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 Cascarones (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 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 eggshells. 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, candy or dollar bills into the balloon. Tie up as
usual. Drop colorful yarn strands in glue and use your 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
Make boo-boo bunnies for a local children’s hospital or woman’s shelter.
You will need a washcloth, rubber band and a plastic ice cube (found on
Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond or the Dollar Store). For directions, see
sidebar.
Create mini Easter baskets to hand out at the senior centers. Use baskets
from the dollar store 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 lid, 1 sleeve of crushed graham crackers, 1 ¼
cups of M&M’S candies, 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 (see sidebar) with
instructions.
Do something as a family
Explain the Easter story to the kids by making Resurrection Rolls. You will
need refrigerated crescent rolls, marshmallows, cinnamon, sugar and melted
butter. Dip marshmallows in melted butter and then roll in cinnamon and
sugar. Wrap up in the refrigerated crescent rolls. Bake per package
instructions. For accompanying story, see sidebar.
Watch Easter shows like “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown”, “Hop”,
“Here Comes Peter Cottontail” or “Veggie Tales – An Easter Carol”. For
older kids you may want to also include “Easter Parade” or “The Greatest
Story Ever Told.”
Plant jelly beans with your child in the garden or flower beds. When they
are asleep, the jelly beans will sprout into lollipops (with a little help
from Mom and Dad).
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 their
bedroom door leading 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 doorknob. 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.
Directions for Making Boo-Boo Bunnies
Supplies:
- Wash Cloth
- Rubber Band
- Plastic Ice Cube
- Decorations – markers, pink pom pom (for nose), googly eyes, ribbon, white
cotton ball for tail.
Lay the washcloth flat on the table. Starting at one corner, roll the
washcloth up to the other end. Fold the cloth in half the long way (to form
the hole for the ice) and then fold in half again to form the head. Place
the rubber band around the second fold to form a head and bring the ends up
to form the ears. Define the head more by wrapping a ribbon around the ears
and making a bow. Create a face with markers or by hot-gluing googly eyes
and pom pom for nose. Add the tail on the back of the bunny and insert the
plastic ice cube.
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.” - Write the Easter story in short paragraphs and place them in order
in the eggs. Number each egg and have the kids find them in
numerical order. Read the story as each egg is found. - Choose one color egg for each person, allowing them to only find
their color. This lets you fill the eggs with age-appropriate or
allergy-free items for each child.
Side Bar #3
Easter S’mores
Remove bunny Peeps from the jar and cut in small pieces using a scissors.
Mix bunny pieces and 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
degrees. Cool and cut into bars. Enjoy!
