The Easter long weekend is fast approaching! How will you be celebrating?

The team at AVJennings have pulled together some great ideas to help you make this Easter long weekend egg-stra special.

Easter Egg Hunt
There’s nothing more fun than setting up an Easter egg hunt in the backyard, or around the house if the weather takes a turn for the worst! If you want your children’s egg hunt to include treats other than chocolate, place small toys or items inside fillable egg containers which you can purchase from stores like Spotlight, Kmart and Big W. You can also pick up re-usable egg hunt baskets, or make your own! 

Egg Painting

For some creative Easter fun, why not create your own colourful eggs? You can do this in a range of ways – from drawing patterns with acrylic paint, to submerging them in food die, or even using colourful textas for something a bit more simple. To avoid any unwanted mess, ensure you hard boil the eggs before getting crafty. Your colourful eggs can then be used as decorations around the home or for your easter lunch table centrepiece.

This activity is eggs-tremely versatile and fun!

Pipe Cleaner and Pom Pom Finger Puppets

They’re quick, they’re simple, and just look at those little faces. Plus, little ones just love playing with puppets.

What you’ll need:

• Chenille pipe cleaners
• Pom poms in assorted sizes
• Googly eyes
• Small yellow or orange pom poms can be used for beaks, but you can also use card-stock 
• Hot glue gun

Steps:
1. Make the Puppet’s Pom Pom Head
Glue eyes and nose or beak onto a large pom pom.

2. Attach to Pipe Cleaner
In a twisting motion, push a pipe cleaner up into the bottom of the pom pom and secure with a bit of hot glue.

3. For Chick’s Wings
Twist a second pipe cleaner into a figure 8 and secure to the first pipe cleaner.

For Bunny’s Ears
Cut a second pipe cleaner in half. Form both halves into a U shape and push into the pom pom. Secure with hot glue.

4. Twist into a spiral
Twist the puppet’s pipe cleaner body around your finger several times to form a spiral. You may have to cut a bit off to shorten it to fit a child’s finger.

That’s all there is to it! An adorable set of Easter finger puppets for your little one!

Toilet Paper Roll Easter Baskets

These little baskets are really fun and easy to make. They hold up larger eggs quite nicely and if you have smaller eggs you can fill the baskets with paper grass and nestle them in.

What you’ll need:

• Toilet paper rolls
• Paint or colourful paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Easter eggs
• Black texter

Steps:

1. Colour the paper rolls by painting them or gluing some colourful paper on them.
2. Once dry cut them in half or in a zig zag pattern if you’ll make a grass basket.
3. Cut a long strip of paper and glue it on the inside the top of roll so that it makes an arch – this will be the handle.
4. To decorate, cut the wings and a beak for the chicks, long ears for the bunnies and flowers for the grass. Use a black texter to draw cute little faces.
   

Chocolate Nests

Ingredients

• 100g of butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 50g milk chocolate buttons
• 75g of golden syrup in a bowl
• 4 x large Uncle Toby’s shredded wheat cereal
• Cupcake baking cups x 12
• Mini chocolate eggs x 36

Steps:

1. Add butter, cocoa powder, milk chocolate buttons and golden syrup in a bowl.
2. Microwave on high for 90 seconds and mix together.
3. Crumble 4 shredded wheat into a bowl and mix with rest of ingredients.
4. Place a generous spoonful in each of the 12 baking cups (to make the nests).
5. Press the centre of each nest down slightly to form a dip and place 3 chocolate mini eggs in each dip.
6. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.