The recent tier change has meant a return to the classroom for many and some still virtually learning, curriculum retention and an excitement for learning still reigns high. So we thought we’d give our Easter baskets an Educational Twist this year and instead of filling them with chocolate and jelly beans, we propose unique ways to keep learning fun. Plus we live on the ocean and being outside is a great option during the red tier. So let’s support local and swap out the traditional basket with a couple items that reflect our California lifestyle, San Diego beach style!
EDUCATIONAL TWIST FOR KIDS
VIRTUAL CLASS AND CURRICULUM REINVENTED WITH CINEMOOD
We are always looking for things to help supplement our at home/virtual learning experience. Cinemood has been a great addition to enhance learning. It has over 120+ hours of parent curated educational content and ability to stream educational programs of your choice. One of our family favorites is the Disney Imagineering series. It explains the engineering, physics and design process on some of our favorite rides. Cinemood’s compact size enables us to take our lesson to different spots in the house, outside or even “on the road.” Turn your ceiling into a galaxy as you study constellations, play 360 educational VR games as you learn your ABCs, or just read some of your favorite books in a cozy spot in the house. And on days, when mommy and daddy are tired but still need to practice reading books, Cinemood has a library of Disney books that children can enjoy their favorite stories while they watch the pages turn.
SCHOOL ART TURNED TO KEEPSAKE JEWELRY WITH FOREVER DRAWN
We love all the art that our kids bring home from the classroom as well as all the at-home projects we’re had this year. But we definitely have way more drawing than we can display so we were thrilled to find Forever Drawn. They transform your handmade designs into unique jewelry! Whether it’s a drawing, picture, or something you created, they carefully turn it into a necklace, bracelet or key chain. All the pieces are crafted from hypoallergenic stainless steel and are available in silver, 18k gold, or 18k rose gold plated materials. We love that we can proudly wear our kids creations and that it can be a treasured keepsake.
From a family drawing turned into a silver keychain or gold sibling silhouettes, the sky really is the limit! We got creative and movies are central to our family, and career, and since my kids share the same initials, they drew a film clapboard with our initials in the middle. Plus do you have any non-traditional names used in your family? We’re greek and the word for grandmother is Yia Yia. But as you can imagine, it’s hard to come by a Yia Yia mug or necklace… so I wrote it out in script as a bar, and had my daughter give it to my mom for Valentine’s Day… so it was really special to have this keepsake representing three generations.
Whatever you decide to design, a gift card placed in an Easter Basket would be such a treat or select something special for mom and submit your design now to get it back in time for Mother’s Day! We hope you have as much fun with Forever Drawn as we do.
ZONDERKIDZ STORIES CELEBRATE THE SEASON
Celebrate the season with ZonderKidz! They have such a fantastic, and expansive, library of books that introduce, reinforce, and celebrate the Easter story. We are big fans of the Berenstain Bears and their titles of Easter Sunday, Easter Story and newly released Learn About Heaven are great ways for kids to learn as they hang out with their favorite Bear family.
Rick Warren has a picture book, Words to Love By, that is perfectly placed for this time as it teaches young ones the power of words and how words can change their lives and the lives of those around them. Also ABC News correspondent Lindsey Davis has a third beautiful book titled Stay This Way Forever that celebrates diversity. Plus ZonderKidz has so many other amazing titles that you are sure to find a great book to include in this year’s Easter Basket.
HANDCRAFTED HEIRLOOM ANIMALS FROM NANDUCKET
If you are looking for a gift that can be passed down, Nanducket has the most adorable heirloom bunnies and ducks. The one-of-a-kind animals are handcrafted from fine velvet, chiffon, linen, and tulle. The animals each have different outfits and the clothing is interchangeable. Each animal is completely unique and wonderfully different. We love that the girls wanted to dress up like their animals, have a tea party, and read the story of Ack! The Nantucket Duckling. The animals will be they type of gift that can be handed down to the next generation.
We love the story of the founder and how why she created Nanducket. Ten years ago, she had Bell’s Palsy. Her face was paralyzed and unlike many who suffer from the condition, she was only able to recover a small amount of movement. People treated her differently. As a mom, she would see this happen to kids who were different as well. Nanducket was founded to help people celebrate differences, feel empowered to be daring, and to use their strengths to help others.
