Last week, we gave you suggestions for an Easter getaway with the kids. But what if you and your family have decided to stick closer to home? Here are some great suggestions for activities that are closer to home, no travelling necessary!

 

Easter is an opportunity to discover the tastiest local spots for curious little grumbling tummies. If you live near Quebec City, visit the Erico choco-museum where you can learn about the history of chocolate and taste the delicious in-house creations. Many chocolate shops offer cooking lessons as well as tastings to mix.

 

Visiting a petting zoo is the perfect Easter weekend activity. You can prepare your kids for the trip by having them make collages or coloured pictures of the animals they are about to see in flesh and bone. You can have toddlers learn their animal sounds, while the older kids can learn which animals lay eggs, as well as the differences between chickens and roosters, sheep and rams, bulls and cows. This is also an ideal time to teach your children about the dietary habits of their favourite Easter animals: what do rabbits eat? How about chickens, or their chicks? Where do these animals live? The petting zoo will call on all five of your children’s senses, leaving them amazed, and a little surprised at how strong these animals smell!

 

Easter also happens to take place during the sweetest time of the year, making sugar shacks the perfect place to satisfy any sweet tooth while savouring family traditions.

 

If you don’t intend to head to the countryside, shopping malls offer all kinds of activities for children, while libraries host shows and workshops for toddlers. Check your city’s website for details.

 

In Montreal, nature lovers can visit the 13^th edition of the Butterflies Go Free exhibit, where they will see over 50 species of butterflies from around the world at the Botanical Gardens. Check out “Biodiversity on the Wing” between February 18 and April 25 2010.

 

In order for children from 3 to 6 years of age to create multi-coloured eggs, they’ll need: paint, markers, crayons, pens and pencils. Let your children explore all the different textures and colours. Enjoy!

 

For the older and more skilled, proper egg painting is both a perilous journey and a rewarding experience when the operation is successful. The first step is to hand everyone an egg and some water paint. Fine paint brushes and a little bit of water to dilute the paint will be needed. Lead by example: place the egg in an egg cup, and start painting. Turn the egg to make sure you paint the whole thing. Once it’s dry, take a needle and pierce the shell at its roundest point, making a 1 to 2 millimetre hole. Let the egg white flow out, then pierce the yolk, to drain the egg completely.

 

Given this last procedure’s level of difficulty, moms and dads are invited to drain the eggs themselves. There are avid egg painters who prefer to paint the eggs only after they have been emptied, making the eggs extremely fragile, and the paint strokes as light as a feather.

 

In any case, wherever you happen to be on Easter Sunday, and even if you can’t afford all inclusive vacations this year, you can always put a smile on everyone’s face with the classic tradition: hiding chocolate eggs, chocolate rabbits, or chocolate chickens all over the place and organizing a giant family Easter egg hunt!