Just do a search on this forum for Easter and you'll come up with several ideas from this year and from last year. If you have trouble searching then do a search for how to search and it will tell you.
I did the search and found some great skits, but not exactly what I'm looking for in regard to an object lesson. I especially appreciate your willingness to post script ideas. I recently ordered your book of scripts, Tony and Friends, from One Way Ministries http://www.onewaystreet.com/product/217/27 . I'm looking forward to receiving it. Thanks for all your great ideas.
Also, ordered some books from Axtell on how to write your own scripts, creativity, etc. http://www.axtell.com/books.html Waiting for those to arrive with my new possum puppet I ordered.
Enfin, someone finally spotted that the Californian vent is not wearing any vestments. You see,what you should be looking for are the skits Tony's brother in law has written..truly the force behind the throne. The skits will soon be available on Dead End publications for those who can pretend yo say dottle of deer yet change the d sounds to b sounds. Good eye.
Now were you looking for scriptural lessons, theology lessons, family(people) life, exegesis lessons, primary level, junior level, intermediate level, senior level. Dead End Publications only asks two question.
The first is what is your religion and secondly, what is your denomination? So, for example..Islam..okay then Sunni or Shiite.
Like a skilled, academic writer Tony's brother in law will customize the skit. And if he needs help he's promised to use me as his assistant. Kind of blind leading the blind.Thanks.
Ron
Here are some concepts that fit in with the Bible story of the resurrection and may fit what you're looking for.
If you use a t. tip magic trick with a vanishing silk then use a red 6 inch silk and have a duplicate inside an Easter egg. Let the silk represent Jesus and his death on the cross. Your hand represents the tomb. The silk is placed inside your hand. (In actuality it is placed inside the t.tip) Count to 3 to represent the 3 days that Jesus was in the grave. The silk is gone! Have a child open an Easter egg to find the silk.
Use different color eggs to tell the wordless book story. You may have to dye or paint your own to find all the colors. I don't use black for sin as that confuses children and really upsets people with darker skin. (I don't blame them for getting upset!) You could use red and use the verse, though your sins were as scarlet they shall be washed white as snow.
Use caterpillar and butterfly stuffed toys or simple drawings (or balloon animals if you know those particular ones) to teach about having a new body when we get to heaven.
Use three crosses with play-doh bases to hold them upright and demonstrate the conversation that went on between Jesus and the two thieves.
Dress up a child in toy armor and talk about the Roman soldier who said, Surely this is the Son of God. Be sure to mention all that he heard and saw that made him think that.
If you don't own a wilting flower magic trick you can make one out of a real flower. Place the stem inside a green straw (the green matching the stem as much as possible. The stem should go all the way through the straw and stick out the bottom some. Now push up on the stem and break a section that sticks out of the straw. Don't break it all the way through, but enough that the flower "wilts". So now when the broken stem is inside the straw to begin with it is fine, but when you secretly push up on the stem the flower appears to wilt. Relate the blooming of flowers as a reminder of life after death.
I like to have a race where two children get wrapped up like mummies to represent Jesus and Lazarus. Call up 3 boys and choose one to be Lazarus.
Call up 3 girls and choose one to be Jesus. The others will wrap them up as quickly as they can. Have 2 rolls of toilet paper ready and play a peppy Easter song. The audience can cheer for the team they think is wrapped up the most.
Caution: Make sure their mouths are not covered so they can breather and make sure they aren't getting bumped hard with their arms tied down. I usually go for about half the song so they don't get covered too much, but the longer you go the better it looks.
Stuffed toy sheep. Talk about the way sacrifices were made in the old testament and how Jesus became the sacrifice for sins. You can even teach about the word Scapegoat and what that means, but I don't think it's used much today.
Draw a giant Easter Egg on a poster board and "decorate" it using different color markers, with symbols of the Easter story. 3 crosses. Tomb. Crown of thorns. You should have the kids call out a symbol or better yet, come up and draw it themselves. Then finish it off with a foam brush and some highly diluted watercolor that you can brush over everything inside the egg drawing and yet not cover it up. It it is a small group use watercolor paper and let the kids do their own with markers and then a watercolor coating.
Thanks, Tony--just what I'm looking for. Don't want to talk at the kids, but get them involved. I also found another object lesson called Resurrection Eggs where you have plastic Easter eggs and you can put various items inside. i.e. Bread (Matthew 26:26), Coins (symbolize 30 pieces of silver), cross made of twigs, nail (Thomas needed to see scars of nails before he believed), rock (He rolled away the stone), and my favorite--an empty egg (He is not here, He has risen just as He said). You can have volunteers come up and open the eggs and tell the Easter story that way.