LENT & EASTER IDEAS SHARED AT HOME FAITH MEETINGS

1.  talk about the meaning of Ash Wednesday/ashes/traditions
2.  decorate your prayer space with sand and a cactus and make connections with desert and interior
     desert
3.  during Lent...replace cactus with Lily on Easter
4.  attend Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent especially note in the bulletin when the mime
     stations will be done by the parish teens. Since the church is open during the day, take child/ren and
     together pray the stations
5.  make a calendar (also download one from Internet) and come up with a different activity to do for
     each day
6.  have a family Mardi Gras party and talk about its meaning (King Cake—Karen Dixon has recipe)
7.  put special chores/jobs on tiny pieces of paper and place in jar...when chore is done offer child a
     specified amount of $ that he/she can either donate to the poor, or to a family project or to the SOCK
     project Home Faith has adopted for J.O.I.N. during Lent
8.  have a special dinner one night of the week and talk about faith matters and the season of Lent
9.  purchase craft foam (Michael’s store) and  a pendant…write god behavior activities on crosses and
     when done, place on pendant
10. talk about and name bad behaviors…place these in the bottom of a flower pot, cover with soil and
      plant seeds at top…explain what happens when bad behaviors are changed into positive ones
11. write Jesus a “Thank You” note to thank Him for his sacrifices…
 12. give each child a different colored jelly bean…and make up a good intention jar…have kids name
      some positive things they can do for family members and place them in the jar.  When done, in
      another, jar child places his/her colored jelly bean into the jar.  If jar is not filled, on Holy Saturday,
      fill remaining space in the jar with white jelly beans—the symbol of Jesus who makes good all our
      intentions
13. write a special prayer to say each night at dinner which talks about Lent
14. participate in the Rice Bowl activity…have children make their own rice bowl and decorate it…
      collect the money, put in envelope and put in mail box near front door of parish office building with
      words “MFF Rice Bowl donation”
15. during Lent have children go through closets and find good, out grown clothing that can be donated
      to St. Vincent De Paul or Goodwill or Amvets
16. same with gently used toys
17. as a family received the sacrament of Reconciliation one Saturday before the 5:30 p.m. mass
18. write notes/letters/cards for elderly family members or neighbors
19. together as family go volunteer to attend the Mayfair Ice Cream Social as published in the
      bulletin…or as a family pick a nursing home and have the children interview residents about their
      Lent or Easter traditions
20. volunteer to go to the soup kitchen as a family
21. pray the rosary on Fridays during Lent for peace (especially on March 2^nd to honor World Day of
      Prayer)…I (Sister) have hundreds of plastic rosaries in the MFF office in school if you need any,
     contact me and I will get them for you!)
22. special meal on Holy Thursday and  then attend services at 7:00 in parish
 23. have children make up word searches from words learned about Lent and Easter (perhaps several
      families could do this and then exchange the word searches with each other)
24. have different family members make up and pray a special prayer before eating dinner each night
25. have a “poverty meal” several times during Lent and donate money saved to the poor
26. decorate a Jesus tree—Scripture trees (651-426-2174)
27. order or buy at a religious store, “Oplatky” and share tradition with family along with making
      “Bucsth”…research Polish traditions
28. each family member decides on one item each week to donate to the poor…place in a box and donate
      at end of lent
29. several families go together and host the parish coffee/donuts one Sunday.. information is in the
      bulletin
30. have individual family members write down what they will DO during lent to observe the meaning of
      this time…take time to share this with each other
31. make the Crown of Thorn bread...check internet for recipe
32. during Lent and all through the year, crate an area in your home to place the Bible, crucifix and
      statements that this is a home where the Word of God is lived and revered.
33. bad habit jar…when caught doing a bad habit, place $ into collection jar and donate money to poor
34. take kids to outdoor stations of the cross as Sorrowful Mother Church in Bellevue, Ohio...just north
      of Bucyrus on North Rt. 23
35. lenten paper chains with good intentions written on them…remove daily
36. Meals on Wheels family activity
37. look in your own neighborhood for someone in need of help and “adopt” that person
38. make Resurrection cookies or Resurrection Rolls with appropriate scripture passages…get into
      and recipe from Internet
39. do Easter egg hunt with different messages in each plastic egg…e.g. Jesus is Risen, Alleluia! 
      Or Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Etc.
40. place a variety of Easter/religious articles in Easter baskets…Religious CD, items purchased at our
      last meeting…chocolate crosses rather than Easter bunnies…books, etc
41. crush colored egg shells and make a cross from gluing them onto paper
42. plan ahead and whatever special foods you will serve at your Easter meal, place in a basket and
      take to church on holy Saturday morning to have foods blessed…have entire family go… watch
      bulletin for information
43. on Easter, decorate with balloons, cake, festive table decorations  to recognize this greatest of all
      feasts in the Church