Playdough Easter Mountain

Egg trees are nice and I love nativity scenes, but what's the equivalent for the Easter story? My friend Kristen turned me on to the answer. She found this wonderful activity that has you make a playdough mountain which you can use to play-act the Easter story with young children.

Ingredients for playdough:

• 4 c. of flour
• 1.5 c. salt
• 1.5 c. water
• 1 Tbs. oil 

Mix and knead the playdough, adding extra water until it's the right consistency. A was more than happy to help!

Find an empty aluminum can. I had plenty of full (and expired!) cans to choose from. Pull off a chunk of playdough to create the tomb stone and mold the rest of the dough around the can to create the mountain. Be sure to poke a hole in the top of the mound for the cross.

Bake at 250 degrees for 4 to 5 hours. (The smell of the cooking playdough will make you crave baked goods - watch out!) When it has cooled, decorate however you'd like. I had E paint the whole mound dark green and then I sponge-painted over that with a light green. To keep the surface from scratching my table, I hot-glued the mountain to a sheet of green felt and then trimmed the extra.

To make the cross, tie two sticks together with a pipe cleaner and insert into the hole. I hot-glued a bit of moss and a few flowers at the entrance of the tomb, as well as a bit of moss at the base of the cross. I left the stone naked.

Now you can create pipe cleaner figures to act out the different parts of the Easter story. E asked if she could make a sign that says "The tomb is empty." Amen, girlfriend! He is risen!

Yesterday I promised an Easter story book that's perfect for toddlers:

The Easter Story by Patricia A Pingry

There's nothing particularly special about this book, except that it tells the story of Jesus in simple, clear language that young children can understand. (And after all the books I've searched through, that makes this a very special book!) It explains who Jesus was (son of God), what he did (healed the sick, taught his disciples), and introduces early that there were people who didn't like Jesus or what he taught. It easily moves through the triumphal entry and the last supper, touching gently on his arrest and death, and spending a joyous time on his resurrection!

It's the best first introduction to the Easter story I've found. Have you found a better? I would love to hear it!

I'm linking up with:
- Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog