Easter Celebrations

UPDATED: 5.5.10 with pictures

Yesterday, Eli came up to me and said, Mommy, I want to draw a big cross on April 2nd and hang it up so we remember what Jesus did for us. Then on April 4th, I want to hang up a picture of how he rosed up and we can celebrate!"

These words were an encouragement to me because I do not want to at all forget why we do celebrate Easter Sunday! I also cannot waste this time to share about what Jesus did for us and why. So, here is our family plan and some great ways to involve kids in Easter week~ These are not scheduled to happen on the actually days as marked in history, but rather to help your children understand what happened the week leading up to Jesus' death as well as why we celebrate this special time of the year.
Monday:

John 10:1-10 The Good Shepherd

Talk as a family how Jesus is the Good Shepherd, he is the door (the only way to salvation) In verses 17-18 it talks of how Jesus willingly laid down His life, talk about what this means to help your children understand the greatness in His death on our behalf.

Tuesday:

John 13:1-20 The Washing of the Disciples Feet

What you will need: tubs of warm water, soap & towels

Read the scriptures, then talk with your children about why Jesus did this. Then take turns serving one another by washing one another's feet. Talk about how this meant Jesus was on the floor, how the disciples wore sandals and their feet would be very dirty. Talk about why this was so important for Jesus to do for the disciples.

Wednesday:

Matthew 26:17-30 The Passover

Prepare a special meal for your family to share and talk about Jesus' last supper with his disciples. Before the meal read Psalm 113 and at the end read Psalm 118:22-29.

Thursday:

Matthew 26:36-56 The Betrayal & Arrest

If possible take your children outside when it is dusk and read this to them. Talk of how Jesus was nearing the time of his death, his prayer and how the disciples fell asleep. Then talk about Judas and how he betrayed Jesus and he was then arrested. Lead your children in prayer thanking Jesus for his willingness to die for them, so that they may have the free gift of salvation.

Friday:

John 18-19:1-16
John 19:17-37 The Crucifixion

What you will need: a white pillowcase, washable markers, brown & red permanent markers

First read or re-tell the accounts of Jesus on trial and his beating. (You can make this age appropriate). Before reading of Jesus' crucifixion, draw a cross on the white pillowcase. Then have your children put their fingerprints all over the cross with the washable markers. Have your children name sins as they do this. Then you draw a heart around the fingerprints to represent Christ's love for us as He gave His life for us. Read the John 19 passage and then pray with your children.

Saturday:

Matthew 27:57-66 The Burial

Read and talk with your children about the burial of Jesus. Take the white sheet you made yesterday and put it in the dryer with your children. This is to represent how Jesus was place in a secure tomb. (You are also going to wash the sheet without them knowing and dry it!)

Wash sheet and dry overnight.
Make the special walk to the tomb: 1 sheet of paper (red, green, yellow, orange, black, white, purple and blue) In that order, write these on them and lay them out to lead to the tomb (dryer)

1. The blood Jesus gave
2. The grass he made
3. The sun so bright
4. The edge of night
5. The sins we made
6. The grace Jesus gave
7. The hour of Jesus' sorrow
8. The hope in our new tomorrow

Sunday:

John 20:1-18 The Empty Tomb!

On Easter morning, I always sing "Up From the Grave He Arose!" If you don't know this song, maybe you can find it in a hymnal. Wake up celebrating that Jesus is alive! Follow the special path to the tomb and take out the pillowcase~ the "sins" will be washed away. Celebrate!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

Well not quite, but look at what the boys and I made Monday!!

Oh! Don't they look yummy? Eli loves to give and do special things for others and for school on Tuesday he wanted to take these for snack. So here is how we made them! 1. You will need these ingredients: (white cake mix, food coloring & frosting)

2. Mix the cake, then separate into six bowls, using about 3/4 cup of batter per bowl. Then add the food coloring to each bowl to make the colors of the rainbow~ I added what I though would work, then we tweaked as we mixed each bowl.

