Celebrating Easter 2012

 I feel as though we've had a lot happening the past three weeks!  

I haven't been as organized as I'd like to be in planning family activities to draw attention to the week leading into Easter, but we did manage a few crafts and activities to help the kids understand and celebrate Christ's death and resurrection!

For Palm Sunday, the kids and I colored some pictures of Jesus' triumphal entry, and then we traced our hands on different colors of green paper, glued them to a popsicle stick and used stickers to spell Hosanna.  Then we found some great songs, both new and old, on YouTube and Vimeo to dance to and sing Hosanna!

Our Palm Sunday palm

Then we spent some time decorating hard-boiled eggs.  

I thought it would be fun to try this idea for Volcano Eggs, but it was a bit of a bust.  

The kids enjoyed it, but the eggs turned out quite pale, and the fizzing of the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda was anti-climactic.  Jeremy did try reducing the amount of water in the dye & baking soda paste, which resulted in a more vibrant color, but it was more difficult to paint with...  

 We had a family dinner at my parent's on Friday... and then again on Monday!  

On Friday Grandpa had hidden some eggs around the first couple of rows 

of trees at the tree farm, and the kids had fun trying to find them.  

I admit, I did raid their candies and ate all the chocolate and almond eggs (super yum!).

On Sunday, Jer and I hid some eggs for the kids to find.  They weren't filled with chocolate.  Instead we used this Easter Egg Hunt idea that has a printable coloring book to go along with the eggs that the kids find.  I loved how it talks about Jesus from Christmas all the way through his life to Easter.  It was a great way to talk with our kids about the importance of Easter and why we celebrate it the way we do.  Aria has been busting out some really thought-provoking questions lately about God, and I have to remind myself that she's only looking for a simple answer, cuz she's only five!  Well, almost six.  While we were driving home during spring break she asked how we know that God is real (because kids at school were saying that He's not).  Its really neat to see the wheels turning in her head and heart as she is owning her faith!

Good Friday Fun, Easter 2012

Ahh!  Its Easter already!  The past couple weeks I've been so busy thinking about planning Aria's birthday party, that Easter has snuck up on me, and I really wanted to make the most of this incredible holiday we celebrate to help my kids understand what Jesus has done for us through his death and resurrection!

So, tomorrow, being Good Friday, we're going for a little walk with the young adults from our church in the morning to a hill that overlooks the city.  We're planning on spending some time worshiping and praying for the city there.

Source: breadbaking.about.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

Then, I was thinking it might be fun to try making some hot cross buns this year (I'm not a bake your own bread kind of gal, unless using the bread machine counts!).  So, I've got my recipe written out, and I think we'll work on that when we get back from the hike.  Oh!  I could make the dough before we leave, and then it could rise for two hours while we're out!  Brilliant.

And we'll do some egg-dying too.  I boiled the eggs tonight so they're all ready for tomorrow!

Source: modernhostess.net via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

I thought these look like fun, but I don't know that I really love the idea of dying the actual egg I'm eating, or having peeled eggs hanging out in my fridge until we get around to eating them!  So we'll probably do the marble swirled eggs that we did two years ago.

And then we'll head to my parents for a family dinner!  I'm looking forward to a family day, where we can talk about Jesus' love for us, and his perfect love sacrifice that he made so that we could experience freedom and joy and forgiveness!

Happy Good Friday!

Ways to Celebrate Palm Sunday with Young Children

1.  Colour a picture

Source: sermons4kids.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

2.  Make your own Palm Fronds

Source: impressyourkids.org via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

3.  Use your hands and feet to celebrate

Source: catholicicing.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

I was going to tackle this one with my kids today, but figured I'd wait until Dad was home to help control the inevitable mess!

4.  Decorate a large silk leaf

Source: mustardseeds.typepad.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

I thought this was so cute!  It could also make a great decoration for your door.

 
5.  Start planting a Hill of Calvary garden

Source: mustardseeds.typepad.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

Last year we tried making one of these (see tutorial about Hill of Calvary), 

but the soil dried out, 

and I was trying to use regular grass seed... 

So this year, we're going to try again with cat grass (fingers are crossed!)

6.  Listen to Great Music and Dance!

 Hosanna Rock by Yancy

Hosanna by The Donut Man

Use the palm fronds that you make to jump and dance around!

