EASTER CRAFTS


Here are some fun things to do and make this Easter!

Easter Baskets

I did this craft with a group of children ages 4-8 years old. They LOVED IT!!!!

wooden strawberry baskets (1 quart size)
pastel poster paints in many different Easter Colours
paint brushes 1 for each child
LOTS of rinse water!!!!!!!
small kitchen sized garbage bags
Easter grass in many colours

The garbage bags make great paint smocks when your in a pinch. Simply cut a slit in the top large enough for the child's head, measure where their arms would be and cut two slits for the arm holes and HEY! You have instant paint smocks!! We saved ours, but you can toss yours its up to you.

Give each child a basket, and a paint brush. Scatter the paint colours and the rinse water cups around the table to encourage sharing and conversation.

The kids had a ball painting the baskets any way they wanted. They were so expressive with their ideas!! It was a wonderful art experience for them.

They were very proud of their work and were so excited when they saw how each basket was different from the rest.

Give each child some Easter grass to line their baskets. If you wish you might give each child a few Easter Eggs for their baskets. BE SURE TO CHECK FOR ALLERGIES!!!!

***NOTE** Extension***
Have some sponge and/or potato stamps on hand for the children to try. These make an interesting design on the baskets and the children have a lot of fun trying this.

Try adding a little liquid dish detergent to the paint it will keep the poster paint frm staining the children's clothes.

Easter Baskets

2 liter soda bottle
scissors
decorations of choice
This is a project I tried last year at school. We took 2 liter soda bottles and made them into Easter Baskets, The ways to decorate is endless. Hope you have has much fun as we did.
I measured up about 5" and cut the bottle, we also left 2 pieces about 1" wide for the handle.

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Easter Placemats

Old Easter cards
Easter pictures from magazines
your childrens drawings
light weight cardboard or heavy construction paper
glue
contact paper
Gather up Easter cards from past years, pictures from magazines or your children's favorite drawings. Glue onto light cardboard or construction paper in decorative fashion the size of a placemat.

Cover this collage with clear contact paper to seal the placemat. Be sure to have your child date and sign it.

These make great gifts for grandparents.

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Easter Grass

1 large Easter basket
1 lb wheat seed
1 lb vermiculite
plastic wrap or clear plastic bag

Grow a miniature meadow in an Easter basket it's real simple. A week before Easter line a large Easter basket with plastic wrap and fill with vermiculite (about 2-inches deep). Sprinkle wheat seed on top of the vermiculite. Put the basket in the sink and add water until the seed bed is damp. You shouldn't have to water it again before Easter.
Set the basket in a pan and place in filtered sunlight. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clear plastic bag to keep moist. Remove the plastic after two days. The wheat should begin to sprout during the next few days. By Easter morning you would have real Easter grass to hide your eggs in.

Woven baskets

pastel colored construction paper two colors
scissors
glue or stapler

Using one piece of paper cut horizontal straight lines about one inch in from side to side across paper, about 1/2 inch a part from each other. The paper should be covered from top to bottom with these slits.
Next take the other color of paper and cut 1/2 strips. Weave these strips in and out of the slits in the first paper.

When completed with all the strips glue the ends of the strips to the first paper to hold in place. Next fold up the sides to make a basket shape. Staple or glue in place. With a contrasting color make a handle on your basket and staple or glue.

Basket can then be filled with shredded paper to make a nest in the bottom.

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Easter Baskets

Here is a craft my grandmother used in her classroom of first graders for many years.

You'll need:

pint milk or juice carton
cotton balls
pink yarn
something to make eyes and nose (buttons, gumdrops or other candy or whatever you like)
Close the top of the empty carton. Position the carton on its side with the top closed edge vertical. Then on the side which is facing up, cut along the two long edges and the bottom edge. Hold flap up slightly and cut it to form two rabbit ears pointing away from the pointed end of carton.

Cover the entire outer part of the carton with cotton balls including the ears. Use a small piece of yarn to make outline of pink for the inner ear. Use buttons or whatever you chose to make eyes and nose on the pointed end of the carton. Place extra cotton balls for tail. Fill carton with Easter grass and candy.

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Bunny Mask

paper plate
pink construction paper
pink and/or white pipe cleaners
yarn

Using the paper plate, cut out eyes and nose in the plate. Cut out bunny ears from pink paper and glue to the plate. Use pipe cleaners to make whiskers, attach to plate by poking through and knotting at back, or glue on. Use yarn to tie to either side of plate to tie on your little one's head.

