Kids Cuisine

It is decidedly difficult to fill an Easter basket when you eliminate the option of candy.  Our household has decided to become a mostly candy free zone this year, and the Easter baskets are no exception.  With one small chocolate bunny apiece, we’re looking for other treasures to fill our children’s baskets with. Let me say, it’s become quite the task, and it’s a good thing we have a few more weeks to shop.  Roaming the aisles of the discount stores and drug stores, it’s easy to see that the majority of the Easter goods are of a poor quality and not designed to last.  I will admit that part of me wants to discard the candy policy just for this one holiday.  It would be incredibly easy to fill my cart with candy novelties and treats.

Instead, I have compiled a small list to roam my stomping grounds with, and I thought I’d share these ideas with others in the hopes of encouraging others to take up the candy-free lifestyle.

• Outdoor toys and activities including jump-ropes, jacks, bouncy balls, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, bubble blowers, fishing poles, and swim toys
• Crafty supplies such as coloring/activity books, markers, crayons, pastels, paints, glitter glues, stickers, and scissors that cut fun designs
• A scrapbook starter kit that would include a disposable camera or a child size digital camera for taking their own pictures and presenting them
• Busy day activities like Play-doh, stampers and ink, birdhouse kits, sewing activities, bead kits, and flower pressing kits
• For little gardeners, some flower seeds, child size gloves, gardening tools, and flower pots will provide a gift that lasts for a long time
• DVDs, computer games, handheld games, virtual pets, CDs, or iTunes downloads for the older kids
• Nail polish, nail stickers, jewelry for the girls
• Watches, baseball caps, and temporary tattoos for the boys
• Books of any type for any age

How about you? What are you putting in your Easter Baskets this year?