As I prep the kids Easter baskets, I am very proud about how little candy goes in them. Of course, my kids have grandparents and so the day will still be sugar laden but I can control how much they get from us. I feel that I have done such a good job stuffing their baskets with fun things that they wont notice the absence of candy (minus the chocolate eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny, of course). Since this is my blog you know I'm not going to suggest buying those cheap plastic Easter themed toys that wind up broken and in the garbage eight minutes after they are opened.
Here is a quick list of non-candy things I have put in Easter baskets (this year or others)
-sidewalk chalk
- silly string
- crayons
- colouring book
- bubbles
- Lego
- small puzzles (I get 100 piece puzzles from XS Cargo for $1.88 each)
- bunny ear hats (from the dollar store, but not the headbands, those snap too easily. These are hats that go over the whole head and velco under the chin. Even in this day care it has lasted for years)
- seeds (usually buy them from the dollar store, can be for carrots/lettuce or flowers)
- neck tie/ suspenders
- hair clips/ headbands
- playing cards
- flash cards
- colour change tabs for bath water (a 12 pack is only $2 at Wal-Mart)
- clear pastry bag filled with Goldfish crackers and tied with green ribbon- looks like a carrot!
- plastic egg with a "Delayed Gratification" surprise inside (written like a fortune cookie but it might say "Help Daddy cook dinner" or "Ten minutes of Angry Birds" or "One extra story at bedtime")
- bright colour socks (check out my previous post on how to make them none skid)
- small kite (better yet all the things you need to build a kite yourself with your child)
- thrift store dress up clothes (neck ties, suit jackets, costume jewelry, pretty brooch, fancy gloves)
- dice (these are good for playing games, of course, but also for math)
- bright coloured pencils (but avoid the novelty erasers- they tend to not work well and will simply be lost or in the garbage)
- one of their own shirts that you have changed the buttons on to be more festive - flowers, eggs, bunnies. Keep those original buttons and you can change the shirt back again with very minimal effort
- finger paints
- construction paper
- Hot Wheels car
- feather boa
- child size gardening gloves
- mini flashlight (they come in all sorts of great colours)
- phosphorescent (glow-in-the-dark) stars
- "candy" necklace made from Fruit Loops (although I do admit this comes pretty close to being candy)
Happy Easter, gentle readers!
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