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It's a sad day for most families when the rites of childhood fantasy give way to the realities of life. Especially when that happens just about the time of the onset of the dreaded and dreadful teen years! Chances are that pre-teens and teens don't want to have anything to do with the hunting of Easter Eggs. Creating the egg hunt party is a different issue, however. Pre-teens and older teens like the idea of playing the grownup to younger children... especially children who are not related to them.
An Easter Egg Hunt is a wonderful party for older children to plan and execute because it has a creative aspect as well as elements of surprise. Kids like to think of surprise as sneaky. Kids love sneaky. Naturally, there should be some adult supervision and parameters will need to be set such as where the party can be hosted, who will be invited and when the party will be held. Depending how much control that your teens want or how short their attention span is, there can be a planning meeting before the prep party that encourages the older kids to come up with their own ideas for the Egg Hunt. Expect a lot of trips down memory lane as they reminisce about Egg Hunts when they we're young'.
At the planning meeting, be it adults only or with children, an outline will help make sure that all aspects of the party plans are covered. It will still allow for some 'out of the egg' thinking, as it were, when the creative juices start to flow. Items to be considered are:
· Schedule for the actual hunt
· Invitations
· Decorations
· The need to or not to divide the hunt into separate age group locations to make it fair
· Real eggs v plastic eggs
· If plastic... fillers? (remembering that chocolate will melt outside creating an awful mess)
· If real... Egg decoration
· Someone dressed as the Easter Bunny?
· Other games
· Photographer
· Basket decorating for little ones before the Hunt starts Favors
· Refreshments
Invitations:
The need for invitations depends on who will be invited. An Egg Hunt for the cousins at Grandmother's house probably doesn't need an invitation if everyone will be there anyway. Same goes for church groups, school groups or neighborhood associations if information is included in the organization's newsletter.
If, however, children of friends or acquaintances will be invited an invitation will be necessary. They can be as simple as a computer generated letter sized sheets to more elaborate custom ordered invitations. If there is a talented artist in your pre-teen ensemble, allow him or her to get creative. It is also possible to embellish otherwise simple invitations with ribbons, stickers, layered papers, etc. This is an area where kids can add a special touch to set the party mood.
Decoration:
Don't let anyone fool you about decorations for children's parties... they DO notice. Let the older kids plan and execute the decorations. Here are some suggestions to get them started:
· Streamers of pastel ribbons hanging from trees or tied to posts and pillars add a festive look.
· Flowers made from tissue paper are fun to make and very colorful.
· An egg tree made from giant Styrofoam eggs that have been decorated and hung outside from ribbon on a smallish tree or a large shrub.
Dividing the Group:
In large groups with diverse ages it might be necessary to divide them into age groups so that older children don't overrun the babies. New walkers to 2 year olds, 3 year olds to 5, etc, where the dividing line is depends on the age group. Eggs can be hidden in different areas of the garden. This also helps keep it fair as to the number of eggs recovered. Another possibility to stave off hording is to limit the number of eggs that can be retrieved or, in the case of small hunts, embellish each egg with a child's name so that they may only recover eggs with their own names, there by insuring an equal number of eggs in each basket when all is finished.
Real v. Plastic Eggs:
Everyone now knows that real eggs hidden outside will become inedible from lack of refrigeration. The simple and obvious solution is: don't eat them. With that issue under control the question of real v plastic 'boils' down to which option the pre-teens choose. Plastic eggs can be stuffed with small candies (not chocolate), stickers, coins, or small toys as well as being decorated with glitter and glued on trim (a glue gun works best for this). Real eggs can be decorated in any number of different methods from solid colored dyes, wax relief, and tie-dyed to acrylic hand painted, glittered and much more. The choice is theirs. A compromise of both is also a possibility!
Photographer:
At least one of the party planning kids should take on the role of photographer during the egg hunt. An area set up for pictures with either the Easter Bunny or a special decorated corner with the egg hunters and their filled baskets will make for treasured pictures cherished for years. Digital cameras allow for quick developing of the pictures so that they can be incorporated into the party favors. Everyone benefits from photographs because life passes quickly and children grow up at the speed of light!
Baskets:
While guests can be asked to bring their own baskets, a fun activity for the older children can be decorating baskets for the little ones. Imaginations can go wild here. Check out the internet and craft stores for ideas. Baskets can usually be purchased at a dollar store or other discount outlet. If baskets are given to the guests they can serve as part or all of the favor from the party.
Refreshments:
After the pre-teens decide what to serve (cookies, cake, 'rabbit food') they should chose how to serve it. They can arrange the food, serve the snacks and provide clean up. Cookies can be decorated and cakes can be made in the shape of Easter baskets and eggs. Cupcakes can be finished with coconut dyed green to resemble grass with jelly bean 'eggs' on top. Having some cookbook photographs on hand when planning refreshments will help visualize the possibilities.
All hands on deck is the name game on the day of the party. Make sure everyone has assigned duties, including adult helpers. Someone needs to be the party manager to make sure everything goes smoothly and to answer questions. A responsible kid can do this or they may prefer to ask an adult helper to be the clip board keeper.
This party can be a joyful transition between childhood and adulthood for the teen party planners. It will also be a delightful memory for the young guests who have the honor of being able to participate. Enjoy!
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