Heads up y’all!  Easter is fast approaching, so like right now would be a perfect time to start getting all your Easter activity, DIY, craft, recipe, and lesson chicks in a row! We are going through the activities in A Sense of the Resurrection: An Easter Experience for families again this year and I hope you’ll join us!  My intention (fingers crossed!) this year is to have all of the activities planned out and the materials prepped way. ahead. of. time. so that we’ll have plenty of time to sit and go through them all with meaning and purpose and not be cramming in 3 lessons a day playing catch up!

 

 

 

 

On this first day of Lent, I am really starting to get excited about Spring coming and the long-awaited celebration of Easter (even though it feels like we just put away Christmas!).

 

The Easter story is such a pivotal part of our faith, but the concepts and imagery are often too much for young minds and hearts to grasp.  It was very difficult for our young son to see how Jesus was treated by others in the events leading up to his persecution and even harder for him to really get the why of it all.

 

So, I am so super excited for the release of this new ebook! Amanda (from Oh Amanda!) has put together a wonderful series of readings, lessons, and activities that gently and thoughtfully explain Jesus’ death and resurrection. I bought the book this morning, and in only briefly flipping through the pages I can already see how wonderful this would be to share with your children in the days and weeks leading up to Easter.  I am anxious to jump in and start the activities and share our experiences with you all!

 

 

From the author:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amanda’s new eBook A Sense of the Resurrection: An Easter Experience for families is available for download and so reasonably priced (it’s just $7.99 – about the cost of a couple of your favorite Starbucks drinks 😉 It comes in a PDF format so you can read it on any device that will support a PDF, or you can print it out for easier reference. This guide is definitely something you will use year after year and it would be such a blessing for homeschoolers, Sunday School classes, or AWANA groups!

 

 

 

We are pretty relaxed and tend to just go with the flow as far as “scheduling” Easter activities would go.  I typically find that it is much more stressful to me to have a bunch of lessons, crafts, and projects planned out and then discover that I don’t have enough time in the day to implement them with any thoughtfulness or The Boy is just not into it when I do get the time to go through the activity or whatever.  I do like to have a bunch of things planned and then just set them all aside to grab and go through when the mood strikes.  Some days we may get through 3 or 4 lessons, other days nothing!

 

 

For those of you that are just beginning or trying to play catch up, here are a couple of easy mini-schedules for A Sense of the Resurrection.

 

 

 

The Jesus Storybook Bible is easily my favorite kid’s Bible.  Okay, one of my favorites.  😉  Each story is just a couple of pages long and the Scripture is conveyed in such an engaging way.  You can buddy up the Jesus Storybook Bible with the SOTR devotional!

 

• Read “Washed With Tears” and do Day 1 (Mary’s Perfume)
• Read “The Servant King” and do Day 3 (Washing Feet)
• Read “A Dark Night in the Garden”
• Read “The Sun Tops Shining” and do Day 7 (Nails) and/or Day 10 (Sealed Tomb)
• Read “God’s Wonderful Surprise” and do Day 11 (Angel)
• Read “Going Home” and do Day 12 (Fish)

 

 

Or you can take just a few activities and do them on the corresponding traditional days of Holy Week:

 

• Palm Sunday >  Day 2 (Triumphal Entry)
• Maundy Thursday > Day 4 (Last Supper) and/or Day 5 (Purple Robe)
• Good Friday > Day 7 (Nails) and/or Day 9 (Vinegar)
• Holy Saturday > Day 10 (Sealed Tomb)
• Easter Sunday > Day 11 (Angel)

 

 

 

These are some of our favorite videos on the Resurrection!  We just discovered that YouTube has tons of animated Bible stories for kids!

 

 

• (Read and Share Bible’s) Easter Story
• Veggietales: A Very Veggie Easter Collection
• The Legend of Three Trees
• (Read and Share Bible’s) The Jesus Movie – this is a wonderful movie (80 minutes) that spans the life of Jesus from the Annunciation to the Resurrection.

 

 

Some of our favorite Easter-themed books!

 

 

• “The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story” by Mike Berenstain
• “My Very First Easter Story Sticker Book” by Lois Rock & Alex Ayliffe
• “The Road to Easter Day” by Jan Godfrey & Marcin Piwowarski
• “The Amazing Journey” by Susie Poole
• “The Easter Story” by Juliet David & Jo Parry
• “The Tale of Three Trees” by Angela Elwell Hunt & Tim Jonke
• “The Story of Easter: Read and Share” by Gwen Ellis

 

 

 

 

 

Resurrection Rolls are always a fun and simple way to teach young children about the Resurrection of Christ.  We make these yummy rolls several times a year!

 

 

 

 

 

We made this really sweet watercolor resist the other day! Use watercolor paper (thicker construction paper will work too) and place strips of blue painter’s tape in the form of a cross in the center of the paper. Have kids write an Easter message with a clear or white wax crayon on the blank paper. Then they can paint over the whole paper with watercolors. After the paint has dried the message should be visible. Carefully peel away the tape to reveal the cross!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend Sarah made a beautiful set of these wooden Resurrection Eggs last year and I have had the hardest time finding 12 of the same size eggs!  I may have to start this project in July!  😉  DIY Resurrection Eggs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or you can buy a pre-made Resurrection Egg kit: this kit on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

We finally got our Resurrection Garden planted!  It’s GROWING now!

 

 

 

 

This Easter Object Lesson is a fantastic way to demonstrate the sacrifice Jesus made for us and it involves a bit of science fun!  Be sure to read the comments for some tips on getting the “trick” to work!

 

I love this baking project from Christianity Cove!