Family Easter Activities

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When spring comes along, we have a celebration of renewal (we're also happy to get out of the house and shake the winter blues!). Part of this celebration for many of us is the Easter holiday. Children, especially, anticipate it as a time of fun with lots of goodies! Here are some activities that kids of all ages can enjoy!

Easter Egg Treasure Hunt - A traditional holiday game for the kids is the Easter egg hunt, but sometimes having big age differences amongst the kids can be a challenge. How do you hide eggs which will be both fair to the younger kids and challenging for their older siblings? The solution? Two egg hunts! The young ones can enjoy the traditional Easter egg hunt using small eggs (real or plastic), while you send the older kids on an Easter treasure hunt!

To begin the game, divide the older kids into two or three teams, (being careful to keep the ages within each team very diverse), and give each team a clue as to where they can find the first egg. Each egg they find will contain a clue for the location of the next egg. The last egg should contain a map which will lead the team to the room where the "treasure" is located.

Tips for a Successful Hunt

To manage the game better, each team can be given the color that matches their eggs. For instance, the blue team's clues will all be in blue eggs. In addition, make sure to use the large plastic eggs to distinguish them from those in the egg hunt for the younger kids.

For extra fun, include instructions to go back to the "game master" to do a "feats of fun" challenge to get the next clue. The "game master" (who can be a different adult for each challenge), will have the team do things such as: hop like a bunny for one minute, play the hokey pokey game or dare them to eat a plate full of (candy) worms.

To organize a successful game, make sure each team follows a different path to their treasure and that the eggs are well hidden. Decide what the treasure will be at the end of the hunt so that each child participating gets an adequate share. Filling little treasure chests (available at craft or party stores) with candy and real coins is a fun idea. To keep costs down, parents can donate candy, coins and toy prizes, and the treasure chest can be a decorated box or bag.

Bunny Bingo - Make bingo cards out of construction paper and holiday stickers for a fun game of bunny bingo.

Instructions

Using a marker, divide the paper into sixteen even squares (four across and four down), then place a sticker in each square.

With a second set of the same stickers, cut out squares from index cards, place a sticker inside each one and place squares inside of a hat.

Pull out squares one at a time from the hat and call out to the group. Rather than a letter and number, like in traditional bingo, you call out the picture ("pink bunny!").

The children who have matches can use jelly beans as the marker, and the first one to cover four squares in a row wins! This game can be fun for all ages and using bright pictures allows the little ones to play too! There are sure to be lots of winners!

Easter Bonnet Decorating Contest - This is a relay race to decorate the bonnet being worn by mom, grandma, dad or grandpa! You'll need a few straw hats, lots of adhesive Velcro and lots of lightweight decorations such as plastic eggs and plastic flowers. Here's what you do:

First tape the Velcro to the bonnet (adhesive side down) and cover as much of the hat as possible. To make sure it is secure, you can use paper clips on the straw hat. (If you decided to use a bonnet made of other material including cloth, you can sew on the Velcro.)

Next, use the adhesive side to tape small Velcro sections to the decorations which will go on the bonnet. (You can use almost anything as long as the Velcro can sustain its weight.)

Put an even number of items for decoration into two boxes or Easter baskets and place at the relay starting line. The person wearing the bonnet sits at the finish line.

Each team lines up behind their basket of decorations and at the start of the race, picks up one decoration, races to their bonnet and sticks the item on it. They then race back to the starting line where they tag the next person who is waiting for their turn to go. The team that is able to decorate the bonnet first, with all items from basket, is the winner. Of course, pictures of the bonnet wearer are a must!

"Hot Egg" - This is the Easter version of Hot Potato. Place the kids in a circle and use a plastic egg to toss around while the music plays. When the music stops, the one holding the egg is out.

Cookies and a Story - Have the kids gather around for an Easter bunny story and give each child a large cookie shaped like a bunny (or just a couple of smaller cookies). The kids must listen carefully since they are only allowed to take a bite when they hear the word "bunny" in the story!

Have a happy and safe holiday!

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Awesome Cricut Card Ideas For Your Family

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Why spend another penny on a store bought greeting card now that you own a Cricut cutting machine. You paid a lot for that Cricut, so let's put it to work. Here are just a few Cricut Card Ideas that will get you started and allow you to use any of your cricut cartridges you choose.

