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Embracing Easter with Joy and Creativity

March 26, 2024December 17, 2025 Jessica Lovett

As Easter draws near, our household always enjoys different traditions like making hot cross buns and getting certain candy, blending tradition with a sprinkle of creativity. With each passing year, our celebrations evolve, weaving together cherished customs with newfound discoveries.

Easter is going to be here before you know it, but here are some fun ideas for your homeschool that don’t take much effort to make happen. Take this opportunity to make some memories with your kids!

My kids are sensitive to artificial colors and dyes, so I always make sure to get our candy through the Natural Candy Store. Their customer service is amazing and they always have a great selection of candy that you can feel good about buying, not only to support a small business but because none of the ingredients are artificial. Who says healthier isn’t necessarily fun?

I also always make a point to order UK Cadbury Eggs since they are… err… not “better for you” per say but at least don’t have those artificial dyes. And, it is just once a year, after all. Did you know that they are higher quality in the UK? The differences are surprising and honestly they just taste better.

Now, I’m no cake decorator, but I can make this! Here is how to do it. I’ve made this in the past and it is super cute in real life. It can be made with any cake recipe, obviously. Instead of cake mixes, I usually use Crazy Cakes (a.k.a. Depression Era Cake).

I also love using vegan marshmallows, like Dandies, instead of the regular kind. Besides being vegan and suiting my needs, my kids simply like them better.

In the realm of literature, our shelves are adorned with tales both old and new, each offering its own enchanting narrative. From timeless classics to whimsical fantasies, our Easter book list is as diverse as the blooms in a spring garden. Picture books brimming with bunnies and chicks share space with poetry collections that stir the soul, inviting us to pause and savor the beauty of language. And for those seeking deeper reflections, there are profound works that delve into the heart of Easter’s significance, offering solace and inspiration in equal measure.

One of our traditions is to get out holiday books for our book basket in the living room. No matter how old the kids are getting, it is still fun to see the familiar covers and feel comforted by their words.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes storybook by Du Bose Heyward and pictures by Marjorie Hack

This story was one of my grandmother’s favorites when she was a child and she always read it to me at Eastertime. I make it a point to have it out for my kids to enjoy, too.

“With twenty-one baby bunnies to look after, mother bunny Cottontail abandons her dream of becoming an Easter Bunny. But when Grandfather Bunny spies her perfectly behaved brood, he’s so impressed that he makes Cottontail the most important Easter Bunny of all!

Originally published in 1939, Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes celebrates the timeless values of equality, hard work, and patient ambition.” (source)

Jan Brett is an artistic wonder! We never tire or having her books around the house. Her art is so vivid and so filled with detail, you notice something new every time you read her works, no matter how many times you have!

“Jan Brett’s lovable bunny hero, Hoppi, and her remarkable Easter Rabbit will enchant readers as they pore over illustrations filled with dazzling eggs made by Flora Bunny, Aunt Sassyfrass and others. If Hoppi can make the best Easter egg, he will get to help the Easter Rabbit with his deliveries on Easter morning.” (source)

Amidst our literary adventures, we find solace in the rhythm of poetry, its lyrical verses echoing the melodies of our hearts, each word a brushstroke painting scenes of renewal and hope. Poetry becomes our companion on this journey of introspection, guiding us through the labyrinth of emotions that Easter evokes, from quiet reverence to jubilant celebration.

Homeschool Compass always amazes me with their resources and their Spring Poems For Your Homeschool ebook is no different. With soaring pastel art and just the right selection of poetry – think favorites from Edna St. Vincent Millay, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edith Nesbit, William Wordsworth, Christina Rosetti – every page would be worthy of framing.

Plus, it is totally free! You can download it for viewing on a tablet or print to your heart’s content.

And when the day’s adventures draw to a close, it is inspiring to carefully curate screen content for a show that illuminates the true meaning of Easter. Far from mere entertainment, Drive Thru History’s Easter episodes invite us to delve deeper into the essence of the holiday, exploring its roots and significance with grace and authenticity.

Dave Stotts helps remind us that Easter is not merely a date on the calendar, but a sacred journey of faith and renewal, beckoning us to embrace the beauty of the Resurrection in our own lives.

