Easter Fun

The Easter holiday has roots that extend back for centuries. Traditionally, Easter is a Christian celebration that observes the resurrection of Jesus on the 3rd day after his crucifixion. Easter has secular traditions associated with giving and receiving decorated Easter eggs, and the Easter Bunny who brings baskets of candy and eggs to children as gifts. Eggs, candy, and baskets are all available during the season to be enjoyed. There are also many fun craft activities that children can do to celebrate the season of Easter.

Easter Grass
•   Supplies: paper shredder, colored paper or cellophane.
•   Use the paper shredder to cut paper into strips of various lengths and widths.
•   Crinkle the pieces and place in baskets to make Easter grass.

Easter Place Mats
•   Supplies: construction paper, cardstock or cardboard, pictures, glue, and scissors.
•   Cut Easter shapes out of construction paper or pictures out of a magazine.
•   Glue the Easter pictures and shapes to a piece of cardstock or cardboard and let dry.
•   Optional: Laminate the placemat with contact paper to protect the pictures.

Easter Baskets
•   Supplies: pail, fruit carton, mixing bowl, or any container that can be used as a basket, construction paper, glue.
•   Decorate the sides of the container with colored construction paper or stickers.
•   Cut a strip of construction paper or bend a pipe cleaner. Glue or staple to sides to make a handle.

Bunny Mask
•   Supplies: paper plate, construction paper, pipe cleaners, scissors, glue, cotton balls, ribbon.
•   Cut holes in the plate for the eyes of the mask. Using pink construction paper, cut out ear shapes.
•   Glue cotton balls to the inner part of the ears and where the nose will be. Glue the ears to the top of the plate.
•   Cut pipe cleaners into lengths to form whiskers. Glue to front of face. Draw a mouth.
•   Using a ribbon, glue or staple one end to each side to tie around the face for a mask.

Easter Chicks
•   Supplies: Cotton balls, yellow food coloring, egg carton, orange construction paper, glue, shredded colored paper, scissors, marker.
•   Dye each cotton ball with yellow food coloring and let dry. Cut the egg carton into sections. Place a small amount of colored paper in each section.
•   Once the cotton ball is dry, draw eyes onto it. Cut a small beak out of orange construction paper and glue to cotton ball.
•   Place cotton balls into cups to make a chick in a cup.

Paper Plate Bunny
•   Supplies: paper plate, pink construction paper, cotton ball, pipe cleaners, glue, scissors, marker.
•   Cut pink construction paper into the shape of ears. Glue ears to top of paper plate.
•   Cut pipe cleaners into lengths and glue to face to form whiskers. Glue cotton ball in center to form a nose. Draw eyes and mouth with a marker.

Easter Bunny Ears
•   Supplies: construction paper, scissors, glue or stapler.
•   Measure around the child’s head and cut construction paper to same length. Gather ends together and glue or staple to form a headband.
•   Cut construction paper in the shape of ears. Glue or staple the ears to the back of the headband and place it on the child’s head.

Easter Eggs
•   Supplies: eggs, food coloring, vinegar, water, cups.
•   Cook eggs until hard-boiled and allow to cool completely.
•   Mix ½ cup water with 1 tablespoon vinegar in a cup and add food coloring.
•   Place an egg in each cup and leave in until desired color is achieved. Remove and allow to dry.

Paper Mache Eggs
•   Supplies: balloons, water, flour, newspaper, glue, and paint.
•   Make paper mache paste using 1 cup of water and ¼ cup of flour. Pour mixture into boiling water and stir for three minutes. Let cool completely.
•   Blow balloons up and tie closed. 
•   Cut newspaper into strips. Dip each strip into paper mache paste and lay it on the balloon. Continue until balloon is covered completely.
•   Allow to dry overnight. Insert a pin to pop the balloon and the paper mache form will continue to hold. Paint with desired colors.

Easter Cupcakes
•   Supplies: cake mix, cake icing, assorted Easter candy, food coloring
•   Bake cake into cupcakes and allow to cool completely. Tint icing to a green color and spread on each cupcake to resemble Easter grass.
•   Place one to two pieces of Easter candy in the middle of each cupcake to resemble eggs or chicks in an Easter basket.

Eggshell Mosaic
•   Supplies: Saved eggshells from colored Easter eggs, cardstock, glue, marker.
•   On the cardstock, draw a shape of an Easter image for the mosaic. 
•   Break the eggshells into small pieces and glue each piece, colored side up, to fill in the outline and see the image.