A bit of Easter Role Playing

This past week, I found myself scrambling to find a good lesson idea for Monday's family home evening.   I knew it had to be Easter related, and I really want to do or teach something that would help the kids think more about the true meaning of Easter, and less about some dumb bunny, you know?

(plus that "dumb bunny" is giving them nothing but piggy banks and a little bag of mini eggs this year, so I really don't want the kids putting all their hopes into that one basket, if you know what I mean:)

There is MORE to Easter then what the Easter Bunny brings, that's all.

Anyways, after a little bit of perusing online, I came across a great idea that inspired our very own mock "last supper."   Sunday night, at bedtime, I told the kids that dinner the next day was going to be extra special, and that everybody needed to arrive dressed up like a person who lived when Christ lived.    (Abby talked about it non stop from that point on, and even offered to wear her costume to school, you know, so that she'd be " all ready for FHE."    I told her no to that in a hurry, because the last thing I wanted was for her to go to school on passover Monday looking like some sort of religious fanatic, you know?)

By 5:00 the next evening though, all the kids had found something to wear, and even John and I managed to throw on our old Moroni's Quest costumes one more time.    We all looked pretty darn snazzy, if I do say so myself!  ;)    Jessica made me laugh, because she insisted on being one of the "wise men" and bringing a gift.    I think she got her scriptural accounts mixed up a bit, but hey...she brought the wine, so it's all good!!!   ;)

We ate on the floor, in the front room, and for dinner we had wine grape juice, fruit, nuts, flat bread, lamb skewers (but it was really chicken, don't worry;) olives, and hard boiled eggs.     It wasn't a yummy meal by any means, but the kids literally ate it ALL!   They even tried eating olives, which makes me wonder if they'd eat anything I put in front of them, so long as I give each meal a theme and let them come dressed up?     (Huh.....I'm going to have to see what I can do about this in the future.)   

While we ate, we talked, and I used this time to teach the lesson.

We discussed some of the things the Savior taught at the last supper.  We talked about how He served his apostles.   Sam stepped out of character a time or two to tell us about some struggles he had riding the school bus that day.    And then we talked about Judas, and how he left the supper early so that he could go and perform his act of betrayal.

It was at this point that Nathan (who seemed to have really only come for the wine:) stood up, threw his costume on the ground, and climbed the stairs to my room, proclaiming to us all that he had to go and play the "compluter" instead.   Well, Abby and Sam instantly declared Nate "Judas" and accused him of "leaving the table"!!      hahaha.  

He's a wicked little boy, but I sure love him!  haha

In all honestly, it turned out to be a really fun Family Night, and I think it is exactly what the kids needed to connect with the true meaning of Easter.    John was a trooper and played right along, and I think this may even become a yearly tradition.  

And who knows?   Perhaps our little heathen child might experience a change of heart and actually want to join us next time! :)

Check out our Family Food Blog for a really easy Easter Treat idea!