Inspired by Happy, the Vicar’s Apprentice, whose mother has an Easter tree, and Nicole at 168hrs, I have sent off to Baker Ross for plastic eggs and am planning a burst of Easter celebration in the Vicarage over the next few days.
The idea of Resurrection Eggs is a little like the Jesse Tree we have during Advent. A dozen plastic eggs each contain a small item to remind us of different stages in the Easter story. The plan is to read the bible verses and remember the Easter story together each day. I’ll take a photo once I have it all assembled.
Below are the passages and items I’m planning on using. I suspect our various Playmobil sets will be a good source for some of the pieces…
Day 1: Matthew 26:6-13. Jesus anointed at Bethany.
Cottonwool ball soaked in perfume.
Day 2: Matthew 26: 14-16. Judas agrees to betray Jesus.
5p pieces for the silver.
Day 3: Matthew 21:1-11. The triumphal entry.
Donkey or palm leaf.
Day 4: Matthew 26:26-29. The last supper.
Cup or bread.
Day 5: Luke 22:39-46, 54a. Gethsemane.
Praying hands or pipecleaner man.
Day 6: John 19:1-7. Jesus sentenced to death.
Purple cloth.
Day 7: John 19:16-17. Jesus carries his cross.
Cross.
Day 8: John 19:18. The crucifixion.
Nails.
Day 9: John 19:33-35. Jesus dies.
Toothpick (for the spear).
Day 10: Matthew 27: 57-60. Jesus placed in the tomb.
Rock.
Day 11: Mark 16:1-3. The women go to anoint the body.
Cinnamon/cloves/spices.
Day 12: John 20:1-8. The empty tomb.
And nothing in the egg!
I’m going to put together a pdf file of the references to pop in the eggs and the bible readings and I’ll blog those later in the week.
We’ll obviously be starting a bit later than we should if we want to open the empty egg on Easter Day, but as a two week Easter holiday is looming, I’m happy to be telling the story both before and after the big weekend. Now I just need to track down an empty egg carton and those Playmobil pieces.
Do you have any good Easter traditions?
The Vicar's Wife 
That is quite brilliant. I find myself inwardly groaning at every easter egg I see, as I’ve yet to find a translation of the bible where a rabbit meets mary at the empty tomb, or Jesus apears to his disciples and gives them each a cholocate egg!
I was running the easter egg hunt at a Passion for Life event yesterday, and kept myself calm by gleefully watching the ‘shoot the easter bunny’ stall next to me.
Hi. First comment I’ve left on your lovely piece of blogland – woo hoo! We started doing this yesterday! (Also starting a bit late so doing 2 a day to catch up) The version I found started with the Last Supper then jumped straight to Jesus’ trial, prompting a ‘What happened to the Garden of Gethsemane?’ from Tom. Will use your version next year.
Hi peterB – glad you like it!
And welcome Mrs Vicar – so pleased you like the blog. If we wanted to finish by Easter Sunday we’d have to do 3 a day I reckon, so hence the plan for a holiday extension to the Resurrection Eggs.
What a lovely idea. It is so good to see craft ideas that tell this special story!
Such a great activity, & accessible to all age groups. Another great idea from Happy! 🙂
Welcome to the Vicarage jfb57 and Mrs B! My plastic eggs are still in the post, but should arrive tomorrow. Happy told me (after I’d ordered them from BR) that he’d bought some similar ones in Sainsbury’s, which would have been simpler and cheaper. Next time…
Thought I should start reading your blog. Loving it! I’ve suggested Elisheba’s Daddy tell the easter story to the toddlers tomorrow using this idea. He’s umming and ah-ing, whereas my brain is whirring, wondering where I can find a small donkey before tomorrow morning (hobbycraft will supply the eggs, i think!).
Thanks theVicarswife (i notice that you don’t use an apostrophe…)
Lovely to see you here, Elisheba’s Mummy. I’ll put the espresso maker on the stove right away. Great idea to tell the toddlers the story this way. Am thinking of other Easter talks that could be illustrated with surprise eggs like this.
PS No apostrophe in thevicarswife cos it’s not allowed in Twitter or WordPress ids. But otherwise I’m pretty strict about it, being a grammar pedant an’all.
I am doing a bit of drama with the boys this week as Daddy is away (boo!) so Mummy is doing Bible time with bigger two alone.
Yesterday after reading Beginners Bible we put perfume (lavender cream!) on each others’ feet, today we danced round waving palm branches. Tomorrow I plan to break bread and Friday we have a hobby kit with nails to hammer into a cross. Kids are loving it 🙂
Turning it in to a Good Friday All Age service – thanks.
I have a sheet now with the references from the GNB if you want – may need to trim a bit for AAW in practice as some of reading text is a bit long.
Oh – why 12 days/eggs/readings?? Or did they just come in a box of a dozen?
Now to hunt out some of those little items…
Hi Cassie – love the sound of your activities!
And welcome to the Vicarage Alastair. Glad to have helped in service prep. The Vicar is going to have some surprise eggs for the Easter Sunday All Age Service.
I wasn’t sure about copywrite issues if I post chunks of bibles up here. If there isn’t one – I’d love to add your GNB readings. We’ve been using the International Childrens’ Bible with our kids. The Engineer (age 5) managed to do one of the readings tonight, which was lovely. Great discussions over freshly chopped pineapple about Judas’ betrayal and the triumphal entry.
12 eggs – I just copied other patterns tbh. But I think it makes a good play on disciples/Israel. And fits conveniently in an egg box. Baker Ross eggs come in a pack of 24 so that a double set. Perhaps I’ll do a set for godchildren next year…
Also, having done the readings, I might switch 2 & 3 around as the betrayal came after the triumphal entry.
just searching through your archives and found what i was looking for, and my comment from 4 years ago, I WILL do it this year! i will i will!