Tag: Advent

DIY Advent Games: Engage Kids This Holiday Season

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog4 Comments

Hey, it’s me again…

After I made the DIY Bingo cards I decided to go ahead and finish crossing off some more things on my To-Do List… some of them have been on that list forever as I only pull my Polar Express folder out once a year.

We have a pile of fun games that you can play at your next Christmas get-together or you can use them anytime during this Advent/Christmas Season. Many of these can be used even without printing out this packet, if you are unable to do so.

Reindeer GamesDownload

We will be using a lot of these during our next Polar Express party as well as some outside games like Corn Hole and Washer Toss, weather permitting. The kids are super excited and I’m so happy that they look so nice. I hope someone else might find these helpful.

God Bless!

Advent Celebrations: DIY BINGO Game and Crafts

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog5 Comments

Hey everybody!

I pray you all are doing well, I’ve not been on the blog in a bit as I have scheduled quite a few posts already as we are trying to focus on the Advent Season here. As we prepare for Christmas we are also doing some preparations for St. Nicholas Day and for our annual Polar Express Party… so much fun!

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Making Space- An Advent Devotional

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

Just a quick post to let you know about this study I’m starting for Advent … I actually have a couple that I’m starting but I’ll try to post those links separately.

This one is intended to help us clear the clutter around Christmas and bring the focus back to Jesus. I love that it starts with John… the one sent to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17).

If this is something you might be interested then here is the link to the study.

Making Space- An Advent Devotional

I also love that they offer a variety of FREE devotional and studies. You have many options including the Bible version, music, whether you want to read or listen, and so much more.

This app and a couple of others have really helped me to get closer to God and helped me feel more BLESSED and less STRESSED… who doesn’t need to feel this?

Don’t add this to your To-Do list! Stop and check it out now!

May God bless you!

Embracing New Family Traditions in Homeschooling

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog5 Comments

Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks and that means Advent starts soon after… where oh where does time go?

If you’ve been around my blog for long then you probably know that I try to do Advent studies with our Homeschool in place of our regular homeschool activities… this year is no different. I really want my family to be able to FOCUS on the REAL REASON BEHIND THE SEASON… not just the HOLLYWOOD VERSION. This gives us time to enjoy our family and helps to eliminate some of the stress from trying to get it all done.

We’ve been making some gradual changes in our home that may or not be for you. We have cut back on the number of gifts that we give and we try to be more intentional on the gifts we give. Often we will purchase ‘experience’ gifts that we can enjoy together as a family.

Free Printables for Holiday Shopping plus some tips for buying for special needs kiddos!

We also have different activities that we do every year like our POLAR EXPRESS PARTY which gives the kids a chance to show off some of the skills we’ve been working on using real-life activities. Below are some of the books that I recently ordered for our Advent Activities… some of these may actually end up incorporated into our Polar Express Party but not sure exactly how yet. We have some links to FREE materials further down in the post.

Free Printable Shopping Guide – Makes Christmas Shopping So Much Easier!
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Friendly Reminder – Holiday Planning

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

Hey everybody!

I know it has been very busy around here and it seems that we truly have been jumping from one challenge to another here lately but we are surviving! We pray that you are doing well too and that everyone is starting to feel like they can breathe a little easier with all the events that have unfolded around us recently.

I really don’t want to think about the holidays yet but they are fast approaching. I know that they will be a little different this year but that’s ok. We are so blessed and thankful for all that we already have. I just wanted to throw out a couple little reminders of things that you can do now if you are planning any special dinners or events. We know that getting family and friends together can help lift everyone’s spirits and we like to try to have a few special events a year… this year has been a little extra but that’s ok.

Now is the time to start looking for Christmas decorations… if you wait much longer then they may be gone. Take a few minutes this weekend and look over your plans for Advent, Christmas, or Polar Express to see what things you may need to get so that you can start buying them now. If you are planning to do something for St. Nicholas Day then now would be the time to start looking for those gold-covered coins and any study guides or activity ideas that you would like to use.

Continue reading “Friendly Reminder – Holiday Planning” →