Activities for Observing Easter's 50 Days

For the past few years we have celebrated the Easter Season using The Good Shepherd's Garden calendar resource. It's great and I highly recommend it. We really enjoyed the weekly "garden parties" last year. However, for several reasons (including travel plans and the boys' level of interest), this year we decided to do something different.

I gathered 50 plastic eggs and Jon helped me fill them with papers naming a variety of prayers, crafts, and activities that will help our family celebrate Easter for the full 50 day season.

Each day we'll open one egg and complete the activity printed on the paper inside. Then we will hang the egg from our kitchen cupboard. As the Easter Season goes on, we'll have a growing reminder of the joy of Easter.

I considered several ways of organizing this activity. The obsessive-compulsive organized side of me really wanted to date the eggs so I could control which activities we would do each day. However, I decided to "live dangerously" and just toss them into the bowl and allow the boys to choose them randomly. We'll see how that goes! The reality is that we're going to be very busy throughout these next several weeks. So I tried to keep the activities simple. I think the key will be continually reminding the boys that the Easter Season lasts longer than the jelly beans. We'll discuss the various symbols, rituals, and commemorations that are part of this great Season. We'll revel in the great Mystery of the Resurrection in many ways for many days.

I'm including my list of 50 activities below. However, one of the great things about this activity is that it can be adjusted to fit the age level and abilities of the children year after year. If I had older children I think I would list a Scripture passage for each day and have the children look it up and read it and discuss how it relates to the daily activity. Older children could also help with brainstorming ideas and compiling the list.

In random order, here are the activities I put inside our eggs:

Go on a picnic!
Read The Parable of the Lily.
Go on a nature walk and look for signs of new life.
Pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
Learn a new prayer.
Fly a kite. Say a prayer to the Holy Spirit.
Learn about the fruits of the Holy Spirit and make a fruit salad.
Act out the Resurrection story.
Pray for moms and babies.
Learn to spell and write "Alleluia."
Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Discuss why Sunday is Holy. Plan a special Sunday dinner for this week.
Pray for those who have died.
Read "The Egg Tree."
Make a bell craft.
Make a Holy Spirit windsock.
Bubbles!
Sidewalk Chalk!
Do a good deed for someone.
Balloons!
Pray the "Easter Symbol Prayer."
Pray the Litany of the Saints.
Make Resurrection rolls.
Do the "Bunny Hop."
Make a Rosary craft.
Make a Divine Mercy craft and Divine Mercy "sundae."
Go out for ice cream!
Make an "Alleluia" poster.
Gather some flowers for our table.
Enjoy a "LAMB" treat.
Have an Easter parade.
Sing "Jesus Christ is Risen Today."
Draw a picture of the Risen Jesus.
Cascarones! (Confetti Eggs)
Make Easter snow globes. (From a kit I ordered through Oriental Trading)
Sing lots of "Alleluia's!"
Plan our Mary Garden.
Watch "The Three Trees" video and/or read the book.
Decorate and Easter Candle.
Make a butterfly craft.
Listen to CAT CHAT - Easter CD.
Have an Easter Egg Hunt!
Remember our Baptisms. (Look at pictures, light our candles.)
Listen to Handel's "Messiah."
Read the Emmaus story (Luke 24:13-35) and go for a family walk.
Plant seeds.
Get Holy Water from Church.
Make a "Welcome" card for a Neophyte.
Make a card or gift for someone who is sick or lonely.
Make a rainbow craft.

I'd love to add any ideas you may have! Post a comment to share how your family celebrates the Easter Season!