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In addition to these public lessons and ideas for teaching the stories of Jesus' Empty Tomb and Resurrection, several of our Writing Team's lesson sets cover Holy Week stories. Here's the Team's link to the John 20 story of Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John ~ Meeting Jesus at the Empty Tomb.

Post-Resurrection Stories of Jesus:
Road to Emmaus, Jesus eats breakfast,
Feed My Sheep, Great Commission, Ascension

(Illustration from Vallotton  Collection at Rotation.org)

Below are ideas for building "The Empty Tomb" and other related scenery and props for the stories of Lent and Holy Week.

To some churches, it might seem exorbitant to have "scenery and props" available in Sunday School, But in the Workshop Rotation Model, we have a classroom we call "The Drama Workshop" where we keep all our drama supplies, costumes, and backdrops at the ready for any Bible lesson. It's all pretty homemade stuff, but super handy to not have to go looking for it.  And the kids can really get into their Bible stories with a teacher who loves to teach with drama.


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Last edited by Neil MacQueen
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Empty-Tomb-Cardboard



PIANO Boxes
Refrigerator Boxes
can make a really big walk-in tomb!

Go to a piano store, furniture or appliance stor and ask them to save you a box. The boxes are large enough to fit serveral children in and are reinforced with a wooden frame on the inside. Ours is several years old, and still in good shape, except for the rock in front.

You can also tape two boxes together,

You can also drape a canvas drop cloth over a frame.

The frame can be as simple as 2x4's or PVC or plumbing pipe.

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Last edited by Neil MacQueen

You can see the FOAM tomb we built in Barrington in the PHOTOS page at https://www.rotation.org/topic/...church-of-barrington

 



A dad and his son built it out of old furniture foam glued to plywood, lightly spray painted. Durable yet relatively light.

The tomb was a triangular shaped fascade that fit into a corner and we used canvas to drape off the back of it to hide corner from the inside. The slight triangular shape made it fit nicely ACROSS a corner and stand on its own too.

The foam was "shaped and layered" for a more realistic rock look using razor blade knives and scissors.


We later used that tomb for Elijah's cave, stuck a tree in front of it and Moses on a ladder behind it to make it Mt Sinai, and laid it on its side to be rocks in various dramas.


ALTERNATELY:
You can paint a large reinforced Painter's PAPER drop cloths or canvas with shades of grey, and cut an entrance hole in it. Attach it to a wooden or pvc stand/frame. If using paper, add several rows of TAPE on the interior of the paper entrance to reinforce it against tearing.

To give the paper or canvas some '3d dimension', attach some inexpensive chicken wire to the frame that you have bent outward so that the "rock" sticks out in various places. Make your rock covering the entrance out of cardboard or dense foam because it will take a beating.


<>< Neil

Last edited by Neil MacQueen
This is what we did last summer during VBS.

We used the "whale" previously made for Jonah. It is made by taping plastic sheeting together and attaching it to a box fan. We used a large ball covered in white newsprint for the stone.

We took turns wrapping a kid in a shroud of white sheets (not covering the face) and laying him or her in the tomb. Then everyone on the outside shouted "Alleluia! Christ is risen," as a cue for kids to try and unwrap themselves and exit the tomb. We had a stopwatch to see who had the best time.

Lisa

More "How to Make An Empty Tomb" Ideas...

Empty-Tomb-Brown-Paper

Create a simple wood frame, cover with chicken wire, then fix sheets of brown kraft paper over it (taping it from behind). Then apply thin coating of glue over the paper to harden it into shape.

Tip:  Crumple the paper ahead of time to give it a rough-hewn texture.




Posted by jenny

We did this for VBS one year. I made the tomb from brown paper sacks filled with wadded newspaper. Fill one with wadded up newspaper then slip another paper sack over that on to make a big block. Stack several up and tape them with duct tape. Kind of like an igloo.



Posted by dsevertson

I have made the 'tomb' with the children using paper mache. I make the form using chicken wire, making sure there are no sharp ends, and then have the children put the strips of newspaper soaked in the paper mache "goo" over the wire. When it dries it can be painted and decorated. This can be made to any size and you can make a large "stone" too!

Tip: Use plain newsprint instead of newspaper so you don't have to paint the project when it is done.

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Last edited by Neil MacQueen

Our tomb is the center focus where our Opening takes place.

It was constructed with a wood frame covered with chicken wire and initially the kids covered it with paper mache.

We have since re-coated it with drywall compound, painted it and it really looks cool.

The stone is in front except for Easter Sunday, when it has been rolled away, bright glowing lights and Jesus's white linens laid on the tomb. Very beautiful & effective.

This thing is life size and takes up a corner in our Luther Hall. It is 3 years old now and needs touched up now and then. The kids and visitors love it.

