DIY: A Simple Resurrection Object Lesson

Resurrection Sunday is just around the corner!

 

 

Three years ago, I posted A Simple Resurrection Object Lesson – a truly simple, Do-It-Yourself project that can help make the true meaning of Easter come alive for little ones as they participate in telling the story of Jesus’ Resurrection!

 



Click on this link to read all the details!

Blessings!

Cardboard & Paper Nativity Set

For years we’ve been concerned that our little people learn to give at Christmas instead of focusing on getting. Our “giving” ideas have included drawing pictures and baking cookies for extended family. So, we’re especially excited about this year’s project, highlighting the Reason for the Season:

Cardboard & Paper Nativity Set!

You can likely make this set with materials already on hand:

• TP rolls (Yep! That means “toilet paper” rolls!)
• construction paper (or other colored paper)
• wrapping tissue (the kind that “fills” gift bags)
  (You could also use fabric scraps.)
• colored pencils (or markers)
• scissors
• glue & tape

We used TP rolls of various sizes. (You could also use paper towel rolls, cut to desired lengths.)

To make the baby, cut a TP roll in half and then in half again and tape the new, small roll closed:

Draw “faces” on paper and trim to fit. Color the features and glue the faces on the cardboard rolls:

Wrap the baby in white wrapping tissue and fold long end back:

Trim paper “tunics” and “head-dresses” to fit Mary and Joseph. Attach the “clothes” with glue:

For the manger, cut a cardboard roll lengthwise and trim to desired length. Cut along the upper edges to give the look of straw:

Making this set can give great cutting, gluing, taping, and coloring practice to young students, too.

We’re working on a more elaborate version for one family member who collects Nativities. (We’re hoping that because she doesn’t use the internet very much, our secret will be safe!) Stay tuned...

Starbucks: Buy 1, Get 1 Free Holiday Drinks!

If you’re a Starbucks Fan, you’ll want to put “The Buy One, Share One Event” on your calendar:

Participating stores will give a second beverage of equal or lesser value free when you buy one. This offer is valid from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on November 15 thru 18.

Thanks, My Frugal Adventures!

A Simple Resurrection Object Lesson

We did this for the first time last year, and our toddler enjoyed it thoroughly – and learned the true story of Easter!

Materials needed:

• Printed script (See below.)
• Small basket. (A bowl or small shoe box works well, too.)
• Five (large) brightly-colored plastic eggs (You can get these for about $1.00 at Target, etc.)
• A clip-art picture of a donkey (I printed it in black and white, colored it with pencils, and then “laminated” it with clear tape before cutting it out.)
• Crackers (Saltines or oyster crackers work well.)
• Two nails
• A rock
 

Instructions:

Print the following script and keep it in the basket to read as you open the eggs. The script is targeted toward pre-school children; older children can be involved by looking up the Bible passages and reading them aloud.

Let the child open the blue egg and hold the donkey.

(Matthew 21:1-9)

Jesus was coming to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. Some people cut branches from trees and spread them in the road. Many people laid their coats in the road like a carpet. Jesus rode into the city on a donkey. “Hosanna!” the people cheered as they waved palm branches. Some people cheered, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!” Jesus rode into the city on a donkey because a king riding on a donkey meant he would bring peace. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to set us free from our sins and bring us peace.

Let the child open the purple egg and eat the cracker.

(Matthew 26:17-19, 26-30)

Jesus and His disciples (the twelve men He was training to tell others about God) celebrated Passover together. They went to an upstairs room in a house in Jerusalem. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet to remind them that they should serve others. Then Jesus and the disciples shared a special meal. Jesus knew it would be His last meal with His friends; He knew He had to follow God’s plan for His life and die for our sins.

Let the child open the yellow egg and hold the two nails; show him how to make the nails into a cross.

(Matthew 27:33-56)

Jesus had to be nailed to the cross to die for our sins because it was God’s plan for salvation. The people who loved Jesus were very sad. Jesus did not deserve to be punished; He had not done anything wrong. Jesus died so that we could be forgiven. The Bible says in John 3:16:

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Let the child open the green egg and hold the rock.

(Matthew 27:57-60)

After Jesus died, one of his followers wrapped Jesus’ body in cloth and put it in a tomb. The tomb was a special tomb cut into the rock on a hillside. A big stone was rolled in front of the tomb to close the entrance. Soldiers were posted to guard the tomb. Jesus followers were very sad that Jesus had died.

Let the child open the orange egg. It is empty!

(Matthew 28:1-10)

Early the next morning two ladies named Mary went to visit the tomb. When they came to it, they saw that the big rock had been rolled away. The tomb was empty! The angel that had rolled away the stone said: “Jesus…is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead.” Good news! Jesus was alive again! And He is alive today! He took the punishment that we deserve for our sins so that we can be forgiven – and so that we can know and serve God. And one day we will go to heaven to live forever with God!

(This script has been adapted from a script shared at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia, SC.)

Book Review: Love Your Heart

Love Your Heart, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., is the story of Katie, who can’t decide what to do for the School Talent Show. After a few quite humorous trials and mishaps, she decides to bring her amazing dog, Palio, into the act for a one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen performance! The night of the talent show finally arrives, and Katie is waiting backstage when she sees her friend Sophie crying. What happens next is a sweet, selfless surprise – an act of kindness that leaves Katie’s dad saying: “I love your heart.”

