Bible Breakfast & Holy week

Easter is fast approaching! I'm really trying to keep the focus simple and on Christ's story this week... It seems this time of year I am always trying to find ways to help my kids connect with this holiday in the way I want them to connect Easter time with their personal life. Here are a few ideas I've come across the last few years and they are starting to become a tradition. The Bible Breakfast is new this year and so far it's been a great tool to use as we learn, worship, and pray together. Easter morning we have been making "Resurrection rolls" and Jaxon really enjoys this process of making them and then eating them and seeing they are empty, like the tomb! It will be fun with Austin this year too...much messier, but fun! I'd love to hear what you do in your home to celebrate Easter and Christ's sacrifice for us... or any good books or songs you may know... like I said I'm looking for great tools to use and I know you mom's are my best resources!!! The Easter tree we do came from a mom at my MOM's group and the Bible Breakfast term came from a mom/grandma I just met from MN! Now of course I've tweaked each thing to work for my gang here, but that's the beauty of sharing ideas! I hope this week is special for all of you and that you get time to really focus on the gift we receive through Jesus's death on the cross. Have fun with your little ones and enjoy your week!! And if you are looking for a great place to worship on Easter Sunday we'd love to have you join us at Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls this weekend! Services are 8:30, 9:45, and 11:10.

Our Easter tree... you can create this with things just around your house. Each item represents something about Jesus's journey from being betrayed by Judas to rising on the 3rd day...
Things you can use: branch (cut from a tree in your yard), thread (to tie items to tree), 1 jar or vase, 30 nickles or dimes, 1 handful of rocks, small strips of fabric in these colors: red(Christ's blood shed for us), black (for his death), white (for his purity), purple (for his royalty and for the clothes they gambled for at his feet), 1 nail, small plastic grapes, a small piece of sponge, pictures of... bread & wine, a dove, a cross, the tomb, crown of thorns, and anything else you think may represent parts of the Easter story. I also use thorn branches to make a crown and paint an egg shell brown to look like an empty tomb. get creative!

I frame this verse from Isiah and sit it by our Easter tree...

Bible Breakfast selection... Each morning Jaxon gets to choose a new cereal to eat while we have Bible time at breakfast (these are the mini boxes of cereal...a real treat in our house!). Each morning is a new section of Jesus's life story leading up to Resurrection Sunday. We started with Jesus entering the city on a colt (Palm Sunday) and will stop on Easter Sunday . Jaxon is at the beginning reader stage so I included a chart to help us remember each day's lesson and to help with some reading too. Holy week is 8 days long... perfect for our daily lessons and a letter each day to tie together the Bible part we are learning and the reading part! We also do an activity that is related to that day's lessons (washing of feet, bread & grape juice with our meal, make cards to invite friends to church with us, etc.). He's never been so excited to SIT through an entire meal before :)