I have always enjoyed creating fun food for holidays, birthdays and special occasions, but Easter treats are especially delightful. There is something inherently fun about bunnies, lambs, chicks, and decorated eggs.
They all represent the celebration of new life and spring, which make them most appropriate for our Easter celebrations.
Making Special Memories While Making Special Easter Treats In our home, everyone gets involved in making special Easter treats. One of my all time favorite Easter memories was actually when my son was in college. He called to ask if he could come home for the weekend before Easter, bring a friend and make Easter cupcakes for a charity bake sale. There are many reasons why that request thrilled my soul, all of which I am sure any mother of college age children could understand. I had a wonderful time drinking coffee, taking pictures and watching the guys "create" their special Easter treats. It is truly amazing what all you can learn about your children if you simply listen to their conversation while they decorate cupcakes.
The faces they put on the Easter bunny and lamb cupcakes were simply downright hilarious. Needless to say, their cupcakes sold out at the bake sale and I never even got to taste one myself, but I know for a fact, they were delightful.
Stepping out of my own kitchen and into the homes of other authors, I find there are several awesome Easter treat suggestions that would truly be a lot of fun for the whole family.
Andreaberrios invites us to make this gorgeous and creative Easter Cake Pops. She offers suggestions and recipes for chicks, bunnies and Easter egg cake pops. I am certain any of these would be extra special Easter treats.
Seeking More Special Treats
If you are like me and you are constantly on the lookout for special treats.
Now tell us, do you have a special Easter treat story full of special Easter memories to share?
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
With less than a month to go before Easter, now is a good time to finalize plans for your Easter party, get-together or egg hunt. Learning what others have done may give you a fantastic idea you can incorporate into your holiday celebration this year.
Kid's Easter Party
When it comes to Easter parties for kids, WriterJanis has got it covered. In her lens titled "How to Plan an Easter Party for Kids and Easter Party Ideas" she covers almost every option. From invitations to centerpieces, games to music, and food to decorations -- there are ideas for anyone planning a hopping Easter celebration with children.
Easter Egg Hunt Ideas
If you are planning an Easter egg hunt for older children, lestroischenes has some great ideas. She uses herself and her family as examples in her lens titled "The Easter Egg Hunt". I found this lens interesting as it gives the version of an egg hunt from another part of the world -- France. It's a fun lens!
Easter Party Food Ideas
You have to have some sweets! Our very own MissMerFaery has a great idea with her "Bird Nest Cupcakes" lens. Such a simple but cute idea that's perfect as a sweet treat addition to any Easter party or get together.
Puzzlemaker shows us a lot of different cupcake and treat ideas themed for Easter featuring M&M's as a main ingredient in the decorations on this lens: "Easter Cupcakes and Treats with M&M's".
A bunny, a carrot, a flower and a chick, these ideas are simple but fun and the perfect addition to your Easter party.
The best part? The kids can help with the decorating.
It's Time...
Now, armed with some helpful information and creative ideas, I hope you will get to planning your Easter party soon. The bunny will be here before we know it and we all want to be ready!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
It's not too late to get crafting for Easter - we have been busy making little chicks, coloring in Easter bunny paper dolls and even making some little chocolate eggs of our own with a chocolate mold.
The past week we have also made baskets for an egg hunt, and were lucky enough to attend a willow weaving workshop at our local zoo, where we learned how to make these bird nests pictured! These make a lovely Easter gift, with a knitted bird or two and some pretty foiled eggs.
This time of year is a haven for crafty ideas - spring is in the air, nature is abundant with bits and bobs to use in crafting, and we have Easter and Earth Day to inspire us! Tomorrow we're going to combine the two events by recycling the pretty colored foil that my children's Easter hunt eggs were wrapped in (below), and using them to create some kind of object or collage. We've not decided yet!
Hubpages is the perfect place to find Easter craft ideas, or to write your own how-to's and reviews! Whether you want inspiration for a craft, or want to see how you can share your own ideas, take a look at some of these terrific pages.
Older preschoolers might like to help (or receive!) these Resurrection Easter Eggs, demonstrated by ideadesigns. And if you're all out of painting and decorating eggs enthusiasm by now, why not try something different, such as this great idea by prosperity66, whoshows you how to make Easter Bells from plant pots!
