12 Days of Easter

I have procrastinated my Visiting Teaching this month (long story), however, I have been planning this activity for them since February!! My mom put this together for our family, and I absolutely loved doing it!! Yes, I know that the idea seems a little bit juvenile for the sister's that I teach, but who isn't a kid at heart!? Also, it seems like there is so much excitement for Christmas and Easter tends to get neglected. So this is a fun way to bring the Spirit of Easter into your home. I did this on my mission for a few families and last year for my girls I visited. So I decided to do it again this year, but I don't have a master copy and so I decided to put it here! Then I can use it again later and if you want to, you can do it too =0) I have changed a few of the scriptures from the originals that my mom gave us because I am trying to gear it towards adults and also focus on Christ's life and teachings. However, if you like this idea, you can switch it around and play with it a bit to fit your family =0)

Supplies: Easter Basket with grass
12 plastic eggs that can be opened
Label each egg with numbers 1-12
Each egg will have the following in it with a piece of paper with the matching scripture inside.
Note: when they open up the eggs, they need to start out with Day 12, then Day 11, and so forth.



Day 1: Empty ~ John 20:1-18
Day 2: Nail, Purple Cloth, Thorn ~ Mark 15: 15-47
Day 3: Hersey Kiss, 3 dimes ~ Matthew 26:14-16, 47-56
Day 4: Leafs ~ Mark 11
Day 5: Raisins ~ John 15: 1-9
Day 6: Bread and Sacrament Cup ~ Mark 14
Day 7: Mustard Seed, Candle (Birthday)~ Matthew 17:20; Mark 4:21-22
Day 8: Swedish Fish ~ Matthew 14:13-21
Day 9: Band-Aid ~ Luke 5:29-32
Day 10: Piece of White Linen ~ Matthew 9:20-22
Day 11: Lily ~ Luke 12:22-30
Day 12: Star ~ Matthew 2:1-11

Extra if you can’t find one of the above: Bell- Luke 15:4-7

My mom also included this story for Day 1:

The Empty Egg

Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind.

At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises.

At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain.

Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students."

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here." Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy.

From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face turned red. She stammered ... "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically ... all except for Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.

In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.

The next egg contained a plastic butterfly which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."

Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty.Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.

Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty. "He looked into her eyes and said softly ... "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?"

"Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard ...Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket ... all of them empty

~Random~

Due to my procrastination of studying, I have decided to do Ashley's tag...I thought it was kind of fun!!

Copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done. Have fun! :)
(K, now, no surprise to you, but for some reason the Control B won't work =0( therefore, I will put a star instead)

1. *Start you own blog
2. *Slept under the stars
3. *Played in a band [the high school band ;0)]
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. *Been to Disneyland
8. *Climbed a mountain
9. *Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. *Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. *Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (it was closed when I went. Urgh!)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. *Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. *Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. *Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. *Seen a total eclipse
30. *Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. *Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. *Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. *Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. *Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. *Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. *Sung karaoke
42. *Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. *Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. *Played in the mud
54. *Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie / commerical
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. *Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma(I know how pathetic that is!! But every time I go, there is a huge line up, and I never have time to wait!)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. *Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. *Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. *Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. *Pieced a quilt
73. *Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. *Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. *Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. *Had your picture in the newspaper
85. *Read the entire Bible [The New Testament and The Old Testament separately - never all the way through from cover to cover.]
86. *Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. *Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. *Met someone famous
92. *Joined a book club
93. *Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
98. *Owned a cell phone
97. Been involved in a law suit
99. *Been stung by a bee

I just realized how boring my life has been thus far. I have only done 40!! Just over a third....yeah for new goals!?! However, I must say that I never want 97, 75, 46, and 10 NEVER happen to me ;0)