Easter Bunny Nose & Whiskers Craft

Here's a super easy project that you can quickly make with your kids. Older kids can do this on their own and little ones can do it with some assistance. Mia made this all by herself last week when we were at church on Good Friday. It's not exactly a mask, but it's the same idea, and it's way too cute not to share!

{Cute and Simple Easter Bunny Craft!}

Materials:

• craft stick
• pom pom
• three pipe cleaners
• white glue

Directions:

1. Glue a pom pom (your choice of color) to the end of a craft stick.
2. Wrap a pipe cleaner (your choice of color) around the center of the craft stick, below the pom pom, so that there it each end sticking off of the craft stick is approximately the same length. Repeat with two more pipe cleaners, one at a time. You can trim the pipe cleaners if desired. (Alternatively, you can switch the order of the first two steps and glue the pom pom on TOP of the twisted pipe cleaners. Your choice.)
3. Allow glue to dry before modeling the bunny nose and whiskers.

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Hoppy Easter Pancakes

I saw a photo on Facebook the day before Easter and decided that I had to make these for the kiddos on Easter morning! It was a cute and fun breakfast, and it didn't take much longer than it does to make "normal pancakes." I used the following recipe for pancakes, but you can make yours from a mix if you prefer. For a healthier version, you can also substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour or use a 50/50 mix of the two. There are lots of possibilities for making these pancakes bunnies!

{Bunny pancakes made my kids "hoppy!"}

Pancakes (Makes 8)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons oil (I like EVOO.)

1. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and blend well. (Tip: For fluffier pancakes, you can first sift your flour. I usually skip this, though.)
2. Preheat griddle. I use the medium setting which is 300*.
3. Once griddle is heated, pour batter in 1/4 cups measurements. Wait for the bubbles to form and then flip the pancake over. Cook the second side and remove from the griddle, checking to make sure that it is cooked all the way through.

How I Made "Bunny Pancakes"

1. I poured a small circle for the head and a larger circle for the body. Next, I made two oval shapes, smaller than the head. These became the feet. Then, I poured two "dribbles" that were long and skinny to make the ears. 
2. I assembled the bunny from the top down. First ears, then head on top, body on top of head, and then the two feet. It looked like we had just missed the Easter Bunny and he was hopping out of sight.
3. I didn't have any shredded coconut on hand for the tails, and I considered making some whipped cream, but decided it wasn't worth it. I could have used marshmallows for he tails, but in the end, I opted for some fresh raspberries.
4. For the toe pads, I placed three sliced almonds on each foot. Then, I added a dollop (about 1/4 teaspoon) of real maple syrup to complete them. The photo I had seen used sliced bananas which was perfect, but I was out of bananas that morning, and it's always smart to use what you have!
5. Serve while warm, and you're sure to make "somebunny" quite "hoppy."

{Hoppy Easter, everyone!}

P.S. If you enjoyed this recipe, you'll probably want to write it down. Check out my giveaway where you can enter to win your own blank recipe book (or any of the other handy blank books offered by Path Publishing)!

Spring Bunny Scribble Cookies

I was not even planning on doing a project yesterday, but this just came about. Logan was grumpy about something and he dumped out the entire crayon bin. While it was his responsibility to pick these up, I did end up helping him in a way. I noticed there were tons of broken bits of crayons again plus many, many cheap-o crayons, the kind from from restaurants, birthday party goody bags, and the like.

These crayons have a huge redeeming value, in my opinion. While being pretty awful for regular coloring, they make excellent scribble cookies. The cheap crayons tend to be smaller and easier to break into bits (one of the reasons they do not work the best for coloring), which is great for scribble cookie prep work. Also, their wrappers tend to come off easier than the good crayon wrappers (Crayola, for example, which does a double layer of wrapper), again, making them ideal for scribble cookies. I'm not suggesting that you buy cheap crayons, but if you happen to be given them, hang on to them and give them a new life as scribble cookies.

