MNM's Make: An Easter Garden

This year I'm making a conscious effort to make Easter more than just a day full of sugar and eggs and bunnies. I want my children to know that Easter is a celebration of the greatest sacrifice of love this world has seen.

So, I'd seen a few of these Easter gardens floating around the Internet these past weeks, and figured that I'd have most of the necessary ingredients at home.

Here's what you'll need:

One large round pot base
One mini pot
Compost, potting mix or seed raising mix
Grass seed (or other seed for growing)
Sticks (6 to make the crosses with)
Pebbles

Fill your pot up with soil, lay the mini pot on its side and cover with soil until all you can see is the entrance of the pot.

Sprinkle grass seed over the soil and push down into the soil as much as possible.

Lay some pebbles at the entrance to the tomb.

Find some small sticks to use as crosses - I stripped a few branches off our olive tree and either glue or tie together using cotton.

With any luck, and a wee spray of the soil every day with water, the grass seed will sprout and we will see new life spring forth by Easter weekend.

It didn't take more than half an hour, but the boys and I so enjoyed this simple but effective way of bringing the story of Jesus' death and resurrection to life in our home. Being able to talk about the crosses and what happened, and why there was a tomb and what happened after the 3rd day brought the story to life in a way that just talking about it wouldn't have had the same effect.

How about you? How do you keep your family's focus on the real message of Easter?

I am quietly determined that we will do more than just pig out on chocolate on this very special weekend. And sharing in the making this garden was just one step in the right direction. But it was a step.


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