How to Make Homemade Easter Baskets for the Kids

Easter is my favorite holiday of the year. I just love the decorations, the cute toys, and, of course, the goodies in the Easter baskets. When my siblings and I were growing up, my mother always made every Easter special for us by putting together our baskets herself. There were no store-bought, filled baskets in our house- no way! So recently, when I was perusing around a drug store, I ran onto a couple of aisles of pre-filled Easter baskets. The baskets ranged from small, sixteen inch tall models, to giant, two and a half feet tall monsters. (Keep in mind that the measurements include a long handle on each basket.) I decided to examine the baskets to see what many kids were getting for Easter this year. I must admit, that I was even considering saving time by buying pre-made baskets for my young relatives this year.

Boy, was I disappointed. The “monster” baskets, which cost a little over ten bucks apiece, contained seven items. There were five tiny packs of candy plus two plastic toy trucks. How much fun could those items provide a kid? So, I decided to stay with the family tradition and make my own homemade Easter baskets for the kids this year. You can easily do the same thing with a little imagination and know-how.

First, you’ll need an Easter basket. You can easily purchase an empty basket for a couple bucks. Or, you can make your own basket by cutting a gallon milk jug or a brown paper bag. You can also crochet an Easter basket or weave one together by using thin strips of cardboard.

Next, you’ll need some colored, cellophane Easter grass to fill the basket with. This can also be bought for cheap at your local dollar store. The rest of the things you’ll need depend on the child you’re putting the basket together for. Is it a boy or a girl, and, what does he or she like? My nephew Jack is a little guy who loves trains. He also loves most any type of candy. He’s not allowed to have anything but sugar-free gum, so I kept that in mind when I was putting together his homemade basket.

The possibilities of what you can fill the basket with are practically endless. For example, you can bake and decorate sugar cookies in the shapes of Easter eggs, ducks, bunnies, chicks or crosses. Then, after the icing and decorations are dry, you can wrap them in squares of colored plastic wrap. Or, use a homemade recipe to make Easter ornaments for the kids. To personalize each one, write something like “Happy Easter, John!” and the year on the front with paint.

Jack loves to blow bubbles. You can easily make your own bubble solution by using a cup of dishwashing detergent, two cups of water, three tablespoons of glycerin, a half teaspoon of white sugar, and a few drops of food coloring. Mix the ingredients together and pour them into a leakproof container. Then, for a bubble maker, you can add at least one homemade wand to the basket. Use florist’s wire to form wands into different shapes. Just make sure the wands are small enough to fit inside the container.

My nephew is a typical little boy because he likes to play with things that feel funny, like Play-DohâÂ?¢. You can make your own “Slime” and give it to a boy in his basket this Easter. To make this slime, add a half cup of liquid starch to one cup of Elmer’sâÂ?¢ Glue. Stir in a few drops of food coloring, and then mix the ingredients thoroughly. Store the finished product in an airtight container.

You can purchase Easter candy such as chocolates and jelly beans, or, you can make your own chocolate candy by melting and forming into various shapes. Make your homemade Easter basket for the kids this year by thinking about what their favorite things are. Then, make or buy them to fill their baskets with.