Hoppy Easter!!!!

That tricky Easter bunny!!! I think Carter was visited by the "hair fairy" as well....

Gage found one egg, figured out there was candy inside and plopped down to devour it.

Family fun coloring eggs. Doesn't Matt look excited??? It's because my eggs were way better than his..... :)

Notice how Gage is always eating some sort of candy in every picture. Weird that he just had 3 cavities. Weird.

Hope everyone had a great Easter!!! We did the best FHE the night before Easter Sunday that my kids just loved and I think it will become a tradition year after year. I wanted to share the "Easter Story Cookies" because it was such a great example of Christ's sacrifice and love for us and what He had to suffer to atone for OUR sins. It really hit home with the kids and I think helped them to understand the meaning a little better.

Activity:
Easter Story Cookies
Ingredients and Props:
1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 zipper baggie
1 wooden spoon
Masking tape
Bible
Directions and Activity
1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Place pecans in a zipper baggie and let children beat them with a wooden spoon to break them into
small pieces. Set aside.
Explain that after Jesus’arrest, he was beaten by Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1–3.
3. Let each child smell the vinegar. Pour 1 teaspoon vinegar into the mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John
19:28–30.
4. Add egg whites to vinegar.
Tell the children that eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life so that we could be
resurrected and have eternal life. Read John 10:10–11.
5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’followers during the crucifixion. Read
Luke 23:27. Ask your children if any of the ingredients used to this point seem very appetizing.
6. Add 1 cup sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the Easter story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants
us to know and belong to him and be able to return to the Father. Read Psalm 34:8. Read John
3:16.
7. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes, until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity, in God’s eyes, of those whose sins have been
cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18.
8. Fold in the broken nuts. Drop the dough by teaspoons onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.
Explain that each mound of dough represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’body was laid. Read
Matthew 27:57–60.
9. Put the cookie sheet into the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of
tape and help them seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus’tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65–66
10. Go to bed! Or proceed with the events of the night and leave the cookies in the oven until morning.
Explain that the children might feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’followers
despaired when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20, 22.
11. Before the children are up the next morning, remove the tape and open the oven door. After the
children awaken, gather them in the kitchen and give everyone a cookie. Tell them to notice how the
surface is cracked and to take a bite. The cookies will be hollow.
Explain that on the first Easter Jesus’followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
When they understood what it meant, they rejoiced! Read John 11:25–26
(Janet and Joe Hales, A Christ-Centered Easter, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2002], p. 30-31.)