Crown of Thorns

In our home we have an Ash Wednesday tradition. 

For us, the Lenten season is similar to the Advent season.  During the next 6 weeks we prepare ourselves and look excitedly forward to Easter Sunday - the day we celebrate the day our Savior was resurrected.  Our Savior who bore the horrible crown of thorns on our behalf. 

When Olivia was three we made our first "crown of thorns."  Last year Isaac made his first.  Today they each again made a "Crown of Thorns" to display on our table until Easter day.  Olivia and Isaac were able to chose their own color of playdough for their crown.  Olivia, of course, chose pink and Isaac chose a spring green. 

Each helped me roll out three long ropes for me to braid.

  

We then formed the braid into a circle and placed it on a plate. 

 

Finally, Olivia and Isaac set to work placing 45 toothpicks into their own crowns. 

Forty-five toothpicks were placed in each crown for each day leading up to Easter.  One toothpick will now be removed until the day before Easter.  The crowns will be displayed on our table to remind us of the approaching best day of the year for a Believer.  Each evening before our dinner blessing, Olivia and Isaac will remove one "thorn."  On Easter day when all of the thorns have been removed, Olivia and Isaac will decorate their crowns fit for a king - in honor of our King of Kings.

(Here's a view of what the finished crowns looked like last year.  Well, at least Olivia's. J) 

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There are many other variations on this craft on the web - many made from salt dough and many removing toothpicks for a different reason.  I adapted this craft to best fit our family - colorful playdough and a countdown for Resurrection Sunday. 

Comments

[lj]

like the idea

[Lacy @ Catholic Icing]

Ok, I clicked over here because I think that your pig pancakes are absolutely enchanting! But then I got sucked into this post. I love this! This is the first time I've seen these in color. Love it! :-)

[Renee]

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I wanted some way to take time out of our day to focus on Christ leading up to Easter when my girls have outgrown the board book Bible lessons that Lydia is learning from now. I had also wanted some "countdown" like we have at Christmas to such a tremendous celebration on Resurrection Day. I hadn't really found something yet for either. Then I decided to give this craft a try last weekend. I tried to braid mine but ended up twisting it. It has already hardened and broken apart so it may not survive to be decorated on Easter, but even so I am so glad that we are counting down this way. It gives us a time set aside each morning at the breakfast table to have an Easter devotion before we start our homeschool lessons. I have just chosen verses about sin, our need for a Savior, grace and forgiveness, etc. to point us to Him. Then we sing a hymn or praise chorus and pray. Simple enough for Lydia to sit through but trying to get Sarah and Hannah thinking about their need for Jesus and filling this Mama with tears of thankfulness for His sacrifice for me. Thanks for sharing an idea that God is using for such good in our hearts in these days leading up to Easter.

[Chris C]

Thank you so very much.
I was led here thru Catholic Icing. Your blog is wonderful!

We've been snowed in for days and so I now have to run out on Ash Wed !!!) to get the toothpicks....yikes.
Better late than never.

Have a lovely day and God bless you and your family.
Chris
At Campfires and Cleats

[Chris C]

I wanted to tell you that I mentioned your blog in my "Artful Friday" post today

http://campfiresandcleats.blogspot.com/2013/02/artful-friday-lenten-papal-and.html

Thank you
Chris:)

[Noreen]

Hi, their crowns of thorns turned out so bright and colorful! I tried using the playdoh ones last year with my class and they dried up quickly. I wanted my students to remove a thorn when they'd offered up a prayer, performed an act of charity or good deed, or made a sacrifice. So playdoh didn't work out well for us. This year I bought the grapevine wreaths (not pretty and colorful) but this way they could easily remove the toothpicks. Have a blessed Lenten Season!