Fun Activities for Kids

I posted these in the March 2008 edition of the Felt Connection newsletter for my Story Time Felts business but thought I’d post here as well in case you missed it!
Karen
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EASTER CRAFTS

Fuzzy Lambs:
Take an egg and poke holes in either end with a needle so you can blow out the white and yolk. Clean and dry the egg. Then take lots of cotton swabs and cut off the fuzzy tips, throwing away the sticks. Glue the fuzzy swab ends all over the egg. Take some black construction paper rolled into short cylinder shapes to make legs, and some more to make ears and eyes. These are so cute!

Pom-Pom Sheep:
Take large and small white pom poms and glue them together to make a head and body. Take black beads and glue to the bottom to make feet. Use black construction paper or craft foam to make ears, and glue on some googly eyes. You can make different sized sheep by using even larger or smaller pompoms.

Jelly Bean Hair Clip:
Take plain hair clips you have and jazz them up with jelly beans! Use a hot glue gun to glue jelly beans all over the outside part of the hair clip. Get some non-toxic acrylic glaze at the craft store and brush it all over the jelly beans, making sure every bit is covered. This will seal in the sugar and make it a permanent piece of art!

Tissue Egg Window Decorations:
Trace a large egg shape on some wax paper with permanent marker. Cut craft colored tissue paper in lots of different shapes and sizes. Glue the tissue paper bits all over the wax paper egg shape. When it is dry, cut around the egg shape along the line and punch a hole at the top. Hang your egg in your window! Hanging several of these at various lengths makes a wonderful decoration as the spring light shines through!

Fun Thank You Eggs:
After Easter, have kids write thank-you notes and insert them in large plastic eggs. Seal with plastic packing tape and address with a Sharpie. Check with your post office but I was told you can mail these for about 49 cents. You can also use this idea for party invitations!

EASTER RECIPES

Peanut Butter Eggs:

1 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup powdered milk
2-4 Tbsp honey
1 lb. milk chocolate coating

Mix first 3 ingredients well and chill in the refrigerator until mixture is slightly firm and easy to handle. Form egg shapes and dip into melted chocolate. Chill until chocolate is hardened.

Resurrection Cookies:

1 c. whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 c. sugar

zipper baggie, wooden spoon ,tape, Bible
Preheat oven to 300 F. Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3. Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11. 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, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27. Add 1 c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16. 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 Isa.1:18 and John 3:1-3. Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66. Go to Bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22. On Resurrection morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! Explain that on the first Resurrection day Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9. HE HAS RISEN!

Resurrection Rolls:

1 roll of refrigerator crescent rolls
Large marshmallows, 1 for each roll
Melted butter or margarine
Sugar and cinnamon mixture

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus. (white) Have the child dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming. Then dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar. This represents the spices used to anoint the body. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up…but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside). This represents the wrapping of Jesus’ body after death. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb — pretend like it was three days! When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN! The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.

Resurrection Cake:
Bake a cake (using a store mix) in an oven-proof glass bowl. When the cake is finished and cool, hollow out an “entrance” in one side for a tomb. Frost the cake and then cover the opening to the tomb with a big cookie! Share the resurrection story with your children and when the time comes, let them be the ones to “roll away the stone” and discover that the tomb is empty.

EASTER GAMES

- Play Easter Egg Bowling with your colored Easter eggs! Each child chooses a different colored egg to use. Roll a white one (or otherwise different egg, maybe a gold plastic one?) on your lawn or carpet. Then have the children take turns rolling their eggs toward the target. The egg that gets the closest to the special egg wins! Make sure they know they must roll, not toss!

- Follow the Bunny! Play follow the leader but the leader has to hop everywhere!

- Relay races!
— Hopping with a plastic egg between their knees
— Carrying an Easter egg in a plastic spoon
— Balancing a Peep on their nose

- Play Duck Duck Goose (or Chick Chick Bunny!)

- Egg Hunt with a Heart - Fill plastic eggs with pennies and after the hunt share a treat together and have kids roll the pennies and donate them to your favorite charity.

- Touchy Feely Egg Hunt - Have kids help you type/write down compliments or nice thoughts on little slips of paper to put inside plastic eggs. When they open them up they feel great!

- Pin the Tail on the Bunny. Make a large rabbit poster, or us a window cling or door decoration bunny. Give each child a cotton ball with tape rolled and stuck on. Blindfold the kids and let them take turns tying to get the cotton tail in the right spot.

- Bunny Bunny Where’s Your Egg? - a variation on Doggie Doggie Where’s Your Bone? Make a paper Easter Egg. Have the kids sit in a circle with one child in the middle as the “bunny.” The bunny closes their eyes as one child is chosen to sit on the egg. Then they chant, “Easter Bunny Easter Bunny, Where’s Your Egg?” The bunny then has 3 guesses for which child has it. That child then becomes the new bunny in the middle.

- Easter Activity Hunt. Make lots of paper eggs (enough for 3-4 per child) and write various silly tasks on the back. Hide the paper eggs and have an egg hunt! Sit in a circle when they’ve all been found and go around reading each one and performing the tasks. Some examples are: Say your ABCs super fast; Count to 100 by 5s; Hop up and down 20 times; Walk like a duck and say ‘quack’ all around the circle, Sing Happy Birthday, etc. This egg hunt is a great alternative to food/candy!

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