How to Host an Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Egg HuntDo you remember the excitement of hunting for chocolate eggs on Easter when you were a child? 

Now that you have a family of your own you can create an Easter egg hunt for your little ones so that they can enjoy searching for hidden treats.

Here are some tips on how to create the best Easter egg hunt ever:

Create Magic

Part of the fun of the egg hunt is in believing that the eggs have been left by the mysterious Easter Bunny. You can add to the illusion and create a magical feeling on Easter by leaving “evidence” behind of the bunny’s presence.

For example, your children can leave carrots out the night before, which will have been nibbled on the next day.

The More the Merrier

If you want, invite a few of the neighborhood children over and create a larger egg hunt with the other parents. This way you can share the work of setting up and the kids will have friends to play with.

You can also organize Easter related games and activities for the little ones to enjoy.

Make it Fair

Nothing ruins an Easter egg hunt more than siblings squabbling over their chocolate. You want to make sure that the eggs are divided evenly and that no one feels left out.

You can keep the peace by letting your children know that the eggs will be divided evenly at the end no matter how many they find, taking the competitive edge out of it.

You can also give younger kids a head start and make some hiding spots higher up and trickier for older ones.

Think Outside the Egg

You don’t have to hide just chocolate eggs on Easter. Be creative and think of other prizes that you can hide, such as teddy bears, stickers, small toys and more.

These other treats will be just as exciting for your little ones to find and it will mean that they get less sugar-high from overloading on candy!

Have a fun Easter and enjoy hosting your Easter egg hunt with your children.

Are You Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Do you know the story behind this Irish holiday?

The History of St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patricks DaySt. Patrick was born in the 4th century, to parents who were the deacons of the Church. He was kidnapped as a teenager by Irish raiders and made a slave.

He claims that he was visited by God in a dream, who told him to run away from captivity and head towards the coast, where he would find a ship that would take him back to Britain. He later joined the church and became a priest.

Many years later he was called back to Ireland once he had become a Bishop, to convert the Irish people from their native beliefs of polytheism to Christianity.

The shamrock has become a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day because St. Patrick used it to explain the Christian concept of the Holy Trinity to the people of Ireland.

March 17 was the day that he died and was buried at Downpatrick.

St. Patrick’s Day in the USA

Since there are so many Irish descendents in the USA, St. Patrick’s Day is a much-celebrated holiday here.

There are many celebrations all over the country featuring parades, displays of green shamrocks, large feasts, religious observances, copious amounts of alcohol, and lively parades.

People who are participating in Lent are allowed to break their sacrifices for one day in order to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, making this one of the leading days for alcohol consumption in the USA.

The tradition is to wear green clothing on St. Patrick’s Day and those who are caught without an item of green clothing are pinched by their friends as punishment.

Tips for Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

If you are going to be joining in the Irish fun this year, here are some ideas of what you can do on March 17th:

  • Head to an Irish Pub for a drink and a bite to eat. You don’t have to go all the way to Ireland, as almost every city in America will have at least one Irish drinking establishment. Try a hearty glass of Guinness or a fine Irish whiskey to wash down a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage or Irish stew.
  • Don’t forget to wear green, unless you want to get pinched! Anything green will do, even a scarf or a hat.
  • Go to a parade. There are hundreds of St. Patrick’s Day parades all around the USA, from Boston to New York to Chicago. The city of Savannah, Georgia even dyes its downtown fountains green during the celebration.

Have fun celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this March and enjoy this ancient Irish tradition!

In Remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American minister and leader in the civil rights movement taking place most publicly in the 1960’sMartin Luther King Jr..  Mr. King was a great leader of people and became known as one of the greatest speakers in all of American history.

Dr. King was very bright as a child and skipped grades in elementary and high schools.  He entered college at Morehouse College at the age of 15 without ever graduating high school.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s most famous speech, commonly referred to as the “I Have A Dream” speech, took place on August 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.  Over 200,000 citizens gathered that day to hear many speakers. 

Dr. King’s speech was considered the highlight of the event and was later called the “top American public address in the 20th century” by a group of respected scholars.

Dr. King went on to speak prolifically about civil rights throughout the southern states.  He was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his continuous struggle for peace and equality through non-violent means. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Once again, it is quite striking to see the impact that a single person can have on the entire course of human history when they are committed to their cause.  It is when men and women act boldly and with passion that they best serve humanity. 

We all can look forward to the ways that our own lives can be changed, in both large ways and small, by our willingness to put fear aside and stretch ourselves to become better people and invest ourselves in the betterment of the people who surround us.

Today, in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King’s accomplishments I’d like to share this video of his speech: