Buona Pasqua!

Italian for “Happy Easter!”

OK, so I was really excited about doing the resurrection rolls project/recipe with the peapod squad today. I got my ingredients, worked out in my mind how I would explain (trying to keep it age-appropriate) the Easter story with the rolls. After lunch today, I left the kids in their highchairs and gave them each a crescent roll to flatten out. I explained that we were pretending this was the cloth Jesus was wrapped up in when he was taken off the cross. Fine. They pounded the dough. I put a bowl of melted butter and a bowl of cinnamon/sugar mixture on the table and then gave them each a big marshmallow. This is when things started to fall apart in my analogy. I explained that the marshmallow represented Jesus and that we were going to cover him with oil and spices before wrapping him in the dough cloth. The problem is that my hubby and little brother were present for this lesson. When Split wanted to know why Jesus needed “pices,” my brother said that his body would stink otherwise. Too much information for a 3-year old. He pointed out that they didn’t have Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce (ahh…what a simple world it would be without A&F cologne) back then and that they used spices to keep dead bodies from “stinkin’ it up.” I tried to get us all back on track, but then Snap kept asking when he could eat Jesus. I pointed out that we still had to wrap him up and place him in the tomb before we could see the miracle. They wrapped their marshmallows up and put them on the baking sheet. I put them in the oven tomb and we got our things together to go hunt eggs in the back yard. I took the rolls out and put them aside to cool.

When it was time to take a peek in the rolls, I gathered the little ones and asked what they thought was inside the roll. They enthusiastically yelled “mushmellow Jesus!” I was so proud that they’d retained that part of the symbolism. Well…it got complicated. When they saw that the marshmallow Jesus was missing, they were VERY upset.

Split: Where he go? Where IS mushmellow Jesus?
Snap: Who took him away?
Me: God did.
Split: OH NO! That not posta happen!
Me: Well, actually…it IS supposed to happen. That’s the miracle of Easter. Remember? We talked about it this morning on the way to church?
Sweet: Uh-oh. We need nuther mushmellow?

So. The rolls were fun. They were even quite tasty. But I highly doubt any theological lessons were learned in the process. Now my children are under the impression that Jesus is stinky, edible, and kidnapped by God…but easily replaced by another one in the plastic bag in the pantry.

Oh well. I’ll try again next year when they’re a little older. As Split would say…”probly next time.”

Buona Pasqua!

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