The word Advent comes from the Latin ‘adventus,’ which means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’ to signify the birth of Jesus. Advent is a time of celebration when we are looking forward to the birth of Jesus.
Some of our children have been telling us about the preparations they have started to make as a family. We have started our class preparations by decorating our classroom and trees and continuing with our play preparations.
The children have been hearing about the nativity using actions as a reminder of what happened, to whom and when. We loved listening and watching our friends from yr 5 and 6 in their advent service returning to light the first candle on our class advent wreath. We talked about the candle this week symbolising hope. Each week we look forward to lighting another candle each week up to Christmas. Thankyou to Father Stephen for coming in to bless our wreath and talk to the children. 
Another way we are getting ready is by having our own Giving Manger. Every time a child does something kind for another person, we put a piece of straw into baby Jesus’ manger. The more good deeds and straw that goes in the manger, the softer the bed for baby Jesus. The children are loving this activity showing kindness towards others as well as helping them to understand that we prepare for Jesus’ coming during advent.