Finally, I love this tutorial from KyraB. Now spring is here, we are itching to get gardening, and have been looking at making a fairy garden in a barrel and a terrarium. So her lens on How to Make a Christian Easter Planterseemed like perfect timing for getting crafty with planting, with an Easter theme!
I was delighted to see my Chick in Egg Easter Cards tutorial selected as Lens of the Day today! This is a great craft for little ones as you can keep it simple (a colored chick in a plain egg) or have fun decorating, coloring or painting it to the hilt! I am also delighted to have been blessed with the new regular position of Saturday poster for Review This, so from next weekend you will be able to find reviews, tips, inspirations and ideas from Little Crafty Kids here every week! Once again, have a Happy Easter, and happy crafting!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Easter 2020, will probably be remembered by many as the Easter that wasn't. Let me explain, Easter still happened, but not in the way that many of us Born Christians would recognize. So we have had to find some creative ways to celebrate the Greatest Holy Day of the Christian Calendar.
To that end, my husband and I have been searching for ways in order to make Easter come alive again! We don't have any problem with following services on You Tube, or Facebook, but Easter calls us (personally) to dig a little deeper into our faith.
I am a Christian and not at all ashamed or embarrassed to admit it! I'm sure I'm not alone. The thing that always surprises me is that after Easter is over, many Christians think Easter is a done deal. One day, Easter Sunday and then everything goes back to "normal". (Well 2020's normal will be different than most.)
Many people don't understand that Easter Sunday is just the beginning of the Easter season. It does NOT END until 50 days later at the Feast of the Pentacost!
That gives Christians a whole 50 days to deepen their faith and strengthen their belief system.
The trouble is that you can only read the scriptures for so long and then hopefully have a good discussion on what was read. Our God speaks to each of us through these scriptures and each of us will take away lessons that are meant just for us. Each will take away a lesson that speaks to them personally, and it may not be the same message that you get! The Bible is alive and speaks to each of us in a way that we will understand in our hearts.
Being in house arrest has given us some time to look for other ways to celebrate our faith and grow at the same time.
We are so lucky that we can search out lots of different ways to celebrate our Christian Holidays. You Tube, Facebook and the Internet offer us unlimited ways to enhance our faith journey. Alan and I were blessed to spend 3 months in the Holy Land in 2018. We were there from the middle of January to the Middle of April, which just happened to be Easter of that year. What an experience that was and it still resounds with us today. If you would like to see where we lived and worked during that time here's a You Tube video about the region and why it was so important to Christians all over the world. https://youtu.be/Jcfkn9zivis
After having spent that time in Magdala, we came back home really driven to look into our faith, deeper, so that we are well informed Christians.
Now, during this time in our lives, that has us more upside down, than right side up, we are looking again for ways in which to make our faith "come alive". To that end, both of us have been trying to figure out who the person of Jesus was and who His followers were too. We have had many lively discussions on this aspect of our faith and really haven't come to any conclusions. What we see in the Scriptures can look pretty cold and too Godly or shall we say Jesus sometimes come off as unreachable. But that is not the Jesus we want to believe in, we want a Jesus that is just like us, happy, sad, funny, serious and a whole lot more....He is the Jesus we could relate to!
Thank goodness that I found a series that really delves into the "humanity" of Christ! This series has 8 episodes and each one of them is really so well done. The series holds true to the Biblical Christ, but also opens up the Humanity of him who is known as the Messiah.
I would like to share with you a link to get to this series and I'm sure that you will be moved just as I was. This series is not available on DVD or any other media other than at the APP store. I have a link for you right here. It is called The Chosen. This is an 8 part series each one is about an hour long and focuses on the beginning of Jesus' life and ministry. While following Biblical texts, there is a lot of interpretation allowed in this series.
Not only are we treated to a "human" Jesus, we are also treated to the characters who become his Apostles and Disciples. His mother and other relatives also play a role in this series. I found it to be very interesting and profoundly moving.
Please come back and tell me what you thought! I know for myself personally, this series was a valuable tool in more ways than one. It brought so many characters to life that I had not connected with through just reading the Scriptures. My faith is alive and new ways of understanding that faith are always welcomed. You can watch the official trailer for The Chosen right here!
