Archive: easter

5 Reasons to Avoid Buying Live Animals for Easter

Even though baby bunnies, chicks and ducklings are cute and cuddly, here are the top five reasons why you should avoid buying living animals for Easter:

5. They may carry germs or diseases. You don’t want to stuff them in a basket with a bunch of food.

4. Do you really want to clean up all of that poop? Seriously. Chickens and ducks aren’t indoor pets and, while rabbits can be trained, at the end of the day you know that the new pets will be your new responsibility.

3. Baby animals are delicate. They may be scared by a bunch of kids constantly touching them. Plus, they’re so tiny and sometimes little ones get excited and forget to be gentle with their new fluffy friends.

2. What about all of those supplies? You can’t buy just the animal. You need the food, the water dish, the cage and the vet visits. Just like a dog or a cat, pet bills add up quickly.

1. They will grow up. It’s unfair to adopt animals for a special holiday because they’re cute and cuddly. Eventually they’ll grow up and then what? Do you really want a chicken running around your house?

Bottom line: Stick to goodies and projects this Easter!

Sources:

-“CDC Warns Against Live Chicks, Duckling, Bunnies for Easter” Yahoo! Voices

-“Live chicks and ducklings bad idea for Easter” Examiner

-Photo courtesy of dan/freedigitalphotos.net

Easter Crafts for Kids

What’s cuter than baby chicks and bunny ears? Your little one making Easter crafts! Mom Trusted rounded up a few simple Easter crafts for kids to try out this year:

Forever Easter eggs

This year, dye Easter eggs that won’t go bad. Take an uncooked egg and shake it hard for about a minute. Then have an adult use a thick needle or pin to poke a hole on each end of the egg. The grownup can then blow the contents of the egg into a bowl (Voila! Omelets for breakfast!). Dye the eggs as you normally would and after they dry, you have beautiful decorations that bring splashes of color to your home and don’t need to be refrigerated.

Fluffy bunnies

Make fluffy bunnies using construction paper and cotton balls. First, glue two to four cotton balls together to create the body. Then, glue one on top to be the head. Next, divide one cotton ball into fourths, gluing each part on to represent a foot. Take construction paper to cut out two small rabbit ears to glue onto the fluff balls. Finally, add a couple mini googly eyes.

Striped eggs

Spice up your regular egg dying by adding stripes to your family’s eggs! Help your kids separate the dye colors into three categories: light, medium and dark. Then, take a hardboiled egg and dip it in the lightest dye. Let it dry. Wrap a rubber band around the egg, spreading it out to create a crisscrossing design. Dip in the medium dye. Let it dry. Finally, add another one or two rubber bands and dunk the egg in the dark dye. You’ll have a batch of rainbow-striped eggs.

Eggshell flowerpots

Break off the top third of a dozen eggs and empty the yolks out. Discard the tops. Wash or thoroughly rinse out the bottom two-thirds of the eggshells. Fill with dirt and plant a few seeds in each. Place them back into an egg carton to help them stand upright. Then water and set them in a sunny spot.

Sources:

-“Eggshell Flowerpots” Martha Stewart

-“Kids’ Easter Crafts” Spoonful

-“Easter Activities for Children” DLTK

-Photo courtesy of Grant Cochrane/freedigitalphotos.net