Perfect easy craft for kids to make for Christmas time.  How many days until Santa and his reindeer are here?  Count down the days with this wonderfully fun advent calendar

Help your children count down the days with this fun craft!

-Sarah Forhan

Materials:

EZ Felt Assorted Colors (stiff felt)
Glitter Glue
Ribbon
18” Dowel
Embroidery Thread and Needle
Velcro
Hot Glue Gun or Tacky Glue
Scissors
Beads and Embellishments (optional)

Instructions:

1. Begin by deciding the shapes you want for your ornaments. Use items around the house as a pattern, if it helps. For instance, take a juice cap and trace it on the back of the felt for the Christmas Balls. You will a need a total of 25 ornaments.

2. Cut out the ornaments and decorate them. Use glitter glue, beads, and embellishments.

3. While the ornaments are drying you can be working on the tree. Use a large sheet of green EZ Felt (18in X 12in). Fold the felt loosely in half. With a white crayon draw a tree shape along the fold. Cut out the tree. Use the extra pieces of green felt to cut out additional triangular pieces for more branches. Fill the extra pieces in, as needed, and glue to the underneath of the tree. Once the tree and branches are the shape that you want, glue the tree to large piece of EZ Felt (I used red).

4. Next, glue another piece of felt to the bottom of your advent calendar. The bottom piece will serve not only as a holder for you ornaments but a count down as well. Space the numbers evenly 1 through 25 along the felt.

5. Once your ornaments are completely dry. Turn them over and glue a piece of Velcro (“hook” side) along the length of the ornament.

6. Give your calendar some finishing touches! Attach an 18 inch dowel across the top of the red felt. For easy attachment pierce embroidery thread through the felt and then wrap around the dowel. Attach the thread on the top left, right, and center of the red felt. Next, knot or glue a ribbon to each end of the dowel. I wrapped the ribbon around each end and then secured it with hot glue.

7. Hang your calendar and with ornaments on the bottom. Each day take an ornament and place it on the tree.

This craft is meant for all ages with parental supervision. My children are between the ages of 4 - 6. I allowed them to decorate all 25 ornaments while I cut everything out.