How to have fun during the Easter holidays

Easter is approaching (Sunday 16 April) and the glorious, warming weather provides a great incentive for all of us to enjoy the garden. Get the kids outdoors having fun during the school holidays now and they will form habits that will last through the summer. ‍ Easter and gardens make the perfect match. Even the cat can enjoy Easter if you give your pet some cat grass or kitty grass! With just a tiny bit of imagination, the opportunities are endless. It doesn't even have to involve eating chocolate. In fact so many people have intolerance to sugar and dairy produce that offering an Easter egg hunt isn't always the best idea. You can hide little Easter chicks around the garden instead of eggs if chocolate is a problem . Or hide some clues leading to the end treasure. Everybody loves a treasure hunt and this is the perfect time to organise one! ‍

Organise a treasure hunt or Easter egg hunt!

What do you need?

Make sure everyone has a collection vessel such as a little basket or carry-bag. You can buy purpose-built bags such as these felt creations which are charming. Measuring approximately 15cm x 15cm x 8cm, they can even be used as a gift bag afterwards. You can buy them HERE for £4.95 each (+p&p). ‍

Easter bags make the perfect little gathering vessel for an Easter egg hunt.  

Eggs and chicks

Of course you do need something to hide and eggs are very easy. But they don't all have to be chocolate. How about having a painting session first? You can hard-boil ordinary eggs and then paint colours and patterns on them. It's great fun and the kids will love it. ‍

Painting eggs is a great, fun-filled activity. Then you can hide them! ‍

This felt basket is easily filled with real and chocolate eggs. Then it can be used as a gift for granny too. ‍

Chicks make a great alternative to chocolate! Who could resist these yellow fluffballs?

Easter activities

There are so many topics that can be linked to Easter, that finding things to do is really easy once you start thinking about it. Lambing events are always popular, as are visits to petting farms. This is the season of new life and there is an abundance of baby animals to enjoy! ‍

Lambs at Easter are always a delight to witness. Once you start looking at baby animals it can become addictive! This YouTube clip is well worth a look, but it comes with a warning: you will want to see more! https://youtu.be/1LqyOX12_nQ At Chester Zoo they have lots to celebrate, including the first Bornean orangutan baby. The zoo is also home to rare giraffe babies; an Asian elephant baby and many more beautiful babies. ‍

A charming Borean orangutan baby was born at Chester Zoo in April this year. Easter is a time of year when there's a lot of positive feeling in the air.  It's all about the weather. It encourages all of us to go outside and enjoy the garden, the park, the countryside or even the balcony!

Go for a picnic!

Having fun at Easter doesn't need to be expensive. You could pack up a simple picnic and go for a walk. Perhaps look for nature's treasure along the way. Take the dog and the whole family and get everybody looking for blossom, flowers and wildlife. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is otherwise known as the May flower (Ne'er cast a clout 'till May is out') generally flowers in April these days and a sniff of the white blossom is intoxicating. ‍

Hawthorn, or the May tree, looks amazing in bloom during this month.

Look and draw

Get the kids engaged in the beautiful sights and sounds around them by drawing pictures. You could set them a drawing task and entice them with prizes. ‍

Kids love to engage in fun - so make Easter a time of happy activities outdoors. Go out on bikes; set challenges; give them specific tasks and get them talking. Have you played 'word association'? It's the simplest form of fun! Then get them gardening - give the children a few plants, a trowel, a little patch of soil and some water. They'll be happy for hours. ‍

These farmyard buckets will provide hours of outdoor fun. Just £6.99 (+p&p), click on the image for more information. ‍

Give the kids a tray of pansies and encourage them to plant them in pots, containers or directly into the ground. Click on the photo for more info.