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I know that many people read the story of the three trees at Christmas, but for me the story is one that evokes especially poignant emotions at Easter. While several retellings of this story exist, I really like this new, beautifully illustrated picture book version by Elena Pasquali and illustrated by Sophie Windham.
"Long ago, on a hillside, stood three trees ... Under the cold night sky that glittered with stars, they dreamed their dreams."
The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale
by Elena Pasquali, illustrated by Sophie Windham. Lion UK / Kregel (September 2011); ISBN 9780745962894
Book Source: Copy from our personal library
The Three Trees folktale is one with a Christian message that tells of Jesus' life journey from cradle to cross from the perspective of three forest trees. Each of the three trees stand together on a hill and dream of greatness: the first wants to be made into a chest and hold a fine treasure, the second yearns to be a proud ship and carry a king and the third tree hopes to remain forever on the hillside pointing to heaven. One day, woodcutters climb the hill and chop down the trees. The three trees lament over their situations as the forms they eventually take are not as they had dreamed. However, overtime the trees each realize they play a greater role than they could ever imagine. They are each part of God's plan and play a part in Jesus's life.
I like several things about this version of the familiar tale. First of all it provides a wonderful example of how God's will may not always be the same as our will, but God does have wonderful plan, a purpose in mind for each and every one of us. Also, in Windham's illustrations each of the trees is different, just like each of God's children. The text is not overly long and slightly simplified when compared to alternate retellings, and Pasquali retains the heart and emotion of the story. For this reason, this retelling is particularly suited for younger children. Windham's folksy artistic style definitely is a good fit for this story. My kids remarked at all the extra details in Windham's colorful illustrations, and we especially like the elaborate borders and different sized panels.
"The tree that had borne his death was now a symbol of his life. And the third tree knew that it would stand for ever, pointing to heaven."Because of the way the final sentences are worded, the book can be used as a useful tool in talking about the symbolism of the cross in Christianity -- the cross is not only a symbol of the suffering and death of Jesus but, as it stands empty pointing toward heaven, it also serves a reminder of the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. Windham's final illustration shows a cross superimposed over a tree full of life, a lovely image showing the Easter blessing of new life through Jesus Christ.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ Stand Up Cross Craft ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞My kids made 3D crosses th
By: Brimful Curiosities,
on 3/24/2011
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At church, before communion, we often sing The Agnus Dei. "Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us." I often wonder what my kids are thinking when they hear the verses of the Agnus Dei. During Lent many of us teach our children that Jesus died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. The imagery of Jesus as the Lamb of God is a natural extension of this teaching and the symbolism is worth discussing during the Lenten season with your kids.
John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29 NIV)
God offered up the perfect sacrifice, his Son, the “Sacrificial Lamb." Through Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection, we can have eternal life if we believe in Him. "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV)
When we sing about the Lamb of God, we remember Christ's death on the cross and the sacrifice, and we praise God and offer our thanks and devotion to the Lamb, our Redeemer. "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:12 NIV)
Lamb of God Crayon Resist Lenten CraftIn art, the Agnus Dei symbol is often depicted as a lamb bearing a cross or banner. We made our own Agnus Dei artwork today for our stArt project. Starting with a white piece of paper, we cut out the lamb's body in a cloud shape.
While the kids were busy cutting out a head and legs out of black paper, I took a white crayon and wrote "Jesus" on each of the white body pieces. I also added some white swirls to look like wool. Using watercolor paint, the kids covered the lamb's body with paint and, through this wax resist artwork, it was revealed to them that Jesus is the "Lamb of God." Our sins are represented by the paint and Jesus, written in white crayon, takes away the sins of the world. I cut out a cross shape out of brown construction paper while the kids painted.
After the paint dried the kids assembled their own Agnus Dei artwork. The artwork indeed reminds us that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Other Lamb of God Crafts:Lamb of God WashclothLam
We started our Advent Wreath craft in November, and I was planning to post it earlier this month but then my son ended up in the hospital. Since we are still in the middle of the advent season, I thought I'd post it today.
The season of Advent is a little harder to explain to a child than Christmas. Involving kids in the season by using an Advent wreath is one way to help them prepare for Christmas and learn about God's promise to send His Son. The word "advent" comes from the Latin word for coming - "adventus."
An advent wreath helps us prepare for the coming of Jesus. The four candles, one for each Sunday in Advent, help remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World. In our wreath, there are three purple candles (signifying royalty) and one pink (signifying joy). The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent. Some wreathes include a white fifth candle in the center, the "Christ candle," lit on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, the four colored candles are replaced with white candles. The circular shape of the Advent wreath reminds us that God's love is unending, and the evergreens represent everlasting life.
❖❖❖❖❖❖ stArt Craft - Paper Advent Wreath Craft ❖❖❖❖❖❖
My kids are too young to light real candles so this year we decided to make a flameless paper Advent Wreath that they would be able to "light" with removable paper flames.
Materials:
2 paper towel tubes
large circular paper plate
paint
scissors
glue
construction paper
1. Cut the two paper towel tubes in half to make four "candles." Paint three of the rolls purple and the remaining roll pink.
2. Cut a large circular hole out of the center of the paper plate to form a wreath shape. Cut four half-circle notches the size of the paper candle diameter in the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions so that the candles can be easily arranged in the wreath. Paint the wreath green.
