This morning I invited a few of the younger children’s little friends around for a morning of Easter fun and literacy.
We started by reading a really sweet “Little Mates” book, “Easter Egg Express” by Susannah Mc Farlane and Caroline Keys ($4.99, Published in March 2014, Scholastic Australia). It introduced in the concept of an Easter egg hunt for the morning. The thing I liked about this story was it was overtly Australian and featured bilbies! (My kids didn’t even know what a bilby was, despite eating chocolate in years gone by…) The Bilbies were responsible for hiding Easter Eggs for the children to find on Easter morning. They enlisted the help of their friends, and the book is a great example of how teamwork and co-operation can accomplish a task. It’s such a sweet little book, and actually would be ideal to chuck in your children’s Easter basket. Something to read while they munch on all that chocolate Easter morning.
Once we had discussed the possibility of an Easter egg hunt, we did some craft with the children. I gave them each a Chinese noodle box that I had picked up from a local kitchen wholesale outlet. Inside were some Easter stickers, foam shapes and animals and Easter egg foil we’d saved from a previous year. The kids were very focussed on glueing them to the outside of their boxes to decorate them.
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| It may seem like a simple task, but it doesn’t hurt approach a task with double capes, bat mask, superman clothing and watch that play superhero theme music. Never underestimate the creativity that is unleashed when combined with super powers. |
Thanks to the help of the super Mummies,
I think the boxes turned out pretty darn cute in the end.
Holding their little boxes the children settled down on the lounge chair for another story while the Mummies hid some eggs.
The book was “We’re Going on an Egg-Hunt” by Laine Mitchell. We actually didn’t read this book, we listened to it, because it comes with a CD with a lively and funny recording by the popular entertainer, Jay Laga’aia! The children were very attentive to the story, especially the two kindy aged children. I thought they might have been distracted by the impending egg hunt, but the story, which is reminiscent
the popular tale, “We’re Going On a Bear Hunt”, truly held their interest. Especially when the Easter Bunny came on the scene!
(Although Jayden thought it was a lion. Big teeth equal lion, according to him, it doesn’t matter if they are buck teeth.)
After the story, the kids went on their own Easter hunt. Yum, yum!
And just to complete the sugar high, cupcakes for morning tea.
While the children ate, we had one last book, “There Was an Old Bloke Who Swallowed a Bunny!”
It’s a hilarious new story from the duo (P. Crumble and Louis Shea) who created one of my children’s favourite books, “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Mozzie”. It’s a farmyard take on the classic nonsense rhyme as a hungry old bloke looks for a feed –
There’s a lot of repetition, which is always popular with children. We had our own Crikey, that’s funny moment when we got to the end of the story, and found the ending was missing! At some point a triplet had obviously accessed the book, and decided to rip out the last page! Just as well we could work out from the page that remained that the old man had ended up exploding and the animals safely escaped his interior!
So altogether, it was a really pleasant morning with busy and engaged children.
And guess what? You could win one of the books we read today! I have FIVE copies of “We’re Going on an Egg-Hunt” book and CD to giveaway to Caitlin’s Happy Heart readers.
For your chance to win, comment below** on something you plan to do with your family over Easter. We’re going to Easterfest! (Super Dooper Christian music festival) Hopefully I will be able to report back some exciting stories about our time there. Two year old triplets at a music festival. There’s got to be some stories waiting to happen there! Stay tuned!
I would love it also if you could click on my side bar and follow me via social media! (I love Facebook and Instagram best, so I’m very active on them!) Brownie points go to new followers. *Big smiles*
As a lovely Easter surprise, the winners will be chosen Good Friday by a random number generator (18th of February) at 7am. Nice and early so I can email (make sure you leave contact details, otherwise you’ll never know if you won!) you before heading to the festival. Please check your emails, because if I haven’t heard back from you by Saturday 10pm I will choose another winner. Sorry to my international readers, but this is only open to Australian residents.
