Ways for the family to celebrate Easter during social distancing

Hi everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the sunshine! Easter is one of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar and marked around the globe but Easter weekend will feel very different this year – for children and parents. This doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun. I have been searching the internet for some ideas to keep you all entertained.

Church -

Churches are currently closed for community gatherings so they have been embracing new ways of worshipping and many have been expanding services online in time for Easter.

Events such as services, Bible studies and prayer meetings are now being streamed live to keep congregations and communities connected during this period of social distancing.

If you would normally attend services over the Easter weekend then AChurchNearYou.com https://www.achurchnearyou.com/ now lists hundreds of churches offering livestreams of services from across the country. Meanwhile Lichfield Cathedral has launched a virtual prayer wall to help people express their faith during these uncertain times. On the online page, people can write any type of prayer they choose, which is then sent to staff at the Cathedral and posted on the wall. They can also request to light a candle to mark their prayer, which will appear in the form of a flickering candle for 48 hours next to their prayer. The candle will even visibly burn down through the course of the 48 hours it appears on the prayer wall. https://www.lichfield-cathedral.org/news/news/post/409-virtual-prayer-wall-light-a-candle

Easter hunt –

You can still organise an Easter egg hunt at home. Get the children making egg-shaped clues that you can fill in and hide around the house and garden. You could also make a treasure map for the children to follow to find their yummy chocolate.

Harry Potter escape room at home -

For lovers of Harry Potter like myself, Mrs Thurman and Miss McCabe you can complete this escape room as a group or an individual. You can compete against friends and try it multiple times. The story unfolds during your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but suddenly the rooms goes dark and you are off on your own journey.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSflNxNM0jzbZJjUqOcXkwhGTfii4CM_CA3kCxImbY8c3AABEA/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3VBndCwVu32bkPwBybO0KWvLqwgcimoTSX_cUKjz90GEir6UI_GG4CAe4

Down on the farm –

Easter and Spring is a busy time on the farm! Mrs Cox lives on a farm and she has been sharing some fantastic updates on the chicks and her new baby calf – have you had a go at naming it? Go to the school news section and take a look. Thanks to modern technology you can also learn more about what happens at this time of the year from your home. Farms are great places for learning, and thanks to the LEAF Virtual Farm Walk you can go from field to field exploring the British countryside http://www.virtualfarmwalk.org/walk.html

Getting crafty -

There are lots of craft idea around Easter. There are also plenty of things you can make from everyday items, such as castles with the turrets made of old kitchen and toilet roll tubes or make stained glass Easter-themed window decorations using black paper, tissue paper and glue like we made at school. Just cut out the shape you would like to display. If you haven’t got the resources available children can make paper eggs, rabbits, chicks, religious crosses, flowers or anything that takes their fancy to colour in and decorate the house/windows. 

Keep the children learning -

Easter worksheets can be educational while being fun and interesting at the same time. Activity Village online has got lots of worksheets that you can download or print off to continue keeping the children entertained. If you just type Easter worksheets into the search you can get lots of examples for children of different ages. There are a wide range of activities, including tracing pages, colouring in, maths and handwriting worksheets. https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/easter-worksheets?fbclid=IwAR2y8vlyWVh4mIxoE-qiSMKNv2JhhMTZGIXE-8UCGksrqVx9-oFEbAx-9iM

Easter Party -

Create your own playlist, get dressed up and have your own family Easter disco or party. You could find a video online of disco flashing lights, turn the lights off and have sweets and crisps!

Create an obstacle course -

We’ve been making lots of these in Miss Tullett’s household and had lots of fun. See who can complete the course in the quickest time, or do it as a relay, and if you have enough space inside you could create an indoor one too. Get a timer set up on a phone and work out everyone's time like Willow and Cedar class did with our Super Veggie obstacle course at school.

Take a museum tour -

From the diplodocus to the dodo, London's Natural History Museum’s vast collection might be closed to the viewing public but you can still get lost in the corridors and gallery spaces in this interactive online guide. One treat is Dippy the dino, who despite recently going on tour still makes an appearance in the entrance hall - https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/natural-history-museum There are similar tours of the British Museum, The National Portrait Gallery and the Vatican Museums in Rome.

I hope this has been useful to you.

Take care, stay safe and have a happy Easter.

Miss Tullett x