How to Throw a Hoppin’ Easter Party!

Since your young guests will need a container for the grand finale egg hunt, have children decorate their very own baskets or bags. Keep it as simple or as elaborate as you wish depending on the children's ages, time allotted, or your amount of patience. Older children may want to weave colorful ribbons through inexpensive baskets, while little ones may enjoy using crayons, paints, markers, glitter, pom-poms, and bunny or chick stickers to personalize bags. Fill each bag or basket with a small amount of Easter grass to cushion the eggs. Even the youngest party-goers will be able to participate in this easy craft. Do this activity as soon as guests arrive so there's time for the paint and glue to dry before the much–anticipated egg hunt begins.

Your guests can also decorate cooled hardboiled eggs. Use the standard egg dye kits with the color tablets, or bring out the glue, glitter, paints, and yarn. Here are some suggestions for making eggs fun and fancy:

• Attach stickers or glue an assortment of decorative gems, including sequins or tiny beads, to create a one-of-a-kind egg.
• Allow the kids to draw designs on their eggs with wax crayons; once the egg is dipped, the dye won't soak through the wax, leaving your child's artwork on the shell.
• This simple tie-dye technique gives eggs a whole new look. To start, dip the egg in a pale dye. Once the dye has dried, secure a thick rubber band or two around the egg and dip it in darker dye. Once the egg has dried again, remove the rubber bands.
• It's easy to "marbleize" your eggs. Simply add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the cup of dye you want to use. Dip your egg as directed on the package, and when you remove the egg from the dye it will have a marbleized look.

Older children can empty a raw egg by using a pin to prick one small hole at the top and a slightly larger hole at the bottom of the egg. Gently blow into the smaller hole until the egg loosens from inside and drips out of the shell and into a bowl. When emptied, rinse the egg under the faucet to clean out any yolk remnants. Dry the shell carefully and make sure everyone washes their hands to remove traces of raw egg.

Once the egg is dry, decorate the empty shell. Glue yarn on the top for hair, apply stick-on googly eyes, and paint a mouth and nose on the egg. Kids can glue the egg face to the top of a toilet paper roll core and paint clothes onto the "egg person." A quick coat of clear acrylic paint will preserve this Easter egg decoration.