Dear Proper Green,
My sisters’ are bringing my nieces and nephews over for a joint Easter celebration at my house this year. Normally, I go all out with Easter arts and crafts, like egg dying but, since I’ve made a conscious decision to be more green this year, I want to make sure that all the activities are more eco-friendly. Ideas?
-Jeannine C., Staten Island, NY
My sisters’ are bringing my nieces and nephews over for a joint Easter celebration at my house this year. Normally, I go all out with Easter arts and crafts, like egg dying but, since I’ve made a conscious decision to be more green this year, I want to make sure that all the activities are more eco-friendly. Ideas?
-Jeannine C., Staten Island, NY
Dear Jeannine,
Good news! There are lots of ways to celebrate Easter with arts and crafts that are more Earth friendly. Here are 3 Easter crafts to consider:
- Egg Decorating with Natural Dyes: You can still take part in this time-honored tradition by skipping the Red #5, and going with beet juice or vegetable based dyes. According to the FDA, many artificial food colorings or color additives are “synthesized mainly from raw materials obtained from petroleum” — yikes! To find out how to go the natural route check out the William-Sonoma blog and the Crunchy Domestic Goddess blog; both have great directions on how to create natural dyes, from using onion skins to chili powder!
- Make Your Own Easter Baskets: Why buy plastic Easter baskets when you can make your own? Have the children put the eggs they find into baskets that they help create. There are a million and one ideas you can find on Pinterest, but we really love this version we found on the Sweet Something Designs blog.
- Decorate Recyclables to Hold Bulk Candy: This is a two-for activity — two green tips in one activity. Every child loves getting candy for Easter, but individually-wrapped candies cause a lot of waste with the excess of wrappers. Since you’re with family, buy your candy in bulk at your local supermarket, or, many candy stores offer package-free, per-pound buying options, so get your fill there. Then have the kids decorate or paint (with non-toxic paint, of course!) clean glass jars you have around your home (anything from pasta sauce to baby food containers works). Once dry, they have a reusable Easter goody bag! You might also consider a bunny candy holder made from an old water bottle, a cupcake liner, and some creativity courtesy of Happy Clippings.
What fun crafts do you have planned this Spring? Share them in the comments below!
About Proper Green
Proper Green is Recyclebank's green advice column. From promoting good manners in a green world (because ideas about what constitutes proper behavior and the environment are still evolving) to providing easy ways to make your every day more sustainable, Proper Green aims to help smooth the way with answers to questions that are important to you!
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