Cathy W. for Disciple Builders of Trinity Lutheran Church, Findlay, Oh

Update:  Photos added showing the tomb Cathy talks about.  Second photo is the kid's doing the story of the Good Samaritan and the tomb becomes the Inn (it shows a good view of how the tomb is built into the corner of a room - very creative! - and so useful for other dramas!)

3 TLC Easter Tomb

2 TLC Good Samaritan Jan Feb 2003

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  • 3 TLC Easter Tomb
  • 2 TLC Good Samaritan Jan Feb 2003
Last edited by Luanne Payne

At a seminar several years ago, a friend, Nancy set-up the empty tomb she used with little ones at her church for demonstration in the preschool workshop.

When the children went to look inside the empty tomb they would find an angel (a very large doll dressed as an angel - with a flashlight lit under her so she glowed).

She said the children were captivated by the whole experience.

Large fridge box covered by beige bed sheet, in front large piece of cardboard painted to look like a rocky hill, both box and hill have a entrance hole cut into them. Then a piece of cardboard, the rock, that can be rolled to the side to reveal the entrance.  Added artificial grass rug and fake plants.

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Last edited by Luanne Payne

How to make an Easter Tomb "Stone"

(that can easily be rolled and will also work with Black Light)

DSC03057DSC03050

Options: You may want to take a permanent black marker and give your STONE a look not quite so round, and with some crevices.   Although, if you leave as is you will also have a nice large MOON!

Note:  pdf files with a list of supplies and directions (with pictures) included at end of this post. 

 

Sewing Option:

Supplies:

DSC03008

  • 1 - Hula Hoop (approx. 30” diameter) – suggest you don’t buy a really cheap, easily bendable one, but one that is more solid.
  • 2 - Swimming Noodles (reg size)
  • White Felt - purchased off a 72” width Roll
     – length required  3 ½ ft. (1.2 yards) 
  • White Elastic (1/4” width by 70” length)
  • Black Thread, Straight Pins
  • Scissors
  • Black Duct Tape
  • 2 – Safety Pins
  • Sewing Machine
  • Black Marker
  • Letter-Size Envelope (used for measuring)

By adding the noodle, the extra width allows for the student to easily roll the stone!


Glue Gun Option:

DSC03094

Note:  The Hula Hoop I used to make this sample was old and badly bent, to straighten I had to cut out a piece making it only 22" in diameter when I was done, rather than the 30" one pictured above.  I also used the left over felt from the above project and had to sew two pieces together to make it big enough, which gave me a seam.  As you can see in the picture the seam isn't too obvious, but for a bigger hoop you would see approx. another 8 inches of seam.

The finished result was it had a nice bumpy rim, more like a rock.  Though I'm not sure how well the glue will hold up to the noodle over time and use.

Supplies required for this option:

  • 1 - Hula Hoop (approx. 30” diameter) – suggest you don’t buy a really cheap, easily bendable one, but one that is more solid.
  • 2 - Swimming Noodles (reg size)
  • White Felt - purchased off a 72” width Roll
     – length required  3 ½ ft. (1.2 yards) 
  • Scissors
  • Black Duct Tape
  • Glue Gun (Glue Sticks)
  • Black Marker
  • Letter-Size Envelope (used for measuring)

Zip Tie Adaptation:

Because felt is very tear resistant, you could also use zip ties instead of glue.

Directions:  Wrap a tie around the noodle and slip one end through a slit in the felt, then thread the tie and pull tight. 

As there are 101 wonders of using zip ties keep a pack in your kit for quick fastening, holding up, and fixing all sorts of things you can't/don't want to glue or tape (or sew).


More info on Black Light Theater Instuctions, by Luanne Payne & Janice Loeb. Which is an article found under the Drama Workshop Design Forum at this site.

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Last edited by Luanne Payne

Here's an "empty tomb" display you can make with a pop-up tent and cleverly painted canvas tarps.

Empty-Tomb-Tent

I've had this image in my files for a few years and don't remember which church gave it to me (Highland something?)

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In a pinch, you can purchase an "Empty Tomb" from Oriental Trading Co.

79" Tomb & Rock Roll Away Cardboard Cutout Stand-Up

...or you can just look how they did it and paint your own. You could also cut out their front of the cardboard and create a "cave" behind the cardboard by draping some black fabric or a dark blanket.

Oriental Trading Company also has a "Cardboard Village Wall" they call "Bethlehem Inn."  If it were me, I'd probably buy TWO so I could piece it together to make it large enough to go around our door and make this the cardboard entry to our classroom, if not part of a drama set.

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  • Empty Tomb cut out
  • Bible village wall and entry
Last edited by Luanne Payne

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