This post is a part of our Tiny Advent series. All of the posts are housed over on this page for your convenience. We hope you follow along and enjoy the series. Come on over and share your photos on our Facebook page and tweet about it with #tinyadvent @tinypeasant. Thanks!
Welcome! Each week’s post contains the following:
// Family Discussion Points // Poster // Memory Verse // Centerpiece Decorating
// Crafts // Gift, Acvitity & Act of Kindness Ideas
To see our advent calendar tutorial and download our gift/experience/acts of kindness lists, head over here.
THE FIRST LIGHT OF ADVENT
The first light of Advent is the light of stone– Stones that live in crystals, seashells, and bones.
DISCUSSION
As we light the first candle on our Advent centrepiece, we will think of the light of stones. What light does this, the mineral kingdom, offer up? How might the stones and crystals have participated in the journey of a father and mother with child?
Brainstorm with your family. Some things we thought up:
// They would have been the very foundation the couple walked upon.
// Provided shelter to the weary travelers in the form of a cave.
// Provided nourishment in the form of minerals like those found in salt.
POSTER
Print out this free 8.5 x 11
First Light of Advent Poster to rest on your mantle, piano, or hang on your wall, to remind you to think of these things this week. There are three more to add to your display over the coming weeks.
MEMORY VERSE
Those who wish to add on some verses, you can download and print our
Memory Verse Cards. Each week has one simple verse related to the week’s light. The verses were picked by the lovely Heather of heatherboersma.com, who is offering her own amazing Advent series for grown-ups called
We Will Wait.
Just cut out the cards, and work on the Week 1: Light of Stones card.
CRAFTS, GIFTS & ACTIVITIES
Below are some of the ways that we will be exploring the mineral kingdom in our home this week, in addition to some of the other Advent ideas mentioned in the
first post in this series.
ADVENT CENTERPIECE
Settle into your weekly Advent rhythm with a mug of something warm while you work on your Advent centerpiece. You might like to try our recipe for
Nourishing Hot Cocoa. We decorate our centerpiece, from our lovely friend Krista of
Birch & Brush, with seashells and stones in this first week.
ADVENT CRAFT – STONES/MINERALS
1. Mineral Crystals using simple household items. These make a beautiful seasonal decoration for your wall, window, or tree.
Get the full how-to here.
2. Felted Stones using found stones and wool roving. This is a lovely sensory activity with warm water, bubbles, and fibre. The stones can be paper weights, or decorations.
Get the how-to here.
3. Painted Shells & Stones – a super simple activity with few materials and little prep!
ADVENT WEEK 1: GIFTS & ACTS of KINDNESS
These are the items that are in our sock advent calendar – so some items such as the first three will actually be in the socks. The others will be little notes that might lead the kids to find the supplies for the craft, or just telling them what we’ll be making for that day.
Gifts
1. Stones – set some aside for crafting and use others to fill about 2-4″ in a glass hurricane vase or glass bowl for an activity in week 2.
2. Seashells
3. Bone – found artifacts or jewelry made from found items such as sheds or teeth
4. Mineral bath salts – set these aside for next week when you can add herbs to make a beautiful gift!
Acts of Kindness
1. Volunteer at or donate to a shelter.
2. Donate nourishing sea salt to a local food bank.
3. Offer to shovel & salt the sidewalk of a neighbour.
Please share your “the light of stone” kindness ideas on Instagram (tag @cityfolkfarm and #tinyadvent) or our Facebook page, or share in the comments below. Thank you!
Bonus:
Watch an
Andy Goldsworthy video in which he uses stones to create beautiful works of art. Head outside and create your own stone art, as you think or pray about Advent. Note that Rivers and Tides features not only stone, but also plants and animals, so I recommend showing just the parts that fit with each week of Advent. Definitely watch it as a whole as well, though. Truly a beautiful film that has been a family favourite for years.
Originally published December 2, 2013.
