Easter and springtime traditionally signals the turn of the year into a time of rebirth and fresh beginnings. It’s a season groaning with possibilities for so many crafts for kids to enjoy.
Easter Bonnets
Schoolchildren look forward to being part of the Easter Parade and spend hours labouring over Easter bonnet creations; it’s one of the most traditional holiday crafts. It uses lots of absorbing crafts for kids and gives their creativity a completely free rein.
For the traditional bonnet, the easiest way to start is with a plain straw hat. If you don’t have one of these lurking amongst the dressing up clothes, most craft stores sell them very cheaply at this time of year. Now, it’s just a question of letting the children decorate the hat in any way they choose. Gather together lots of materials that will help them produce the bonnet of their dreams. Some suggestions are:
- Lots of ribbon to tie around the crown of the hat.
- Some tiny spring chicks to dot around the bonnet (these are very easy to buy at this time of year)
- A selection of brightly coloured feathers.
- Easter eggs cut from paper or felt and artistically decorated.
Most of the adornments will stick to the hat with plenty of PVA glue. Older children or adults could also attach the items with a stitch or two.
Boys are often reluctant to wear a bonnet and much prefer to try their hand at an Easter crown. Start by cutting a piece of card to length and secure with tape so it makes a band. Now cover the band with several layers of bright green crepe paper of the same length but slightly wider that the band itself.
Now it’s time to make the crepe paper look like grass, this is done by chopping at the layers to make fringes of grass blades.
Decorate the band of the crown with Easter egg cut outs and finish with a pair of rabbit ears, peeping up above the grass fringe. This is simply done by fixing two pieces of ear-shaped cards to the reverse of the band, separated by a half circle of card to give the impression of the top of a bunny’s head.
A Vase of Daffodils
The daffodil is eternally associated with Easter and the start of spring. Start by creating a basic, traditional flower shape, cut from yellow card. Now take an empty egg carton and cut so you have six trumpet shapes. Paint the egg carton orange or a shade of yellow deeper than the cut-outs. With plenty of glue, fix the trumpet to the flower shape. Finish your daffodil with a green stem. Choose some thick green drinking straws cut to length for this purpose.
Now you’ll need to make a vase for the daffodils. Simply use an empty cardboard roll glued to a larger circle of card for a base. Decorate the vase with paints, jewels and stickers. Finally arrange with your bunch of everlasting daffodils. The flowers are very effective and easily made with the simplest of crafts for kids.
Chocolate Nests
These little snacks are so simple to make and very appropriate crafts for kids at Easter. To make the chocolate nests, all you need is:
- 3oz/ 85g chocolate
- 3 oz/ 85g golden syrup
- 3 oz/ 85g butter
- 3 oz/ 85g cornflakes or crushed shredded wheat – for a more authentic nest.
- Sugar coated chocolate mini eggs.
Break the chocolate into chunks and melt gently in a glass bowl above a pan of simmering water.
Melt the syrup with the butter in a pan. Do this gently so you don’t burn the mixture.
Combine the butter and syrup with the chocolate and finally add the cereal.
Spoon the finished mix into paper cases making a small dent in the middle of each cake to form a nest.
When they have set, finish the nests with a clutch of eggs!
There are so many opportunities for innovative holiday crafts at Easter and springtime. It’s a time when we think about lambs, chicks, Easter eggs, flowers and chocolate. Sounds like great combination, doesn’t it? Celebrate with lots of crafts for kids to decorate the family home with and mark the start of the new season.