Chicks in a basket

egg carton
cotton balls
yellow food dye
shredded paper (optional)
bits of orange paper
marker

Dip one large cotton ball in yellow dye diluted with water. Let dry. Cut egg carton so you have one section. Place a bit of shredded paper (color optional) in bottom of section. When yellow cotton ball is dry draw eyes on top to make eyes. Cut out very small triangle of orange paper and glue on yellow cotton ball to make chicks beak. Sit chick in carton section to make the chick in the basket.
Note: Many people have commented that the cotton balls - once dyed - will not dry - or take forever - anyone out there have any suggestions on correcting this?

Great Tip!! The best way to dye cotton balls is to put them in a Zip lock bag with dry tempra paint. Place the cotton balls in the Zip-lock bag with a few spoons of dry tempra paint. Shake the bag to coat the cotton balls. Remove the cotton balls from the zip lock bag and shake off the excess paint. This works great. I hope this tip will help.
Another idea! For the cottonball to be dyed yellow, wipe off some powdered yellow pastels/chalks with the cotton ball. See if this could work.

NOTE: This great tip.........
The people who are having trouble getting the dye to dry on their cotton balls are using synthetic (not really cotton) cotton balls. The real cotton, usually called cotton bolls (with an o) will dry perfectly. They should say 100% cotton on the bag. This is the kind I always buy because they are gentler on your skin.

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Paper plate bunny

large paper plate
small paper plate
glue
pink construction paper
cotton ball
crayons or markers

Using paper plates, glue small one to top of large one to form head and body. Cut out bunny ears from pink paper. Glue or staple to head.Draw eyes and nose on face of plate with crayons or markers. Glue a cotton ball on the back for a tail.

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Easter Bunny Ears

Construction paper (pink, white and/or brown)
Glue

Cut out bunny ears with the white and pink paper (pink should be slightly smaller) or use two tones of brown for a chocolate bunny. Glue the pink on white to make ears. (or brown). Make a 2-inch band long enough to go around your child's head. Staple in place. Attach bunny ears to band.

Belly Bunny

Here is an Easter idea I used to make with my Mom as a kid and plan to make with my daughter when she is older.

Need:

Large Styrofoam Ball
A plastic or unbreakable jar with a screw on lid (ex. Mason Jar, Jelly jar, Peanut butter jar, etc.)
Construction Paper, White, Pink, and either Black, Blue, Brown, or Green
Cotton Balls
Toothpicks
A pink, blue or yellow ribbon (optional)
Glue

A grown-up should cut the bottom of the Styrofoam ball just enough so it will sit flat on the table. Then have the kids draw and cut out black, blue, brown, or green eyes, (if you want them to match your child's eyes), white bunny ears with pink ear insides (both ears should be cut so the bottom of the ear is cut straight across), and a pink nose.
Glue a cotton ball in the center of the Styrofoam ball (nose) then glue the small pink nose to the center of the cotton ball. Glue the eyes on to the Styrofoam ball. While the glue is drying take the white bunny ears and the slightly smaller (should be same shape) pink ear insides. Lay the white ears down and glue a tooth pick (or two for more stability) to the front side of the white ear with half of the toothpick/s on the ear and half hanging off the bottom of the ear. Then take and glue the back side of the pink ear on top of the toothpick and white ear. Do this for each ear.

Next glue the Styrofoam ball to the top of the jar lid which can be decorated with a paper doily, markers or whatever you may have. Screw the lid on and whichever way the bunny faces, on the other side glue a cottonball at the bottom of the jar (tail). When the ears dry stick the toothpick, that is hanging out from the bottom of the ears, into the top of the Styrofoam ball. You can tie a ribbon around the edge of the jar lid.

Fill your bunny with jelly beans, or M&M's or a treat like raisin's or dried fruit. The child can take the bunny to school and share their treats with the class. It is really cute and if the child wants to get creative they can decorate the jar with stickers.

After Easter hold crayons, marbles, pencils, etc.

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Paper Mache Eggs

Paper mache paste
balloon
tape
1-inch pieces newspaper, newsprint or paper toweling
pie tin
paint brushes
colored tissue paper (optional)
shellac

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Paper mache recipe

1 cup water
Mix in 1/4 cup flour until thin and runny

Stir this mixture into 5 cups lightly boiling water. Gently boil for 2-3 minutes. Cool until you can dip paper into mixture without burning yourself.

