10 posts tagged “easter”

Times are though sometimes but we should not let that spoil our holidays. With Easter just around the corner, we should make sure we have everything we need without compromising our budget or feeling restricted. Although as adults we might be able to take a few cuts, kids cannot grasp the concept of “though times” and should be protected against struggles.

This is why we put together this great Easter Egg Hunt that is not only full of fun, but also practical. It will keep the kids cheerful and it will keep you, and your wallets, happy. We will show how easy it is to create and how fun it is to play. This might be the only time when putting all your eggs in one basket could be a good idea!

Easter Basket Carrot-Egg Hunt

The main idea behind this hunt is that the kids will collect plastic eggs and paper carrots that contain clues. Then, they will come together with all the clues they found and try to figure out where the treasure basket is. You can either set a time limit, and see how many clues they can find, or let the kids know the exact number of “clues” there are hidden. Before we start the hunt, we need to create the Easter basket. This is the treasure the kids are seeking, and your wallet’s little secret.

Creating the Basket

Rather than spending so much one all those items that kids collect in their own basket, be more practical this year! Create one basket by filling it up with lots of Easter paraphernalia. You can add anything from chocolate eggs to stuffed bunnies, plush chicks or other stuffed animals. If you want to ensure kids won’t get too hyped on all the sugar that day include more Easter figurines and stuffed animals. This might be even more beneficial in the long run, as the toys last long after the candy is gone. So, decorate your basket by creatively placing some plush chicks surrounded by some fun Easter eggs all around, and maybe add a cute Easter Bunny in the middle, it is the tradition nevertheless! You can embellish it by adding some Easter candy or by adding extra toys and little stuffed animals, depending of your preference.

The decoration for the basket also depends on this next step: do you want to raffle off the Easter basket contents, or do you want equal amounts of everything for each child. If you raffle them, then you can play with the toys and stuffed animals, since a toy for each child and some candy would not kill your budget. However three or four plush animals per child might be a lot. So, if you do want that each child to have an equal share of the basket, you might want to stuff it with some Easter candy and maybe a cute little stuffed chick figurine or plush baby duck per child. This way at the end of the hunt, everybody has a good time and some nice Easter gifts.

The Clues

After you created your basket, hide it somewhere you know the kids will not be able to find it. If your place is small, you can hide it on top of a cabinet and cover it with something. Just make sure is high enough for them not even to spot it, or else, their curiosity might draw them to climb to some dangerous places.

Now for the clues. You can create two types of clues. If the kids are big enough to read, use words to tell them where they should look. If not, use drawings or signs.

There are also two ways you can mask these clues. You can put them on a piece of paper inside plastic colorful eggs, or you can write them on your very own paper carrots. To create the carrots all you need is orange and green construction paper. Cut long triangles from the orange paper, and cut a thick triangle from the green paper. Glue on the top of the green triangle to the bottom of the orange triangle. Cut the base of the green triangle, in long thing parts, as if it were shredded and leave the green shreds on. There you go! You just made yourself an easy paper carrot. Now all you have to do is write the clue on it and you are all set.

The Hunt

Hide the eggs and the carrots in easy to reach places, such as under the couch pillows, under the covers of your bed, behind lamps and so on.

Give the kids either the number of clues or a time limit and watch them scoop around for the clues. When the time is out, or they found all the clues, get all of them together and help them figure out where the basket is located. After the Easter basket is found distribute or raffle of the content to each kid.

And there you have it. This Easter hunt is a guaranteed success. It is so much fun that the kids will talk about it all year round and it is easy on your budget. Have a happy hunt and a happy Easter!

It’s that time of year again: Easter! And as always, you need to create some fun Easter baskets for the children in your life. Whether you are looking for something non-traditional, or trying to come up with a basket that’s fun and yet doesn’t break the bank, or even making your first Easter basket, this article will have something for you.

Each of these baskets are inexpensive and great time savers. They are easy to construct and can be put together in less than an hour. So hop to it and go ahead and create the perfect basket; here there is something for everyone!

