What are you doing for Easter Baskets?

[LaLa]

We are not doing candy. We may not do a basket either? She is only 2!
LOL

But I'm curious what you mamas will do. If I had more time and energy I'd probably make a doll and some felt animals in a spring theme to play with and to learn about the springtime with

flowers etc, but I doubt that we'll be doing much of that since I have little crafting time.

Last year I was in on an Easter swap that was cool!
Bean got a homemade apron, some hand painted eggs, a purse, felt board, etc. I made doll slings and felt purses with pop up flowers.

It was fun

[abismommie]

How do you make your felt animals? Do you use patterns, or just wing it?

[AnnR33]

Do tell LaLa-I think the felt animals sound great for a beginning sewer like me!

I hate doing candy at Easter too-last year we just did 2 plastic alligators (he'd been begging every time we went to the store) a book and I think some coins for his bank inside some plastic eggs. I don't think Tessa got anything since she was so little.
DH set the basket outside the front door and told Brenn the Easter Bunny was in a big hurry so he must have left it on the front porch-it was so great to see his face when he opened the door
Bubbles are always good too and sidewalk chalk!
Anyway, I love the felt animals idea and the apron idea for Tessa-I better learn how to use my new sewing machine I got for Christmas!
Ann

[khrisday]

No baskets this year- dh is making a puppet theater and I am making puppets!

[LaLa]

khridsay I'd love to see pictures!


Ann, I will try to remember to bring a magazine with pics of those for you tomorrow!
Call me to remind me in the AM if you think of it!

[Mama Lori]

Last year we found egg-shaped sidewalk chalk at Target! Eli loved it.

I am thinking this year of giving my 9yo dd a heart pendant in her basket and maybe some paints or beads, a bookmark, some lip balm.

For ds, a soft stuffed animal, some little toys I don't know what else. Need to think of something to make.

[Momalea]

I'm not sure if we're going to do Easter baskets per se but we will do an Easter egg hunt-in fact we're alreay doing them daily! I bought some of those plastic eggs and hide them around the house and dd (2.5 yo) finds them & puts them in her basket. It's her favorite game these days.

On Easter day I'm planning on putting some stickers, treats that I'm okay with her eating & little things in the eggs for her to find along with toys that she already has. She's young enough that the hunt is thrilling and finding out what is inside is exciting-she doesn't really care if it's new or not.

[Lady of Z Lake]

I'll do a basket for my 3-1/2 yr old who is *already* talking about Easter. I did buy a basket for my baby, but will probably only put my egg Fuzbaby diaper in it for him!!

We actually just pulled out our Easter box this evening and dd was so excited to put clingys on the windows and start hiding her plastic eggs.

I'm doing a fairy theme for her this year and got her a book about fairies as well as a fairy nightlight. I may return it since she still wants her mini Christmas tree in there instead!!! In fact, tomorrow we're putting pastel lights on it (Easter colors)!! Maybe I'll get her some eggs to hang from her seasonal tree!

I don't know why, but I really wanted them to have special Easter baskets from the year of their first Easter. I figure I'll use them every year and give them to them when they're older. I splurged on Longabergers.

[LaLa]

tara, that sounds sweet

[AnnR33]

LaLa,
I bought the felt tonight for the cute easter purse-it's my project for the week. I'll have to show it off (maybe: ) when I'm done.
Now I have to get more felt though since Brenn reminded me of the crab when we got home-for the oceanscape. I think I'm going to try to make them puffy though instead of just cutouts-we'll see how the first project goes!

BTW, they have different bug shaped sidewalk chalk at JoAnn fabric that's really cute and cheap.

Ann

[LaLa]

That sounds great, Ann!

[LaLa]

what about for older kids?
Here are some ideas I got from Mom2Max that I've been holding onto for ages!
LOL

Maybe a "kit" of sorts with the ingredients to make the following

Magic Muck



3/4-cup cornstarch

1/3 cup water

5-7 drops food coloring



Mix water and food coloring together in a small bowl. Then slowly add cornstarch to water mixture. Do not stir! Let the mixture stand for 2-3 minutes. Pick up a handful and squeeze it until it forms a hard ball. Open your hand and the Magic Muck will turn from a solid ball back into a liquid! The kids always loved this recipe!



