Resurrection Eggs

Back again today with a little Easter devotional idea that I use with my kids.  During the 12 days leading up to Easter Sunday, we take the time each morning to reflect upon one aspect of Christ's Passion week.  This is done with a short Bible reading from one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) and a visual aid that is enclosed inside a plastic Easter egg.  The kids have fun with this and are excited to see what "surprise" is inside each egg for each day.  You can find these "Resurrection Eggs" in Lifeway Bookstore or you can simply make your own like I did here.  All you need are a dozen plastic Easter eggs and just little trinkets you can find around the house.  Last year, my MOPS group made each of our families a set as a group and it cost about $1 per kit!!

Here's a quick listing of the contents of each egg.  

Day 1--Perfume (cotton ball spritzed with perfume)
Day 2--Palms (use plastic plant clippings to last)
Day 3--Silver coin (nickel)
Day 4--Communion cup (or you can use brown Play-doh or foam to resemble a loaf of bread)
Day 5--Thorns (whole cloves)
Day 6--Cross (you can cut foam into a cross shape, make a cross using toothpicks glued together to form a cross, or jewelry)
Day 7--Nail (short and not too sharp for little hands!)
Day 8--Dice (use 1 die from a board game)
Day 9--Q-tip (cut in half to resemble a sponge on a stick)
Day 10--Spices (short cinnamon sticks)
Day 11--Stone (small rock)
Day 12--Leave EMPTY (He is RISEN!)

I have the Scripture verse references mounted on a card as a quick reference

So this set can be used in various ways.  We use it to count down to Resurrection Sunday, sort of like an Advent Calendar, the 12 days preceding Easter during our morning devotional time.  However, you could also go through each egg in one lesson and tell the entire story of Christ's Passion week.  For older children, you could even mix up the contents of the eggs and have them arrange it in order by memory, telling the story themselves.  Be creative!  It is entirely up to you and your family!

You also might be interested in watching this video from Lifeway that walks you through this helpful tool!  Their set is a little different and uses slightly different trinkets, but it is the same idea-- Lifeway Resurrection eggs video

I place my eggs in this cute little Easter egg plate (given to  me as a gift, but I think it was bought from Kohl's) and place it in our kitchen during the Easter season.  For the remainder of the year, I store them in a foam egg carton along with the Scripture reference card along with our seasonal decorations.

I hope this gives you another TANGIBLE way to teach your children the Gospel message of Christ during the Easter season!