Easter is approaching- this year the date is Sunday, April 20, 2014. Today, I am excited to share some DIY Easter basket stuffers with you. I think you will enjoy the 5 ideas for DIY Easter basket stuffers and find them fun, frugal, and a lot healthier than a bunch of candy!
Toddlers Will Love These DIY Easter Basket Stuffers
Easter is hopping our way soon, and although Easter baskets are a fun holiday tradition, the Easter bunny may feel the need to lay a golden egg to pay for it all.
Special occasions all too often become the catalyst for an out-of-balance budget. However, with a little bit of time and effort, it is possible to create a bountiful bargain Easter basket with the following inexpensive do-it-yourself ideas that don’t require innate craftiness to accomplish.
DIY Finger Paints
Invite some creative fun into your life and make finger paint. Simply combine three tablespoons of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ cup of corn starch and two cups of water in a small saucepan and warm until thickened. Cool and pour into glass baby food jars and then add in enough drops of food coloring to create the desired hue. Nestle the colors together inside of your container for a rainbow of artistic possibility at very little cost.
DIY Crayons
A second idea for Easter basket stuffers is DIY crayons. If finger painting is more of a potential for mess than you are willing to take on, consider giving old crayons new life by searching for all of the broken crayon pieces in the art supply box, removing their wrappers and chopping them up into pea-sized pieces. Place the colorful crayon bits in a pre-greased muffin tin and bake at 150 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until fully melted. Once they cool, pop them from the makeshift mold and package together with cellophane and ribbon for a cute gift (that has the added benefit of being the perfect size for chubby little hands). Your kids will love learning to make crayons.
DIY Play Dough
All natural modeling dough is always a hit. Encourage mini-sculptors to use their imagination with this safe-to-ingest clay that’s so cheap and easy to create that you won’t even cringe when the colors get mixed together into one giant clump.
Here’s the recipe: Stir ½ cup of salt, ½ cup of water and 1 cup of flour together in a medium-sized bowl until well mixed. Add drops of food coloring and knead the dough on a surface covered with newspaper until the color becomes vibrant. Store the dough in small plastic food storage containers with decorative labels attached.
DIY Sidewalk Chalk
The arrival of spring means more sunny days, so get ready for some outdoor fun and to make the world (specifically the sidewalk) a more colorful place with this easy recipe. Just mix one cup of Plaster of Paris, ¾ cup of water, and Tempera paint for color in a large bowl. Coat the inside of plastic Easter egg halves with petroleum jelly and pour the mixture inside. Once the chalk seems like it is beginning to dry, attach the two egg halves and allow to fully dry. Once finished, remove your chalk eggs from the plastic forms and set them aside to harden for an additional 24 hours before use. Present them prettily by lining the eggs up in a small egg carton and including it in the basket.
DIY Finger Puppets
Encourage the right kind of drama with a toy made with love that also promotes pretend play. Cut the fingers off of gloves and glue on googley eyes, pom-poms, felt pieces and bits of pipe cleaner to create characters, monsters or animal puppet performers. Remember that they don’t have to be perfect to be fun–kids don’t know that craft mavens like Martha Stewart exist, and since the Easter bunny doesn’t have elves like Santa, his work may not live up to the same professional standards. Make the imperfection part of the process and don’t let it stop you from attempting slightly more intimidating crafts. You can also try these easy bunny finger puppets.
Conclusion
If you’re going to make your own Easter goodies from scratch, you will need to hop to it as the holiday is quickly approaching. Although the original intention in going the do-it-yourself route may have been to cut costs, you might also find that keeping it simple and from the heart will bring a sense of wonder and whimsy to your baskets that will help make them truly memorable. Do you have any special Easter traditions?
Who knew the Easter bunny was so egg-cellent at creative, cost-cutting DIY crafts? Which are your favorite DIY non-candy Easter Basket stuffers? If you have more ideas for DIY Easter basket stuffers, feel free to share them in the comments. We’d love to hear your DIY Easter ideas!
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Parenting Tips at Uplifting Families says
My kids love sidewalk chalk. Don’t forget to check dollar tree for some of these items. 😉
Kristin Llamas says
With 3 girls under 6yrs, we love “non-candy” items for Easter baskets but hate cluttering toy boxes with little junk so we always gear toward crafts and books! Shoe snaps are also perfect because they keep kids shoes together and teach them left from right AND are perfect for Easter baskets because a pack of 3 is under $5!