Friday, March 18, 2011

the end of winter countdown calendar

Winter officially ended for me when we moved to Texas in February and it was 70 degrees.  (Holy smokes . . . I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to it being 70 degrees in February.)  But the official end of winter is this weekend. 

Good bye winter!

Hello spring!   

I had BIG plans to post this little end of winter countdown activity calendar a month ago, but well . . . as you know I've been a bit preoccupied.  So . . . you will have to keep this in mind when next year rolls around OR better yet . . . make your own version for the end of spring or the end of summer or . .  . you get the idea.

End of Winter Countdown Calendar

We hung our countdown calendar up about a month before the end of winter.  Each hat, sweater or mitten had a little activity or treat tucked inside that we could do each day in anticipation for the end of winter.  By the end of the countdown, all our shapes were tucked neatly inside our little storage bag ready to be hung up next fall as a countdown to winter. 

Here's what you need:
-felt or fleece . . . A big shout out to National Nonwovens for supplying the felt for this project!
-paper patterns cut out in appropriate seasonal shapes . . . For winter I used a mitten, a sweater and a hat.
-ribbons
-clothes pins
-small strips or rectangles of paper

Here's what you do:
1)  Cut our varying shapes from felt.  You will need two of the same shapes for each day.  I did 10 mittens, 10 hats and 10 sweater, so I needed 20 of each shape.

2)  Pin two of each shape together (or not if you dare) and sew around the outside edge or each pair.  Do not sew the neck and waist of the sweater, the head opening of the hat and the wrist opening of the mitten.

3)  Write or print off an activity for each day.  I used a variety of fun activities, service oriented activities and treats. 

4)  Secure ribbons on a wall, mantel or ceiling of your home. 

5)  Hang shapes up with clothes pin tucking paper/treat into each shape.  (Actually, I put the paper in each morning before the kids got up because I have sneaky kids, and I knew the temptation of all those activities and treats just sitting there all month long would be entirely too much for them to resist.)

6)  Each day tuck the shape you used back into the storage bag. (Brief and super easy tutorial . . . so easy it really isn't necessary . . . to come this weekend.)
What shapes would you use as an end of spring countdown?  An umbrella?  A rain boot or coat?  Hmm . . . that's about all I have.  Clearly, my creative juices aren't quite flowing yet!

Craft on!

14 comments:

Papgena Made It said...

that's so fun!!!
ideas for spring countdown? flowers maybe (flowers in spring, fruits in summer), eggs in the nest...

Beverly {Flamingo Toes} said...

Oooh! Cute idea Elizabeth!!! It would be fun to countdown to a holiday too - you could do crosses and flowers and eggs for Easter or firecrackers and things for 4th of July.
Yay!!! So happy you're back. ;)

Jocelyn Christensen said...

You could do flowers, gardening tools, bikes, wagons, clouds...etc

Jilly said...

The shape of each stuffs are such a amazing and really very beautiful. I really impressed with your unique idea. I planned to make it on this weekend, Such a unique work. internet watch

Unknown said...

I'll ready for making this beautiful gift in here ,which elements that are use in here.....
buy and sell

Unknown said...

Congratulations! This is the best thing, Thank you so much for taking the time to share this exciting information.
Pain Free Foot Care

Unknown said...

haha, good bye winter,Hello spring.You could do flowers by the felt,,10 dollar dresses

Unknown said...

I Love this idea! It's so easy to pack too :) I shared this on my blog Craftee Crafter and our Cafemom group Holiday and Party Crafts with a link back to your blog for the tutorial :) Thanks so much!

Paintbynumberblog said...

It's literally a wonderful idea. Thanks for sharing your precious thoughts with us.
Paint by Numbers Kits

Gregory J. Trujillo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Haiden Hays said...

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago with HIV and have lived taking ARV and thought of having Herbal medicine to cure this disease completely. I wouldn't be able to bear Vomiting and my tongue would go white because of these diseases called HIV/Aids. I learned to live with it but I have definitely prayed and had hands laid on me, My friends at work knew about my HIV Status so on a faithful day my friend Hannah talk to me about this great man called Dr Itua From west African because my friend Hannah is from West African too she came to acquire degree here in South Carolina, I accepted the challenge and contacted Dr Itua Herbal Center...drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com also chats on Whatsapp Number.+2348149277967. Then he delivered his Herbal medicine to me which was labeled as Dr Itua Herbal Medicine Cure For HIV/Aids, I took it as he instructed. After two weeks I went to the test and I was tested Negative. I'm still writing on every blog site related to the following diseases such as HIV/Aids, Herpes Virus, Shingles, Hepatitis B/C, Because he cures this kind of disease.    

John Hardy said...

Yes, I am agreed with this one. Its very good for end of winter. Thanks for sharing this useful information with us. Now it's time to avail HYDRATING SUN SCREEN LOTION for more information.

Unknown said...

These winter stuff are very affective and will help people to stay safe to become sick. I like this idea. By this people can be safe also to do Virtual doctor visit or any other consultation about health.

myassignmenthelp21 said...

Great Post
As one of the leading essay writing service Singapore, Myassignmenthelp.sg has a team of experienced writers and editors who can help you with all your academic writing needs. They can help you with any type of essay, from argumentative essays to analytical essays and more.

Related Posts with Thumbnails