**Please note: at the end of every episode there is a bit of "advertising", but you can skip that and move to the next episode easily. If you are touched by this series you can PAY IF FORWARD. But please don't feel that you must do this. I want you to enjoy this series as much as I have and that is my sole purpose in sharing this with you. I make no commissions or any other reward for sharing this with you. Happy Easter for the next 50 days at least.....
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes is an Easter Classic
This classic Easter picture book has been with us since 1939 and has stood the test of time. I still have the hardcover edition of The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes I received when I was just learning to print. It no longer has the dustjacket because little girls don't always know how important the dust jacket is if they grow up to become booksellers. They also don't realize that proudly printing one's name in big letters on the front pastedown to show possession decreases the value of the book.
As I look now at that proud possession about 68 years later, I see that the cloth binding is frayed at the edges and almost completely worn off the bumped corners. It is evident that this book, like the famous Velveteen Rabbit, has been loved very much.
I Loved The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
In this book, children learn that there are really five Easter Bunnies -- not just one. They must be the five kindest, swiftest, and wisest bunnies in the world. All the bunnies know this. They also know that when an Easter bunny becomes too old to run fast anymore, The Grandfather Bunny, who is old, wise and kind and lives at the Palace of the Easter Eggs, will pick a new Easter Bunny from all the bunnies in the world.
So every bunny tries to become fast, wise, and kind with the hope of getting picked someday. One of these young bunnies was a country girl Cottontail bunny. She told the other bunnies she would grow up to be an Easter Bunny someday, but they all laughed at her.
She grew up, got married, and had twenty-one baby Cottontail bunnies. She put her childhood dream at the back of her mind. It no longer seemed possible that it could come true. The elegant white rabbits and the jackrabbits continued to laugh at her, telling her, 'What did we tell you! Only a country rabbit would go and have all those babies. Now take care of them and leave Easter eggs to great big men bunnies like us.'
Cottontail did take care of her babies, and she trained them well to help her with everything that needed doing to take care of the house. They worked in teams of two, usually a brother and sister together, doing household chores, garden tasks, and even singing and dancing to entertain their other siblings as they worked.
When the little rabbits were half grown, Cottontail got word that one of the Easter bunnies had gotten too slow and everyone was gathering at the Palace of Easter Eggs to see whom Grandfather Bunny would pick as the next Easter Bunny. Naturally, Cottontail took her little Cottontails to watch the fun, but she was sad, knowing that she was only going to be able to watch some other rabbit get the job she'd always wanted.
As the larger rabbits showed how fast they were, the Grandfather Rabbit wasn't happy. He could see they were neither wise nor kind. Then he saw Little Cottontail Mother with her children and started asking her questions.
Did having all those children take all her time? No. She had trained them so well that they did most of the household work. Grandfather Bunny determined she must be very wise to train them so well.
Did her children always look so happy? Yes. Her household never had tears or cross words. Grandfather Bunny decided she must be very kind to have such happy children.
Surely, though, having all those children must not leave her time to practice running to be swift. Little Cottontail Mother whispered to her bunnies and they all raced away in different directions. She quickly rounded them up and they stood again in front of Grandfather Bunny. He appointed her as his fifth Easter Bunny.
But what about the little gold shoes? Little Cottontail was awarded those after quite an adventure. You'll have to read the book to see how she got them.
I felt quite insignificant as a child. I did not yet have any big dreams. But Little Cottontail demonstrated that even an ordinary person like me could accomplish great things if she learned to be wise and kind.
The illustrations by Majorie Flack have stayed with me for a lifetime. The introductory image shows the Cottontail family standing in front of the Grandfather Bunny at the Palace of the Easter Eggs. My favorite pictures were of the bunny sibling pairs doing their chores, Mother Cottontail rounding up her children to demonstrate how fast she could be, and most of the illustrations that show her earning her little gold shoes. I would pour over those pictures often as I relived the story, and not just at Easter time.
A Remarkable Book When It Was Published
This story by DuBose Heyward, who is more famous for his novel Porgy, which inspired the musical Porgy and Bess, was written long before most people were thinking about women's issues. Yet many many women today believe The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes proves that women are just as capable as men, even as Easter bunnies.
