These are a few of the resources I'm using as I plan for the next 40 days:
I found this great countdown calendar at Catholic Icing. I really like the way it looks like a game board and that you are sort of traveling on a journey to Easter.
You can print the PDF or you can save it to your computer. Counting down the 40 days to Easter, rather than using dates, makes the calendar reusable each year.
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This is also a PDF you can save to your computer and print.
Gibson is a protestant and briefly, but respectfully, explains what Lent is. The remainder of the e-book is comprised of ideas for activities to do as a family during Lent.
One of my favorite ideas is "#20. We can have 'new life' in Jesus! Do something crafty like make a tissue or coffee
filter butterfly. Or draw a butterfly and paint or color it. Look up 2 Corinthians
5:17."
I haven't decided yet which of these activities we'll do. Gibson suggests printing them all on cardstock, placing in a bowl and randomly drawing each day. With my little guys I feel the need to prepare things ahead of time but if my kids were older I might do that.
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Whether you buy this pre-made product or collect items to put in plastic eggs, this idea is fantastic for teaching children the events leading up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.
I'll use these eggs a couple of times a week to discuss the Easter story so that my kids are familiar with it. I'm also leaving them out in a basket as a part of our Spring/Easter decorations.
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I'm definitely using some of her ideas. I especially like the way she links each activity to a specific verse. She has another fun idea to hang a names of Jesus garland. I can't use that one this year but I'm filing it away for the future!
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This will go along beautifully with the verse I plan to memorize in April with my children.
It says, "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that bought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."
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- Catholic Icing
- Apples 4 the Teacher - Christian Easter, page 2, page 3
- FamilyLife - Resurrection Eggs Activity Book PDF includes MANY coloring pages
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Are these ideas new to you or traditions at your house? Do you have an Easter or Lent tradition that I missed?
4 comments:
I'm going to look into the "gameboard" countdown! Haven't see it before... Otherwise, we'll do similar. I, too, read Homespun Heart and Mustard Seeds--and use many of their ideas. :)
M3 are most looking forward to our Resurrection Eggs, which we do several egg hunts throughout the inside of the house and then talk about them often! And, the Resurrection Rolls. These 2 are their favorites!
Thanks for the links! I need to look into them! They sound like great ideas. Addi will love the coloring book pages. The resurection eggs are awesome- I need to get some. Thanks for the inspiration!
We're going to go through Benjamin's Box again this year - because it was impacting and enjoyable last year. Of course, we'll be doing it earlier in the month of April, but we still want to do it. (I can't stand the thought of ignoring the moment altogether.) But a baby does make things interesting. I think I'm going to do the same thing for Easter that I did for Christmas in wrapping up our books in colored tissues paper to make the reads and various activities I HOPE to put into April more exciting. We'll see what comes out of all of my ideas! =)
I really like the gameboard. She has it colored in the pic but it prints in black and white. You could easily have one for each child to countdown with or use one for the family (we are). I hope to color ours in as we travel the path to Easter. I'm also planning to write our activities on the path - once I get it worked out in my head.
I forgot to include making pretzels in the list of food. I'd like to give that a try. And I'll do a whole other post with book recommendations.
Carrie, wrapping the books is a great idea. Unfortunately, our Easter collection now totals FOUR, not counting the one I have on backorder at CBD. Our local library is also very lean in their Easter selection - unless I want bunnies and flowers and birds. But I'm not big into those.
Oh, and I should say thanks to Amy for the link to the Resurrection Rolls!! ;)
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