Eid al Adha Countdown Calendar

When it comes to any holiday, countdown calendars leading up to the holiday are always a great idea! They help kids get in the holiday spirit and give them something interactive to look forward to each day.

My DIY Eid al Adha countdown calendar is easy to put together and super festive for Eid al Adha this August. It features 9 pouches for each of the holy days preceding Eid al Adha, which itself takes place on the 10^th day. In each pouch, you can place a small gift like small toys, trinkets or craft supplies! On the 10^th day (Eid day), you can switch things up with larger presents!

Here, I’ve included some gem shaped crayons, markers and beads/ thread for bracelet making – all from Kid Made Modern – as ideas for what to put inside your calendar pouches.

If you like, you can also turn this calendar into an act of kindness calendar. In each pouch, perhaps alongside a small toy or craft supply, you might choose to include a slip of paper with an act of kindness to do for the day where the two tie together. For example, if including Kid Made Modern’s awesome gem shaped crayons, the accompanying activity for the day might be to make a thank you card for someone in the child’s life who could use a little extra appreciation – like the school bus driver or the cross walk guard – if your kids have started school in August.

If you’re a parent heading out to pilgrimage this year and leaving your kids in the care of grandparents, these pouches are also great for stashing away sweet notes for the kids. For some kids, 1 – 1 ½ weeks without parents can be really tough and loving, handwritten, notes each day can help ease anxieties while you’re away on Hajj.

On each of these pouches I used Kid Made Modern’s textile spray paint to paint a simple symbol of Hajj such as pilgrims, Hajj tents, palm trees, sheep and of course, the Kaaba. I loved using Kid Made Modern’s textile spray paint for this craft because it was super easy and fun to use. The small size of the bottles really helped control where the spray goes so you don’t need to be working in a large area to do this craft. Best of all, unlike regular spray paint, there are no strong fumes with this spray paint so you don’t need to be working in a garage either (#winning)! Perhaps my favorite thing about this spray paint kit is how the colors turned out. I love that the white was a sharp enough white to show up well even on natural colored cotton. And don’t even get me started on the gold! I love that a metallic gold spray paint was included in the kit – I absolutely love to add a touch of metallic to whatever craft I’m making.

Included below is a template for cutting out stencils for this craft but if you like, you can always make your own too!

If you make this craft, let us know how it goes on social media @helloholydays and at @kidmademodern!

Materials

- Small cotton pouches

- Printable stencils

- Kid Made Modern Textile Spray Paint

- Cardstock

- Scissors

- Small iron on numbers

- Iron

- Small googly eyes (optional)

- Red gel pen (optional)

- White glue (optional)

Steps

1. Print stencils onto cardstock. Cut out stencils by using a sharp object to make a piercing through the part that needs to be cut and then using small scissors to cut out the entire stencil shape.

2. Lay down the stencil for the first color that you wish to paint and spray with textile paint. Repeat with all other symbols.

3. Once the first color has dried, lay down the stencil for the second color and spray paint. Repeat with the rest of the symbols.

4. When all the symbols on the pouches have dried, use an iron and small iron-on numbers to number each pouch for the calendar.

5. If desired, use googly eyes and a red gel pen to add cute faces to the pilgrims and sheep.

6. Fill each pouch as per your preference.

Notes and tips:

- I held the cardstock stencil down with one hand and spray painted with the other. I don’t mind getting my hands sprayed with paint, especially as it washes off. However, you might choose to wear rubber gloves if you hold down the stencils with your hands. Or, place some rocks or paperweights down to hold the stencil in place while you spray.

- Mistakes are natural – sometimes you might spray a part of the pouch you don’t want to spray. Sometimes, the paint might seep along the edges of the symbols rather than be a sharp imprint. It’s ok!

- When using the gold spray paint from the Kid Made Modern kit, it will look beige when it’s wet. Just let it dry – I promise it will be metallic gold when completely dry!

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Manal Aman is a founder of the blog Hello Holy Days where she shares fun DIY and craft ideas for Ramadan, Eid and Hajj. She loves homemade parties and borrowing books from the library. On a Sunday afternoon, Manal can probably be found taking long walks in the woods, listening to Oprah’s podcast and snacking on French patisserie (hello macrons!)

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Shop our Textile Spray Paint here!