The first is Resurrection Rolls. My kids LOVE making these with me. What you need: can of crescent rolls, large marshmallows, melted butter, sugar & cinnamon. You tell your child that the marshmallow represents Jesus' body. You explain that after He died on the cross they took his body and prepared it for burial with spices, etc. You then take the marshmallow, dip it in butter and then a sugar/cinnamon mixture. Next you explain to your child how they put Jesus' body into the tomb (the crescent roll). You roll the marshmallow up inside the crescent roll. (It's important that you seal the roll well around the marshmallow.) Then bake the rolls. While they're baking you could take the time to tell the rest of the Easter Story. When the rolls are done baking you open the tomb (roll) and it will be empty, just like when Jesus rose from the dead! In addition, you have a yummy treat. My kids asked if we could make these Sunday morning this year for breakfast, which I thought was a great idea!
The other new thing I'm trying this year is Resurrection Eggs. I have heard of this a lot, but just decided to give it a try this year. You need a dozen plastic eggs, and a carton to hold them in. Then you fill the eggs w/ the following: donkey, coins, bread, praying hands, sword, crown of thorns, cross, nails, sponge, linen, stone, empty. Then you use the eggs to tell the story, allowing the kids to open the eggs and then tell them the story as you go. I watched a demonstration at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YZZKe73_-8, and then I went to the website www.cullensabcs.com and went to her link for art patterns to get the donkey, praying hands, crown of thorns, and sword. You will understand by watching her video. I am very excited to try this with my preschool sunday school class and my own kids.
Hope everyone has a blessed Easter and is able to teach their children about the hope we have thanks to all Jesus did for us! In addition I strongly recommend, "The Jesus Storybook Bible," to any parent, not only for Easter but anytime. The stories are beautifully written and show us the love story between God and his people throughout the Old and New Testaments. Happy Easter!
