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Contact_FullName: Donna Contact_Email: donnadavis@darientel.net date:: 04/02/03 Area: Misc. Christian Easter Ideas Idea: The Purpose of the Easter Egg at the Easter Egg Hunt: The Easter egg's a symbol of the miracle of birth and the beauty of creation as each spring renews the earth. But, even more, it represents Christ rising from the dead and the message of new life and hope, his resurrection spread. Today, each brightly colored egg reflects a special part of the gift of joy and gladness that Christ brings to every heart. Contact_FullName: Debbie Contact_Email: dearthskey@att.net date:: 03/17/02 Area: Easter- Misc Idea: I cut a large heart shape out of red construction paper and cover it with contact paper (or laminate). When we talk about Jesus dying on the cross to forgive our sins, I have the children use a washable black marker to mark on the heart while they give an example of a sin. Then explain that when we accept Christ as our savior he wipes our sin away. Demonstrate this by using a damp cloth to "wipe away" our sins.
5-3-00Make a Tomb for Christ On Good Friday You'll need a cookie sheet, a small box. Also, take a walk in the woods and gather moss, tiny tree seedlings, acorns and small rocks. At home again, cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the box in one corner of the cookie sheet. Cut a hole in the side of the box or leave one side open for the opening of the tomb. Make sure your big rock will cover the hole. Cover the entire sheet with moss and decorate with other woodland gatherings. You may make a cross and stick it in the top of the tomb also. Explain to the children how Jesus was put in the tomb and the rock was rolled into place. On Easter morning, before the children get up, open the tomb, put a bit of white cloth with iodine on it in the tomb and a picture of the risen Lord above it.
4-18-00We put a giant cross on the bulletin board. When a child is "caught being good" they receive a heart with their good deed written on it. The children love to place their heart on the cross. Written on the board "Let our good deeds be our Lenten gift to Jesus."
4-15-00This has been passed down with great success. Give each child a plastic egg. Tell them to go home and put something in the egg that shows new life (butterfly, etc). When the children come to school with their eggs, open each one and talk about the new life God gave us at Easter. One child did not put any thing in the egg representing that God took Jesus home.
Date: 3-30-00We build a tomb from blocks or Legos and place a picture of Jesus inside. We talk about how Jesus was placed in the tomb after He died on the cross. We bring in a large rock from outside. Let a child pretend to be a Roman soldier and block the door to the tomb with the rock. Talk about how Jesus said He would rise again in 3 days. Count together 1-2-3! Let a child be an angel and roll the rock away. Take Jesus out - He is alive! Sing "God's not dead, NO! He is alive. God's not dead, NO! He is alive. God's not dead, NO! He is alive. I know, He's living in me.
Date: 3-28-00A beautiful door or bulletin board decoration. Cut white paper the length necessary for door or bulletin board. Draw a long window with pencil shaped long with arch at the top. Similar to stained glass window in Church. Using your pencil make puzzle like shapes in the window. Let the children paint the shapes. After it has dried, use black paint and follow the pencil lines you drew. Allow this to dry and then hang on your door or board. Cut a brown cross from construction paper and put in the center of the window. You can also let the children make a flower during art to put at the bottom of the window with their names on them. I made Calla Lilies to give it a 3-D effect. Across the top, I put the words: He Lives! It has been a huge success!
Date: 3-1-00The week before Easter, the 4-year old teaching staff at my Christian preschool likes to send home a jellybean treat and the following poem. The Jelly Bean Prayer RED is for the blood He gave. GREEN is for the grass He made. YELLOW is for the sun so bright. ORANGE is for the edge of night. BLACK is for the sins we made. WHITE is for the grace He gave. PURPLE is for HIS hour of sorrow. Pink is for our new tomorrow. A bag full of Jelly Beans, Colorful and sweet. Is a prayer, is a promise, Is a friend's small treat.
You can purchase jelly beans by color and wrap them yourselves. Last year I bought the prepackaged ones at the grocery store and just attached the poem. Pass it on!
Date: 5-25-99Because so many children associate Easter with eggs, in our church we had a "Dyeing Party." It was held on Friday night before Easter Sunday. We dyed hundreds of Easter Eggs to be used in the churchwide egg hunt the following day. We placed our emphasis on Jesus' Dying. We baked forgotten cookies that are somewhat like divinity but when they rise, they are hollow inside just like the tomb.(e-mail me for the recipe). We used resurrection eggs to tell the story of Easter. Each plastic egg contained a symbol of the story of Easter. One contained a nail, one a tiny plastic donkey (the triumphant entry) one contained a thorn...as each egg was opened (by a child) in order of the story, the storyteller told how the item in the egg fit into the story. You can buy the resurrection eggs at you local Christian bookstore, or be creative and make your own. We also used a flannel graph and had children place a piece of the story on the board at a time as the storyteller recreated the story of Easter. All of these activities are great for children because of hands on learning. They remember 10% of what they hear, but they remember much more of what they touch and do. We mixed up the cookies at the beginning of the 2 hour party. Then we used the resurrection eggs. We had pizza and refreshments, then we used the flannel graph. The evening ended with dying the eggs (they had been boiled earlier and were cool). The children realized that there are two kinds of dyeing at Easter. It was a great experience. We had about 70 children. You'll need volunteers accordingly. |
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