Goop

Mix equal parts of Elmers glue and water. Add food coloring. Sometimes you have to add a little bit more water or glue. the consistency should be rubber like.



Another fun one for that age is Invisible Ink. Dip a Q-tip in lemon juice and have the kids write out a secret message. Then hold it up to a light and the heat will turn the lemon juice brown and reveal the message.

[Queen Gwen]

I'm getting 7yo dd the Klutz book on making Flower Fairies; I'd like to make both girls a Blossom Fairy, too (kits are in Magic Cabin cat. as well as A Child's Dream). I also thought about making little bunnies for each, but don't know if I'll get around to it. We can never have too much glitter glue, of course, not to mention barrettes, little bunny-themed books, Easterish socks, etc. Plus all the stuff I'd gotten for them last year and forgot to take to my parents' house when we went there for Easter weekend -- talk about a major trauma at 10p.m. the night before Easter!

In the eggs will be stickers, tiny little bunny stamps (hmm, we'll need stamp pads for those, won't we), coins. No candy -- they'll be attending at least one other candy-loaded egg hunt, and MIL insists on giving one of those gaudy candyladen baskets from Sams or Walmart or wherever (I tell the girls to select a couple of pieces and then leave the rest at her house).

3yo is quite bunny-obsessed this year. She keeps asking me to read various Easter Bunny books. I've started using more bunny fingerplays and all in our morning circle time, and she's absolutely thrilled.

[rgarlough]

Last year for a 6 & 8 year old...

We did the egg shaped sidewalk chalk, kites, books, and a little candy that they had to share with us!

This year, we have maturing 7 & 9 year olds I'm thinking about more chalk (it was a swell idea) maybe some paint by numbers, maybe a model of sorts... still thinking...

[Sandra Dee]

My girls are getting matching custom-made dresses from Little Lambs (including a quick-dry AIO for the babe). Those will be in their baskets on Easter morning. :0) With little beaded neclaces with a cross pendant on it that match.

For treats: CinnaKids cookies from Whole Foods (those HUGE cinnamon sugar cookies they make - they're shaped like bunnies right now), maybe a couple wildlife chocolate bars (they love the Dolphin bars), and LOTS of sidewalk chalk. I saw some some egg shaped and character shaped chalk at Crayolastore.com. I also saw sidewalk chalk holders at Wal-Mart cheap!!!

I'd really like to give them swimming suits and a small pool as well, but feel like it might be too much, yk? I don't want to set the precedent for next year! But, a little pool, suits, sunblock, and sunglasses would be lots of fun!!

[flowerpower]

Little handmade boxes with one or two chocolates inside. LOTS of "easter grass" (shredded newspaper) to fill it up. They'll each get one wooden animal for their collection...

I don't know, I am kind of stumped! I really don't want to collect any more "things"

[PM]

These are all such good ideas! Unfortunately, I can't get my hands on half of this stuff, including food coloring. I'm organizing an Easter Birthday Party, so some of these ideas are coming in handy! I'm not sure what I can get to give as "prizes": I'm doing an egg hunt for which everyone gets a goody bag regardless of the number of eggs found. Kites is an excellent idea! I had, in fact, thought of having kite decorating at the party.

Flowerpower - how are you shredding the newspaper?

Maybe I'll start a thread about party ideas.

[Lady of Z Lake]

I've switched my theme... dd tells me she wants a fairy theme for her birthday (August) so I'm saving the fairy ideas for then. Strawberry Shortcake has made a big comeback, so I got her the little doll with the baby sister Apple Dumplin. She loves anything that has to do with food!!! I'll probably also add some natural suckers, or something strawberry-like!

And, T, I was checking out Strawberry Shortcake stuff on eBay and that stuff is giong for big $$$$$$$. If any of you saved them from the '80s, you might have a small fortune!!!

[Sandra Dee]

To the overseas mama who can't get dye:

In this month's Martha Stewart living she had all kinds of natural food dyes and directions. It calls for a LOT of each food (like four cups of beets, I think). But, the colors were really pretty.

Try going to www.marthastewartliving.com or www.marthastewart.com

You can click the word "learn" and search egg dye

[PM]

Thanks momschooling! I actually came here today to look up a thread I remembered from last Easter! I was in Paris and was going to do the Martha, but another poster had some great additional ideas! If you do a search for natural easter egg dyes you'll find the thread.