Jellybean prayer box

Today's Scripture: Jesus Questioned by Pilate--Matthew 27:11-14

The Jellybean prayer box is as simple as a few cuts and folds. You go to the link below and print out the box.
http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/files/BibleCrafts/JellyBeanCraft.pdf

Next, make these folds.

http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsEasterJellyBeanPrayerBox.html

Fill with a little Easter grass and a jellybean for each color in the poem. This is such a fun reminder of how blessed we truly are by our God and our Savior!!

Resurrection File Game

Today's Scripture: Jesus Gets a Crown of Thorns--Matthew 27:29

The project fo today is actually a game! My kids love to play games and this one is easy and fun. Below is the link to the printables for the game. You need a file folder, glue stick, scissors, and dice.  Print all of the game boards and pieces. Glue the game board to a file folder. Cut out all of the game pieces and instructions. The game pieces that they collect tell the story of Easter. Use this time as a review of the lessons already learned!

http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/Pages/FileFolderGames/EasterFileFolderGame.html#.UzRqi_ldUaB

Coffee Filter Craft

Today's Scripture: Peter Denies Knowing Jesus--Matthew 26:69-75

Cut out a heart shape from a coffee filter. Let you kids scribble with a pencil on the heart and write the word Sin in pencil. Read Isaiah 59:2 which says "your sins separate you from God." and Romans 6:23 "the wages of sin is death." Talk to your kids about how our sins separate us from God, making us unclean and unworthy of heaven.

Then put a few drops of red food coloring on top of the word sin.And watch how the red covers the dirt and sin. Explain to your kids that this is exactly what Jesus' blood does for us. He died on the cross so that we could be forgiven, so that our sins could be covered.

Tomb Hand Print

Today's Scripture: Peter Denies Knowing Jesus--Matthew 26:69-75

In the middle of a sheet of blue construction paper, have your child place their hand print. They can either place their hand in yellow paint and make a hand print on the paper or you can draw their hand print on yellow construction paper, cut it out, and glue it to the center of the paper (the much easier, less messy way!!)

Then, have them draw a green hill or cut one out of construction paper and glue it on the paper.

Draw three crosses on the hill.

At the top of the paper, write the following verse: "This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

Cross Folding Project

Today's Scripture: The Lord's Supper--Matthew 26:26-30

This is a super easy project that needs almost no supplies! A sheet of paper, a pen or marker, and scissors are all the supplies you need.

First, you take a piece of paper and write the verse down the middle. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

Some people don't believe that Jesus is the only way to God. They try to take the verse and turn it upside down.

Or, ignore it completely (flip the paper over).

Sometimes, they flip and fold it, looking for another way to heaven

And, sometimes people try to cut Jesus, and His words out completely.

But, (unfold the paper to reveal the shape) in the end, it all comes back to Jesus and His sacrifice for us. If there was another way to God, Jesus wouldn't have needed to die for us. But He did.

Easter Garden

Today's Scripture: In the Garden--Matthew 26:36-46

This project requires a little more labor and supplies than I usually like, but I thought it was such a neat idea. I put it on the calendar for Friday so that way we were not worried about hurrying to get homework and baths done! It's a great representation of the tomb that was found empty because Jesus lives! The kids will also enjoy watching the grass grow, bringing new life, just as Christ's death brings new life to each of us!!

After our Scripture reading, the kids and I read the Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt. This is such an incredible story about how God takes what we consider mundane and makes it great for His glory!

Then, we began creating our Easter gardens.

Supplies: terra cotta mini pot (tomb)

terra cotta small tray

small pebbles from the floral department

grass seed

one small bag of potting soil

small twigs and a large rock(smaller than a child's fist)

glue gun

spray water bottle

Place mini pot on the tray and add potting soil around it

Pack soil in and on top of the mini pot, forming a small hill

Add pebbles coming form the opening of the "tomb"

Place larger rock half covering the tomb

Sprinkle grass seed on the soil

Glue small twigs to form three crosses (hot glue works best)

Stick each cross into the "hill" behind the tomb

Spray soil lightly every day with water bottle

Watch and wait for new life (grass) to spring forth!

For the younger children who may not be as patient, you can create a simpler project! 

Supplies: terra cotta mini pot

Easter grass

popsicle sticks

Fill the terra cotta pot with Easter grass

Use a glue gun to glue popsicle sticks into crosses (You could have the kids paint or color the popsicle sticks brown)

Stick three crosses in the terra cotta pot and you have a much simpler Easter Garden!!

Nailing our sins to the cross

Today's Scripture: Jesus Cleanses the Temple--Matthew 21:12-17

At a youth retreat one year, one of the men from our church led a devotional. He was talking about Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us. During the middle of his lesson, he had us write one of our sins on a slip of paper and one by one we went up front to a wooden cross and nailed our sin to the cross. Wow! That was an incredible lesson. It really brought to life the fact that Jesus was nailed to the cross by my sins. I've never forgotten the way that made me feel. I felt guilt. I felt discomfort. I felt pain. But, I also felt free. Free from whatever sin was haunting the junior high me. My kids and I have talked about sin a little over the past year. They are old enough to understand when they do something wrong and why it was wrong. I wanted to let them experience something similar to what I experienced by nailing my sin to a cross. I want them to see what freedom feels like when we have our sins washed away, when we have our sins nailed to the cross.

Supplies:

Cork board square

straight pins

little colored circles

Sharpie

I drew a cross on the cork board. Then we brainstormed types of sins and looked up some scripture about sin. The kids wrote these sins on the cross. Then, we each thought about something that we are doing that is wrong.  We said a prayer for God to forgive those sins, and then pinned a colored circle on the cork board. The circle represents Christ's perfection. The pins represent the nails that held Jesus to the cross.

 We left the cork board in a central location in our house, so that each time we did something wrong we could ask for forgiveness and cover up another place on the cross. This really taught the kids, and myself, the importance of asking for forgiveness and repenting of our sins.  Hopefully, by Easter we will have completely covered the sin on this cross, just like Jesus covers our sins with his death on the cross.

For younger kids, you could do this fun, simpler craft!  Mosaic cross

Print a blank cross on card stock (or draw one on construction paper) and write the word SIN in the middle of the cross. Use a glue stick to put glue on the cross. Tear up little squares of tissue paper and let the kids stick the squares to the cross!! Easy and fun, with little mess!