Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt

I think it’s perfect that Easter is celebrated in Spring!  Really…there is such rich symbolism connecting the two.  Just when all the new life is emerging from all the plants in our yard – that just weeks before appeared dead, we also get to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection and the new life He brings us.  How cool is that…that the two happen at the same time!  So much to celebrate as I walk around my yard and reflect on all the new life that is springing forth.  It brings me great joy!

So as I’ve been thinking of the symbolism in our yard in relation to Easter, I’ve been considering how to engage my kids so that they can see it too…and the idea of a Scavenger Hunt was born.  As I shared my idea with my Resident Gardener…he suggested tying it into an Easter Egg hunt.  So here’s what we came up with – either a stand-alone Easter Scavenger Hunt or you could take it a step further and add a twist to the traditional Easter Egg Hunt by adding the Scavenger Hunt clues in the eggs.  Really easy…but bringing great meaning to an otherwise free-for-all.

If you want to just go with the Scavenger Hunt route, simply print off this checklist for each child, hand it and a brown paper bag to them…then send them into the yard to find all the items listed.  When everyone has found all the items, sit down and let the kids share what they found…and then let these items spur on some great conversation about the true meaning of Easter.  Kids are likely to be very engaged as they will want to show off all the treasures they found.  Nothing like a captivated audience and great teachable moments while having fun outside!

Now if you want to tie this into an Easter Egg Hunt, here’s all you need to do. Print off these clues, cut out the clues and put them in plastic eggs. You may want to make more than one set of clues if you have a large group of kids (just tell the kids to put back any duplicate eggs that they pick up).   Hide the eggs in your yard and send the kids out for a good ole fashioned Egg Hunt…but with the added twist of having to find more than just the eggs.   As the children find the eggs, they open them to find the clues…they then go and gather something from the yard that represents the clue or challenge found inside the egg.  They can collect all the items in their baskets or in their brown paper bags.  After all the eggs and items are found, bring the children back together and allow them to share what they found and have some conversation around what each item represents in the Easter story.

So there you have it…a fun and easy activity requiring little to no prep work that will get your “peeps” outside this weekend as you celebrate Easter!   You could also pin this to do next year with your kids or a playgroup the week before Easter…and even add other clues that represent things that took place the days that proceeded Easter Sunday (e.g., palm frond) .  I’m planning on doing the Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt tomorrow during our extended family’s Easter lunch that we’re hosting. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day, so I want my kiddos outside enjoying as much of it as possible as we celebrate Easter and the New Life it brings!

Happy Easter!

[Note: In the egg with clue # 2 (two sticks) you need to include a piece of string, yarn or twine so that when they find their two sticks they can wrap them together with an X-pattern to make a cross.  Or if you are doing just a Scavenger Hunt then put a piece of twine or something like it in their paper bag to help fulfill clue #2.]