When teaching young children about Christianity it is important to talk about Jesus on a regular basis, not just during holidays. At WECEP the children are blessed to have teachers dedicated to enriching their lives by modeling and teaching how to live life according to Jesus. Throughout the year you will see the children reading Bible stories in their class, saying prayers, and doing crafts related to lessons surrounding the Bible.

Prayer and kindness are everyday themes at WECEP, but lessons surrounding the Christian holidays are made to be extra special. One lesson led by Ms. Kelly on Ash Wednesday is the Lenten Jelly Bean Prayer Activity. This is a fun, age-appropriate lesson that teaches the virtues of Lent. Ms. Kelly introduces the lesson to the children, and then they take it home to enjoy with their families as they count down to the celebration of Jesus’s Resurrection. This colorful activity allows the children to track their own sacrifices and good deeds with colorful jelly beans as they learn the reason for our Easter Resurrection celebrations. On Easter morning they wake to find the rest of their container filled with white jelly beans. The white jelly beans represent the Grace of Christ. The children learn that the Grace of Christ is a gift. The bonus is they get to enjoy eating the sweet jelly beans on Easter!

-Denise Burke
WECEP Executive Director