Friday, March 22, 2013

Easter FHE Ideas

I can't believe Easter is right around the corner! I LOVE Easter & spring time. I'm a bit bummed that spring weather hasn't quite made it's way to Philly yet... I'm hoping that will be SOON. There's just something about hearing the birds singing in the tress, fresh new leaves in the trees, people outside gardening & mowing their lawns, warm rain, brand new tulips that have just bloomed, etc... I could go on forever. I love spring time. Also, fun fact: my favorite weather is 70 degree weather. :)

 I hope to instill in my children that Christmas & Easter are not just about the festivities, easter bunny, and santa claus... while those are all fun, I want them to gain a firm testimony that these holidays are all about the Savior, Jesus Christ. I want them to know that He LIVES. That He loves them with a perfect love. That because of Him, we too will too will live again and will be together forever after this life.

 In the LDS faith, each Monday families set aside time in the evening to hold what we call: Family Home Evening ( aka FHE.) It is a wonderful time to spend quality time as a family without any distractions ( well, not all FHE's go perfectly planned with little ones, but that's okay!) The most important thing is that you're together.

Usually FHE goes as follows: Sing a primary song, say a prayer, share a scripture or spiritual thought, have a short lesson related to the gospel of Jesus Christ, have an activity, say a prayer, enjoy yummy treats. FHE's tend to last anywhere between 15 minutes ( depending on how young your little ones are) to an hour or hour and a half. Like I said, the most important thing is that it becomes a habit & the children look forward to FHE each Monday night to spend all together. It's such an important time to bond, laugh, chat, and grow together as a family.

Here are some idea's I've found that you can do during FHE for Easter!

 Since Easter is just around the corner, I'm going to have our little family watch this beautiful clip this coming Monday Night. It's strait from the New Testament leading up to the Savior's crucifixion & then his resurrection. It's a great way to get everyone thinking about Easter and what a blessing it is that HE IS RISEN.

 


Nick and I had such an amazing opportunity to attend this particular General Conference in Salt Lake the day that Elder Holland gave this powerful talk about Easter. He gave it a few years ago, and I will always remember the feelings I felt that day ( and still feel) when I heard his talk. He LIVES!

 

I'm sure a lot of us have seen family nights for easter where you put little scripture verses in plastic eggs and teach the lesson that way. Super fun and creative way to teach especially if you have little children. I did this with Nick a few years ago and it was fun.

You can find that lesson HERE.

My Easter Mantle, everyone. 

if you're looking for a quick Easter garland to make for your mantle... I suggest this! I literally made it in 10 minutes with scraps I had around the house. Click HERE for an easy tutorial!

and speaking of General Conference... it's coming in just a few weeks! ( April 6 & 7... Time: 10 am - Noon & 2 pm- 4pm Mountain Time) You can listen to it HERE. Come, listen, and be uplifted!

We are so blessed to have a living Prophet on the earth who leads and guides us under the direction of our Heavenly Father. I am SO excited to hear our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson & the general authorities speak to us!