Each page is richly illustrated with fun fonts and whimsical illustrations by Abigail Marble, and Katie’s sweetly boisterous spirit sparkles and bounces right off the pages – showing that the very best of you lies not in what you can do, but in who you are.

In Love Your Heart, Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas once again capture the heartwarming father-daughter relationship that delighted readers in My Little Girl.

Another bonus for our little one is the fact that the book is richly illustrated with lots of purple and pink – even the title on the front cover and the large emphatic fonts throughout are in varied shades of those favorite little girl colors!

The brown paper package from Thomas Nelson Publishers, containing this sweet story especially suited for Daddy to read to his little girl, arrived in our mailbox just in time to wrap for a fourth birthday party. We love the celebration of the father-daughter relationship and the emphasis on the reality that true beauty is on the inside. We like to conclude the story by emphasizing that we need Jesus and His grace to give us clean hearts so that we can be truly beautiful on the inside. A real princess is a daughter of the King of all kings!

At a list price of $16.99 this beautifully illustrated jacketed hardcover book makes an extra special birthday or Valentine’s gift for little girls, ages 4 to 10.

A flip version of the book is available here.

Disclosure:
A complimentary copy of the book was provided to me, as a reviewer for Mama Bzz, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. in exchange for today’s blog tour.

A big “Thank-you!” to the folks at Thomas Nelson, Inc. for the opportunity to enjoy and review this wonderful book!

Krispy Kreme: Valentine's Day Donuts & Coupons!

My family enjoys an occasional outing for a Krispy Kreme Donut or two – or maybe even a dozen on occasion!

The heart-shaped doughnuts, topped with a yummy white icing and red, pink, and white sprinkles, are back!

Here's how you can get a sweet deal!

While supplies last at participating stores, you can get twelve Valentine's Day Cards when you buy any dozen doughnuts. Each card has a coupon on the back good for one free doughnut!

For a list of participating stores and Valentine's Day doughnut offerings, you can go here.

Enjoy!

Inspiration & Encouragement: Sing Joy to the World – The LORD Is Come!

Behold, I bring you good news of great JOY which will be for all the people!
(Luke 2)

JOY to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

JOY the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding JOY,
Repeat the sounding JOY,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding JOY.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Words: Isaac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid, 1719.
Music: An­ti­och (believed to have originated with Handel) arranged by Low­ell Ma­son, 1836

Did you know that Watts based the words of "Joy to the World" on Psalm 98 and wrote it as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than as a Christmas song celebrating his first coming as a babe born in a stable?

The LORD has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.
(Psalm 98)

Meditate on those truths. Make them personal. Rejoice in your Savior!

Once again, I'm joining "Just for the JOY of It" – and sharing the Savior, the Best Reason to REJOICE on Christmas Eve!

Frugal Christmas Fun: The Holiday Village at Piazza Bergamo

Attention, local readers:
The St. Francis Foundation Holiday Festival is underway downtown!

FREE events include:

• Festival of Stars:

Stroll Main Street and Augusta Street to see how downtown retailers have decorated to support the Holiday Festival. Enjoy beautiful window and door dressings.

• Festival of Trees:

Enjoy the beauty of the season! View the beautifully decorated, locally sponsored trees at the Hyatt Regency and Hampton Inn & Suites at Riverplace.

• Holiday Village at Piazza Bergamo:

Experience a European-style holiday marketplace and a treat for the whole family with artificial snow, complimentary carousel rides for the kids, and complimentary entertainment. Operating on weekends during the holiday season at Piazza Bergamo downtown.

Check out all the details on the schedule of events.

We visited the Holiday Village at Piazza Bergamo with PaPa and Grandma two years ago and had a lot of fun making some special family memories!

Parents and grandparents get to ride, too –

to help the little ones, of course!

Inspiration & Encouragement: Messiah!

I absolutely love Christmas music! I could listen to it all year – and sometimes try to do so!

We've had a ("kind of") family tradition of adding to our collection of Christmas CDs every year. Several years ago at a Christmas sale, we picked up a 2-CD copy of George Frideric Handel's Messiah. To my joy (I like history!), the CD jacket states that this recording was done in 1996 by the Trinity Church Choir and Orchestra at Trinity Church, the church where the oratorio was premiered in the New World in 1770, twenty-eight years after it was written. (What a great tid-bit of history!)

Messiah has been a long-time favorite because it is based on exact words of Scripture. Listening to the oratorio helps me memorize (or review) specific Bible passages that tell about the Savior – prophecies in the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament. It's a great educational tool and memory aid!

And here's another history tid-bit: Messiah was not originally a Christmas piece; it was performed at Easter. Therefore, this is one "Christmas" CD that can be (and probably should be) listened to all year!

My extended family is right now feeling very keenly our need to renew our minds with God's truth as our dear fifteen-year-old nephew fights a rare bone cancer. We are also experiencing God's abundant grace. We have so much to be thankful for and rejoice in!

So, I'm joining "Just for the JOY of It" and sharing reasons to rejoice – and focus on Christ, the real reason for celebrating Christmas (and Easter)!