The Advent Mice – a sweet DIY countdown

There are so many ways to count down the days until Christmas…

At home, the excitement has already started — the kids keep counting the days, again and again, waiting for the magic to begin!

So this year, I have imagined a extra cute Christmas countdown guarded by two tiny cute mice.

Sweet transition from fall to winter with a pretty DIY Advent calendar

Materials 

For the mice :

• Toilet paper rolls

• Pencil

• Scissors

• Glue (ref)

• Paint (ref)

• Posca markers (ref)

For the countdown:

• 24 white wooden beads

• 1.5 mm aluminium wire (ref)

• Fine black Posca marker (ref)

• Hot glue gun (ref)

Step-by-step:

The mice first:

Mice can be made on their own.

1. Draw two silhouettes of little mice on flattened toilet paper rolls.

   (Remember to make sure the tail, belly, and nose touch the edges of the roll to ensure rigidity and maintain the character's 3D shape)

   

   
   
   

2. Cut two arms for each mouse out of the cardboard waste.

   
   
   

3. Paint one of the mice in winter (or Christmas) colors and the other in autumn colors. Glue the arms onto the mice, positioning them in a similar way (here, slightly upward).

   

   

   

Now for the countdown:

5. Number 24 white beads and thread them onto the aluminum wire.

   
   
   

6. Fix the ends of the wire in the hands of the Autumn mouse using hot glue.

   

   
   
   

7. Thread the beads onto the aluminum wire (inserting the beads in decreasing order). Then glue the other end of the wire between the hands of the Winter mouse (as before with the Autumn mouse).

   
   
   

8. Form a Christmas tree with the aluminum wire.

   

Tip: Place the mice on electric candles for a glowing effect and a more stable base.

The magic of Christmas is in our creative hands

A lovely idea for recycling toilet paper rolls, while encouraging children to demonstrate precision and patience in moving the beads from one side to the other.