If there's one thing that all parents know, it's that the novelty of school holidays usually wears off by day two. Then it's a series of desperate attempts to keep them entertained - without spending a small fortune.
We all know that Netflix and your iPhone can be a useful babysitter for a few hours, but if they're whining for a new activity, some Easter crafting is something creative that might entertain them for, oooooh, maybe an hour or so.
Spotlight have compiled some crafty ideas to get your house looking a little festive for the Easter season.
They also make great gifts for teachers, grandparents and neighbours, especially if you're trying to watch the chocolate intake this year!
Elmer's Easter Rainbow Slime
What you'll need:
- 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution
- 4 fl oz 'Elmer' White School Glue x 3
- Food colouring; Yellow, Pink and Blue
- Foam Beads
Instructions:
- Pour the 3 bottles of a 4oz Elmers School Glue into 3 bowls.
- Add 1/4 tablespoon of baking soda into each bowl and mix thoroughly.
- After mixing, add your food colouring to each bowl until you get the colour you want.
- Add 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution.
- Mix until mixtures get harder to mix and slime begins to form.
- Take the slime out and begin kneading with both of your hands. Repeat for each colour. If needed, add 1/4 tablespoon contact lens solution to make the slime less sticky.
- To combine, hold each slime up high and let it stretch out. Once all 3 are long enough, intertwine each one to create mixed rainbow slime!
- Add in foam beads and mix through with your hands.
DIY Decorative Eggs
Washi Tape Egg
What you'll need:
- Washi tape
- 'Happy Easter' Papier-mache Egg 4pk
- PVA Glue
Instructions:
- Start by tearing off small 1- 2cm strips of washi tape and layering it on top of each other on the papier-mache egg.
- Continue doing this until the entire egg is covered in washi tape.
- To finish paint a coat of PVA glue over the entire egg and leave to dry. Paint a second coat if desired.
Twine Egg
What you'll need:
- 'Happy Easter' Foam Eggs 6pk
- Twine
- PVA Glue
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Starting at the base of the egg, paint some PVA glue onto the egg.
- Take the twine and begin coiling/wrapping it around itself working your way up the egg. Continue to add more glue as you go, so the twine is secured to the egg.
- Continue this process until the entire egg is covered in twine. Cut off excess with scissors once you reach the top. Leave to dry.
Freckle Egg
What you'll need:
- 'Happy Easter' Paint Your Own Eggs 8pk
- Acrylic paint in assorted colours
- Fine/small paint brush
- Water for cleaning brushes
- White egg
Instructions:
- Working with one colour at a time use the paint brush to paint small brush strokes onto the egg in a random/scattered pattern. Leave paint to dry.
- Once paint is dry, repeat step 1 with another colour of paint and again leave to dry.
- Continue this process until the whole egg is covered in coloured freckles!
Glitter Egg
What you'll need:
- 'Happy Easter' Fillable Egg 4pk
- Assorted glitter
- PVA Glue
- Paint brush
Instructions:
- Start by painting a thin layer of PVA glue on the inside of the plastic egg.
- While the glue is still wet sprinkle glitter over the top of the glue. Leave to dry.
- Once glue is dry, repeat this process again. Paint another layer of glue and sprinkle another glitter over the top.
- Continue repeating this process until the entire egg is covered in glitter.
- Once you are happy with the coverage of glitter on the egg. Paint a final coat of PVA to set the glitter. The glue will dry clear leaving you with a glittery easter egg!
Gemstone Egg
What you'll need:
- 'Happy Easter' Foam Eggs 6pk
- Crafters Choice Gems
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Instructions:
- Starting at the base of the deco foam egg, use a hot glue gun to glue rhinestones on individually.
- Continue gluing rhinestones on, working your way up the egg. If you like you can change the sizes of the rhinestones as you go. We started with larger gems at the base and swapped to smaller gems half way up.
- If there are any gaps you can fill them in by gluing more gems into the gaps and layering them on top of one another.
Nest Egg Bonnet
What you'll need:
- 1 x 'Happy Easter' Bonnet Natural
- 'Happy Easter' Paint Your Own Eggs 8pk
- Scissors
- 'Happy Easter' Assorted Shred
- Natural twine
- Acrylic Paint (Yellow, blue and brown)
- Paint brushes + sponge
- 'Happy Easter' Chenille Chicks
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Instructions:
- Paint the eggs in your chosen colours using the acrylic paint. Leave to dry before painting a second coat. Then using a sponge and some brown paint lightly dab the paint onto the top part of the egg. Once the paint has dried, paint darker brown dots over the sponged areas with a fine paint brush to. Repeat with two more eggs.
- While the eggs are drying, you can begin assembling the nest. Take the green shred and bundle a handful of it together to create a circle roughly the same size as the crown of the bonnet. Carefully put hot glue mover the crown of the bonnet and press the shred into it to secure.
- Cut long strands of the natural twine, about a meter long and roughly 15 of strands. Tie the strands in a knot at one end and plait the rest together. Once you have created a loose plait you can wrap it around the green shred on top of the bonnet.
- It should wrap around a few times, use another piece of the twine to tie it altogether in a few spots. Then use the hot glue gun again to secure the twine to the bonnet creating your birds nest.
- Position your eggs in the nest, if you want you can carefully cut one open with scissors and place a chick inside it to look as though it has just hatched. Glue eggs and chicks in position with hot glue gun.
- To finish, attach more green shred and chicks on the brim of the bonnet using the hot glue gun to secure in place.
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