Holy Week + Easter Learning
I am so glad Spring is here! And Spring means Easter which means Holy Week which means it’s a beautiful time of the year! Today I’m sharing some of the materials we’ve used in the past and what we’re using this year as we prepare for Easter.
General Resources
Holy Week Companion Guide: We’ve used this for the last couple years now and it’s the one I’ll probably use forever. I have an older PDF version of it, but it’s recently been made into a flip-book. I love the art work in it.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Easter Resources: We plug into our church’s Holy Week resources for video clips and hymn suggestions. It’s all free and broken up by day so each morning we use these things as part of our morning devotionals.
Holy Week for Latter-day Saint Families: If you’re totally a beginner with Holy Week and want to make the week more special, this is the first book I used to get started with our Holy Week traditions and I’d definitely still recommend it. There are so many great hands-on activities for little kids and it’s got lots of pictures which is nice!
Palm Sunday
The Donkey Who Carried A King: It’s tradition for us now to read this every year on Palm Sunday.
Palm Leaves: When the kids were little we made our own palm leaves, but last year we attended a special Palm Sunday celebration and they gave us real palm leaves to wave and the kids loved it so much. So, this year I added some faux ones to use with the kids and in our home decor.
Seder/Last Supper Dinner
The Prince of Egypt: Sharing this link first because we always try to watch this on Thursday morning or afternoon before our Seder dinner. Some years we just make sure to watch it sometime during the week though. The King of Kings is also a fun one to watch this time of year.
Celebrating Biblical Feasts: I added this book this year as part of our Old Testament study and it’s been perfect. It’s simple and exactly what I’ve needed to have a basic understanding of biblical feasts. I’d say it’s great for any denomination who is interested in understanding the meanings and traditions behind the feasts better.
The Feasts and Festivals of the Messiah: This is the next level and I’m still making my way through it, but it’s fantastic and great for Latter-day Saints.
Isaiah Institute Seder Script: When the kids were little I used a REALLY simple Seder dinner story script that took us like five minutes. Over the years I’ve gradually added more and I pieced together a modified version from the Isaiah Institute that I really like.
Seder plate: For years we just used a dinner plate and it was just fine, but last year I finally got a special seder plate and I love it so much!
Clay Oil Lamps: My mom gifted us clay oil lamps that actually came from Jerusalem so just linking a similar one off Amazon for you guys here.
Last Supper Dinner Experience: My friend Melissa from So Festive put together a fantastic all-in-one Last Supper themed guide that includes a program, discussion cards, recipes, and activities. This year I decided to follow along with her guide and after our Seder script we’re going to have a more traditional Last Supper charcuterie board using here menu and recipes. Be sure to use code EASTER for 15% off.
Other Resources
Easter Unit Study: We’re going to be using this for an art project during Holy Week this year and I am really looking forward to it. If you have a membership to AMMS, it’s found under their Holiday unit studies. If you don’t you can grab a monthly membership at any time (and cancel at any time) and have instant access to all the art studies and video tutorials. You can learn more about AMMS here.
Decorate Psyanky Easter Eggs: We’ve been able to do this the last two years and it’s an awesome experience! If you’re local to Utah you can reach out to @wax_on_wax_off_creations via IG to book an experience for your family or co-op.
Resurrection Egg Story Hunt:This is the classic egg hunt that has little symbolic objects and notes that tell the story of Christ’s resurrection. As a kid I loved doing this so it’s very nostalgic for me. This is another activity we often do during our devotional time. I love having the kids tell ME the story as they open their eggs.
Spring Book List: I have a few of our Easter favorites mixed in with this list.
Immersive History: This is a virtual reality experience where you can tour Jerusalem (and other ancient Biblical sites) on the Oculus VR. It’s also available as an app to be used on phones or tablets. This year, one of the creators, Jarom, came and took us and a few other homeschool families on a virtual Holy Week tour in Ancient Jerusalem which was so fun! He cast the tour up on the screen, but then after the kids were able to put on the Oculus sets and explore the streets of Ancient Jerusalem on their own. This is a resource that can be used all year all over the world, but if you happen to be in Utah and want to schedule Jarom to come to your homeschool groups, family or youth nights, just reach out to them on Instagram @immersivehistory.
Lent: A Guide for Families: We didn’t get to this guide this year, but it’s one I am hoping to use in the future because it looks fantastic! Keep it on your radar.
I’ll also put a plug in here that traditionally Easter morning we have resurrection rolls for breakfast and a few years ago we also loved making a resurrection garden - both are fun to do this time of year.
The King of Kings lives! And, I hope you have a wonderful Easter season centered on Him.