Easter Goodies

Go on a Family Hunt

For ages 3-6, make the egg hunt a little more challenging by assigning them only one color to collect.
For older kids, schedule a backyard hunt at dusk using flashlights to spot eggs with glow-in-the-dark paint or clear plastic eggs with glowing bracelets inside.

Kraft Kool Eggs

Make tie-dyed eggs by mixing separate containers of Kool-Aid that are red, blue, yellow and orange and spooning them onto cooled eggs. Instructions at kraftrecipes.com.

Plan Ahead

The day after Easter, items are discounted 50 percent or more. Shop for toys and other non-perishables for next year’s basket.

Fun Facts

5.5 Million Average number of Peeps “born” each day.

16 Billion  Jellybeans are consumed at Easter.

76 Percent who said Chocolate bunnies should be eaten ears first.

Boost Basket Booty

Go light on candy and theme a basket with fun or useful items. For preschoolers, Play-Doh products, crayons, coloring books and board books are always fun. For ages 5-8, an outdoor-themed basket might include chalk, marbles, a bean bag, a playground ball, a set of jacks, a blindfold and a jump rope. For older kids, try sunscreen, lip balm and flip-flops for the summer or an iTunes gift card, a CD or two, and new earbuds for a music fan.

Tell Hoppy Tales

Pete the Cat Big Easter Adventure
by Kimberly Dean and James Dean
Ages 4-8. (Harper, an imprint of Harper-Collins Publishers, $9.99)
Pete awakens Easter morning to find an empty basket and a note from the Easter Bunny asking for his help hiding eggs. Book includes a poster, stickers and 12 Easter cards.

Here Comes the Easter Cat
by Deborah Underwood and Claudia Rueda
Ages 3-5. (Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin, $16.99)
The grumpy cat goes into competition with the Easter Bunny, hopping on a red motorcycle to get around instead of hopping from place to place – all the better to beat the bunny at his own game.

Everywhere an Egg

Don’t toss those hard-boiled eggs – disguise them in a recipe!
Creamed Eggs on Toast
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Chef Salad
Deviled Eggs
Cobb Salad
Salad Niçoise
Potato Salad

Other uses for fresh eggs: Egg Foo Young, Coddled Eggs, Egg Drop Soup, Omelet, Bread Pudding, Baked Eggs, Cream puffs, Strata, Eggs Benedict, Fried Egg Sandwich, Poached Eggs, Scrambled Eggs, Quiche, Fried Rice, Curried Eggs, Egg Frittata, Egg Burritos, Angel Food Cake, Eggs in a Nest, Egg Soufflé, Lemon Meringue Pie, French Toast and Huevos Rancheros.

For details on  egg hunts across metro Atlanta, click here.

– Compiled by Amanda Allen, Jennifer Haslam and Christina Katz