The next holiday coming up on the calendar is Easter. When I think of what cricut card ideas I can come up with, I think of how your family and friends will react when they receive a handmade greeting card made by YOU. Now that you have your Cricut cutting machine and a variety of cricut cartridges, it is so easy to add your personal touch to a card.

If one of the cricut cartridges you have is the Cricut Doodlecharms cartridge, you can make a really cute handmade greeting card of the Easter Bunny or an Easter Basket filled with colored eggs. Or maybe another one of your cricut cartridges is the Cricut Wild Card cartridge so you can make a Filigree Easter Egg card. Another one of my Cricut Card ideas is if you have the Cricut Stretch your Imagination cartridge. You can make a card with a Bunny coloring Easter eggs or a bunny in a basket.

As far as all of the cricut card ideas I could come up with for Easter, not all of them need to have bunnies or eggs on them. Here is an example of using a different one of your cricut cartridges called A Walk in My Garden cartridge. With this cricut cartridge you can make beautiful daffodil, hyacinth, or tulip to be the theme of your card. You are the artist of this Easter card, show your creativity and have fun.

Then the next big card day is Mothers Day. Think of how your Mom will feel getting a handmade greeting card from her child. You will totally make her day. No matter what cricut cartridges you have you will be able to find some thing that will put a smile on her face, and of course you will do all of this with your magnificent cricut cutting machine. It could be as simple as a basic flower from the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge, that you cut into different sizes and layer on a card, and then add the words Happy Mothers Day, or to the Best Mommy in the World.

The great thing about your Cricut cutting machine and all the cricut cartridges that are available to you is that it gives you thousands of Cricut card ideas. You will see that your cards look so professional you will not be able to wait to send them out or start selling them. I'm going to get busy making my handmade greeting cards on my very own Cricut cutting machine, how about you?

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Easter, a New Life Within (How my Family Celebrates Easter)

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Easter seems to have two different meanings in the mind of most people. There is the spiritual meaning of Jesus Christ rising from the dead, thus showing the world that death should not be feared if we believe in Him. Then, there is the other side that ignores the spiritual meaning and concentrates on Easter Bunnies, egg hunts and the traditional Easter ham and sweet potatoes dinner.

I would like to say that I do not know why you cannot have both meanings in your life. My opinion is that instead of being opposite, these two meanings are as one. Because of Christ and the spiritual meaning, I am free to be happy and celebrate the new life that Christ has promised. What is representative of new life more than baby chicks, eggs, rabbits and any of God’s wonderful creations? I can go to church and then come home and have an Easter egg hunt, Easter dinner with my family and wonder at the many creations of God.

In my mind, there is no way these two things can be opposite. They are all woven together like a perfect tapestry. What better way to explain to children the meaning of life, death, and afterlife than through our traditional rituals? Besides, I don’t think God is up there saying, “you should only go to church on Easter.” I like to think that He is a loving God with a sense of humor and smiling as we run around looking for Easter Eggs.

I have often wondered why this holiday has to be either or (the same for Christmas). Let us celebrate New Life through Christ with our family as we embark on this season of promise.

Easter also represents newness that can be created each day. Every day is new and if I have failed miserably one day, the next morning is a NEW DAY. We have all heard the adage; today is the first day of the rest of my life.

George Bernard Shaw, an Irish Playwright (1856-1950) said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself – life is about creating yourself.”

Tom Stoppard, a British playwright (b. 1937) wrote, “Every exit is an entry somewhere.”

Holy Bible, King James Version: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. Romans 6:4

We certainly do have much to celebrate! Having said all of that, here are some of the fun things our family does at Easter:

This year our family will be celebrating in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Fortunately, all of my children and grandchildren live in Florida.

We always have a traditional dinner that includes ham and some of our other favorites. You may want to log on to Frannie’s Fine Recipes from the Heart, which is: [http://mysite.verizon.net/reso4qht/franniesfinewordsfromtheheart/id26.html] Sometimes we include the Creamy Squash Casserole, or Angel Biscuits. You can find both of these recipes on my site that I have mentioned above.

Most of the time, family members bring a favorite family side dish. For many years, we have included our famous bunny cake. Actually, it is from Baker’s Angel Flake Coconut. I found it on the Internet at: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/easter/hiphop.htm (complete with a great picture).

We usually die eggs outside in the beautiful Florida sunshine. The weather is usually perfect this time of year. Everyone has to dye at least one egg – even the adults.

