If you're looking for a 'thank you' gift for your volunteers and leaders that is a little more meaningful than an Easter egg or a box of chocolates, then this simple egg candle may be useful- it's very easy to make. Then package it up with some plastic film and add a 'thank you' label'. 

Instructions:
1. Carefully cut the top off an egg and remove the egg. Rinse and dry.
2. Add a candle wick inside the empty egg shell and fill with candle gel. (The gel candle kits are readily available from most toy shops and contain the candle wicks and gel.)
3. Pop the egg shell candle in an egg cup.
4. Cut out 2 x 6cm diameter circles of styrofoam or corrugated cardboard
5. Cut a piece of clear plastic film 15cm x 21cm. (OHP transparency film would be fine.)
6. Place the egg cup with candle on one of the styrofoam circles.
7. Form a cylinder by wrapping the plastic film around the styrofoam circle and eggcup and secure with clear tape.
8. Attach the other styrofoam circle at the top of the cylinder.
9. Print the label. (see below)
10. Cut out and wrap around the base of the cylinder with eggcup.
11. Add a ribbon bow to the top of the cylinder, if required.

The Easter weekend is only days away and you still may be organising last minute details.

If you're looking for printables and downloadable activities for your children's ministry Easter program, take a couple of minutes to look through these ideas.

Simply click on the image of the printable activity to locate the website and further information.
You'll find Easter treasure hunts, a jellybean devotion, Easter figures, colouring sheet and an Easter wreath.

Thank your children's ministry volunteers, this Easter, with a simple iced cookie ('biscuit' in Australia) and thank you note.
The cookies can be prepared beforehand and iced. You may even have a creative church family mum who loves to cook and would love to help you make these little edibles.
The basic recipe is listed below, but you may have your own recipe that you  prefer to use. After the cookies have been baked and cooled, cover with fondant icing and attach a bow to the stem.
Print off the small 'thank you' notes onto light card.(see file below) Cut out and attach the cookie stem with a small piece of tape. Slip the completed cookie and note into a cellophane bag and hand out to your volunteers.
Basic Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
*1 cup butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 teasp vanilla essence
* 3 cups flour
* 1 teasp baking powder
* pinch salt

Method:
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy.
2. Add egg and vanilla
3. Mix in dry ingredients gently, one cup at a time. Mix thoroughly until the consistency of the cookie dough is no longer sticky and can be handled.
4. Roll out half of the cookie dough between two sheets of baking paper until 5-6 mm thick. Use a flower shaped cookie cutter (or egg shape) to cut out cookies. Gently, insert a candy pop stick into each. ( If you have trouble with this, they can be attached later to the back of the cookie with icing.)
5. Place the cookies on a tray lined with baking paper.
6. Bake in oven 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes or just until the edges begin to lightly brown.
7. Ice with fondant when cool.
(This recipe should make around 24-30 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutter.)

I usually find, whenever I create a list of suggested movie clips, that I've overlooked some great ones as soon as the blog is posted.
So.... just realise that this list is not exhaustive but does contain some worthwhile suggestions to check out for use in your kids church and other programs over the Easter period.

1. INVITATIONS    This is a great little clip to encourage your church family to invite along friends and family to your Easter events.
2. A VERY SPECIAL EASTER     This clip uses crayon drawings to illustrate responses and comments by kids about the Easter story. It does have a great finish.
3. PETER & JOHN: THE TOMB    This clip from The Skit Guys (I've included it below) would be great to use as a discussion starter with older kids: Why were they running? Who ran inside first? Why did their expressions change to delight and laughter?...
4. A VERY SPECIAL SUNDAY   One from the series that tells the Easter story with line drawings through the eyes of children.
5.  TINY BIBLE TREASURES 6- HE'S ALIVE    This is another animated series retelling the Easter story (Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20)
6. AN EASTER STORY   This presentation uses children as Bible characters to retell the Easter story.
7.WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT       This short little clip would be a great introduction or conclusion to your Easter event and just highlights the real message of Easter.
8. THE JESUS EGG   I've included this story clip about an Easter egg hunt. It has a great message that you might like to use as a discussion launcher or to develop further following Easter. 
9. REMEMBER ME   Friends and Heroes have a quality musical presentation of the Easter story.
10. I BELIEVE  If you're looking for some downloadable music for your kids to sing along with, check out Groups selection. Our kids really enjoy them and love to see other kids singing, too. This is just one of the list available to download.

How often do we access daily news media sources and learn of dangerous situations needing the help of emergency services? Whether it's police, fire and rescue services, ambulance, Life Guards, SES, St John's, Rural Fire Brigade... these organisations provide help and assistance to many, often without thanks or real appreciation.
 
You may wish to take the opportunity, as a church or a children's ministry, to invite members from these groups to a special 'thank you' family service or event. A simple postcard-style invitation has been included in the file below plus a couple of decorative pieces- bunting, small labels for attaching to packs of chips or drinks, cupcake toppers. When we contacted these organisations, some offered to bring along their emergency vehicles, much to the delight of the kids! We also painted up some cardboard boxes as firetrucks and emergency vehicles and held races for the kids.

You may wish to present a special certificate to all the emergency service personnel present. A simple certificate is available below.  Another gift suggestion is to present each organisation with copies of the popular movies Fireproof and/or Courageous.