Hip Hip Hooray! Easter is on its way! And us moms know what that means, it is time to start thinking about the year's Easter baskets. For my own children, I tend to go about 50/50 on the baskets with an even breakdown of candy and non-candy items. But for my nieces and nephews that live out of state, I usually go with about 90% non-candy items because I know that their Easter bunny delivers them mostly sweet treats that last for weeks. I love to come up with clever themes for my Easter baskets so let me share just a couple things I've done in the past. I try to figure out what my nieces and nephews are into for any given year. I don't see them much and Easter is one of my favorite holidays so yes, I sometimes go a bit overboard, but I figure why not spoil them a bit That said, I've found some great items in the past at my local Dollar Store so making your own non-candy baskets doesn't have to break the bank either! For example, a few years ago my niece was REALLY into princess mode so I made her a girly-girl basket filled with all kinds of glamour girl items like mini nail polishes, mini lip glosses, a couple pairs of really fun socks with flowery patterns and embroidery, silly bandz, a pink feather boa, a tiara, a princess coloring book and some crayons. I also added a ring pop and a candy necklace. She was SO excited when she opened it! This year, she is a bit older, and has different interests so I'm going to do more of a gardening type gift because she has turned into quite the enthusiast. I got her a pair of green "garden" crocs, some flower seeds, re-usable plant markers, mini garden tools, and kid size garden gloves that I'm going to put in a rectangular plastic flower pot. I'll add some flower-shaped cookies and maybe a little pinwheel that will spin in the wind. My nephew on the other hand LOVES the beach so I'm making him a beach-themed Easter basket. I found a really cool pail that is molded on the inside so when the sand is dumped it looks like a real sand castle. Of course, I'll include a shovel, along with a beach paddle game, a new pair of swim trunks, swim goggles, sunscreen, a fun hat, a pool float or beach ball and a weighted set of rings so he and his sister can dive down to get them in the pool. SO much fun in one little package. I can't wait for him to open it. Here is a list of 100 items that I've used in the past and a bunch of ideas that I'll use in the future to create some non-candy Easter baskets..... plush bunny or other animal sidewalk chalk silly putty play-doh mini nail polish mini lip gloss coloring book crayons puzzle bubbles jump rope water gun Hot Wheels car glow stick bracelet temporary tattoos silly string ball shooter Pez dispenser silly bandz plastic Easter themed straws notebook/journal/diary fun pens picture frame foam craft kit book (e.g. board books for toddlers) Frisbee word search puzzle book beach ball sand pail (great container too) kaleidoscope punch ball watercolor paint by numbers book/kit stickers re-usable water bottle movie DVD music CD card game (e.g UNO or go fish) bouncy rubber ball paint set slinky mini kite paddle ball ring toss game mini travel game (e.g. checkers) ball and jacks slippers socks glider airplane markers Easter stamp/pad ring/jewelry plastic eggs filled with mini toys small set of Legos flash light swim goggles swim suit/trunks hair bands/barettes bath toys personalized apron action figure baseball cards flip flops mini garden tool set rubik's cube chain link puzzles locker magnets video games kids watch fun themed toothbrush hat/visor wind-up toy puppet mini piggy bank disposable camera story of Easter book/kids bible sunglasses butterfly net bug jars magnifying glass underwater pool game how does your garden grow book garden seeds flower pot (makes a great container) re-usable plant markers cross necklace bead kit backpack zipper pulls (e.g. little lights) yo-yo inflatable games (e.g. ring toss) whistle rubber ducky feather boa tiara baseball puppet kazoo or mini flute (and get yourself some earplugs pom-poms spinning top streamers for bike handles craft kit (glitter, glue, paper, etc) What am I missing? And what do you or have you used in your baskets that isn't on the list? photo credit: Easter Kids Fun Basket from http://www.aagiftsandbaskets.com/Easter.html where you can find all kinds of candy and non-candy Easter baskets for both the kids and adults in your life!
The post 100 Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas appeared first on AA Gifts & Baskets Idea Blog.
