A simple Advent craft for all ages

Last year, when the children were 2,5,9, and 11, we did this craft from CHC's A Year with God and their A Catholic How to Draw. My eldest drew the nativity scene. My 5 year old cut out brown construction paper for the stable and glued that on. My 9 year old drew the stones of the path and the marker signs on the side.

This is a Journey to the Manger and the object was to get the children spiritually ready for Christmas during Advent. We decided to use 3 crayon colors. One for the times we did kind deeds. Another for the times we prayed together as a family, went to Mass or Adoration. And the third was for our sacrifices, when we offered up our pain or gave up something we wanted. When it seemed like we were going to get their too soon before Christmas, and I wanted to keep the positive reinforcement going, I added some more stones in the width of the path.

We intend to start another Journey poster this Advent. Today at our First Friday Mass for homeschoolers, Father M. asked the children to read from the bible Nativity narratives and meditate on them as he did when he was a child during Advent. So this year, there will be another colored stone to offer the baby Jesus! And this year we'll make more stones than last year...we'll be wisemen taking this journey all the way through to Epiphany! That will be really Catholic! ;)