Easter reminds us of renewed life, new beginnings and the feeling of Spring in the air. It is no wonder that our commercialized celebration of the holiday includes bunnies, baskets, eggs, and all things Spring. This year, mix in some kid-friendly fun with your traditional celebration and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Fun with eggs
Make cascarónes (confetti eggs). Hollow out raw eggs by making a small hole in one end and letting the egg drain out into a bowl. When the eggs are empty, rinse the inside and let them dry out overnight. In the morning, fill with glitter or confetti using a small funnel. Place glue around the hole on the egg and decorate the egg with colored tissue paper. Take the eggs to the yard and try to smash them on the heads of friends and family, which signifies good luck.
Create your own egg heads. Crack and remove the top part of an egg, leaving at least two-thirds of the shell intact. Rinse the eggs and let dry. With markers, make silly faces on the egg shells. Fill the eggs almost to the top with soil and grass seed. Place the eggs in an egg carton and keep it in a sunny spot. Water as needed and watch the grass grow to look like green hair. Cut or style as needed.
Make yarn eggs using water balloons. As you are blowing up balloons with air, insert small toys or candy into the balloon. Tie up as usual. Drop colorful yarn strands in glue and use fingers to wipe off excess. Wrap around the balloons crossing back and forth to make a little cage. When the yarn dries, pop the balloon and the prize remains inside the egg-shaped yarn.
Be charitable
Create mini Easter baskets to hand out at senior centres. Use baskets and fill with hard candy, hand lotions, a magnifying glass, slipper socks, or a large type deck of cards.
Make Easter s’mores in a jar to pass out to neighbors and friends. You will need a one-pint jar with a lid, one sleeve of crushed graham crackers, 1¼ cups of M&Ms, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, and 8 Bunny Peeps. Arrange dry ingredients in the jar and place bunny peeps around the jar facing out. Cover with lid or fabric and attach gift tag with instructions.
To make the gift tag, remove the bunny peeps from the jar and cut in small pieces using scissors. Mix the bunny pieces and the dry ingredients from the jar into a large bowl. Add ½ cup of melted butter and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Press mixture into a greased 8” square pan and cook for 15 minutes at 350°F. Cool and cut into bars. Enjoy!
Find those Easter baskets
Show the kids evidence of the Easter Bunny’s visit by making a jelly bean trail from your child’s bedroom door to their Easter Baskets.
If you have pets, be sure to have them sleep with you that night to keep them from eating your trail.
Hunt for Easter Baskets by leaving clues. Start with a note on your kids’ bedroom doors that leads them to different clue spots around the house and let them find the Easter basket in a crazy place like inside the dryer or tucked behind the couch.
Attach a piece of different colored yarn around each child’s door knob. Take the string down the hall and through the house wrapping it around chairs, inside closets, and under couches to lead them to their Easter basket that is hidden somewhere in the house.
New twists on the traditional Easter egg hunt:
Add glow sticks or bracelets to create a glow-in-the-dark egg hunt.
Place a puzzle piece inside each egg and after the hunt, put the puzzle together.
Fill each egg with a number and have a corresponding prize waiting to match up with the egg.
Add a silly request to each egg to be performed by the person who found the egg. For example, “Do the chicken dance” or, “Do jumping jacks while reciting the ABCs.”
Number each egg and have the kids find them in numerical order.
Choose one color egg for each person and they can only find their color. This allows the eggs to be filled with age-appropriate or allergy-free items for each child.
Pam is a freelance writer, and a mother of three. Despite their age, her growing children still enjoy these kid-friendly traditions. Follow her on Etsy at Pam’s Party Printables, etsy.com/shop/pamspartyprintables.
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