Category: Sunday School

Happy Easter

Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Resurrection means that he came back from the dead.

Last week we thought about the events of Good Friday and we heard about how Jesus had been placed in a tomb and a large stone rolled across the entrance.

On Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and some other women went to the tomb. When they arrived they found that the tomb had been opened and Jesus’ body was not there. How do you think they felt?

Then some angels appeared and spoke to them saying, ‘He is not here; He has risen!’.

Mary and the women went to Jesus’ apostles to tell them what had happened. Peter and one other apostle went to look in the tomb. They were amazed and confused.

As they returned home Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb crying. Suddenly she saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognise him, she thought he was the gardener.

Mary asked where he had taken Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’ and she recognised Him. How do you think Mary felt now?

Read in a Bible to find out what she did next.

The following link explains Easter in a child friendly way.

https://www.messychurch.org.uk/resource/messy-church-home-easter

You might like to watch the story of Easter. You can watch it at the following links.

The story of Easter through pictures.

Easter is a time for celebration and singing is a way we can join in a celebration. The following link has some Easter worship songs that you could listen to and join in singing.

https://ministry-to-children.com/easter-worship-songs/

Activities

Easter Garden: If you made an Easter garden last week then today you can move the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. Perhaps put some flowers (real or paper) in the garden as a sign on new life.

Holy Week: The following link is to making some resurrection eggs using plastic refillable eggs. The eggs are filled with items that represent the main events during Holy Week. The activity could still be carried out without the eggs. You could find the items and use them to retell the events of Holy Week.

DIY Resurrection Eggs for Holy Week

Easter Scavenger Hunt: To remember the Easter Story there is a scavenger hunt that you might like to do.

Easter Art: You can make a colourful Easter cross, using tape and paint or chalk. You could also make a resurrection picture using bright colours of paint, felt tips, pencils or tissue paper. Colour a bright background and stick or draw a cross on top. Here are some examples:

Easter Prayer Activity: Using a hollow chocolate Easter egg follow the attached instructions for Easter prayers.

Easter cookies: Make some Easter cookies, a recipe can be found at the following link.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easter-egg-cookies

Easter Colouring:

Easter wordsearch and crossword:

Wishing you a very Happy Easter

Frances and Nerys

Welcome to this week’s Sunday School

Today is the start of Holy Week, Palm Sunday. We found out about the events that happened on Palm Sunday at the beginning of Lent. In our journey through Holy Week we have now arrived at Good Friday.

Good Friday can be difficult for children to understand as it is the day that Jesus died but we call it ‘Good Friday’. Older children may wish to reflect on this and the Bible verse from John 3:16 (Good News version) can be helpful. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.”

As Christians we believe that Jesus died so that we may be forgiven for the things that we do wrong.

You can read the story of Jesus’ death in the Bible, Luke 23:44 – 49.

If you would prefer to watch the story there are several different videos.

The film, ‘The Miracle Maker’ is an animation about the events in Jesus’ life. It is an interesting film to watch as we approach Easter, however, the events of Good Friday begin at 1hr 6mins. The film has a U rating but is more suited to children in KS2 and above.

You can also watch the story of Good Friday on one of the links below. They include Easter Sunday so you may wish to just watch until Jesus is put into the tomb and keep the resurrection until next week.

Lego animation with subtitles:

Lego, watch from 4mins 10 seconds

Beginners Bible, watch from 15mins 10 seconds (This is best for younger children)

Activities

Playdough Mat
Use the playdough playdough to make different crosses

Picture Cards
The picture cards can be used to sequence the events of Holy Week. If you are able to print 2 sets of them they can be used to paly a pairs game by placing them picture side down and trying to find the matching pair.
You could also stick them onto card and attach some string or wool and hang them as a decoration, perhaps on some twigs or a branch.
They are also a good way to talk about the events of Holy Week.

Decorate a Cross
Here are instructions for a tape resist cross. If you don’t have any masking tape you could decorate a paper cross.

Make a Cross
How many different ways can you make a cross?
Use Lego; building bricks; old cardboard boxes; lolly sticks; twigs; pebbles; playdough.
As you make the crosses think about how Jesus died to forgive us for the things we do wrong.

Easter Garden
Here are some pictures of Easter Gardens. You could try and make your own. Try and have a stone that you can move away next week on Easter Sunday.

Romero Cross (for older children)
This is an information sheet about the Romero Cross. The Romero Cross is a colourful crucifix. Why not have a go at designing your own Romero Cross that reflects our parish of St Mary’s and our local community.

Paper Plate activities
There is a picture of a tomb to make or the three crosses on the hill. You could place a folded piece of cloth in the tomb or a folded tissue, keep the stone across the entrance until next Sunday.

Colouring

I hope you are able to find an activity to reflect on the events of Good Friday.

Frances

Good Morning

This week are are going to be looking at the events which took place on the day we now call Maundy Thursday. We will think about the Last Supper and also Jesus’ time in the garden of Gethsemane.

After the meal Jesus and the disciples left the upper room and went to the Mount of Olives to a favourite place of Jesus’ the garden of Gethsemane. There He left most of the disciples resting but took Peter, James and John with him as he went further into the garden, then He became very upset and shared with his friends how dreadful he felt saying “I feel bad enough right now to die”. Then he asked them to pray for Him while He went a little further on to pray, to talk to God, his father but the disciples were so tired they couldn’t pray and fell asleep!

Three times this happened.

Jesus, however, was wrestling with God and himself. He was praying to God as his father asking that the ordeal He knew was coming should not happen. Jesus knew He was going to be arrested and put to death on a cross, He knew He was going to feel separated from His father, God, and He was terrified BUT He also knew that this was all part of God’s plan and there was no other way of carrying out the plan. So He prayed that famous prayer “ not what I will, but what you will” and went with the disciples to meet Judas and the crowd sent to arrest Him.

Jesus was arrested and taken to the high priest, and all he chief priests and elders of the law. And the disciples, the men who had sworn they would never leave him , they were afraid and ran away.

You can read this story in Mark’s Gospel, chapter 14 verses 32 -52.

Or watch it on you tube:

Activities

1. There is a playdough mat attached which you can use as a prayer activity. If you don’t have any playdough you could draw the leaves on the tree.

2. Another prayer activity is to collect some small stones and a bowl, use these as part of your prayer.
Jesus came to the garden to pray to God about the hard thing he was going to have to do.
What things do you find hard? Is there anything that scares you?
Tell God about the hard things in your life and put a stone into the bowl as a sign that you are giving that hard thing to God and would like Him to help you.

5. You might like to start making an Easter garden which can be added to over the next couple of weeks.There are lots of ideas for different gardens on the internet.

Today is about the Last Supper which Jesus celebrates with his disciples and tells them he is going away back to his Father.  This is upsetting for the disciples as they  worry that they won’t be able to manage on their own.

This is the video of the reading of the Last Supper: 

Here are some activities:

Good Morning and Happy Mothering Sunday

There are a few activities linked to Mothering Sunday for you today. There are some cards, a bunch of flowers to colour and make and some wordsearches. I hope you have a lovely day. Frances