traditions when they are older, also a notebook they can add to each year, and a way to organize all our Advent/Christmas work.

Sorry for rambling!

Marilyn

stacykay
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Joined: April 08 2006
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Posted: Nov 27 2006 at 6:33pm \| IP Logged

MarilynW wrote:

.....

I am just trying to get everything organized for our binders. Here are the sections I am considering:

....., also a notebook they can add to each year, and a way to organize all our Advent/Christmas work.

Sorry for rambling!

Marilyn

Marilyn,

I love your ideas! Don't worry about rambling, I love hearing your plans!

I started a separate Christmas notebook this year, because our Christmas items have grown so large, I had things falling out of our liturgical notebook. I like your sections and may use them.

In our liturgical notebook, I have each month sectioned off, with whichever days fall in it, behing that tab. I also include pages with our assorted name saints Feast Days, and special days, like Baptism anniversaries, etc. Whenever I discover a neat idea, I print it or cut it out, and add it where it belongs in the notebook. Then I check them out a week before that month begins, and make plans accordingly. If I don't have them in there as a reminder, I usually manage to forget!
Here I am rambling, too!

Thanks for all of the great ideas you all have posted!

God Bless,
Stacy in MI

dizzylaurel
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Joined: June 02 2006
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Posted: Nov 28 2006 at 7:31pm \| IP Logged

Lora asked:

question about the notebook. Do you put everything in page protector?

For us, everything that will fit!! We actually use the binders/page protectors for all of our portfolios...it keeps most things safe over time...

For example, we've done 100 pieces of macaroni that are still mostly in place, all kinds of crafts (to help it to "stick" to the 8 1/2 x 11 sheet I use some scrapbook photo squares to mount them enough to hold),
various nature samples, and countless photos.

We did the Advent book our first year of homeschooling, and it's still a favorite...two other suggestions are Christmas traditions around the world, and research on various favorite Christmas carols and customs.

I guess it IS time to find the Advent wreath, isn't it?
God bless,
Laurel in PA

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