The Hunt Is Near!

I love hosting the Easter Egg Hunt! It's one of my favorite events of the year! I like to switch it up occasionally to add some variety to the annual egg roll. Some years it's the basic hunt with eggs hidden inside and outside. Other times it becomes a treasure hunt with maps. And sometimes the eggs have been personalized with the participant's name and you can only collect the eggs that were made especially for you.

First you need to prepare your eggs. I prefer the hard boil egg recipe from BettyCrocker.com and have used it successfully for many, many years. The cold water method with the eggs layered along the bottom of the saucepan is so easy!

After the eggs have cooled you then need to think about ways to decorate them. At least a dozen or so eggs (depending on how many kiddos and adults will be participating in the hunt) are dyed in basic colors from a simple dye kit found at the local Target, Family Dollar, or Kmart. Then have the kiddos use their imagination (with some guidance of course) and let them decorate the remaining eggs. The little ones love to cover the eggs with stickers, and glitter is also very popular! It sure makes a mess, but the eggs are so pretty! Parentmap.com has an excellent article featuring 20 ideas for dyeing and decorating Easter eggs.

In addition to the hard boiled eggs our hunt also has plastic eggs filled with a surprise. Your local Dollar Store has many small toys to choose from including tiny Easter figurines, rings, and bouncy balls. Candy, coins, and even dollar bills can also be hidden in the eggs. Another idea is to include a piece of paper with a number on it that corresponds to a larger prize such as a book or stuffed bunny rabbit or Easter chick.

Now it's time to plan the hunt! Options include a basic hunt with every kid for himself or herself! Or, you can make a predetermined number of eggs and personalize with a name. The expert egg hunter can only take an egg with his or her name on it. Color coding eggs is a super way to ensure all the kiddos get an equal number of eggs. Each child is given a color and this is the only color that can be added to their basket. If an egg is found in another color the hunter can choose to leave it hidden or give it to the kiddo collecting that color. If you have older children a nighttime hunt is a lot of fun. You can purchase glow-in-the-dark plastic Easter eggs online from a variety of stores including OrientalTrading.com. A plastic egg will also glow in the dark if a glow stick is snapped and placed inside the egg. Also be sure to have flashlights available for the egg hunters.

One of my all-time favorite hunts is the reverse hunt. The kiddos hide the Easter eggs and then the adults find them! The little ones have so much fun cheering on mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, aunts and uncles (of course, this hunt is in addition to the children's egg hunt!).