3. Let the kids help mix and then pour into the muffin cups! I used a small spoon full of each color in each muffin cup. It was easiest to fill all the cups with the same color, then keep adding to them. After I dropped in the spoonful, I carefully spread the batter. We were able to make 15 cupcakes.
4. Bake according to the recipe, frost when cool and tada! Rainbow Cupcakes....









Enjoy :)
And just because he is so cute! Here is our little man just hanging out with us!

Library List

Welcome back library list!

My boys and I love the wonder of so many stories waiting for little imaginations to join them. The many colorful books that call us to pick them up, sit down and enjoy their story~so check out some of these titles that we have enjoyed this past week!

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na A beautifully illustrated book about a little owl's world; awake while everyone is sound asleep!

Color Farm by Lois Ehlert This very fun book has a cut-out picture on each page that peeks into what you might find as you turn the page. Bold primary colors make it fun to look through.

Count! by Denise Fleming This book is full of larger than life, bright pictures as you count up to 10!

Hello Robots! by Bob Staake Four robots have special jobs that they each enjoy, but when a rainstorm mixes up their brains, they must find a way to work it all out!

Hey Mr. Choo Choo; Where are you going? by Susan Wierberg This rhythmic story will have you moving as you travel with Mr. Choo Choo and all he sees, hears and does on his railway ride.
Otis by Loren Long This book is about friendship that remains tried and true! A tractor and a young calf are personified, as we follow their sweet friendship over time.

The Amazing Human Body by Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone Do people with bigger ears hear better? Looking for some fun experiments to try at home with your kids? This is the book! It helps answer fun questions with hand-on experiments.

The Turn-Around Upside-Down Alphabet Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst As you read this fun interactive book, you turn it all directions to see what kind of things each letter of the alphabet makes! Black pages with bold colorful pictures make this a fun read.

Grazers

Grazer is a good word to describe me and my eating habits. I typically eat small snacks and small meals all day long. I am not a fan of a big meal, except at dinner time. So, when I went with a friend this past Wednesday to a MOPS group, I was so excited that the speaker was talking about children's nutrition. She had so many helpful things to suggest and hints to help with what to be feeding our kids and why. One thing I was encouraged by is that it is better to eat 5-6 small meals through-out the day! Yea! We are already grazers!

Now, the really practical part that I loved... a snack tray for my boys. Isn't this cute?
So, this is how it worked for us today. I introduced the snack tray and let the boys know that when the tray is out on the table, they are welcome to sit down and eat anything in the muffin tin. This gives them freedom to eat when they are hungry, lets me decide what good nutritional food they will be getting and keeps me from having to make them something. Now, I know that not every house runs like this, but for us this is a great solution! I also set water bottles out for them to make sure they get enough water each day.

It was fun to see them sitting together after playing outside and having a snack. They also ate a great supper and cleaned their plates. I did not hear them say, "I'm hungry, when is supper?" They also did not ask for any other snacks, they were content with what was in the tray~ even the trail mix, which they typically do not eat!

This very small change reminded me of a few things:

1. Children love new things to capture their attention. My boys look forward to fun new things and they stick with it. I know that tomorrow morning Eli will be asking me where the snack tray is!
2. Children also love boundaries. After very clearly explaining the idea of the muffin tin snacks, they were content and did not ask all day to have a snack or when it was time to eat. They were happy with the pre-chosen snacks.
3. Children love to have small amounts of freedom. They feel special when they get to have a choice and it is important to build this ability in them. They may not like all that is offered, but they can choose to eat the snack they want. And in this case, they even ate something that they are not that fond of, but it was all that was left when they wanted a snack later in the day!

So maybe this will work for you, even if it is one day a week that is special and out of the ordinary routine. Let me know how you used this idea and how your kids responded to it! Have fun with them this week and remember to enjoy the journey of motherhood. If you do not have kids then start keeping a notebook of fun things you come across that you can do when and if God expands your family someday to include children. If not, you can pass them along or use them with children that may be a part of your life.

Happy Grazing! :)