Anyway, I scooped up all of these crayons, took all the wrappers off, sorted them into bowls by colors, and then decided to try out my new bunny-shaped Wilton silicone mold that I found on clearance at Target after Easter for just $3. The silicone mold worked very well, and once they were cool, I was able to pull the scribble cookies out easily, with no wasted muffin cups like when I make them in muffin tins (which is still a great method, I am just happy to have had success using a mold!). The end result made me quite happy, lots of colorful bunny crayons, which I think will make good gifts. Also, I think black, white, gray, and brown bunnies are cute, whereas these colors of regular scribble cookies seem a bit on the blah side. I may keep these fun bunny cookies on hand since I am still hoping to do a busy bag swap, and I know they could be perfect for that.

{In the process of filling the mold...}

Materials:

• broken crayon bits
  
• sharp knife (optional)
• silicone bunny mold (or other shape)
• cookie sheet (optional)
• oven set to 275 degrees Fahrenheit
• bowls for sorting crayons (optional)

Directions:

1. Gather up all your broken crayon bits or cheap-o crayons if it's time to get rid of those. (Tip: I usually save these in a bowl as they accumulate and then use them when we have enough for a project.) 
2. Make sure all papers are removed. I usually just do this while I am saving them, but since this was a spur-of-the-moment decision to use up the cheap-o crayons, I had a bit of paper peeling to do. Kids can also help with this step.
3. If the pieces are too big, break them into smaller pieces. Kids can help with this. Adults can also use a sharp knife for this. (Tip: As I am breaking them, I like to sort them into bowls by similar colors: blues together, greens together, reds together, etc. You do not need to do this, but I don't see the purpose of making a couple dozen or so of mixed-up crayons. Even if they are all a bit different, they're still essentially the same. This way, we end up with crayons with blends of assorted hues of the same color, which the OCD side of me appreciates.)
4. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. (ADULT USE ONLY)
5. Fill the silicone bunny mold with broken bits of crayons. Kids can definitely help with this step. You can fill them almost all the way to the top. (Tip: Before baking, I like to the mold onto a cookie sheet. This makes it much easier to take them in and out of the oven without spilling crayons or melted wax.)
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 275 degrees. Scribble cookies do not have to be completely liquefied, just melted enough so that there are no big chunks remaining. Set aside to cool completely. This took about an hour for this batch.
7. Once scribble cookies are cool, you can peel them out of the molds, by inverting them, pushing them inside out if needed. These recycled crayons are fun to color with, and they also make nice homemade gifts. (Tip: Just make sure to supervise young children. Scribble Cookies do look like treats, and I still catch Logan, at 3 1/2 eating them at times.)

Toilet Paper Tube Bunny

Materials:

{A joint effort by Mama and Mia, age 4}

• toilet paper tube
• white paint
• paint brush
• white paper or craft foam
• pink paper or craft foam
• scissors
• glue
• 2 googly eyes
• black marker
• pink marker (optional)
• cotton ball (optional)

Directions:

1. Paint a toilet paper tube white. Allow paint to dry. (I used acrylic paint and a foam paint brush.)
2. Glue on 2 googly eyes.
3. Cut a small triangle from pink paper and glue beneath the eyes. (You could also use craft foam or just draw a nose with a pink marker.)
4. Use a black marker to draw the mouth, whiskers, and if you want, teeth.
5. Cut two ears from white paper and glue to the top of the tube. (You may wish to line the inside with pink paper or craft foam, or color the inside pink before gluing on the ears.)
6. Once all the glue is dry, you can use your bunny as a finger puppet or place it on a table or shelf for decoration.

Extra options: Mia wanted to add a cotton ball tail to the back side, which you can't see in the picture. I had also thought of using white craft foam hearts or ovals to make the paws, but her face ended up taking up the entire tube so I decided to skip that part.

Easter Bunny Mask

{Mia models my bunny mask.}

Materials:

• paper plate
• craft stick
• white paper
• scissors
• tape
• glue
• red or pink pom pom
• pink and black markers
• 2 black pipe cleaners

Directions:

{Mask by Mia, Age 4}

1. Using scissors, cut two eye holes near the center of a paper plate. We used luncheon size plates.
2. Cut two ears from white paper. Color the inner part of the ear pink. Tape ears to the front (eating) side of the plate so that the colored part shows on the outside.
3. Make the bunny's face on the back side (non-eating) of the plate. Glue on a pom pom nose and draw a mouth. Draw teeth if desired.
4. Bend a pipe cleaner into thirds. Cut off one section. Keep the other part bent in half. Glue the bent piece on one side of the nose to make the bunny's whiskers. Glue the smaller section in between the two bent halves. Repeat this process with the second pipe cleaner and glue the pieces on the opposite side of the nose.
5. Tape a craft stick handle to the back of the mask.
6. Once all the glue is dry you can wear your mask.

