This week…preparing for Easter

photo by xrrr

I love holidays and special occasions, particularly when they’re meaningful. And as a Christian family, Easter is the most important holiday in our church year as we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord!

This week in our home I’m planning a couple of different activities that will remind us of true meaning and purpose of Easter, but are also fun and hands-0n ways to learn and experience this special occasion!

Pretzels – Last year, I made pretzels for our junior highers at church as they worked through their catechism. Traditionally, pretzels were given to children who learned their prayers and eaten during Lent. It was a reminder to pray as the pretzel looks like arms crossed over the chest in prayer. The three holes represent the Trinity. Eric Carle’s book Walter the Baker is a cute companion to the pretzel story.

Resurrection Eggs – I’ve been wanting to get a set of Resurrection Eggs, but just never got around to it and when I did they seemed a little expensive for something so simple. Then, I saw this little tutorial for making your own Resurrection Eggs from We Are That Family. Very simple. I still haven’t put them together, but it shouldn’t take too long.

Easter Story Cookies – What I love about this idea is that it’s a hands-on activity that leads children (and parents) through the Easter story with each ingredient representing a part of Jesus’ suffering, death, or resurrection. Its a great way for kids to “see” what Jesus suffered for us in a new way.

Easter Mountain – This great idea comes from Noel Piper, wife of pastor John Piper (via Desiring God), that I originally saw in her book Treasuring God in Our Traditions. You can tell the story of Easter with a playdough mountain.

Easter Sensory Box for Infants – This isn’t an activity we’re doing, but I saw this on 1+1+1=1. It’s a great idea. She let her daughter explore a sensory box with Easter grass and eggs (supervised, of course) and a container with different size and color eggs. You can read more at her blog and the pictures are adorable!

On Saturday, Joey will have his first Easter egg hunt. I’m excited and can’t wait to see how he’ll react to the excitement of the other children and if he’ll understand the concept of picking up the eggs and putting them in the basket!

For more Easter ideas, check out the Frugal Easter link-up hosted by Keeping the Kingdom First.

How are you celebrating this Holy Week?

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