Hand Palm Cookies
Playing on the double meaning of the word "palm." 
Discussion begins around how people used their hands on Palm Sunday and jumps into how we can honor/celebrate Jesus:
- The teacher can do the motion and ask kids to imitate it, then ask the discussion question.
- AFTER the kids respond, each makes a "palm" cookie. They will end up making 5 or 6 palm cookies each. Based on the discusssion (seen below), each cookie can represent a different idea or part of the story.
Options:
- Cookie Recipe: Use your favourite Sugar Cookie Recipe or see the recipe in this Widow's Mite Cooking Workshop written by Carol Hulbert, First United Methodist Church.
No Oven: pre-bake the cookies at home in advance.- No "Hand" Cookie Cutters: have them manually form a small palm cookie by placing their own hand on the dough and trimming the excess dough with a plastic knife.
- You could have the kids decorate the palm dough using baker's jell or granulated sugar/redhots to make the designs for each of the following "palms". Or.... you could just cut out palm cookies AFTER each mini-discussion, then bake, then apply icing as the decoration for each of the palm cookies... walking through the presentation a second time.
Things to Do and Talk About as You Create the Hand Palm Cookie
Unlike "making/decorating your own cookie" approach, in this lesson you can approach making the dough hand's as something your entire class works on together. That way you can end up with a VARIETY of "Palm Hand Cookies" -- each representing different ideas about the story that you talked about 
The following are things you could do/talk about. Feel free to add your insights and turn them into cookies!
Looking for Jesus by placing our hand to our brow.
- What were the people hoping for?
- How do we look for Jesus today and where will be find him?
- Decoration idea: eyes on the cookie
Waving at Jesus to welcome him.
- How do we welcome Jesus?
- Decoration: the words welcome drawn on the cookie
Laying cloaks on the road.
- How do we honor Jesus with what we have?
- Decoration: candy buttons
Applauding Jesus.
- What do we do to appreciate Jesus?
- Decoration: two cookie hands connected together with an exclamation point drawn on.
Praying Hands.
- People had prayed for the Messiah to come. What has/can Jesus do for us?
Nailed Hands.
- Jesus gave his hands to the cross. How do we thank him for his forgiveness?
- Decoration: line on palms to represent nails.
Other things about cookies you could interject into the discussion:
- When you trim away the excess dough.... What things does God want to "trim away" from our lives so that we will look more like Jesus?"
- As you decorate a cookie... What impressed God more, your appearance or your attitude? How loud you shout in worship of Jesus? Or how much you love others after the parade is over?
- When you eat the cookie... Who are we supposed to share the Good News with? How do you do that? (by acting like Christ toward others)
The original idea for this "palm" cookie double entendre came from member Lisa M, and was expanded by members Neil and Luanne.
