The Best Family Easter Tips & Egg Decorating Ideas With Dawn Lantero! by Donna John

Spring has arrived! Such a special time of year, filled with growth and rebirth. How are you celebrating Easter with your family? The amazing Dawn Lantero, founder of S.P.L.A.S.H. Parenting, was on hand at the weekly #30SecondMom Twitter Edible Nests Add Fun, Flavor & Whimsy to Your Easter Tablechat to share her tried-and-true ideas to make this Easter the best one ever! If you couldn’t hop on by, here are some of the ideas she shared with our tribe (including lots more shared by our community members)!

Q: Easter is fast approaching; how should families prepare?

• Let your children help dye eggs. An oldie but goodie!

“We are Jewish and enjoy this fun Easter tradition!” – @GIT_mom
“Our daughter is visiting next week. She’s 26 and wants to dye Easter eggs." – @4jlessad
“I love that! I hope my son will want to do that when he’s that age.” – @CYJones30

• Make it a family affair to decorate your house or apartment. Get everyone involved – spring cleaning and Easter decorating!
• Invite extended family or friends over for an Easter dinner.
• Plan out your family’s clothing for Easter Mass or church. Check that shoes fitand everyone has what they need.

“Good point! Those dress shoes can be too small and you don’t want hurt feet.” – @rychepet

• If you are traveling, remember to plan how you wish to celebrate the holiday. You are making memories with your children!

Q: No budget to travel on Easter break! Now what's a parent to do?

• Staycations can be awesome! Look for local attractions that you can visit –museums, parks, libraries, galleries, theaters.
• Look for a local hotel with a pool or near an attraction – you may be able to score a deal for a one or two-night stay.

“I like that! A local hotel with an indoor pool!!” – @Summrluver

• Staying home can be fun, too! Have an indoor picnic! Bake something special. Play board games, family movie night. Let each of your children plan a special activity for you all to share.

“We have an awesome library. Check out some Easter books and DVDs! You can get printables online, coloring pages, activities, etc.” – @rychepet

“If you are traveling for Easter, you can theme your Easter basket. I’m bringing this one (pictured) for my daughter on spring break. I love to theme baskets for each kid – reader Shopkins addict and sports fan.” –@CYJones30

Q: Is church on Easter really necessary?
I firmly believe that it is a gift to expose your children to a religion. Children are spiritual beings. They have natural curiosity and love to examine BIG questions. Whatever your background, religious thoughts and ideas can create a deeper bond between you and children. It’s easy to skip church, synagogue, temple, mosque – but spending an hour a week thinking about something bigger than yourself has benefits.

“I know a lot who think so! I think it depends on how they are brought up and whatreligion.” – @sherrybracy

Q: Any other great Easter ideas?

• Absolutely! Plant seeds in egg cartons and set them in a sunny window. Spring means new life – show it to your children.

“Love it! You’ll have plenty of empties after dying eggs. Perfect! So eco-friendly! Kids love to see the new plants sprouting up. You can use the egg shells for your roses. I think dyed would be OK, too!” – @rychepet
“The kids here love using the egg carton bottoms to make garland.” – @sherrybracy

• Plan an Easter egg hunt or go to one in your community.
• Have your children perform a random act of kindness for a neighbor or stranger.Teach them about kindness, make a memory.
• Make cute Easter favors by filling a Mason jar with grass and a chocolate bunnyand jelly beans!

“Love this idea to fill Mason jars with goodies at Easter. So cute and festive!” – @30secondmom

• Check out places like the dollar stores for cute, inexpensive basket stuffers.

“You can find great stuff there without breaking the bank.” – @CYJones30

Q: What is the key to a happy Easter?
Easter is a celebration of New Life. Celebrate Easter with your family. Make memories as a family that will last a lifetime. Take some time to slow down and focus on your children and family life. Enjoy the simple things, like spending time together, working and playing together. Spring is a time of renewal and growth. Commit to strengthening bonds with your children and growing your family life.

“HAVE FUN!! And don’t stress if things don’t go EGGS-actly as planned!” – @rychepet
“Or don’t crack up!” – @DawnLantero

The ladies had a lot of great Easter egg decorating ideas!

“I still like using wax crayon to draw designs.” – @4jlessad
“Me, too! Last year we did the shaving cream eggs, which was fun.” – @rychepet
“What are shaving cream eggs? Please elaborate because they sound awesome.” – @CYJones30
“Spray shaving cream (original) in a container, add food coloring, roll and then wipe. Tip: Don’t mix the color, but you can run a toothpick through it, sort of a tye-dye effect.” – @rychepet

How about some tips on how to cook your Easter eggs?

“I even saw a pin that you could ‘boil’ the eggs by putting them in the oven. Never tried that before!” – @DawnLantero
“I forgot how, but I heard that steaming eggs is a no-fail way to do it, too.” – @rychepet

And then the tips flew on Easter egg hunts!

“Anyone have fun takes on an Easter egg hunt in their house?” – @CYJones30
“We’ve done a treasure hunt, a series of clues to follow to find a basket!” – @familiesgo
“Assign colors of eggs to certain kids so everyone gets an equal number.” – @DawnLantero
“Yes!!! We do that here. No arguments that way!” – @sherrybracy
“For the older kids, we set a timer.” – @CYJones30
“Or you could use stickers. One design per child for a little more challenge.” – @rychepet

Be sure to follow @DawnLantero, like her on Facebook and visit her website, S.P.L.A.S.H. Parenting!

Want even more Easter tips and ideas? Here are some great ones from other 30Second Mom contributors!