Easter season is upon us again and I can hardly believe it. Here in Minnesota there is still snow on the ground but the birds are starting to return and we're gaining sunlight daily, so spring does feel like it is coming!
Easter is a special celebration for our family, as we reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that our only hope in life and death is that we are not our own but belong to God through the death of Jesus. This good news, this Gospel message, is so central to our family and is one of the main truths I want to instill in my children and teach them about.
Thankfully, homeschooling allows me a wonderful opportunity and avenue to teach my children truth. And, by making Easter school a part of our spring time learning we get to focus in on what matters and incorporate fun too!
With this being our second year using the curriculum, An Expectant Easter, from Treehouse Schoolhouse, I thought I would write a quick and honest review of it!
WHAT IT IS
An Expectant Easter was the first curriculum we ever used from Treehouse Schoolhouse. It is a three week curriculum, for ages K-5th grade, focused on the Biblical story of Jesus' death and resurrection. We adapted some parts of it so that my toddler and preschooler could join in as well, and it worked great.
The curriculum itself includes scripture verses, hymns, poetry, art study, picture books, projects, baking, tea time and nature study, with each day following the included daily plans.
Each day we read and narrated a scripture passage and my children draw their narrations in their narration notebook. We sing a hymn, enjoy a poem, and a piece of artwork. The curriculum includes a picture book list and each day there is a project, handcraft or activity that coordinates with it! At the end of the week we enjoy a tea time and nature study. There are other activities too such as the Bible Story Egg Hunt Guide and copywork and scripture memory.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
I'm not usually a project kind of mom so this curriculum really pushes me (in a good way)! We easily incorporated it with the family traditions we already do at Easter time. Our first year, we didn't get to all of the projects that are included. That worked out great, because the second time we're using it, there are still projects that are new and fresh!
All of the projects that are included are pretty simple to follow along with and use a lot of supplies and ingredients that we already own or are easy to find. I actually loved the project parts more than I thought I would!
My favorite part of the whole thing was seeing the narration notebooks my kids put together. To see the reflections and conclusions they drew from the scripture readings was really precious and they are keepsakes I'll treasure forever.
The picture book list is great on it's own. In the coming years, if I don't do the whole curriculum, I will still utilize and reference this book list! There are so many picture books out there that are "Easter" themed but don't mention Jesus at all. Seems silly when you think about it, doesn't it? Most of the picture books included in An Expectant Easter list are Gospel focused or have sweet stories with meaningful messages.
The art, poetry, copywork and nature study activities included are great. Our first year we did all of it and it enriched our study so much! If you aren't already doing these topics in your homeschool, this would be a great way to try it out and see how your children engage with these subjects. The second year we're doing this curriculum we won't be doing all of these because we're still following along with the artist/poetry/copywork/nature study etc. included in our curriculum.
That's the beauty of a supplemental curriculum like this! You can use it year after year and mix in what makes sense and leave the rest. That is...if your kids let you! My kids remember (clearer than I do) what we did last year and are already begging for their favorite activities. Happy Easter!
