Christmas crafts for children advent calendar
For the chocolate you will need: Small chocolate moulds; Melting chocolate; Double boiler; Spoon; Peppermint essence or orange essence; 25 Small zip lock bags, big enough to hold the chocolate shapes. Method: Melt chocolate pieces in the double boiler. When soft and runny, add one or two drops of peppermint essence or as a variation a drop or two of orange essence. Stir gently to avoid getting bubbles in the chocolate. 
Scoop into moulds and gently tap the mould on a flat table to surface the hidden bubbles. Set aside to cool and harden.
Only press the moulds out when the underside of the mould appears dull and non-shiny. Place the chocolates in the zip lock bags.
Variation: Add small stickers and coloured chocolate sprinkles or hundreds and thousands into the zip lock bags. For natural alternatives add a few raisins or dates.
For the calendar you will need: A3 coloured board, (strengthen by sticking cardboard to the back); 3 meters of coloured synthetic ribbon; Punch; Stapler; 25 Labels; Star or other stickers for decoration; Permanent marker; Ice cream stick trees and stable. Method: Write the numbers one to twenty five on the labels and decorate with stickers. Stick one label on to each zip lock bag to hide its content. 
Punch one hole in each zip lock bag above the zip lock. Punch one hole in each of the top two corners of the A3 board. Cut one piece of thin ribbon about 30 inches, (80 cm) long. Fasten the ribbon to the two punched corners of the board to hang it against the wall. Glue the stable and trees on the top section of the A3 board. Keep zip lock bag numbers 22 to 25 for placing in the stable at the top. Scramble the other numbered bags and divide evenly into three groups. Thread these onto three strips of ribbon about 20 inches (40cm) long. Place these three sections below one another on the board. Punch and tie or staple to secure. Use the rest of the ribbon to decorate as desired.
Fasten your decorative Christmas craft calendar on a wall in a cool place and have family counting the days to Christmas! Variations: Put your favourite bible verses that support the true meaning of Christmas in the zip lock bags. You can use all the verses around the birth of the baby Jesus, starting with the three wise men who followed the star to His birth in the manger. Refer to Matthew 1:18 – 25 and Matthew 2:1 – 12. Return to Christmas crafts for children Return home to10 parenting tips from Christmas crafts for children |
