Every year, millions of people around the world celebrate Easter by hunting for brightly colored eggs and goody baskets filled with chocolate bunnies and other sweet treats.

But Easter is no picnic for chickens on egg farms, who suffer tremendously so that we can enjoy our eggs and sweet treats.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. This year, why not plan a compassionate, egg-free Easter celebration that gives everyone, including chickens, a reason to celebrate?

Craft Ideas for Compassionate Easter Celebration

I’ve posted some egg-free Easter recipe ideas for you to try. Here are some tips for having a hen-friendly holiday:

Hide Plastic Eggs: For Easter morning egg hunts, use colorful plastic eggs filled with vegan candy instead of hard-boiled eggs. Your kids will enjoy the ”bonus” candies in the eggs, and you can rest easy knowing that if you lose one, it won’t stink up your home. Plus, you can reuse the same plastic eggs for years to come!

Make Paper Mache Eggs: Instead of coloring chickens’ eggs, your whole family can enjoy making paper mâché eggs instead. It’s easier than you think. Here’s how:

  1. Start by preparing your paper mâché paste by simply mixing together one part flour to two parts water in a large bowl. Add more water or flour as necessary until your paste is the consistency of thick glue, and be sure to mix it well to remove any lumps.
  2. Then tear several newspaper pages into strips about 1 inch wide and about 8 inches long. Blow up balloons and tie them closed. Dip the newspaper strips into the glue and spread them completely over the balloons, leaving a small hole at the top to remove the balloon (and to fill with candy if you want to make a piñata).
  3. Let the first layer dry and then add at least two more layers of paper mache to each balloon, allowing each layer to dry completely before putting on the next layer.
  4. Once the final layers are dry, pop the balloons and remove them from the paper mâché “eggs” through the openings you left at the tops. You can now decorate your animal-friendly Easter “eggs” using paint of your choice. If you are making a piñata, this would be a good time to fill the balloons with sweets.

Create Goody Baskets: For the finishing touch, fill goody baskets with egg-free, dairy-free treats and toys.

Craft Ideas for Compassionate Easter Celebration

Here are some ideas I found online that will spark your imagination:

Grow Your Own Easter Grass

grass-basketFor Easter you can plant your own wheat grass to use as an Easter basket for your little bunnies this year. This project is super easy and looking gorgeous and I think you should all try it this month so it will grow in time for Easter. It takes at least two weeks to get looking gorgeous. http://www.daringyoungmom.com/2012/03/03/grow-easter-grass/

Papier-mache easter eggs

egg_open2Make papier-mâché polka dotted eggs. These are made from small water balloons and tissue paper, which are then filled with candy and toys and sealed shut. These eggs can hold a surprising amount of stuffing making for a delightfully heavy and yet fragile object, much like real egg. http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/papiermacheeastereggs/

Sequin and Glittered Eggs

easter-eggs-blue“Today I have something different to share with you. It is not a recipe but an inspiration for Easter. I’m amazed at the beauty of this season and I can’t stop thinking about flowers and decorated eggs.” http://lulussweetsecrets.blogspot.jp/2012/03/sequin-and-glittered-eggs.html

Pottery Barn inspired Easter chair backer

gingham-lamb-and-bunny-chair-backersOh so cute Easter chair decorations, but time consuming and requiring some considerable sawing skills – it’s a project to do with older kids, or simply find them at the Pottery Barn…;-) Read more: http://www.thekriegers.org/2013/02/pottery-barn-inspired-easter-chair-backer/

Colors of Springtime ~ DIY Farmers Market Baskets

Easter-basketsCheck out these cute baskets in beautiful spring colors – with glitter! In the gasket, put some birds, bunnies, mini eggs, sea shells, or other treasures. Read more: http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2013/02/colors-of-springtime-diy-farmers-market.html

Dyeing Wooden Eggs

wooden-eggs-DreenaThese eggs will last longer than one Easter. Can’t say that for any hard-boiled egg – don’t think you’d want that sitting around for a year or more. The only drawback is that these wooden eggs were a couple dollars a piece. What can I say? Wooden eggs are not subsidized.

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