I’ve been waiting for the time when my daughters are big enough to learn about the real meaning of Easter. It’s not all bunnies and chocolate eggs, and I really wanted them to feel the importance of this special holidays.
I found this great holy week calendar on pinterest and I was determined to do it with E. (and if Little L wanted to join in she could too. Not surprisingly she did want to join in)
From Palm Sunday until Resurrection Sunday every day we made a little craft activity and read from the bible (both in English and in Hungarian).
We started with cutting up 4 pieces of coloured paper (yellow) and E wrote the days on other coloured stips with her beautiful cursive writing.
While she was writing I was jotting down some biblical quotes that I found on the Domestic Notebook blog.
The next has been copied from the Domestic Notebook blog as we followed it day by day. The pictures attached are our handiwork
Sunday
TOPIC: Palm Sunday
READING: Mark 11:1-11 and Luke 19:28-44
CRAFT: construction paper palm leaves
MEMORY VERSE: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Mark 11:9
SONGS: “Hosanna!” by Hillsong, “Hosanna! {Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord}” by Michael W. Smith
We made palm leaves. I prepared some green paper and popsicle sticks. I traced the kids hand and they cut them out (I folded the paper 3 times so we needed to cut only 2 for left and right hands).
When finished with the cutting we stuck the hands around the popsicle stick, which formed a palm leaf. Out of the leftover green paper I cut out small palm leaves and E. stuck them on the yellow sheet.
Monday
TOPIC: Jesus Clears the Temple
READING: Mark 11:12-17
CRAFT: construction paper table cut-out with pennies taped on top
MEMORY VERSE: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Mark 11:17/Isaiah 56:7
We did exactly as it was suggested. First, we always read the biblical line and then made the craft based on what we’d read. After sticking the table and some foreign coins on it. E. had a great idea that we should have placed the table upside down and the coins on the floor as Jesus knocked them over.
Tuesday
TOPIC: Teaching at the Temple
READING: Luke 19:47-48
CRAFT: scrolls made out of paper and two sticks
MEMORY VERSE: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105
SONG: “Thy Word” by Amy Grant
We made the scrolls with the help of the skewers again. The kids cut a small piece of white paper and scribbled some gibberish on it. Or that’s what I thought. E. wrote her name on it as well. Little L. wrote her kindergarten friend’s name on it who she misses a lot due to the lockdown.
Wednesday
TOPIC: Praying for Anything and Remaining Watchful
READING: Mark 11: 20-26, 13:32-37 and Luke 21:34-36
CRAFT: trace child’s hands to represent praying hands; watchtower or eye to represent remaining watchful
MEMORY VERSE: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be ours.” Mark 11:24
E.’s favourite day because of the watchful googly eyes she could stick all over the page. We overdrew her praying hands. We contemplated that next time Little L’s hands need to be overdrawn as E.’s had grown a lot and hardly fitted on the page.
Thursday
TOPIC: Communion, Garden of Gethsemane, Judas’ Betrayal
READING: Mark 14:17-26, 32-35, 43-50 and Luke 22:14-23, 39-53
CRAFT: saltine cracker and construction paper cutout of goblet; sack of coins
MEMORY VERSE: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
There are so many things to talk about concerning this day. We chose the last supper as it is the most understandable part of all the happenings. Therefore E. drew a loaf of bread and a goblet.
Friday
TOPIC: The Cross
READING: Mark 15:16-39 and Luke 23:26-49
CRAFT: 3 popsicle stick crosses
MEMORY VERSE: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
SONG: “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” by
Instead of popsicle sticks we used simple skewers to make 3 crosses. Popsicle sticks would have been easier to glue together.
Saturday
TOPIC: Laid in the Tomb
READING: Mark 15:42-47 and Luke 23:50-56
CRAFT: construction paper tomb and stone
MEMORY VERSE: “[Joseph] came from…Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.” Luke 23:51
We made the tomb a little interactive. E. drew the tomb on cardboard. I helped her cut out the hole in the middle. A bigger circle was cut out too and fixed it on the hole with round-headed paper fastener (=jancsiszeg). You can move the big boulder to peep inside.
Resurrection Sunday
TOPIC: Resurrection
READING: Luke 24:1-12
CRAFT: folded linen cloth and a picture of an angel
MEMORY VERSE: “He is not here; he has risen!” Luke 24:6
SONG: “He Lives!” {lyrics by Alfred Ackley}; “Christ is Risen” by Matt Maher
E. copied an angel from the net and decorated it with sequins. She wrote He has risen. next to him. We left a little place for L’s angel.
Parallel with the crafts and reading the Bible, E. also played with a biblical app that I downloaded to my phone from bible.com .
Here is the result.
The whole project doesn’t need much daily preparation, and it has turned out beautifully. The kids seem to understand the basics of the Easter holiday. I’m sure we’re going to this next year as well.
Blessed Easter!
Non-native Mommy 