Although DuBose Heyward was an aristocrat himself, he pokes fun at aristocrats in this book. I see that as an adult reader. Adults will see deeper meaning in this book than very young readers will.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Children and Faith, Our Duty as Christian Parents and Grandparents During this Holiday Season.
In the last 30 years Church attendance has dropped significantly. Christians still want to attend services at special times of the year and one of them is coming up very shortly. There are two major celebrations in the Christian community. Christmas being the first. Easter is the Second. Both of these times in the year are Holidays, and important in the life of a Christian community. Christmas we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ and at Easter, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the Tomb. Both of these "Holy Days" are usually marked by increased attendance at your local church's worship services.
Easter Church Services
Attending Church services with our family is one of the most wonderful times in a parents and grandparents lives. It's a great time for us Parents and Grandparents to acknowledge our faith and share it with our families.
The Question remains, how do we get our children (many of which haven't participated in regular Church Services) to sit quietly at the Services we are attending? Every parent enters the church with trepidation and fear that their little ones will be disruptive during the Easter Service.
I'm here to tell you that with a little planning ahead, children can and will behave in a way that will not put you to shame. But it does take some planning.
So let's get to it. Prepare, prepare, prepare!
First of all let's find out how long the church service will last. Sometimes it will be 30 to 45 minutes and other services may last a few hours. Knowing how long you need to keep your children engaged will help you plan better.
Let's assume that services will be about an hour long. That 60 minutes of quiet time that your children need to get a handle on.
Let's Pack a Church Bag* to take with us to services. Inside will be all kinds of quiet activities that your children can do when they become restless. So these are the things I would take along:
*Contents of a great Church Bag
Books, depending on the age of your children, they can be picture books or story books.
Stickers and some paper for them to make their own picture of the Bible story they will hear.
Coloring books with crayons. (if you have more than one child, make sure you have a book for each one of them!)
Puzzle books, find the words, or crosswords are great!
Small soft Easter type toys, stuffed bunnies, chicks or eggs. You can find some really cute ones here at Coastal Crochet Crafts!
DO NOT PACK Candy of any Kind. That would be setting you up for a sugar rush and you don't want to have that during this quiet time. You should prepare your children ahead of time. Make it a game to see how long they can be quiet at home, before the Church event happens. Small rewards for being able to be quiet can help you to increase the time span. Tell them that they are practicing for the quiet time that they will have to adhere to while Church services are happening. Practice whispering to each other if conversations need to be had. Bringing electronic toys to church is not a good idea. They are very distracting to your child and to others around them. Even adults are distracted by electronic toys. Better to stick to bringing a book or two. Picture books are great and children are always enchanted by stories that they can read. I happen to like Easter Books that tell the Story of the Resurrection.
There are several available and they will help you to explain to your children what this Season of Easter is all about too! Children learn from their parents and grandparents about their faith beliefs and it is up to us to encourage that faith. After Church Services are concluded, I'm sure there will be time for the infamous Easter Egg hunt. Children especially like this part of the Easter festivities. Dinner on Easter Sunday will be a gathering of all the family at the table to share in the wonderful foods and desserts that have been lovingly prepared for us. After all Easter is a whole season of REJOICING! Everything is new including the seasons. Everything is in bloom or will be soon.
Please know that most Christians are very happy to see the little ones at church services! They are a delight to us older folks who remember all to well taking our own children to Services.
Happy Easter to all, The Lord is Risen, He is Risen indeed!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Window clings with Easter designs are an awesome way to protect your
backyard birds while also adding a touch of holiday decor to your
home.
Last March, my mom lamented that her Easter clings were fading. Since
I am always looking for little gifts for my mom, I promptly went home and
searched for some replacements. I was thrilled with the Easter designs
I found online for window clings. I was seeking a set that included
bunnies and Easter eggs. As it turns out, the set I selected also had
chicks and flowers included. She loved them!
Both of my parents feed their huge variety of backyard birds. They
enjoy watching the birds and looking up a new visitor for
identification. We have all learned a lot about birds thanks to their
care and hobby.
They have a large bay window in their kitchen with the kitchen table placed
in the inside area. The whole family loves sitting there and watching
the constant activity. What we don't love, is having a little bird
strike one of the windows when trying to join us inside. Mom started using the window clings to avoid bird strikes decades
ago. She likes to change them periodically with appropriate holiday or
seasonal designs.
