Spring & Easter Fun

Kid's Stuff Spring & Easter Fun!

Get Growing! EGGstra for Easter! Outdoor Ideas!

Sow sunflower seeds in peat-free compost in plant pots in April and plant out in the garden, or in large pots, in May or June (after the last frost). They grow very quickly, some to over 2 metres and are great for bees and wildlife...and competitions to see who can grow the tallest!! Draw faces on boiled eggs for Easter and when eaten fill the shell with cotton wool, dampen with water, sprinkle with cress seeds and watch the hair grow! Cut and eat in an eggy sandwich! Place cut carrot tops in dishes of water, place on a window sill and they’ll sprout in days! Experiment with other root vegetables such as beetroot and parsnips! Watching beans germinating is fascinating, even for adults! Half fill a glass jar or clear plastic container with cotton balls, push a runner bean down each side so they are vertical and keep the cotton balls damp. Encourage birds into your garden with a ‘speedy bird cake’ and after a while they will be regular visitors. For the recipe and other great ideas and projects, visit the RSPB at www.rspb.org.uk and click the Fun & Learning - Kids Activities links. It's time to come out of winter hibernation and hit the great outdoors! Get the wellies on and find puddles to jump in or go on a bug hunt. Make a list with little drawings of the bugs you see & keep a tally. Collect leaves, feathers, twigs, pebbles etc and make a collage or a piece of garden art. Using air drying clay, make hedghogs or birds with painted or googly eyes. Or press the clay into small rounds or tiles and imprint the ‘finds’ to make patterns. Rock art! Paint pebbles with designs, faces or animals, when dry paint with PVA for a shiny finish. An Easter Egg or Treasure Hunt around the house is a big favourite. The clues can be cryptic, funny, in rhyme or in pictures, whichever is age appropriate for your children, but not too complicated. Children love being able to work it out for themselves before charging off! Fine day? Hide small foil wrapped eggs around the garden, give each child a container and let them loose! Decorated eggs can look fabulous in a basket or as an Easter gift. Boil and cool the eggs and paint with poster paints or colour with felt tip pens. Stick small squares of tissue paper on with PVA glue for a ‘stained glass’ look or addsome bling with glitter or decorative, shiny bits and pieces available online or in craft shops. Decorate a card egg. Cut out an egg shape, draw, colour, paint and stick... get creative!!