Earth Friendly Easter Crafts and Activities

Spring wheat berries can be grown into wheat grass within 1-2 weeks. Start them in a pan or dish that will fit in the child's egg basket. If you only have a week, sprout them in warm water the night before. Construction paper scraps and Sunday morning comics also make colorful shreds for filler.

Decorate with crafts made from recycled materials.

For example, egg cartons can be cut apart and made into a bouquet of tulips. Cut out the individual pockets and create a zig-zag pattern around the top with scissors. They can be painted and attached to "stems" such as pipe cleaners, straws or pencils. There are hundreds of ways to decorate using recycled crafts. Two good places for ideas are www.hgtv.com and www.craftbits.com

Try coloring a few eggs using natural dyes.

You might have scraps that would be perfect for dying with, and it's good to get one more use out of them before they get thrown out. I wouldn't suggest making your whole easter hunt supply out of these the first year since they involve some trial and error. Instead of dyeing the eggs after boiling, the dyes are boiled with the eggs and their color transfers during the process. Some natural materials that produce beautiful results are red wine (producing burdundy), cranberry juice (red to pink) red cabbage (light blue) and orange or lemon peels for yellow. Allow the eggs to continue to soak in the dyed water after boiling for a deeper color.

Emphasize fruits and vegetables at your meals.

This is a great occasion to introduce a new, festive veggie based dish. Eating a more plant based diet is good for the planet as well as your health. Bonus points if you can buy local produce from a farmer's market or your grocery store.

Use plastic or candy hunt eggs sparingly or not at all.

Most of these plastic eggs have a very short lifespan before heading to the landfill, and children are surrounded by candy on this day as it is.

Make gifts of seeds (another symbol of new life), spring fruits, and items for nature play or of religious significance.

An Easter basket filled with these will inspire much more than one filled with dollar aisle toys and candy. Potted flowers also make excellent gifts between adults.

Send handmade cards made from recycled paper.

These can be store bought or made at home, and they don't have to be fancy or take a lot of time to express a sincere sentiment. Buying locally from a crafter in your town, or through a site like Ebay or Etsy, is more sustainable than buying a mass produced card on bleached paper.

When your children (or you) start pining for a bunny, buy one!

But buy it from Heifer.org and the animal will be given to a family in need from a developing country. Talk with your children about the symbolism of rabbits through the ages. Rabbits have often been a symbol of fertility and eggs (and through that chicks) a symbol of new beginnings. Chicks can be gifted as well, and there's even a "Hope" basket of rabbits and chicks that you can send. What better way to observe this kind of holiday?