Forest Easter Basket

If you know a child that’s an avid hiker/camper/outdoor lover, this is the basket for them. Before you start building the basket, get these items together:

* Brown wooden basket
* Brown and green Easter grass or shredded paper of the same colors
* Construction paper in green and orange
* Your choice of plastic, chocolate or hard boiled eggs
* Animal shaped cookies or crackers
* A natural appearing plush rabbit
* Butterflies and ladybugs 3-D stickers (optional)

Once you’ve gathered together everything, it’s time to create the basket.

1. To represent soil, place the brown paper or Easter grass at the bottom of the basket. Then, layer over the brown with the green in order to represent grass. This is a good base to start with.

2. Next you can add the bunny. You can either use it as a centerpiece and place the plush toy in the middle, or you can place it towards the back so it’s a “supporting” element.

3. Then it’s time to start adding the eggs. Place them all around the bunny. If you want a very natural looking basket, don’t use too colorful of eggs. But if you like a lot of color, or only have colored eggs on hand, use them.

4. Next, you can arrange the animal cookies or crackers. Put them among the eggs, so that it looks like they are peeking around them.

5. Next it’s time to use the green and orange construction paper into “carrots. Cut long triangles from the orange paper for the carrot, and then add the green paper by cutting and shredding a small rectangle that you can tape to the carrot’s base for its leaves. You can decide how many of these you need.

6. Lastly, if you decided to get some stickers, place a couple of lady bugs and/or butterfly stickers to the handle, as if they were crawling up it. This will give the basket a very forest friendly look.

So now you have the perfect Easter basket for an outdoor lover!

Farm Easter Basket

This basket is very colorful and utilizes the traditional farm animals as symbols of Easter. For this basket you will need:

* A Small or Medium basket (any color)
* Green and yellow Easter grass or shredded paper
* Plastic, chocolate or hard boiled eggs
* 4 -5 fuzzy plush chicks or baby ducks
* Optional: Twizzlers or gummy worms
* Optional: Flower 3-D stickers or colorful ribbon

Now it’s time to build this fun basket:

1. First, you should mix together the green and yellow Easter grass until it simulates farm hay. Then fill the basket almost full with the mixture.

2. Next, take your stuffed chicks or baby ducks and place them on top of the hay. Arrange them however you see fit. This could be at random, so they’re evenly spaced, or so they are arranged in a line as if they were following each other.

3. Then place the eggs all around the plush toys. If you want to add an extra, cute touch, break some of the egg shells so it looks like they just hatched. Put some of the shells on their head or beside them.

4. Next, if you want to add more candy to the basket, because after all, Easter is a big candy holiday, set some twizzlers or gummy worms around the chicks. This way it looks like they are about to have lunch! Yummy!

5. Your last step could be to add some colorful flower stickers to the basket, because what spring scene is complete without freshly blooming flowers? Also, take the ribbon and tie it around the handle for that perfect finishing touch.

So there you have it, an adorable farm themed Easter basket! It seems that you can put all your chicks and eggs in one basket after all!

As you can see, Easter baskets can be a really fun way to flex your creative muscle, and create some wonderful new memories of one of the biggest holidays around! Happy Easter!

Many people believe that an Easter gift basket should contain the requisite eggs and chocolates but this is not the case. An Easter basket can contain anything that the giver believes the recipient will appreciate.

Food Items For An Easter Gift Basket

Some of the usual foods that you may find in the store bought baskets are items such as chocolate shaped Easter bunnies, chocolate eggs, candy chicks and the like.

You may also notice that many Easter baskets have hard boiled eggs in them that are painted and decorated with felt pens, food coloring, and permanent markers which can look pretty affective. You can never go wrong with the personal touch however. Give those store bought Easter gift baskets a wide birth for 2009 and come up with your own ideas. Last year I made an Easter bunny sock puppet that made my son laugh for ages. Little ideas like these are always the best.