7.  Watch a movie about Jesus life

One of my absolute favorites is The Miracle Maker.

We also like the Veggie Tales "Twas the Night Before Easter".

8.  Read some books

I have a couple on my to read list.  

And I'm planning on putting one in the kids Easter basket this year.  

But a definite favorite from last year was The Parable of the Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs.

9.  Make a Pinterest Board

Its my favorite way to put all our ideas in one spot.  And my Easter Pinterest Board is a great tool for helping my kids decide which project they'd like to try each day!

Family Connect April 24-30

Jesus is risen!  He is risen indeed!

I've been reflecting a lot on Isaiah 53 this Easter.  Its always been a favorite chunk of scripture for me, as it blows my mind that God gave His people such an incredibly detailed description of His son in prophesy, and yet when Jesus came, they still couldn't recognize Him!  I love the imagery of new life and growth used - he grew up like a tender shoot.  And the wording used to describe both the way he suffered, but also WHY he suffered, and conquered! 

 ¹ Who has believed our message
   and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
   and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
   nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
   a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
   he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
 ⁴ Surely he took up our pain
   and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
   stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
   and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
   each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all.
 ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
   yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
   and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
   so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
   Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
   for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
   and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
   nor was any deceit in his mouth.
 ¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
   and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
   and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
   he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
   and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
   and he will divide the spoils with the strong
because he poured out his life unto death,
   and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
   and made intercession for the transgressors.

This past weekend at VAC Kids we really emphasized that Easter is THE most important day in all of history, and that the story we were telling of the resurrection is THE most important news EVER!!!  And if you knew that your friend could tell you about the most important news ever, wouldn't you want to hear it??  I know I certainly would!

This week for a Family Connect idea we thought it would be really fun to do a scavenger hunt of items that relate to the story of Jesus' death and resurrection.  I can't remember where I found this scavenger hunt list, but it is really well put together!  Enjoy!

EASTER STORY SCAVENGER HUNT

Take time after you’ve collected all the objects to discuss the significance of each item.  Let your children try to figure out which part of the story each object represents, and have them lead the conversation, taking time to look up the different scripture references.

3 dimes - Judas received 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16)

Cracker - last supper (Matthew 26:17-29)

Chocolate kiss - Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss (Matthew 26:47-49)

Feather - Peter denied Christ three times before the cock crew (Matthew 26:69-75)

Soap - Pilate washed his hands (Matthew 27:24)

Purple cloth - they put a purple robe on Jesus (Matthew 27:28)

Thorn - a crown of thorns was placed upon Christ's head (Matthew 27:29)

Nail - they nailed him to the cross (John 19:18-19)

Sponge - when Christ asked for a drink he was given a sponge with vinegar (John 19:28-30)

Rock - Jesus' body was laid in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-60)

Piece of tape - after Christ's death the tomb was sealed (Matthew 27:65-66)

Empty egg - this represents the empty tomb after Christ had risen (Matthew 28:1-9)

Jesus Loves Me

Yesterday, in the midst of coloring, Aria went to her room, grabbed her Bible, a new piece of paper, and then colored this picture.  She said she needed her Bible so she could know how to spell Jesus.
Me: "Why don't you draw a picture of Jesus to go with your words?"
Aria: "I can't, because he wears a glowing white robe, and I don't know how to do that."

We tried to think of some ways to draw that, and this is what she came up with.  We've been talking a lot about Jesus' death and resurrection these past two weeks, so I was so blessed by her self-initiated response to what we've been talking about.  That in her own 5-year old way she understands that Jesus loves her SO incredibly much that he has done everything possible to show her that love.  May you also be impacted by Jesus' love for you this Easter and respond to him in your own unique way... just like Aria did.


Happy Easter!

Resurrection Rolls

These were super easy to make and very tasty!  I followed the directions, but the marshmallows didn't really "disappear" like I was hoping they would.  If I do them again, I might try increasing the oven temperature from 350 to 400.  Every recipe I read said to make sure to seal the dough around the marshmallows really well so that they would create a good pocket, but my marshmallows grew, and grew, and grew, and separated the dough.  Maybe its because I used the reduced fat croissants!  So much for trying to make healthy choices!

Ingredients

One that looks like it worked

One that kinda imploded

The empty tomb!

Playing Wii while the rolls were in the oven

His face doesn't say it, but he really liked them!

