[dizneymom]

has anyone done a countdown calendar?
can you share your ideas or photos?
thanks!

[Daisee]

We have not made a countdown Calendar, but we have done the chain links many times. That is really fun for the kids.

[Dana]

Like Daisee, we do a countdown chain. We make a posterboard sized poster for the day of the trip all decorated with disney stickers. We have chain links counted out for 60days and a different color link every 10 days to make it a mini-countdown within a countdown...it's kinda fun and exciting to get through each color.

[llama]

Seriously, we should have a Sticky for this... Ladies?

We've always done the Candy Jar countdown. Since our girls were little we would count down this way - they're grown now and still doing it.

Find or buy a jar with a lid. Decorate it with Disney stickers, etc., however the kids like (you can do a family jar or a jar for each kid - a jar for each kid saves lots of fights.) Then fill it with the appropriate number of candies of their choice (gummie bears, jelly beans, etc.) one for each day you're counting down. Every day they get to eat one candy (I use to let them have it before breakfast which made it more fun knowing I was letting them break the snack rules). When the jar is empty you're on your way to WDW. If you get a cute jar with a lid, when they return from WDW they can use it to save pennies or change for their next trip to the World.

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by llama

Seriously, we should have a Sticky for this... Ladies?

We've always done the Candy Jar countdown. Since our girls were little we would count down this way - they're grown now and still doing it.

Find or buy a jar with a lid. Decorate it with Disney stickers, etc., however the kids like (you can do a family jar or a jar for each kid - a jar for each kid saves lots of fights.) Then fill it with the appropriate number of candies of their choice (gummie bears, jelly beans, etc.) one for each day you're counting down. Every day they get to eat one candy (I use to let them have it before breakfast which made it more fun knowing I was letting them break the snack rules). When the jar is empty you're on your way to WDW. If you get a cute jar with a lid, when they return from WDW they can use it to save pennies or change for their next trip to the World.

That's a very cute idea! I'll have to remember that one for our next trip.

[dznylvr]

Oooo.. I love Llama's idea!! I think I may have to buy some jars tomorrow!!

[tiki]

I am doing a chainlink this trip, but for our first in '01, I made a large sun with rays that could be pulled of for each day and posted it on our kitchen wall. In the middle (the circle) We were doing more than just WDW, so I wrote in big letters "Florida", how many days/nights we were going and filled it with cut out pictures of WDW, and the other places we would be at. When the boys pulled off a ray each night, they turned it over to read about something fun like "Tower of Terror", "Clearwater beach" or "hotels", "swimming" etc..
I am kind of doing the same with the chainlink, adding stickers and places/things that we are looking forward to on each one.

oops, I forgot to add the word "sun", the design was a giant sun with triangular shaped sun rays, sorry for the confusion!

[mickeysgirlz]

I used to do a simple calendar page, and we cut out "Mickey Heads" we put one on the calendar each day . . . here's a pic .. . it's from 2004 . . . we don't do the calendars anymore, now that we are FL residents & passholders! We still look forward to going though!

[tiki]

Originally Posted by mickeysgirlz

I used to do a simple calendar page, and we cut out "Mickey Heads" we put one on the calendar each day . . . here's a pic .. . it's from 2004 . . . we don't do the calendars anymore, now that we are FL residents & passholders! We still look forward to going though!

Attachment 35887

really clear and easy for kids!

[dizneymom]

wow thanks everyone for all the replies!
i love the jar idea that is original, i don't think i've ever heard that one before, thanks!