Easter Archives - Mommy Goes Green

Gardening Themed Easter Baskets

We will be heading south to warmer weather over the Easter holiday so I’ve been putting together a few things to celebrate while on vacation. I really like to fill Easter baskets with a few things the kids can truly use or would love to have, instead of tossing a bunch of candy in there. Because, honestly, that’s what the grandmas are for.

This year, I’ve decided to do each basket based on a theme: gardening for Sissy and sports for Bubby. For Valentine’s Day, Sissy got a child-sized garden box. It’s small and portable since we plan to move in the next year. If you want to build a more permanent box, Better Homes & Gardens has a great tutorial on DIY garden boxes for kids.

Now that the weather is turning, it’s time to get started on prepping the box and planting seeds. Right after Easter, we will put the seeds into our mini greenhouse and wait for the frost to pass. My guess is, that will be sometime in May. Then we’ll transfer the plants to her garden box and a few larger pots. She will have responsibility for her own box, with some oversight from me, of course.

To help Sis get excited about gardening and provide her with her own tools, this is what I’m putting together for her Easter basket:

1. Plain canvas tote for her to decorate herself

2. Child-sized garden gloves

3. Metal hand garden tools

4. Organic vegetable and flower seeds (I’m going with Seeds of Change this year)

5. Popsicle sticks (used to label each plant)

6. Peat pots to start our seed in

Here’s a few more ideas for your own gardening theme basket:

My Little Box of Gardening – a book filled with instructions for 10 gardening projects and room to journal plus you get a trowel, gloves, pots and more.
Make an apron, here’s an easy tutorial.
These can do double-duty as the Easter basket and the contents: gardening tote from Melissa & Doug or canvas tote with tools.
Kid sized metal tools: rakes, hoe and shovel. (The cheap plastic ones always break.)
Watering can, also good for the beach and lake play.
My son loves to work in the garden with his wheelbarrow. Ours is the Radio Flyer version, it’s metal and heavy duty. I also like that we could order a new handle when we broke it.
I use Tubtrugs in the garden, a child-sized one can hold garden tools, weeds, the harvest and more.

What is going in your Easter baskets this year?

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

One of the things I’ve found in my ‘green’ journey is that there is likely a healthier alternative to something I’m already doing or buying. Although at times, that seems overwhelming, I just focus on one new change or purchasing one new product at a time. Right now, I’m looking ahead at Easter.

In 3 weeks, we’ll host our families for a big brunch after church and it wouldn’t be the same without a good ol’ fashioned Easter egg hunt. As this is my 2 year old’s first year hunting eggs, I want to use real eggs, and I want to spend time with her dyeing them. So, I went on a hunt looking for alternatives to the normal artificial food coloring in the $3 boxes at Target.

Now, I won’t say this is less work but I definitely think this is way more fun and educational, particularly for older kids. Round your kids up and have them help you hunt through your kitchen and pantry for foods or spices that can be used to dye your eggs. Here are a few examples to get you thinking:

Red: Beets, cranberries

Orange: Outer skins of onions

Light Yellow: Carrot tops, orange or lemon peels

Dark Yellow: Turmeric

Blue: Blueberries, red cabbage leaves

Beige or brown: Coffee or tea

Once you gotten them together, put each in a pot to boil with water and a tablespoon of vinegar. After they’ve boiled, put them into separate bowls and dip your eggs as normal.

We’re going to try our first round of naturally dyed eggs soon, I’ll let you know how they turn out!

I’d love to hear your ideas on foods or spices to use – add a comment!

Gardening Themed Easter Baskets

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

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