Last minute Easter ideas for your preschool classroom

Easter has nearly arrived and I must confess that I am scarcely ready. Who's with me? With managing your day to day behaviors, lesson planning to-dos from here to year's end, and just being the creative genius you already are, teacherhood can get a little tanglesome. And the teachers? A little tired.

So, here's a few simple ideas that take the whole having to be a genius part out of being creative.

1. Glow in the dark Easter Egg Hunt.

Put some small glow sticks inside colorful, plastic Easter eggs. Give your preschoolers mini baskets. Then, turn the lights off (except for maybe a night light), and let the children hunt for their Easter eggs in a fun, new way. For extra fun, make a game of it. Whoever collects the most eggs wins. You pick the treat.

2. Let your children dye Easter Eggs in class.Yes, you'll have to hard-boil them a night or two before. Use simple, plastic cups, tongs, and egg cartons. Using the tongs increases fine motor development.

3. Marble painting Easter egg style! Give your children a round, aluminum pie pan. Let them pick two colors from a variety of colorful paints. Help them squeeze paint into pan. Give them each a hard boiled egg and let them roll it around in the pan. Eggs will turn out almost tye dye. Very colorful and unique.

4. Egg painting version #2.

Follow instructions for #3 except put a white or pastel colored paper in the pan. Then, apply paint and let your eggs roll. The result is a piece of artwork as unique as your students.

5. Find or cut out a large Easter bunny from paper or card stock. Let your little learners glue cotton balls all over the bunny. Set aside pink strips of paper for his nose and ears and use black or brown pipe cleaner for whiskers. Trust me, they will enjoy this craft and love showing off their handiwork.

6. If you're feeling adventurous, come to school dressed as the Easter bunny (or at least don your bunny ears). This adds to enjoyment for the children and engages their attention.

You can even purchase cheap headbands, help students make pink and white bunny ears from card stock and guide them in attaching the bunny ears to the headbands. Perfect for each to wear for story time or during "hop like a bunny" activities.

If you have any creative ideas you'd like to share or comments, please add them below. If I don't see you out and about, Hoppy Easter to you and your class!