One of my favorite blogs is This Picture Book Life written by Danielle Davis. As you can guess from the blog's title, Danielle writes about picture books. She often includes a craft or recipe with each book review. Recently, Danielle created a picture book advent calendar with a printable template. The calendar in this case is a cup of paper flags attached to candy canes; each flag is printed with the title of a seasonal picture book and a related activity (ex: Day 6: Read The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers and Fold a paper airplane). I was so taken with Danielle's advent calendar that I thought I'd create one for this blog.
I've chosen picture books that are fairly popular. If you don't have a title in your home library, you can probably find it at your local library. Each title has a corresponding activity. Print the Nature Advent Calendar and cut out each book + activity slip. Place all 24 slips in a container of your choice. Pick a slip each day. Enjoy! Optional: Fill the bottom half of the container with a seasonal object to make it festive. I used acorns, nuts, and seeds.
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins + draw your hand or foot and transform it into a plant or animal
A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemagna + look for a statue of an animal in your community
Alternate: Sidewalk Flowers by JonArso Lawson
And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano + draw your dream garden
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett + make a meal with the entire family
Flashlight by Lizi Boyd + go on an evening/night walk
Flotsam by David Wiesner + draw or paint an underwater adventure (via HMH Books)
Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss + eat a "new" fruit or vegetable
Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis + invent and draw a nature superheroine/hero
Night Song by Ari Berk + sing/listen to "animal songs"
Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies + observe life outside your window for 5 - 15 minutes
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle + draw the shape of the moon on the day you read this book
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett + dig a hole
Some Bugs by Andrea DiTerlizzi + draw your favorite bug (or look for bugs outdoors on a 45 degree Fahrenheit day)
Stone Soup (any version) + do something nice for/say something nice to someone
Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle + make a rain stick (PBS DIY video)
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak + write all the nature words you know on a sheet of paper
Alternate: The Umbrella by Jan Brett
The Carrot Seed + go on a scavenger hunt in your grocery store to find carrots & other root vegetables (how many can you find?)
The Clever Stick by John Lechner + find a stick and use it make or do something
Alternate: Sticky Burr by John Lechner + watch this video about the burdock plant
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss + volunteer in your community
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats + make footprints in the snow, sand, or mud (via This Picture Book Life)
The Water Hole by Graeme Base + visit your nearest body of water
Alternate: Rain, Rain, Rivers by Uri Shulevitz
There Was a Tree by Rachel Isadora + take a tree walk (how many different trees can you find on your block?)
Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner + explore a local garden (it could be your own!)
Where Does Kitty Go in the Rain by Harriet Ziefert + jump in rain (or muddy) puddles
Alternate: Little Could by Eric Carle
You can view all the books on the Nature Advent Calendar board on Pinterest.
If you can't commit to a book a day, how about a book a week? On the same day each week for four weeks, pick a slip and read the book and complete the activity. Here are 4 favorites:
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett + make a meal with the entire family
Ladybug Girl by David Soman + invent a nature superheroine/hero
Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle + make a rain stick (PBS DIY video)
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats + make footprints in the snow, sand, or mud (via This Picture Book Life)
Plus one more!
Flashlight by Lizi Boyd + go on an evening/night walk
P.S. Let us know if you plan to read all 24 or 4 or some number of books in between.
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