KIDS' CHURCH @ HOME -
1st Sunday after Easter 

Alleluia, Jesus is risen!
He is risen indeed –Alleluia!

Have any of you been saying that around your home since Easter Day?
It’s true –Jesus is risen form the dead and is alive for evermore :)

Did you enjoy lots of (hollow?) chocolate Easter eggs this past week? It’s a great way to celebrate and remember that Jesus who died, came alive again and so took away the fear of sin and death. He came alive so we can come to God our heavenly father, and have new life in Him. We can be glad and have a special friendship with Father God because of what Jesus did :)

Today, as we continue to celebrate, we will look at some of the evidence form scripture that Jesus came alive.

But first - Lets celebrate & Worship:
Songs that work well for younger children to join in too:

Jesus love is very wonderful 
Credit: Music from Spring Harvest Little Kids Praise 2005/6 CD. Find it on itunes here

( Clap in time to music, until ‘so high..’ etc then you express the words through actions: stretching up tall, crouching on the ground, spreading legs and arms as wide as possible )

( for any age, but liked esp by younger ages) Nothing’s too big, big, big*
Credit: Song: Nothing's Too Big, Artist: Doug Horley, Album: Okey Dokey 

*This song is especially helpful if your children (or you) have been feeling anxious at all...remembering that God cares about EVERY detail of your life. The actual original quote comes from the story of Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie, who were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camp because they hid Jews in their house.

Happy Day! (Greatest Day in history) –a great worship song for adults and kids to sing and dance together
Credit: song "Happy Day" from the Simple Easter Musical for Kids, "Happy Day!" More information at Brentwood Benson

Our Story this week continues the surprise and joy of the resurrection as various friends of Jesus encounter him after he has come alive!
There are lots of accounts in the gospels that you could read to your children and we might want to save one story for next week (the Thomas story)

For very young children – a quick recap (in 1.5 minutes!) of holy week , Good Friday, Easter day, and Jesus appearing to his friends.
Credit: Saddleback Kids

From the movie - The Miracle Maker – For School year 1 and above
Credit: The miracle Maker, Directed by Derek W. Hayes Stanislav Sokolov, Produced: Icon Entertainment International

From Luke 24 – for younger children
Ask the children to draw a smiley face on one side of a paper plate of piece of card and a sad face on the other….

Today we are going to learn about a man called Cleopas and his friend .
Explain that sometimes you are going to ask the children to lift up their cardboard faces. They should show the smiley side if Cleopas is happy and the "frowny" side if he is sad.

Cleopas was very sad. (Show face.)
Jesus was dead. Cleopas had loved Jesus. He loved to listen to his words and to do what Jesus said. But now Jesus was dead and Cleopas would never see him again. (Show face.)
As Cleopas and his friend walked along the road somebody else joined them. “Why so sad?” he asked.
Cleopas and his friend explained that Jesus, their friend, had been killed. Talking about it made them feel even sadder. (Show face.)
But the man was not sad. He said that Jesus had to die -but that he would definitely come back to life again. (Show face.)
Cleopas reached a village called Emmaus. They were going to have dinner there, and to stay overnight. They invited the stranger to have dinner with them and he said he would. How do you think Cleopas felt now? (Show face.)

As the stranger started eating, he lifted up a piece of bread – just like Jesus did when he ate with them. He broke it and blessed them. Suddenly, Cleopas realised who the stranger was - Jesus! (Show face.)

Jesus disappeared – he just vanished, Poof! Like that (Show face.) Cleopas and his friend were terribly excited! They jumped up and ran all the way back to Jerusalem to tell Jesus other friends the great news that Jesus was alive! (Show face.)

Say that we also should be happy that Jesus is alive. We can’t see him, like Cleopas did, but we can still talk to him and know that he is with us.

Ask the children to make the biggest smile that they can as you pray, “Lord, help us to be happy that you are alive right now. Amen.”

A further craft – icing biscuits /cup-cakes etc with smiling faces (can use sweets like smarties for eyes…use your imagination)

Do you know the song I’m H-A-P-P-Y ?
Ask your child if they can remember how Cleopas felt at the beginning of the story? How did he feel at the end?
Teach them to sing the old song; “I’m H A P P Y”
(spell it out each time)
I’m H A P P Y
I’m H A P P Y
I know I am, I’m sure I am / For Jesus is alive today”
I’m H A P P Y.!

For older kids:
Feet !!
SALT DOUGH RECIPE: 2 cups of Plain Flour, 1 cup of table salt, 1 cup of water.
OPTIONAL: 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (makes it a little easier to knead), 1 tablespoon of wallpaper paste (gives the mixture more elasticity), 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (makes the finished product harder).

METHOD: Put plain flour, salt and any, or all, of the optional ingredients into a mixing bowl and gradually add the water, mixing to soft dough. This should be neither too sticky, in which case add more flour, nor too dry, in which case add more water. When mixed remove from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead for 10 minutes to help create a smooth texture.
your child enough salt dough to be bigger than their foot and about 2 inches thick. Get them to press their bare foot into it to create a footprint. Scrape initials into the back to save confusion.
The salt dough will dry over the course of 2 days, or you can help it along by putting it in a very cool oven (max 100c, 200f, gas mark ¼) for a few hours.
You can make different coloured dough by adding food colouring at the mixing stage, or add glitter to make a sparkly alternative.
Tell the children that the footprint reminds them of Jesus walking alongside the disciples on the road to Emmaus.