Easter Week

Get ready for a kinda long post....
I am going to go back to my "teacher roots" and share some "lesson plans" with you. 

I have been working on some Easter things that I want to do with Alyse next week for Easter week.  I thought that I would share some of them with you so you could do some of these things too.

(I hate it when I hear what people did for holidays/events and wish that I would have had the time to pull things together.  I figured posting this now gave you a few days to get supplies and plans together.)

PALM SUNDAY
Verses: John 12:12-13

Make palm branches

Donkey coloring page (online)

Song:  Here Comes Jesus (tune of 3 Blind Mice)
Here comes Jesus, Here comes Jesus
Let's Praise Him, Let's Praise Him
Wave our branches and sing
Hosanna to the king
Let's praise Jesus, Let's Praise Jesus

MONDAY
Make bread and discuss how Jesus called himself the Bread of Life
Verse: John 6:35, 50-51

Jelly Bean Prayer
Talk about how Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to lay down His life for us.
You will need a bag of different colored jelly beans and a cup or Ziploc bag.
Read this poem as your child finds the matching colored jelly bean and places it in their cup or bag.

Red is for the blood He gave.
Green is for the grass He made.
Yellow is for the sunflowers so bright.
Black is for the dark of night.
White is for the grace He gave.
Orange is for the sun He made.
Purple is for the hours of sorrow.
Pink is for our new tomorrow.

A bag full of jelly beans,
colourful and sweet.
It's a prayer, a promise, and a child's treat.

May the risen Lord Bless you this Easter and always.

*I thought about taking some of the bread and the jelly beans to a friend/neighbor along with an invitation to one of our Easter services.

TUESDAY
Song: Jesus Loves The Little Children

Read the Bible story found in Matthew 18 where the disciples ask Jesus: “Who is the greatest in God’s Kingdom?” and He answers: “This child is!”
Help your child to make a large red heart out of cardstock. Paste a photo of them in the center and write around the heart – JESUS LOVES ME.

Read the story about when Jesus asked the disciples to let the children come to Him, found in Matthew Chapter 19:13. He says “The Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Let your child make a crown out of gold/yellow paper. Stick fake jewels onto it or use glitter glue to decorate it. Tell your child they are princes and princesses because Jesus is their King and He has made a place for us in the Kingdom of Heaven.

WEDNESDAY
We are going to do our Resurrection Eggs this day.
We will also probably dye our eggs on this day.

Speaking of eggs - I am not sure if I am going to do this with Alyse, but I think this is a great idea for kids to "get" the whole God is 3 in one idea.

Talk about how an egg has 3 parts - shell, white, yoke
1. Shell - God the Father.  He is our protector.
2. White - Holy Spirit. The white is clear - you can't see the Holy Spirit, but it is very important part of us.  It surrounds us.
3. Yoke - Jesus the Son.  Yellow like the sun, so easy to remember.  You could get into what exactly the yoke is but that might scare your child from eating eggs..... 
That main thing is that they see that it is 1 egg just like we have one God but it is made out of 3 parts.

THURSDAY
Verse: John 13:1-17
Talk about the custom of washing feet and explain that Jesus washed his disciples feet because he loved them.  Also talk about how Jesus came to wash away our sins.
As a family wash each others feet and pray for each other.

Verse: Luke 22:39-46
Go to a park/garden.  Talk about how Jesus prayed that he would not fall into temptation and also prayed "not my will, but yours be done".  Talk about how he gave himself because he loved his father and loved us even though it was scary and hard.

FRIDAY
Make a cross out of wood or popsicle sticks.  Talk about how Jesus was put on a cross.

Place a white carnation in a vase.  Talk about how Jesus was "without blemish or defect".  When he died on the cross his blood was shed for us.  Add about a dozen drops of red food coloring into water. 
Over the next few days the flower petals will turn red.  Talk about how Jesus took our sins away.

SATURDAY
Resurrection Cookies.

Ingredients:
1 C whole pecans
1 tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 C Sugar

Supplies:
Ziploc bag
Wooden Spoon
Tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break  into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-3.

2. Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30.

3. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11.

4. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sins.
Read Luke 23:27.

(So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.)

5. Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know Him and belong to Him.
Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

6. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

7. Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mount represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was lain.
Read Matthew 27:57-60.

8. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF
(DO NOT BAKE COOKIES).

9. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.
Read Matthew 27:65-66.

10. Go to bed! Explain to them that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed and they had to leave.
Read John 16:20 & 22.

On Resurrection morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies, like the tomb, are hollow! On the first Resurrection morning, Jesus' followers were amazed and surprised to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matthew 28:1-9. HE HAS RISEN! HE HAS RISEN INDEED!


SUNDAY
Take a roll of toilet paper and wrap your child in it like "grave clothes".  Let them break out just like Jesus rose from the dead and left his grave clothes behind.

Go to park and find a large boulder and have them try to roll it.  Read Matthew 27:62-66, 28:1-4.  Discuss how a large stone like that could not keep Jesus in the grave and how surprised everyone was when they discovered the grave was empty.

___________________________________________

OK, there you have our Easter Week plans!

I also have a few bunny crafts that I want to do, and of course on Sunday there will be an egg hunt and Easter baskets, but I do want Alyse to know the true reason of why we celebrate Easter.

I hope that I gave you some ideas to try.