One of the bright spots of spring for many families is celebrating Easter with a fun visit from the Easter Bunny himself, egg hunts, and — of course — chocolate. While Easter is an important religious holiday for Christians across the globe, Easter morning for kids has quite a different feel with excitement overflowing about where the eggs are and what’s inside those baskets. The Easter Bunny has been hopping across the globe delivering baskets of eggs and goodies for centuries, but unlike his winter counterpart up in the North Pole, the Easter Bunny’s details are a little mysterious.
According to TrackEasterBunny.com, the Easter Bunny lives on Easter Island — a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. The island was discovered by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on an Easter Sunday way back in the 1700s, and its faraway location is a favorite of the Easter Bunny, who is said to appreciate his privacy. All the mystery and hiding from the paparazzi surrounding the Easter Bunny might make it difficult for kids, especially older ones, to believe.
So, how can parents give the Easter Bunny a little help by showing their children the big bunny really did hop on by to fill their baskets with treats and other goodies? Here are some clever Easter Bunny ideas that will have your kiddos super excited.
Cookies for Santa, carrots for the Easter Bunny
Just like Santa, the Easter Bunny gets a little hungry from hiding all those eggs and filling tons of baskets. On Easter Eve, leave out a snack of carrots and water. (Milk isn’t good for bunnies.) Be sure to help the Easter Bunny out by nibbling on those carrots and drinking the cup of water. In the morning, kids will be excited to see the Easter Bunny enjoyed the snack they left.
Does the Easter Bunny really poop jelly beans?
Rabbits are notorious poopers as anyone with one as a pet can attest, leaving a trail of poop pellets when they’re hopping around outside of their cage. Now, it isn’t something the Easter Bunny likes to talk about in public, but he does poop jelly beans. Of course, the Easter Bunny wouldn’t leave behind a mess, but you can leave a pile or two of jelly-bean poop for little ones to find in the morning. You’ll love the giggles, and it is one pet mess that’s a snap to clean. If you’d rather show kids the Easter Bunny uses the potty, too, leave some jelly beans in the toilet. Maybe next year, he might remember to flush.
Go hopping down the bunny trail
Just like dogs and cats when they come in from outside, the Easter Bunny does leave a trail. He’s quite neat and cleans up after himself, but the kids don’t need to know that. Help the Easter Bunny leave a trail by setting up a sequence of paw prints.
Paw prints aren’t too difficult to make: Fashion two paw prints out of a paper plate, poster board, or cardboard. Lay the stencils down on the carpet and sprinkle powder or flour inside. Repeat for as far as you’d like the paw print trail to go. Use the paw-print trail to lead kids to their basket or away from the basket to the backdoor.
Where did my basket go?
Kids leave an empty basket on a table on Easter Eve and come downstairs on Easter morning to find it filled with treats and/or small toys. Why not hide their Easter baskets? Leave a note from the Easter Bunny telling the kids he decided to hide their baskets this year, and they’ll have fun looking for them. Be sure to disguise your handwriting or print a cute note from the computer.
Take a lesson from a leprechaun
Leprechauns are well-known for causing a mess on St. Patrick’s Day. They have been messing up elementary school classrooms for years. Why not leave give kids a spring surprise with an overturned chair and some knocked-over toys? Stage a scene looking like a really big rabbit hopped through.
Check the mailbox
Just like letters from Santa, have the Easter Bunny or one of his helpers like TheHolidaySpot send your child a personalized letter. Choose from prewritten letters with added details from you or write one of your own. Some Easter Bunny templates are free online, while others require a fee. There are other websites like TrackEasterBunny.com that will send email messages to kids from the Easter Bunny.
Add color to breakfast Easter morning
Once the kiddos are tucked into bed on Easter Eve, quietly and carefully dye a dozen of raw eggs. When dry, return them to the box. When it’s time to make the scrambled eggs, pancakes, or French toast on Easter morning, be surprised when you open the egg carton to find newly colored eggs courtesy of the Easter Bunny. Pour pink milk courtesy of a bit of food coloring in the carton.
Hopping all over delivering treats is a big job for any bunny, which is why the Easter Bunny needs a helping paw every now and then. The window of belief is a small one of wonder for kids, so why not make it more special by showing the Easter Bunny did more than fill baskets by giving one or more of these bunny surprises a try this Easter season?
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