Beach Easter Egg Hunt
Easter is almost here again, and with it comes the obligatory Easter Egg Hunt festivities. Usually we hide the eggs in the yard, as we’ve been fortunate enough to have had quite a large piece of property all these years. But it seems as if all the hiding spots have been taken – we’re talking eight years of hunts! So this year, we’re going to have a “Beach Easter Egg Hunt”. My husband and I think this will be a blast for the kids, and here’s how we’re going to do it:
First of all, we’re both going to get up really early in the morning and hide the eggs. Thankfully, my husband’s cousin owns a piece of beach property that’s private enough to do this. What we’re going to do is create a treasure-map-like scene for the kids. We’ll rake the entire area so it’s smooth, and we’ll put “X”s all over the place. Some will have eggs, some will not. The trick is to not walk around too much, so as to not scuff out the REAKL “x”s. No eggs will be hidden without an “X”.
We’re also going to set up a few markers using sticks to designate possible treasure areas. So the scene on this lot of sand is going to be riddled with marks and sticks, making it look like a glorous Funland for the kids.
Thank goodness we enjoy this as much as they do! We’re also going to have hidden maps in the area, just in case they miss a few of the eggs. Besides, we can’t be leaving eggs all over the beach for someone else to pick up!
Easter Egg Hunt Clues
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Easter egg hunts can be incredibly boring for parents. Why? Because it’s the same old hiding of eggs that we do for our kids every year. And that’s fine – great, even – because our kids have a fun time. But as long as we’re in charge, why shouldn’t we as parents have a little fun with it at the same time?
One thing that’s a blast to do is to throw in a few horribly rotten eggs for the kids to find. It’s fun to hear them say “eww!” or to hear them laugh when they find them. Another fun thing to do is to find small, egg-shaped water balloons. When the kids find one, they get to throw it at YOU (not hard). Or the best one – in my opinion – is to hide a few real eggs, and after you’re done, have an egg toss. We’ve all been part of egg tosses, right? Right.
Maybe you can come up with better ideas than I can. In fact, I’d like that, since I already used these ideas last Easter. I guess there are endless things we can do for our kids and ourselves to make Easter egg hunts more fun, and why not?
Easter Egg Hunt Ideas
So I thought I’d throw a couple fun ideas for Easter egg hunts at you. Ready?
The classic ones are fun, but how about switching things up a bit by doing something like creating a map that leads to the eggs? Make it into a “real” map with all the appropriate markings on it, complete with “X”s, dashes, and an old look to the map. Try and get as accurate as you can with the layout, of course. I’ve found that it’s best to hide the eggs next to landmarks to make it a little easier to find them; otherwise, you’ll end up having to dig holes in the ground!
Another neat idea – I think – is to draw pictures of the places associated with the location of the eggs. For instance, if you hide the egg in a tree, just draw a picture of a branch…or you could even draw a seed! Make them think a little.
The third and final idea – and maybe the most ridiculous – for this installment involves buying dozens and dozens of eggs and having the day eventually end up in a giant egg fight. Sure, that sounds a little crazy, and when my sister suggested it to me, that’s exactly what I thought. But it can be a lot of fun, and it’s not dangerous as long as you set some ground rules. (Remember, the egg shells are hard, and you never know when a small piece could get into someone’s eye!) Hide the eggs all over the yard, separate the kids into teams, and let them go. When they’re done, split them up and begin the insanity. The rules we had were no face shots and nobody was allowed to throw really hard. If you have kids who will follow the rules, let me tell you, it can be a fun, crazy time.
Easter Egg Hunt Games
O.K. guys, I really like this one, and I highly recommend doing it.
This idea first came as a suggestion to my from my brother-in-law. This year for your Easter egg hunt, do something completely different. Create a map. Not enough? Sure, maybe that alone isn’t the most original idea in the world. But how about creating a map out of a blank jigsaw puzzle, having the kids search for the puzzle pieces, and then following said map to the final, ultimate prize?
We first did this last year at home, and it was a major success. I’d say we had about 18 puzzle pieces for approximately six kids to find…so the math CAN work evenly. I’ll tell you what: those kids had so much fun thinking about the eventual full map that they forgot how competitive they like to be. It was fantastic. Usually – as many parents know – when there’s at least one boy and one girl around the same age, the competition is ridiculous. The boy simply needs to win or he’s going to be upset. At least that’s how it is around our house!
Anyway, try this out sometime. You certainly don’t need to purchase a blank puzzle or anything, although that is probably the “coolest” way, according to kids. Just use a huge piece of sturdy construction paper and be creative with the shapes. They’ll get it.
In my opinion, kids will remember things like this, and they’ll remember them forever. They’ll look back on games like this and thank you for taking the time when they’re older.