Other Options: 

• Skip cutting eye holes and glue on wiggly eyes, eyes cut from construction paper, or simply draw eyes onto your mask. 
• If you choose to color your bunny (as Mia did because "bunnies are 'posed to be brown", you could add teeth cut from paper, felt, or foam.
• Add a bow tie made from paper or actual ribbon.

Easter Sun Catchers

These are the sun catchers that we made for Easter. There are lots of fun shapes that you can make for Easter, both religious and secular, and some that are a combination of both. The Easter egg, for example, was originally a Pagan symbol of fertility and new life, but has since become incorporated as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ. The chick is another symbol of new life or re-birth. The life cycle of the butterfly is used to represent Jesus' life. The first stage, the caterpillar, symbolizes His life on Earth. The cocoon stage represents the crucifixion and burial, and the adult butterfly is used to symbolize the resurrection. The cross, of course, stands for the crucifixion but also for Christ's victory over death. The Easter bunny is one I'm not too sure about. I've read that its origins are somewhat like Santa Claus, but it is also a symbol of abundant life. In my opinion, the idea of a benevolent being who brings joy to children can't help but seem to fit into Christianity in some way, although I'll admit I'm stretching a bit here. Additional symbols that you could make sun catchers for include Easter baskets, flowers (particularly Lilies), hot cross buns, palm branches, Easter bonnets, candles, and lambs. You can make these sun catchers as simple or as complex as you like, and I have found that they can be done with toddlers on up with some parent prep. I think they are beautiful for spring, and they remind me a bit of stained glass windows, which is a lovely thought during the Lenten season. John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (NIV).

{Chick and Easter Egg Sun Catchers by Logan, 19 Months}

Materials:

• pencil 
• clear tape
• scissors
• clear contact paper
• colored paper
  
• tissue paper (any color)
  
• paper trimmer (optional)
• hole punch (optional)
• yarn, string, ribbon, etc. for hanging (optional)

Directions:

{Bunny by Mia, Age 4}

{Butterfly by Mia, Age 4}

1. Cut tissue paper into small squares. Older kids can do this themselves. We used approximately 1/2 inch squares, but you could make yours bigger. 
2. Fold a piece of construction paper in half like a hamburger (or use two pieces of construction paper if you would like to make a larger sun catcher).
3. Draw an Easter shape (or trace around a cookie cutter or a picture from the Internet) onto one half (or one piece) of the paper, and cut out the shape. Do not draw your design too close to the edges of the paper. Cut paper in half along the fold. You should now have two pieces of paper with identical cut-outs.  Tip: When making symmetrical shapes such as the butterfly, cross, or Easter egg, you can gently fold your paper in half like a hot dog before drawing and cutting out your shape. This makes it go a bit faster, and hopefully it creates less frustration, too.  Tip: If you are using two pieces of paper, you will need to make sure they stay together so that you get identical Easter shapes.
4. Cut two pieces of clear contact paper (I used both a paper trimmer and scissors for this.) so that they are 1/4 inch larger than the construction paper all the way around. Tip: Do not remove backing from contact paper until you are ready to use it.
5. Adhere one piece of paper to the clear contact paper so that there is a border of 1/4 inch all around the paper. Tip: Slowly peel the contact paper away from the backing as you smooth the construction paper down onto the contact paper. This way you don't end up with "bubbles."
6. Have your child stick tissue paper squares onto the contact paper Easter shape until it is filled. (Mia has created her own technique for filling in small spaces: crumpling up the tissue paper into balls. It makes the sun catcher a bit bulkier, but it does work, and I think it adds a bit of visual interest to the design.)
7. Layer the second piece of construction paper on top of the first, making sure that the Easter shapes line up.
8. Add the second piece of contact paper over the top, smoothing it down as you go. Trim away excess if desired, but don't trim too much or the sun catcher will not stay together. 
9. You can display your sun catcher in a window using clear tape. Another option is to use a hole punch to make two holes near the top, thread some ribbon or yarn through the holes, tie it off, and then hang your sun catcher.