Children normally get excited in December as Christmas approaches and celebrating advent is a way to use that excitement to build lasting family memories. Traditionally, the advent calendar was a paper-board design depicting a house or village with "windows" that opened to reveal a Christmas image, poem or scripture inside. There are 24 (or sometimes 25) numbered windows, one for each day before Christmas in December. In the morning, the window with the number matching the date is opened. Of course as Christmas approaches, there are fewer and fewer windows left. These vintage advent calendars are still produced and used many places in the world.

But a vintage advent calendar is difficult to reuse more than one year. For one, the windows don't stay shut the second time around and everyone remembers what is behind the windows. After World War II, different calendar designs became available as the tradition spread from Germany to the USA and elsewhere. Today, it is common to have a reuseable calendar with pockets or slots for each day of advent. And instead of a fixed image or poem in the pocket, parents can choose from many different ways to fill them. This allows you to use your own creativity to tell the advent story or start your own advent tradition.

We have four German advent calendars from Kathe Kruse that you can use (and reuse) for your own family tradition. All of them have pockets to hold your advent gifts. Try these ideas for filling the pockets this year:

1. Print photos with messages that tell your child's "life" story. They'll enjoy remembering special events and growth milestones!
2. Use small non-perishable snacks that your child can use to take to school or for an afternoon treat.
3. Write sentences that when assembled tell a story, maybe about a grand parent or other family member. For older children, have the story be a series of clues and allow time for guessing the answer!
4. Tell the story of the nativity through images, poems or scripture.
5. Fill the pockets with consumable gifts that don't hang around and add clutter to your house. Things like trial lotions and soaps or school supplies like erasors and pencils.
6. Or, mix and match these ideas and your own!
7. When filling a calendar for more than one child, arrange the gifts for taking turns or place more than one gift in each pocket.

Now all you have to do is start, and there are only 18 days till advent so don't delay! Begin your own family tradition that brings wonder and excitement to your home this time every year.

Yes, there is an event called the Worldwide Day of Play. This annual event was initiated by none other than the Nickelodeon TV channel in October of 2004. For 2010 it's held this Saturday, the 25th of October. Nickelodeon programming goes off the air from noon till 3pm, as a means to get kids to play - read the press release. This is a great positive way to start kids on a healthier lifestyle.

Too many kids are encumbered with things that distract them from play, including the TV and electronic screens of all kinds. Dr. Joe Frost, Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus, University of Texas, says "The consequences of play deprivation are profound — a growing crisis that threatens children’s health, fitness, and development. As free, outdoor play declines, fitness levels decline, waistlines expand, and a host of health problems follow, including obesity, heart disease, rickets, and a spiraling upturn in emotional and social disorders." A stark warning indeed, with enough negative results that we should all work to avoid depriving children of play.

So what can be done to encourage play and fend off the deprivation? Here's some suggestions to get you started, but also, be creative and add your own.

1. As Nickelodeon suggests, turn off the TV, and not just for a few hours, for entire days and weeks.
2. Limit other electronic screen time. When our kids were smaller, we kept a chart of outside play time and reading time. Those two activities earned them screen time.
3. Be an adult example - play outside with your children instead of updating that facebook page.
4. Walk or bike with the kids to do short errands instead of using the car. Just make sure there is a safe, low traffic, route to get you there and back.
5. Don't let the rain stop your kids from playing outside. Our kids were encouraged to put on swimsuits and play in the rain. In fact the harder it rained, the more fun they had! (Rain yes, thunder and lightning NO.)
6. Play inside the house is important too. Your house shouldn't be identified as the place where we do stuff with electronic screens. Make sure you have a supply of games, puzzles, and toys with high play value - the ones that they will play with over and over without getting bored.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. By being clever and creative, you can find all kinds of ways to promote play in your family.