I know we are not alone in our desire to protect our backyard birds.
A fellow contributor here on Review This Reviews, Dawn Rae, previously
reviewed her
Experiences with Bird Strikes
and how she started using window clings to help avoid them. I know you
will want to read her thoughts too by clicking
here.
Easter Design Window Clings
The Easter window clings I gave my mom last year included brightly colored
spring flowers, colorful Easter eggs, chicks, bunnies and carrots.
They are all absolutely adorable! However, mom did tell me that when
the hummingbirds arrive, they do try to eat from the flowers, therefore, she
takes the flowers down.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
There is an easy way to make beautiful and personalized Easter eggs. In this review, you will see that using egg coloring and Sharpie brand markers is an inexpensive way to make your eggs unique.Whether you decorate Easter eggs as a great way to spend time with children or because you are an adult who loves to relive that childhood magic of coloring eggs, using a Sharpie marker is a great way to make your eggs your own.
I have always loved Easter eggs
I am not a very creative person. Nor do I do much decorating on the holidays. But I have always loved Easter egg decorating and hunting. Easter eggs bring back memories of the hunts at Grandma's house so many years ago. Even the hunt that I remember few details of except looking down at my pretty new shoes in the snow, leading up to Grandma's house. We had the hunt in that house that year. I must have been around kindegarten age but I sure do remember those black patent leather shoes and the excitement of trying to add eggs to my little basket.
Coloring the eggs
Over the years I have tried different products to color eggs. But I always return to the familiar way with PAAS. I have the best luck with PAAS and it is inexpensive. I find PAAS is reliable and the directions are simple to follow.
Some folks color their eggs with Kool-Aid. I may try that this year. I like the colors and they say that it slightly scents your eggs. The directions for using Kool-Aid packs are as follows:
Pour 1 pack of Kool-Aid into a container suitable for coloring eggs
Add 2/3 cup water to container; stir until completely dissolved.
Place the egg into the container (with a spoon preferably)
Keep the egg, or section of egg, submerged until the desired color is achieved
I have to say that I LOVE Sharpie brand markers. Always have and I always will. I use them at work, at home, and every chance I get. Sharpie makes a marker size and color for every project you could think of. They are bright and permanent. There are a variety of tips and mediums. My friend likes Sharpie markers even more than I do. A few years ago he introduced me to the idea of decorating Easter Eggs with Sharpie markers. We colored our eggs as we normally do. After they cooled and dried, we drew on them with these simple, black, permanent markers. I regret not having taken more photos of his artwork but I think you can get the idea. You can see that the marker ink is dark and bold. I am not as artistic. Rather than drawing things such as bunny faces, I drew simple smiley faces on mine, and wrote words or messages. I never imagined that Minion eggs would be an easy and adorable Easter egg design. Crystal on A Pumpkin & a Princess shows us how to color the eggs with PAAS, then add googley eyes, a bit of string, and a hand-drawn face to make these holiday Minions (shown above). There too, you can see how nice the Sharpie marker ink looks on the eggs.
On Redefine Creativity Alisa Burke shows us how she creates gorgeous "doodle" Easter eggs by using a black Sharpie over a white egg. She uses the empty egg shell after blowing out the contents. There are a variety of designs in her article but they all remind me somewhat of beautiful henna tattoos. I'd like to try these with a hard-boiled egg and a base of pastel color. Thank you Alisa for this wonderful idea.
The "doodle" eggs displayed on Obviously Sweet are also white eggs with black sharpie patterns. These have a slightly different look than the patterns mentioned earlier. To me they look more modern and geometric. They can be as easy or difficult as you care to make them. I don't know how I didn't know, but there is a neon sharpie marker set that is fluorescent under black lights. I can imagine using the neon colors for these patterned "doodle" eggs. I think they would look great. Happy Easter to you. Whether you are helping a child discover the wonder of making beautiful things or whether you are an adult that still enjoys the fun of decorating eggs, I hope that you create some wonderful memories as you make your eggs this year.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Happy Easter! Whether it's the Easter Bunny or the Traditional Christian Holiday You're Celebrating, Enjoy and Have a Wonderful Easter Sunday
We know many children will be enjoying a feast of chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, and baskets filled with other treats, gifts and goodies.
