I mentioned yesterday, that A helped me craft this year's salt dough tomb for our Resurrection scene. I was surprised she wanted to take on the project, since she claimed the reason she wouldn't help knead the Irish soda bread, last week, was because flour dries out her hands. Apparently tradition outweighs epidermal concerns.
Making a salt dough tomb is a tradition we were inspired to start by Little Page Turners a couple of years ago, and the children really love it. This year, after we mixed up the 4 cups of flour, 1 and 1/2 cups of salt, 2 cups of water, and 1 tablespoon oil, we divided a quarter of the dough off, and added green food coloring to it...
...before flattening it out to form a grassy area on our greased cookie sheet.
Then, we pushed a clean, empty can into the dough, to form the tomb around, with the rest of dough (minus what we used for the stone)...
We added green and red food coloring to that dough, until it looked grayish...
...and we pushed a craft stick into the back of the tomb...
...to make room for the craft stick cross we added, after baking the tomb for a few hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
We let the tomb cool overnight, before setting it up, on a piece of felt, with some of the Little People from our Nativity scene. I hope to go over the verses with the children that we used last year to decide which "characters" to include, and why...
...after we review the Easter Story with the help of the Berenstain Bears.
I can't tell you how pleased I was to find Jan and Mike Berenstain's Living Lights series, designed to "help children learn how God wants them to live everyday". Stan and Jan Berenstain's books have long been favorites in our house, now they are doubly so. I sincerely hope Mike will continue on in his parents' memory.
The Easter Story asks the question, "Is Easter candy okay?"After reviewing the Easter story through a Sunday school play, Bear Country style, the young bears discover there's nothing wrong with Easter candy - it's just not all there is to Easter.
Scripture is presented pretty faithfully, if in a simplified manner, and the book comes with stickers for the children to review on their own. Even without the stickers, I probably would have purchased the book, just for the chance to glimpse our favorite Bear family in Sunday school.
It's great to be a homeschooler.
This ia an excellent idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for explaining just how you did it.
ReplyDeleteI love their Living Lights series. I only have a few, and now I have a new one to add to my list.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Phyllis, thanks for explaining in more detail how it's done. I was all set to just try and make it without putting the can in to hold it up.
Ahh, perfect rainy day Easter Craft. Thanks for that! :D
ReplyDeleteSUPER awesome idea! Thanks for posting! :)
ReplyDeleteSo, the Berenstain Bears are Christian. I never knew that.....I read several of their books when I was a kid, and while they celebrated Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day, etc., in the typical secular manner, I don't remember reading anything about them going to church, or having any particular religious affiliation. I think one of their little friends (Lizzie or Freddie or someone) might have been Jewish, but maybe that was in the cartoon.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of Living Lights series. I almost wish daughter would be more interested in Easter, she is only thinking about an egg hunt and Easter presents even though in principle she knows the story and even believes in it.
ReplyDeleteLove this! We have a "Jesus tree" and make ornaments on it to represent different names of Jesus. One of our names to craft this year is Resurrection. I'm hoping to manage to recreate a smaller version of this. I hope it holds up well on a tree!!
ReplyDeleteI love this and plan to do it with my kids tomorrow to help prepare our mindss and hearts for Easter.
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