When I was growing up community Easter egg hunts were not
the fashion they are today. But we did love waking up on Easter morning to
clues the bunny left behind and searching for our eggs out in the yard or in
our home. We didn't have to worry about 50 other kids gunning for the same
egg, just the fierce competition between my older brother and me. My younger
siblings didn’t even stand a chance when the two of us were on the hunt. There
were plenty of tears at home which is why I imagine my mom didn’t take all four
of us into public to exhibit our upset.
Over the years we have taken our kids to a few different community egg
hunts. We have had a few disasters and a few that were pure joy. But before they were old enough to take out to big
events we held our egg hunts at home with a few special twists.
Here are 5 creative ways to hide your kid’s eggs at home:
GET LIT
I mean the eggs, not the adults (this is a family show). Hide a small
glow stick (we’ve used the glow bracelets from the dollar store, but you can
order on Amazon), a small laser finger pointer or a battery operated tea light
inside a plastic egg. Hide them in a dark room, or turn out the lights shortly before
bed and surprise your kids with glowing eggs. Watching your toddlers face light up is priceless!
EGG REHEARSAL
When my kids were toddlers they loved playing
egg hunt in the back yard for weeks before the main event. I gave them a dozen
plastic eggs to play with and they took them outside to hide. They took turns
hiding the eggs for the other to find. It is such a simple and fun way for
little ones to enjoy the game without heavy competition.
READ MORE: How to Make Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs
GO A LITTLE HIGHER
Insert a balloon string between the two pieces
of a plastic egg and close the egg. The balloon will rise up and the egg will
stay on the ground. You may need to put something inside the egg like a few
hard candies, or small toy to keep them from floating away. This makes it
easier for little kids to see the eggs. It is also a great way to accommodate
kids with different abilities – kids in wheel chairs, or with crutches, etc. can easily reach a balloon
string vs. an egg lying on the ground.
COLOR COORDINATE
Assign each child a specific colored egg that
matches their Easter basket or bucket. This way everyone gets an equal amount
of eggs. There is no fighting or sibling rivalry involved.
EGGS DO GROW ON TREES
Create a fun egg tree in the yard by hanging plastic eggs from a tree branch or small shrub. If you want to bring it inside you can hang from a sturdy plant, or a branch you have secured in a bucket. Allow little hands to pluck the eggs from the tree and place in their baskets.
We mix up our egg hunt style year-to-year and my kids love all of the above. The family favorite is definitely the glow in the dark
egg hunt. This year with April fool’s day falling on the same day as Easter we
are going to toss in a wacky egg hunt with clues. Twin rivalry is pretty intense
at our house, so each child is going to have their own colored eggs to pick up.
Egg hunts are meant to be fun and stress free!
If you celebrate – Happy Easter!
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter.
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