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Symbols of Easter: A Fun Story About How the Easter Bunny Came to Be

by Lara Goold

Materials needed: scriptures, ingredients for Resurrection Rolls, metal craft brads (to finish Jesus and the tomb)

Purpose: To teach family members to see the symbols of Easter in the colorful eggs and fun treats of the Easter

holiday. They will do this by looking at the events of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection through the

eyes of a tiny little bunny who would become the Easter Bunny.

Scripture: “This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you.”

Opening song(s): “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, page 57

“Jesus Has Risen,” Children’s Songbook, page 70

Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Story: “The First Easter Bunny” with visual aids. Read this kid-friendly story about how the Easter

Bunny came to be. There is no basis in history for this story, but I love giving my kids something to

remind them about the true reason we celebrate Easter in all the fun and hubbub of egg hunts and sugar

over-load!

Read Matthew 28:1-8 about when Mary was at the tomb looking for Jesus’ body and the tomb was

empty. Lead the discussion into the Resurrection Roll activity where you will discover a fun new way to

remember some of the symbols of Easter.

Resurrection Rolls—make this easy snack together as a family and discuss some of the symbols.

Enrichment Activity:

Color your own Edgar Easter eggs. In advance of coloring them, have a parent write the words, Faith,

Hope, Charity, Kindness, Forgiveness, Reverence, and Love in white crayon on the eggs. The kids will

have a fun surprise when they start coloring their eggs.

Easter Egg Hunt with Service Eggs: Make coupons for small services you will perform for/with them

over the next several months and hide them. If the kids are old enough, let them make their own service

coupons too. Place the coupons in the hollow plastic eggs and hide them as part of your Easter Egg hunt.

Some fun examples of services may be: a walk in the park, a new book, an ice cream cone, no chores for

a certain day, a favorite dinner fixed, a night out at the movies, etc.

Closing song(s): “He is Risen!” Hymns, page 199

“Easter Hosanna”, Children’s Songbook, page 68

Closing Prayer:

Refreshments: see recipe below

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Resurrection Rolls

The ingredients:

Crescent rolls (one per person)

Large marshmallows cut into halves (one half per person)

Melted butter

Cinnamon

Sugar

Cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine sugar and cinnamon to make a cinnamon sugar mixture (1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbs.

cinnamon) Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was

wrapped in. Give each child a marshmallow, this represents Jesus. Have them dip the half marshmallow in the

melted butter, which represents the oils of embalming. The dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon

sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the

crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll. You actually want the marshmallow sealed inside.) This

represents the wrapping of Jesus’ body after death. Place in a cupcake liner in a muffin tin and bake in a 350°

oven for 10-12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb (pretend it takes 3 days). When the rolls have cooled

slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN! (The

marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.) Eat when completely cooled.

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The First Easter Bunny

Many, many years ago, when Jesus was living upon the earth, there was a little white bunny rabbit living in

Jerusalem. He had bright blue eyes, a little pink nose, pink ears, and a fluffy white tail.

This bunny’s name was Edgar and he had seen Jesus. Edgar had listened very carefully to all of the stories

Jesus told the people When Jesus walked from town to town, Edgar hopped right along with Him. He tried to

stay in the tall grass or behind trees and rocks because he was afraid of people…except Jesus. Edgar knew

Jesus loved him and would never hurt him.

Everywhere that Jesus went, Edgar could be seen if you knew which tree or rock to look behind.

One night Edgar was watching as Jesus knelt praying in the garden and he saw soldiers come into the garden

and take Jesus to prison. Edgar was terribly upset and he ran back home, calling all of his rabbit friends to

come and help.

But what could rabbits do? They couldn’t talk to anyone. They weren’t big enough to break down the walls so

Jesus could get out, so the rest of the rabbits went back to the ill where they lived. But Edgar stayed by the

prison. In the day time he hid behind the stones, but at night he would jump upon the high window sill to look

at Jesus, chatter at Him to let Him know He had a friend.

