Easter Games!

Easter morning is the most egg-citing time for the kids to enjoy all the treats left by the Easter Bunny! And what better way to celebrate than with Easter games for the whole family to enjoy?

Easter Egg-on-a-Spoon Race: 

Keep your friends and family on their toes by adding this tricky game to your Easter celebration. The egg-on-a-spoon race is simple to organize, but challenging to win.

All you need for each contestant is a spoon, a decorated Easter egg and of course a long ribbon or rope to use for the finish line. The object of the game is to walk (or run if you dare) past the finish line first without breaking the delicate egg sitting in the spoon. 

If you prefer not to destroy the beautiful eggs you spent so much time painting, you can substitute them with plastic ones. The first to cross the finish line without letting their egg drop out of the spoon is the winner, and can be rewarded with a prize basket, plush bunny rabbit or delicious chocolate egg!  

Easter Egg Hunt: 

An absolute must on your Easter game itinerary has to be the "Easter Egg Hunt," when the children can search for colourful eggs hidden in the yard and collect them in their baskets.

This game usually entails the parents hiding either plastic eggs filled with sweet treats and toys, or painted boiled eggs prepared the day before in the yard for the children to hunt for later. Then after the hunt, the kids can count how many eggs they found and enjoy the fun prizes and treats inside each egg.

Here are some great tips for a brilliant Easter Egg Hunt:

Keep a record

Always make a note of how many eggs you’ve used and where they’re hidden. There’s nothing worse than smelling a rotten egg in July or finding melted chocolate under the couch cushions!

Draw a map

Keep things interesting by setting up a treasure hunt for kids, says Brown. Give each child a map using picture clues for non-readers. Cut out a picture of a chair, for instance, or draw a coffee table to show them where the eggs are. Then be a bit sneaky by hiding another map at one of the clues. Use riddles for older kids and lead them to more difficult places.

Use plastic eggs

Real eggs can crack and it’s time-consuming to cook and dye a huge batch (but good fun). Instead, choose the plastic variety and ask everyone to return them at the end of the hunt so you can reuse them next year.

Supply good prizes

Every child should get a sweet/chocolate prize for participating. As well, have small prizes such as free ice cream cones. For the grand prize, choose something that kids will really love like a DVD.

Hide the prize inside

Go for random winners, rather than the children who have the most eggs. Simply place a note inside a certain number of eggs to declare the victors.

Stay safe

Think about your location carefully beforehand, and be aware of hazards such as water and traffic. An open space such as a football field is ideal. Make sure everyone knows where the boundaries of the hunt are, and if you have a large number of kids, have parents be responsible for keeping an eye on them.

Have fun & Happy Easter everyone!!

Easter Egg Decorating Ideas:

Let your imagination run wild with our great Easter egg decorating ideas for kids.  These fun Easter egg decorations will make your Easter egg hunt more colourful. 

 

Crayon Easter Eggs:

 

What you'll need:

• Crayons;
• Hard boiled eggs; and
• Neon food coloring and white vinegar (optional).

How to make them:

1. Be sure that boiled eggs are cool and dry.
2. Place a double folded kitchen towel and place it on the table underneath child's hands so if the egg slips out it will have a soft cushion to land on.

3. Use crayons to draw designs on the egg.
4. Have kids hold the egg gently so they do not crack the shell. A good tip for smaller kids is to sit the eggs in the an egg carton so they don't have to handle them much.  

1. This step is optional but adds a fun effect. If you like, mix 1 Tbsp of white vinegar into a coffee mug of water (filled ¾ full) then add several drops of food coloring.
2. Dip the crayon colored egg into the dye and let sit for about a minute.
3. Remove and let dry. The dye makes the crayon look brighter, especially if you use neon food coloring!  

Tips:

• To boil perfect eggs, place into a shallow pan, cover with water and boil gently for three minutes. Turn off heat and cover pan with a tight fitting lid and let sit for 15 minutes. Place pan in sink, carefully drain out hot water and let cold water run over them for several minutes. Turn off water and add several ice cubes and let sit for about 5 minutes more.
• Try different types of food coloring, we used neon colors!
• The longer you leave the egg in the dye, the deeper the color will be.

Sticker Eggs:

 

For something different try making these sticker dyed Easter eggs. The high point of this craft for kids is revealing the patterns left by the dye once the stickers are peeled off.

What you'll need:  

• Easter egg dye or food coloring and white vinegar;
• Hard boiled eggs;
• Paper towel;
• Cooling rack;
• Newspaper; and 
• Tiny stickers in different shapes.

How to make them:

1. Cover work area with newspapers.
2. Place cooling rack on newspapers.
3. Follow manufacturer's instructions for preparing the Easter egg dye OR place 1 Tbsp of white vinegar into a wide mouth cup (coffee mugs work great) and fill ¾ full with water, then add several drops of food coloring.

4. Use a separate cup for each color of dye.
5. Dry off egg completely with paper towel.
6. Stick on reinforcements and any tiny stickers desired on egg. Make sure that all edges are firmly applied to egg.

7. Dye egg according to manufacturer's instructions on Easter egg dye.

1. Let egg dry on cooling rack.
2. After egg is completely dry, peel off stickers. You will see white where the sticker had been.
3. If desired, dye egg again using a lighter shade (such as yellow) to fill in the white spaces.
4. Let dry completely.

 

Tips:

• If some of the sticker adhesive remains on the egg, gently scrape it off with your fingernail.
• Try different types of food coloring, neon colors are great!
• The longer you leave the egg in the dye, the deeper the color will be.

Oil & Food Colouring Marbled Eggs:

 

Simple food coloring dye technique with a twist - adding oil for marble looking eggs.  This egg decorating idea requires no special materials except a child's imagination!

What you'll need:  

• Eggs (hard boiled or raw);
• Food colouring;
• Vinegar;
• Cooking oil;
• Containers for the dye mixture (mugs will work);
• Paper towels; and 
• A few spoons.

How to make it:

1. In each container combine one tablespoon of each of the following: oil, vinegar, and your choice of food colouring.
2. Add enough water to make the liquid deep enough to cover an egg.
3. Swirl the liquid with a spoon, and quickly lower and raise an egg into it.
4. Pat dry with a paper towel, and repeat with a second color.
5. Swirl into a third coluor, if desired. Some white areas can be left on the egg.
6. Gently pat dry the completed egg, leaving a bit of the oil to give the egg a varnished look.

Tips:

• This craft requires no special materials and produces beautiful results with very little effort. The eggs can be blown when completed, but the project is so simple that you might just discard the eggs and make a fresh batch each year.