Besides real dyed eggs, I buy the plastic eggs and insert a prize. It can be money or a gift certificate or a promissory note to do something for another family member. Sometimes, I buy the scratch off lottery tickets for $1.00. I only buy a couple. (Lottery tickets are only for the adult hunt.) It is just a fun thing. What if someone actually won the lottery?

It is a tradition in our family, that after the children find the eggs; they then hide the eggs for the adults. By then, the children want us to hide the eggs again for them. I can’t think of a better way to participate in child’s play verses sending them out to hide and seek eggs by themselves.

Something else I started was the jelly-bean contest. Usually, you can find a large egg-shaped jar at a department store or craft shop. I will fill it with jellybeans after I count them. Everyone makes their guess (written) on the amount of jelly- beans the car contains. The winner is rewarded with the jar of jelly-beans.

We buy inexpensive prizes for the children. We make sure each child gets a prize. The prize is for finding the most eggs, the silliest egg, and the most unusual egg. Well, you get the idea. Every child needs to feel special and win!

One year, I made matching white lacy dresses for our four daughters. Each dress had a different color ribbon around the waist. I thought they looked so adorable and wrote a poem to express just that:

Easter’s Promise

Little Easter beauties

Dressed up in white.

Big delightful smiles;

Oh, what a precious sight.

Little hands waiting

To capture the Easter Eggs

And run through the

Grassy yard with racing legs.

Baskets filled with jelly beans

And a chocolate bunny

Are eaten by little girls

As the spring day promises to be sunny.

Since Easter means new life,

There’s nothing more fitting

Than seeing you created by God

A beautiful picture from where I am sitting.

Our Easter celebrations are so unusual that my daughter received a phone call from her sister-in-law in California. It seems she wants to come to Florida for Easter with her six year old daughter, Sydney. In her words, she wants Sydney to experience an old-fashioned Easter within a family setting. We will not disappoint Sydney.

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5 Simple Ideas For Family Fun Easter Activities

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Easter can be a great time of celebration, a four-day family break filled with fun Easter activities the whole family can do together. Child would love to learn creative techniques with Mom/Dad, for example craft work. How about trying some new Easter recipes to impress your friends and family? There are some great ideas for you and your little ones that are sure to get their minds (and maybe hands too) off those chocolates for a while. However, with Easter coming closer, it is best to start planning from now.

From Easter crafts to recipes, here are 5 Easter activities ideas that your family may enjoy:

1. Easter Cards :

It's great activity for kids. If you have friends and relatives in distance, these cards can be sent to them and can be treasured by framing it or adding it into your scrap booking album. What you will need is just some colourful cardboards from local art supplies stores and cut them into post card size times 2 (as you will need to fold it later). Then cut out or make various shapes (egg shapes and animal shapes are some of kids' favourites) from different colours of cardboards, papers, or even pieces of fabric. Let your kids cut themselves with child-friendly scissors.

2. Making Easter Bunny Ears :

Kids love this easy and fun activity and they love to wear them too. All you need are colourful cardboards or thick paper and glue. Print and cut out the bunny ears using the white cardboard; then cut a pair of smaller ears using the pink/blue cardboard/paper. Glue the ears onto the white ears so the pink/blue resembles the inside of the bunny's ears. Cut around 7 cm of white cardboard to make a band of the right size to fit around your child's head. Staple in place and attach the bunny ears to the band.

3. Cooking with kids

They will love to help and get their hands busy with some of the easy and simple Easter recipes, such as mixing the flour, kneading and rolling the dough, cut out the biscuits in shape templates. This will serve as a cute looking snack as well for visiting friends and relatives.

4. Family Easter Eggs

How about making your family unique style Easter eggs? Get the kids to help in mixing the ingredients, shaping and decorating the eggs with confectioneries. It will sure keep the whole family busy and have lots of fun.

5. Having fun with Easter games

When comes to play with kids, the whole family can also participate and enjoy these several games such as Easter Bunny Tag, Easter Egg Hunts for the little ones, Easter Bowling Match, Easter Eggs Match-up and many others.

Those are just a tiny few of many other Easter activities ideas for your family. If you want to get more recipes, games and kids craft ideas, why not try this complete collection of over 200 pages Easter activities that will sure bring lots of fun for your family this year and in many years to come.

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