Psssst, Easter Bunny, How About Something Different For The Kids?

With Easter coming up this Sunday, I thought I'd give some ideas for egg and basket fillers for your children and grandchildren that don't come laden with empty calories and artificial colors. Let's face it, our kids really don't need the junk and most likely, we're going to end up eating some (or most) of the candy they get. So let's set everyone up for a healthy Spring with the following:

Egg Fillers:
1. Legos -- A few years ago I bought a lego starter kit and filled a bunch of the plastic eggs with a few pieces each.

2. Plastic crystals -- My kids still get so excited about finding "treasure"

3. Coins -- Who doesn't like cash? And when you shake the eggs they sound like maracas :)

4. Stickers -- Kids love stickers!

5. Vouchers -- Come up with something that would be important to your kids that you could write on a slip of paper and then roll up and put in the egg. A few options might be picking what's for dinner, a special outing, a small item they've been wanting that wouldn't fit in an egg.

6. Clues for a scavenger hunt: Write a clue on a slip of paper that you'll roll up and put in the egg. Number the clues so that when the kids have found all of the eggs, they can work together to find a prize. One year I did this and it led the kids to a soccer net I had hidden in the bathtub.

7. Balloons: Last year, I put balloons in some of the plastic eggs and a balloon pump in each of the kids' baskets. They had a lot of fun pumping up the balloons and then playing games in the backyard with them.

8. Actual, decorated, hard-boiled eggs. Great source of protein and a lot of fun to prepare :)

Easter Basket ideas:
1. Jump ropes and hula hoops -- you can challenge them to a contest to see who can jump or hula hoop the longest.

2. Any water toy that will get them moving. Last year my mom made water bombs out of cut up strips of sponge that she then tied together. The kids soaked them in a bucket and then had a sponge fight. Of course, we live in Southern California, so anyone living in a colder climate probably thinks I'm crazy!

3. Dumbbells or resistance tubes. Believe it or not, last year the Easter Bunny brought the kids 3 and 5 lb. dumbbells because they always want to lift weights with mommy. They were the biggest hit in the basket!

4. Sidewalk Chalk -- when I had the daycare I used to use sidewalk chalk for all sorts of running and learning games. My favorite was drawing letters and numbers all over the driveway and then having them run to whichever one I called out. It's not just for hopscotch!

5. Balls, balls and more balls!

6. Bubbles: my kids are 8 and 5 and they still love chasing bubbles. Especially the mega ones you can make with some of the cool bubble toys available in stores.

If you have any other ideas, please share below!!!