SWAP YOUR BUNNY FOR THE BEACH
TRADING A BASKET FOR A BEACH BAG WITH ALOHA COLLECTION
When you live in a coastal city, we suggest swapping out your Easter Basket with a beach bag! We love ALOHA Collection because their splash-proof bags are perfect for our San Diego lifestyle. Plus even though they are an international brand, their headquarters are in Encinitas!
The Day Tripper is the perfect go-to travel tote, but is this case, the perfect Easter Basket size as it has an expandable full zipper top to maximize all the candy, books and gifts from the Easter Bunny! The technical fabric of ALOHA bags was developed to be as soft as it is functional. It is lightweight, splash-proof, and easy to clean.
ALOHA Collection pouches are perfect to stow damp swimsuits, post-workout activewear, accident-prone toiletries, make-up, and are most commonly used as a fun clutch! We use our mini pouch as a snack holder in my purse, and my kids know, they go straight for it any time we are out and they are looking for a treat. We love all the designs too. It makes us feel like we’re always on vacation!
FAMILY MATCHING SWIMWEAR WITH KING OF REDONDA
From enjoying the shores to swimming, our families love being in the water and we love family matching swimwear. A new swimsuit is a great Easter basket gift. It gives everyone a little something to look forward to as the weather warms up and little ones start swim lessons. From babies to tweens, King of Redonda has the cutest selection of swimwear for your children. They have a variety of prints and styles from one piece rash guard styles to tankinis and board shorts. We love swimwear that has UPF built in and King of Redonda’s Pearl Full Piece Rash Guard has UPF 50! We love that the kids are sun safe all day long. Another great Easter Basket item is the Coral Beach Blanket. Whether you are headed to the beach or picnic at the park, we love the vibrant colors and that we can roll it up and throw it in our beach bag. And if you are looking for a cover up, King of Redonda has your little ones covered! Their kaftans are made of Repreve fabric, which is made of recycled plastic bottles. It is super breathable and quick-drying, so you can go from swimming to a play date.
EGGSCELENT EASTER DECOR, EASY DIY AND HUNT
BUNNIES, BIRDS AND BEES.. OH MERI MERI!
We love DIY, but we also love things that are easier to do with younger kids too! A simple thing that you can do with your children is to use Meri Meri egg tattoos. What is great about using the egg tattoos is that they can be done on white or brown eggs and they are simple enough that even the youngest bunnies can participate and have fun. You simply take a hard boiled egg, place the tattoo on, add water and your egg is decorated! You can also dye your eggs and add the tattoos for a festive touch. Our children enjoyed picking out their designs.
We love Meri Meri for party supplies. It helps set the atmosphere for our get togethers. For Easter, Peter Rabbit is a favorite. From paper plates, napkins, banners and even cupcake liners, your brunch or backyard party will feel extra festive with all the special touches. Plus, we love not having to do dishes afterwards!
One of our favorite activities at Easter is the backyard egg hunt! Sometime we would go to our relatives and do a more traditional hunt where plastic eggs were hidden around the yard containing everything from jelly beans and chocolate to coins and dollars. But we love a good scavenger hunt, so we loved it when our parents would write clues and send us all over the yard in search of our end reward of a gift-filled bunny basket.
The clues were always specific to our family, faith-based or revealing something fun. Since our kids are a little younger we decided to get a little help from Meri Meri with their Peter Rabbit and Friends Egg Hunt Kit. Who doesn’t love Peter Rabbit and he joins his charming friends to lead little ones on a very special hunt complete with wooden stakes displaying the most fun phrases. Hop, Hop, Hop you have a bunny fun hunt!
SPRING CELEBRATION CRACKERS: YES, YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF
One of the things that we enjoy doing is a scavenger hunt, where we create clues and hide not only the eggs but clues that lead to some of the different gifts we normally would put in the Easter Basket. It can be a fun activity to do especially to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. A simple DIY project you can do with the kids is to create bunny and carrot poppers. You can place the clues inside the poppers or even put small surprises. Simply, take a toilet paper roll or cut a paper towel roll in half and fill it with confetti or paper shreds. You can place the clue or a small gift in the inside too. Next take orange tissue for the carrot or white tissue for the bunny. Glue it to the toilet paper roll and roll as you go, leave some tissue at the top and bottom. For the carrot, you twist the bottom to look like the bottom of the carrot and then place green tissue on the top for the greenery. We added ears, google eyes and a nose for the rabbit. You can also add cracker poppers inside if you want it to “pop.” We opted not to do this as we are sensitive to noise.
