Easter egg hunts, according to my son, are ‘more funner than even birthday tea’. But what does he know? He’s only just turned four and can’t possibly remember last year’s lacklustre affair when we dotted a few eggs around our sitting room (note to organisers: hidden chocolate and soft furnishings aren’t necessarily a good mix). This year, I decided to consult the world’s most accomplished Easter bunny. My sister in law has organised hunts large and small (though with four children, ‘small’ is a relative term). Her biggest was for 35, with an age range from babes in arms to sprightly 70-somethings. Here are her failsafe ways of organising the most funner Easter egg hunt in Britain.
The simplest Easter egg hunt, and ideal when time is tight, is simply to scatter eggs around your garden or house and let everyone race off. But it’s not the most fair system, especially with a mix of different ages. Even if you’re dealing with a group of children of roughly the same age, stipulate the maximum number of eggs any individual is allowed. It’s also a good idea to have one large egg each, so that if Can’t-See-For-Looking’s haul isn’t something to cock-a-doodle-do about, he or she will still feel spoiled.
Buying differently coloured eggs and giving each hunter their own colour to look for is another way of making it fair. You could always add in a few ‘bonus eggs’ to make it more competitive.
When you’ve a range of ages, pair everyone up. Grandad can help the two-year-old reach high branches, while the toddler is probably going to be better at crawling under tables.
Forget the whole trail thing and organise egg and spoon races instead. Every racer can eat the chocolate egg they’re racing with, and the winner of each heat gets another. This also helps wear out sugar-crazed children.
Prizes don’t all need to be chocolate, especially for grown-ups whose love of Crème Eggs isn’t quite what it used to be. Something like our double egg cup won’t add an inch to the hips…
To make proceedings last longer, give every hunter the wherewithal to make an Easter basket. Small wicker baskets if you’ve got them are great; empty ice-cream containers will do just as well, or make them out of folded paper and Sellotape. Decorate with spring flowers and greenery, felt-tip pictures of bunnies and eggs, and fill with your haul of chocolate. The best basket maker can also win another prize.
Turn the hunt into a treasure trail. Write up clues (or draw pictures for the teenies), and make each one lead to the next, with the ultimate prize saved till last. This method has the merit of making sure everyone finds the same number of eggs.
If all else fails, go to Waitrose’s Easter Egg Hunt (www.waitrose.com/easter/egghunt.aspx). Either use their rhyming clues (Good for you, clever clogs/You are in the know/To find the next egg/Look where the seeds grow) or pen your own, print out, and get cracking!
Amanda Fox is creative director of The Handpicked Collection www.handpickedcollection.com a specialist website for inspired present ideas.
Amanda Fox is creative director of The Handpicked Collection and lifestyle journalist and consultant.
A specialist travel writer, she gets to shop all over the world, and always packs a second suitcase.
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