And then one day, Edgar saw the soldiers taking Jesus away. He watched as they put a crown of thorns on His

head and he saw Jesus carry a heavy cross up Calvary Hill. Poor Edgar stayed on the hill the whole terrible day,

watching while Jesus died on the cross.

The next day Edgar hopped over to the tomb where Jesus had been laid and he saw that people were putting lots

of flowers next to the tomb. So Edgar ran home real fast because he wanted to get some pretty flowers to put

next to the tomb too.

Just before he reached home Edgar found a basket by the side of the road and he thought, “What a nice thing to

carry my flowers in.” But the basket was old and dirty so Edgar got out his glue and paint and fixed the basket

up just like new. Then he went out to pick the flowers, but he was too late. All the pretty flowers were gone.

They had been picked by the people for Jesus.

Edgar had tears in his eyes when he turned to go back home. A pretty little red hen saw Edgar and she asked

him why he was so sad.

So Edgar told Mrs. Hen what had happened. Mrs. Hen thought and thought and then she said, “I don’t have any

flowers but I do have some beautiful white eggs. Perhaps you could put them in your basket for Jesus.”

The tears left Edgar’s eyes and a smile came to his lips. “Thank you , thank you, Mrs. Hen. I know just what I

will do.”

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Edgar put the eggs in his basket and hurried home. He got out his paints again, and he painted every one of the

eggs a different color. When he finished, the eggs were the same pretty colors as flowers.

Then he thought, “I really should write something about Jesus on the eggs so that the people who see them will

know they are for him.”

On the first egg he wrote FAITH because that is the first thing we should all have, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

On the next egg he wrote HOPE, because that was one of the things Jesus always taught about.

On the next egg he wrote CHARITY, because Jesus had often told the people to help others.

On the fourth egg, he wrote KINDNESS, because he had heard Jesus say, “Be ye kind to one another.”

On the pretty yellow egg he wrote FORGIVENESS, because while Jesus was on the cross Edgar heard, “Father

forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Edgar thought and though, because there were so many words that he could use but he was almost out of eggs.

The he wrote REVERENCE because he knew that was a way to show honor and respect to Jesus.

Now only one egg was left—a beautiful gold one and Edgar knew exactly the word to put on this one. He

wrote the letters L-O-V-E. Love. As he put the gold egg into the basket, Edgar remembered the time Jesus

said, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you.”

Finally the basket was ready, but Edgar still felt something was missing. What could it be? Oh yes, Edgar

found a bright ribbon to tie on the handle. Now his basket was beautiful and Edgar hoped it would be pleasing

to the Lord.

Edgar had worked so long on his basket that three days had passed since the Crucifixion. It was Sunday

morning when he took the basket to the tomb. When he got there he saw a woman sitting there and crying.

He quietly put his basket in front of the flowers and then he heard a little noise so he ran behind a tree. When

he peeked around the tree he saw Jesus talking to the woman. Just then Jesus saw the basket. He looked toward

the tree and gave Edgar a beautiful bright smile, as if to say, “Thank you.”

From that time on, this bunny has never been called Edgar again. He is now known as the Easter Bunny and he

brings baskets of colorful eggs and yummy treats to help children around the world to remember of Jesus’ sweet

love for us and the wonderful things he taught us. The eggs symbolize Christ’s resurrection.

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The First Easter Bunny –print and cut out. Mount with magnets if desired.

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The First Easter Bunny –print and cut out. Mount with magnets if desired.

For more ready-to-print FHE lessons visit http://thegoldenseven.blogspot.com

The First Easter Bunny –print and cut out. Mount with magnets if desired.

Use metal brads (3) in to create “joints” for the parts to move

Place a brad

on the rock,

at Jesus’ feet,

and for Jesus’

arm (as

illustrated at

right).

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The First Easter Bunny –print and cut out. Mount with magnets if desired.

Use metal brads in to create “joints” for the parts to move