You can always bulk up your Easter gift basket with some gourmet teas & coffees, cakes & muffins, and Easter cookies.

The possibilities are really only limited by your imagination when considering Easter gift basket ideas for 2009. If you have a friend that has just lost his or her job and is struggling during this financially trying time, then you can always put together an Easter basket that contains groceries. By disguising your food package as an Easter gift basket, you will help spare the feelings of the recipient who may feel too proud to take it otherwise.

I Don't Want Food for My Easter Basket

We've all probably eaten enough chocolate and cakes over Christmas to last us a lifetime. So if you're looking for some Easter gift basket ideas that aren't of the food variety then some great ones are items such as flowers, scented Easter candles, house hold items and others.

I guess it all depends on your relationship with the recipient as to how personal the Easter basket will be. I am making my daughter an Easter basket for 2009 and will fill it up with all her favourite perfumes and toiletries as she is not that keen on chocolate. You can also adopt this Easter gift basket idea for your family too.

Another great idea that usually goes down well with those who are religious is a picture book depicting Easter scenes as described in the bible. This kind of basket is obviously not for everyone, but how about some sex and the city DVDs or the latest album by Madonna for your basket.

No matter what Easter gift basket ideas you choose to adopt for 2009 you can be certain that they will be well received. Easter gift baskets are fun, simple, and thoughtful gifts for family, friends, and colleagues alike.

Easter Sunday is a holiday much anticipated by kids. After all, they get to hang out with friends and family, play games, eat candy and other treats, and even get presents! Of course, unfortunately for us adults, we’re the ones who have to provide all the fun. Instead of carefree enjoyment of the holiday, we get responsibility. It can be exhausting to have to find the perfect Easter kid’s gifts, and make sure we come in within budget. Luckily, this article is here to help. Here you’ll get fun ideas for Easter presents, which can either be wrapped individually or put together in a great Easter basket!

Sweets, Candy and other Goodies

Easter is a great time of the year for candy. Tasty, holiday-appropriate treats are released in droves. There are chocolate eggs, jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, and that all-important staple: the chocolate Easter bunny. In fact, if you’re just giving out small favors, the chocolate Easter bunny can be a great choice. Another option would be to fill a medium-sized plastic egg with jellybeans, or some other treat. The possibilities are endless. Candy is also a great filler for an Easter basket, whether you want nothing but treats in the basket, or want to fill the edges around another gift. Candy is something that both kids and adults would enjoy, so it’s hard to go wrong.

Games and DVD’s

Games and DVDs can of course be given as an individual present, but they are even more fun as part of an Easter basket. And although Easter movies are not as popular as Christmas movies, properly themed films and shows are available. For example, Chicken Little, Dora the Explorer, and many other cartoons do have Easter specials. In fact, if you know what the child’s favorite cartoon or television show is, you could find the corresponding Easter special and have a fantastic gift. Alternatively, Easter-themed games can also be a great addition to any basket. And once the child hasn’t gotten the gift, they have instant entertainment for your Easter get together, giving all the adults a break!

Activity Books and Art Supplies

Easter is a holiday that can really spark some artistic creativity. After all, egg painting is probably the number one holiday activity among children. So getting activity books and art supplies can be a great follow-up. Put together a box of crayons, some colored construction paper and craft kits and you have a great gift. Or, there are many Easter-themed pop up activity books or coloring books. For example, a coloring or activity book that follows the Easter Bunny on an adventure, or one that shares the story behind Easter. Once again, these items can be given individually, or part of a basket. Either way, it’s another great way to keep the kids entertained and make you their favorite gift-giver.

Easter Outfits

This can be tricky, especially if you’re trying to find the right size, but it can be a lot of fun as well. For example, get them a pair of cute bunny ears, because most of these would come in one size fits all. Or you could get them adorable Easter printed dresses or t-shirts. There are a lot of choices available, and most of them are very budget friendly. Don’t forget that children love costumes, so this could be a really fun, really unique, gift idea!

