When my daughter was a toddler, I used to go around the house the night before Easter searching for little toys that she had forgotten about. On Easter morning, she woke up to a basket full of cute Little People toys, board books from Chic-Fil-A, and a fruit snack or two that I threw in there for her. It was an easy way to avoid extra clutter in our home, and she loved it! I'm not recommending that in this post, ha! But, as my children got older, I still don't want Easter basket gifts to end up as clutter in our Charlotte Mason home, and using their own toys isn't an option anymore.
Beyond clutter, I struggle with the commercialization of Easter, too. Retailers would love for it to be the next Christmas, but our family wants to keep the focus on Christ's resurrection. My husband and I decided that nature-based outdoor gifts would be a good fit- something to celebrate spring and new life, without too much focus on toys and materialism. If this is your plan, too, this round-up is for you!
(I've used affiliate links to share these gifts with you. See my policies for more info about these.)
Easter Basket Gifts
1. Umbrellas
Last year's Easter gift was a pair of umbrellas, and you would never have thought that there could be a better gift on earth thanks to my kids' reaction to them. These umbrellas come out mostly on sunny days, but amazingly, because I went with a good brand, they have stood up very well to all this play.
2. Camp chairs
Camp chairs are usually a hit with the nature-loving set. We take them to events sometimes, but mostly set them up in the backyard. Miss H got her animal critter chair when she was four, but she has outgrown it now (at almost 7.)
Raise butterflies with this kit, and use it again next year by buying new butterfly larvae from the company. This is a great learning experience on top of being so much fun!
4. Fairy Garden
When Miss H got this fairy garden for her birthday a couple of years ago, we bough a terrarium for her little brother for Easter. They both had so much fun planting their gardens and caring for them. When the weather turned warmer, the fairy garden did great outside. We used it for several seasons.
We have gotten several of these over the years, and they are always a hit! It's best when the tools are metal and they actually work 🙂
This wagon is rugged and tough. We've had it for several years as an outdoor toy, and it has held up great.
We have a vintage wheelbarrow similar to this, and it's great for heavy work, moving loads of rocks around, and building small cities in the backyard 🙂
Butterfly nets are great for temporarily catching insects to observe in the spring, or for capturing your little brother by the head 🙂 Our kids have great fun with theirs, but according to the reviews, this net might be a little more durable than those with telescopic handles.
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9. Bug House
If your kids are going to be catching bugs, then they might want a temporary place to store them! For awhile, my son kept ladybugs in his bug house, and called them his pets.
What a fun way to observe nature from your home! This bird feeder attaches to the window, so you can see birds clearly as they eat.
11. Teepee
Set up a little day-time shelter with these gorgeous, portable teepees from A Mustard Seed Toys.
Books
At the time of this post, this book is currently only available through preorder, but if you have Julia's Rothman's Nature Anatomy and other similar books, you're going to want your children to have this one! (Note; the book will be released on April 28, 2020.
This specific journal has a five year calendar to write in the changes you and your child see in nature. This would be great for older children, or for a family gift.
This is a great devotional to go through with young nature and science lovers. Each devotion relates science to God's creation and power. We don't have the follow up devotional, How Great is Our God, yet.
If you're planning on planting a garden this spring, this book is so sweet to share with your children. The story is one of perseverance, even when the original plans don't work out.
Other Easter Basket Ideas
These pencils are not very practical for handwriting practice, but they're fun for little hands to play with.
2. Bird Bingo
This game is so much fun that it made it on my back to school gifts round-up, too 🙂 There is also Ocean Bingo, which would make a great addition to the book I mentioned above!
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