Ever since I started teaching Faith Formation (CCD, Sunday School…) I always use the Resurrection Eggs during the Lent season in my third grade classroom. In the past I have made the lap book seen here with my class or the little book seen here. Both are very effective… but this year I decided that I wanted each of my 18 students to make their own real Resurrection Eggs. It turned out to be a great idea!
I want to share with you how my class made our eggs (including free printables so you can make some too) and tell you how I use the story, Benjamin’s Box to teach about the Death and Resurrection to third graders through the Lent Season. I also want to share with you how my friend Amy uses the same book and her Resurrection Eggs here with her Preschool class. I just love how these eggs are so wonderful no matter what grade you use them with!!!
In my class this year, I sent a note home a few weeks before lent asking each parent to send in an egg carton with 12 plastic eggs. Of course you have a few that do not show up with eggs and/or a carton so I was prepared with extra eggs from the dollar store and extra egg cartons. The first Sunday of Lent, I have them color the cover and inside (the inside tells the part of the bible that the egg represents PAGE 6 of PDF). I also take the students picture this week. They number their eggs 1 -12 as well. I take home their colorings and laminate them and hot glue them to the egg cartons. I also add their picture to the outside of the box.
Each Sunday before class starts I hide 1-3 eggs around the room. I pick 6 kids to hunt for the eggs. I ask them to not open the eggs and just return to the group with the egg if they find one. Once all the eggs are found for the week, we come back as a group. The eggs are numbered and I have the student who has the next numbered egg come up to the front of the room. They shake the egg for the class to hear. Then students raise their hand with guesses of what is in the egg. The student who found the egg plays the teacher and calls on other students to make guesses and then tell why they guessed that item. The student who found the egg opens it and reveals what is inside. Finally, the student calls on classmates to make suggestions as to what that item might represent I the story of Jesus’s Death and Resurrection. Then we read the page in the Benjamin’s Box story that represents the egg discussed. The children then receive a slip of paper that tells about the item as well as an item to place in their egg. They take their collection for the week and place it in their eggs. They then use the bible chart inside the egg carton to find the given story in the bible.
Each week when we start class, we discuss the items we have collected and they move on to finding more eggs until we find the last egg.
I want to note that the story Benjamin’s Box uses a Make Believe Character named Benjamin to explain the story of Jesus. I simply explain when I start reading the story that Benjamin is not a real person in the Bible, but the stories of Jesus in the story are really in the Bible. The third graders seem to get this and do not confuse Benjamin as a real Bible person. Plus, showing the children where the actual story in the Bible is found helps clarifies this more. I just really love how this book brings the story of Jesus’s Death and Resurrection alive for the younger audience in words and pictures they understand. They can hardly wait to hear more.
My friend Amy (seen above) also uses this book and her eggs to tell the story with her preschool class… I asked her to share with you how she goes about this in preschool so you can see how a younger group also benefits from the eggs. I also remember doing this at home with my own children when they were Preschool age in a similar fashion.
Amy says, “I hide the eggs and allow each student to find an egg but they aren’t allowed to open it. Then I record who found which egg (numbered). Next I read the intro about Benjamin and then about his box. Then the students open 2 eggs a day. Each child opens the egg they found. One egg at a time before reading the page about the egg in Benjamin’s box. I also refer to a child’s read along bible for the events…for example Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem-Matthew 21:9. I also have each student work on a wreath that has a picture to go with some of the eggs…for example a donkey, cup, bread, cross…so on. Here is the wreath. http://www.weelittlemiracles.com/2012/04/make-easter-story-wreath-free.html ”
She also says, “. I also have a little pretend treasure box filled with the things Benjamin has in his box shown in the story. I use it as review each time we start the eggs. I then remind the preschoolers that the box and Benjamin are not real but used to help us understand Jesus’s journey to the cross.”
Thanks Amy for sharing!
My third graders are very proud of the eggs they made and they did an awesome job of retelling the meaning of each egg to each other. It is my hope that they will bring the eggs home and share the story with their families.
Here are pictures of each egg and what we placed inside… (See below for the printables to make these eggs with your child or class)
Egg 1 – The Donkey (We used a printed picture of the Donkey).
Egg 2 – The Coins (Three Dimes)
Egg 3 – The Cup – (I printed out a picture of the challis and host. I glued the picture to a wine cork)
Egg 4 – Praying Hands ( I found charms online for .50 cents each)
Egg 5 – The Whip (we used brown string)
Egg 6 – The Thorn (Placed a toothpick in a wreath and had the kids imagine it was the crown of thorns, they removed 1 toothpick for their egg.)
Egg 7 – The Cross (Oriental Trading had a sale of 24 Easter eggs with Purple crosses in them for 2.99)
Egg 8 – The Die
Egg 9 – The Spear (used the printable of the spear – but if you have enough spears from Legos, this works well too.)
Egg 10 – The cloth (bought a set of wash cloths at the dollar store and cut them up)
Egg 11 – The Stone (bought a bag of stones at Michael’s)
Egg 12 is empty because He is risen!!!!
Pages 6 and on in this PDF are needed to create this project!
Resources for Lent!
More Free Ideas and Printables for Lent Found on Teaching Heart
May this Holy Week be a blessed one for you and your family!
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