3. To make the candle tops, after the paint has dried, cut out four 3-inch diameter circles from construction paper (three purple and one pink). Place a paper towel roll in the center of each circle and trace around it. Use a scissors to cut notches up to the circle drawn on each of the paper circles. Place glue around the rim of each candle and center the paper candle top on the candle and glue down the candle top to each candle, bending the notched cuts around the side of each candle.
4. Make four flames out of yellow construction paper. The bottom of each flame should include a long segment to insert in the candle top. Cut a notch in the top of each candle to make a place to insert the flame.
5. Add decorations to the green wreath. We added green holly leaves and red berries made out of construction paper.
6. (Optional) Paint a fifth tube white and place in the center of the wreath. If the candle are unstable, use play dough on the bottom to help stabilize.
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I volunteered to help out with crafts at our church's Vacation Bible School this summer. Our church is small, and I needed crafts that were simple and appropriate for all ages. I was happy to find several great craft ideas online, including a Beaded Cross Necklace. Glue Dots helped make this project easy to assemble and quick because the necklace required no drying time.
One of the VBS lessons had the theme, "Jesus, our Savior, says, 'Believe!'" We crafted "I Believe" beaded cross necklaces and key chains to go along with this lesson (original idea from Sunday School Network.com). To make the project more memorable and correspond with our lesson, we used color changing UV beads from Steve Spangler Science (they are the same size as Pony Beads). These beads look white but turn different colors when placed in the sun. I held up a bead before we made the craft and asked the kids if they would believe me if I told them that the white bead was actually a blue bead. Believing takes faith. (Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV) Using color changing beads is the perfect way to illustrate this concept.
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"I Believe" Colors of Faith Color Changing Beaded Cross CraftMaterials:4
Color Changing UV Beads (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow)
1 Black Pony Bead
1 White Pony Bead
3 ft length of 3 mm sueded cord (for necklace) or 1 ft length of 3 mm sueded cord (for key chain decoration) or 1.5 ft length sueded cord (for bracelet)
2
Mini Glue Dots (3/16 in)Directions for this craft:1). Cut cord to desired length. Slide the yellow bead to the center of the length of cord.
2). Fold the cord in half and place the green bead over both ends of the cord. Slide the green bead down until it touches the top of the yellow bead.
3). Hold the white bead vertically. Apply a Glue Dot on each side hole of the white bead and stick the red bead and blue bead to each side of the white bead. Make sure that the red and blue beads' holes face perpendicular to the white bead and are even with each other. (Refer to picture)
Join us during the month of April as we celebrate National Poetry Month. Every day during April we are reading one poem together. My preschool daughter pastes the poem into her "My Poetry Book" and then creates a corresponding illustration to accompany the poem of the day. We will share some of the entries throughout the month on Brimful Curiosities. Looking for other kid's related poetry resources? I've compiled a list of Children's Activities and Other Resources for National Poetry Month.
The second entry in my daughter's "My Poetry Book" comes from a Concordia Publishing House Arch Book titled The Easter Stranger. Each book in the Arch Book Bible Story paperback series uses rhyming verses to tell a story from the Bible. The Easter Stranger covers the passages found in Luke 24:1-35 and shares a story that takes place after Jesus' resurrection. Jesus joins two of his followers on the road to Emmaus and they don't recognize him. Eventually they invite the stranger to stay with them and his identity becomes known as they sit down to eat together.
So as they walked, the Man began
To Tell them of God's mighty plan.
He said that Jesus came to die
So we could live with Him on high.
Our Lord's sweet death forgives our sins;
The fight with death our Lord did win!
For as the prophets' words have said:
"The Christ will be raised from the dead!"The Easter Stranger by Nicole E. Dreyer, illustrated by Len Ebert. Concordia Publishing House (2009); ISBN 9780758616104; 16 pages (Book Source: Book from our personal library)
Both kids made a cross and my daughter will place her's in her poetry book to correspond with the Biblical poetry today. To create the cross, I placed removable painter's tape in the shape of a cross on paper and they used paint to cover the page. As the painter's tape is removed, the cross is revealed.
"Long ago, on a hillside, stood three trees ... Under the cold night sky that glittered with stars, they dreamed their dreams."
- One of our friends has a set of these eggs. Always a hit at playgroup because they are appropriate for ages 12 months and up - all the kids love to take them apart and try to match them back together. Plus, it's hard to beat the price. ($9.55)
- Really, any of the Calico Critter products make ideal Easter gifts, but I really do like the details and tips of the ears on the Hopscotch bunny family. My daughter has the Dalmation Dog Family and she acts out all sorts of imaginary scenarios using them. ($19.99)
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by Tracie Peterson. Bethany House Publishers (June 2009); 365 pages: ISBN 9780764201509
by Tracie Peterson. Bethany House Publishers (September 2008); 368 pages: ISBN 9780764201486
by Tracie Peterson. Bethany House Publishers (April 2009); 368 pages: ISBN 9780764201493 (My 
Very nice! I've seen this book before, but a different version, I think. We read it for Christmas last year. I like the cover art in this version!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that book! Perfect book for this season! Your stand up cross is awesome!
We have a different version of that story which I typically read at Christmas, but this one looks lovely. That craft is great, too. Thanks for linking up!
We have this book and adore it! What a wonderful message it shares. Your craft is amazing! I am going to pin it.
Thank you for linking to Read.Explore.Learn.
Oh how I wish I had seen this before Easter! I've not read the book, but it's on my list, now!
Thanks for sharing!
Jenny
I'd Rather Be Birding