Last year my friend Gretchen loaned me the book "Treasuring God in your Traditions" by Noel Piper. It has some wonderful ideas for using the holidays to turn the minds and hearts of our children, and ourselves, to Christ.
I wanted to share this idea for celebrating the resurrection with you today. Last year I did this my kids and we all loved it!
The week before Palm Sunday we made a play dough mountain and formed piper cleaner "people" to act out the days leading up to the death and resurrection of Christ.
Each day I would read a portion of the Gospels beginning with the Triumphal Entry and reading a portion each day leading up to the death. I would let the kids act out the story on their mountain with the piper cleaner people. On Good Friday we would read about the death and then put Jesus into the tomb with a rock covering the entrance. The tomb stays closed and we all wait.....
Sunday morning when the kids got up, the rock was rolled away and Jesus stood in triumph on the top of the mountain.
Here is the recipe for Easter Mountain:
Play dough-
4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. salt
1 Tbs. oil
Mix ingredients and knead. Add small amounts of water as needed until the texture is right.
Mountain-
1. Use two back yard sticks bound together with twine to make a cross about 5 or 6 inches tall.
2. Shape the whole lump of play dough into a mountain. The size will be determined by the volume of play dough. Leave an opening on one side into the "cave" that will represent the tomb, using your fist or a soup can to hold the space open.
3. Press the cross into the top of the mountain to form a hole deep enough to stand the cross in. Make the hole a bit larger than the actual stick circumference because the hole will get smaller as the mountain bakes. Set the cross aside.
4. Twist toothpicks into the dough or press fork tines randomly around on the hill to make "footholds" for the pipe cleaner people.
5. Press the rock that will cover the tomb against the opening, to shape a better fit. Set the stone aside.
6. Bake the mountain and stone at 250 degrees for 4-5 hours. When cooled, color as desired with paint or markers.
I am going to be doing this again this year. I am also helping my little Sunday School class make the mountain so they can go home and do it with their parents.
Hope this ideas will help your family focus on the true reason for CELBRATION this month!
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom
and might and honor and glory and blessing!"
Rev. 5:12