Easter is a holiday weekend to celebrate new life. As winter fades away, spring flowers begin to appear, tree buds and cherry blossoms gently whisper that life is coming, and your children no longer need twenty layers before they head outside. Life brims with hope of warmer days to come. The outdoors is filled with expectation of new life and new growth. Nature-Based activities are a perfect choice for you to celebrate Easter this year.
There is no better setting for your Easter activities than the outdoors. Whether your Easter weekend is elaborate or simple, your traditions are bunny based or faith based, and regardless of your little one’s age- it is a time to embrace joy and find all that fills you with hope. These four nature-based activities are simple enough for young kids, with easy ways to make them more engaging for older children, too. Be prepared for a little mud, pack a change of clothes, fill your Lil Helper Bite Bags, and get ready for some time outside!
Activity One: Nature Walk
It may seem simple, but an Easter nature walk is a simple activity that gets your body and mind engaged in looking for signs of new life. It might be as simple as getting into the back yard, or as taking a drive farther away to a nature preserve, hiking trail, or a park. I challenge you to take this walk as slow as your child or toddler wants. Try to see this place as they do. Crouch down. Let your hands get muddy just like theirs do. When it comes to looking for signs of spring and reasons to find delight on a nature walk, a toddler can be your sweetest, most spontaneous, albeit slow and messy, guide.
If you are looking to add a layer of interactivity to this nature walk, consider looking for and focusing on one of these lists:
1. Start at the bottom, and slowly move upward. Look for something that shows a sign of spring on the ground. Next, look at knee height. Then eye level, upward! From bottom to top (or top to bottom), where do you see spring?
2. Look for each color of the rainbow. Find something red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and even purple and pink.
3. Use this walk as an opportunity for a Reverse Egg Hunt!
Activity Two: Reverse Easter Egg Hunt
A reverse egg hunt is a way to Celebrate Easter with a shift of focus. Rather than filling the yard with our own candy or toys, let your children look for treasure as they would define it. This simple, nature-based activity will let your child find and collect the signs of Spring and what they find special in world around them.
You can collect items inside plastic Easter eggs, or simply use your favorite bag. When their eggs have been filled, take the time to sit and listen to why they chose their items. Let your question simply be: What would you like to tell me about it? Would you like to tell me more? This reverse egg hunt lets them take the lead and be the one to show you what is most precious to them.
Activity Three: Plant a Garden
After enjoying what nature already has to offer- consider adding it to. While this may be a messy project, embrace it! Keep it as simple as a single flower, a row of carrots, or maybe this is the spring where you break up that corner of the back yard for a proper vegetable garden. Easter weekend, you can see where life is already coming, and you can allow your children to be an active participant in it. Gardens are a real life teacher for little ones. Being able to plant, nurture, and see growth is amazing for children!
If gardening is far beyond your expertise, consider creating a straw bale garden. This how-to post can guide you through an easy way to achieve a raised garden bed. Straw bale gardens are low maintenance and highly effective options!
Activity Four: Natural Easter Egg Dye
Lastly an, Easter classic. Egg dying. This year, give it a new spin by choosing to create natural dyes! Creating your own egg dye is simple, with only a little prep time needed. You can create your own vibrant colors for your children to enjoy!
The Ingredients: Shredded beet, 2-4tbs turmeric, shredded purple cabbage, yellow onion skins, purple onion skins. You can try out your own ingredients to experiment with! (hint: skins and leaves tend to produce more color than fruit)
The Process: Take your ingredients, and in individual steel pots, let them sit in warm, barely-simmering water for 30 minutes to an hour. You can check your color by spooning a small amount into a white bowl or plate. When the color is where you’d like it, you can let it cool. For each cup of dye, add in one tablespoon of white vinegar, and then use it as you would normal Easter egg dye! The longer an egg sits in the dye, or the more times it is dried and dipped back in, the more vibrant the color will become.
If you’re not interested in coloring real eggs, you can pour the dye into little jars and use it as water colors! This is a great way to paint paper eggs or decorations, while still enjoying what nature offers us in spring time.
If you take a try at any ingredients we didn’t list, or if you choose any of our ideas to be part of your weekend fun, be sure to tag us on Instagram @lilhelpergram or email a photo to: delight@lilhelper.ca; we would love to see your project!
About the Author
Lisa is a first time mama who is passionate about sustainable and achievable DIY crafts and activities. Dabbling in a hobbies ranging from knitting to silk screen printing, she loves to help light other's spark for joyful creating. Currently living in Chicago, Lisa has called home: small town NH, Seattle WA, and Vancouver BC. She lives with her husband, their cat, and their one-year-old fluff bum, enjoying traditions of Saturday morning doughnuts and Thursday night nachos.
