Resurrection and Eggs

We had a really great Easter season this year.  The kids had Spring Break the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday which gave us a sweet time to really focus on the Holy Week.  I had purchased these things called Resurrection Eggs at Lifeway.  It's twelve colorful, plastic eggs that are filled with different components of the Easter story.  Each day there is a little Bible Story, a Bible verse and an object to depict what we read.  It's a great tool for teaching the Holy Week to your kids.  We loved it.  

Since I had an entire week to entertain and fill for my two littles I took it a step further by hitting up Pinterest to find daily activities that coincided with the Bible lesson.  To kick it off we colored a picture of Jesus riding in on a donkey, made palm branches out of construction paper and learned what Hosanna means.  Then we practiced circa Mt. Vernon Baptist Easter Pageant days of old.  The kids thought that was super fun and then were totally intrigued for what was next each day.  

The kids and I had so much fun and made some great memories.

Our resurrection eggs Easter morning.  Before we even opened the final white one Will claimed he knew what was in it.  "Nothing."  I asked why anticipating some deeply spiritual response, he stated he knew it was empty because when he shook it the other day there was nothing in it.  Sigh.

My boy holding the spear that represented Jesus being pierced in the side after his death on the cross.  
There were some serious questions that day from the little man holding that spear.

Sweet little fingers holding the cross.

Easter morning we did the final egg and Bible lesson before the kids headed out to their Easter baskets.

This is a picture of the kids having what we called a "Jerusalem lunch."  We discussed the meal Jesus had with his disciples, local foods of the area/time and had a little spin off of our own.  Yogurt, grapes, grape juice for the wine, pork(ham), unleavened bread crackers, cheese, lettuce and we poked at olives but didn't eat them.  The following day, Will asked me if he could have grape juice instead of wine again.  Crickets. 

The day we read about the crown of thorns Jesus had to wear we went outside and looked at our prickly bushes and discussed how much it would hurt.  Then we came in and made haystack crown of thorns snacks.  It was a stretch but coming up with an activity for that day that was kid appropriate was a stretch anyway.

On the day we read about Jesus dying on the cross we made this little craft.  It was super easy and actually worked.  I was kind of impressed with my non-crafty self.  The kids loved it.

The Holy Week between Palm Sunday and Easter is always a reverent and sacred time to me.  From Palm Sunday, Seder Dinners, Maunday Thursday services, Good Friday and ultimately the celebration that our Savior is risen just as He said is humbling and truly awe inspiring to me.   I love sharing that with my children and beginning to impart truth to their hearts and minds.  This is more than a song we sing and a building we go to on Sunday mornings.  This is salvation.  This is life.  This is everything.  Amen.