Stuffed Animals

Who doesn’t love stuffed animals? We’re definitely saving the best for last! Plush toys are hugely in demand during the Easter season. The most obvious example of a good stuffed animal gift would be a plush bunny. After all, Easter is personified with the character of the Easter Bunny, what better way to represent him then with a small, furry, doppelganger? In fact, a rabbit would make a great centerpiece for your Easter Basket. But if the bunny isn’t for you, there are other animals that are traditionally associated with Easter. These are chicks and ducklings. In fact, if you are making a smaller basket, this can be a great option. A baby plush chick or a little baby duck would make a very cute basket centerpiece. Any of these plush animals can also be given as a great individual present. But don’t forget, there’s no reason you have to be this limited when it comes to stuffed animals. Pick one that you’d know they’d like and you’ll have a super fun gift!

So there you go, all those ideas should give you something to work with and take some of the stress off for us adults! You can find an individual gift or a gift basket for practically any budget, and have a truly happy Easter!

Eggs have been an association of Easter celebrations throughout history. The egg was a symbol of fertility and new beginnings in times gone by, a belief which was adopted by Christian followers who used the egg to represent their Saviour's resurrection.

Although the Christian festival of Easter is more commonly known as a commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ, the season was celebrated long before this by Pagans. For Christians the egg therefore symbolises new life, a tradition that has survived into modern times where it is epitomised in the form of the chocolate eggs we now see at Easter time.

The festival of Easter stretches back to pre-Christian times as well, where the changing of the seasons and the renewed life of Earth during the months of March and April were a time of Pagan celebration. More Easter symbols, including the Easter Bunny, can be traced back to Pagan times.

Decorating hard-boiled eggs at Easter time is another well known tradition and one that stems from the belief that the first eggs ever given at Easter were bird's eggs. As a result, these eggs were painted in bright colours, which would give them further meaning as a gift - and so the practice continues.

The tradition of colouring eggs in bright colours, representing the rainbows, sunlight and fresh colours of spring, dates back to the Middle Ages and is still an important custom for many Christians today. In fact, in Germany it is traditional to paint eggs green and eat them on Maundy Thursday - the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter - which commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. What's more, in Greek and Slavic cultures, eggs are dyed red which displays a symbol of the blood of Christ.

Egg rolling is a popular Easter activity in Britain and is usually carried out on Easter Monday - where people across the country will roll their decorated eggs down a hill. Depending on where in the country you are, the winner may be determined by the egg that rolls the farthest, survives the most rolls, or is rolled between two pegs. A lesser known fact is that the date of Easter Sunday changes from year to year due to the fact it is based on the lunar calendar. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon, on or after March 21st.

Now that you have a sure-fire way of working out when Easter Sunday is, in future you will have plenty of time for finding Easter chocolate gifts, baking some hot cross buns and finding a good hill to roll your painted eggs down.

Spring is a wonderful time of the year. Not only does it herald the return of sunshine and warmth, but it also brings one of the biggest holidays: Easter! Easter is loved by both adults and children. Adults get to visit with friends and family and eat great food, while children get to go hunting for eggs left by Easter Bunny and receive fun presents. And though the egg hunt is a really great, traditional activity, it is unfortunately not enough to keep the kids happy and busy all Easter Sunday.

Luckily, there are other activities and games you could put together to keep children entertained. So here are some fun Easter activities to keep the kids happy!

Easter Egg Piñata

Pinatas come in all shapes, sizes, and themes, and luckily that includes themes that are appropriate for Easter! Easter is a big holiday, so your local party goods store is sure to have piñatas that are egg, bunny, duck, or chick shaped. Or if you don’t want to buy one pre-made, you could always make your own into any shape you desire. Once you have your piñata, fill it with Easter candy. This can include candy eggs, jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, or something else holiday themed. Or, if you’re worried this is too much sugar, you could mix in some little Easter stuffed animals, like stuffed chicks, plush baby ducks, or stuffed bunnies.

