T-Advent Foretold by Gary and Wanda Sanseri
Advent Foretold Review:
We
cherish both our Advent Calendar
and the companion book: Advent Foretold by Gary and
Wanda Sanseri. This is truly a
faith building Bible study and a good way to keep your family focused on the
true meaning of Christmas. My children looked forward to this study each day. For best use purchase both the
book: Advent Foretold and the Advent Calendar Patterns
Advent Foretold by
Gary and Wanda Sanseri. A wonderful devotional guide for the Christmas season,
this book contains readings for every day in the month of December. Selections
for December 1-16 focus on sixteen Old Testament prophecies regarding the
coming of Messiah while those for December 17-31st center on the fulfillment of
these prophecies. Professional artwork ideal for children to color. Designed to
be used year after year as a family heirloom. Endorsement: "Advent Foretold has changed our lives. It has
shown us how real our faith is. We are able to come face to face with our
connection to Christ through your study each year during the Christmas season.
It has beome a tradition in our home, one I hope my children will
continue." A BHI Publication $14.95
Advent Calendar Patterns by Wanda Sanseri. Make your own banner displaying 5" by 7"
illustrations that match the devotional readings from Advent Foretold for each of the 31 days of December. Included in each packet are step-by-step
instructions, patterns for the pictures and numbers, and a photo of the
finished project. Endorsement: "I
am in my living room this Advent season looking at my banner with much joy and
thanks in my heart. The Advent Foretold devotional is our highlight. Everyone
eagerly talks about getting out the banner and doing the study. The children
try to remember which picture is under what door while actively participating
in the devotion. A new depth has come to our celebration. Many, many thanks for
putting together this family treasure." A BHI Publication $5.95
We
have gained so much from both of these resources. We are going on our
third year using this study for December and we love it every time.
We
spend about half an hour per morning in December on the one page Bible study in
Advent Foretold. With this small
amount of time it is truly remarkable how much the children learn each
year. They will remember things we
studied from the previous December that I myself may have forgotten. I am
amazed at how much my little ones have learned about the prophecy concerning
the coming of Jesus Christ.
I made my Advent Calendar in
a hurry some years ago (2004). I bought
the book and pattern in November and wanted to use it by December. I sewed hems on a large piece of purple
upholstery cloth with a space for the rod to go through. I didn't sew cloth pieces on for the
calendar but attached plastic pocket windows (from a clear plastic table cloth cover) to the purple with a glue gun. Then I xeroxed off all the pictures for
each day and had my kids color them.
This was fun for them. I
slid these pictures in each pocket.
Next I cut out yellow pieces of construction paper and wrote the date on
each one. I put these in FRONT of
each picture. When the day comes
the yellow date slides to the back to show off the picture. (If you can picture it: The color theme of my Advent Calendar
is Royal Purple and Golden Yellow!)
We hang it in our kitchen
near the head of the table. My
kids have fun each day anticipating which picture will come up. They recognize the ones they have
colored and you can hear the little ones especially calling out, "That's my
picture!" I also put the Bible verse that goes with Advent Foretold for the day
on an index card in the pocket along with some chocolate treats for the kids,
such as m & m's and chocolate chips.
They get these treats after they read their Advent Foretold Bible verse
out loud. (By now you all know
that I love chocolate. I also put
the treats in because I have seen other Advent Calendars that have a treat per
day in each window.)
This quickly made Advent Calendar worked well. But in 2005 I replaced these plastic panels with more permanent cloth pictures. I had my kids help me paint one picture at a time using acrylic paint and high quality brushes. They signed their name by each picture they painted and enjoyed keeping track of who painted what!
It's all ready to go.
Each panel is made of unbleached muslin. I was able to put the picture Wanda gave us for each panel right under the cloth and trace over it with embroidery marker. This was quick going.The panels were made into pockets so that I can put the day's Bible verse and some fun treats in the pocket. The treats are the sanctified reward for reading the Bible verse of the day!
I finished most of the cloth applique parts using fabric scraps from my daughters dresses. Any time that Mary is on the Advent Calendar, she has a royal blue veil on– using some fabric I purchased in Hungary years ago. It has a tiny delicate white pattern printed on top of the royal blue.
. A mom I know with some older girls is
going to have them do most of the work of making the calendar from the start
and this is a good option too. We
all know how much kids love crafts!
Hope this helps! Britta www.morningstarlearning.com
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