Book Review and Author Interviews, Kid Ministry, My Faith, Parent and Child Connection

An Easter Lesson Using Twas the Morning of Easter, by Glenys Nellist

Hi everyone! I have been counting down the days until I could reveal this post! Glenys Nellist has agreed to stop by my blog today, and she has graciously done a guest post for me. She wrote a lovely #Kidmin Easter lesson, and I have the privilege of showcasing it here on my blog! I know you will love it, and hopefully it will be a practical tool for your family or Children’s Ministry group!

Twas the morning
Cover of ‘Twas the Morning of Easter

In addition, I am hosting a give-away of the book ‘Twas the Morning of Easter. Zonderkidz is the sponsor who graciously providing one copy of the book. The give-away is open to folks living in the USA with  a physical street address (no PO boxes.) 

Here are the details:

How to enter:

1. Subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post.

2. Follow @mindybakerbooks and @glenysnellist on Instagram and leave a comment on any Instagram post this week about the give-away.

Or DO BOTH FOR TWO ENTRIES!

You can also tag a friend on any Instagram post this week for even more entries.

You must comment on the blog post or Instagram entries by 6pm EST on Thursday, March 18, 2021. I will draw the winner and post the result here and on Instagram Friday morning, March 19, 2021.

Here is a short synopsis of the book:

A follow-up to the popular ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas from beloved author Glenys Nellist. ‘Twas the Morning of Easter tells the story of the resurrection of Jesus in a fresh way, with a familiar rhythm and rhyme that children will love, following the pattern of Clement Moore’s iconic “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Here is a link to purchase the book:

You can find out more about Glenys at her website.

LAUNCH PARTY INVITE!!!

AND, she is having a Book Launch Party on March 19th. This Friday! The same day that I announce the winner of the GIVE-AWAY! Find out more about the launch party here. You won’t want to miss it, they are great fun!

Thank you, Glenys and Zonderkidz! It’s going to be a fantastic week!

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Hello, everyone! It is lovely to join you, Mindy. Thank you for having me. I am happy to provide this lesson for all of your readers. I want to personally invite all of you to my launch party, and I can’t wait to see who the winner is of the give-away.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

  1. Begin by looking closely at the cover of the book. Ask questions such as: Who do you think these women are? What are they holding? Where do you think they might be? How are they feeling? What might they be saying to each other?
  • Tell the children that before you read the book, you’re going to take a picture walk. Say: The illustrations you’ll see at the beginning are dark but notice what happens when Jesus appears. Now look at the pictures together and ask the children if they know who the characters are on each page. Make sure they notice that wherever there is Jesus, there is light.
  • Now read the book, showing the pictures as you read.
  • After reading, ask some ‘wondering questions’ such as:
  • I wonder why the illustrations were lighter when Jesus appeared…
  • I wonder how Mary felt when Jesus called her name…
  • I wonder what Mary is looking at here… (On the page that shows Jesus’ hand up close.)
  • I wonder why the illustrator chose to include doves on this page… (On the page beginning with ‘Then the trees seemed to dance.’)
  • I wonder what your favorite part of this story is…
  • I wonder what the most important part of this story is…
  • Pray together: Thank you, God, for that wonderful morning in Jerusalem when your son came alive. Thank you for Mary, who was the first to tell the good news. Thank you for Easter time. Most of all, thank you for Jesus.
  • Have the children color the sheets or create their own Easter scene from the Activity Pack.

OPTIONS:

  • If time allows, act the story out using the ideas in the pageant.
  • Watch the video of Glenys reading the story.

Fun for kids, Kid Ministry, Mouse's Christmas Gift, My Faith, Parent and Child Connection

Thursday Thoughts — Be a light!

Hi kids! I’m back again with another Thursday Thought!

Be a Light!

Have you ever been in a room that is completely dark? It can seem very scary! A cozy candle or nightlight can illuminate the darkness and give us a warm and safe feeling.

Sometimes the world can seem dark and confusing, filled with pain and heartache. There doesn’t seem to be light or hope anywhere! The world needs light!

Jesus said in the Bible, “I am the light of the world.” In a dark world, he is the one that can make a difference. He is the one that can change things. He is the one that can change people’s hearts.

A dark world needs Jesus, the light of the world.

When we put our faith in Jesus to be our Savior, he changes our hearts from the inside out. In Matthew 5:14, he says that people that follow Jesus are lights. He says in Ephesians 5:8 that we should live as children of the light. What do you think that means?

You can be a light for Jesus by the way you live. What are some ways that you can be a light to others this week? I would love to hear your ideas!

Craft idea: Make the candle that I am holding in the video. Here are some photos:

I got the idea for this craft from Krokotak.com

Fun for kids, Mouse's Christmas Gift, Parent and Child Connection

Exercise and Play Games with Mouse’s Christmas Gift

During the pandemic, I noticed my friend and former co-worker Heidi Stan making some wonderful videos with her daughters to help kids stay active and have fun even during quarantine. I liked and shared them on my FB author page.

Fast forward to Christmas season! I was planning a virtual storytime with my friends Glenys Nellist and Kathy Bostrom and we were brainstorming. What could we do to get kids playing games and having fun?

I thought of Heidi and her girls, and asked them if they would be interested in doing a video for me. THEY SAID YES!! See the video above for the wonderful result! Here is a listing of all of the games.

Table of Contents for Mouse's Christmas Gift Games
Mouse’s Christmas Gift Games

I hope you enjoy these fun family activities! Thanks Heidi, Bexley and Jorie!!

During our Virtual Story time event, we also played a Scavenger Hunt Game. Here is a copy of a longer version for your family to enjoy! We set a timer and raced to find each item, but you can make up your own rules!

Scavenger Hunt
Fun for kids, Mouse's Christmas Gift, Parent and Child Connection

Mouse Ornament inspired by Mouse’s Christmas Gift

This week I teamed up with some author friends Laura Sassi, Jill Roman Lord, and Tama Fortner to create ornaments inspired by our picture books. It was loads of fun! You can see all of the the ornament ideas on my Instagram or Facebook page.

I had seen the idea many places, but I had never tried it for myself. I recruited my daughter Chelsea to help me. We created this YouTube how-to video. We had so much fun making it!

YouTube Video link: https://youtu.be/6zy727A5yLc

Hope you can use the idea with your family!

Merry Christmas!