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Eggs
Make paper mache paste as above. When cool pour into pie tin. Blow up a balloon and tape to a table. Dip strips of newspaper in paste and place carefully on balloon. Continue overlapping pieces of newspaper on balloon. Cover balloon completely and let dry. It may take overnight to dry, particularly if children have use lots of paste. Once dry decorate the dried balloon with paint or colored tissue in pretty pastel Easter colors. Finish with shellac for a shiny, glazed effect.

Easter parade bonnet

Paper plate
construction paper
crayons or markers
glue
yarn

Children can decorate the paper plate any way they wish. Glue on pieces of pastel paper, color flowers on plate, use your imagination. Tie yard to each side of plate so it can be tied under child's chin.

or

construction paper
crayons, markers or stickers
tape or stapler
scissors
elastic thread or ribbon

Let children decorate a piece of paper. Make hat by folding paper into a cone shape, tape or staple together. Cut bottom so it is even. Staple a length of elastic thread or ribbon on each side to hold hat on.

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Bunnies, Ducks and Baskets

Paper plate Bunny Masks

staple ears to a paper plate - ones that look like rabbit ears
cut out eyes, glue or draw on nose and mouth
cover plate with cotton balls for fur
attach string to hold up around head

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Paper plate Duck Masks
same idea as above, but use yellow feathers instead of cotton balls (also, they don't have to be masks).

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Egg carton Mini-Easter Baskets

use individual egg buckets (from egg carton)
ribbon for handle
put in Easter grass, jelly beans, etc.
We've always done an Easter tree using budding branches from outside, place them in a vase and decorate with homemade or store bought decorations.

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Eggshell Mosaic

A great way to use up the remains of the Easter eggs. Children will love breaking up the eggshells.

Colored eggshells
construction paper
crayon, pen or marker
glue

On a piece of paper have child draw a simple design (e.g. flower, balloon, kite, egg). Spread glue in design area. Sprinkle bits of broken eggshells onto glue. Allow to dry then hang and enjoy.

No-bake craft clay

1 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 cups baking soda
food coloring (optional)
paint (optional)

Add all ingredients in saucepan and stir over medium heat for about 4 minutes.Mixture should be consistency of moist mashed potatoes. Add food coloring if desired.
Remove from heat, turn on a plate and cover with a damp cloth. Let cool. When cool knead like dough. At this point you may store in an airtight container.

For Easter shape clay into egg shapes. Let dry and paint. You may also flatten one side and glue to brooch backs to make Easter jewelry.

EASTER BUNNY CRAFT PROJECTS

Belly Bunny
Decorate a styrofoam ball as the bunny's head, and use a glass or plastic jar for it's body!

Boo-Boo Bunnies and Poem
A great gift idea made out of a washcloth. This page includes a cute poem to add.

Brown Bag Bunnies
Make 3D bunnies, eggs, and chicks out of paper bags!

Bunnies
Find out how to make a bunny out of a clothespin, and another bunny out of a wooden spoon.

Bunnies in a Basket
A cute idea making small bunnies out of popsicle type sticks.

Bunny Ears
Make this bunny eared headband out of cunstruction paper and glue.

Bunny Face
An original idea using misc craft supplies and 4 paper plates.

Bunny Hand Puppet
A creative idea using a gardening glove to make a puppet.

Bunny Mask
Make cute maskes using paper plates, pipe cleaners, construction paper, yarn, and your own imagination!

Easter... Oops!
I love this one!!! Make this "stuck" bunny out of a styrofoam ball, flower pot, and a few embellishments.

Fuzzy Bunny
You can make these popsicle stick bunnies as simple or fancy as you like.

Marshmallow Rabbit
Great project if you can keep from eating the supplies! Minimum supplies needed: card stock, crayons, large marshmellow, cotton ball, glue, and scissors.

Paper Plate Bunny
Create large bunnies out of 2 paper plates.

Sock or Mitten Bunny Puppet
Bring an old sock or mitten back to life with these simple ideas!

Stand Up Bunny
Print out this pattern to make this paper bunny. This page even includes a nice picture.

Torn Paper Bunnies
Nice picture on this page. Make an Easter collage!

Washcloth Bunnies
Great results for how simple it is! Minimum supplies needed: washcloth, rubber band, ribbon, wiggly eyes, small pom-pom, and glue.

Go back to the Easter page.