The Tribune

By Cara Hunt

cmbrennen@tribunemedia.net

The four-day Easter holiday is always considered to be one of the best holidays for kids with egg hunts, visits from the Easter bunny and parties at kid venues - but with the country placed under a complete lockdown for the entire weekend, it will be challenging to find ways to ensure Easter is not just another day in quarantine.

With a little creativity and help from the Pinterest Easter fairies, moms and dads can still pull off a holiday weekend their little bunnies will enjoy and remember for years to come.

Easter movie night

Netflix has been coming through this quarantine season and the streaming service has a number of flicks that will be perfect for an Easter marathon - including Peter Rabbit, Hop, and Joseph: King of Dreams for the kids and more mature faith-based options such as God Bless the Broken Road, The Case for Christ, Come Sunday and Faith, Hope and Love.

Arts and Craft

Pinterest and a printer will be your best friends - grab some cotton balls and some of the empty rolls from all the toilet paper you bought and let your kids make Easter bunnies or chicks or raid your junk drawer for scraps of fabric, ribbon, old buttons, sequins or anything else and inspire your kids to make Faberge-inspired eggs by gluing the items to cardboard. There are tons of Easter colouring pages, word searches and puzzles that can be downloaded and used in activity packs.

For an Easter egg hunt inside your home or your garden, even if you don’t have Easter items already you can still have a hunt. In the absence of eggs, use paint or nail polish to highlight rocks they should collect, or wrap rocks in coloured paper or ribbon. Rocks can also be painted as a craft in lieu of drying eggs.

Scavenger Hunt

A quick Google search for Easter Scavenger Hunt yields tons of clues and ideas geared to all ages. Use an existing list or tailor about five clues that kids have to solve to find their prize – their Easter baskets. Again, if you weren't able to grab items during your essential run, shop your home. Are there snacks that you have already purchased that you can hide until Sunday, Christmas or birthday presents that may not yet have been used or forgotten? Or are their online vouchers for games, books or other such items that may be a fun treat for your kids. Another great idea is to partner with another family via Skype or Zoom. Coordinate your clues and see which family can complete the hunt the quickest. The winning family can be treated to ice cream or something fun when things get back to normal.

Easter Sunday

Remember that Easter Sunday is a day for your Sunday best. Although you can’t wear that new dress or new suit for Easter, refrain from spending the whole day in your usual quarantine attire. Make an effort to get dressed in something nice as you watch the Easter church service of your choice, set the table with the good china and cook a special meal. Making cookies or even hot cross buns with your kids is also a great way to pass the day and adds a special treat to the quarantine menu.

Happy Easter and please stay safe.