Easter Eggs

This is an illustration that I picked up from a Facebook comment and used in 2015 at our main Easter service. It went very well – possibly because the third Easter Egg was 1kg. The children were reticent to volunteer for the start but by the time I was unveiling the second egg there was a queue and for the third a whole group of children at the front.

Hope you find it helpful:

Buy 3 Easter eggs with mini eggs filling. The 3 for £5 size are about right. You want ones in boxes and plastic ‘window’ is ideal but quite rare now! Carefully unwrap eggs, keeping the foil, boxes etc. Use a heated, sharp knife to cut each egg open along the ‘seal line’. If you have managed 6 complete halves, well done! If not don’t panic as you only need 4.
Break two halves into pieces, mould one piece of foil packaging into an egg shape, insert broken egg and put the whole lot back in the box (now you know why this is easiest with plastic inners in the boxes). This is Egg 1.

Take the next two halves, put them together into an egg shape and wrap and box that. Egg 2.

Now for the fun – take your remaining two halves, pour into one of them the mini eggs that came with the eggs and then add loads more. You want one shell with a mountian of mini eggs in it. Use a little melted cooking chocolate to reseal the other half shell onto the filled one. Wrap and pack as above. Egg 3.

Now for the Collective Worship. Ask teacher to choose a child.

Give them Egg 1 and ask them what they expect to find inside. Let them unwarp the egg. Mega disappointment as no mini eggs and just broken chocolate. Take the egg back, thank your helper and say that is how Jesus’ friends felt on the first Easter day. All broken, crushed and sad because Jesus was dead. (I’m sure you can work that bit out but keep it simple!).

You now need child helper 2 who gets to unwrap Egg 2. That is what Jesus friends found when they came to see where his body had been buried. Just an empty space. Still sad but now also confused.

Now for the fun bit: child helper 3 gets to open the last box and unwrap the whole egg but then you need to take the egg. Start to tell the story of the women at the tomb. They had been broken and sad, then confused and upset (hold up empty shell again). Then the most amazing thing happened. Jesus came and spoke to them. He was not dead any more he was alive! At that moment lift the full egg, twist to break and send chocolate everywhere. Enjoy the children’s delight and surprise and say ‘That is what Easter is about – new life and happiness from sorrow and sadness.’

Works every time (KS 1 or 2) and for All-Age Worship. No need to do too much teaching and theology – the eggs are an Easter parable and will draw your listeners in to wonder and work it out for themselves. Your choice and school rules as to what you do with the chocolate – hand little bits out as the children leave or put it all in the Staff Room.