Jessie Trees

For those of you who asked, here is some more info. on our advent tradition.
I have included a list of the topics, symbols, and daily readings.

The symbols can be made in several different ways. You could draw or print them out on paper and then cut them out and hang them on a tree. You could make them from felt or foam. We made ours from a salt dough recipe we found on the internet. I made up the dough, wrote out a list of the things we needed and the three of us sat down and picked what we wanted to make. I marked them off the list as we went and when we worked until they were all done. I loved the designs the boys came up with. Afterwards, we dried them according to the directions and I painted them with acrylic paint. A very important step, if you do salt dough, is to spray them with clear acrylic paint several times all over and let them dry throughly. Damp will ruin these quickly, so I plan to spray them every year and store them in an airtight container.

Before December 1st you hang them on a tree. You can either use a bare branch from the yard, symbolizing something that I can not remember right now :) or you can just hide them on your tree (we put each one in a small wooden box that has the date on it). Then each day you have the kids hunt for the symbol and you either read the day's passage or you summarize the story. Try to spend a little time talking about how the story pointed toward Christ. The point is to teach everyone that the Bible tells a story of redemption from beginning to end. The box for the 24th holds the baby Jesus from our Nativity set. The boys put him in the Manger. This would be a good time to have a birthday party for Jesus, if you do that.

Anyway, here is the list. Enjoy!

God-Creation

Dove

Gen 1:1-2:3

Adam and Eve-The First Sin

Tree with Fruit or Apple

Gen 2:4-3:24

Noah-the Flood

Rainbow

Gen 6:11-22, 7:17-8:22

Abraham-The Promise

Field of Stars

Gen 12:1-7, 15:1-6

Isaac-Offering of Isaac

Ram

Gen 22:1-19

Jacob-Assurance of the Promise

Ladder

Gen 27:41-28:22

Joseph-God's Providence

Sack of Grain or Coat

Gen 37, 39:1-50:21

Moses-God's Leadership

Burning Bush

Exod 2:1-4:20

Israelites-Passover and Exodus

Lamb

Exod 12:1-14:31

God Giving the Torah at Sinai

Tablets of the Torah

Exod 19:1-20:20

Joshua-The Fall of Jericho

Ram's Horn Trumpet

Josh 1:1-11, 6:1-20

Gideon-Unlikely Heroes

Clay Water Pitcher

Judg 6:7-7:21

Samuel-The Beginning of the Kingdom

Crown

1 Sam 3:1-21, 8:1-21, 9:15-10:9

David-A Shepherd for the People

Shepherd's Crook or Harp

1 Sam 16:1-17:58, 2 Sam 5:1-5, 7:1-17

Elijah-The Threat of False Gods

Stone Altar

1 Kng 17:1-16, 18:17-46

Hezekiah-Faithfulness and Deliverance

An Empty Tent

2 Kng 18:1-19:19, 32-37

Isaiah-The Call to Holiness/Prediction of the Christ

Fire Tongs with Hot Coal

Isa 6:1-8, 9:6-7

Jeremiah-The Exile

Tears

Jer 1:4-10, 2:4-13

Habakkuk-Waiting

Stone Watchtower

Hab 1:1-2:1, 3:16-19

Nehemiah-Return and Rebuilding

City Wall

Neh 1:1-2:8

Zachariah

Pencil and Tablet

Luke 1:57-80

John the Baptist-Repentance

River

Luke 1:57-80, 3:1-20,7:18-30

Mary

Mother with Child

Luke 1:26-38

Joseph-The Hope for a future

Hammer

Matthew 1:19-25

Dec. 24

The Birth of Christ

Manger

Luke 2:1-20

Epiphany

Magi-Worship

Star

Matt 2:1-12