Before actually having the kids take turns trying to break the piñata, you have to set it up. Remember that you must have it at a safe height, because if the objects inside fall from too high of a height there could be an injury. Also, attach it to something sturdy so the whole structure doesn’t come down, because you don’t want the piñata itself falling down and hitting someone. Just remember these tips and you’ll have a fun, safe way to entertain everyone.

Pin the Chick on the Egg

While we’re all aware of the game pin the tail on the donkey, it pays to remember that there are other holiday variations. Pin the chick on the egg is one of these variations. To create, all you need to do is draw an egg on a piece of cardboard. To make it look nicer, you could paint the egg, or cover it with some tissue paper. Then, tape some tweed on the back of the egg so that you have a small hoop to hang the cardboard with. Or you could use hooks you already have for paintings and frames. Hang it someplace that works for you. Some good places are the inside of a door, like the front door or a basement door. Then all you need is the chicks. Get a few small plush chicks, put tape on their bottoms or beak, and lie them down in a box and you are ready for the game.

Obviously, the game is almost the same as pin the tail on the donkey. Tie a blindfold around the first contestants eyes, a small piece of cloth or a clean dishtowel will often work find, and spin them around until they are disoriented. Then tell them they have to find the egg, and pin the chick to its top. Pinned correctly, and it looks like the chick is coming out of the top of the egg. Let the other kids cheer them on and yell out guidance as they try to pin the chick. This game has the advantage of being easy to play and set up, and can keep the kids entertained for a fair amount of time. For a prize, you could give the little chick to the child who manages to pin it correctly at the top of the egg.

So there you go! These two fun and simple to set up games will keep the children at your Easter gathering happy and entertained. Not only will these activities be fun for everyone to watch, but they will also create memories of a great holiday that these children will remember for years to come. Happy Easter!

Easter is a wonderful holiday, especially for children. Family and friends have a great excuse to get together, and there’s great food and games. The games are key, as Easter is a time of the year that children really look forward to. After all, every year they expect the Easter Bunny to hide eggs, baskets, and/or treats, that they can than go and find.

So with such high expectations, what can we do to keep the kids happy and entertained? Why, games of course! Here is a list of some of the best Easter day games, guaranteed to meet both kids and parents expectations for a wonderful Easter.

The Egg Hunt

As already mentioned above, one of the most anticipated games of Easter is the Egg Hunt. In fact, it doesn’t matter if you have a small home or the weather isn’t cooperating for you to hide the eggs outside. An egg hunt doesn’t actually need a lot of space to still be fun. All you really need is creativity, and a half hour to an hour to play the game.

Just remember when you’re hiding eggs: don’t make the game to difficult! Hide them in easy to reach places, such as under bed or couch pillows, or behind the stuffed animals in a child’s room. This is a great hiding place because these soft toys are safe for children to be around, as stuffed lions, teddy bears, and other plush animals don’t have sharp corners or require kids to climb to get to them. The inside of shoes can also be a really fun hiding place, just make sure that the shoes you put the eggs in aren’t going to be worn, or you may find yourself with a mess! Remember, it’s very important to hide them in places within a child’s reach, because climbing sets them up for a fall, and safety should always be your foremost concern for children.

Also, just because the game is called an “egg hunt” doesn’t mean you have to just stick with eggs. Hide a stuffed rabbit in the home also, and tell them that the Easter Bunny left them a cousin of his to play with. In fact, you can use many things besides eggs. One really popular idea is hiding an Easter basket or baskets. You can fill the basket with candy (chocolate bunny rabbits, jellybeans, etc) and toys, like another stuffed bunny or a plush duckling. If you’ve got several children, and you want to make sure that they each get a basket, put each child’s name on one basket and tell them that they have to find the one that’s for them. This will most certainly be a great start to your Easter holiday!