As we prepare for Easter’s arrival, I’m filled with gratitude for the opportunity to infuse our celebrations with creativity, fun, and meaning.

Scatter Joy,

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homeschooling, joy, parenting

“M-O-R-N-I-N-G spells morning!”

February 22, 2024December 17, 2025 Jessica Lovett

“M-O-R-N-I-N-G spells morning!”
“I love afternoon too,” said Grasshopper.
The beetles stopped singing and dancing.
“What did you say?” they asked.
“I said that I loved afternoon,” said Grasshopper.
All the beetles were quiet.
“And night is very nice,” said Grasshopper.
-excerpt from Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel

Have you ever read Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel? It is a charming little collection of stories. The first one, “The Club,” is about a group of beetles that Grasshopper encounters on his journey. They are all chanting about how much they love mornings and won’t tolerate anyone who believes that mornings are not best, or that all times are great, for that matter.

This seemingly simple tale is actually quite profound. It is about not only accepting others but about discovering one’s own personality quirks and preferences and being true to oneself – a gentle reminder even amidst the cacophony of differing opinions and perspectives.

“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
~Shakespeare, from Hamlet (act 1, scene 3)

Because my kids love this story so much, if they are sleeping super late, sometimes I’ll hop into their room, pretending to hold a sign and say cheerfully, “MORNING IS BEST! UP WITH MORNING! DOWN WITH EVENINGS!” This never fails to make them chuckle a little bit, even in underneath the cloud of heavy growth-spurt-sleepiness that sometimes befalls them.

Since they both love that book – and all of Lobel’s books! – that has become an inside joke with our family.

Books become part of your family’s personality – ironically even books about finding one’s personality.

Now, I say all this to the point that I am not a morning person at all. I’m a Night Owl and a card-carrying member of Down with Mornings Club, right there holding signs petitioning against the morning beetles on the road, if I’m honest with myself. Choosing to make mornings joyful is 100% a choice.

When the morning goes smoothly, you know what? The whole school day goes better! That’s just how it is. And, as the parent, I’m setting the vibe for the day. That’s my superpower!

You, as a parent, have that superpower, too! Try exercising it sometime!

Steps to Scatter Joy in the Mornings:

🧇Make an effort to prep breakfast for the kids the night before, especially if you’re a Night Owl like me and don’t cook as well upon first waking up… without lots of coffee.

🎵Make a special playlist of morning music to play that is soothing and peaceful.

🙂Smile at them when you see them rouse out of bed in the morning.

🤗Be sure to hug them and act glad to see them when they first wake up!

Even if your own warm blankets are calling you louder than the feelings of affection that you have right then are, you’ll start to feel better yourself.

Scatter Joy,

P.S. My kids have started calling any relaxing music that is New Age or borderline classical simply Morning Music! We’ve created a genre!

Need some ideas on starting your own warm, cozy Morning Music Playlist?

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homeschooling, joy, parenting

Scatter Joy in Your Homeschool

February 22, 2024November 6, 2025 Jessica Lovett

This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson has always been one of my favorites. It perfectly personifies what I want to do in our homeschool. Scattering joy as opposed to just placing joy or making joy infers something carefree and light, like the dusting of colorful sprinkles onto the frosting of a cupcake.

Scattering joy means that we give it freely, despite opposition and despite what might be going on around us. We give joy to those around us without thought of getting something in return.

There are many Biblical scriptures that speak of the beauty of giving without expecting anything in return. Luke 6:38 comes to mind: “Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”

As homeschoolers, we want our children to not only receive joy from us and from learning, but to become Scatterers of Joy themselves.

Bringing light into the world is a primary goal of my homeschool.

For 80s or 90s kids, that may conjure up images of the famous Care Bear Stare. When faced with something cold and dark, the Care Bears don’t hesitate. They gather together, hold hands, and send light into the darkness! Selflessly sending light should be a characteristic of homeschooling.

Sorry if mixing Biblical metaphors with Care Bears is weird, but this is who I am, so here you go!

Over the next few blog articles, I’m going to explore more about what it means to homeschool with joy!

Thank you for reading,

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