For Those of you who want to plan ahead and see the list of ornaments I plan to use for the month. If you are using the actual Jesse tree, many will overlap, but there will be some differences.
I store my ornaments in little bags that I hang on the fireplace. If you are making them for the first time, you won't need storage for them this year. My ornaments have been very simple. I bought something like this. If you go in with a few friends, it will be a lot cheaper. However, I opted to make most of mine from felt or just be creative and find things in my house or outside. We also drew several of them too.
I bought a simple little tree at Target for about $10 a few years ago. You could hang your ornaments anywhere they can be seen - in the kitchen, on a windowsill. The point of the ornaments was to give my children a tangible reminder of our story and for review over the course of the month. I also add a little treat for each of my children in the bag ... it is Christmas, after all (please don't tell my kids it might have come from our leftover Halloween candy we never gave out).
All this to say, this is NOT a craft blog. The whole point is not to add more to your "to do" list each day, but to encourage you to sit and remember the promises of God together. If doing crafts together helps you and your family enjoys that, great! If not, keep it simple.
Below, I have listed the general "story" listed for each day, so if you have another Bible story book you want to use, just find that story. After each story is the ornament.
I store my ornaments in little bags that I hang on the fireplace. If you are making them for the first time, you won't need storage for them this year. My ornaments have been very simple. I bought something like this. If you go in with a few friends, it will be a lot cheaper. However, I opted to make most of mine from felt or just be creative and find things in my house or outside. We also drew several of them too.
I bought a simple little tree at Target for about $10 a few years ago. You could hang your ornaments anywhere they can be seen - in the kitchen, on a windowsill. The point of the ornaments was to give my children a tangible reminder of our story and for review over the course of the month. I also add a little treat for each of my children in the bag ... it is Christmas, after all (please don't tell my kids it might have come from our leftover Halloween candy we never gave out).
All this to say, this is NOT a craft blog. The whole point is not to add more to your "to do" list each day, but to encourage you to sit and remember the promises of God together. If doing crafts together helps you and your family enjoys that, great! If not, keep it simple.
Below, I have listed the general "story" listed for each day, so if you have another Bible story book you want to use, just find that story. After each story is the ornament.
- Creation: Earth
- Fall: Snake (or fruit)
- Flood: Ark (or rainbow)
- Abraham: Camel
- Isaac: Lamb
- Jacob: Ladder
- Joseph: Colorful coat
- Passover: Doorpost
- God's Law: Tablets
- God's People: Serpent on pole
- Joshua: Trumpet (or scarlet cord)
- Ruth: Wheat
- God's People: Stump with leaf
- David: Sling (or stone)
- Shepherd: Staff
- Elijah: Stick
- The Scroll is found (Josiah): Scroll
- Jonah: Fish
- Daniel: Fire
- Covenant: Heart
- Prince of Peace: Dove
- Bethlehem: Olive wood (wooden anything)
- -- nothing on this day - it's a day of silence
- Elizabeth/Zechariah/Mary/Joseph: Angel
- Birth of Jesus: Manger
- Light of the World: Candle
- King of the Star: Star
- John the Baptist: Something furry
- Jesus' ministry/miracles: Linen
- Jesus' death: Cross
- New Heaven and New Earth: Crown
RESOURCES
Not every resource is used every day. Each resource has interesting and unique art included. To help with determining which resource is best for your child (or yourself), here are some suggestions. The ages are just my suggestion. You can definitely stretch them to be younger or older:
- Big Picture Story Bible (0-4) - Bigger picture with thematic art/ Simple vocabulary
- The Jesus Storybook Bible (2-10) - Each story has Jesus as the focus
- The Biggest Story (3-10) - Poetic and big picture themes from Genesis to Revelation
- The Ology (4-12) - Encourages deeper questions and conversations
- The Gospel Story Bible (5-12)
- The Beginners Story Bible (2-10)
I also included a student's hymnal, Hosanna Loud Hosanna, in the resource list. If you don't have this one, grab whatever hymnal you have and open it up with your children and sing! Having a hymnal is one of the best tools and resources you have to train your child with the truths of Jesus. Another resource if you don't have a hymnal is hymnary.org. You can look up pretty much any song and it will show you music and let you listen. Gettymusic.com also has some wonderful new Christmas carols, as well as older ones. These are fun and lively, but also cause me to ponder Advent anew.
Some other fun resources that I thoroughly enjoy with my family are the Jacquie Lawson Advent calendar (it does cost, but is worth it! You can keep it on your computer forever and always for your kids to enjoy), and Professor Carol which I really enjoy personally.
And here are a few family/personal resources you might be interested in this season.Some other fun resources that I thoroughly enjoy with my family are the Jacquie Lawson Advent calendar (it does cost, but is worth it! You can keep it on your computer forever and always for your kids to enjoy), and Professor Carol which I really enjoy personally.
- Christmas Playlist by Alistair Begg -This would be a GREAT resource to give to someone who is searching for answers. It gives the Gospel clearly
- Prepare Him Room by Marty Machowski - GREAT to do with a family. This is still a little beyond my kids, but it is very good. Anything by this guy is spot on.
- The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper - good for family's with older children or for your personal use
- Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp - a great NEW resource for you personally or for those with older children (teens)
- God is in the Manger by D. Bonhoeffer - if you have not read anything by this man, you should!
- Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room by Nancy Guthrie - she is a friend of mine and is a firm believer in getting the BIG PICTURE of the Bible into the hearts and lives of people.
- The Greatest Gift or this family version or this new one by Ann Voskamp - the first would be for a mother. She is good, but her language is flowery if you haven't read her before. Her family one is good and her new one just came out a couple of weeks ago and it looks really great for children using the Jesse Tree. So if you do not have time to make ornaments with your children, this would be a great option.
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