As part of our Easter celebration every year we grow our own Calvary’s Hill or Empty Easter Tomb Garden. This is a really great craft to do with your kids! It’s perfect for springtime as well as a good decoration for Easter. It’s a special tradition to have.
Gather the following supplies: a small 2 inch pot, an 8 inch round planter base, wheat berries {whole wheat that’s not ground}, small rocks or gravel, potting soil. If using wheat you can start this about nine days before Easter. If you use Kwik grass seed start this at least three weeks before Easter {now!}.
Put gravel in the bottom of the planter base for drainage. Center the pot in the gravel and place rocks around it to keep it from rolling.
Place potting soil on top of and around the pot creating a hill over the pot.
Spread wheat all over the soil. Since we weren’t sure what we were doing we also spread Kwik Grass Seed.
Carefully spread a thin layer of soil over the seeds. Spray with water at least three times a day to keep the soil moist.
I know this photo is a bit blurry, sorry! You can see the soil is starting to be raised up because the wheat is sprouting! Just spray well with water then gently press soil back down.
Believe it or not this is six days after planting. Look how fast the wheat grows! The grass seed hasn’t even sprouted yet.
Nine days after planting and we need to do a little trimming. A few of the grass seeds have started to sprout.
We pulled some of the wheat from the front and side of the pot, trimmed about 2 inches off the top of the wheat, laid down more rocks, found a big rock for the front of the tomb, and made three crosses out of twigs.
This has been a very satisfying project for the kids. Hearing “Can I water the tomb?” each day really made me laugh. It just sounded funny, ya know? Start today to create your own Calvary’s Hill or Empty Easter Tomb Garden so it’s ready in time for Easter.
Love this craft idea! I love that it doesn’t involve food.
Oh My!! Can’t believe I finally found the source of this project. I made one as well and wanted to credit you. Now I can! Thank you! great idea!
Sweet! We were planning on doing this tomorrow at FHE! I’m about two weeks behind you! 🙂 Yours looks great!
Thank you for the great instructions! I also appreciate your integrity in trying to find the original source for the idea and pin. This will make a fun activity for our family!
ADORABLE! So sweet! I love it for Easter. I found you via the Blog Hop. My sister, Reba and I share a blog and we are your newest followers. Hope you will follow back.
Eldarose from http://RE-inventedstyle.blogspot.com
This is definitely on our “must do” list now, and my children are going to be thrilled that they actually get to dig in the yard for rocks! Thanks for sharing the great tutorial.
Yay for finding the source! I try to fix pins when I have the time to find the source too. Way to go. I pinned this myself and hope to get busy and do one.
Hi Cocoa! –
With the traffic I have been getting from here, I had to come and see what all of the fuss was all about! : ) Your Calvary Hill Planting came out lovely!
Well thank you so much, for going through so much, to try and give credit where credit is due! But I have to tell you a few things: 1)My old site should redirect automatically to the new one, if you(anyone) wait a sec. So that concerns me. LOL. I’ll have to look into that, if it didn’t forward you to the new one. 2) We actually did this project LAST year, in the spring leading to Easter 2011. I posted a few photos of it last year, but didn’t share the project process until this year. 3) I had seen the idea somewhere else on the internet, myself, before! I know I saved the site/link, but could not find it digging through the 1,000’s I’ve saved, to give proper credit myself. So…I know it happens! I still haven’t found it!
Anyway, wishing you and your family a meaningful Holy Week, and blessed and joyful Easter.
I had this on my list to do for tonight’s FHE. Good to know about the wheat, because I was going to use grass…but you can EAT the wheatgrass later…
(I’m all about doubling up on stuff! :D)
Thanks for sharing the process. I am looking forward to doing ours tonight.
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing this idea.
I love it! We just started our easter grass on sunday. I’ve just put dirt in a glass bowl that we are going to display on a cake stand. The wheat sprouted in ONE DAY… its amazing how fast it grows (maybe 1cm a day?) I said to the husband that I feel like it grows when my back is turned. Go out for a few hours and I swear its longer! I almost want to film, stop animation photograph it.
Yours is so beautiful.. I may head back to the health food store to buy some more wheat! I bought some esp for ours last week and the baggie of wheat cost me 30 cents! I was almost embarrasssed at the checkout!
We used the qwik grass and it was sprouted in 2 days and I had to trim off 3 inches at day 7! So I guess the growing conditions make a difference.
Hello –
I’m putting together a post for my blog with a collection of Easter activities from around the web. I was wondering if I could use a photo from this post.
You all did a lovely job making this!! It looks awesome!
I would give you full credit and link back to your blog. I would not be showing my readers how to make these, I would direct them to your blog for that.
Thanks so much! I look forward to hearing from you!
Blessings,
Sarah Avila
My Joy-Filled Life
http://www.myjoyfilledlife.com
Hi Sarah,
You are more than welcome to use what photos you need. Thank you so much for asking! That is greatly appreciated. I can’t wait to see what other Easter activities you gather together. I love celebrating Easter with my children!
we did it this year. MY CHILDREN LOVED IT!!! every morning they would go and water their grass. they spent at least an hour out there. Each child had their own. I love this!!