This short article was originally published in the March 2017 editions of the village newsletters the Dry Drayton News and, in slightly adapted form, the Hardwick Happenings.
Lent begins this year on 1 March. Here are some ideas for things to do in Lent for families and all ages.
At the start of Lent, traditional Christians read the story of Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4: 1-11). Remind yourself to step aside from busy activity if only for a moment by making a Lenten ‘desert’ sand tray and placing it somewhere in your house where you can pause each day for a mindful moment as you feel the sand.
Create a Giving Jar. Over the 40 days of Lent add any loose change to the jar, or if you’re giving something up for Lent then add that saved money to the jar. At the end of Lent choose a charity you would like to donate it to. You could consider supporting Dry Drayton school with their ‘toilet twinning’ project.
Make pretzels & discover what they have to do with Lent (search online for ‘pretzel Lent’). Share your bakes & their tradition with friends.
As we get nearer to Mothering Sunday, take a bunch of fresh flowers to a friend or a neighbour to honour our friendships and caring relationships.
All of these ideas are from the free downloadable ’40 activities for families to explore together during Lent’ from www.sunhatsandwellieboots.com
(And don’t forget that the Lenten fast, which today some people translate into ‘giving something up for Lent’, doesn’t count on Sundays which are always days of celebration!)
