- Mariah Wilson
Celebrating Easter During COVID-19
Typical Easter celebrations have been kiboshed this year due to our freak winter weather storm as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But, we have some ideas on how to make the holiday fun while staying safe indoors!
Even though Easter is associated with the Christian religion, there are a lot of fun and non-denominational activities that your whole family can take part in. You can even put a spin on many of these activities and make them into your own tradition!
Get crafty with Easter egg painting!
When I was a child, one of my favourite things to do during Easter time was dying eggs with my mom. We would mix food colouring to create pastel dyes and use rubber bands to make unique geometric designs. It's a really fun and creative art project that adds pops of colour around your home!
In order to do this craft, you'll need:
1 teaspoon white vinegar
About 20 drops liquid food coloring
White-shelled hard-boiled eggs
Here is a how to guide.
Indoor Easter egg hunt
You can create an indoor Easter egg hunt by having one person hide chocolates and candy around the house — in plastic Easter eggs if you want to feel especially festive — and letting everyone else look for them. You can make clues, set-up decorations to guide the kids, or even make decoy eggs that have nothing inside!
Each family does it differently, but a common way to reward the person who finds the most eggs is by preparing an Easter basket ahead of time filled with chocolates, play dough, colouring books, and other goodies. To make it fair, many parents make baskets for each of their kids and the winner gets one extra item.
Tip: Remember how many eggs were hidden so you can make sure they’re all found.
What is the Easter Bunny?
"According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the U.S. and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Additionally, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all his hopping." —Time Magazine
Virtual Easter dinner
Usually holidays act as a great excuse to bring your extended family together for a large meal, but this is not possible at the moment due to COVID-19. Instead, you can coordinate with family members to eat Easter dinner over a video call by having each household make the same dinner by swapping recipes with one another. Even though this isn't quite the same as eating together, by eating the same food and being in one another's company it can give everyone a similar experience to what they're used to.
Easter treat bags
If you still want to interact "in-person" with friends and family over Easter weekend, you and your kids can make Easter treat bags and drop them off at your recipients' houses! They can say "hi" through the window and your gift can spread the spirit of spring and new beginnings! You can bake cookies, buy Easter chocolate, and use other treats to fill plastic snack bags or festive packaging from the dollar store. You can also make bunny-eared bags by following the tutorial above. This activity will give your kids a chance to design homemade Easter cards, as well!
