The most important thing you can do for your children and grandchildren this season is 1) to teach them the reason for Easter and Passover 2) To spend quality time with them 3) To pray for them and with them.
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| Our son, Pastor Bobby at Gma and Gpa Schuller's Annual Easter Egg Hunt, circa '86 or '87 |
Now that we've got those things out let's talk about having some holiday fun! One
of the traditions we've carried-on from my husband's parents is to host
an annual Easter Egg Hunt for our grandchildren. So far, we've only
three that are old enough to enjoy this fun event but that's changing every year. We now have five grandchildren and
one more on the way. By next year our count will be at least six! Sadly, our daughter, Angie's daughter is in Dallas so she can't participate in our family fun day. Hopefully some some year!
Here's an important thing I've learned about children.
They do not care how much money you spend on Easter stuff (or anything for that matter)
They do care about how much thought and time you put into it, especially the time you spend with them. (I've talked about putting your phones away more than once so I want go there right now) Below is a photo of Haven, taken last year as we dyed Easter Eggs together. I pick her up at 3pm today so we can carry-on this fun tradition as well.
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| Bobby's oldest, daughter, Haven. 2016 | |
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I'm a nutritionist so I don't go for giving my grandchildren candy. Never. We adutls are the ones who put it in their minds that candy is an important part of Easter Baskets. I know from personal experience that it isn't. If you put in things that last longer like little books, stuffed animals, and fun games and toys, they don't even ask about the candy. Here's what I do. Instead of buying the largest, fanciest baskets I go to Dollar Store or 99 Cent Store and I buy the baskets that cost... you guessed it...a dollar! At the same time I go through the store and find all kinds of fun things, including some great books, and I fill the basket for each child for about $10 each. Sometimes I do if for even less if I pick big items such as balls and larger books!
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| Cohen, Haven, Christian. All from one of the "Dollar Stores!" |
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I have a huge role of cellophane wrap that I also found at one of the "dollar stores" several years ago. It's amazing how long it lasts! I also identify each of the children's baskets by using recycled cards that I cut and title with each name. Hole punch and a bit of thin ribbon (also recycled) and there you go! (notice the pink for Haven and the darker colored basket for the boys) These baskets were from two years ago so Haven was 5, Cohen was 3, and Christian was only 1. All of the baskets contain age-appropriate items and they were (almost) all loved and played with immediately. I also include the re-cycled, brightly colored plastic Easter Eggs that we use for the egg hunt. We put quarters and a dollar bill or two in those. If you throw yours away each year then I suggest you buy them again at one of the dollar stores.. (why not...they are almost the same everywhere) Make sure that children do not put the eggs in their mouths because these are not BPA/chemical-free. I'm pretty sure most of them aren't, even if you pay more at the grocery store.
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| Opening Baskets and checking things out! |
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And if you are fortunate enough to have a friend who's chickens lay real colored eggs, you can make a learning experience about life out of the day too!
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| Real, non-dyed eggs from my friend, Julie Ann Ulcikas! |
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To contact me:
Donna@DonnaSchuller.com
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To contact me: Donna@DonnaSchuller.com
Bravo! Great ways to introduce or continue the meaning of Easter and you are so right about the kiddies not caring about candy unless we keep using candy as the focus of Easter or other holidays. We too have Egg hunts and hide the plastic eggs around our garden if the weather has been cooperating. Otherwise they are in the vases on the piano or behind curtains in the house. Mostly, making a real day of colouring some eggs ourselves WITH the kids has been our tradition. Getting the aprons, the eggs, teaching how to get the yolks out (and kept for scrambled eggs after) getting the vinegar then dyes was part of the fun. I remember how one of our own children used to love going through the fridge with us to find beets to use the juice and other food liquids to make dyes.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, the time and the happy result once the baskets are filled and put for a table centrepiece or whatever, was the best end result. We now have grandchildren who do this with their parents unless we can get to see them Easter week early. Then Grandma and I Grand-Dad have the joy or doing this with our Grandkids.