Fun and Affordable Easter Crafts for Kids!

1. Paper Mache Eggs. This is a simple activity that adds a twist to the traditional Easter egg. Instead of using real eggs, you can create paper mache eggs of various sizes and paint them just as you would a normal egg. For this activity, you will need:

• Balloons of various sizes
• Flour
• Water
• Old newspaper
• Paint (preferably acrylic)
• Paintbrush (optional)

First, "cook" one part flour to five parts water by boiling and mixing them together in a pot to make the paper mache paste. Set this mixture aside. Make newspaper strips by ripping old newspaper by hand; this is allegedly better to work with and definitely safer for kids. Inflate your balloon to your desired size. Dip newspaper strips, one at a time, in the paper mache paste and gradually cover the entire balloon. After a complete layer, let your strips dry for 24 hours. Repeat this process of layering for three times. You can use white paper as the last layer of your paper mache as it is easier to decorate. With your paint, color and draw on your paper mache Easter egg!

2. Finger Painting. For a more original and creative activity, you can always let kids play around with paper and some paint. To give it more meaning, ask them to create something about what Easter means to them. Before doing this activity, you can tell them a story or make them watch a film that talks about what Easter is and why we celebrate it.

3. Popsicle House. For this activity, all you need are popsicle sticks, glue, and some paint. Begin by showing your kids how the base of the house is made - with four sticks glued together end to end to form a square. Once they have their own base, you can show them how easy it is to stack more sticks to build the walls of the house. Help them with their roof as this can be quite tricky. An easy way to make a roof is to form a triangle using three sticks and glue one stick to one wall, make another triangle and glue this to the opposite of the first wall. Paint if desired.