Family Connect April 17-23

I had the incredible privilege of storytelling this weekend at VAC Kids; a role that I always enjoy stepping in to.  This weekend was particularly special, as I got to share with the kids about Jesus trial and death... leaving the story hanging a bit, to build anticipation of what is to come next weekend!  It was a really neat weekend, and the power of the story was evident in the way all 125 kids tracked with me through out the weekend, because I just straight up told the story.  No bells, no whistles, no creative acting or costuming or lighting or props or computer graphics.  Just the simple story of God's incredible love for us and the lengths He will go to let us know that love and relationship first hand!

So, in light of what we learned about at VAC Kids this weekend, we have a recipe below to pique the mystery of Jesus' resurrection in the hearts of your kids.  I haven't yet tried this with my kids, but I'm super excited to.  For the past couple of years our family has made Resurrection Cookies (a merangue cookie that so sugary sweet even my kids won't eat them, and I end up eating them all because I feel guilty about wasting perfectly good food... yeah).  SOOOO, I was really excited to come across a recipe for Resurrection Rolls.  I know my kids will love it, because it has a marshmallow in it!  Enjoy!

 

Here is a recipe for a fun and intentional baking activity that explores the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Take time discuss the symbolism of the different steps involved in the recipe.

Resurrection Rolls

You Will Need:
Crescent rolls (the Pillsbury kind)
Melted butter
Large marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Step 2: Take the white marshmallow. Jesus was pure and sinless like this marshmallow. Roll the marshmallow in butter and then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. The butter represents the anointing oil and the cinnamon-sugar mixture represents the spices--both items were put on Jesus' body before they laid him in the tomb.

Step 3: Wrap the biscuit around the marshmallow and seal the dough around it. This part is very important--make sure the dough is completely sealed around the marshmallow. After they put Jesus in the tomb, they rolled a large stone in front of it to seal it.

Step 4: Roll the ball of dough in butter and then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Step 5: Place on the cookie sheet. Tip: Wrap the dough around the marshmallow and pinch the dough together. Make sure that the side that you did the most "pinching" and "sealing" becomes the "bottom" of the tomb/roll. This will help keep the roll sealed. Otherwise, the roll will bake apart, exposing the marshmallow.

Step 6: Place the tray of rolls in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until done. Let the rolls cool and then serve.

Step 7: Encourage your child to break open the tomb to look for Jesus. Where is he? He has risen! The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.  How do the rolls taste? "Taste and see that the Lord is good..." Psalm 34:8  The rolls taste sweet, of course. Easter is a time to celebrate the sweetest gift of all--our salvation through Jesus. Although he was blameless, he died on the cross for our sins; was buried in a tomb from three days; then rose from the dead.

Read Matthew 28:1-10

At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited that they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! Alleluia!
By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell. And now because of what Jesus has done, these things no longer have any power over those who believe in Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead and direct them. 

Oh, and if you want to read an incredible blog about getting your kids to do an "Easter Hunt" for rocks, check out Impress Your Kids.  They have fabulous ideas, and are pretty much my new favorite blog.

Family Connect April 10-16

This past weekend our storyteller Donna shared the story of Jesus praying in Gethsemane and his arrest and betrayal by his disciple Judas (Luke 22:39-44 and John 18:2-11).  The bottom line was that to put others first, you need to put God first. The thing that always strikes me most about Jesus in this story is how completely human he was, that he could be, in a sense, "conflicted".  Our human nature is to shy away from pain and to lean towards self-preservation.  But here we see Jesus, in light of his human nature making the wise choice.  The most wise and loving choice he could make, in order to redeem his creation and restore the potential for relationship with us.  

Aria and I have been reading the Jesus Storybook Bible before bed each night.  I have been SO impacted by the way this book is written for children, but some of the language and phrasing causes me to stop and reflect on the God I know, and challenges me to stretch my understanding of God's love for me.  Here's an excerpt from Psalm 23:

God is my Shepherd

And I am his little lamb.

He feeds me

He guides me

He looks after me.

I have everything I need.

Inside, my heart is very quiet.

As quiet as lying down in soft green grass

In a meadow

By a little stream.

Even when I walk through

the dark, scary, lonely places

I won't be afraid

Because my Shepherd knows where I am.