As Christians attend mass today, many will be dressed up with seasonal Easter Bonnets and kids in their Sunday best. It's a day as important as Christmas to Christians, and some feel even more so, in that it represents the rise of Jesus into heaven and eternal life. What's Your Easter Sunday Tradition?
Our kids are mostly grown now, but the memories of our Easter Sundays are forever etched in my heart. While the kids slept I would fill a very large basket with toys, clothes and candies and place the basket on their dressers. Of course, they'de wake up excited to see what the Bunny brought! But the best part was always watching their happy faces.
Of course, what's a bunny day without an egg hunt! We'd leave a trail of chocolate eggs all over the house and they'd run around full speed collecting as many as they could in their smaller basket.
Til this day, I still picture them in their PJ's sitting in the family room sorting through their goodies and stuffing their precious little faces with chocolate.
I can't believe how fast they grow up - sure do miss those days .... Great memories that I'm hoping they'll be making with their own families some day. Our family moments are forever etched in my mind, and I'm grateful we took the time to carve them out.
My kids inspired me to write this poem - a funny take on a child's perspective about the Easter Bunny!
Happy Easter, and whether it's a religious day for you or a Bunny day for you, I hope you're making lots of precious memories ... no matter your age.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I have only just learned that there are beautiful houseplants currently in bloom called Easter (Spring) Cactus. The blooms of this plant can range from white, red, orange, peach, purple, and pink. The one I chose to bring home has delicate, light pink petals with dark pink and light yellow stamens. During this time of year, when forsythia are in bloom and not much else, it is wonderful to have a bright splash of color announcing spring.
Easter (Spring) Cactus
The Rhipsalidopsis is a red-flowered native to southeastern forests of Brazil in altitudes of 1,100 - 4,300 feet. It seems that at some point, the Rhipsalidopsis was crossed with the R.rosea which resulted in the popular Rhipsaldopsis gaertneri which created the variety of flower colors. These colors include pink, orange, purple, white, and orange.
Plant Care
The Easter (Spring) Cactus does well in temperatures of around 77 degrees fahrenheit in the summer and around 45 - 55 degrees fahrenheit in the winter (November to January) to help with bud formation.
From their origin in Brazilian forests, they are plants that do not prefer strong sunlight. They prefer partial sunlight.
Easter (Spring) Cactus does not like over-watering. It is best to allow the soil to dry between waterings then water so that it drains out of the bottom of the planter. It needs loose, nutrient-rich potting mix soil. Soil mixes with coco coir, peat moss, perlite, or orchid bark are preferred.
Easter (Spring) Cactus propagation can be done by removing stem segments in the late spring, allowing the cut surface to dry a bit, and placing the stem in moist soil. Another method of propagation is removing a single leaf from the plant, place the end of the leaf into moist soil, place bags over the plant in order to hold moisture in until the roots begin to sprout.
What I Wanted was a Christmas Cactus but I'm Thrilled with this Easter Cactus
I had the most beautiful, prolifically blooming Christmas Cactus at my previous office. For the past year, including over the holidays, I watched for a Christmas Cactus to replace the one I left behind when I moved. I did not see any at the usual stores where I usually find a large selection of seasonal plants.
This past week I was at a nursery to look for Crape Myrtle trees and there I spotted a large selection of what appeared to be Christmas Cactus. But they were labeled Spring Cactus. I loved them and brought one home without knowing quite what they were.
It seems that the Christmas Cactus, a different species than the Easter Cactus, is called Schlumbergera and is also native to Brazil. There are two cultivar groups called Truncata and Buckleyi. And that is about the extent of my new knowledge of the taxonomy of these plants.
I still hope to find a Christmas Cactus to add to my household plants. Blooms during the dreary, cold winter months add something wonderful to a northern indoor space. In the meantime, I will enjoy the gorgeous pink blossoms of my Easter Cactus while I wait for Mother Nature to allow other plants to show off their flowers.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I found a wonderful book to include in the little one's Easter Basket this year. An Easter Egg Hunt For Jesus will be a nice way to help her understand what we are really celebrating during this special holiday. Just like with Christmas, children need to know the real 'reason for the season.'
