Catholic Christian parents, are you looking for Lenten devotional ideas for kids? Here are Easter Bible lessons using leftover jelly beans. Now, ya gotta have jelly beans in a Easter basket, right? But kids don't usually eat 'em till the chocolate candy is gone. By then, jelly beans are stale and yucky (they weren't too great before they went stale!). So use up those ubiquitous jelly beans that collect everywhere (and mate).in Bible object lessons! You can start on Ash Wednesday and countdown to Holy Week and Easter or nearer to Holy Week or after Easter. These activities are edible, hands-on, fun, educational and devotional.For the Catholic Christian Lenten devotional, you will need multi-colored candies like jelly beans, M&M's, Skittles, gum drops, Lifesavers, etc. You need one each of the following colors per child-black, white or clear, red, purple, green, pink, blue and yellow. To make a Lenten devotional booklet, you'll also need colored construction paper in the same colors. Use 8 1/2 x 11 sheets and cut in fourths, one for each student. Cut white drawing paper in slightly smaller rectangles, to mount on colored paper. Miscellaneous supplies include black marker or crayon (one per student), glue stick, hole punch and yarn or raffia.
To teach the Lenten devotional Bible object lessons with jelly beans, explain to students that each color of jelly bean represents one aspect of the Easter gospel story (listed below). Discuss one color
at a time, in order and eat the jelly bean. Draw a simple line image or symbol on the white paper, to represent that aspect.Glue image on the colored square it matches. Punch two holes along the side and assemble the 8 pages in order into a booklet. Tie the yarn or raffia through each hole.
In Catholic Christian Bible object lessons on the Easter gospel story, black stands for sin, death, separation from God, despair. Purple represents sorrow, the passion of Christ, Lent. Red means the Precious Blood of Jesus, shed upon the cross. White symbolizes being pure and clean after forgiveness, healing and transformation, at the resurrection. Pink is for joy in fresh innocence (like a newborn baby). Green means new life, growth, good health, being alive. Yellow or gold stands for heaven and the richness of faith. Catholic Christian families honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God. So blue represents prayer, devotion, peace, and the Virgin Mary, Our Lady, Queen of Heaven. Students can use their booklets to teach Easter gospel Bible object lessons to others.
