I am so inspired by all the Meaningful Easter posts you guys are linking up! I thought I knew everything I wanted to do with the kids this week to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection but now I have even more ideas–and I hope I can incorporate them into our celebration this week!

Yesterday was a crazy day and we didn’t get to do the Palm Sunday stuff I wanted to do. But it wasn’t a big deal because at church they had real palm branches and did a parade through the hall. Asa thought he was at Disney World he was so excited. They talked about it all day!

Regardless, I decided to do some Palm Sunday stuff this morning. First we made some palm branches from our PALMS! We traced our hands on paper then cut them out, glued them to a craft stick and had a dance party downstairs!

We actually have TWO favorite Palm Sunday songs. Who knew, right? Well, they aren’t Palm Sunday exactly but they do say, “Hosanna!” which is what the people were shouting to Jesus when he rode into town on the donkey.

The first song is called, “Shout Hosanna” from The Donut Man. Lydia loves this one because it begins with “Jumping up and down, shout Hosanna!”

Our other favorite song is called “Hosanna Rock” from Yancy. This was the first songs Asa ever sang when he was little and he pronounced it, “Ho-nanna, Ho-ho-ho-nanna!” Now he can sing all the words (correctly) and do all the motions, including when they “play the drums and rock the guitar!” I love this one because it talks about how you can praise the Lord in different ways–clapping, instruments, raising your hands, etc.

I loved seeing the kids run around the room singing and dancing to the Lord. There’s nothing that makes me more exciting than hearing words of praise and adoration come from my children’s lips. That’s why good music is so important to me. And to help you with a little Word-filled music, Yancy is giving away THREE of her Little Praise Party: Springtime EP’s which includes “Hosanna Rock”! These CDs are basically out of print (they were an Easter gift for her church last year) so this is an exclusive for you!

Enter to win one of three Little Praise Party: Springtime EP by Yancy (do one or all, leave a separate comment for each):

• Leave a comment. How are you celebrating Easter? Or what’s your favorite Easter candy? Or whatever!
• Tweet it! I’m celebrating Easter with @yancynotnancy and @impressyourkids–win a Springtime CD! http://bit.ly/hosannaCD
• Share on Facebook. It’s easy – just click the “Like” button at the bottom of this post! You can even add a status update with it!

Contest ends Sunday, April 22.

Can’t wait to listen to find out if you won? You can download Springtime for only FIVE BUCKS at KidzMatter.com!

linked to Ultimate Guide for Celebrating Holy Week

Since Lydia’s recent new fear, we’ve been pumping her (and our house) full of God’s Word. I made a BRAVE playlist for my iPod and thought I’d share it with you. If you don’t have some of these CDs, they might be great for Easter baskets!

Refuge & Strength from Seeds of Courage {based on Psalm 46:1-2}

Out of the Mud from Seeds of Courage {Lydia’s favorite from Psalm 40:1-1}

Do Not Fear from Seeds of Courage {best part: “I will hold you in my righteous right hand!” Isaiah 41:10}

Never Be Shaken from Seeds of Courage {we’re focusing on “my soul finds rest in God alone” Psalm 62:1-2}

What Kind of Man Is This? from Bible Songs Volume 2 by the Donut Man {story of Jesus calming the storm!}

The Lord Listens when I Pray To Him from Bible Songs Volume 2 by the Donut Man {great foundation for kids “praying through” a fear!}

I Can Do All Things from King of Kings by the Donut Man {from Philippians 4:13}

Be Bold and Strong from King of Kings by the Donut Man {a fun song coming from King David–”banish fear and doubt!”}

Cares Chorus from Kids Praise 5: The Camping Adventure by Psalty (I have a coupon code from Psalty: FOREVER. I just can’t remember what it saves…maybe 10%?)

Think on These Things from Kids Praise 9 by Psalty {based on Philippians 4:8–thinking about good things instead of fearful!}

Take Heart from Seeds of Encouragement{my favorite verse John 16:33, “I have overcome the world!”}

Always Be from Yancy’s Rock N Happy Heart {rockin’ song that says God is a “constant peace in every storm”}

God is For Me from Yancy’s Stars, Guitars & Megaphone Dreams {“I have nothing to fear! He makes me strong!}

The Battle Is Not Yours from Sweetpea’s Songs for Girls {This is actually from Veggie Tale’s Queen Esther movie…a big role model for a little girl trying to be brave!}

I Will Not Be Afraid from Group’s Crocodile Dock VBS {BEST. SONG. EVER.}

God Cares for Me from Great Big God at Amber Sky Records {“He’s the one who keeps me strong!”}

Wherever Whatever from I Count On You at Amber Sky Records {“Wherever I go…Whatever I do, God’s with me!”}

Count on You from Amber Sky {CANNOT FIND IT ON THE SITE, but the album of the same name is there…it’s one of my new favorite songs because it says, “God you are strong. I am safe in your arms. You make me brave all day long. I count on you!”}

Strong in the Lord from Little Praise Party {“I am strong in the Lord, for He is strong!”}

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So, whether your kids are afraid of storms, the boogie man, the dark or of going to school why not make a playlist like this and help them focus their minds, feed their spirits and renew their thoughts with God’s Word?

Do you know of any other songs I should add?

ps–speaking of Easter gifts, don’t forget you can get 30% off one item for the whole month of April with the code: IMPRESS at Cha Cha’s Treasures! Her Memory Verse Pillows would be perfect coupled with one of these CDs!

(some affiliate links above)

Vanessa is a regular contributor to Impress Your Kids. She is a stay-at-home mom to an energetic three-year-old, Juliet. They spend their days together reading books, attempting crafts, and occasionally beating tree trunks with large sticks. You can read more about their adventures at Silly Eagle Books

Amanda asked me if I had any good camp books to share with you this week, and the only ones I could think of were these songbooks that we found a few months ago. I love using songbooks instead of story books from time to time and was thrilled to discover these Camp Song books at our library.

I spent many a summer at camp learning all those classic songs like Found a Peanut, Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee, and Make New Friends. Juliet had a blast learning these song and I had fun reliving my camp days. There’s something about songs that really bring back memories, isn’t there?

While I’m not interested in getting a real campfire going, we had some imaginary play by making our own pretend campfire in our living room. You can read more about how we made it using scraps of paper, river rocks, and twigs on Silly Eagle Books. It was fun and easy and the kitty cat LOVED it. It was the perfect place to sit next to and sing our camp songs together.

We also made some pretend paper marshmallows, but next time I think we’ll use the real ones. They’re more fun to eat!

What camps songs do you remember from your childhood?