Egg Hunts are fun for kids
image courtesy of pixabay.com
I will admit that it is fun to color the eggs with the children and even more fun hiding those eggs for them to find. How often do we stop to let them know why we Christians celebrate the Easter Holiday? Depending on their age, it might be difficult to explain the Crucifixion and Resurrection in a way that doesn't disturb them . I remember my oldest coming out of her Sunday School class one Sunday near Easter being absolutely horrified over their lesson that morning. She was about 7 at the time but she had grasped all too well the story of Jesus on that cross. She kept saying, "They killed him, Mommy! Why would they do that?" I kept trying to explain that He had to die so that he could come back to life but I didn't do a very good job of it. I also remember thinking the teacher shouldn't have ended the lesson that day without telling the children at least something about what came next. Maybe she did, but my daughter couldn't get past the part of his death on that hill. I wish that I had been able to prepare her for that lesson with a book like An Easter Egg Hunt For Jesus. It hadn't been written, yet.
Forest of Faith Series
A series of books have been written to help children understand better, in ways that they can relate to, the meaning of both Christmas and Easter. The stories take place in a forest with adorable little animals who learn more about their faith. The books are written for ages 4 through 6 and have been illustrated beautifully by Lee Holland with the stories being written by Susan Jones. I really think they would be a wonderful addition to the library of books we have to read to our little ones.
Little Bunny is excited about the special egg hunt taking place in the forest as are all of the creatures who live there. In his enthusiasm to find the 'special egg' he makes a mistake that he believes has ruined the fun for his family and friends. They all come together to help him understand about the Resurrection of Jesus and the celebration over the new life that He offers to all of us. It is a sweet little story!
I recommend this book to share with the small ones in your family!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Crafting with little ones is perfect for bringing out their creative side, nurturing their inner artist and exercising their imagination. But crafts can also be a wonderful learning tool in other ways as well. As an unschooling home educator, I use play and art as part of the learning process. We learn and craft with the seasons, the things we see and do daily, and whatever interests my children currently have. Of course, right now it is coming up to Easter, so there arelots of beautiful spring, egg and other Easterthemes in abundance! We have been making these chick in egg cards (left) to send to my daughter's friends and pen pals, a prime example of learning as we craft. The activity led to a discussion about the life cycle of the chicken, farms, and whether there are chicks in the eggs that we have in the fridge! We also belong to a home educators book club on Facebook, which has a different book to read every week or fortnight, and we incorporate lots of crafts and similar activities alongside the reading of the books. We've made stick people in the forest for Stickman (below left), play dough aliens (below centre) and a washing line full of colourful cut-out pants for Aliens Love Underpants (below right, which prompted a mini science lesson on the weather, how clothes get dry, and what we could use to "dry" our craft by representing the wind and sun). Not to mention Jack and the Beanstalk stick puppets, Room on the Broom peg dolls, Three Little Pig houses made of smoothie boxes - well, you get the idea!
So, when you craft together, think about what other elements you can bring in to teach your child, to make learning fun! Even simple concepts like cutting paper or lacing beads (motor skills), counting out or measuring materials (maths), or trying out a new way of painting (art) are teaching key lessons. Here are some ideas for the season for you! hlkljgk shows you how to dye eggs naturally for Easter in her Natural Egg Colouring lens. This activity combines craft with science, as you can explain the dyeing process and so on. You can also get inspired by general craft ideas and apply an Easter theme. Here I show you How to Make a Shadow Puppet. You can teach children a basic history of shadow puppetry or the science of reflection and shadow, and create an Easter puppet show at the same time! Finally, why not inspire further crafting this Easter by popping a crafty gift egg inside your child's Easter basket? CorrinnaJohnson has some beautiful examples of these in her lens Crafty Non-Candy Easter Egg Surprises. Happy Easter, and happy crafting!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I have always enjoyed creating fun food for holidays, birthdays and special occasions, but Easter treats are especially delightful. There is something inherently fun about bunnies, lambs, chicks, and decorated eggs. 
![{ [ THE COUNTRY BUNNY AND THE LITTLE GOLD SHOES WITH ACCESS CODE (ANNIVERSARY) ] } Heyward, Dubose ( AUTHOR ) Mar-04-2014 Hardcover](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ClRnIFLdL.jpg)
