Some Savvy Ideas for Easter

Eggs in Chocolate Nests Cookies
A fun new use for the more familiar Haystack Cookie.

12 oz. chow mein noodles
12 oz. chocolate chips
12 oz. butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped peanuts (optional).

Melt together chips in double boiler. Add noodles and peanuts and mix.
Drop onto wax paper and form into nest shape.
When cool, have the kids add chocolate or panned eggs, or jelly beans for the eggs.
Yum! A tray of these makes a great table centerpiece as well.

Chocolate Fudge
This Chocolate Fudge recipe comes from the Science World website. Individual slices can be wrapped and topped with a fresh flower to make a special Easter gift for dads and grandmas.

8 ounces semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Break the chocolate into small pieces and put into a glass or microwave-safe bowl. Add milk and microwave for one minute. Mix well and microwave again on high for another minute. Stir until chocolate and milk are mixed completely. Stir in vanilla extract, salt and nuts. Pour into a greased loaf pan and refrigerate until hard. Cut into slices.

Criss-Cross Eggs
For a twist on traditional egg dying, try this savvy idea.

You’ll need:
Hard boiled eggs
Elastics of different sizes (especially widths)
Egg Dye

Wrap eggs in different directions with rubber bands. Make sure the rubber bands are stretched very tightly against the surface of the egg and double-wrap if necessary. Now place the eggs into the dye solution and let them soak for at least 30 minutes. Remove them from the dye, dry them gently with a paper towel and take off the rubber bands.

Crocuses in Painted Pots
Crocuses are among the first flowers to emerge in spring, sometimes poking out through what’s left of the snow. Kids love to watch things grow—so put a few bulbs in a clay pot, let them paint, and teach them how to care for their stunning symbols of spring.

You’ll need:
newspaper or a splat mat
budding crocus bulbs—as many as you like
potting soil
clay pots in different shapes and sizes
acrylic craft paints
paint brushes
a paint palette
water

Set your aspiring gardener-artist up at a table spread with old newspapers. Put out the clay pots, and squirt as many different colors of paint as you can sanely tolerate into an empty palette (or use a flat styrofoam container with edges, like the pre-sliced mushroom tray). Provide a cup of water so the brushes can be rinsed off between colors.

Let the kids paint the pots any way they like. A blow-dryer is handy for those who want to paint in layers.

When the paint is dry, kids can dig the crocus bulbs out of the plastic containers they came in. Plant them in the painted pots—about one inch apart and one inch below the surface. Place the pots on a sunny windowsill and water regularly.

After the crocuses have flowered and died, you can dig up the bulbs, dry them out in a sunny spot, store them in a paper bag and plant them in your garden in October.

Egg & Spoon Race

Get the cousins set up for a little family rivalry with this simple race that all ages love.

Gather 1 hard-boiled Easter egg for each team (maybe a few extras) and 1 spoon for each team. Divide children into teams. Set a start and end line. The goal is for the first child to carry the egg in the spoon using one hand only to the end of the course and back. The child hands the spoon to the next one in line and the relay continues until a team finishes.