Easter crafts

After the excitement and chaos of the Egg Hunt, it’s nice to have an activity for the kids that will wind everyone down, which is where doing Easter crafts come in. This is also great because it doesn’t require as much supervision as the egg hunt, and so is a little break for everyone. All you really need is some paper and crayons and the children can create all sorts of Easter related masterpieces. You can even give them some artistic inspiration by creating a display for them to base their pictures on. The display could have painted eggs, some chicks and a bunny.

Then you can make things as structured or unstructured as you’d like. Let them use their imaginations and draw anything they want about Easter, or tell them what do draw, such as painted eggs with chicks cracking through the shell, or a picture of the Easter bunny hiding eggs. You could even turn this into a contest, with the first prize drawing winning the bunny in the display, the second prize winning the chick, and everyone else getting the eggs as a consolidation prize.

The egg hunt and the arts and craft projects are very traditional Easter games, but you can make them more fun than usual by adding plush chicks and a stuffed bunny to motivate the children even more. Remember, there’s a lot you can do to make your Easter holiday one that all the kids will have fond memories of, just follow some of these simple ideas!

Get more information about Easter Bunny Games.

Easter is a big holiday, but few know all about its origin. We know that the Easter bunny comes on Easter and delivers eggs, but where did such a tradition come from? The following article will answer those questions and satisfy our personal curiosity, and give you the knowledge to answer children’s many questions on the holiday. Here is some general information on Easter itself, the Easter Bunny, and the tradition of Easter eggs.

Easter

Easter, while gaining popularity as a secular holiday with the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs, is primarily an important Christian holiday. Easter is connected to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which happened over a three day period according to Christian faith. The day Jesus was crucified is called Good Friday, and Easter Sunday itself takes place on the day he came back to life.

Unlike the other big Christian holiday Christmas, Easter does not have a fixed date. Instead, according to Wikipedia, it falls on or after the winter equinox, March 21. From there it is calculated following the cycle of the moon. Because of this volitality, sometimes different types of Christians celebrate Easter on difference days, depending on if they are Orthodox, Catholic, or something else.

The Easter Bunny

The legend of the Easter Bunny says a rabbit brings gifts to children the night before Easter Sunday. Specifically he brings colorful eggs and candy. As for where this idea originated, that is unknown. One theory, according to Wikipedia, is that the bunny originated with a spring children’s game in the 1700’s where a being named the Oschter Haws would leave colorful eggs for good children in a nest they had built out of garments. Supposedly, over the years this idea has evolved into the more famous egg hunt.

You may have noticed that Easter decorations overwhelmingly involve the bunny rabbit, with stuffed bunnies, bunny figurines, and tons of other bunny-related items. As for why a rabbit was chosen to represent Easter, this is because few animals symbolize the season of spring better. The bunny is known for its extraordinary fertility, and spring is a time of new life, as everything begins to bloom again. This is why the Easter Bunny seems so appropriate for this spring holiday.

The Easter Eggs

Fertility really is one of the main themes of spring, which is why eggs are also an icon of the Easter holiday. The new life theme is so important that people didn’t stop with just eggs, many decorations also include little chicks and plush ducks too.
Though fertility seems to be something of a pagan idea, the egg tradition also has its roots in Christianity. The blood of Jesus was said to have spread over some eggs that were placed at the bottom of the cross he was on, where it painted the eggs red. So that’s where the idea of painting the eggs came from. In fact, further in to the tradition, once the eggs have been painted red, Christians were supposed to tap them and say an Easter incantation praising Jesus’ resurrection.

Obviously, the color choices for the eggs have evolved from the original red to multi-colored, and often pastel, but you can see where the tradition originally came from. In fact, the egg tapping itself has transformed into a different game where you tap until you find the hardest egg. In this game, the egg that survives the most taps without breaking wins.

So there you have it! The holiday of Easter has a long and interesting tradition that has evolved greatly overtime. Now that you are armed with the knowledge, you’ll be able to answer any questions those curious children you know may have. This will also help you find the most appropriate stuffed bunnies and bunny figurines to mimic the Easter Bunny. Have a happy holiday!

DecorateFor can give you great ideas on Christmas Holiday Decorating Ideas.