He is here with me

He keeps me safe

He rescues me

He makes me strong

And brave.

He is getting wonderful things ready for me

Especially for me

Everything I ever dreamed of!

He fills my heart so full of happiness

I can't hold it all inside.

Wherever I go I know

God's Never Stopping

Never Giving Up

Unbreaking

Always and Forever
Love

Will go, too!

The family activity for this week will help to build anticipation as we continue to head towards Easter.  This idea is adapted from Mustard Seeds Blog.  Check it out for step by step pictures and more info. 

Hill of Calvary

Note: It's best to start your Hill of Calvary at least 2 weeks before Easter.

You Will Need:

• Potting Soil or Jiffy Mix
• Gravel
• A few small rocks
• 10 inch terra cotta dish
• 4 inch terra cotta pot
• 4 inch terra cotta dish
• Grass seed or wheatberries (make sure they are organic and untreated) for the grass.
• A good spray bottle
• Sticks (for crosses)
• Hot glue gun
• Raffia and purple ribbon (optional)

 Step 1: Lay the 4 inch pot on its side in the 10 inch dish. Use smallish rocks to hold the pot in place.

Step 2: Pour in a small layer of gravel for drainage.

Step 3: Make mud! The best way to apply the soil/dirt is by first making mud in a separate container.

Step 4: Take handfuls of the mud and pack it all around the pot and in the dish. You will want to create a nice rounded hill.

Step 5: Spread a thick layer of seed over the ENTIRE soil area. You may have to kind of push it into the soil a bit on the steep sides. This is very important: Don't be stingy with the seed. If you want nice, dense grass, the seed needs to completely cover the surface of the soil. (Don't just sprinkle it.)

Step 6: Cover seed with a very thin layer of your mud mixture.

Step 7: Bring your dish garden inside and put it in warm sunlight. The terra cotta is porous so it's going to leak some moisture. Put a tray, plate, etc. underneath it.

Step 8: WATER! For the first 3-4 days you will need to spray and water your hill three times per day. Before the seeds take root, the soil will run off pretty easily...(think erosion) so at first you will mainly need to rely on using a spray bottle to irrigate...

Once the grass takes root and matures, you'll be able to slowly drizzle water on it, without losing your hill.

Step 9: Watch it grow! Within 2 days you will probably see small white roots shooting out.

Step 10: Make three crosses out of collected sticks. Use hot glue to connect the sticks and then wrap raffia around to secure it and hide glue. Note that the grass will grow faster and higher than you think. Make your crosses a little bit "jumbo" sized because they will need to be nestled down in the grass and yet, you still want to be able to see them.

Step 11: The grass will be fully mature by day 7...and from then on out, you will be amazed at how fast it shoots up. Get out our scissors and give it a mow.

Additional Ideas

• As you work on creating the project, watering, etc. talk about the Easter story with your child.

• On Good Friday, wrap up a clothespin in white cloth and lay it in the tomb (Jesus).

• On the Eve of Easter, remove the clothespin, leave the cloth and leave the tomb open for your child to discover first thing on Sunday morning.

• The path to the cross was paved by my sins. Put these rocks in the tomb...to once again die...with Christ. "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."  Romans 4:25

On Easter Jesus not only rose from the grave, conquering death, but he conquered our sin - FOREVER.

The Miracle Maker

We watched The Miracle Maker one year during Spiritual Emphasis week (I think) when I was at Canadian Bible College, and I remember being blown away how an elementary-oriented movie using mostly claymation could carry such power, and convey the story with such truth.  Jesus' story truly is the Good News, and no matter how you share it the Spirit will move in power and love that you cannot deny! 

I was watching this movie a bit today with my almost 5 year old, and felt the need to skip some parts of it (mostly the stuff involving "Mad Mary" - their take on Mary Magdalene).  I think it would really connect with kids in Grade 3 (maybe grade 2 as well) to Grade 6.  It tells the story of Jesus' life and ministry, with flashbacks to his birth.  I love that it is told in relation to the friendships he built, and the people he healed.  Check out the review below done by Christianity Today.

