Ahhh. . . Easter.  My memories of Easter as a child drum up happy visions of spring, lilacs, colored eggs (real, not plastic), a fluffy pastel dress and white patent leather shoes for church, and of course - the magic of the Easter Bunny (who brought candy not knowing Mom didn't like us to have it. :> ) We repeated the same customs with our own daughter Natalie, and do you know that even today (she's 26 now) the Easter Bunny still remembers her! As with other holidays, the fun times together as a family, repeating traditions and establishing some of our own, created memories that we all cherish today. I look forward to repeating them yet again with our grandchildren someday in hopes that family traditions will be carried on for countless generations to come. Before we get to the fun and games, I've always done as my parents did, and that's to explain the day and why it's special. Being Christ-ians, Easter has a very significant meaning and, just as with Christ-mas, the celebrating can overtake the meaning if we don't make an effort to teach what it's all about. When children know the meaning of Easter (or any holiday), the traditions have much more meaning as well.  FUN IDEAS for EASTER . . . * Take the time to dye REAL Easter eggs. Eggs are always on sale at Easter and the experience of coloring eggs together as a family will delight your children and remain in their fondest memories. As with any cooked eggs, they should be stored in the 'fridge and put out just temporarily for a centerpiece or decoration. A couple of days after Easter, use the colored eggs to make a big batch of egg or potato salad. In our family that in itself has become a tradition - the "after Easter egg salad" is something we all look forward to.  * EASTER EGG HUNTS. . .In this case it really does work better if you use plastic eggs. For one thing they don't break, pet dogs don't eat them (a big problem when our daughter was little), and they can be washed & reused year after year. Don't throw them away and buy new ones each year; it's such a needless waste, and you'll find that certain "favorite" eggs become cherished traditions in themselves, much like favorite Christmas ornaments. Fun! - Put treats inside some or all of the eggs to make them extra fun. Any wrapped candies, colorful jelly beans, ball gum (if age appropriate), small-sized candybars, candy stretch bracelets, M&Ms, or specialty Easter candies like chocolate bunnies. Try the Dollar Store! They have a huge assortment. - For non-candy fillers, use stickers (kids love 'em! Check out the scrapbook store), stretch bracelets, wash-off tattoo decals, whimsical socks, small stuffed animals, (remember those tiny toy baby chicks with the wire feet?); fun-shaped bath fizzies or soaps, magnets, small "transformers" - monster figures, tiny baby dolls, hero and princess figures. - It's really fun to have one or more special eggs for the "big prize". Get the larger-sized eggs, fill with quarters or a couple dollar bills, movie tickets, bag of marbles or jacks, jumprope, disposable camera. Wrap the "special egg/s" in gold foil (or spray paint well in advance) and add an extra-special touch by winding a gold-star garland around the egg to make it a super duper prize. It looks so enchanting and kids LOVE this! What a thrill to discover the "golden egg" and it adds extra excitement to the easter egg hunt.  * EASTER BASKETS. . . The Easter Bunny is a magical tradition that kids absolutely cherish, just like Santa and the Tooth Fairy. Again, it's the effort you make more than the cost or amount of things inside the basket. When Natalie was little we put jelly beans and a few plastic eggs leading a path from her bedroom to wherever the Easter Bunny had left an Easter basket. It was the THRILL OF ALL THRILLS! We used the cheapo woven baskets until she was about 10 and then we switched to "baskets" that were more useable, like a new lunch box, sand pail, bike helmet, cosmetic bag, baseball cap, terra cotta pot, etc. * BASKET IDEAS FOR YOUNGER KIDS: Make a "filling" of cellophane grass, or shred paper bags, colorful construction paper, or old road maps (use your shredder!). Fill with candy, chocolate bunnies, plastic eggs - - the usual things kids love. But it's such fun to be creative and add more useable treats too, like a variety of paintbrushes in bright colors, tubes of paint, rubber stamps & ink pads, markers, stuffed animals, bubbles with a giant wand, sunglasses, bath products & toys, squirt guns, kites, hand-held electronic games, books, tapes, CDs, puzzle books, sidewalk chalk. Our daughter LOVED those "dehydrated wash cloths". They're about the size of a quarter until you put them in water and then they grow to regular-sized washcloths. MAGIC! * FOR OLDER KIDS: Think of what they can really use. Movie tickets, sunglasses & suntan products, beach towel, nail polish/cosmetics/aftershave, special shampoo, CDs & DVDs, jewelry, garden gloves & seed packets, gift cards (wrap in colorful cellophane!); favorite magazine w/ a subscription, cocoa & instant coffee mixes, baseball glove, stick-on fingernails, energy drinks, athletic socks, wallet or coin purse, neat water bottle, deck of cards, flashlight, key chain, flip-flops, t-shirts. Have fun! Be involved! Take the time and the happy memories you create will remain with you and your children for years - maybe generations - to come. -P  |
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CategoriesADSCOOKING INSTRUCTION FUNNY GENERAL CHAT NEWSLETTERS PRODUCTS I LOVE RECIPES WHAT TO DO WITH KIDS / GRANDKIDS
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