Easter is the perfect time to have fun as a family. This is more important than ever right now as we are all living in unusual times. Family life may be quite different than normal at the moment, especially if you have kids who are not at school and their routine has been interrupted.
Taking some time to simply laugh, play and enjoy the Easter period to come makes perfect sense. The good news is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great time. You would be amazed at what you can do with just a few plastic buckets and other easy to find items like pens, paper, glue, paint and plastic eggs. Have a look at these ideas about what you can do with plastic buckets at Easter, to give you some inspiration.
Catapults are far from being a new creation. Dionysius the Elder of Syracuse created the first one, way back in 400 BCE. Of course, this catapult was used as a weapon. The ones that you can create for your kids are purely for fun!
To make the catapult you need 10 ice lolly sticks, eight small and one large. You also need three elastic bands and some double-sided tape. The plastic tops from soft drinks bottles are great for firing from the catapult.
Then, we come to the plastic buckets. They simply need to be lined up at intervals to act as targets for the bottle tops to be fired into. You may want to place them at different levels and angles to make the task a little harder.
It helps to set the buckets up outdoors if possible as there is more space. There is also less chance of any accidental damage. It is also important to supervise young children.
Egg hunt around the house and gardenMost kids love an Easter egg hunt and it is something that you can all do as a family without leaving home. All you need is some coloured plastic eggs, or some chocolate ones if you prefer. Then you can give each child a coloured plastic bucket with a lid for them to put eggs in as they collect them.
Take some time to plan your hunt, so that everyone gets the most fun out of it. Create fun clues that are age-appropriate. For some extra fun, you may want to give everyone a chance to personalise their bucket with stickers or paper and pens before the hunt starts. Take a look at some of the tips that BBC Good Food provides, for some extra help.
Traditionally, decorating Easter baskets has been popular. However, a more eco-friendly option is using buckets made from plastic instead. You only need to buy them once and they can be redecorated for several years if you use items like paper, pens and tape.
Even if you want to decorate more permanently, with glue, glitter and paint, using buckets still makes sense. You can show your kids that you appreciate their decoration skills by using the buckets around the house as storage. This has the added advantage of giving your interior décor a touch of originality.
Lucky dips are popular at any time. For Easter, you may want to stick to the theme of eggs. It does not cost much to wrap Easter eggs of all shapes and sizes in colourful paper and your kids can have a lot of fun dipping for chocolate treasure.
If you buy a large plastic bucket, you can spend time painting it with your kids before you start. Then you can use it as a place to put dirty clothes, or maybe toys, in their bedroom afterwards. You never know, this could encourage your kids to be tidier in their own space.
Bunnies are associated with Easter thanks to the fame of the original Easter Bunny. Here is a fun way of embracing the bunny theme, and having a useful growing bucket when Easter is over. Take an ordinary plastic bucket and help your kids convert it into a cool bunny-themed growing container.
Once the decoration is complete, you can plant some tulip bulbs or maybe some herbs. Remember to put some holes in the bottom of the bucket, for drainage and you are all set to start your kids off with the basics of growing herbs and plants.
There you have it. It’s amazing how much you can do to entertain your kids over Easter using plastic buckets and some imagination. Remember, the most important thing is for everyone to have fun and make some good memories.
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