The Miracle Maker
(2000)

Shown in theatres in Europe and on television in North America, this follow-up to the Welsh-Russian TV series Testament: The Bible in Animation was the first major animated cartoon about the life of Jesus. Like the series that preceded it, The Miracle Maker employs a mix of animation techniques, and in a very purposeful way. The day-to-day experiences of Jesus and his followers are depicted with stop-motion puppets, while the parables, flashbacks, memories and spiritual encounters are depicted the traditional, hand-drawn way; the scene in which Jesus casts the demons out of Mary Magdalene is especially striking, as it segues from one style of animation to the other. Co-produced by Mel Gibson's Icon Productions and written by Christian author Murray Watts, the film stars the voice of Ralph Fiennes, whose Jesus is by turns tender, humorous, exasperated, and above all very, very engaging.

Family Connect for April

So, my ministry partner, Amy, and I have been working on a new way for parents to take what we're teaching their kids on the weekend and to stretch the learning even further at home with a family night activity.  Speaking from my own experience as a mom, I often have FABULOUS intentions, but not enough creative energy to actually plan out activities, gather the supplies and execute them.  So, what if we took the planning work out of the equation for parents, and did it for them?  Last month was the pilot month for Family Connect, and I haven't really heard any feedback yet.  But, maybe no news is good news?!

I'm super excited about this month's Family Connect though, because it's all about EASTER!  The curriculum we use at VAC Kids is 252 Basics.  It is an incredible curriculum, that I will go ON and ON about if you let me!  This month we are learning about HUMILITY: putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.  And who better to be an example of that than Jesus, right?  So, this weekend we are looking at the story of Jesus washing his disciples feet.  Followed by Jesus in Gethsemane and his arrest.  Then, his crucifixion and finally his resurrection!  I am just so excited to be talking about Jesus all month, and to be a vessel for the Holy Spirit to call these kids to Himself.

Back to Family Connect!  So, for the next month, I'm going to be posting our Family Connect activities on my blog, and I plan on doing them with my family, so hopefully there will be pictures as well!  Some of the ideas are ones that I found on some other really great blogs by moms I've come across in the last couple of weeks.  Enjoy!

Easter Plans

Okay, so I've got some Easter activities planned for Aria and I.  Last year, we started a couple traditions that I'd like to continue this year: decorating hard-boiled eggs (of course), and making resurrection cookies! 

EASTER EGGS
So, for the eggs... I just finished hard-boiling a dozen eggs (good thing we like egg-salad sandwiches, and deviled eggs - if I find the motivation to make them!).  I put them in a pot, covered them with water, stuck them uncovered on the stove, and brought them to a hard boil for one minute.  Then I removed them from the heat, covered them and let them sit for 18 minutes.  After the timer went off, I put them in the sink and ran cold water on them to cool them quickly.  Now I need to stick them in the fridge until we're ready to colour them.

My favorite and I think prettiest way to colour them is with food colouring, oil and vinegar.  Pour some 1 Tbsp vinegar in a bowl, add a splitch (is that a word?) of vegetable oil and a couple drops of food colouring.  Top up the bowls with water.  Make up a couple different colours in a few different bowls.  Then place an egg in a colour, roll it around with a spoon, remove the egg, dry it with a paper towel, and dip it in another colour....  You get this very pretty marbled effect.  The vinegar does the job of setting the colour so that after its dry it shouldn't rub off on your hands.

The other thing I'm going to do with my daughter tomorrow (Saturday) is make resurrection cookies.  This is a really cool way to walk your child through the events of Jesus' journey to the cross and the tomb, so that they can experience it with their senses, and have it explained at a level they can understand.  I struggle with knowing how much to say to my 4 year old about the how and why of Jesus' death and resurrection.  He died because he loves us, but she doesn't even really grasp what death is!  At preschool she's been learning the song "God's not dead", and it is so cool to hear her walking around the house singing "God's not dead, NO! He is alive!"  Yes, he is alive, and that is SO exciting!  He conquered death!  He's bigger than that!  And he chose to humble himself so that he could show me the incredible depth of his love for me.  I am so blessed.

Anyways... the cookie recipe is as follows...

RESURRECTION COOKIES
Read the whole recipe before beginning.  Try to do together Saturday night before Easter Sunday.

You need: wooden spoon, Bible, zipper baggie and tape

Ingredients:
1 cup whole pecans
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vinegar
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.
Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1 c. sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know this and how to belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt.27:65-66.

GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.

Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty! Read Matt. 28:1-9

HE HAS RISEN!  HALLELUJAH!