A plan has taken shape for our observance of Lent and Easter.
Recently Acorn's most requested book has been "Ten Apples Up On Top." Half way through the book they declare, "Eight! Eight! And we can skate. Look now! We can skate with eight!" Thus began Acorn's obsession with roller skates. Over and over he would tell us, "I would like to skate." So I started looked for a pair of adjustable, over-the-shoe skates. When I found them on a resale site he wouldn't stop bugging me about when we were going to go get them. None of my explanations about waiting for a response from the seller mattered. But when I sympathized that it can be really hard to wait, I remembered the children's sermon from a couple of weeks ago in which the pastor talked about Lent and how it could be hard to control ourselves when there's something we really want.
I've been trying to figure out whether or not we were going to do Easter baskets. I'm still not totally sold on the idea. I still want to look up the origin of the tradition, but I definitely have some ideas of what I would put in an Easter basket. So for now, here's my plan.
I've been trying to figure out whether or not we were going to do Easter baskets. I'm still not totally sold on the idea. I still want to look up the origin of the tradition, but I definitely have some ideas of what I would put in an Easter basket. So for now, here's my plan.
A paper chain gives a child a nice concrete visual for "how long." I decided we would make a paper chain for all the days of Lent.
In Sunday school we've talked about the colors of the liturgical seasons, so we made Lent purple, and Easter white. I didn't realize until preparing for Sunday school this year that the church spends just as much time celebrating Easter as we do getting ready for it. I initially thought we would just have one white loop for each Sunday in Easter. But then I remembered in my Montessori training that when we make a time line for the 3-6 age group, the entire line must have a consistent measure. So if one loop equals one day, another loop can't equal a week. We weren't allowed to "cut" a section that didn't have any events in it and write a note. We had to actually include the proper length for all time shown on the line. So we have a white link for every day from Easter to the 6th Sunday after Easter.
So here's the (tentative) plan. (It might change as we go along.)
I talked to Acorn about how Lent is a time of getting ready for the mystery of Easter (a la Godly Play or Young Children and Worship, which is what we've been doing for Sunday School). We talked about how we are waiting for the mystery of Easter and sometimes it can be hard to wait. I might also connect this to Jesus' time in the wilderness, which we learned about a few weeks ago. We talked about how Lent is a long time and asked if he would like to make a paper chain so we could see how long Lent was. He was pretty excited about that! So Acorn cut almost all of the paper strips himself, and glued many of them too, although that was my job at the end.
I think the next part of the plan might be a way to utilize the strips instead of just tossing them. I'm thinking on the purple strips we might write down something we are waiting for each day. And on the white strips we might write one of God's gifts that we are thankful for on each day. I'm not sure if we should write these together each day, or if I should write things on the strips ahead of time so we have something different each day. I'm not sure what we'll do with those strips. So far the only thing I can come up with is to paste them onto a cross. And at the end of Easter, all of the gifts we've been given (on white strips) will overwhelm all of our desires (on purple strips).
As for incorporating the Easter basket, I think we're going to go ahead of our plan of closing a "tomb" on Good Friday, and finding it open on Sunday with gifts inside. We'll talk about how God gave us the promise of eternal life through his son Jesus Christ. I thought I might drag out the Easter gifts, kind of like some families do for the twelve days of Christmas, but I don't want to do a gift on every day. So instead I think we'll do a gift on each Sunday. I'm hoping to come of with some clever connection to a Bible verse for each gift. For example, on Easter Sunday Acorn will find his roller skates with a note that reads something like, "Oh you can't get to Heaven on roller skates; you'll roll right by those pearly gates. Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.' (John 14:6)" I might also include some elbow and knee pads with the verse, "God arms me with strength; he has made my way safe." (Psalm 18:32)
Other gift ideas include sunglasses, rainboots & umbrellas, eggs & cups, tools and garden supplies. I'd love to hear your thoughts on all of it!
So here's the (tentative) plan. (It might change as we go along.)
I talked to Acorn about how Lent is a time of getting ready for the mystery of Easter (a la Godly Play or Young Children and Worship, which is what we've been doing for Sunday School). We talked about how we are waiting for the mystery of Easter and sometimes it can be hard to wait. I might also connect this to Jesus' time in the wilderness, which we learned about a few weeks ago. We talked about how Lent is a long time and asked if he would like to make a paper chain so we could see how long Lent was. He was pretty excited about that! So Acorn cut almost all of the paper strips himself, and glued many of them too, although that was my job at the end.
I think the next part of the plan might be a way to utilize the strips instead of just tossing them. I'm thinking on the purple strips we might write down something we are waiting for each day. And on the white strips we might write one of God's gifts that we are thankful for on each day. I'm not sure if we should write these together each day, or if I should write things on the strips ahead of time so we have something different each day. I'm not sure what we'll do with those strips. So far the only thing I can come up with is to paste them onto a cross. And at the end of Easter, all of the gifts we've been given (on white strips) will overwhelm all of our desires (on purple strips).
As for incorporating the Easter basket, I think we're going to go ahead of our plan of closing a "tomb" on Good Friday, and finding it open on Sunday with gifts inside. We'll talk about how God gave us the promise of eternal life through his son Jesus Christ. I thought I might drag out the Easter gifts, kind of like some families do for the twelve days of Christmas, but I don't want to do a gift on every day. So instead I think we'll do a gift on each Sunday. I'm hoping to come of with some clever connection to a Bible verse for each gift. For example, on Easter Sunday Acorn will find his roller skates with a note that reads something like, "Oh you can't get to Heaven on roller skates; you'll roll right by those pearly gates. Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.' (John 14:6)" I might also include some elbow and knee pads with the verse, "God arms me with strength; he has made my way safe." (Psalm 18:32)
Other gift ideas include sunglasses, rainboots & umbrellas, eggs & cups, tools and garden supplies. I'd love to hear your thoughts on all of it!