Palm Sunday

Is it uncouth to wish you all a Happy Palm Sunday? I'm sure you understand my heart and know that what I mean is I hope you're all spending some time in the Word today and teaching your little ones on this first day of Holy Week!! Or maybe I just mean Happy Palm Sunday, everyone! :)

Here is what we did today: (I will try to post each day what we are doing this years' Holy Week--it's not too late to do these same things today!!)

We actually skipped church this morning, which was not a part of my original plan, but when we learned that there would not be childcare. Dad, Mom and I decided to spare the church and keep our little ones home.

So we started out reading Matthew 21:1-11. Then we discussed why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey. Read Zechariah 9:9 and explain that Jesus riding in on a young donkey was fulfilling a prophecy. You can even expand on

what prophecy means.

A few weeks ago, Tyler and I pre-screened a few clips on YouTube for the kids to watch; those that really accomplished what we were getting at and would be simple enough for the kids to follow. Tyler picked this one and this one.

YouTube is a great resource for worship videos, too. You can even find some that have the lyrics over top the video. We watched Hosanna by Hillsong, Oh How He Loves Us and All Consuming Fire by Jesus Culture.

So we also got out the old atlas and located Jerusalem on the map. To help them understand where Jerusalem is in comparison to where we live, we also explored the globe! Not only is it a way to sneak in Geography, it's also good practice to teach the kids how to relate the lesson to their lives. Bring it to life! I am always trying to find ways to make these lessons and holidays become as hands on as possible. That is why I spend so much time planning all these

activities. If I can bring an incredibly significant day to life through pretend play, singing, reading and discussion, it makes it seem much more relate-able and real.

I saved the best part for last!! We use a stick pony, palm leaves and blankets for cloaks and we each take turns pretending to be Jesus riding into Jerusalem. We shout "Hosanna!!" and lay our palm leaves and cloaks down on the ground and cheer for Jesus Messiah!

If you were to ask Jessica what her favorite part of our Palm Sunday activities she would tell you it's riding the donkey into town. She thinks it's fun and says she learns the most about Jesus' ride. She also really enjoyed the new addition to our Palm Sunday Lesson Plan of locating Jerusalem on the map. She said, and I quote, "I really like finding the cities that Jesus walked in. It makes it really real."

I feel like I say this every year, but I really hope that if we continue to do these things year after year, the kids WILL "get it" and hopefully understand that their mommy wasn't in fact insane or obsessive, but that she loved Jesus and wanted desperately for her family to love Him too.

That is my prayer this year.