** Some people have had difficulty posting. If this is you, please head over to my Facebook page and leave your comment there to be eligible to enter.
33 Comments
Two year old triplets at a music festival. If that does not produce the funniest stories and pictures I will eat my hat!!
We are having a very quiet easter, taking the kids to an egg hunt and thats about it.
We will hopefully run into your triplets at Easterfest on Friday and the rest of our Easter will be family time, God time (and wedding photography time too, unfortunately).
We have Lucas’s younger brother staying with us for the next 3 weeks including Easter so we will be showing him the sights and sounds of Toowoomba! Good luck for Easterfest 😉
Such a fun day and what a sweetheart you are, those boxes look awesome. Easter will be a quiet weekend with my parents and an Easter egg hunt for sure. Enjoy your weekend Caitlin x
how lovely 🙂 we usually go camping but won’t this year as we have a newborn 🙂 big Easter fun at home instead.
This sounds lovely Caitlin. Over Easter we will be going to church. I will have friends over and do a mega Easter egg hunt in our backyard. I love Easterfest and can’t wait to take our kids when they’re older. Hubby and I would go most years before we were married and stay at a hotel with church friends to attend it. I hope you have a great time!
Oh you are such a cool mum! This has reminded me we need to make some boxes for easter egg hunts. 🙂
this is amazing my little girl is super dooper excited for Easter and would love a Easter book what a wonderful idea 🙂
This is great! Would love a book! 🙂
I would love to read this to my grandkids.
I would love you to read it to them also Kayleen! What are you doing this Easter?
It is a great book to have! Have you any exciting plans this Easter?
My kids are excited about Easter too! What are they looking forward to most?
Thanks Jess. Hope your kids have for making the boxes!
We always love going to Church under the Big Top on Easter morning when we are in Toowoomba. Easterfest is ideal for children who are slightly older than ours, although the Kids World certainly keeps them busy and keeps it exciting for them. Perhaps you can be an Easterfest blogger next year?
Enjoy your newborn. First Easters are special.
Naw, thanks Emily! You might have a quiet weekend, but I’m sure that Easter Hunt won’t be quiet! Fun stuff!
How wonderful, hope you have a great family time. I bet the kids are loving having their uncle in town.
See you at the sandpit! Hope the editing goes smoothly. xxx
Yes, well hopefully they aren’t so funny that it causes us too much drama!
Over Easter this year, my husband will be away, so we are celebrating with my parents and sisters by going out for lunch to a lovely local restaurant. We are then going back to my parents for an Easter Egg hunt for all the little ones.
Sounds delightful!
We are planning on trying our hand at making hot cross buns this year, with my sister’s family. We will also be continuing our Easter craft, which is my 2 year olds favourite thing. Lots of fun had by all!
russellcathryn at yahoo dot com dot au
Going to the Easter Show with our 6 week old for her first taste of the Show festivities.
This Easter weekend we are making papermache Easter baskets for our egg hunt, bunny ear crowns and chocolate crackle eggs half the fun of Easter for me is enjoying my childrens joy and delight.
That’s a great way to explain it to the little ones first and build excitement. You can see how they just love it. Those cupcakes look delicious too. #teamIBOT
We are planning to a huge egg hunt, baskets are sitting and waiting …. Oh the anticipation…… Chocolate for breakfast lunch and dinner
we have planned a easter egg hunt for kids in the morning and they are allowed to eat chocolate eggs in breakfast as well.We are also planning to bake our own hot cross buns this year and have invited family members for lunch…
Email – sapshu936@gmail.com
I’m on to it! This Easter we will be enjoying time with our families, having an egg hunt, easterfest in the city & celebrating Easter Sunday @ Easterfest with 2 children on chocolate sugar highs!
Can you please get in contact with me? I need to hear from you by 10pm tomorrow night. 😉 happy heart @ y7mail.com
annstuck – can you please get in contact with me via email or Facebook before 10pm Saturday night?
Wow how exciting!! Will message you on facebook!!