Do you Really Hide Easter Eggs?

What’s Easter without an egg hunt? Since I was a tot, the church near my home held an Easter egg hunt every Saturday before Easter. Parents and women’s group volunteers boiled and colored dozens of eggs the night before. At twelve o’clock noon, they walked out of the church hall to hide the eggs. We sat on the floor so we couldn’t peak out the windows. When they were finished, we gathered out front. Once the signal was given, children scattered in every direction in search of hidden treasures.

For the younger kids, hiding real eggs is a rite of passage at Easter. Since the younger ones don’t eat as many eggs, limit the number that you hide. Always keep your boiled Easter eggs refrigerated until shortly before the start of the hunt. Even though they are boiled, long periods at room temperature combined with being hidden outside in the sun, could spoil the eggs. Save the cartons. After the hunt, give each child a big enough section of the egg carton to hold their eggs. Award prizes to the top three egg finders. If a few eggs get stepped on in the hustle and bustle, it’s all in the name of fun.

Older children probably won’t be as interested in an old-fashioned Easter egg hunt. For them, you need something a little more challenging. Hide plastic eggs instead of real ones. Plastic eggs can be filled with coins, candy, small toys, and dollar bills. The hiding needs to be a lot more difficult since more is at stake. Older children will find this particular type of egg hunt fun without being baby-ish.

For any middle school age children who still want to participate, turn the egg hunt into a scavenger hunt. For this idea, the entire game must be thoroughly planned out from beginning to end. Inside each plastic egg, place handwritten clues. The kids can divide into teams. Each team is given the same clue to start. When one clue is figured out, it will lead them to another egg with another clue inside. The team that finds the prize first, splits it.

So, the answer to the question is “yes”. Eggs are still hidden and hunted for on Easter. Get creative to make the experience enjoyable for kids of all ages. Happy hunting!